Three updates and changes in one night. Ya! Hope everyone enjoys the chapters I have worked very hard on. Heres Chapter 4!
Choose your friends carefully. Your enemies will choose you. Yassir Arafat
Chapter 4
Snowpaw padded out of the apprentices den. She paused at the entrance and sighed. New-leaf was ending, and green-leaf was soon to begin. She padded out into the clearing. It was dawn, and the pale sun was just peering over the mountains in the distance.
It was 1 moon after the attack of the unnamed clan and the death of Seapaw. Snowpaw still mourned her death, but not as much as Crescentshadow. She had confined herself to the elders den, for the time being. Snowpaw had become quieter than she used to be. The Clan was still in shock at the sudden attack of BloodClan, but Icestar was planning something. Snowpaw could tell whenever she disappeared into her den with Cinderfang behind her.
Gingersky was the next cat that appeared from the den. She emerged into the clearing, ruffling her fur against the breeze. She turned to Snowpaw and nodded. "Good morning, Snowpaw. Are you ready to train?" she asked the apprentice. Snowpaw felt her sleepiness leave her, and she nodded happily. Gingersky purred. "Alright. Follow me."
Gingersky started off toward the training hollow at a fast pace. Snowpaw found it hard to keep up with her when the older she-cat ran, but she managed to keep up. They entered the sandy hollow, Snowpaw panting a bit from the run. Gingersky purred with amusement, but said nothing, only headed toward her spot in the training.
"Alright, Snowpaw. I'm gonna teach you my favorite move." Gingersky started. Snowpaw stood up eagerly. Without a word, Snowpaw and Gingersky circled each other, eyes not leaving one another. After a moment of circling, Gingersky darted to the side, and Snowpaw followed. But Gingersky confused the apprentice by darting back and forth from one side to the other, from that side to another. Snowpaw finally lost her footing and stumbled. Gingersky leapt, landing directly on Snowpaw's back. Snowpaw grunted as her feet flew out from under her. Gingersky laughed and got off the apprentice, flicking her tail mockingly.
"What was that?" Snowpaw mewed in frustration. "I call it a cheap shot!"
"There are no cheap shots in a battle," Gingersky purred. "I call it a technique to confuse your enemies. Now, lets see you try it. Just do what I did."
Snowpaw nodded and the two she-cats started circling one another. After a long circling, Snowpaw darted to the side, a bit slower than Gingersky did. Gingersky followed, but Snowpaw let her gaze shift to the right, and she darted to that side. Gingersky pounced, and landed on Snowpaw.
"Never give away your next move with your eyes." Snowpaw mumbled something, and Gingersky purred, getting off the apprentice. "Now, try again."
Snowpaw obliged, and darted to the left this time. Her eyes never left Gingersky, and her movement became faster, until Gingersky's gaze became clouded with confusion, and she stumbled as Snowpaw darted again. Snowpaw wasted no time in leaping at her mentors throat. Gingersky grunted as her back collided with the ground. Snowpaw looked down at her mentor with amusement in her eyes. Gingersky purred proudly.
"Good job, Snowpaw," she mewed, pushing the apprentice off of her. Snowpaw held her head up proudly. That was the first time all week that Snowpaw had pinned the she-cat warrior. She was really improving.
After a few more hours of praticing, Snowpaw was wore out, panting with every step. Gingersky relaxed when she noticed this and padded toward her apprentice. "That's enough for today, Snowpaw," she meowed, licking the apprentice on the head. Snowpaw nodded, struggling to to restrain from sighing with relief. She followed Gingersky back to camp, eyes half closed.
Snowpaw padded into the apprentices den, taking her place in the bad corner. She looked sadly at the nest next to her where Seapaw used to sleep. Snowpaw truned away, curling up in her own nest. Oh, how she missed Seapaw.
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Snowpaw awoke the next morning from the sunlight outside the den. Being the only apprentice, Snowpaw had no reason to stay and she padded out of the den, ears flicking as she yawned. It was colder this morning than the last. She decided that since today was her day off, she would check up on Crescentshadow and see how she was. Snowpaw padded toward th elders den and peaked inside. Limpfoot was asleep, as well as Cloudeyes and Ferntail. Crescentshadow was awake, though, her tail curled around her paws as she stared out into space.
Snowpaw padded toward her foster mother, bowing her head. Crescentfeathe's's eyes clouded a moment before she looked at Snowpaw. She said nothing, only stared at the apprentice. Snowpaw waited, but it seemed Crescentfeather would not respond.
