Chapter 3.
Sparrowpaw smelled his sister come into the apprentices den. She was pricked with unease. Her breathing was uneasy and she seemed to be staring out of the den with an unreadable expression.
Nevertheless, he'd try to get some sleep. Being an apprentice wasn't easy. And as he learned the hard way, sleep was key.
But something itched. Not like a tick or a flea, but a prickling uneasiness that couldn't be shaken away. It was keeping him awake like a thorn. Sparrowpaw curled deeper and deeper into his nest, shutting his eyes tightly.
He could smell an unpleasant smell that almost made him choke. He remembered it, but not what it was. His mentor had showed him where twolegs would den in Green leaf or Leaf fall. He remembered a flick of something burning on dead trees and dry twigs. It burned like lightning. What was it called? Fire.
Of coarse he didn't smell fire, but twolegs would complain about a gray type of cloud floating at them. Smoke. That's what smelled so fowl. Screaming twolegs and burning trees followed it. And soon, the camp was ash. And every cat he had ever known was dead, including himself.
Twoleg bodies were striven around camp choking and gasping. And something was driven into the ground; it looked like a monster with wings. It was pure white like the large clouds he had studied as a kit.
And now, he could hear talking. He tried to sleep, but a cold presence was now here. Observing him.
"I don't think he is one of them." His sister's voice latched into his confusion.
Sparrowpaw opened his eyes. He saw a black cat with green eyes. She was slightly faded and reminded Sparrowpaw of Shadepaw. Next to her was Icepaw.
"Sparrowpaw! How long have you been awake?"
"Long enough. The question is why are you awake?"
The strange cat was still there; she was misty and slightly transparent.
"I-I was…"
"Talking to a strange cat by my nest? Cause that's what it looks like."
Shock filled whatever worries Icepaw had on her face. And she ran outside the den.
Sparrowpaw would not be alone with this strange cat. So he ran into the trees. The dream itched at his brain. The strange cat did too. And murmuring filled it to its limits.
A voice itched at his brain, slowly whispering.
"Do not be scared, you will only see them tonight. Come out and face your destiny."
Still, Sparrowpaw slowly peeked from the trunk. There were more strange cats; he was not ready to trust them. But Icepaw was clearly comfortable with the starry figures.
She can do whatever she wants; I'm going deeper into the forest.
He saw more cats, but this time they did not look pure or angelic. No, the blue silvery mists surrounding them were gone. It was replaced by a dark red glow, and they were almost invisible. Especially a tortoiseshell and white one. Her glare at the blue mists from afar was terrifying. Then it hit Sparrowpaw.
These seem familiar. These are stories I know. Blossomfall told me only a moon ago. These are the dark forest cats, and the ones I left behind are Starclan's.
He knew he had to go back. He turned around. But before he could sprint he saw the tortoiseshell. She had a smile, and she knew where he was going. He expected an impact of a claw, but instead there was a warm greeting.
"Hello their child. My name is Mapleshade. And you are chosen for us, not them."
What had he gotten himself into? First he had a strange dream, now a rooted evil cat was calling him? He shook, trying to close his eyes and never wake up. But the presence towering him would never leave. Finally, he decided to respond.
"I don't see the point in lying. You're the dark forest. Untamed evil that never has seemed to leave the place you died. How come so less of you came?"
"Don't insult our population child, the living has lowered it by fox lengths." There was now a slight hiss.
Silence started, ended, and then began again. A purple glow bonded between the dark trees and the light camp. Three misty cats, two gray, one golden, shot from the trees with an expression he had only imagined when listening to the stories of the many wars between clans. Icepaw slowly trailed behind them, fearfully staring at Sparrowpaw.
"You're trying to win again? These were made for us so we could finally have a chance at winning! Do not take the advantage away! I have lived too many moons to die off when I finally get the chance!" Her voice quaked with anger a disappointment.
"What made you such a monster?"
Mapleshade's breathing slowed "I am…" She almost felt as if she broke into tears. "I am my last chance to show… to show I am worth it. That all I've lost… and all that has broken me will die. This was my last chance. Appledusk never died in my paws twice, my meaning was to make him suffer. And you mouse brains showed you don't care."
"You could've forgiven, but you didn't. That is your fault not ours."
"Take him, I don't care. But I may be back… in a way you will never expect. Appledusk killed my kits. And now, I will get to sabotage him." She growled.
Sparrowpaw watched her fade away, her gaze still seen as hateful. He rushed over to his sister. Looking at where the root of all evil used to stand.
Icepaw shook and nudged him with her tail. And they ran to the next tree.
Sparrowpaw's fur was rugged with awareness. He looked at Icepaw and said only one thing.
"What Happened?"