Chapter 5: Greyleaf
Greyleaf had noticed the ShadowClan leader examining her, his amber eyes piercing and unreadable. Her pelt had prickled with unease, but she had been able to keep up her calm demeanor.
It was as if he could tell that I was the new warrior before Sunstar announced it. She chewed on a paw in concentration. How did he know?
"Greyleaf, are you okay?" A silvery voice asked.
The she-cat snapped to attention, pulling her paw out of her mouth. "Yeah," She replied, "Just thinking is all." She smiled, hoping it was convincing enough for the tom in front of her.
Goldenfur just shook his head and chuckled in a low voice, "If you say so," He raised his blue eyes to hers and smiled heartily, "So, how's it like to be a new warrior?"
She shoved him lightly with a paw, laughing, "You should know, you are one! "
"No, my warrior ceremony was so long ago," He protested dramatically and in a nasally voice, as if he was on the verge of being an elder.
"Yeah, four moons ago. You're so old Goldenfur!" The grey cat giggled, pouncing on the tom.
Goldenfur, off guard, was slammed in the side by the new warrior and sent tumbling down. Greyleaf promptly sat on him, pinning the golden warrior to the ground. "I am victorious!" She yowled loudly, attracting confused stares in her direction.
"Hey," He exclaimed breathily, his chest rising and falling quickly to get enough air under her weight, "That's not fair!"
He ruffled his fur, got his paws under him, and burst upwards, sending both of them flying into the air. They both landed on their feet two fox-lengths away from each other, laughing their heads off.
Greyleaf twitched her whiskers, amused. "It seems the mighty Goldenfur has decided to fight back," She posed as a question.
"Yes," The tom replied, bunching up his shoulders growling softly in his throat, "And I will defeat you!"
He jumped, sailing through the air, aimed for the spot where Greyleaf was standing, but she quickly dodged and shoved Bramblepelt into her previous spot. The spiked brown tom yowled in surprise when Goldenfur slammed into him not more than a second later, and this resulted in a playful wrestling fight between the two friends.
Greyleaf purred, her job here was done. She looked to find Sunstar and then joined the group of cats that was already starting to leave. Once they were across the bridge, she heard the frantic, scrabbling paw-steps of two cats trying to catch up, and smiled, barely suppressing a giggle.
As the Thunderclan cats made their way home, the memory of Pinestar's gaze prickled its way back into Greyleaf's mind. Why, She asked herself, Why would he be so interested in me, of all cats? She dwelled upon this all the way back.
When they arrived back at the camp, Blackpaw was waiting for Greyleaf by the entrance, breaking her previous line of thought.
"How was your first gathering as a warrior," He asked, his slim black tail pointed high.
Greyleaf stepped to the side of the thorn tunnel so that the clan could pass by her.
"It was amazing," She replied happily, smiling, "When Sunstar announced that I was a warrior, the whole crowd cheered."
Blackpaw eyed her enviously. "I wish I could be a warrior now," He complained, kicking at the dirt.
The dark-furred tom was 3 moons younger than Greyleaf, so he still had 3 moons of training to go. He had always looked older than her, and had always been the better fighter of the two, but he didn't boast against her abilities like had had to the other apprentices. This had resulted in a good friendship between the two.
"Cheer up Blackpaw," Greyleaf said, patting his back with her tail, "You'll be a warrior sooner or later."
Blackpaw smiled. "I hope it's sooner," He replied, swishing his tail defiantly, "I just can't wait to get my claws in some Shadowclan fur, everyone knows they've been stealing our prey!" He growled and raked his claws across the soil.
Greyleaf nodded, not offering any comment. She, personally, had no vendetta against the mysterious clan. If anything, they intrigued her. "We should get back into camp," She mewed softly, stretching her hind legs, "It's almost Sunup."
"Yeah," He replied, flashing a rere sheepish smile, "You're right."
He let Greyleaf go first, padding quietly behind her. As they walked through the thorn tunnel, Greyleaf yawned. The gathering had taken a lot out of her, she would need to train more on her endurance.
