The Assessment
a moon passed, and Crowfeather was becoming accepted as a Thunderclan cat. there were doubters, of course. Thornclaw, Dustpelt, Cloudtail and Spiderleg. Lilypaw always scolded Spiderleg, the youngest of the group, when he was outwardly mean to Crowfeather. she would feel the frustration, and anger roll off his pelt, but he hid it well. That is how Lilypaw recognized her power.
"Why dont you just go back, rabbit breath! you'll never be a true thunderclan cat. you'll always smell like the stinking moore!" Spiderleg sneered at the older tom. Crowfeather kept his Ice blue eyes at the ground, and kept silent. he wanted to rip out the stupid long legged tom's eyes out!
"Shut up, Spiderleg. I know why you hate him." she sneered, "You liked Leafpool. even though she was a medicine cat! you're just jealous!" Lilypaw snarled then was surprised, how did she know this? she sat and licked her paw, "Why don't you just go and hunt, stupid mouse brain." she felt, slowly, his anger and surprise turn to confusion, then calm,
"Oh… Ok. Hey Brackenfur…"
"Lilypaw… how…?" Crowfeather's voice was confused, he had seen the change in the tom.
"I… I don't know. I'm going to go talk to Jaypaw…" Lilypaw stood up, she was so confused! she willed Spiderleg to calm down, and go away, and he did.
"Jaypaw…" she mewled as she stepped into the medicine den.
"Hm?" The grey tom looked up, sensing her presence.
"I think there's something wrong with me…"
"What? are you sick?" Jaypaw stood up and walked over sniffing his smaller cousin.
"No no, nothing like that." She sat down and told him what happened.
"You know, I have something funny going on too. I can walk in other cat's dreams."
"Wow! thats cool!" Lilypaw purred, "but… what does it mean? is it because were kin?"
"Maybe, don't tell anyone else about it, yet. I will speak with starclan when I go to the moonpool tonight, I think Leafpool is coming with… though I don't know why."
"Oh, thats nice." Lilypaw purred, and let her mind wander for a moment, then Leafpool entered, and looked at Lilypaw, their eyes met then in a flash, she saw Jaypaw by a pool, and Leafpool's voice saying "Jayfeather." Lilypaw shook her head and growled.
"What's wrong, Lilypaw?" Leafpool asked.
"oh, nothing. a bug just flew into my ear.."
"Of course, its hard for it not to with ears that big." Nightpaw's teasing voice wafted into the den, 'Come on, Brooke and Stormfur want to assess us."
"oh ok! Have fun at the Moonpool!" Lilypaw walked off after her brother.
Nightpaw was always protective over his smallest sister, and was very confused over how she was seeming so distant and worried.
"Lilypaw, is something the matter?" he asked.
"Hm? oh no, not really, I am ok." Lilypaw purred to her brother
"OK, well get your head out of the clouds, this is our second Assessment, If were good enough, Firestar will take us to the Moonpool tomorrow." Nightpaw meowed. Lilypaw thought a moment, she knew she shouldn't drink from the lake, but she could… then maybe Starclan could answer her questions…
"Lilypaw, you can tell me anything, you know that right?" Nightpaw placed his tail on his sister's flank.
"Nightpaw, I trust you like I trust the sun, if i need to tell you something, I will."
"OK," the two siblings were interrupted by their mentors walking up to them,
"You each must catch five pieces of prey." Stormfur ordered,
"You may work together, or you may work alone. you should try and stay away from the lake, since it was cold this morning, there is fog." Brooke added.
"Well I think we should hunt in the fog, it would muffle our pawsteps, and scent from the prey, there's always allot of prey down there anyway!" Lilypaw said to her brother after they had left their mentors.
"Good point, Lilypaw. lets go. when there we will split up, but stay close by, we may be able to catch a couple rabbits if we are close to each other. I bet Mousefur and Longtail would appreciate it."
"Yeah, good plan Nightpaw." she purred and raced to the fog bank outside the lake.
The siblings were doing well, and already had the mental skill of warriors, Stormfur noticed as he watched the two immensely different looking cats race to the welling bank of fog.
"That was very smart of them, really That's why I mentioned it, I was testing their intelligence." Brooke purred. Stormfur murfed unintelligibly as the two apprentices vanished into the thick white fog,
"You know, it was Lilypaw who came up with the Idea. She's very smart, they are excelling very fast." Stormfur mumbled.
"Yes and Nightpaw came up with the idea to go separately, but still stay close by incase one found a rabbit. I'll go find Lilypaw, and not get too close, you should find nightpaw before you lose his scent." Brooke stood and padded delicately into the fog.
Lilypaw looked at her small creme paws, finding it slightly eerie how the fog curled around her legs like white snakes. a skittering noise reached her ears and she swiveled her head, and caught sight of a huge water vole, and licked her lips. she thought about what happened with Spiderleg, and wondered if it would work on this vole?
go to sleep. she willed tired, relax, calm, sleep, warm…. she sat and stared at it intently, she could see the creature's muscles relaxing, and it's head drooping towards the ground, and she sprang killing it before it could squeal.
Brooke watched enthralled. how did she do that? she watched the creature, and her eyes seemed to take on an eerie glow, and the thing fell asleep! and she killed it seamlessly… maybe it would happen again.
Nightpaw hissed as he missed another mouse. he had already killed a large mouse, a sparrow, a small hare, a robin, a starling and a pigeon. he had his five, but he really wanted to impress Stormfur! and he was sure Lilypaw already was done, and still hunting. he was so frustrated, and a mouse darted out of the brush, obviously startled by something, here was his chance! he pounced like lightning, he was surprised at how fast he moved, but pleased none-the-less. it was plump good mouse, Ferncloud and her kits would appreciate it.
Stormfur couldn't believe his eyes. Nightpaw moved too fast. too fast or a cat. how was that possible. one moment he was sitting looking frustrated, flicking his tail in annoyance, the next he was standing with his paw on a dead mouse. this was surreal.
"Hey Nightpaw, have you caught everything?"
"And more!" Nightpaw was pleased, after he had caught that mouse, he had caught three more. "but you probably still got more."
"Nine." Lilypaw purred.
"Oh wow! me too!" they together brought their catch back to the camp, night had fallen, and they were exhausted after hunting all evening. Jaypaw was probably already at the moonpool. Lilypaw and Nightpaw brought some prey to Firestar, the elders and Daisy.
At the moonpool, a newly named Jayfeather faced Bluestar and Yellowfang,
"As the swift Night falls, Only the Sharp Jay's Eyes can see the truth, The Lion's Roar strikes fear into his foes, and peace will come in a Bright Lily."
Ok. so Hollypaw and Nightpaw is a wee gross as they're related. how about Icewing instead? ttfn!
-Foxshine