The first chapter of rewritten No promises is finally here! I've fixed the grammatical errors and added some scenes. This story will end when Shadowclan reaches their new home. Maybe I will do a oneshot about this someday, not sure though.
My next project will most certainly be about Applepaw, if Pebbleshine (Twigbranch's and Violetshine's mom) had a second littermate who survived. It's not decided yet, so I really don't know.
Anyway, back to the story!
Shadestorm's pov
Shadepaw ran trough the undergrowth at the edge of Shadowclan territory. She sensed that her mother Tallpoppy was on her heels along with Oakfur.
Only one panicked thought was bouncing around in her head. I have to find Redpaw! What if she's hurt?
They came to halt at a small clearing. The first thing Shadepaw noticed was the iron like smell in the air. Through the darkness surrounding the clearing Shadepaw could see that the ferns were splattered with blood. The scent of death.
She felt her eyes widen with horror. Her panic only increased when she heard Tallpoppy's desperate whisper. "No."
That's when she saw something in the middle of the clearing. A reddish form, with a pool of blood around it.
She felt a lump in her throat. No. This couldn't be. There was no way this was true. Its just a bad dream. She told herself, trying to cling to a tiny spark of hope that Redpaw was okay.
That illusion was shattered when Oakfur cautiously padded over to the lump of reddish fur. He bent down his nose and touched her sister's still form. A moment later he shook his broad head sadly. "Im sorry. She is gone."
No. No. No! Please... She didn't even know who would hear her silent pleas. She trembled, and her legs gave away.
Everything was covered in darkness, and blood.
...
Shadestorm awoke with a jolt in the warriors den. Her eyes were still dull from the horror of the dream. It had been many moons since Redpaw's death, but nightmares still haunted her dreams every night.
I suppose thats just irony from Starclan. She thought bitterly. But then another thought filled her head. What woke me up this time?
Dawn light was dim in the den. Almost every other warrior was awake. "Hey! I'm speaking to you!"
When Shadestorm raised her head drowsily, the voice continued. By now she recognised Blackfoot, the Shadowclan deputy. He stood in front of her nest, sunlight illuminating his white and black pelt from behind. "You have dawn patrol with Oakfur. Tawnypaw is going to tag along. Check the Thunderclan border and see if you can find some prey."
She wanted nothing more than to curl back into her nest, but she bit her words back and instead settled to a simple; "Okay."
Great. Shadestorm thought. The last thing she wanted was the dawn patrol. And Tawnypaw was going to annoy her to death. She rose up, and shook the scraps of moss out of her gray pelt. She followed Blackfoot out of the den, and joined the rest of the patrol.
They set out towards the Thunderclan border. Shadestorm trailed at the end of the patrol, and saw a certain tortoiseshell apprentice glaring at herself. Shadestorm raised her head and glared back.
If a gaze could kill I would be in trouble.
She remembered the first day Tawnypaw had stepped in the Shadowclan camp. They were both apprentices then, and had an argument about nests. They had hated eachother since. Or Tawnypaw hated her, and Shadestorm hated back.
She suspected the apprentice was resentful of her because she'd been made a warrior first. But I suppose that's not fair. I'm moons older than her.
But then again, she'd spent almost a moon in the medicine den, recovering from the grief of losing Redpaw. Sadness threatened to overwhelm her once again, but she pushed it to the back of her mind.
Nobody talked for the rest of the patrol. When they reached the camp, Shadestorm snagged a frog from the small fresh-kill pile, and settled down to eat at the edge of the camp. She didn't have many friends. Redpaw was my friend. My best friend actually.
Shadestorm wasn't very social, but it was fine with her. Tallpoppy was her only good friend, and it really didn't count since Tallpoppy was her mother. Everyone was akward around her, because she blamed Tigerstar openly for her sister's death.
After all it was Tigerstar who had given Redpaw the order to go gather moss at dusk. It was Tigerstar who had insisted she'd go alone into that dark forest that would be ultimately be the cause of her untimely death.
Shadestorm just sighed, and swallowed the last scraps of her prey. She watched her clan from the shade. What has Shadowclan come to? She asked herself silently.
...
When Tigerstar called the clan meeting to tell them about their union with Riverclan and Bloodclan, Shadestorm felt her heart drop.
She looked over where Blackfoot was standing. His amber eyes didn't show any emotion. Like always these days.
Shadestorm spotted Tawnypaw. The young she-cat looked horrified by her father's announcement. Shadestorm almost felt sorry for her. Almost.
