Hello, and welcome to another chapter of Lucky! ...I need to go review a few fanfics, I feel obliged to them but then I never review them and ;-; Oh well, I might do it later… the fanfics do get enough reviews on their own, hehe… D':
Well, anyway, time for the review replies...!
Lightningstar-of-NightClan: Hehe, yep, Blossomfall's pregnant! And I'll list all the cats who were on the patrol at the end of this chapter xD And yeah, Nightpaw's pretty cool! The loner will return, I'll guarantee that, and you'll have to find his brother throughout the story, because he's in here, but he's never identified as his brother xD
Leafsplash-Of-ThunderClan: No, Dewpaw's not alive, sorry D: He meant that Dewpaw hangs around the dream realm sometimes so he and Nightpaw get to talk, and when Nightpaw's awake he talks to Timberpaw… sorry to crush your Dew-related dreams ;-;
Thank you! And yeah, Firepaw and Snowwhisper do get along a lot better than they did before, although their relationship is still unstable xD Oh well. And Timberpaw does play a lot in this story actually, he's not just some random friendly side character lol 3
Yep, one of the cats was Pinenose, but the brown tabby wasn't Tigerheart :3 I'll list all the cats on the patrol at the end of the chapter. And yeah, Blossomfall is pregnant :3 I'm excited because her kits will be so cute..!
I'm really glad you liked the last chapter, and the new cover! :D
Aaand, that's it for those! Don't forget to review guys, following and favoriting means nothing to me if you don't even review ~ uvu
Well, here's the chapter!
Chapter Sixteen
Firepaw dashed through the underbrush, her underbelly brushing against the long grass. She heard the thud of Blossomfall's paw steps behind her, and quickened her pace, letting out a snicker. Her mentor snarled in annoyance, but Firepaw continued on, her expression changing to amusement.
The ginger tabby apprentice skidded to a halt in a large clearing, whipping around to face her tortoiseshell mentor. Blossomfall huffed, stopping in the clearing. Her face looked strained, and she sagged as if she were tired.
"Are we going to do special training today?" Firepaw asked excitedly, her tail tip lashing to and fro.
Blossomfall sighed, her green eyes dim. "No," she meowed tiredly. "We're going to do a practice assessment today. You go hunt, and I'll watch. Bring back three pieces of prey."
Firepaw's ears twitched in confusion. "Um... okay." She was about to question Blossomfall's motives, but then she remembered what Bramblestar had told her. The ginger tabby flicked her tail and padded off, looking at the tall trees above her.
It didn't take her long to find something. A rustle echoed through the area, and Firepaw tensed, lowering herself to a crouch. A hare poked its head out of the bushes, and Firepaw let out a low gasp. It's huge!
The tabby apprentice shook her head, fixing her expression. She couldn't be scared now, not when the soft rustle of leaves on the ground told her that Blossomfall was watching. Firepaw inched toward the hare, narrowing her eyes and slowly unsheathing her claws. The hare's ears flicked up, and Firepaw froze, waiting for it to make its move.
But suddenly, a yowl split the air, making the hare prepare to dash off. A dark brown blur stopped it, digging its claws into the piece of prey. The hare let out a squeak, struggling to get away, but it was silenced forever when the cat swiped their claws against its throat.
Firepaw stared, her golden eyes wide in disbelief. That's not a ThunderClan cat!
Blossomfall knew this too, leaping out of the bushes with a hiss. "What are you doing in our territory?" she growled, lashing her tail.
The dark brown cat licked his paw, which was stained with the hare's blood. "I didn't know you could just claim land," the tom meowed, his dark amber eyes narrowing. "Why don't you pretty kitties scram before I get angry?"
"Pretty kitty?" Blossomfall snarled, her eyes blazing in green fire. "I am a full-fledged ThunderClan warrior!"
"Yes, sure," the dark brown tom replied nonchalantly, licking his paw again. "And I suppose the short orange kitty is a ThunderClan warrior, too?"
Firepaw held back a hiss, narrowing her golden eyes. "What are you doing here," she grounded out, making it sound more like a statement than a question.
"Don't mind me," the tom purred, picking up the piece of prey. He turned to pad off, when Blossomfall launched onto him with a hiss of fury. The dark brown tom let out a mrrow! of surprise, dropping the hare.
Firepaw watched in amazement as her mentor fought with the strange tom, giving him scratches and biting him angrily. The dark brown tom fought back, giving her mentor blows and biting her flank.
