Jeez, I need to get my updating under control. I've been working on "The Story of Farlo" for awhile now, but now I will get back into the Warriors mode! XD For those of you who read both of these stories, I will still be updating Farlo a lot more (I'm sorry to say; and happy to say. ^_^) but I will get this story back on track. As always, thanks for reading!
DISCLAIMER: I do not own Warriors (I'm REALLY getting tired of these...okay, you know what, starting now, this disclaimer counts for the rest of the story. XP)
Chapter 9
ThunderClan
Moonpaw blinked the sleep out of her eyes, yawning and arching her back in a stretch. She purred as she relaxed her muscles, straightening again. She padded out of the den into the warmth of the ThunderClan clearing, ready for a new day.
It wasn't quite sun-high yet, but apprentices and warriors were already attending their important duties. Pebblepaw and Flickerpaw were waiting by the thorn tunnel, yawning as they waited for their mentors. Greenmoss was organizing a border patrol made up of Yarrowtail, Larkwing, and Gingereyes to go out to the WindClan border, and Ashpaw and Mosspatch were organizing their herbs out in the sun outside of their den. Moonpaw remembered that she had wanted to join a hunting patrol, and she padded over to wait beside her friends.
Moonpaw stopped herself, tail drooping. No, she couldn't join them. A feeling of irritation entered her; this was her last day of confinement to camp, but she knew that after this she was bound to be on probation until the Gathering.
She sighed. The Gathering...of course; she had to just attack a Clanmate, and her third Gathering would be drawn in front of her to be dangled in her face like a piece of prey she couldn't reach. Moonpaw growled and flicked her tail tip in annoyance, heading instead toward the nursery to check on the kit.
Moonpaw passed through the thorns and branches in front of the den, welcomed by the warm scent of milk and the coolness of the shade.
"Morning, Clovergrass," Moonpaw greeted the queen with a nod. Longkit peeked his head from around his mother's back, and Clovergrass stretched and blinked her green eyes.
"Good morning, Moonpaw." She mewed. She nudged her only tom kit. "Come on, Longkit, say good morning."
Moonpaw felt a rush of sympathy as Longkit shyly came out from behind his mother. "Hi." He said quietly, not meeting Moonpaw's eyes.
"Hello, there." Moonpaw mewed back, warmth in her voice. Longkit seemed to be a bit encouraged by her tone and brightened a bit.
He crouched down, waving his tail in the air. "Do you want to play with me?" He squeaked, then looked down again.
Moonpaw looked to Clovergrass. "If you don't mind, I wouldn't mind to after I clean your nests." Clovergrass purred.
"Sounds like a fine idea." the queen mewed. Longkit's eyes lit up with excitement.
Once Moonpaw had cleared out the old nests and replaced them with some new moss she had found piled in the corner, she followed Longkit outside.
"Let's play Fox Attack!" Longkit squealed. "You be the fox, and I get to chase you around!"
Moonpaw chuckled and felt a rush of sympathy for this kit. He must be lonely by himself in the nursery all the time. She wondered briefly about the lack of kits this leaf-fall, but her thoughts were broken as Longkit leaped at her.
"Come on! Roar!" Longkit yowled. "I'm going to defeat you, fox!" Moonpaw pretended to be afraid as Longkit chased her around the clearing, making sure she always was within his reach. They streaked by the elders' den and Highledge, weaving between startled warriors and laughing apprentices.
Finally, Moonpaw collapsed as she felt a small body clamp onto her tail. "He's got me!" She gasped, "The warrior's got me!"
Longkit squeaked as he landed on top of Moonpaw's back, triumphant. "That's right! No fox messes with Longstar, leader of ThunderClan!" Moonpaw laughed as the kit's tail tickled her nose, and she batted him down lightly with her paws. She didn't remember the last time she'd had this much fun in the past two sunrises.
They played until sun-high, Clovergrass finally calling her kit in for a nap.
"Longkit! Time for a rest, love!" Clovergrass called. Longkit's tail drooped.
"But I want to keep playing." He whined. He seemed genuinely crestfallen.
Moonpaw batted his ear affectionately. "Don't worry. There'll be plenty of time to play later." The kit seemed slightly cheered at that thought, and with a hasty goodbye he bounded to his mother.
"Moonpaw!" Moonpaw turned around at the sound of her name, and she looked down in embarrassment as Mossshadow padded towards her.
"Your aren't supposed to be playing when there are more important tasks to finish." Mossshadow flicked her tail in annoyance, and Moonpaw avoided her gaze. She felt a new sense of anger towards her mentor; why did she have to listen to Mossshadow, anyway? It wasn't like she was her leader or anything.
