"Alright, is every one ready?" Smokefur asked.
"Wait, so this is just an assignment? Can't we have, like, a contest?" Dustpaw asked.
"Actually, that's not a bad idea." Stormtail said.
"Okay, we'll have a contest. Whoever catches the most prey gets to have the day off tomorrow while the rest of you must participate on the dawn patrol." Hollyflower said.
Silverpaw and the other apprentices flicked their tails in excitement. The mentors looked equally excited. They explained the rules and sent them off.
Silverpaw scented the air. There was a mouse hiding under a pile of leaves, a squirrel in the tree, and a thrush in a bramble bush. She turned toward the mouse and stalked toward it. She pounced on the pile of leaves and batted the mouse out of it. She killed it in a quick move and she hid it back in the pile of leaves.
By Sunhigh she caught a thrush, squirrel, two mice and a blackbird. She had scented most of the mentors as well. Now she was padding on to the mossy hollow. As she was walking she smelled a strange scent. The fur rose along her spine. She started heading toward the scent and began running. She picked up Darkpaw's scent and began to get worried.
She crashed into a clearing and her heart stopped.
Darkpaw stood in front of a large creature. He growled and puffed his fur out. Silverpaw recognized the creature from nursery stories. It had black fur with a long white stripe running down its back. It was a badger, a creature feared by all the clans.
Darkpaw looked at her desperately
"Get the mentors." He hissed. Then the badger lumbered toward him. Silverpaw screeched as loud as she could, hoping the mentors heard her. She couldn't leave Darkpaw.
She raced toward the creature and hurled herself onto its back. She dug her claws into its back and it growled in pain. It reared and flung her across the clearing. She hit the ground with a loud thud and laid there in pain.
She opened her eyes and saw Darkpaw howl and hurl himself at the creature. He managed to topple it over and run his claws down its side. As it was getting up he sprang off of a nearby tree and shouldered its head. It collapsed, dazed, and Darkpaw did a great deal of damage to it.
The mentors and apprentices raced in as the badger started to rise again. Stormtail and Smokefur attacked from the sides and Hollyflower climbed onto its back, nipping its neck. The creature growled and ran away with Smokefur, Ravenpaw and Dustpaw pursuing it.
"Silverpaw!" Hollowpaw yelped and raced over to her. The others noticed her laying on the ground and dashed toward her.
"What happened?!" Hollowpaw asked, pressing his nose into her fur Hollyflower licked her head and Stormtail sniffed her pelt.
"I-." She struggled to say.
"She caused an amazing distraction is what she did." Darkpaw said, stepping forward. Clumps of fur hung loosely from his pelt and he had multiple scratches but he appeared to be okay.
"When the badger started coming toward me she screeched so loudly it pierced my ears. The badger lost attention toward me and went toward her but she leaped onto its back and did some good damage. Unfortunately, it flung her and she hit the ground pretty hard. Without her distraction, I'd be dead." Darkpaw explained. Smokefur, Ravenpaw and Dustpaw heard the end of the story and nodded in amazement. Stormtail, Hollyflower, and Hollowpaw looked at her with pride.
"Darkpaw did most of the fighting." Silverpaw mumbled. She struggled to lift herself and after her struggle Hollowpaw and Hollyflower helped her. As they began walking they supported her. Stormtail, Hollyflower, Darkpaw, Hollowpaw, and Silverpaw went home while the others collected the prey.
When they walked into camp Willowleaf sat outside her den, grooming her ears. Once she saw them she dashed over to them. Hollowpaw and Hollyflower set her down gently.
Willowleaf checked Darkpaw first, then Silverpaw. She dashed into her den and came out with a bundle of herbs. By then cats began to gather and Darkpaw explained what happened. Silverpaw began to feel a little better after Willowleaf gave her some herbs.