"Crescentfeather, I was just coming to see how you were," Snowpaw meowed, blinking slowly. Crescentfeather looked away from her foster daughter, closing her eyes. She looked horribly skinny and her fur was unkempt, like she cared nothing of herself anymore. Pain struck Snowpaw's heart at Crescentfeather's grief. She had forgotten about her life. Only stayed in the elders den and said nothing.
Snowpaw backed out of the den, tears theatening her vision. She turned blindly and ran, colliding with Cinderfang. Snowpaw picked herself up, as Cinderfang looked at her with concern.
"Snowpaw, is everything all right?" asked the deputy flicking his ear. Snowpaw only looked down at her paws, tears dripping on the soil. Cinderfangs gaze softened and he licked the apprentice's head. "We all miss Seapaw, Snowpaw," he muttered, nuzzling her gently. But Snowpaw didn't feel it. She was numb right now, and when Cinderfang lifted his head, Snowpaw dashed off, heading into the woods. Cinderfang watched her, his gaze full of concern and grief. His kin was griveing, and he could do nothing.
He padded toward the warriors den and poked his head inside. Gingersky was sitting in her nest, cleaning herself. She lifted her head as Cinderfang entered, and nodded in respect to her deputy. She stood up and padded toward him. She noticed the concerned look on his face and cocked her head.
"Snowpaw is mourning Seapaw," he meowed simply, his gaze not changing. Gingersky shook her head gravely. "Maybe you should talk to her. Crescentfeather's silence probably isn't making it any better." Gingersky nodded and rushed off, heading the way Snowpaw had went while Cinderfang turned toward the elders den.
"Crescentfeather?" he called as he reached the den. Ferntail rushed past him, her eyes wide.
"We can't find Crescentfeather!" she cried, not looking away. Cloudeyes was searching blindly, and Limpfoot limped around, sniffing.
"What? Didn't anyone see her leave?" The 3 elders shook their heads. Cinderfang dashed toward Icestar's den.
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Snowpaw looked down into the river, her body tense and her eyes full of tears. She had lost everything. Crescenfeather wouldn't speak to her, Seapaw was dead. What was next? Would her entire clan be picked off, one by one, and leave her to suffer for it? Looking into her reflection, she felt anger swell inside her. She swipped the reflection with her paw, making the water ripple. Just as she was about to turn away, something that wasn't her reflection appeared in the water.
It was the image of a snow white she-cat, an evil glint in her hazel eyes. Snowpaw shook her head and blinked before looking back at the water. Nothing. Only her reflection.
Somehow she felt she knew that she-cat from somewhere...It wasn't herself, she knew. She didn't have hazel eyes. Rustling from the bushes startled her from her thoughts. Snowpaw turned only to turn back around.
Gingersky was silent. Snowpaw didn't care. She only wanted her family back, to be carefree again. But of course, life didn't reverse, and she knew it. Snowpaw heard her mentors soft pawsteps a few moments before she was sitting next to her, tail wrapped around her paws, staring at the water. Neither spoke.
Finally, "Snowpaw, I know how you feel," Gingersky meowed, pressing against her apprentice. Snowpaw said nothing to her mentor, the mentor she came to know as an older sister. "I lost a sister when I was an apprentice. I loved Featherpaw. She was like my shadow. We went everywhere together." Gingersky's voice was thick with fresh grief, as if the accident had happened just hours before. She said nothing else.
"What happened to her, Gingersky?" Snowpaw asked, her voice barely over a whisper.
For a moment, Snowpaw thought that Gingersky didn't want to tell the story. Finally, "She was killed." She paused, looking down at her paws. "We were out hunting one day, We would hunt all the time with our mentors. Cinderfang and Lunarshadow decided to let us hunt for ourselfs that day.
"We were heading toward Twoleg place. I had caught a few pieces and Featherpaw had caught a few pieces." She stopped, as if not wanting to go on, before she continued. "There was a badger set we didn't know about, and right before Twolegplace, 3 badgers came from the bushes. They attacked us, and we fought. But they were too powerful, too big, too many. I watched as Featherpaw collasped, blood ozzing from her torn neck and several other wounds. Pretty soon, I collasped too. Just as I felt my life ebbing away, Cinderfang, Icetstar, and Lunarshadow appeared, and they sent the badgers running.
I was unconcsious for four days straight. They said I was mumbling 'No, stop' in my sleep. When I awoke, Featherpaw was next to me, breathing almost every minute. She was dying, and I could do nothing about it. I talked to her, telling her how I needed her to pull through, for me, for herself. Telling her how much I loved her." By this time, Gingersky's voice was shaking and Snowpaw pressed herself comfortingly in her side. "Right before she died, she finally opened her eyes at me, staring at me for the longest time. Her face was managled terribly. Finally, she rasped something I couldn't understand then, before she took her last breath and joined StarClan."
