Ravenpaw felt something poking her side. Grunting, she rolled over.
"Leave me alone, Dad," she snapped.
"Dad?" Ravenpaw's eyes snapped open. Blinking, she found herself looking up into Darkpaw's confused green eyes. Cursing under her breath, she scrambled to her paws. I'm a cat now, remember? She began to groom herself hastily, smoothing her black fur down.
"Time for training," Darkpaw meowed abruptly before exiting the den. Ravenpaw sighed. Must he be so curt? Looking around, Ravenpaw found only one other apprentice sleeping. His fur brown with black paws. Ravenpaw stood and shook herself. She would meet him later.
Padding out, Ravenpaw found Stonepelt waiting for her by the entrance. She rushed over to him.
"What are we doing today?" she asked breathlessly. Now that she was kinda-sorta awake, excitement coursed through her body. Stonepelt turned and led the way out of the camp soundlessly. Ravenpaw bit back a sigh. Were all these cats so quiet?
"Today, I will show you our territory. Follow me," her mentor stated simply, before taking off into the trees. Ravenpaw stumbled after him. Along the way, Stonepelt explained how there were three other clans, RiverClan, WindClan, and ShadowClan. Ravenpaw listened, interested. From what Stonepelt said, the other clans were their frenemies. They helped each other if the need was dire, but were also fierce rivals. RiverClan, strong and well-fed. WindClan, swift and loyal. ShadowClan, silent and dark. And of course, ThunderClan, brave and intelligent.
Stonepelt took her all around, showing her the various borders, and other landmarks. Their last stop was the training hollow.
"Here, we will train. Lets head back to camp for now though. You look tired, and it is almost sun set." With that, Ravenpaw followed her mentor back to camp.
Ravenpaw collapsed by the apprentice den, a mouse in her jaws. Her paws were sore and bruised, and she felt dusty and hot. She ate her mouse slowly, the whole raw food thing still not really sunk in her mind. Swallowing her last mouthful, she began to groom herself. When her pelt was at last flat and clean, she lay there, sunning herself. She felt herself purring as her pelt soaked the sun's rays. Through narrowed eyes, she watched the brown tom from that morning pad up.
"Your Ravenpaw, right? Well, my name is Lionpaw," he mewed, his voice warm and friendly. Ravenpaw mewed in greeting while she sized her den mate up.
He had long legs and a slender, well-muscled body. His fur was a dark brown with black paws and a black-tipped tail. He had deep blue eyes that twinkled with friendliness. He was, in short, a rather handsome tom. Ravenpaw almost burst out laughing at herself. She actually thought a cat was cute. Well, that was twist.
"Hello. Yeah, I'm Ravenpaw." she mewed. Lionpaw settled down beside her.
"Darkpaw is not the most outgoing cat, but he's okay. I'll introduce you to the other two apprentices," he meowed. Right then, two young she-cats padded up. One had a fluffy, pure white pelt with ice blue eyes. The other had silvery fur with a blue tinge to it and dark amber eyes. Lionpaw introduced them as Snowpaw and Echopaw. Echopaw was his sister. Ravenpaw purred in greeting. Snowpaw glared at her icily before breezing past her into the den. Echopaw sat down in front of her.
"Don't mind Snowpaw, she's not very friendly with anyone. Her sister was killed by a badger a few moons ago, and she hasn't been the same. Ravenpaw nodded, feeling an ache in her heart. She could relate.
"I understand. I lost my sister too," she murmured, the words flowing before she could stop them. Lionpaw looked at her, surprised.
"How did she die?" he asked curiously. Ravenpaw just shook her head, her jaw trembling. She flattened her ears and shut her eyes as Echopaw scolded her brother for asking such a personal question.
Even now, three years later, Raven couldn't stop blaming herself. No, I'm Ravenpaw now. Robin is gone. You have to let her go. Ravenpaw straightened herself, licking her chest fur to calm herself down.
"Ravenpaw? I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you," Lionpaw said gently. Echopaw padded over to her, laying down beside her and pressing up against her.
"Poor thing. It's terrible, losing some one you care about. We lost our mother when we were only five moons old. Green cough. Killed a kit too," she whispered, sadness gleaming in her eyes. Ravenpaw licked her new friend's shoulder. Green cough?
A sickness. High fever, coughing, and throwing up. Kills many cats when leaf-bare, or winter as you call it, comes. Streampelt murmured in her mind. Ravenpaw nodded. She looked at Lionpaw, whose eyes gleamed with raw grief. Purring, she nudged him.
