I'm back from the dead! Finally! :D I bet you're all proud—… or annoyed with me. Probably the latter. xD Oops.
But, anyway, here's a Friday update! Pretty refreshing, right? … Speaking of that… I'm starting a thing called 'Lucky Fridays'. I'm updating Lucky on a random Friday of every month now! ^^ So no more late updates.
Anyway, let me get straight to the review replies!
Sapphire-of-NightClan: First of all—I never said it before, but I love your new penname! :D
Second—not quite. Mapleshade definitely is not immortal. C:
Leafy: Thanks! :D Nah, Hurricane's not going anywhere! Well. Yet. ;)
Info about Snow, Mole, and Bracken are in this chapter! c: Uhh… maybe I shouldn't sound happy about that info. Huh, I never realized how devoted you were to FirexSnow till now xD It is a pretty great ship.
Ooh, those are pretty good theories… but those can't be confirmed or unconfirmed till later. c': Thanks, and see you!
Dawngaze110723: Thank you! Here's the chapter! :D
Aspenfur: Thank you for your generous offer… but I don't like cherries. :^)
(Also, sorry that your sister doesn't treat you fairly! ;v;)
WyldClaw: You'll find out. Here. ^^
Nightbird1648: Hey, Night. ^^
I'm glad my writing was effective enough for you to feel sad. c: Pfft, I also get lazy - but I never log out of my account, ever xD
Hehe, thanks! xD
Okay, to the chapter! Presenting, Chapter Twenty-Two c:
Chapter Twenty-Two
Firepaw had her head bowed, sadness and worry rushing through her like a wave. That dream had been so real. What if it was true? What if Snowwhisper, Brackenfur, and Molewhisker were—
No… she couldn't bare to think that way.
Firepaw moved her head slightly, looking at the sunlight dancing along the medicine den's walls. She hadn't been able to go to the battle. She couldn't save anyone—but even if Firepaw could have gone, could she have made a difference?
She let out a sigh, her tail lashing in her mossy nest. If those three died, then it would prove that Qatil isn't an easy foe. But Firepaw just couldn't believe that that brown-furred rogue she and Blossomfall had ran into would cause so much trouble.
But Hurricane was the one who claimed Qatil was the bad cat—of course Firepaw believed him, but what if he was just covering his own disastrous deeds?
No, she thought, shaking her head in annoyance at her own thoughts. Qatil was the one who had bested warriors before, not Hurricane. And besides, Hurricane helped me!
Just then, Lilypool entered the medicine den, her expression distraught. "F-Firepaw! We need herbs, stat!"
The ginger tabby jumped to her paws, only half-listening. The medicine cat apprentice had been talking so fast. "What? What herbs?" Firepaw asked, but Lilypool had already disappeared inside a small cave in the den.
Frowning, Firepaw ignored Lilypool's order and instead shuffled outside of the den to see what had gotten her so worked up. Bright sunlight blinded her gaze for a moment before her eyes finally adjusted.
Firepaw froze.
Red spattered on the ground, brown fur turned mahogany, cream paws covered in red, glinting liquid….
She rushed towards them. "No, no, no!" Firepaw whispered harshly. They couldn't be dead, they couldn't—
"Firepaw…"
The light tabby turned to face the speaker, her expression upset. "...Squirrelflight," she mumbled, a lump in her throat.
The ginger deputy leaned forward to press her muzzle on Firepaw's forehead. "It's ok, Firepaw," her mother murmured. "The death of a warrior—or more—is nothing new. I know it's sad, but… at least we still saved someone."
Firepaw lowered her head sadly, not bothering to process Squirrelflight's words correctly. She couldn't just tell her not to be sad. She hadn't even been close to them much, but the pang of grief still rang through her.
Her mother sighed, giving her a few licks behind the ears. After a moment, Squirrelflight pulled away. "I'm sad too," she told her daughter, Firepaw's distress reflecting in her green eyes. "But we have to be able to move on, or we'll never get anything done."
Firepaw swallowed a sob, nodding slowly.
Lilypool crashed out of the medicine den, Jayfeather in tow. Green stems of herbs poked out of their jaws with tiny black poppy seeds mixed in-between.
