History Rewritten: Brokenstar Chapter 8

Remember to send in Characters, I can't make them all up on my own. The only Characters I'm claiming are Dawnstar and Timberclaw, the rest don't belong to me or I don't care enough about them to claim them. (People on ; be sure to check out the story Dawnstar's Legacy, especially if you want to learn about Dawnstar's history before she was put into this story. Check out my profile to find it. I update as often as History Rewritten. ) AlphaResurrect is different than other cats, you'll find out more about her later in the story.

The air was fresh, a sign that the weather was fair and a good day to train. Raggedstar pushed his way out of the entrance to the camp; the rough marsh plants rustles as his pelt brushed them.

"Follow me," Raggedstar meowed to his new apprentice as he padded up a small hill. "We're on our way to the Carrion Place, Brokenpaw." Brokenpaw followed his father, his steps in unison with Raggedstar step for step. Dawnstar's strength helped the dark tabby apprentice leap over rocks and tiny streams.

"Our territory is marshy, perfect for lizards and frogs in the day. The more desirable prey is hunted at night. Birds, voles, and mice are found then." Raggedstar explain, answering any questions Brokenpaw had about ShadowClan's territory. The rugged, ShadowClan leader leapt atop a large stone. He beckoned for his son to come and sit by him. The pair's gaze settled on a twoleg building, surrounded by a shining, metallic border. Inside the border were piles of rubbish, Brokenpaw could spot rats scuttling among the trash. He also heard their squeaks and claws scraping on the ground.

"Is this the Carrion Place?" Brokenpaw asked. He hid his knowledge he entered the world with. Raggedstar nodded.

"Yes, rats live here. Twolegs dump their rubbish here as well, that feeds the rats. With rats come diseases. You must never hunt rats or bring back crow food that comes from this place. It could kill the entire clan." Raggedstar's voice turned harsh with worry, Brokenpaw thought he was imagining his clan if that really did happen. "Let's move on, this way!" Raggedstar hopped off the boulder. Brokenpaw did the same. Then the two cats approached a bare strip of land, greyish black stones with lots of small, yellow stripes in the middle. Thunderpath? Brokenpaw peered over the bushes that lined the Thunderpath. A tangy, acrid scent arose from it. Brokenpaw wrinkled his nose in disgust and backed away from the thunderpath instinctively. Raggedstar cut into his own thoughts again.

"The thunderpath hold large creatures called monsters. They carry twolegs in them. Do not cross when a monster passes, it kills warriors all the time from all the clans. Brokenkit remembered the word "thunderpath." He heard it from his clanmates and from Dawnstar's memories. An image flashed before him.

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A trail made of hard, black stones rolling past a twoleg nest like water flows across the ground. Huge, roaring creatures with shining and brightly colored pelts ran across it. They zipped along without a care in the world, not stopping for anything for any reason. Then, quick as lightning, a cat ran across the path. It leapt across between gaps that lied between two of the loud creatures. Brokenpaw took a closer look at the cat. It was a solid brown she cat with scars flowing up and down her front paws. She looked full grown, and she cared a fresh bundle of herbs in her mouth. Brokenpaw guessed she was a medicine cat. Suddenly, the she cat landed on the other side of the black, stone path. Her paws landed with a thud as she felt the safety of the grass on her paws.

"Come on, Emberheart! You'll make it. Dawnstar is already ahead of us by 3 fox lengths." The brown she cat called, to a cat called Emberheart. Peering over to the other side of the black path, Brokenpaw saw another cat. This time the cat was cream colored with flaming ginger paws and ear tips. That must have been Emberheart.

"It's just not safe, AlphaResurrect," Emberheart called out to his companion, raising his voice over the deafening roars and growls of the creatures using the thunderpath.

"It's fine. You just need to time it right. I got over just fine, you can too." The brown she cat yowled back to Emberheart.

"No, I have to go around. There's another way to get home."

"We don't have time, our clanmates need these herbs."

Emberheart stopped arguing. Instead he watched the shining creatures, waiting for an opportunity to dash across the path. The creamy tom looked both ways and sprinted. So far so good, none of the loud creatures were running across the path yet. Emberheart flung himself across the blackened path, unaware that a creature was approaching fast on his left side. Hearing it, Emberheart stopped dead in his tracks, his violet eyes wide with horror as the huge, shining creature got closer and closer. It didn't stop and suddenly rammed the cream and orange warrior across the path. The warrior landed with a sickening thud as he landed on the same side his companion was on.

"Noooo!" AlphaResurrect yowled as she ran over to her clanmate's unmoving body, leaving the bundle of herbs behind in her scramble. She grabbed him by the scruff and pulled Emberheart into the cover of the bushes. The plants rustled as a third cat appeared. The cat was a she cat was silver with white fur on her ear tips, paws and tip of the tail. Her dark, amber eyes gleamed with worry. There I am!

"I heard you yowl, what happen?" She mewed, gaze moving to Emberheart's still body. AlphaResurrect started to shed tears and whimper.

"He's my only brother, what do I do, Dawnstar?" She whimpered and sank to her knees. Dawnstar, the silver cat, nudged AlphaResurrect with her muzzle, trying to get her back onto her paws.

"Stop panicking first. We'll help Emberheart." Dawnstar pressed her ear to Emberheart's chest. His heart was beating, but fading. "I'll carry him. RiverClan's camp is only a few steps away. Get to ShadowClan and tell Flowerstar what happened. My medicine cat will take care of your brother." Dawnstar's meow was surprisingly calm. It seemed like she dealt with emergencies every day. The cats then stalked further into the bushes, taking separate paths.

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The image faded from Brokenpaw's mind. The word "thunderpath," had an entirely new meaning. It now meant pain, broken bodies, death and danger. Brokenpaw turned to his father, Raggedstar started off away from the thunderpath. To his relief, Brokenpaw gladly followed.

The scenery inside ShadowClan's borders was repetitive. The marshy grounds seemed to stretch infinitely on in all directions. Brokenpaw and Raggedstar passed through the entire territory. They passed the WindClan border and ThunderClan border. Brokenpaw then saw FourTrees for the first time. Raggedstar stopped by the 4 Great Oaks to let Brokenpaw rest for a bit. Brokenpaw gazed up at the splendor of the 4 Oaks. One for each clan, River, Thunder, Shadow and Wind.

"This is FourTrees. Gatherings take place here." Raggedstar stated, "We'll be here in the next 3 weeks."

Brokenpaw approached one of the gigantic trees. He'd never seen an oak so big or so wide. An air of majesty seemed to envelope the whole clearing in which the Oaks sat. This truly was a sacred place. Brokenpaw's mentor snapped him out of his reverie.

"Let's go, Brokenpaw. You can see FourTrees at the next Gathering. We have to get back to camp."

Brokenpaw scrambled up to his paws and ran after his father, kicking up clods of loose dirt.