I still need at least 8 votes for one cat! We also have a new candidate! Oh yeah the number of votes are the totals, not more votes I received. By the way I eliminated candidates that didn't get voted again. Here is the update:
Lionblaze: 5 votes (Ooh Lionblaze-haters watch out!)
Berrynose: 3 votes (once again I am NOT joking! We have a Berrynose fan out there...)
Bumblestripe: 3 votes (There I fixed his name!)
Birchfall: 2 votes
Whitewing: 2 votes
Cinderheart: 2 votes
NEW! Pigeonfur: 1 vote
More review responses:
Flying-Purple-Toasters: I'm pretty sure I mentioned Jayfeather was in the tunnel… Or did I? Anyway, yes at this rate you may vote again!
Iceshadow911247: I know! Wasn't it confusing? I still don't really get it too… O_o Also thank you for your compliment!
Islanda, Sky Fireheart, A Harry Potter Lovin' Girl, and MyrtleFalls: Thank you all for your encouragement! I'll try to write the next chapter better though…..
Now on with the chapter!
"Come on, Lionblaze! You promised that you would teach me how to catch a bird!" wailed Swirlypaw.
Lionblaze sighed. His apprentice was so annoying! He missed teaching Dovesong. It was too bad that she was a warrior, no a queen, now. Her kits were an odd color. How could two gray cats produce dark brown tabby kits?
Lionblaze suspected that Dovesong's real mate was not in ThunderClan but he didn't say anything about it like the rest of the Clan.
"Come one!" screeched Swirlypaw, ripping Lionblaze back into reality. "Fine, fine," growled Lionblaze and nudged Swirlypaw out of the camp.
After a few pawsteps, Lionblaze spotted a plump thrush. He was stalking it when he heard Swirlypaw.
"Oh wow! I see one over there! Look Lionblaze look!" she squealed. The thrush flapped away while screeching out an alarm.
"You stupid mousebrain!" hissed Lionblaze. "I was stalking that!"
"Well how was I supposed to know?" shot back Swirlypaw. "That was one of the first things I taught you!" hissed Lionblaze, wondering how a cat could be this annoying.
"Whatever," sighed Swirlypaw, rolling her eyes. "By the time I become a warrior, I'll be better than all of the warriors anyway."
Lionblaze bit back a retort. It was amazing that Swirlypaw's father wasn't Berrynose. Maybe it was Daisy that caused all of this. After all Swirlypaw was related to Daisy and so was Berrynose.
"Aren't you going to teach me?" asked Swirlypaw angrily. Lionblaze sighed and explained how you crouched, leapt, etc etc.
"That's easy! I would have mastered that ages ago!" mewed Swirlypaw loudly. "Well then try it. Go find a bird and catch it. That's your first assessment from me," ordered Lionblaze.
Swirlypaw's eyes widened. "Wow! My first assessment! Streamwater just has to like me now!" she squeaked. Then she glanced at Lionblaze. "Umm, you didn't here that last part right?"
Lionblaze couldn't help being amused. "Nope, I must be getting old. Now go on!" he replied with a small grin. Swirlypaw glared at him and then ran off.
"Psst! Lionblaze!" whispered a voice. Lionblaze turned around but didn't see any cat.
"Hello?" he called nervously. "In the bush mousebrain!" hissed the voice again, this time seeming to protrude out of a large, leafy bush.
Lionblaze peered into the bush. A pair of brilliant blue eyes looked back at him. Heathertail.
"Heathertail! What are you doing here?" asked Lionblaze with shock.
"To see you of course! And lower your voice!" giggled Heathertail. "But it's broad daylight!" hissed Lionblaze, full of worry for his mate.
"I wanted to tell you that we're having a DarkClan meeting tonight at midnight! Bring Jayfeather!" whispered Heathertail.
Lionblaze had excitement and happiness bursting inside him. "Okay! I'll be there!" he meowed loudly, forgetting that he was supposed to be quiet.
"Lionblaze? Who are you talking to?" mewed a familiar voice. It was Swirlypaw and she was coming back!
"N-no one!" replied Lionblaze quickly. "Bye Lionblaze, see you tonight," meowed Heathertail and darted out of the bush and soon disappeared.