Patience, Moonpaw. In good time, Mossshadow's nags will be but a distant memory; when you're a warrior, you don't have to listen to her anymore.
Moonpaw was startled as the voice inside her head purred to her. She shivered inwardly; ever since that strange meeting with her supposed father in the forest, Moonpaw had been getting weird messages and thoughts from a strange voice that whispered of greatness. Moonpaw's tail drooped at the memory of her feeling coldly triumphant as she defeated Scatteredpaw in training.
And why should I listen to you either? Moonpaw thought back to the voice. You're just telling me what I already know. The voice didn't reply, and Moonpaw turned her attention back to her angry mentor.
"I know, I know." Moonpaw replied, swishing her tail. "I was cleaning out the nursery when Longkit asked me to play with him."
"You should've refused! You knew fully well that you had duties to attend to, yet you just abandon them like that." Mossshadow's golden eyes burned into Moonpaw's blue ones with the intensity of the scorching sun above them. "I'm beginning to think you don't care for your Clan."
Are you going to take that lightly, Moonpaw? the voice asked her. Moonpaw briefly felt fire erupt warm and steady in her muscles, and at that moment she felt she could do anything.
But Moonpaw forced it down. Instead, she returned Mossshadow's gaze calmly. "For your information, I care very much for my Clan; now, if you'll excuse me, I have an apprentices' den to clean out." Moonpaw stalked off, sulking over Mossshadow's words. She had pushed down the feeling of brief invincibility only because she knew she would just get into trouble. The feeling also scared her, slightly, for she had never had it before until the voice had come to her.
Do not refuse me, Moonpaw. I can make you especially strong and noble. If you follow my lead, I can help you become one of the most treasured and wanted warriors in all of the Clans. Soon, even Mossshadow won't even have the strength to refuse you.
Moonpaw was tempted to give in to the feeling of warmth and power that swept over her again, to release her tension and let this strange and helpful force take charge. But a small part of her still didn't believe this voice's true intentions.
I'll do what I please, thank you, Moonpaw thought, scowling to herself. I can be an effective and strong warrior without your help.
Moonpaw headed inside the apprentices' den, seeing with relief that it was empty; she felt she wouldn't be able to deal with other cats right now. Even the comfort of her brother Seedpaw wouldn't have cheered her up.
Moonpaw began scraping together all of the old moss out of the nests, rolling it into a ball and placing it outside of the den. She then began to look for and take out all of the thorns and twigs from where they would be hiding inside the nests, tossing them over her shoulder into a pile.
Once she was finished inside, she padded out of the den and picked up the ball of old moss in her mouth; she figured she would toss it somewhere in the trees, then thought with a scowl that she wasn't allowed outside. Instead, she settled on throwing it out of the dirt place's back tunnel and into the forest; no one would notice it there.
She went on like this with all of the dens until it was nearly nightfall. She double-checked that the elders' ticks were cleared and that Mosspatch had enough herbs before collapsing beside the fresh-kill pile to enjoy a well-deserved mouse.
The full moon rose swiftly into the sky, and soon Oakstar had leaped onto the Highledge and was calling the Clan to meeting. Moonpaw stayed where she was, too exhausted to move, and too disappointed in herself to force herself to look up.
All around her, cats began milling into the center of the clearing, apprentices and warriors coming out of their newly cleaned out dens to situate themselves for a meeting. Tansytail and Gingereyes were padding side by side out of the warriors' den, followed closely by Scatteredpaw chattering incessantly to Flickerpaw and Sootpaw, who, in Moonpaw's opinion, looked extremely bored. Greenmoss padded out of the medicine den with Mosspatch in tow, and Ashpaw came to sit beside his mentor after exiting the dirt place tunnel. Moonpaw saw Cavesong padding over to her, and she flicked her tail-tip in greeting.
"Hey, Moonpaw." Cavesong dipped her head. "Thanks for clearing out those thorns from beside my nest; they were really getting bothersome."
Moonpaw felt warmed by her praise; at least someone had noticed how hard she was working. "You're welcome." Moonpaw mewed back sincerely; she had always had a friend in Cavesong, and the gray-and-brown warrior settled to sit beside her with her tail around her paws.
As warriors passed by Moonpaw, she heard murmurs of thanks being thrown in her direction from each of them. She felt a new sense of appreciation at all of her praise, and briefly wondered with a flicker of hope if she had impressed even stubborn Mossshadow.