"So, what's the deal with Shadowfur? Is he always so cranky?" she asked, changing the subject. Lionpaw looked at her gratefully.
"Yupp. Always. Great moves by the way. Shadowfur definitely looked ruffled!" Echopaw purred with amusement. Ravenpaw purred with her. Lionpaw imitated his expression, and that just set them off. Soon, they were rolling in the dirt like old littermates, laughing their heads off.
All too soon, the sun had set. Ravenpaw padded inside, settling down in her nest. She felt…happy. She hadn't felt like this in years. Finally, she settled down.
She wanted answers now. Please come to me Streampelt she begged silently before drifting off to sleep.
Ravenpaw sat in the same clearing she had woken up in.
"Streampelt?" she meowed cautiously. Streampelt slipped out from the shadows and padded up beside her.
"Hello, little one. It is good to see you again," she purred, blue eyes shining. Her gray fur was sleek and glossy, and she sat down, wrapping her tail around her delicate white paws.
"My parents?" Ravenpaw asked, voice trembling.
"Alive, and healing. Both outside and inside. Losing you was quite a blow, but it has driven the together," Streampelt quietly assured her. Ravenpaw nodded. Maybe they would be happier.
"Why am I here?" she asked finally.
"What do you mean, little one?"
"Why am I a cat? Why did you drive me towards the clans? Why am I being given a second chance?" Ravenpaw asked, her voice scaling higher and higher.
"So many questions. You have a great destiny, my dear. Look into the pool," Streampelt murmured. Ravenpaw gazed into it. Streampelt's voice echoed all around her, and a breeze began to blow.
"A raven's wing shall bring salvation, not only to the clans, but to herself."
Ravenpaw found she couldn't move.
"Wait! What do you mean? What or who is raven's wing? What do you mean by salvation? Answer me!" she howled as the wind blew even harder, disrupting the peaceful night.
"In time, you will find the answers you seek." The wind was whirling now, whipping leaves from the trees. Ravenpaw yowled with fear.
Panting, Ravenpaw jerked awake. Looking outside, she realized dawn had just barely come. Sighing, she sat up. I seriously need some caffeine she grumbled, yawning. Stepping outside noiselessly, she shook herself. Yawning, Ravenpaw stretched, then sat down to groom herself. She looked at the sky, and repeated the strange message.
"Only raven's wing shall bring salvation, not only to the clans, but to herself" she whispered, confused and frustrated. Couldn't she just get a straight answer for once?
"What?" Lionpaw's voice sounded from behind her. Jumping, Ravenpaw whirled around, fur bristling.
"Nothing! And don't scare me like that!" she snapped, annoyed. She wished these cats made a bit more noise! Lionpaw sat down, smoothing his fur down.
"Sorry, no need to be snappish," he retorted lightly. Ravenpaw forced her fur down.
"I'm so not a morning per- er, I mean cat," she muttered, catching herself just in time. Lionpaw purred .
"Ya' think?" he asked, tapping her with his tail as he walked by. Ravenpaw looked after him, surprised by the rush of emotions she felt. Shaking herself, she saw Stonepelt slip out from the warrior den.
"Morning! What are we doing today?" she chirped, trying to sound cheerful as she padded towards him. Stonpelt led the way to the training hollow.
"Hunting," he stated as they padded through the forest. Ravenpaw gazed around her, amazed at the beauty. The early sunlight illuminated everything, giving it a magical effect. The leaves were green and wet with morning dew. Birds sand their morning songs, and the forest smelled clean and crisp. Ravenpaw nearly purred with delight. Maybe she should be a morning cat.
Turning, she saw Stonepelt looking at her, affection in his eyes as he gazed at the young she-cat. She purred at him, lengthening her strides so she caught up with him.
"I'm not much of a morning cat, but I was just thinking how pretty the forest is," she mewed softly, trying not to disturb the morning peace.
"It is beautiful isn't it? My mother always dragged me out here as a kit, trying to get me to appreciate it," he purred, looking completely relaxed. Ravenpaw laughed lightly, imagining a little Stonepelt arguing with his mother. Finally, they reached the training hollow.