The dark brown tom was winning, to Firepaw's astonishment. He clawed at Blossomfall's legs, making her stop for a moment, and then he completely bowled her over, standing over her. He smirked, showing his teeth.
"Any last words?" he asked breathily, his amber eyes narrowed. He aimed his paw towards Blossomfall's neck, his claws slowly sliding out. He chuckled as the tortoiseshell she-cat squirmed under his grip, her green eyes wide with fear.
Firepaw's eyes widened as she saw Blossomfall look scared like that. Something was wrong—her mentor would never be afraid of anything! The ginger tabby bunched her muscles just as the dark brown tom pulled his paw closer to the tortoiseshell's throat. With a hiss, Firepaw launched forward and knocked him over, digging her claws into his side.
"Stay away from her!" the ginger tabby growled, biting and scratching him fiercely. The tom didn't have a chance. He broke away from her, his amber eyes narrowed, but he breathed heavily.
"I'll be back," he snarled, saliva dripping from his lips. Firepaw winced in disgust, and the dark brown tom let out another hiss. He turned and jogged off, leaving a bloody paw print trail.
Once the tom had left, Firepaw immediately turned to Blossomfall, who was still lying down. "Are you okay?" she asked, bounding over to her.
"I'm fine," her mentor sighed, struggling to get to her paws. Firepaw pressed her shoulder against Blossomfall's, helping her to her feet. The she-cat let out a shuddering breath, her green eyes still lit up with fear.
The ginger tabby apprentice looked up at Blossomfall worriedly. This is so odd… what scared her?
"Oh, Firepaw," her mentor murmured, plopping back down on the ground. "Grab the hare and… we need to get back to camp."
"We can get the hare later," the ginger tabby meowed, helping Blossomfall to her paws again. "Blossomfall, we need to take you to Jayfeather and Lilypool."
"No, I'm fine," Blossomfall snapped suddenly, startling Firepaw. "I'm… fine…" Her voice dropped to a whisper, and she looked tired again, as if she hadn't gotten any sleep.
"Blossomfall—"
"Firepaw, get the hare," the tortoiseshell ordered tiredly. "I'll follow you, okay?"
The ginger tabby held her tongue, just nodding her head hesitantly. She stalked towards the hare, picking it up between her teeth carefully, and then padded off towards the camp. Blossomfall slowly followed, and Firepaw had to slow down occasionally just so her mentor could catch up.
As Firepaw gave another glance to Blossomfall, she couldn't help but wonder what was wrong. Yes, Blossomfall was hurt, but she had been tired before she fought that strange tom.
Oh, maybe Bramblestar was right….
"May all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather beneath the High Ledge for a Clan meeting!"
The cats let out grumbles of annoyance. It was almost moon-high, which meant most cats were going to be tired. But Firepaw burst out of the apprentices den excitedly, her golden eyes wide. The Gathering was tonight, and she was really hoping that she got to go.
As she settled in between Birchfall and Lionblaze, she gazed up at her father, who stood regally among the shadows of the camp. His dark brown tabby pelt rippled as he stepped forward slightly, his eyes flashing.
"As you all know, tonight is the Gathering," Bramblestar meowed. "...I should've picked cats to go much earlier than this, but I was busy with something." He glanced at Firepaw, and the ginger tabby apprentice frowned slightly. Earlier, she told her father about Blossomfall's behavior, and she'd been assigned a temporary mentor. But it took him a while to pick a good warrior, and she ended up with Foxleap, who was excited to be picked as a mentor. Blossomfall was in Jayfeather and Lilypool's den for the time being, but secretly, Firepaw thought Foxleap would be her mentor until she became a warrior.
"So," Bramblestar continued, bringing Firepaw back to the present, "I shall pick the cats who get to go now. Brackenfur, Cloudtail, Brightheart, Birchfall, Leafpool, Foxleap, Spiderleg, Icecloud, Cherryfeather, Dovewing, Ivypool, Molewhisker, Seedcloud, Amberheart, Snowwhisper, and Firepaw."
Firepaw jumped to her paws, her golden eyes glowing excitedly, and Birchfall's tail flicked joyfully. Lionblaze meowed a "Congratulations!" to them both, and then moved towards the entrance of the Nursery to sit beside Cinderheart.
Amberheart and Seedcloud padded up to her, grinning at Firepaw. The ginger tabby was relieved that Seedcloud seemed to be out of her slump, and she gave the two warriors a smile back. "We're going to the Gathering," she purred.
