Chapter 10: Windclan and Two New Kits
Hello! I'm going to update! Yay! xx-Secrets-xx, you finally make your entrance into this story! Hope I play your character right! Please tell me if I do something wrong with her personality. As for the question if Wrenstar met Whitestar, you'll just have to wait and find out! On with the chapter!
We were walking up the Windclan moorlands. We had just crossed over the river, now we were heading towards the camp. My belly was growling- I hadn't eaten since I had left camp yesterday. I sighed. Who even knew if we would be accepted into Windclan? What would we do if we weren't accepted into the clan? I shook my head and looked out over the deeper part of Windclan territory. There were three cats heading toward us.
"Wind clan patrol!" I yelled silently, not sure if I was happy about this, or if I wanted to hind and not be scene by them. Duskpaw and Brightpaw looked over and saw them.
"We should hide and wait until we get back to camp or they might send you both back to Thunderclan territory if we run into the wrong cats." Brightpaw quickly advised and we raced to the nearest bush. There weren't very many, but we did find a bramble bush and managed to squeeze into it. The brambles scratched my pelt and nose, but it didn't hurt that much. The patrol was heading toward us, now closer. An apprentice shot by chasing a rabbit. A hunting patrol... That made things easier on us. They might not be able to scent us caring rabbits in there mouth. The patrol passed by, then Brightpaw hissed out, "Softstep!" The white she-cat passing by the bush stopped and listened. She silently came over to the bush.
"Who's there?" She asked quietly.
"It's Brightpaw, and two other apprentices. They're from Thunderclan. They have no choice but to join Windclan. Could you escort us there, please? I don't know how the patrol would act."
"I don't know. It would be Icestar's decision."
"Please! We must join your clan! Rushingwind would agree with us! I'm sure of it." I pleaded. Duskpaw briskly licked my cheek before looking up at Softfur.
"Rushingwind would? Hmmm... I guess we could bring you all along and explain it all to Icestar."
"Thank you," Duskpaw mewed before untangling her tail from the bramble bush and stepping out. Brightpaw tore his way out, leaving a few chunks of fur behind, while I delicately stepped out of the bush and tugged out my tail, which began to bleed at the end from being torn out of the brambles. The patrol consisted of three other cats- a warrior and two apprentices.
"This is Graysky, Darkpaw, and Lightpaw. Lightpaw's my apprentice." she introduced as we approached the patrol.
"Who are they? What's Brightpaw doing with them?" Graysky asked.
"It will be explained back at camp. I'm going back to camp with them now. Lightpaw, go with Graysky and Darkpaw to collect your prey and get back to camp." Softstep said gently. Lightpaw nodded through her rabbit that she had just successfully caught and we walked off towards the camp again. Soon we arrived, Duskpaw's pelt was brushing mine and she was shaking in excitement, at the Windclan camp, and we entered. It was empty. There was a fresh kill pile on the side of camp, filled with rabbits, the clearing, and a few gorse bushes. A tall rock stood out from everything, it was surrounded with gorse bush. I scented it. It smelled like milk and was probably the nursery. We headed to a rock near a badger set. The smell of mouse bile came from it. The medicine cat den? No, the elder's den. You could hear an elder muttering about ticks. Where was the leader? We passed it and headed to a fairly large gorse bush.
"Here. Icestar should be inside. Go on in, all of you." Softstep said and waited by the bush as we entered.
"What is it?" A light grey tom was sitting on the ground eating a rabbit, "Brightpaw, you've brought company. They are Thunderclan by the smell. What did they come for?"
"We were Thunderclan. We wish to join your clan." Duskpaw said coolly.
"Why must you join my clan? Why don't you go back to your Thunderclan home?" He asked.
"We can't. I was banished for nothing; Duskpaw came with me. We came to the only clan I knew that might accept us." I chipped in.
"Why did you think I would accept you into Windclan?"
"Because my father is here." I stated boldly. He lay there staring for a few minutes.
"Brightpaw, you are dismissed." Icestar said emotionlessly. Brightpaw nodded and left the bush.
"Tell me your story, from beginning to now. I must here it." Duskpaw began, telling how I had come to the clan since she was a kit at that time and her mother had told her the whole of the events along with the elders. I told about the ceremony and sneaking off to the gathering. We both told how I became exiled and almost drowned, and how we met Softstep and she brought us here.
"...Now we are here, where you told us to tell you my story." I finished. With this he sighed and thought. We waited as he thought. It was now sunhigh, I could tell by the mild sunshine streaking into the bush. Finally he spoke.