"I caught a pigeon!" meowed Swirlypaw triumphantly. Lionblaze pretended to look at her catch but inside his heart was pounding with excitement.
"Very nice. It might get Brackenfur to tell you something about the old forest," he complimented. "I'm not a kit! I don't have any time to listen to silly stories!" Swirlypaw complained in a rather high pitched tone.
"Well we might as well go back to camp now that I taught you how to catch a bird," meowed Lionblaze.
"Could I go ahead? I want to show Strea- ahh Rosepetal my first bird," meowed Swirlypaw. "Sure," answered Lionblaze.
Swirlypaw shot forward in a blur of cream and pale pink with feathers from the dead pigeon trailing behind her.
Lionblaze chuckled. Swirlypaw was a very interesting cat indeed.
Line-line-line-line
Lionblaze entered the camp with a squirrel in his jaws. He couldn't help purring to himself when he saw Swirlypaw with her jaws open as she listened to Brackenfur probably telling a tale of the old forest.
"Hi Lionblaze!" greeted Dovesong a little too cheerfully. "Umm hi Dovesong. A sudden greeting isn't it?" replied Lionblaze, completely baffled by her overly cheerfulness.
"Could I tell you something? Like not here but in the forest or somewhere where we can't be overheard?" his old apprentice whispered urgently.
"Sure, let me put this down and get Jayfeather," mewed Lionblaze. Jayfeather was always part of any secret discussions.
"Okay. I'll be waiting right here," meowed Dovesong. Lionblaze put his squirrel down in the fresh-kill pile and padded over to the medicine cat den.
"Hi Lionblaze!" called Flowerpetal. "Hi Flowerpetal. Where's Jayfeather?" asked Lionblaze.
"Jayfeather is in here!" mewed a muffled voice. Lionblaze saw his brother's tail sticking out of the herb storage at the back of the den.
"Hey Jayfeather. We need a three power discussion," explained Lionblaze, using the code word since Flowerpetal was listening.
"Okay. Flowerpetal, finish sorting these herbs okay? Oh yeah and don't forget to give Cloudtail some more horsetail for his scratched pad," ordered Jayfeather.
The apprentice nodded and went back to her work as Jayfeather padded outside. Dovesong ran over to him with relief in her eyes.
"Let's go," she mewed quickly and darted out of the ThunderClan camp. Lionblaze and Jayfeather shared a glance wondering what could be troubling Dovesong.
The three cats soon reached a sheltered and quiet place by the ShadowClan border. Dovesong looked quickly to see if any cats were listening. When she found no cat, she sat down.
"Sooo…. What's going on? Why did you want us to come?" asked Jayfeather, breaking the silence.
Dovesong didn't reply for a while. "And why are we so close to the ShadowClan border? Aren't there a lot of other places to chat?" added Lionblaze.
"I know that the Clan thinks that my kits are… well… odd because of their color," started Dovesong.
"Yes, we were all wondering about that," mewed Lionblaze while nodding. "Your kits' father isn't really Bumblestripe is it?"
"I guess you already guessed that, huh?" meowed Dovesong miserably. "Duh! So is this why you called us here?" asked Jayfeather.
"Because if that's all, we already know about it so… yeah," finished Lionblaze. Dovesong glared at Lionblaze before continuing.
"I called you here to… get acquainted with my mate. The real one that is," she continued.
This conversation was getting a little more interesting. Lionblaze stared at Dovesong.
"Whoa whoa whoa. Hold on a second. Your mate is coming here right now?" he stammered.
Dovesong nodded. "He should be here any moment now." As if on cue, the bushes on ShadowClan territory rustled.
Lionblaze whirled around and unsheathed his claws. "Wait! I'm here to see Dovesong!" yowled a voice.
"It's okay Lionblaze! It's who I was talking about!" reassured Dovesong. Reluctantly, Lionblaze sheathed his claws, knowing that Dovesong would not forgive him if he hurt her mate.
The cat stepped out of the shadows. Lionblaze gasped.
It was Tigerheart.
OOHH! Dovesong has a secret love! Ha ha I bet everyone already knew that it was going to be Tigerheart. It's so obvious. So what will happen next? Will they get caught? Will ThunderClan ever get a deputy? Will hedgehogs ever fly? Review and vote!