Author's Note: Well, my friend, our journey is at its end. When you finish this last chapter of "Ravenpaw's Secret", it shall be the true End. I thank all of my faithful reviewers that have stuck with me throughout this weary long road! What is that authors do to reward you wonderful people? Oh yes, pass out plushies. In that case, a dozen Ravenpaw plushies to you all! Also, when you review, it would do me a lot of good if you offered helpful advice and what I could improve on. I really don't know how I did if all you post is "nice job" or something like that. And now, my friends, I shall leave you to finish our epic adventure: "Ravenpaw's Secret."
Chapter Four: Ravenpaw's New Life
Ravenpaw padded swiftly throughout the bracken, his heart thumping, and the fear scent coming off of him in waves as he went through this strange territory. He would not be able to fight off a hostile WindClan patrol if they chose to attack him. His ears pricked, straining for the sounds of Twolegs, a WindClan patrol, or the dogs that frequently came walking this part of the territory. He was hoping that the dogs would all be tied up, and that he would be able to avoid patrols and find Barley's farm. Already, fear was making him stupid. He had made a few wrong turns in this hostile territory. 'StarClan, help me!' Ravenpaw prayed, as his paws started to ache with the long journey.
Finally, Ravenpaw spotted the large silhouette of Barley's Farm loom above in the dim light. The apprentice crouched low and continued walking, pawstep by pawstep. He was homesick for ThunderClan territory already; the trees and the leaves and the rustling bracken. Good-bye to Goldenflower, his mother, who he had still maintained a special bond with, good-bye to Firepaw and Graypaw, who had risked their own lives to save him from Tigerclaw and the truest friends he could ever find, good-bye to the fierce joy of fighting, the thrill of hunting, and the serenity of sharing tongues with his Clanmates after a long day. As a loner, he would have only Barley and the rats for company. Feeling more depressed then ever, the black furred apprentice emerged from the bushes to come face-to-face with a black-and-white tom.
"Great StarClan!" Ravenpaw screeched, jumping backwards, his heart pounding with fear. The black-and-white tom was startled as well, his eyes narrowing. Then, he slowly relaxed after sniffing the air. "You're a ThunderClan cat, aren't you?" he meowed questioningly, sheathing his claws and letting the fur along his spine settle on his fur.
Ravenpaw took a deep breath of air to calm himself. "Yes, I am Ravenpaw," he meowed, "you met me before, I was with Firepaw, Bluestar, and Tigerclaw."
Barley nodded. "That's all very well, but what are you doing here now? Is Bluestar with you?" the loner craned his neck to peer behind Ravenpaw, obviously searching for the blue-gray fur of the ThunderClan leader.
"N-no," Ravenpaw mewed nervously, looking at his paws, "you see…I have to tell you something." And the apprentice did, starting from the murder of Redtail at Tigerclaw's paws, then the murder of Lionheart, and then why he was there. "I can't stay in ThunderClan anymore, however much I want to," Ravenpaw finished, "Tigerclaw will get rid of me eventually. So I had to leave, and Firepaw and Graypaw thought that you might welcome me here." His tone had a desperate note to it now. "I won't be a burden or anything, I promise I'll work hard—" but he was interrupted by the growling of the loner.
"Tigerclaw is the dark, muscular tabby with the amber eyes, isn't he?" Barley growled, his gold eyes narrowing, "I remember him! He nearly killed me, that stupid furball, when the rats attacked you and Bluestar. I always knew there was something suspicious about him!" Barley meowed, without waiting for the affirmative, "Ravenpaw, of course you are welcome here. I am growing old, and it will be interesting to have other cats for company, instead of just the rats. Prey is plenty here, and Tigerclaw won't find you. Of course you may stay."
Ravenpaw let out a giant sigh of relief, his chest heaving in and out. "Thank you, Barley!" he exclaimed, his green eyes shining with hope. He was starting anew here, at Barley's farm. Although he would miss ThunderClan and his friends, he was quite sure that Barley would make up for everything he was leaving behind.