Once all of the cats had settled, Oakstar began. "I would like to create this Gathering patrol. Naturally, Mosspatch, Ashpaw, Greenmoss, and myself will be attending, but as for the others; Larkwing, Gingereyes, Cavesong, Tansytail, Mossshadow, Storktalon, Fallingwater, Pebblepaw, Scatteredpaw, Flickerpaw, Seedpaw, and Moonpaw will come." Moonpaw felt a rush of joy as her leader's gaze briefly rested on her, his eyes twinkling. She couldn't believe it; after all of her hard work, she had been rewarded! She guessed she had earned her right in coming after those days of taking care of the Clan. Murmurs of congratulations flowed toward Moonpaw, and she felt secure and safe wrapped around her Clanmates' support.
With hard work comes great reward, the voice purred to Moonpaw. And with great reward comes great responsibility.
Thanks for the quote of the day, voice. Moonpaw thought sarcastically. What was it, some kind of storyteller? She could almost imagine what the voice looked like and who it belonged to; why, she even imagined him like the old elder Purdy, who had come from the sun-drown-place so many generations ago and whose jokes and stories still lived among the Clan.
Moonpaw finished her mouse and bounded over to where the other cats were gathering to leave, all the while pelts brushing against her in support and comfort. She smiled smugly at the look of disgust and surprise that came upon Scatteredpaw's face when Moonpaw padded up; Moonpaw saw the three thin scars covering Scatteredpaw's eye, seeing that they were healed completely but would still remain there forever.
"See, Moonpaw? All your work wasn't for naught." Pebblepaw remarked, a twinkle in his eyes. Moonpaw purred in thanks, falling into step beside him and Seedpaw as they headed for the Gathering.
The moonlight shone quiet and bright over the WindClan hills as the ThunderClan cats set a brisk pace toward the Gathering, speckles of stars shimmering on the glassy surface of the lake. Moonpaw felt the rush of the wind through her fur and the velvet of night wrap around her, and for an ironic moment she felt like her namesake; the moon, silent and beautiful, just like her.
Thoughts like that will never make you a warrior. Moonpaw jumped at the voice's sudden harsh tone, but she shrugged it off and continued her run.
She slowed as they reached the fallen log, shivering as she looked at the black water sloshing inches away from her equally inky paws. She remembered one of her first Gatherings when she had fallen in the lake, where the iciness of the water had paralyzed her. She remembered the blue blur streaking to her rescue, then learning that her soppy hero was named Bluepaw. He had been very sweet to her, and she was thankful that he was the one to save her. She hoped he would see him again tonight, along with her other friends that she had made over the time ThunderClan had helped ShadowClan.
She would never forget how Skullpaw, Tinypaw, Blackpaw, and even Riverpaw had grown so quickly to trust her, and her to them. She had felt that they would always stick by her side, and would continue to feel that way even if she were to meet them in battle.
The Gathering clearing was already packed with cats, and the scents of WindClan, ShadowClan, and RiverClan all mingled together as ThunderClan interspersed. Moonpaw noticed that WindClan was eyeing them warily, and she saw that even some of them were purposely turning their backs to her when she walked by.
Puzzled, Moonpaw distracted herself with looking for her friends. She spotted Riverpaw's black speckled back among a group of WindClan cats, and upon seeing her friend Riverpaw trotted up to her, tail raised in greeting.
"Evening, Moonpaw! It's good to see you again!" Riverpaw exclaimed, touching noses with her friend. "How are things in ThunderClan?"
"Everything's great. I was on probation for awhile, though." Moonpaw felt relief wash over her when she spoke with her old friend, and she felt mutual feelings of excitement and curiosity with Riverpaw.
Riverpaw's eyes widened. "What did you do?"
"Well...err...it's a bit of a long story, but...let's just say Scatteredpaw's got the scars to prove it." Moonpaw mewed the last bit out of the corner of her mouth, and she laughed nervously as Riverpaw craned her neck around to catch a glimpse of Scatteredpaw.
Riverpaw shrugged. "Well, we all slip up sometimes. It's just a part of living in a Clan." Moonpaw nodded in agreement, glad that her friend wasn't angry with her.
"Have you seen Skullpaw or Tinypaw, anywhere? I haven't seen them in awhile." Moonpaw mewed, changing the subject.
Riverpaw shook her head, but then brightened as she looked over Moonpaw's shoulder. "There they are! Here they come." Moonpaw turned around to see Skullpaw walking up to them with Tinypaw trailing shyly behind.