...
"Lionclan, attack!"
As Firestar's order rang in her ears, Shadestorm sprang forward along with the rest of the Shadowclan cats. She leaped and landed on the back of a ginger rogue. The huge tom rolled on the ground and managed to get her off his back.
Shadestorm found her paws first, and started to swing at her opponent. Duck and roll, just out of reach. Then you will leap at them.
The gray she-cat tried just that, but in the matter of seconds she was pinned down. Her mentors advise rang in her ears. Always pick a cat you think you can win.
Once again she had been too reckless.
She tried wriggling her way out of the tom's grasp, but he held her down and clawed at her shoulder. Panic started to rise as she realised she couldn't get up.
But all of a sudden the weight disappeared. She saw Blackfoot battling the massive tom. Shadestorm guickly stood up and teamed with the Shadowclan deputy, matching him blow to blow. Soon the Bloodclan cat fled for the bushes.
Shadestorm turned to the cat who had saved her life, intending to thank him, but the white and black tom was already leaping back into the battle.
She followed him, and teamed up with Boulder to help fight the Bloodclan cats. He was surrounded by five cats, and all of them had so many teeth in their collars you couldn't even see their colours.
Soon Tawnypaw and Oakfur followed them, but they were still outnumbered.
The battle was going badly for the clans. Even though they were fighting ferociously, new Bloodclan cats were streaming out of the bushes. It was a terrifying fight for survival.
Already the ground was littered with bodies, both warrior and rogue.
Suddenly a yowl split the air. "Scourge! Scourge is dead!"
At the second yowl, most of the Bloodclan cats came to a halt. They ran for the cover of the bushes, clan cats streaming after them.
Shadestorm sat down on her haunches. She was exhausted, and her shoulder wound was still trickling blood.
She stood up and walked to the group of Shadowclan cats clustered around Littlecloud. To her relief, none of them had any serious injuries. She spotted Blackfoot and Russetfur talking. I guess Russetfur will be deputy. She is fit for the position.
The thought sent jealousy through her mind. Why am I jealous? I've never wanted to be deputy.
Shadestorm was startled out of her thoughts by the medicine cat. "You seem to have a bad shoulderwound. I'll put some cobwebs to it before we go home."
She sat still while Littlecloud set cobweds into her wound. She was still exhausted from the battle, but she started the long journey towards the Shadowclan camp with her clanmates. Maybe things will get better now that Tigerstar is dead, and Bloodclan is gone.
Shadestorm was walking, wrapped up in her own thoughts. Suddenly, she felt someone's stare at her.
She looked up, only to find a certain pair of amber eyes meeting hers. I haven't even thanked Blackfoot yet. I really should, though. He saved my life after all.
Shadestorm sped up on her tired legs until she reached him. "I wanted to thank you for saving my pelt."
She meved drily. She didnt want to appear too thankful.
Since kithood, she had always been taught that a Shadowclan cat owes depts to no one.
"No problem." He mewed, his amber gaze to the ground.
They walked side by side for a while. There was an uncomfortable silence hanging in the air.
Shadestorm glanced over at Blackfoot. I guess he'll be our leader now.
She didn't really know what to think about it. She just hoped he could learn from his past mistakes.
...
Shadestorm woke up the next morning, and headed straight for the camp clearing. The wind shuffled the leafless brances of leafbare.
She had no dawn patrol this morning. In fact, Littlecloud had excused her from her warrior duties. Her wound hadn't healed enough yet.
She spotted Runningnose and Blackfoot heading out of camp, and hurried to catch up. They'll be heading to highstones.
"Good luck on your journey!" Shadestorm meved cheerfully.
"Thank you. We'll be needing it." Runningnose said grimly. Blackfoot only nodded at her as he passed. They stepped to the thorntunnel, and dissappeared from sight.
The gray she-cat gazed after them for a moment before turning to the camp.
She spotted Tawnypaw at the edge of the clearing. She was sitting alone, taking only small bites from her prey. She looked sad.
Shadestorm made a decision. I am going to regret this, but here we go.
She padded cautioysly over to Tawnypaw. For the first time it occured to her that she might be lonely, just like Shadestorm was.
"Hey, are you okay?"
Tawnypaw looked up at her, but when she realised who it was, she instantly recoiled. "Leave me alone. I dont need your company."
"As you wish." The gray she-cat shrugged and headed away.
To her own suprise, Shadestorm felt a little upset by the apprentice's refusal for help.
