Well, I've done an Author's Note before, but I'll try to respond to your reviews the best I can
Pandean: Yeah, Stealthpaw's very trusting and judging by the voices, she's never had a true friend.
Alright, with that out of the way, let's get started!
Chapter 10
"Supposed Night Of Peace."
8/4/16
Stealthpaw watches a red leaf fall from the tree. It rained last night and the ground was still muddy. Autumn was near, of as cats called it, Leaf Fall. Normally school would start, but she figured that apprentice training was school enough.
In the evening, Stealthpaw saw Pounceclaw and Leopardstrike's kits playing with the leaves.
Five weeks passed since they were born, and they were already getting into trouble.
Especially Spottedkit. She was always the ringleader of most of the heists, and she always sneaks out of nursery.
And for some reason, Spottedkit was always sneaking around wherever Stealthpaw was, and she didn't like being watched or followed.
Stealthpaw was growing up. She was almost the same height as Seabreeze, and her frame became stronger as well as her hind legs, and a slender body with glossy fur.
Stealthpaw thought of an idea, and started piling the fallen leaves in a pile.
The pile was near her chest when cats began to stare at her in confusion and concern. Stealthpaw was prepared to put one more in the pile when a white blur dove into it, sending an explosion of red, orange and yellow leaves in the air.
"Wooo!" She saw Stoatpaw doing back flips and rolling in the leaves. Stealthpaw threw a leaf at Stoatpaw in frustration.
"You ruined it!"
Stoatpaw blinked and smiled as he scoops his paw in the dirt and threw it at Stealthpaw, who dodged it. Stealthpaw hissed and threw her own mud at Stoatpaw.
The white tom took the hit on the head and coughed.
"You fox heart!" Stoatpaw lunged at Stealthpaw and pinned her on the ground. Stealthpaw hissed and rolled over and pinned Stoatpaw on the ground.
She looked at him closely, and saw that his head was a tiny bit narrowed, like an Abyssinian cat. And his eyes were sapphire blue.
Stealthpaw blinked and climbed off of Stoatpaw. The white tom shook the leaves from his fur. Stealthpaw looks over her shoulder and sees Yellowpaw gathering herbs.
Stealthpaw felt guilty for not spending time with the medicine cat apprentice, she was the first cat who was nice to her.
"Yellowpaw!" Palewhisker called from the inside of the den.
"Make sure you have plenty of chamomile for the trip!"
Stealthpaw tilts her head.
"Trip? Are you going somewhere?"
"To Moonpool." The bright ginger she cat replied. "Medicine cats go to Moonpool at night for every half moon, which is tonight."
"What do you do?"
"We share information with other medicine cats and share dreams in StarClan."
Stealthpaw's eyes widen with wonder. Maybe… Maybe if she went to Moonpool, she could meet that cat who's talking to her!
"Do you think I could go to Moonpool?" She asked Yellowpaw.
"That depends." Palewhisker answered, stepping out of the den. "Long ago, before the Clans came to the lake, we used to take apprentices to Moonstone, a huge rock that bathed in the stars inside a cave. We don't usually take apprentices to Moonpool."
"But that doesn't mean you can never do it, right?"
Palewhisker smiled. "Perhaps. If you ask Thornstar he might allow it."
Yellowpaw quickly said goodbye and left with Palewhisker.
The sun fell down and cats were preparing for sleep. Stealthpaw, however, couldn't shake off the feeling that something wasn't right.
She steps out of the apprentices den and scanned the camp. Cicadas chirped and the half moon brightened the camp grounds by just a little bit. Stealthpaw heard a leaf break, and turns to the direction of the nursery. She saw green glistening in the darkness and vanish.
Stealthpaw's alarm went off in her head as she pads toward the cat closest to her.
"Flamepaw…! Flamepaw, Rainpaw, wake up…!"
The dark ginger tom snorted and woke up. "What are-?!" She stuck her tail in his mouth as Rainpaw gave her a questionable look.
"I think I saw eyes behind the nursery…!" She whispered. Rainpaw blinked away the sleep. He looks outside and smells the air, his blue eyes widen.
"Well? What is it?" Flamepaw asks him.
Rainpaw hisses, "It's-!"
"ShadowClan! ATTACK!" A surge of cats poured into the camp through the thorn barrier. Stealthpaw's fur stood on end as Flamepaw gets up from his nest.