"All right. Hunting. First, show me the basic crouch," Stonpelt instructed, sitting down. Ravenpaw nodded, remembering when she had caught that mouse. Crouching down, she pricked her ears forward, and stilled her tail. Slowing her breathing, she began to creep up on the imaginary mouse, softly, gently. Stonepelt circled her, measuring her ability.
"Good. Keep all your weight in your haunches. You have a natural hunting ability. Keep in mind, while this works with a mouse, when hunting a rabbit, you must be quicker." Crouching down, Stonepelt placed each paw gently, sneaking up on a stick, then flashed forward with flawless accuracy. Ravenpaw nodded.
After a couple of hours, Stonepelt allowed her to hunt, reminding her not to eat any of it. Ravenpaw returned with three mice clamped triumphantly in her jaws. She held her head high as they approached camp. Her home. She gazed down at it, happiness flooding her bones.
This is where she belonged. The wind blew in her face, flattening her whiskers, carrying the scent of the forest. Her home. Home. She ran into camp, padding proudly to the prey pile. She could feel Shadowfur's angry blue eyes watching her as she dropped her catch onto the pile. Turning towards him, she raised her head, eyes flashing defiantly.
Fernstep padded towards her, eyes gleaming with approval.
"Good job, Ravenpaw! Don't forget the elders and queens. Oh, and I'm sure Barktail would appreciate some," she purred, golden eyes glowing. Ravenpaw nodded, and picked her mice back up. She padded to the elder's den.
There were three elders, Mousewhisker, Crowpelt, and Lilyfur. Mousewhisker was the eldest tom, with patchy brown fur and pale amber eyes that shone with experience. Crowpelt was a dark tom with light blue eyes and a nasty temper. Lilyfur was a gentle queen with a dappled coat and dainty white paws. She had once been beautiful and greatly admired for her prowess in hunting. Now, her soft green eyes shown with gentleness and kindness.
Ravenpaw dropped her mice in the center of the clearing, dipping her head respectfully.
"Lionpaw will have some more when he comes back from patrol," she mewed quietly before backing away. Lilyfur purred her thanks and Mousewhisker gave her an approving nod.
Ravenpaw gave the two queens, Jaypelt and Icefur their prey, then went back to get something for Barktail.
She padded slowly into the den, almost overcome by the sweet scent of herbs. The scent was soothing, and the clearing warm and welcoming. Barktail was a brown tabby tom with gentle blue eyes. He turned around as she padded in, eyes gleaming when he caught sight of the rabbit in her mouth.
"Thank you so much. Things get quite busy in here without an apprentice," he meowed, sitting down. Ravenpaw nodded, gazing around with wide eyes.
"Do you like it?" he asked, amused.
"Yes. It's peaceful and quiet," she murmured, feeling calm and relaxed. Barktail nodded, opening his mouth to say more. Suddenly, Ravenpaw bristled. The stench of blood wafted through the entrance, mixed with the scent of fear. She rushed out into the clearing. Stormclaw, a gray tom, and Blackfur, a black she-cat with amber eyes came rushing in, carrying a limp body between them. Lionpaw followed them, eyes wide with horror. Ravenpaw rushed up to him.
"Lionpaw! What's happened?" she asked, trying to keep her fear at bay. The blood, the terror, the confusion…it threatened to overcome her. Lionpaw's gaze snapped back to her, and it filled with sympathy to see her so afraid. Pressing up beside her, her gave her a lick on her head.
"Don't be afraid. Nothing will hurt you, don't worry. We found Honeypelt by the stream, bloody and torn. She was already dead," he murmured, his voice filled with pain. Ravenpaw licked his cheek gently, sharing his grief. Honeypelt had been a gentle, quiet she-cat. Her mate, Oakshadow, came rushing from the warriors den, his wail of grief echoing around the clearing. Suddenly, Leafstar was there, a beacon of calm in all the confusion.
"Stormclaw, what happened?" she asked, her voice calm and reassuring.
"We found Honeypelt at the stream. She was already dead. No scents, no paw prints. You would think she just dropped dead right there, but for the gashes on her," he replied, fighting to keep his voice steady though his blue eyes were troubled. Fernstep padded up to his side, pressing herself against him.
"She will be mourned by the entire clan," she murmured into his ear. Ravenpaw realized that Honeypelt had been old, about to join the elders. She was probably Stormclaw's mother. Blackfur leaned against Shadowfur, eyes blank with horror. Ravenpaw glanced at Lionpaw. His eyes were closed, his fur bristling. She pressed herself against her friend comfortingly.
