Individual responses to readers, again. I like doing this better. :)
Rabbitstorm: I would love to answer that question, but I can't. All I'll say is that you're very sharp. Also, yes, Tornadostorm didn't mean to kill Branchpaw, but he doesn't think Ragingfire will see it that way. Plus, it's really painful for him to see any cat die. He's a big softie.
Calicopelt: I hope 12 hours is a soon enough update! XD
And now, on to Chapter 11! It's a bit short, and it's Seapaw's POV again. I couldn't leave you with that cliffhanger.
SEAPAW
Shock flaring in her blue eyes, Seapaw stared at Mangrovepaw with something like awe in her eyes, her mind barely registering what the dappled queen had said. She had never heard the tortoiseshell learner mew a single word before, and as she gazed at the healing cat, she realized that Mangrovepaw was just as surprised that she had spoken as Seapaw was.
"Your...mother?" Seapaw remembered at the last meeting how she had noticed Twilightstar gazing down at Mangrovepaw curiously, and she had pondered why the CoralClan ruler would even bother looking at a MeadowClan cat. Mangrovepaw nodded, her ivy green eyes still looking rather hollow with disbelief that she could talk.
"Yes," Mangrovepaw's voice sounded strained and hoarse, as if she wasn't used to the feeling of speaking. She cleared her throat, and mewed in a small voice, "Twilightstar wasn't supposed to have kits. But she met my father...and things change..." Her voice trailed off, and her green gaze became clouded with unseen memories.
"Who was your father?" The silver tabby could not hide the curiousity in her voice, and she listened intently to the healing cat learner, feeling as if her secret could affect all of the Clans. Mangrovepaw's black tail-tip twitched nervously, and she surveyed the clearing, which was empty except for Mudstrike and Tornadostorm sitting their vigil, before answering Seapaw.
"Wavestar..." Mangrovepaw mewed dreamily. An image flashed in Seapaw's mind; Wavestar's light gray tabby pelt slightly brushing against the grays and whites of Twilightstar's on the Blazingrock as they mewed to each other in low, urgent voices. Still, she felt her silver fur bristle to think of the severity of which they had broken the code of tooth, claw, and compassion. The healing cat learner whispered, "My name was Leafkit. Breezeclaw nursed me like I was her own, and no cat knew about it. But then...Runningstream died, and Twilightstar appointed Cliffstorm as delegate. He followed her one night to where she was meeting Wavestar, and they told him the truth...and one night when I was about 3 moons old, Cliffstorm tried to kill me. But I survived...and my mother took me into the forest and left me to die on the MeadowClan border. She told Cliffstorm she had killed me."
Seapaw saw pain and despair flood Mangrovepaw's dark green eyes, and pity for the young cat churned her stomach. She could tell that this deeply-buried memory had long been haunting her friend, and Seapaw licked the young tortoiseshell's ginger ears, as if to remind her that she was not alone.
"Why didn't you talk, Mangrovepaw?" The silver tabby could not help asking the question that had been burning in her mind ever since she had met the young dappled she-cat. Seapaw was afraid that Mangrovepaw might be angry with her, but the tortoiseshell only gave her a cold green glare that chilled her to the bones.
"Because no cat would have believed me..." Mangrovepaw murmured quietly, her limbs shaking with fear, "Because even though Cliffstorm tried to murder me when I had done no wrong, my mother stood by his side, and drove me out of my Clan. If my own mother did that to me, then why wouldn't your Clan kill me? And after a while, I found that I couldn't talk, even if I wanted to. It was just easier." Seapaw's light gray tabby tail lashed back and forth as she realized how much Mangrovepaw must trust her to open up to her with such a huge secret.
"He can't hurt you now," Seapaw meowed the comforting words to her friend, hoping that she sounded confident. "You're a healing cat now. And maybe he won't even recognize you." But the silver tabby knew that the healing cat learner could sense her doubt, and the tortoiseshell only blinked at her with sad green eyes before rising to her dappled paws.
"You should get some rest now, Seapaw," Mangrovepaw was looking at her with the same onimousity as Acacialeaf and Sandstar, and her green eyes glinted, as if she knew more than she was telling. "Your path will be difficult, but I know IslandClan will grant you peace of mind."
Seapaw wanted to ask Mangrovepaw what she meant, but her tortoiseshell friend swiftly padded away, as if she didn't want to be alone with the learner any longer. Her head swarming with secrets of the island, Seapaw suddenly felt exhausted, her tail dragging in the sand behind her as she padded into the learners' den. It felt empty and lonely tonight without the soft purrs of Mudstrike and Typhoonstorm, and the silver tabby curled up beside her brother, who was already fast asleep. His ginger paws twitched in his sleep, and Seapaw wondered briefly what he was dreaming about.
"Eat foxdung, Lightningstar!" He growled in his sleep, and Seapaw's tabby tail curled up, amused, and she let out a slight purr.