"Rotten frog eaters!" Flamepaw launched himself on the biggest cat and vanished in the fray as ThunderClan warriors joined in. Duckpaw, Sweetpaw, Foxpaw, Squirrelpaw and Rainpaw each attacked a warrior.
"Bonsai!" Stoatpaw leaps and barrels over a muscular tabby. Stealthpaw was seeing flashes before her eyes with each blow a warrior gives the other.
Hissing and spitting and clawing, Stealthpaw couldn't stop herself from shaking.
She heard a wail from the nursery and sees Pounceclaw snarling at a black she cat.
Stealthpaw took two fox lengths and was knocked down. She looked up and recognized the dark blue tom who was the deputy of ShadowClan.
"Oops! Sorry!" He cackled. Stealthpaw glared at him as she gets on her paws.
"Did I hurt your feelings?"
Stealthpaw swung her unsheathed paw and the tom dodged, and bit her paw.
Stealthpaw quickly used her other paw to rake his ears to create a deep nick.
The tom released his grip, and Stealthpaw rammed her head into his throat and knocked him down.
Stealthpaw saw Eaglecry pounce on the tom and clawed his muzzle before letting him up. "Get out of here, Stormtail!"
Stormtail growled and launched at Eaglecry again. Stealthpaw rushed toward the nursery and found Pounceclaw bleeding heavily while being pinned by the she cat.
Stealthpaw leaped and latched her claws on the black she cat's back. The she cat falls off of Pounceclaw, and Stealthpaw bites her back leg viciously before chasing the she cat off. She quickly pads toward Pounceclaw. The young queen's throat was slashed open.
"Pounceclaw? Please say something!" She begged. The white and ginger she cat looks at her with glazed, green eyes on her.
"Stealthpaw… Look after my kits..please.." Pounceclaw laid her head back and fell still. Stealthpaw whimpered until she saw that most of the ShadowClan cats were retreating, except for a black shape in a battle with Thornstar.
Crowstar! Stealthpaw growled as she stalked toward Crowstar. The ShadowClan leader had slashed Thornstar's muzzle and went in for a bite when Seabreeze barreled him over.
Crowstar glares at her mockingly. "If it isn't sweet little Seapaw ~."
"Get out of my camp, Crowstar!" Seabreeze spat.
"Aww, what's wrong? Still bitter about the kits? It's your own fault they died, you know."
Stealthpaw froze when she saw fury on Seabreeze's face and remembered what Mooneye said.
Seabreeze was the apprentice who got pregnant. Crowstar hurt her!
Stealthpaw charged forward and latched herself on Crowstar's neck. She sank her claws, deep, and ripped his throat open. Crowstar fell down with a shriek and fell still.
Stealthpaw stared at Crowstar's body in realization of blood pouring from his neck, but what shocked her was that he woke up and stared at Stealthpaw in anger.
"You stole my life!" He spat. Stealthpaw didn't understand how he came back to life, but she didn't care. She flatten her ears and said, "One life for another, Crowshadow!"
Thornstar used his tail to push Stealthpaw away as he glared Crowstar down.
"Leave my camp and never do this again." He growled, and he wasn't kidding.
Crowstar curled his lip and ran into the thorn barrier. The ThunderClan cats looked at each other for injuries as Palewhisker and Yellowpaw came through the thorn barrier and looked at the cats in horror.
"Great StarClan!" Palewhisker exclaimed.
She raced to Thornstar and bowed her head.
"Specklefoot told me that Crowstar would do this, but he came to Moonpool so late I didn't-!"
Thornstar rested his tail on her shoulder.
"It's not your fault. It was a cowardly attack."
Thornstar looks at the cats in the clearing.
"Any injured cat, see Palewhisker and Yellowpaw for treatment."
Stealthpaw padded toward Pounceclaw's now cold body. She pressed her nose into her pelt until she smelled a scent.
"No!" Leopardstrike bends down and nudges Pounceclaw. "Wake up, please don't leave me!"
Stealthpaw stares at Leopardstrike as he looks at her, then his eyes blazed with fury.
"You!" Leopardstrike charged at her, but Crowtail held him by his scruff and Volefang used his whole body block him.
"Why didn't you save her?! She let you name our kits and this is how you repay her?! You stupid rogue!"
Stoatpaw suddenly stood in front of Stealthpaw as Thornstar padded in front of Leopardstrike. "Calm down!" He ordered. "Nobody was prepared for this attack. Pounceclaw died protecting the kits."
