Shadowpaw lifted her muzzle to the breeze. The dark gray she-cat nodded. "So, tell me again, Promisepaw," she mewed. "This dream you just had?"
"Well, remember that LakeClan warrior who was killed by the fox a few moons ago?"
"Silverwave?" Wavepaw prompted. "Yeah. Why?"
"Well, I saw him last night in a dream. I said to him 'Silverwave! It's been so long!' He just looked at me, kind of like a kit looks at the Clan leader. I guess I must have looked nervous because he said 'Promisepaw, be at peace. You have a new message from StarClan.' 'Silverwave, what is this message?' I asked."
"What'd he say?" asked Sunpaw.
"He said Seek the child of stars and moon."
"The child of stars and moon," Shadowpaw repeated. "Typical prophecy."
"Stop being so pessimistic, will you, Shadowpaw?" Sunpaw chided playfully. "We figured out the first one, didn't we? It only took us a half-moon. This one's short and easy. Shouldn't take us too long."
Shadowpaw shrugged. She found herself walking closer to Sunpaw. The former MeadowClan apprentice glanced over at her, but said nothing. His tail rose up and twined with the tip of hers. Shadowpaw knew the others were watching, but she didn't care. She was free of that dithering kittypet Trickpaw. She was on her way to save PromiseClan. Maybe things would be better now...
"Well, I still think we should've waited for Trickpaw before we left," Promisepaw mewed. Shadowpaw snorted.
"Great StarClan, are you still hung up on him?" she spat. "Look, Promisepaw, Trickpaw's a nice cat and all, but you're outta his league! He's not good enough for you!"
Promisepaw's head and tail drooped slightly. Sunpaw gave Shadowpaw a nudge. "Come on, don't be so hard on her," he murmured. Shadowpaw gazed back at him incredulously. How could he be siding with that kittypet?
"You know what we need to make our paws lighter? A song!"
"Wavepaw, shut up!" Shadowpaw and the others mewed in unison. The silver tom stopped with one paw in the air, looking hurt.
"All right. Fine. I was only trying to help. Geez! You guys are about as friendly as a bunch of hedgehogs." Shadowpaw rolled her eyes at Wavepaw. He was so...so...Wavepaw-ish.
"You know what, Wavepaw?" she asked. "Maybe—just maybe—we're not in the mood for your little antics right now. Maybe we'd like to think about the new prophecy and the journey facing us. Can you grant us that silence?"
"And maybe you need to stop being such a badger-brain," Wavepaw retorted.
"I'll badger-brain you!" hissed Shadowpaw, unsheathing her claws. She saw fear dance in Wavepaw's eyes and felt a wave of satisfaction. Of course, she wouldn't dare hurt him...but nothing said she couldn't intimidate him into his place.
"That's enough, Shadowpaw," Promisepaw meowed. "Knock it off. We're supposed to be working together on this journey. What would StarClan say if they looked down now and saw us fighting? We have to save PromiseClan!"
Shadowpaw rumbled her grudging agreement. The dark gray she-cat padded ahead of the others, wanting to get away from their oppressive scents of friendship and purpose. She pushed through the branches of the bush ahead of her and stopped, letting the slight breeze clear her scent glands. Save the Clan. I know, I know. I want to save the Clan too, but it's not like we're going to get anything done. We're a bunch of apprentices for StarClan's sake! We can't save anything on our own! Not without at least a warrior with us. Her tail lashed in an irritated way.
Shadowpaw sat down to look at the view. She was seated on a small hill, gazing down at the brook where cats from LakeClan would often fish. Not far from the brook was a Thunderpath and a Twolegplace. Shadowpaw's ears went flat. She was too close to the Twolegs for comfort. This couldn't be the right way. StarClan wouldn't guide chosen cats right towards their enemies. She turned back to see Sunpaw and Promisepaw padding up. Wavepaw was behind them.
"Nice view, huh?" Sunpaw mewed, sitting beside Shadowpaw. The other apprentice nodded. Promisepaw sat behind them.
"I wish we hadn't left Trickpaw behind," she whispered sadly.
"Don't worry, Promisepaw," Wavepaw meowed. "I'm sure he's fine back at camp. After all, he wasn't chosen to travel with us. Shadowpaw was right. Not to say that I don't like him, it's just...I dunno." The silver cat shrugged. "So. Any cat getting hungry? I could teach you guys how to fish if you want."
"That would be wonderful, Wavepaw," Promisepaw replied, getting to her paws. "I've always wondered how you LakeClanners did it. It all seems so hard."
"Not really." Wavepaw padded down from the hill, motioning for the others to follow. "You just have to be quick and watch where your shadow falls. Oh, and also you have to remember that water distorts shapes. A fish that looks close to the surface could be near the bottom."
"Sounds like math's involved," Sunpaw grunted as he stood. Wavepaw hesitated, then nodded.
"Yeah...but you get used to it. It's fairly easy to do. Just remember that water makes things appear about one-and-a-half times their actual size. Usually."
Shadowpaw relented and followed. Fish was not her favorite prey to eat. No. There were no fish for SwampClan. Muskrats...blackbirds...prey that carried that faint undertone of swamp water. But so far, Shadowpaw had not found any such territory. Not in the three moons she had been with PromiseClan. It was frustrating. What she wouldn't give to sink her fangs into a plump young muskrat. Something flopped onto her head, then dropped at her paws. Shadowpaw blinked, startled. Wavepaw purred.