"Yeah," Amberheart purred back, blinking her orange eyes at her.
"Okay, now all cats going to the Gathering, come to me!" Bramblestar leaped down the High Ledge and padded towards the exit to camp. The cats selected all followed after him, Firepaw waiting a moment before following after the small-ish crowd. Seedcloud and Amberheart bounded after her.
The walk was pretty much silent, except for Seedcloud and Amberheart's loud chattering behind her. Firepaw let out a soft snort of amusement, and contributed to some of their conversations, but mostly stayed silent with the rest of the Clan. But sometime along the way, Snowwhisper suddenly appeared by her side.
"Can we talk?" the white tom asked, gazing at her expectantly. But, throwing a glance at his sister and Seedcloud, he added, "In private?"
"I… guess," Firepaw muttered, grumbling slightly. She broke off from the crowd of cats, ignoring the curious glances she received, and sat down in front of Snowwhisper.
"Great," the warrior meowed, and then his expression changed to a serious one. "Listen, Firepaw, I saw that rogue attack you and Blossomfall."
"W-what?" Firepaw stuttered in disbelief. But I didn't detect anyone there! And I definitely didn't spill the catmint!
"Why didn't you tell anyone?" Snowwhisper pushed on, his dark amber eyes narrowing. "Bramblestar should've known this happened. Now the whole Clan may be in danger!"
"He's just one cat," the ginger tabby hissed back, her fur bristling. "How much trouble could he really be?"
"No Firepaw," the white warrior growled. "You don't realize what you've done! He's going to—"
"Firepaw? Snowwhisper? What are you doing back here?" a voice interrupted. A rustling sound came from up ahead, and Brackenfur poked his head through the foliage, his amber eyes lighting up in surprise. "Oh! I hope I didn't interrupt anything!"
"You didn't," Firepaw meowed, casting a sideways glare at Snowwhisper.
"Well, Bramblestar and the rest of the Clan are by the Tree Bridge, but he's waiting for you two before he lets anyone cross," the golden brown tabby warrior meowed. He looked at them both for a moment, before adding, "What exactly are you two doing, anyway?"
"It was nothing important," Snowwhisper murmured, looking down at his paws for a moment before getting to his paws. "Sorry to have kept you waiting," the white tom meowed, his voice louder.
"Yeah, I'm sorry too," Firepaw meowed quickly, scrambling to her paws. She narrowed her eyes, glancing at Snowwhisper again before padding past Brackenfur, who seemed to be confused. She found the Clan in a heartbeat, gathered around the Tree Bridge like moths to a flame.
When she spotted Bramblestar, the ginger tabby pushed her way towards him. "Sorry," Firepaw meowed once she had reached him, her whiskers twitching anxiously. "I hope this doesn't make us late to the Gathering…."
"Oh, shush Firepaw," her father purred, giving a swift lick on her head to calm her down. "We're just in time, so don't even worry about it."
Amberheart and Seedcloud came to her sides, adding, "Yeah, we understand you and Snowwhisper needed to talk. It's not as if the whole Clan doesn't know you're both on bad terms with each other."
"We still are," Firepaw muttered.
Bramblestar jumped on the Tree Bridge, letting out a yowl for the rest of the Clan to follow. Firepaw gazed at the tree, and then flinched, remembering when she fell off. She dug her claws into the ground slightly as she padded forward, carefully mounting onto the tree. She felt someone get on behind her, gently pushing her forward as she walked. Firepaw gave a quiet thanks to whoever it was.
When Firepaw jumped onto the Gathering Island, she turned around to thank the cat who helped her, but was surprised to see no one. She looked around, her gold eyes wide in confusion, but everyone was chatting with someone, not paying attention to her.
Who was…?
"Firepaw!"
The ginger tabby turned to spot Timberpaw, waving his tail for her to come over. Firepaw gave him a huge smile, bounding over to the gray tabby and white ShadowClan apprentice. "Hey Timberpaw," she purred, settling down beside him.
"Looks like I saw you before a Gathering again," the tabby apprentice purred back, smiling back at her. "Those foxes were pretty worthy opponents. It's a good thing that loner showed up when he did! And the way you stood up for ShadowClan after the battle—that was so cool!"
Firepaw's ears burned in embarrassment. "Oh, come on, it wasn't that great…."
"No, it was!" Timberpaw continued on, his green eyes glowing in admiration. "Now maybe ShadowClan and ThunderClan could be allies, all because of you!"