"Cats of ThunderClan, we have suffered a great loss tonight. From this moonset onward, no apprentice goes out alone, and each patrol has at least two warriors. Kits must stay in camp until we find this killer. Stonepelt, organize parties to fortify the barrier and stock up the prey pile. Tonight, we mourn Honeypelt, a brave and experienced warrior. May StarClan receive her quickly," Leaftstar called out, her voice ringing throughout the clearing.
Ravenpaw watched as cats padded up to Honeypelt, grooming her light pelt and murmuring soft words to her.
"We will share tongues with her one last time before she joins StarClan," Lionpaw explained, padding up to Honeypelt. Ravenpaw followed.
Bending down, Ravenpaw licked her honey-colored flank, watching as Barktail leaned down and gently closed her dull blue eyes.
"Thank you for your kindness. You accepted me when so few did," she murmured before backing away. Sadness gnawed at her heart when she looked at the dead she-cat. No one deserved to die like this.
Ravenpaw watched as Stormclaw, Fernstep, and Barktail lay down beside her, pressing their noses into her cold fur.
"Should we join them?" Ravenpaw asked Stonepelt. He shook his head.
"They were her children. Only the cats closest to her will share her last night," he murmured before padding away to sleep. Lionpaw walked to the den unsteadily, head lowered and tail dragging. Echopaw walked beside her brother worriedly, tail laying gently over his shoulders. Ravenpaw sat down in the middle of the clearing, gazing up at the bright stars.
"Why must everything die, StarClan? Doesn't it just cause more grief and pain? Why must you claim such an undeserving cat so early? She had a few more seasons left. She didn't even get to see her grandchildren," she whispered, looking at the stars. She wondered if they really listened.
"Everything must have an end, little one," Leafstar's warm voice sounded from behind her. She padded up beside the small apprentice, sitting down and curling her tail around her paws. Ravenpaw glanced at her. Leafstar gazed at her with wise green eyes.
"Whether you think so or not, StarClan is sad when cats join their ranks before their time. But they are always watching, always caring for us. Do not worry, little one. Her death will be avenged," she murmured, looking up at the stars too. Ravenpaw nodded, looking at her leader in awe.
"Get some sleep. Stonepelt is not patient in the morning," she finally said after a few moments of silence. Her eyes glinted with amusement as Ravenpaw nodded and rushed to her den. She purred, then went to join Honeypelt's vigil.
Ravenpaw was panting and sweating. This is more work than PE! She growled at Stonepelt, who sat a few feet away, tail tip flicking.
"You must be faster, Ravenpaw! Fast and fluid as a fish!" he meowed.
"Fish get eaten!" she snapped, green eyes glowing with anger. Suddenly, she dashed forward, hitting her mentor's chest with her head. He flipped backwards, and in a flash, she was on top, pinning him down.
"But not this one!" she crowed triumphantly, eyes flashing with delight. She got off of him, and he stood, shaking the sand out of his pelt.
"I totally poned you! Oh snapp!" she laughed, prancing in place. She stopped when she saw Stonepelt's expression.
"Poned? What does that mean?" he asked warily. Ravenpaw cursed herself. Cats don't say pone, you idiot!
"Uh, it means I beat you. Like, I totally beat you," she explained lamely, trying to keep her voice steady. Stonepelt looked at her for one breathless moment, before shrugging and sitting down.
It had been three days since Honeypelt had been found dead. Ravenpaw felt like she might collapse. She had training from dawn to sunhigh, a patrol around there, five minutes to eat when she got back, then she was helping build the camp up. Sometimes, if the universe was in a really bad mood that day, she had a patrol from moon high to moonset, a few hours of sleep (if she was lucky), then training at dawn again. She was utterly exhausted, and had no coffee, no candy to help hype her up.
Oh how I miss chocolate. She gave a wistful sigh. Stonepelt looked at her, eyes gleaming.
"Hunt on the way back, then you got border patrol with Shadowfur, Echopaw, and Fernstep. Don't dawdle," he meowed sternly, before padding off into the trees.
"Yes, sir," she muttered. Great, she had patrol with Shadowfur. He was a pain in the butt. Hopefully, Fernstep would keep him in check, and Echopaw was a plus. Still, it was enough to put her in a foul mood.