Snowpaw remained quiet. Gingersky did know what she was going through. She looked up at her mentor, and pressed her nose into her pelt.
"I'm sorry, Gingersky," she meowed, tears blinding her vision. "I miss Seapaw so bad, and I can only imagine how you feel..."
Gingersky said nothing, only looked at her apprentice, sadness glittering in her eyes as she licked her on the head. "We all miss Seapaw, Snow-" She was cut short as something dived from the bushes, grunting as she landed on the ground before rolling a few feet. Snowpaw jumped to her paws, fur bristling, and focused on the fallen cat. Her eyes flew open. Just then, 4 more cats jumped from the bushes, the leader a pure white she-cat.
"Crescentfeather!" Snowpaw and Gingersky shouted in usion. The four cats, who were looking at Crescentfeather with bloodthristy eyes jerked their heads up in surprise. Snowpaw tensed and forced herself to stand ground as she noticed a cat from the battle.
The one that had attacked Seapaw.
"Well, well, well," purred the white she-cat evilly, padding toward the two other she-cats. "If it isn't Gingerpaw." The other three cats followed, leaving Crescentfeather to watched with wide eyes. The leader glanced briefly at Snowpaw before turning to Gingersky.
"That's Gingersky to you, Perish," Gingersky snarled, looking twice her size with her ginger fur bristling.
"Oh, a warrior now?" Her voice was full of scorn. "I guess that kittypet Cinderfang did something right after all."
Gingersky lunched at the she-cat. The white she-cat, Perish, just stepped back. "Watch it, or your crowfood!" Gingersky growled.
Perish, unsettled, then let her gaze fall on Snowpaw. Meeting her gaze with a glare, Snowpaw felt electricity shoot up her spine. Those eyes...so famliar.
"And whose this?" the she-cat meowed coldly, her eyes dangerous, emotionless slits. Gingersky put a paw in front of Snowpaw.
"My apprentice," she snarled, eyes narrowing. "And you should know her as well." Perish glared at Gingersky, her hatred readable in her hazel eyes. She suddenly turned and stalked to the wide-eyed Crescentfeather. She stood over the elder/queen, and Snowpaw saw her claws unsheat.
"No!" she yowled, and leaped at the the she-cat. The black tom leaped in the air to tackle her, but Snowpaw twisted and landed behind Perish. Before she could lift her paw, Snowpaw leaped on the leaders back, getting a pained yowl. She bit down into the neck of the leader, and Perish thrashed around, trying to get the apprentice off of her.
At this moment, Gingersky snarled and leapt at the black tom, bowling him over. The remaining two cats lundged into the battle with Gingersky. Meanwhile Perish thrashed around, getting angrier and angrier by the second. Finally, Snowpaw, unable to hold on any longer, was thrown to the ground. Perish hissed and towered over her. But her gaze wasn't threatening. It was angry, like a mother when she scolds her kits. She then lundged at Snowpaw, fangs barred, and Snowpaw braced herself for pain.
But she was picked up by the scruff of her neck. She struggled, but Perish had a firm hold. She gave a yowl through Snowpaw's fur and darted off. The two cats jumped off Gingersky, who stared in horror as Perish carried off Snowpaw. Snowpaw yowled loudly.
"Rouges! Rouges! Help!" She continued yowling until Perish stopped abrutly and whacked her across the head with her paw. Snowpaw was knocked unconcsious.
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Gingersky and Crescentfeather raced back to camp, their eyes wide and their paws carelessly smacking the ground. They skidded into the camp, to get curious looks from the warriors. Gingersky darted to Icestar's den and peered inside. Nothing. She raced back to the clearing, Crescentfeather looking around. Finally, Gingersky saw Cinderfang pad from the warriors den, and her and Crescentfeather dashed over.
"Perish is back, Cinderfang!" Gingersky gasped, her eyes wide with horror and fear. "And she's got Snowpaw!"
Cinderfang looked at both Gingersky and Crescentfeather. Snowpaw? They had Snowpaw? Not his kin! He snarled and shouted into the warriors den. "Wolfwind, Pantherblaze, Shadownight, follow me!" He nodded to Gingersky and Crescentfeather and both raced into the forest.
---End of Chapter---
Ohhh...Snowpaw is gone! What will happen? I love cliffies!
SoL