"You have gone through a tough journey that has now brought you here. For that I give you credit. But, before I tell my answer, why have you joined Forgottenpaw in her journey, Duskpaw, when you could have just ignored her like the rest? Why did you accompany her to Windclan?"
Duskpaw blinked and choose her words as if she had expected the question from the start.
"I felt something when she was lying there in the snow. I don't know what it was, but it propelled me to go to her. Soon we became friends. I had to accompany her on this journey. That's what friends are for. Besides, she would be completely lost with out me."
I cuffed her ear gently. She was my best friend, and it made me happy to have her say that.
Icestar smiled thoughtfully, "Good answer. Come with me," He got to his paws and left the bush. We followed proudly behind.
By now, the camp was filled with warriors and apprentices, kits and elders. I spotted Brightpaw eating a rabbit with Lightpaw and Darkpaw, Graysky was sharing tongues with someone, and Softstep was talking to a queen who was watching her kits play fight. Then I caught someone staring at me. It was Rushingwind. He was by a rock with a crack, probably the medicine cat den. I smiled at him and he nodded at me, then he continued with his medicine duties. We walked up to the nursery and he jumped onto the large rock.
"Let all cats join beneath the Tallrock for a clan meeting!" Icestar's voice rang out across the clearing and cats began to pile into the clearing like at a gathering, only with one clan.
"Well, we might as well do an apprentice ceremony while I'm up here. Flowerkit, come here." a small kit came up to Icestar as he leapt down into the clearing.
"From now on until she has earned her warrior name, this apprentice will be known as Flowerpaw. Her mentor will be Coalpelt. Please pass on all of your best qualities to this young apprentice."
Flowerpaw touched noses with Coalpelt and sat down beside him. The crowd cheered her name then settled down. They began to whisper and glance over at us.
"Next we have to new apprentices that have joined the clan. Their names are Duskpaw and Forgottenpaw. Forgottenpaw's mentor will be Breezeflower. She needs some good exercise after being in the nursery for so long. And I will mentor Duskpaw myself." I touched noses with Breezeflower, the queen I had saw Softfur talking to earlier, and sat down in the crowd. Duskpaw walked proudly up to Icestar, her head held high, and they touched noses. Then I smelt something.
"This meeting is now ov-" Icestar turned around, as he had smelt it to. A she-cat walked into the camp. Her fur was matted and eyes were dull. She had a sickness, which was the smell that hit the roof of my mouth. Two kits followed up behind her.
"What are doing her, rogue?" Coalpelt spat at her.
"I wish for you, this clan, to care for my kits. I'm to sick and I don't want them to suffer on my behalf." She said in a sweet, raspy voice.
"How many cats are going to join today?" a cat's voice rang out in the clearing.
"Enough! We shall take in the kits, but only because they are kits. They will cause no harm." Icestar said. The cats exchanged glances before a queen stepped into the clearing.
"I will gladly take them, Icestar." she said in a sweet motherly voice and went to sniff the kits. She picked one up and began to carry it to the nursery while the other one followed.
"Get your paws off me! I can walk! I have paws you know!" She squeaked. The queen put her down gently and herded them both to the nursery.
"Goodbye my kits..." The sick she-cat said before turning and walking away. The cats in the clearing dispersed and got into groups. They talked quietly.
"Now what?" Duskpaw asked me.
"I'm gonna go find Brightpaw. He can show us around." I said and we searched together. We found him sitting by Flowerpaw near a bush.
"Hey Brightpaw, Flowerpaw. Care to show us around?" Duskpaw said demandingly to Brightpaw.
"Fine, fine. Wanna come to?" He asked Flowerpaw. She nodded and he began to show us around.
"Wow. I'm so tired!" Duskpaw plopped down next to me in the bush we were at earlier. We had explored the territory with our mentors after Brightpaw and Flowerpaw gave us a tour of the camp. Although old and the leader of a clan, Icestar had proven to be very fast and loved to play games.
"We have hunting training tomorrow. Where are you training?" Duskpaw asked me.
"By the river. Breezeflower said rabbits often go there for drinks." I replied, just as tired.
"We're going near horseplace. Guess we won't be seeing each other."
"Guess not. Goodnight." I curled up and closed my eyes.
"Goodnight." Soon we went to sleep silently and peacefully for the first time in a while.
Is that a long enough chapter? I couldn't stop typing! It's not as long as I hoped it would be, but it's 3 pages. Wow, that only took me two hours. Not bad timing. Now I can update my other stories. I'm putting up the alliance page after this. Review and tell me what you think!
Hugs to all my reviewers,
Feathersong
PS: I just edited this thanks to Mystra14. Thanks you for your help!