"A mere MeadowClan learner can never beat me!" Seapaw whispered in his ears, which twitched silghtly as her breath stirred his ear fur. The ginger tabby's lip curled in his sleep, and Seapaw wrapped her tail around her ocean-blue eyes for which she had been named. Fear clutched her heart as she again remembered what Mangrovepaw had told her. If Cliffstorm would try to murder an innocent kit, and his ruler let him get away with it, who knows what else he might do? Would the CoralClan delegate stop at nothing to take vengeance on MeadowClan? Seapaw prayed with all of her heart that Goldenhawk would provide her with some answers soon, and as she closed her eyes to let sleep succumb to her, the silver tabby found herself hoping that maybe her ancestors would end this war before it got out of hand.
Two ginger back paws kicked Seapaw in the stomach and sent her flying across a sandy clearing. She lay on her side for a moment, panting, before getting to her paws. Her blue eyes locked onto the green eyes of her opponent, and she sprinted towards him with unexpected speed and agility. Her enemy darted to one side, but Seapaw was ready for him. About a tail-length away from the enemy protector, she jumped high in the air, as though she was going to pounce on him. At the last moment, she rolled onto the ground, underneath the ginger cat, and flung him across the clearing with a strong kick of her powerful back legs. The ginger tom lay unmoving in the sand. Seapaw felt claws of dread clutch her heart, and she rushed over to her opponent.
"Did I hurt you, Sandstar?" The silver tabby asked timidly, her blue eyes glittering with concern. Relief flood her heart as Sandstar got to his paws, his green eyes clear and shining with pride.
"No, that was excellent, Seapaw," Sandstar purred, his light ginger tail swishing with pride. He shook sand from his pelt before instructing, "If you get underneath your opponent and he's larger than you, it might be a good idea to claw at his stomach. But you were right in judging my size, well done."
Seapaw's silver tabby tail curled up in pleasure from her ruler's praise. It was moments like these that made being a learner of MeadowClan worthwhile, and for a moment, she could forget the troubles that loomed over her life like storm clouds. But it was only for a heartbeat, and she remembered the secret that Mangrovepaw had revealed to her a quarter moon ago. Seapaw was dying to tell him about Mangrovepaw, but the tortoiseshell learner had taken to being completely silent once more, speaking only to Seapaw when no other cat was around.
"Don't tell any cat, Seapaw, please," Mangrovepaw had kneaded the dirt with her forepaws anxiously, distress straining her voice. "I'll tell Sandstar myself, but not yet, okay?" Seapaw had had no choice but to be sworn to secrecy, for she suspected that even if she told the MeadowClan ruler, he would not believe her unless Mangrovepaw spoke.
She blinked her blue eyes, questions swarming in her mind for the MeadowClan ruler, who looked at her expectantly as she opened her mouth. But as she looked at the sandy-colored tomcat, she held her tongue, afraid of what the answers might be. Sandstar looked at her curiously, but straightened up, sitting in a very dignified position.
"That's enough for today. Would you please hunt on your way back and catch something for the veterans?" The old MeadowClan ruler meowed at last. Seapaw dipped her head to the ruler. Sandstar gave her a brief nod of approval before turning to set out from the training hollow, his light ginger stripes glistening like wildfire under the hot sun.
Briefly, Seapaw wondered if she should go hunt near the CoralClan border, hoping she would catch sight of Goldenhawk. But the silver tabby learner decided against going near the Fishingpond - there was no point in provoking CoralClan any further, and Goldenhawk had promised he would find a way to see her. She didn't need to chase after him like a helpless kit. Instead, she exited the training hollow and headed towards the border with StoneClan, the complete opposite direction of a certain annoying golden healing cat.
Sprinting across the meadows that had given her Clan its name, she felt the sun beat down on her silver pelt, and almost wished she had chosen to hunt in the forests surrounding the Fishingpond. It had not rained for more than a moon, and some of the cats were already in Acacialeaf's den, being treated for the heat. Prey-scent filled the air, and Seapaw slowed down, catching the scent of StoneClan coming towards her on the breeze. She stopped suddenly and parted her maw, allowing the StoneClan scent to drift in. It was stale, so Seapaw figured that it had been the sunhigh patrol. Seapaw sniffed the air and smelled vole; the favored prey of most MeadowClan cats.
She crouched low to the ground, hoping her silver pelt would not stand out too much against the goldenrod grasses surrounding her. She would need to rely on stealth rather than speed to catch this vole. The MeadowClan learner angled her ears towards the sound of its tiny, rapid heartbeat. Her blue eyes spotted it moments later; it was nibbling on a seed, blissfully unaware of the predator hidden amongst the undergrowth. Putting all her weight onto her haunches, she slowly crept forward on silent paws. She was less than a whiskers-length away. Seapaw pounced, claws unsheathed, and killed it swiftly with a bite to its neck. She sent a silent prayer of thanks to IslandClan, and trotted back towards the camp, her tail held high in pride and her blue eyes clearer than the sky overhead; this was how life was supposed to be. Perhaps there is no danger, Seapaw hoped, thrusting her way through the bramble tunnel,
A/N: Thank you for all your reviews. And, again, reviews are appreciated.