"That would be nice…" Firepaw started, but before she could continue, a voice interrupted her.
"ThunderClan and ShadowClan as allies? Maybe in your dreams!"
Firepaw and Timberpaw turned their heads and saw Amberheart and Seedcloud sitting there, their eyes lit up in amusement. Amberheart was the one who had spoken, and she was looking at Timberpaw. "Firepaw, is this your new friend, or something? He's a bit of an air-head!"
The gray tabby and white ShadowClan apprentice scoffed, narrowing his eyes. "Well, excuse me for hoping we could be friends," he muttered.
The ginger tabby she-cat frowned. "Amberheart, don't be mean! He was just speaking his mind, y'know. It's kinda like how Dewpaw was—" Firepaw forced herself to ignore Amberheart's flinch and Seedcloud's shudder, "—so you should be able to accept it."
Timberpaw blinked in confusion at the hesitance the warriors had with Dewpaw, but Firepaw already looked horrified, streaming apologies. "Oh my StarClan, I didn't mean—I'm so sorry—please forgive me—"
"Whatever, it's okay Firepaw," Amberheart meowed, giving her a shaky smile. "It's all water under the Tree Bridge now, haha…."
Seedcloud nodded in agreement, but there was pain in her eyes and she looked like she had yesterday, slouching and sad.
Firepaw flattened her ears, murmuring, "Sorry." She padded off, inwardly giving a lopsided smile when she heard paw steps behind her. She didn't particularly want anyone to follow her, but company would still be nice regardless.
The ginger tabby settled down in the shadows, turning to see Timberpaw, his green eyes wide with concern. "Firepaw… are you okay? What's up with Dewpaw? ...Is he okay?"
"Oh…" Firepaw frowned, her tail drooping. "Actually, Dewpaw is—"
"The Gathering will now begin!" Firepaw was interrupted by Mistystar's yowl. She immediately shushed and padded out of the shadows a bit. Timberpaw sat down next to her, his gaze steady as he stared at the leader expectantly.
"Things have been well in RiverClan," the blue-gray she-cat meowed, standing out like water in the darkness. "The fish have been out more lately, and the water levels are at their normal rate. Also, Rainpaw, Stonepaw, and Splashpaw have received their warrior names. Please welcome Rainspots, Stonefrost, and Splashcreek!"
"Rainspots! Stonefrost! Splashcreek!" the Clan cats cheered. The three gray RiverClan cats stood up proudly as the other Clans praised their new names. Firepaw bit the inside of her cheek, narrowing her eyes slightly.
I swear Rainspots was that apprentice who attacked me in the Dark Forest….
Mistystar dipped her head, signifying that her report was over. Onestar stepped forward, his eyes dimmed in the shadows. He sat down, wrapping his fluffy tail around his paws, and then started his report.
"WindClan's doing fine lately. Rabbits are still as chaseable as ever, especially now that they're distracted by leaf-bare coming up in a few moons," the brown tabby meowed, letting a smile grace his features. "And that's it for us." Onestar dipped his head, moving backward to let another leader speak.
Before Bramblestar could make a move, Rowanstar launched forward, frowning. "I'll be doing the next report," he hissed, throwing a glare at the dark brown tabby. Firepaw's father blinked in confusion, but let Rowanstar go next anyway.
The ginger ShadowClan leader stood on the tips of his paws, making himself appear taller. His green eyes flashed dangerously as he looked down at the Clan cats, the moonlight illuminating his fur.
"ThunderClan are murderers!"
Ooh, the drama! :O Looks like Rowanstar found out about what Snowwhisper did…! I wonder how the ThunderClan cats will slip out of this one….
Also, Splashcreek's name is my favorite :D xD
Well, here are some QOTD's to pass the time:
QOTD #1: Do you think anyone else will ever find out Dewpaw is dead? Because I don't think Bramblestar's going to get to say his report xD
QOTD #2: Who do you think that dark brown rogue was?
Bonus QOTD: Why do you read this story?
Weelll, that's it! I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, even though it's pretty short xD And Part One is drawing to a close next chapter! ...If you don't know what I'm talking about, please go check Chapter One :3 I updated it yesterday.
You know what they say—read and review!
;; Orangeflight of ShadowClan
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Extra: The ShadowClan cats in the patrol last chapter, in order of appearance, are as follows: Timberpaw, Snowbird (her pelt color was not described), Pinenose, Owlclaw, and Scorchfur.