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"Where's Ravenpaw?" meowed Bluestar suddenly, jolting Firepaw out of bittersweet remembrances of Spottedleaf, the former Medicine Cat from ThunderClan. "It's all very well that you helped drive out Brokenstar and the rest of his rogues, but you come back without Ravenpaw. Where is he now, Firepaw?"
"Yes," Tigerclaw chimed in, his amber eyes glittering coldly, "where is my apprentice? Strange that he should disappear with Brokenstar." He looked meaningfully around the Clan.
Firepaw's fur bristled angrily, but he kept his claws sheathed. "If you think he might have been helping Brokenstar," he snapped, "you're wrong. Ravenpaw is dead. We found his body in ShadowClan territory. He must have been slain by a patrol. I will tell you everything later," he finished, giving a look to Bluestar.
"I never said Ravenpaw was a traitor!" hissed Tigerclaw. Inwardly, he was relieved. The only cat that had held both of his secrets was dead. Now, no Clan cat knew that he had killed both Redtail and Lionheart in his ambition. "Ravenpaw might have made a fine warrior! His death has come too soon, and his loss will be felt by many of us for a long time."
Suddenly, Tigerclaw felt an icy chill run through him. There was something about Firepaw's leaf green gaze and the proud stance of his flame-pelted shoulders that made him suspicious. Suddenly, a pang of fear ran through him. What if Ravenpaw had told the ginger tom his secrets? After all, Ravenpaw, Firepaw, and Graypaw had been good friends ever since Firepaw had come to join ThunderClan. Tigerclaw itched to unsheathe his claws and rake them over Firepaw's muzzle to get the truth out of him. 'That mouse-brain!' Tigerclaw thought inwardly, his heart thumping wildly with fear, 'has he told Firepaw? What does Firepaw know? What does Firepaw know? What does Firepaw know?'
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A white tortoiseshell with a dark red tail and a golden tom with bright amber eyes looked down at their former Clan from the edges of Silverpelt.
"So that makes it two that Tigerclaw has killed," the white tom meowed sadly, casting a glance at the golden tom that sat beside him.
The golden tom dipped his head. "I greatly fear that later, Tigerclaw will have more deaths to his name."
Although the two toms were both StarClan cats, they had no idea how many cats Tigerclaw would kill in the future. He would injure Cinderpaw, crippling her forever, so she could not train to be a warrior. He had slain Brindleface, a gentle mother, and Runningwind, a fleet warrior. Through his evil deeds, he had killed Swiftpaw and taken away Brightpaw's eye and ear. He would cause Bluestar to lose faith in StarClan and her warriors…indeed, Tigerclaw was a dark name among the Clans.
"I see Ravenpaw has been forced out of ThunderClan by Tigerclaw." It was the white tom with the red tail that spoke once more, his voice thick with anger and sorrow. "He was a good apprentice, eager and had good potential."
"Yes, Redtail," the golden-pelted tom continued, just as sadly, "he would have made a fine warrior. And Tigerclaw would have made a fine warrior as well, if only his ambition hadn't driven him to murder us!" His whiskers twitched with anger. "And Bluestar may be in danger as well. She is not on her fifth life, as Tigerclaw believes, she is on her seventh, and she is in great danger."'
"Indeed, Lionheart." It was a new voice that spoke, belonging to a beautiful she-cat whose pelt was dappled with dusty brown and rose red and cool black and gentle gold, whose amber eyes were warm and friendly. "Yet only Fireheart has the knowledge to tell Bluestar of this rising danger. Everything depends on how tactful he is; we all know that Bluestar thinks her deputy is reliable and trustworthy. She does not know how far he will go for his ambition. She is in great danger, and only Fireheart can stop it."
The two toms turned to welcome Spottedleaf, the former ThunderClan medicine cat. They three StarClan cats sat side by side by side, their coats glimmering with the silver sheen of the stars, their eyes dark with hope. "You are right, Spottedleaf. The prophecy was true, after all," Lionheart meowed, his eyes flashing as he at last understood the prophecy that StarClan had chosen to share with the ThunderClan leader.
Spottedleaf nodded, her amber eyes glittering strangely in the light of the stars. "Fire will save the Clan."