Sorry it took me soooooo long to publish! Since I'm on vacation (finally!) I decided to condentrate on building the plot of another story.
some review replies:
Willowdream of ForestClan: Hope too! Sedgeclaw and Wetpaw may be good friends! Actually I've got special plans made... hehe I won't do anymore spoiles. Oh and don't worry for Brightpaw... I'll try not to kill her (i haven't thought of the end of the story, though I got an idea)
Zoeboo61: Glad you like the story! and thanks for all those names!
Special thanks to all those who sent me rogue names! I'm proud to announce you that I did the rogues allegiance! Ill publish it in the next chapter as I will have a special POV!
Chapter 19
Moonpaw picked her way carefully through the forest. She walked silently, lost in her own thoughts. Her mind kept echoing with different voices.
"We believe you already know that she is going out at night. But we'd like you to find out why she come back with those injuries. It will help us to know what is the reason behind it."
"I want you to spy for us."
"If you treasure living, act as if you don't know anything."
"We'd like not to tell you about it for now."
"That cat is our dear leader, Acornstar."
"Save? Destroy? Only the bright light can make the right choices… She is not alone on the slippery wet path of her future. The moon's shine will guide her to her destiny."
Moonpaw shook her head, trying to make some sense in her thoughts. Suddenly she stumbled on a fallen branch and hit the ground. She cursed under her breath before scrambling back to her paws. Realizing that her fur was a mess, she gave herself a couple of licks. Once she was clean, Moonpaw began walking again.
Blackleaf had ordered her to go and fetch some marigold. Luckily, the patch grew quite close to the camp so she quickly collected the herbs and headed back. She entered camp and was delighted as she saw Raindrop and her kits outside in the clearing. The kits were now about one quarter moon old. She put the herbs at the entrance of the den, since Blackleaf was taking a nap inside and she didn't want to disturb the old medicine cat.
Moonpaw then padded toward Raindrop, sat down, and looked at the kits still exploring the camp. Dark-kit was the bigger of the litter, though Petalkit was the most playful and adventurous. She was the one leading her littermates as they curiously sniffed the fresh-kill pile. Whitekit was a little bit skittish and scrawny as she was the smallest.
"I hope you don't bother any warriors!" mewed Raindrop to them as she saw they were messing around the fresh-kill pile.
Petalkit turned toward her. "Of course not!" she answered indignantly.
"We were just checking how a squirrel looked like!" explained Dark-kit, while Whitekit stood startled between her littermates. Moonpaw wondered what had surprised the kit.
Dark-kit turned toward Petalkit. "So what do you want to do next?
The sandy gray she-kit looked thoughtful for a couple of heartbeats. "Hmm… I know! Let's explore the medicine cat's den!" Petalkit and Dark-kit began racing towards it, while Whitekit took a couple of heartbeats to realize her littermates where gone. She looked around and then followed them.
Moonpaw sprang to her paws as she heard Petalkit. "No! Don't go there!" She blocked the kits' path.
"Who are you?" asked Petalkit.
"I'm Moonpaw, the medicine cat apprentice." she answered. "Don't go to the medicine cat's den. It's forbidden, except if you are sick." We don't want to have kits messing around the herbs. On top of that, Blackleaf is sleeping right now.
Petalkit looked disappointed while Dark-kit looked at Whitekit. "Can we go if we tell you that Whitekit is sick?"
"Whitekit is sick?" Moonpaw looked suspiciously at the kits, though she began to worry.
It was Petalkit who answered. "Well she never speaks and sometimes acts strange!"
"Is it true?" asked Moonpaw, directing her question at Whitekit who just sat on her haunches and stared at her. Seeing the kit wasn't answering, she got really worried. "Let's play simple game, shall we?" she said to the kits. "Petalkit, go behind Whitekit and call her name, ok?"
"Is that even a game…" muttered Petalkit though she did as she was told.
Whitekit stared at Moonpaw while her sister called her name from behind. She showed no reaction, her ears didn't even flick or turn toward Petalkit.
"Is she ok?" asked Dark-kit.
"Go to your mother and tell her to come to the medicine cat's den." ordered Moonpaw, then she picked Whitekit by the scruff and brought her to the den. After she put the kit in her own nest, she went to wake up her mentor.
"What is it?" he mumbled sleepily.
"It's Whitekit. There's a problem." she explained.
Blackleaf sprang to his paw. "What happened?"
"I think she is deaf." mewed Moonpaw.
Before her mentor could ask anymore question, Raindrop entered the den. "What is it? The kits said you wanted me to come."
Whitekit let out a pitiful wail as she saw her mother and ran toward her.
"Stop Whitekit!" ordered Blackleaf.