"Are you sure you aren't too late to save them?" Squirrelflight asked, turning to them with a look of worry on her face.
Jayfeather placed the herbs down, his expression grim. "We'll see."
As the two medicine cats worked on fixing their wounds, Firepaw stared blankly in a different direction. Maybe if she hadn't been so stupid and went to meet Timberpaw….
There were many bad things that came out of that meeting. Firepaw twisted her head slightly to look at the large scratches on her back from the owl. If maybe she had been more careful, if she had seen Timberpaw's true intentions….
"Firepaw." Squirrelflight's nudge brought the tabby out of her thoughts. "You'll be okay."
Firepaw didn't respond.
.
..
...
Maybe Firepaw should've been paying attention more when Squirrelflight was talking to her.
Night had settled upon the camp, a soft breeze filtering through the air. Moonlight shone onto two dead bodies that were covered in green herbs. The blood from their wounds had been expertly cleaned, but that was the only thing Jayfeather and Lilypool could do.
Firepaw let out another shuddering breath. A puff of white air followed shortly after. She had never wanted anyone to die. Why did StarClan allow this to happen…?
Snowwhisper pressed against her side reassuringly. When the white warrior had returned to camp unharmed, everyone was shocked. Some of the senior warriors were suspicious. Admittedly, Firepaw had been too. She had seen him in her dream, she had seen him not moving….
But it didn't matter now. Snowwhisper was alive.
Firepaw couldn't have ignored the joy bubbling in her chest.
Hurricane stood a little way off, seperate from the rest of the Clan. His storm-blue eyes glittered in the darkness with an unreadable expression. He was supposed to leave after rescuing the three warriors, but there was no doubt he was feeling guilty after bringing them back with two dead.
Amberheart sat on Firepaw's other side, watching Hurricane with a worried expression. The calm warrior had definitely been spooked by the events of the battle with Qatil—Firepaw could see it in her posture.
Qatil was an enemy that would be hard to deal with.
With another sigh, Firepaw turned her attention back to Brackenfur and Molewhisker's bodies, grief tugging at her.
She'd avenge them someday.
.
..
...
"I have to tell you something." Snowwhisper shuffled his paws as he spoke, his gaze never quite reaching hers. "It's very important…"
Firepaw stared at him for a moment before frowning. "What is it?" she asked.
The white warrior's dark amber eyes darted around the clearing. "... In private," he muttered, mostly to himself. Raising his voice, he added, "Let's meet up tomorrow at about moonhigh."
Firepaw's frown turned into a scowl. "In case you haven't noticed, I'm confined to the medicine den," she meowed with an edge of annoyance in her tone. "So we can't exactly meet anywhere other than there."
Snowwhisper let out a low groan, realization crashing into him. "You're right," he muttered. "... Why'd you have to mess with that owl?"
"I didn't do anything," Firepaw meowed back, ignoring the guilt shooting through her. "Can't we just talk some other time, when I can finally get back to being an apprentice?"
Snowwhisper slouched dejectedly. "I guess." With that, the white warrior padded off towards the warriors den.
Firepaw scoffed before letting a small smile fall across her face. "I'm glad he's okay," she murmured. She didn't know what she would've done if he had been killed. While he could be overprotective, Snowwhisper was one of her friends.
Friends….
Firepaw smiled even brighter. Yeah. Friends.
"Firepaw, I need your help with something," Lilypool meowed, nudging the apprentice's shoulder. "Could you help me carry some herbs in? Jayfeather's taking a nap, and honestly," she shivered, "I'd rather not disturb him."
The ginger tabby she-cat sighed, her happy mood momentarily forgotten. "Yeah, I'll help," she responded, stretching out her limbs. There had been a sharp pain in her back, but it seemed to have dulled over the past few days.
"Great!" The dark brown and white she-cat's blue eyes brightened. She bounded over to the exit to camp, waving her tail quickly for Firepaw to follow.
The ginger tabby walked carefully after her, trying not to be too harsh on her wounds. It was a miracle she even had full use of her back still. The owl's talons had dug deep.