Thornstar nods to the nursery. "Go and check on your daughters."
Leopardstrike growled and stalked in the nursery. Jaystripe, who had a couple scars on her pelt, touched her nose on Pounceclaw's head.
"Goodbye, old friend." She murmured. Crowtail and Volefang carried Pounceclaw's body to the clearing.
"Hey." Stealthpaw jumped hearing Stoatpaw's voice. For once, the white tom looked concerned. "Are you okay? I saw you take a few hits." Stoatpaw smells her pelt, Stealthpaw backed away from the strangeness of the touch.
"I'm fine." She said. The other apprentices pad to her and Stoatpaw. Flamepaw had several scratches on his flank, but his eyes burned with fire.
"That stupid Poppycloud thought she had me!" He boasted. Flamepaw sees Pounceclaw's body. "No… She's-."
"Yeah." Stealthpaw whispered. Pounceclaw's body was positioned to look like she was sleeping. Yellowpaw places flower petals around Pounceclaw's body.
Stealthpaw was unnerved by the eerie silence as cats gathered around Pounceclaw.
"Are they grieving…?" She whispered to Rainpaw.
"Yes… Cats close to her are allowed to bid farewell."
Stealthpaw sees Leopardstrike pad toward Pounceclaw with Gingerkit, Redkit, and Spottedkit behind him. Leopardstrike sobbed as he bowed his head over Pounceclaw. Gingerkit and Redkit looked grief stricken.
Stealthpaw hesitated and pads slowly toward Pounceclaw. She was aware of cats watching her, and spots Seabreeze, who nods to her. Stealthpaw looks at Pounceclaw before briefly touching her nose on her forehead.
"Stealthpaw?"
Stealthpaw sees Spottedkit pad toward her.
"Is… Is Mommy really gone?"
Stealthpaw nods. "Yes, she is." Spottedkit flattened her small ears.
"Why? Why is she gone?"
Stealthpaw's throat was closed shut, but she said, "Sometimes things happen… StarClan needed Pounceclaw…"
Spottedkit shook her head.
"I need her! Gingerkit, Redkit and Daddy need her! It's not fair-!"
Spottedkit buried her muzzle in Stealthpaw's side. Stealthpaw curled her tail on Spottedkit as she cried, and led her away from Pounceclaw.
Cats were having a hard time getting sleep. Stealthpaw sees Seabreeze still in her spot, even though Pounceclaw's body was buried long ago. She slowly pads toward the pale silver she cat.
"Seabreeze?"
Seabreeze glanced at her.
"Can't sleep? I don't blame you. Battles have a way of scaring us."
Stealthpaw said nothing as she sat next to Seabreeze.
"You did great in the battle," Seabreeze praised her. "And I liked how you talked to Spottedkit, although I wish it was under a better circumstance."
Stealthpaw said, "Mooneye told me that his apprentice got pregnant by Crowstar… You were her, weren't you?"
"You heard him, huh?"
"That, and you were the first to bring up Crowstar, even though I never mentioned his name."
Seabreeze smiled ruefully. "Inquisitive little she cat, aren't you?" She frowned.
"Yes… I was the apprentice. I'm not exactly proud of it."
"It seemed like a cruel punishment, and yet it was a blessing. I was just an apprentice, almost a warrior. I couldn't care for kits. Even though my kits died, another kit's mother died as well, so I offered the rest of my milk to let him live."
Stealthpaw looks at Seabreeze. "Aren't you angry? He left you to suffer through it alone and he probably got away with this!"
Seabreeze sighed.
"I was, at first. But like I said, my kits death was a punishment and a blessing.
I couldn't bare to watch them suffer for my mistakes with their father, nor do I want to end up hating them for being a constant reminder of my foolishness."
"If it weren't for Thornstar - Thornblaze back then - who begged Hallowstar to let me stay, I would have been a loner for the rest of my life. I used my second chance to work twice as hard, and became a warrior."
"And that's what I'm doing with you, Stealthpaw." She said. "By the time we're through, you'll be a fine warrior that will be spoken of in elder stories."
To be honest, I kinda liked Pounceclaw. But it was part of the plot! And now you know what happened between Seabreeze and Crowstar, and I'll leave it up to you to guess what kit Seabreeze nursed as an apprentice.