"Hey, Moonpaw! Good to see you again." Tinypaw purred, flicking her tail-tip briefly over Moonpaw's ears as she trotted up; she had quickened her pace when she saw the black she-cat, all shyness gone. "How's the prey running?"
"Good, good." Moonpaw replied. Skullpaw was staring intently at her, and she turned around to look at him. She chuckled uncomfortably, shifting her paws. Noticing her discomfort, Skullpaw blinked and lowered his gaze to the ground.
"Sorry. Daydreaming again." he gave a nervous laugh.
Riverpaw cuffed his ear teasingly. "That's our Skullpaw; always the dreamer." Moonpaw and Tinypaw laughed wholeheartedly.
"What about you guys? How are things in RiverClan and ShadowClan?" Moonpaw asked.
Tinypaw answered first. "Well, between you and me, I think my mentor's working me a bit too hard." She looked at the ground, eyes suddenly wide and anxious.
Riverpaw glanced at the RiverClan cat, waiting for her to continue, but she stayed silent. Moonpaw thought that Riverpaw had expected Tinypaw to say something, and looked slightly distraught when she hadn't continued. Moonpaw shook her head and turned her attention to Riverpaw as she prepared to share what she had to say.
"Actually, I...I wanted to tell you something." Riverpaw grew suddenly uncomfortable, and Moonpaw wondered why her friends were so tense this Gathering. Was it something she said?
"What is it? We're all ears." Skullpaw mewed, sitting down and wrapping his tail around his paws. Moonpaw, Tinypaw, and Riverpaw did the same, watching Riverpaw intently.
"Well, you see, I went with Swiftbreeze up to the Moonpool at half moon..." Riverpaw began.
"You visited the Moonpool?" Tinypaw meowed, eyes shining. "What was it like?"
"Well..." Riverpaw scraped her claws across the ground. "I got this vision, see, from a former WindClan leader named Onestar. He...well..." her voice faltered, and Moonpaw felt a chill run down her spine at the mention of a cat from StarClan speaking to Riverpaw. She laid her tail tip gently on Riverpaw's shoulder in comfort.
Gaining confidence, Riverpaw continued in a hushed voice, "He told me of a certain prophecy." Something in her voice suggested that she wasn't telling them everything.
Moonpaw's ears pricked, and Skullpaw's eyes hardened. Tinypaw's excitement faded into fear.
"What did it say?" Skullpaw pressed quietly, following her hushed tone. all four cats leaned closer together.
Riverpaw took a shaky breath. "Before the Moon, blue feathers will fall, and the Dusk will be avenged. A tiny wing shall fall before the paws of Death, and a bleached skull shall unite with the river to overcome the great evil that rises with the every tide."
Moonpaw felt as if an icy claw had been raked through her, and she blinked rapidly to stop the world from spinning. So the strange words she had heard when Harpiekit had died were part of a prophecy. Why is StarClan telling Riverpaw, an apprentice? Or better yet, why was it telling me? Why did I only hear the first part?
"Why are you telling us this?" Skullpaw demanded. His voice was firm, but his eyes glistened with recognition and remorse. Had he heard the prophecy, too?
"I have a feeling that...somehow...some of us may be a part of it." Riverpaw's eyes were full of anguish. "I don't know what to do! Do any of you know what it could mean?"
A yowl from Blazestar alerted the apprentices. Moonpaw stood and shook herself, trying not to show how scared she was. "Let's talk about it later." The three other cats tentatively nodded.
Tinypaw shuddered. "To think; what other things has StarClan been keeping from us?"
Skullpaw flicked his tail over her shoulder. "Let's meet here at moon high in two suns to discuss this." Moonpaw didn't like the idea of meeting without permission, especially with cats from other Clans. Yet, something told Moonpaw that this was the right decision. Besides, she felt bad that Riverpaw had to have the burden of the prophecy on her shoulders longer than any of them.
Moonpaw, Skullpaw, and Tinypaw followed Riverpaw over to an open corner of the field, Moonpaw squishing beside Skullpaw and another black tom that Moonpaw recognized as Blackfrost of WindClan as the Gathering started.
Moonpaw turned her attention to the tree, where Blazestar had stepped up first. "Prey is running well in RiverClan. The streams are high and the fish are plentiful. We have named three new warriors, Kestrelshade, Scorchtail, and Sootstripe." Moonpaw joined in as the cats around her chanted the names, and she noticed that Tinypaw's eyes were shining.
"Kestrelshade's my big brother." Tinypaw whispered to Moonpaw. Her blue eyes were full of pride. "I'm so proud of him."