As the scenery started changing to a forest, Firepaw began to feel on edge. She glanced into the shadows, her fur prickling. What if Qatil was hiding, waiting to strike?
She shook her head furiously. No way! We defeated him. He should know better than to show up here again.
Lilypool trotted up to a clump of flowers, nosing her way through them. She let out a soft meow of satisfaction, picking out the stem of a white flower.
"How many herbs are we getting?" Firepaw asked, looking around slightly warily. Even if her Qatil fears had been quashed, the forest did feel more… dangerous than usual.
"Just a few more," Lilypool responded, wrinkling her nose slightly. "I thought you'd appreciate moving around."
"I do," the tabby muttered, but not loud enough for the medicine cat to hear her.
The dark brown and white she-cat padded off somewhere else, Firepaw closely following. The feeling of foreboding never went away, twisting a knot into the tabby apprentice's belly. She had to struggle to ignore it.
Lilypool picked up a few more stems of herbs and then turned back to Firepaw. "Could you go get some marigold from over there?" she asked, pointing to a tree flecked with yellow.
Firepaw gave the medicine cat a nod before walking over to the tree. Before she could even think of getting the marigold, something caught her eye. The tabby turned slightly, her eyes wide with wonder. One single flower sat in a patch of grass a little way off, glittering in the sun's rays.
The marigold momentarily forgotten, Firepaw padded over to the flower. "What's this?" she breathed in awe.
The flower had a thorn-like appearance, its petals stretched inward as if ready to attack. Orange, yellow, and blue danced across its features, making it look almost bird-like. Firepaw had never seen this type of flower before.
Just as Firepaw moved to touch it with a claw, a loud creaking split the air. The tabby froze, her paw suspended in mid-air. More creaking echoed in the air.
"Lilypool?" Firepaw called, still not daring to move.
More creaking echoed through the forest for a moment. Worriedly, Firepaw thought that maybe Lilypool was in trouble. Why else would she take so long to answer?
"Firepaw!" Relief flooded through her veins when Lilypool finally called back. "Stay where you are! Something's happening!"
Firepaw slowly put her paw back on the ground, staring at the bird-like flower. But what exactly was happening? It was like… the forest was trying to move something….
Firepaw realized what the problem was just before it happened.
Another loud echo of creaking filled the air before suddenly, a rumbling rattled through the ground. Firepaw stumbled, letting out a meow of surprise.
"Lilypo—ah!"
A loud crash shook the earth.
.
..
...
"It seems the Clan is finally getting suspicious of you," Mapleshade purred, curling her tail. "And Firepaw can't even let you tell your tale. Such a shame, isn't it?"
Snowwhisper's fur bristled. "They aren't suspicious!" he growled. "And she's hurt, and it needs to be private. I don't exactly have a lot of options."
Mapleshade started circling around him, a low laugh echoing through the still air. "You don't get it, do you?" she asked, a condescending tone blatantly obvious in her voice. "You can't change the future. No matter how hard you try, you're still just my deputy. The Dark Forest deputy."
The white warrior swallowed, a low growl rumbling in his throat. "I can change everything," he responded, "if you'd just stop attacking Firepaw all the time! I know it's you."
Mapleshade halted, malice glinting in her green gaze. "We can't kill her, but we can stop her. And that's exactly what I'll do." The Dark Forest leader stepped forward, meeting Snowwhisper's gaze.
"You'll fail, no matter how many times it happens."
Well! Short chapter alert! Sorry for not warning you earlier :'D
But anyway, stuff went down… Molewhisker and Brackenfur are dead :( Sorry. But they had to go, for plot reasons.
Also, this chapter was very off-key since I haven't written anything in like 5 years D: But you can sort of see my writing style come back near the end.
QOTD time!
QOTD #1: What do you think Snowwhisper wanted to talk about with Firepaw?
QOTD #2: What do you think happened with Firepaw and Lilypool?
QOTD #3: What do you think Mapleshade meant by 'no matter how many times it happens'?
… Sorry if the QOTD'S ever sound like some sort of homework assignment, or something ;v; But anyway, see you sometime in April on a Friday!
;; Orangeflight of ShadowClan