A fish. He had thrown a dead fish at her. The former SwampClan apprentice bared her fangs in a snarl. Wavepaw grinned. "Try some. You'll like it!" He sang the last sentence like a queen trying to persuade a kit to eat. Shadowpaw spat at him, but took a bite of the fish anyway. Her amber eyes went wide. It...that flavor...like...the water must...
Swamp...
Shadowpaw devoured the fish in massive gulps. She sat up, licking her lips. "Show me," she commanded. "How did you do that?"
Wavepaw let out a purr of laughter. "Oh...you like fish, do you?" he teased.
"This fish is different! It tastes like...SwampClan...Not only the territory, but the scent of it...I can smell the swamps again...that marsh mud..." Her eyes closed blissfully. "I'm in StarClan..."
"Glad you like it," Sunpaw muttered. "Personally, I'll stick to moles. You can't beat that satisfaction you get after digging up a whole tunnel system and grabbing that one mole that dug it all."
"MeadowClan digs?" Wavepaw asked incredulously. Sunpaw shrugged and held up a front paw.
"See how big my paws are, Wavepaw? MeadowClan cats dig for their prey sometimes. Queens dig a new nest in the nursery for a new queen's litter. Warriors dig the den further back to allow room for more warriors to sleep. We use our paws for more than walking." He stood up, showing off his height. Sunpaw was a head taller than the other apprentices, but he was no older than any of them. "We're tall to see over the grass of the Endless Plains. MeadowClan is different from the other Clans."
Wavepaw stood up. He was lean-bodied, but lacked impressive height. "Well, LakeClan cats have water-shedding fur," he meowed. "We swim all the time. Plus," and he unsheathed his claws, "we have much longer claws than other Clans. These are good for grabbing those slippery fish."
"Don't you have that weird eyeli–Oh great StarClan!" Promisepaw broke off in a shocked mew as a thin, transparent film spread across Wavepaw's bright eyes. The tom blinked, and the film vanished.
"Yes. We slid it across to protect our eyes from the water."
Shadowpaw stepped up. She was the same height as Wavepaw, but her body was thinner, almost emaciated. "SwampClan cats are thin and light. Our toes," she held up a paw, "are wider apart so we spread our weight better across the boggy ground. We don't sink as fast as other Clans would. We also have sharp senses of smell that allow us to pick up even the faintest trace of prey-scent."
"Since the wet ground would erase it very quickly," Sunpaw mused. Shadowpaw nodded her head. Promisepaw decided it was time for her to show of her Clan-special-ness.
"I was born on the night PromiseClan was formed," she said. "But both of my parents were born in DuskClan. So I have to body of a DuskClan cat. DuskClan is sturdy because of the steep sides of the Shaded Valley. Since the valley is so deep, we don't get much light. For us, sunhigh is as well lit as twilight for the other Clans. We have some of the sharpest eyesight in the Clans."
"You know...I'm starting to wonder something," Sunpaw mewed.
"What?"
"Well, Promisepaw was born in PromiseClan, but her parents came from DuskClan, so she looks like one of those cats. I came from MeadowClan. Wavepaw was from LakeClan. Shadowpaw was from SwampClan." He looked around the others with serious eyes. "Do you think StarClan chose us because we represent the four original Clans: DuskClan, MeadowClan, LakeClan, and SwampClan?"
Shadowpaw couldn't help but let out a soft gasp. Could they? It was too true to be a coincidence. She looked from cat to cat. "Then if that's the case, it was right for us to leave without Trickpaw. He's not from any Clan. He was a rogue."
"But StarClan watches all cats under their care," murmured Promisepaw. Shadowpaw shrugged.
"Maybe, but rogues and kittypets aren't under their care. StarClan watches Clans."
"Shadowpaw, just give it a rest, will you?" Wavepaw demanded. "I mean, we're all stuck together, and we've all got to get along. Leave Trickpaw alone. He didn't do anything to you. Just get whatever bad feelings you have of him out of your heart and move along." The silver cat stood. "It's getting late. We should find someplace to rest for the night."
"How about that tunnel?" Sunpaw suggested, flicking his tail to a large tunnel about three tail-lengths high. "It looks sheltered enough."
Shadowpaw looked around and nodded with the other cats. Sure. Why not? She padded inside the tunnel, flicking her paws with irritation. "Ugh! Sunpaw, this tunnel's got water in it!"
"Well, it's sheltered at the very least. Besides, I've seen these before. They get wider after a while. Just keep going, Shadowpaw. You're doing great."
Shadowpaw felt a brief glow of pleasure at Sunpaw's remark. She followed after the young tom, noting the ease with which he moved. His muscles rippled smoothly under his gold and ginger pelt. He was a handsome tomcat, no doubt. The dark apprentice felt content just to watch him glide along the passageway like a ray of fire. She sighed.
True to Sunpaw's word, the tunnel did indeed widen, and the tired foursome were able to curl up around the edge of the water. Shadowpaw shivered. SwampClan cats did not have thick fur. It was impractical when you lived in a land of wet, clinging mud. Something warm pressed against her. Sunpaw.
"A little cold there, eh, Shadowpaw?" he asked softly. Shadowpaw nodded. "Well, curl up as close as you need to stay warm. We can't have a chosen cat dying on the journey, can we?"
Shadowpaw snuggled close up to him. They lay there, like day and night, together in a warm, furry pattern. Shadowpaw drifted off into an easy sleep.
Somewhere around moonhigh, though, her dreams were shattered by an echoing voice hissing around the small cavern. "Hey...Promisepaw?...Wavepaw?...Shadowpaw?...Sunpaw?...Are you guys in here?"
Trickpaw.