Moonpaw looked to Riverpaw, who had visibly tensed a little ways away from her. WindClan began to murmur incessantly, throwing glances at Blazestar and RiverClan. Some cats raised their lips in a snarl, while others just flicked their tails in annoyance. Moonpaw looked back at Tinypaw, who seemed oblivious to the glares she was receiving from the WindClan cats around her.
Blazestar had stepped back when Moonpaw had looked up at the tree once more, and she saw Oakstar step up.
"Prey is also running well in ThunderClan. Though this heat wave has made every Clan thirsty, ThunderClan is thriving in our forests." He stepped back, letting Duskstar step forward.
"In ShadowClan, our forest is growing back smoothly. Though the fire has, perhaps, made our boughs wither, we stand strong and will fight any who come to challenge us." He glared out at the cats, waiting for them to protest, but the RiverClan cats burst into cheers, soon followed by ThunderClan and ShadowClan after. WindClan was cheering, too, just not as heartily as Moonpaw thought they would. After all, they had still helped to rebuild the camp.
Finally, Tawnystar stepped forward. Moonpaw could already tell something was wrong by the tense look he had on his face, reflecting that of his Clanmates below him. Moonpaw's ears perked up, and she tensed.
"WindClan's prey is swift as ever." Tawnystar began; it was neither a negative nor positive statement. "However, wolves have been striking, and this heat wave will probably turn them toward the lake."
Silence rang clear in the hollow. whispers of alarm echoed like a breeze throughout the cats, soon raising into one caterwaul from Fallingwater not far from Moonpaw. "What if they come to our territories? WindClan have led them right to us!" Moonpaw was surprised at her Clanmate, but she fell silent as waves of outrage rolled from WindClan.
"That's not true!" Moonpaw heard Riverpaw speak, and she turned to see her friend bristling at the ThunderClan she-cat . "WindClan have nothing to do with wether or not the wolves come down here!"
"Anyway!" Tawnystar continued, raising his voice in a yowl. All conversation ceased, yet the ThunderClan and WindClan cats still bristled at each other. Blackfrost growled at Moonpaw, and she hissed in response, fluffing up her fur. "WindClan are still standing strong, and we will make sure to chase these wolves away from the Clans for good."
That's a pretty strong promise to make, Moonpaw thought warily as she lowered her fur and forced herself to turn away from the WindClan tom beside her. She turned to Skullpaw to see his reaction, along with ShadowClan's, but his face remained passive, as always. Yet, Moonpaw noticed with worry, that his eyes seemed full of an unknown pain and sorrow. Tinypaw pressed closer beside him, and he unconsciously wrapped his tail around her slight frame.
Tawnystar leaped off of his tree branch, and the Gathering broke in silence.
"Well, that was quite a pessimistic statement to end on." Moonpaw said as her, Skullpaw, Tinypaw, and Riverpaw stood and began walking toward the edge of the hollow. Moonpaw saw with confusion as Skullpaw led Tinypaw into the brush with the tip of his tail.
"I wonder what they're up to." Riverpaw mused to Moonpaw as they watched them go. She chuckled tightly, still sounding stressed. "Hopefully no funny business. The last thing the Clans need right now is another forbidden love to worry about." Something in her voice suggested weariness, and Moonpaw wondered just how happy Riverpaw really was to see them. Was she still having regrets about keeping her friendship, even if she had shared something as huge as a prophecy?
It isn't Riverpaw you should be worried about. the voice said ominously. Moonpaw rolled her eyes.
"You know, you really aren't making these things clear." Moonpaw murmured under her breath. Riverpaw gave her a funny look, and Moonpaw flicked her tail dismissively as a sign that it was nothing. Riverpaw shrugged, looking thoughtfully into the stars.
I'd set my sights on Skullpaw if I were you. He's the one whose loyalties you have to watch out for.
Skullpaw? Moonpaw thought with surprise. What does he have to do with anything?
More than you would care to know, my dear. The voice chuckled darkly.
Well, you know what, I would care to know a lot right now. Moonpaw thought with annoyance; as usual, the voice remained silent at the question.
Moonpaw looked to where Skullpaw and Tinypaw were re-entering the clearing, seeing strain and weariness on his face as he headed toward his Clanmates to leave.
Skullpaw? No. He's not the cat to back out on a friendship...is he? This last thought lingered with Moonpaw until his pure white pelt was out of sight.
Please, pretty, pretty please, review! I appreciate any kind of feedback, but flames burn, so easy on the torches. Thanks, and feel free to abuse the review button below. ;)