Sorry to people not getting plushies, but everyone who reviewed gets a Calicofur one! All Windstar fans...
I WANTED TO GIVE YOU ONE OF HIM!
Nobody better vote for Robinpelt... Grr...
Chapter Sixteen: Swift
"If I stay here one more sun," Windstar declared in a blank voice. "I shall go crazy."
"It's not that bad," Tux squeaked, still terrified of him. "Much better than a few I've been to before..."
"How many times have you gotten away from your Twolegs?" Windstar asked in a bored tone.
"Oh, lots, I-"
None of the forest cats really absorbed anything after that.
That's when she came in.
"MOMMY! I WANT A WHITE KITTY!"
Windstar flinched against the yowling of the Twoleg kit who came waddling into the room. And literally, waddling. How much did those Twolegs feed their kits?
"We have a white cat!" Windstar didn't understand any part of the Twoleg language, but he was guessing that this was bad.
"Starclan help me!" He hissed, glaring up at the Twoleg kit. Now, Windstar, being our little Windstar, has seen a lot in his life:
Weird prophecies.
Starclan she-cat falling in love with him.
Falling for the she-cat he considered the most annoying thing on the universe. Who is also from another Clan.
And, last but not least, his father killing him and being brought back from the dead.
A very upsetting life, over all.
"Be very quiet," Brook meowed in her innocent way. "Maybe she won't see you."
Windstar shot her a glance. Lost cause!(AN: Sorry, wanted Brook to have a stupid moment)
"Ooh!" The kit gave a little yowl as her muddy brown eyes settled on Windstar. He met her gaze coldly, but this didn't seem to faze her as she ran over to his trap.
One of the larger Twolegs stopped mewing away to what looked like the kit's mother, and opened the nest. My chance! Windstar though, racing as quickly as he could toward freedom...
"Gotcha!"
He hissed as the Twoleg scooped him up, and unsheathed his claws. She gave a yelp of pain as he sliced through her flesh, and satisfaction filled his mind.
But it was too late.
Windstar's eyes widened as he was shoved into an even SMALLER nest, one where he could barely move.
"No!" Minnowtail cried. Windstar knew what she was thinking: if the one Clan leader in here was overpowered, what about them?
"Find a way out!" He yowled as the Twoleg jostled his nest away. "Find a way to get yourselves free!"
xxx
Calicofur watched as Lightfur and Spiderleg sat down side by side, talking animatedly about something she couldn't hear properly.
That's when she got closer.
"What'll we name them?" Asked Lightfur excitedly. At first, Calicofur was confused, when...
"I like the name Pinekit for a tom," Spiderleg answered, his amber eyes shining.
Oh.
Lightfur and Spiderleg... they were having kits...
Every single bone in Calicofur's body went like water. She felt dizzy. This couldn't be! The two had barely known each other, and they were having kits?
Slowly, tail dragging, she made her way to Leafpool's den. The tabby she-cat's sympathetic eyes showed that she already knew what was going on.
"I'm sorry," She mewed. "It must be hard."
"It is," Calicofur sighed. "But I'll get over it."
"You're lying," Came a hiss. They both looked ahead to see Dreamcloud padding toward them. Her amber eyes showed exhaustion mixed with sadness and confusion. Fear. "You'll never get over it. Trust me, I know."
Calicofur swiped her tongue over her pelt. She would get over it.
She thought.
xxx
"There's still hope, Dreamcloud," Came a soft voice. Dreamcloud jerked her head up, and looked around.
She found Silverstream standing in front of her. The she-cat's green eyes were kind and sad.
"Why are you wanting me to do this?" Dreamcloud asked. "I'm just a queen! I'm expecting kits... this surely can't be happening to me!"
Silverstream sighed, and touched the she-cat's shoulder with the tip of her tail. "I know you're scared. But Dreamcloud, your days as a heroine are far from over. It's your destiny-"
"And destinies can never be changed?" Dreamcloud asked hotly, turning her back. "Not everything has to be the way Starclan thinks it should be, Silverstream."
"Hasn't your grandfather told you?" Silverstream meowed, coming to face her again. "Or your parents? Starclan doesn't rule. We read into things, but we don't control them. Do you think we would want a tom who's kits are soon to be born taken?"
Dreamcloud had to give her that.
"But there are many cats without kits who can do this!" She cried. "Calicofur, for one, is she-cat I'd recommend any day-"
"Calicofur is not sure of what she wants her destiny to be."
"Neither am I!"
Silverstream gazed at the younger cat's distress. "I know how you feel," She whispered. "Torn. Worried. Is this ever going to work out? What if..."
Dreamcloud blinked. That was pretty dead on...
"But if Starclan was really watching over me and Windstar," Dreamcloud murmured. "Would you let Twolegs do this to us? If you were really watching over Calicofur, would you let her heartache go...? My heartache?"
xxx
Windstar crept out of the nest, very cautiously, maybe they wouldn't just-
"KITTY!"
"No!" He yowled as the kit took him in her arms. She squeezed him to her chest so hard, that he couldn't breathe...
A bark-like laugh came.
Wait...
Bark-like?
Windstar twisted his head to see a gigantic... dog? Was it a dog? It looked a bit like one, but wilder, and its eyes were amber instead of brown. A female, with a strange beauty.
Finally, as the Twoleg let him down, he cautiously ventured to her.
"Don't worry, Clan cat," She said kindly. "I won't hurt you."
Her pelt was dark gray, and her face was intelligent. But as she spoke, Windstar saw long white fangs that could rip him apart with ease.
"How do you know what a Clan cat is?" He ventured.
"Midnight told me about you," She answered. "I was kind of like her apprentice."
Oh. Midnight, the legendary star-gazing badger that had helped the Clans. And that would explain why this dog(was she a dog?) could speak cat.
"My true name is Swift," The creature said. "I'm a wolf-hybrid. I know, I look mostly wolf, but I do have enough dog in me for these Twolegs to get me... you'll hear them call me... Gracie." The wolf-hybrid wrinkled her nose.
"Windstar," He answered. "Shadowclan leader. How did they get you?"
"They tranquilized me," Swift replied. "And I was 'adopted' by them. Tongues come easily to me, so I speak better than Midnight in different languages, and I can understand quite a bit of Twoleg. Tranquilizing is when they get those stickers in you, and you fall asleep."
"Oh..." Windstar was dazed. "What about Midnight?"
Swift bowed her head sadly. "She died a few seasons ago during a harsh leaf-bare."
"Oh... sorry..."
Awkward.
"Anyway," Swift sighed. "You seem to be a sensible cat. And you have spunk under that fear."
"I am NOT scared of those mouse-brains!" Windstar's hot-headed personality shot through, and he saw the amused and teasing look in Swift's eyes, feeling embarrassed. She was a smart wolf-dog... good...
"Windstar," Swift said, touching noses with him, formal attitude gone. "I think this is the start of a beautiful friendship."
"And I have found a partner in crime," Windstar purred.
xxx
Our terribly charismatic Windstar made a friend! Yay! Anyway, I love wolves, so Swift HAD to go in... Thanks to Frostpaw, the ONLY person who posted!(glares at others)