When they reached the middle of the hollow, the grey she-cat, used to her daily routine, almost walked into the apprentice den with Blackpaw. She stopped herself just in time and mumbled, "Goodnight Blackpaw. I'll see you in the morning." Before waving her tail and leaving him. As she padded towards the warriors den, she heard his voice behind her.
"Good night Greyleaf!" He called, and she flicked her ear in response.
When Greyleaf entered the warriors den, Goldenfur and Bramblepelt were already fast asleep. She plopped down into her nest and easily fell into a deep slumber.
Chapter 5: Pinestar
Unlike Greyleaf, Pinestar was not able to sleep. He had led his clan back home, his paws untiring yet heavy. He just couldn't stop thinking about Greyleaf. He had no explanation for it. The feeling was like an acid corroding inside of him. There just had to be a reason behind the strange emotions, but whenever he grasped for it, it slipped away from him like a snake. He paced back and forth across his den until he couldn't take it anymore.
He stepped out of his den and walked towards the exit of ShadowClan camp, nodding to Badgerfall as he left. Pinestar walked through the shadowy trees and to the small pool nearby.
The trees sheltered him inside of a small clearing with a dark pool of water. Fireflies floated about, illuminating the area with a beautiful, dim light. The short grass swayed in the soft wind, and the chirping of crickets tickled Pinestar's ears. Everything was calm, still, and serene. He always came here when he couldn't rest or when he needed ideas. As deputy, he had visited this sanctuary a lot.
A leaf colored gray by the evening light flew by him, turning and stumbling, propelled by the wind. It suddenly descended to the floor, almost landing on the ground, before a strong, swift breeze carried it up and away from the clearing to places beyond.
Hey, a grey leaf. Ha, Greyleaf, that's such a pretty name. He bit his paw. STOP IT! He scolded himself. You can't think a ThunderClan cat is pretty, or attractive, or cute. You are a ShadowClan cat. There is no future for us. Cats from different clans can never be together, and besides, your the leader! You need to stay strong with the warrior code!
But despite his scolding, his odd feelings for the grey she-cat kept coming back. He just couldn't get her out of his mind. He stared at his reflection in the pool. The face of a confused and torn cat looked back at him, and he remembered when he first came to Shadowclan.
"D-don't hurt me," A young beaten tom exclaimed, backing up from the fearsome group of well-fed cats, his bones showing through his pelt, "I'll do anything you ask, just please, please don't hurt me.." He whimpered,cowering, his ragged pelt shaking.
"It's okay, we won't hurt you," A calm, low voice soothed.
The brown tom looked up, his eyes welling with tears. "Really?"
"Really," A reddish-brown tom replied, "I'm Russetstar, you can come with us.-We'll take care of you," He added when fear once again crept into the cat's eyes.
The brown tabby tom nodded, and started to limp over to the cats, holding his front right paw close to his chest.
As they made their way through dark, looming pines, the Russetstar once again addressed the scrawny tom. "What's your name," The ruddy brown asked.
The frail tom didn't want to answer, didn't want them to know, didn't want to have the name that had been thrust upon him. "I-I," His voice cracked, and he coughed, the motion racking his small body, "I d-don't..." He cut off, staring at his moving paws.
Russetstar gave the young cat, barely at apprentice age, a saddened look, and licked his head comfortingly. "It's okay," He rumbled, his deep voice gentle, "Would you like one?"
The little cat looked up in relief, his amber eyes twinkling, and nodded exuberantly. A new name would mean a new life, and a new life would mean a new him.
"Hmm," The russet tom thought, looking around, notign the many trees, "How about, Pinepaw?"
The ragged tom purred in happiness and answered, "Yes! My name is Pinepaw!"
After a while of reminiscing upon the past, Pinestar stopped scolding himself and started to think of ways to meet Greyleaf. Maybe I could... No, that will never work. Well, maybe....
It wasn't until late morning that Pinestar returned to his camp, but when he did, he did so feeling refreshed and light, eager for the day ahead.