Moonlight glinted off unsheathed claws, the usually bright stars faded from the sky almost completely. A chill in the air sent fur on edge, the snow beneath pads becoming slowly unbearable. Hot air puffed out as nearly transparent clouds, dissipating upon contact with the freezing winds. Tightly packed groupings of felines huddled in the shelter of dead bracken, glowing orbs of amber, blue, yellow, and green shining through the darkness. A sharp snap of a twig set everyone on startled alert, a caterwaul of screeching erupting from the barren plants.
"For the glory of NightClan, attack!"
Clumps of cats burst from their shelter, kicking white flurries in their wake as they charged down the snowy slope. On the opposite side, another large attacking force met head on, plowing through the snow with snarls. They leaped, hissed, tackled, and clawed. As the fighting went on down in the small valley, blood stained the snow and tufts of fur lay scattered about. While everyone was locked in combat, I struggled around my battling clanmates, squealing like a kit to avoid getting hit by a stray swipe.
I yelped, startled, as a ball of gray fluff barreled into my side. I was sent sprawling and was pinned against the snow without a chance to retaliate. I stared up in horror at a pair of bloodthirsty yellow orbs of a LightClan apprentice.
"Oh look!" she sneered, lips curled back to reveal sharp ivories. "NightClan's so weak they bring kits to battle!"
"I'm an apprentice!" I roared in protest. "My name is Littlepaw!"
"Certainly fits," the golden dappled apprentice snickered, implying my tiny size compared to her. "Apprentice or not, all NightClan cats are not welcome here. Say hello to StarClan for me, kit." Snarling violently, the LightClan apprentice tore out tufts of my red-brown fur. Howling in fury, I struggled to fight back as blood dribbled out wounds. She was playing with me, I could see it in her glinting eyes. She grew tired within moments and went in for the kill, sinking a large maw around my neck. There came a loud snap and all went black.
...
I looked around frantically with wild amber eyes. Fear still stuck inside, I could hardly move. Gleaming stars surrounded me and a figure of an overly familiar feline materialized before me. She had long, brown fur with black tabby stripes. Her paws were a bold white as was her tailtip. She had warm amber eyes, like mine.
"Welcome Littlepaw, to the ranks of StarClan," she meowed.
"Briarstep," I answered, using the cat's name. My mother's name. "Does that mean I am dead?" The brown tabby nodded solemnly. She released a depressive sigh, "You died too early. Twistedstar made you an apprentice too early."
"But I'm four moons old!" I protested, biting back the retort that apprentices were supposed to be made at six moons. Twistedstar had believed kits were more useful at this age and more apprentices meant more warriors in his cold blue eyes.
"Not old enough," Briarstep shook her head. "But as my son, I cannot stand by and watch you live with us. You must return to the world of the living." She leaned forward and touched her nose to my forehead. "Goodbye my dearest Littlepaw. My beautiful son. I will see you soon." There was a flash of bright white light that caused blindness, and everything went black like before.
...
"Oh, Tansyleaf! Please save him! He can't leave!"
"Hush, Sweetpaw. Tansyleaf is trying her best."
"But I need him, Hollowfur! I need my Berrypaw!"
Hearing loud voices shouting near my ears, I stirred and blinked open my eyes, however, I only saw inky pools of shadows. I turned my head to the nearest voice; a frantic young she-cat by the sound. I believe her name was Sweetpaw.
"Berrypaw, my love!" I was caught in a soft embrace, a loud purring sound echoing next to my left ear. "You're awake! I thought you'd left me! I'm so happy you survived!"
"Survived?" I mewed in confusion, blinking but I continued to see nothing but darkness. I heard a weak sigh, "You were attacked by a fox." I then felt a whap on my head. I hissed, recoiling.
"What was that for?!" I snarled, fur bristling. I couldn't exactly see who hit me, but I had a fairly good theory.
"You mouse-brain!" Sweetpaw hissed. "You going off in the middle of the night without telling me and you end up getting attacked by a fox! I could've lost you! Berrypaw, you're too mouse-brained for your own good."
Berrypaw? It was then the name hit me. I brushed it off at first but then realized they were talking about me. But I wasn't Berrypaw. I was Littlepaw. How could my clanmates not know who I am? Then again, no one in NightClan is called Sweetpaw, Hollowfur, or Tansyleaf. Where am I? "Where exactly am I?"
"Berrypaw you ignorant badger!" hissed Sweetpaw. Whoever named her that certainly hadn't known of her temper. "Honestly, the fox attack must have messed up your brain or something. You're in LeafClan camp. Specifically, Tansyleaf's den."
LeafClan? Yet another term that makes no sense. Only Clans I know of are LightClan and NightClan. "Can you tell me why I can't see anything?" I asked shortly, deciding to ask of why everything was dark.
"You mean you can't see?" a new voice spoke. A voice, soft like honey in green-leaf. "Oh StarClan forbid. I'm sorry Berrypaw dear, but the fox scratched at your eyes. You're blind."
Blind?! What's that supposed to mean?! And what fox?! I was in the middle of a battle when that fox-hearted LightClan apprentice ended my life! "I'm not blind!" I screeched furiously, unable to grasp the cold truth. "And my name isn't Berrypaw either! I'm Littlepaw! Littlepaw of NightClan!"
"NightClan?" the honey-soft voice mewed in thought. "There isn't any NightClan around here. Come Berrypaw dear, the shock is getting to you. Sit down now, please, and I'll give you some thyme."
"No!" I howled, shoving past stiff bodies who were caught up in their own moment of shock. I tripped over my own paws and own of the den entrance through a draping barrier of moss. I tumbled to my side, screeching and most likely drawing attention from the other startled felines in the clearing. Unfamiliar cat scent filled my nostrils, more panic rushing to my head. I had to get out of here!
"Berrypaw? You alright?" an older tom's voice came closer. I shrank back in fear, yowling and spitting.
"No! I'm not alright! I can't be here any longer! This can't be happening!" Blindly, no pun intended, I scrambled to my paws and charged forward. On luck, I managed to not run into anything. I felt thorns scrape my pelt as I charged past the entrance, feeling soft grass beneath each paw. Stumbling, I nearly tripped over roots, nearly landing on my face. I could hear startled prey running for cover as I thundered past, breathing heavily and out of control.
Up ahead, I could hear a low rumble. As I continued running further, the thundering sound became louder. It sounded like waves crashing against rocks. Blood rushed to my ears and I couldn't hear the fearful yowls behind me as the ground below me disappeared. Gravity pulled me closer to the crashing waves. My flailing paws hit stray branches protruding from the cliff face.
Water met my face and splashed down my throat. I lashed out my paws in an attempt to swim but it was no use as I continued falling through the rapids. The darkness remained in my vision. I lost consciousness as my head collided with a rock, now a limp form of red-brown fur floating down the violent waves.
Challenge for Clan of Clouds