The kit continued to run as if she had heard nothing –which was probably the case.
Raindrop seemed to have arrived at the same conclusion. "Oh StarClan…" she mewed, licking the fur between her daughter's ears.
"Whitekit is really deaf." announced solemnly Blackleaf.
"I know!" wailed Raindrop. "But she is my kit and I'll make sure she becomes a great warrior!" She stormed out of the den, holding Whitekit by her scruff.
"Should we go after her?" asked Moonpaw.
Blackleaf shook his head. "Give Raindrop time. It's hard for her to accept that her kit will never be able to be a warrior."
Moonpaw nodded in understanding. Then suddenly out of nowhere she decided it was time to tell her mentor what she knew. "Blackleaf? Do we get to do battle training?"
He crooked his head on one side before he understood what she meant. "No, not today. If you want to go outside you should go collect some catmint. I have to do something." he added, exiting the den.
She also understood what he wanted to say. The battle training clearing was on the way to the abandoned Twoleg nest. He had probably gone to get Silverwing.
Moonpaw went out of the camp without problem and walked toward the clearing. She hoped there were no apprentices battle training. When she arrived, she sighed with relief as there was no one. She sat down to wait.
After some time, Blackleaf and Silverwing finally appeared.
"Why did you want to meet now?" asked her mentor.
"Did you learn something new?" inquired Silverwing.
"I did." answered Moonpaw. Though a quarter moon ago. "But I guess you already know, don't you? The cat behind everything…"
Blackleaf and Silverwing looked at each other.
"It's pretty surprising… The leader of a Clan doing stuff like that." mewed Moonpaw.
"So you know about him." Silverwing didn't seem surprise at all. "The problem is that we know he is up to something but we have no idea what. Since he brought that kit into the Clan, we thought that Brightpaw could know something."
Moonpaw nodded. "She does, though it's not good news. She says he is planning to take over the territories by the lake."
"To think he would go as far as this." murmured Silverwing, as if she was talking to herself.
Her mentor kept quiet, seeming to think intensely on something. "How does he think he can do it?" He then asked.
"I'm not sure…" Moonpaw tried to recall what Brightpaw had said. "I think Brightpaw told me about some rogues."
"Rogues?" Silverwing questioned Blackleaf with her blue gaze. "Do you think they are the same rogues as before?"
"As before?" echoed Moonpaw. "What do you mean?"
"When I was a kit, the elders said there had been problems with a group of rogues, living upstream of the stream of the ShadowClan border." explained Silverwing. "The elders always warned us about them, saying they would come to get their revenge. Though it was just a story."
"Maybe not." mewed Blackleaf. "There is always some truth in stories."
Suddenly a loud thunder rumbled above them. Moonpaw jumped in surprise. She hadn't realize that the storm clouds she had seen earlier were already there.
"Let's get back to camp." decided Silverwing, looking up at the dark menacing clouds. "I think this is going to be a violent storm."
A cold wind began blowing through the forest, chilling Moonpaw to the bones as she ran back to camp with Blackleaf. Silverwing had taken another way so Acornstar wouldn't suspect they had been meeting. Just as they entered camp, it began pouring. Every cat ran for cover as the wind intensified even more.
"Everyone into their dens!" yowled Acornstar from the highledge.
Moonpaw had never seen such a scary storm. There was so much rain that it seemed as if all the water from the lake was dropping in the camp while lightning flashed from everywhere. And the strong wind –also the strongest she had seen- made things worse.
Blackleaf and her hardly managed to find their den. After they entered, they turned back to look in astonishment as hail began to fall. Pretty soon, the hail got as big as chestnuts. Everyone watched more than stunned.
"Oh StarClan spare us…" murmured Blackleaf beside her.
Fortunately the hail didn't last long, soon the rain got lighter and the wind stopped blowing.
"I hope everyone is ok." mewed Moonpaw, following her mentor out into the clearing. The camp was flooded with around two mousetail of water, hail as big as chestnuts floated in it, though they were slowly beginning to melt. She nearly tripped over one, sending water splash around her.
Suddenly a pitiful yowl pierced the air. Moonpaw turned to see Raindrop crouched near a limp body, hardly visible in the water. Whitekit!
Sorry if you think that this chapter is more like a filler.
Thanks to Petalwish who gave me the idea to make Whitekit deaf! And special thanks to the hail storm that passed in town a couple of days ago which gave me the idea for this chapter! (actually... everything about that storm happened! There was some hail as big as golf balls!)
Sooo... I did mention a new story didn't I? I'll publish the first chapter later this day. (Bluebellcat works with me on the story! SPECIAL thanks to her!)
~BrightSun~
Oh and... REVIEW!