She padded into camp with a rabbit and a mouse clamped in her jaws. She found she had a few moments to groom, and set about doing just that. When she finished, she gazed around camp, watching Jaypelt's kits play around in the center of clearing. Icefur was expecting Stormclaw's kits, which were due any day now. She lay sunning herself with Jaypelt at her side, purring gently. Ravenpaw had to admit, she melted when she first saw those three kits. They were fluffy bundles of cuteness.
There were Mosskit, Graykit, and Poppykit. Two she-cats and a tom. Mosskit was a brown she-cat with blue eyes, just like her mother's. Poppykit was a black she-kit with white speckles and light amber eyes. Graykit was a gray tom with darker paws and deep blue eyes, also like Jaypelt's. Ravenpaw purred as Graykit pinned Mosskit down, and Poppykit tackled him from behind. They never ceased to entertain her.
"Wishing you had some?" Ravenpaw whipped her head around, finding Lionpaw right behind her.
"What is up with you and sneaking up on me?" she demanded, eyes flashing. Lionpaw merely purred.
"It's fun!" he laughed, tail waving. Ravenpaw growled.
"I'll show you fun!" Leaping up, she knocked him back and pinned him down, eyes gleaming.
"I win!" she crowed, stepping off him. A very disheveled Lionpaw sat up, eyes laughing. He started to smooth his fur down.
"You never answered my question," he mewed when he had finished. Ravenpaw tipped her head in confusion.
"Do you wish you had kits?" he asked curiously. Ravenpaw gaped at him. She had never really thought about it. She was still trying to get used to the idea she was a cat.
"Uh, well, I think so," she stuttered, sounding like an idiot. Just then, thankfully, she heard Fernstep calling her name.
"Gotta go!" she called over her shoulder as she bounded away. She padded into the forest after Fernstep and Shadowfur, followed by Echopaw.
"We are doing a sweep up of RiverClan border," Shadowfur growled over his shoulder, picking up the pace. Ravenpaw cast a sympathetic glance at Echopaw, who was his apprentice. Her friend merely shrugged. Suddenly, Ravenpaw dove into the bushes. She emerged with a mouse in her jaws.
Fernstep padded up to her, eyes glowing.
"Nice catch. We'll pick it up on the way home," she purred, flicking her with her cream tail. Shadowfur hadn't even paused, still padding briskly through the trees. Panting, Ravenpaw caught up with them finally.
As she padded after Fernstep, she gazed at the forest. It was beautiful. They had a forest back home. She had this little clearing she sat in when she needed to think. It had some big rocks, and a river ran by it. In fact…
Ravenpaw gasped. This was her clearing. She stopped dead. The rocks, the river, how could she have missed it? Echopaw bumped into her, but she didn't feel it. She could only gaze around, tears welling in her green eyes.
She remembered this place. Some of her happiest memories took place here. That is before she died.
She had never thought of it like that, but it was true. In the human world, she was dead. Dead. As in, gone forever. Tears began to fall on her silky black fur as she looked at the clearing. She was dead. Fernstep padded up to her cautiously, eyes worried.
"Ravenpaw. Little one, are you okay?" she asked gently, nudging her. Ravenpaw shook her head, unable to speak. Little one. When she was a human, no one had ever loved her enough to give her a nick name. Except for Robin of course. But Robin was dead too. Never coming back. She gave a little cry, shutting her eyes tight.
Ravenpaw took deep breaths, trying to calm herself down. She blinked her eyes open to see Echopaw and Fernstep looking at her with worried glances. Shadowfur merely sneered at her from a distance.
"I'm fine. My-my, uh, stomach hurt for a few seconds. It's gone now," she stammered, padding forward, keeping her head low. "Let's just finish the patrol," she muttered, hoping no one would question her. They didn't.
That night, Ravenpaw sat out in the clearing, gazing at the stars. Tears fell from her eyes silently. All around her, she could hear the faint snores and murmurs of her clanmates. She curled her tail around her paws, trying to sort her thoughts out.
Robin is gone, and she's not coming back, she cried in her mind, her heart aching. More tears fell now, soaking her chest and front paws. You have a new place now. Mom and Dad never loved you, not like Robin. And why would they? Here, they do care about you. Well, some do. Here, you matter. There's no going back Raven, so get over it. Robin's not coming back.
Ravenpaw sighed.
Not coming back. Gone forever. Forever is a long time. She turned her head to the heavens again.
I'll find you Robin, no matter how long it takes. I'll find you. Just wait for me, sister. Wait for me.