"I'd like to make an announcement, Darkpaw because of what you've done today I'm giving you tomorrow off of training. I would make you a warrior but you have 3 moons of training left. Tomorrow I'd like to see Silverpaw, Ravenpaw, Dustpaw, and Hollowpaw up bright and early for dawn patrol, which I will be leading." Blizzardstar announced. He flicked his tail and all the cats went to their den. It was about moonhigh so Silverpaw followed her denmates and curled into her nest.
Silverpaw trudged along with her fellow denmates. Dustpaw had faked being sick so he didn't have to come. Silverpaw had thought about doing the same but a tiny voice in her head that sounded like Dovewing told her not too because she was needed very much for this trip.
Silverpaw was still a little dizzy from yesterday and her dream.
She had dreamt of a camp smelling strongly of illness. Every cat was howling and crying out in pain. Silverpaw raced from cat to cat, telling them to calm down, despite her feeling weak and ill. She collapsed suddenly and that was when she awoke.
Silverpaw had no idea what it meant. No cat in Thunderclan was ill. She tried to forget about it but haunted her as she got closer to the Shadowclan border.
Blizzardstar stopped them. He scented the air and stared at the border.
"Shadowclan. This'll be the first encounter with them in at least a moon." Blizzardstar said.
Shadowclan hadn't come to the gathering, which was very strange. Every clan was waiting for someone to find out if they were okay, but at the same time they didn't want to know what had happened.
Blizzardstar got down onto his haunches. He crawled forward, preparing for a fight.
Instead two warriors stumbled nosily into the open. They yelped when they saw the leader of Thunderclan and three apprentices in attack postions.
"Please… don't fight. We come as-." Darkdapple began saying until she began in a bout of coughing.
"We come asking for help." Lurkingshadow, the deputy of Shadowclan, rasped.
"So, it's true. Shadowclan has the Neetle illness again." Blizzardstar said, rising to his paws.
"Please help us… So many cats… Ill" Darkdapple choked.
"Emberstar…" Lurkingshadow said.
"Emberstar's sick too? Hollowpaw, Ravenpaw run back and tell Willowleaf to get all her herbs for Neetle and go to Shadowclan. Silverpaw, you're coming with me." Blizzardstar ordered. Hollowpaw and Ravenpaw dashed off. Blizzardstar, Silverpaw and the Shadowlcan cats headed towards Shadowclan's camp.
When they arrived to the camp Silverpaw instantly knew that her dream was coming true. Cats lay stretched out across the camp, howling and moaning. The scent of illness was so terrible. Blizzardstar noticed it too.
Littlewhiskers and Weedpaw raced from cat to cat. They looked exhausted. Weedpaw collapsed and his mentor hauled him up and muttered a few words in his ear. He nodded and went to Emberstar's den.
"Littlewhiskers!" Blizzardstar called. Littlewhiskers stopped for a moment. A surprised looks crossed his face and he padded over to Blizzardstar.
"Y-Yes?" Littlewhiskers stuttered. He was shivering and his eyes were wide open.
"Willowleaf is coming here to help out. I sent some apprentices to fetch her." Blizzardstar said. Littlewhiskers almost collapsed. Relief and graditude crossed his face.
"Th-Thank you! My apprentice and I have been working for three days straight. With extra help I might be able to get some sleep…" Littlewhiskers said dreamly. "Emberstar! She's been asking to speak with you. She's… She's on her last life, Blizzardstar." Littewhiskers said mournfully.
Blizzardstar and Silverpaw walked towards Emberstar's den. Blizzardstar called to ask to come in and a muffled yes answered him. They pushed their way inside.
Silverpaw felt like weeping.
The once very powerful and very wise Shadowclan leader was now just a clump of matted dark ginger fur. The slightest rise and fall of a ribcage showed that she was barely alive.
"Emberstar…" Blizzardstar choked. He padded gently toward the ill leader.
Silverpaw couldn't believe this was the same cat that she had thought was so powerful. She seemed to be on the edge of life and death. Blizzardstar bowed his head in greeting to Lurkingshadow and Weedpaw. He turned his blue gaze to Emberstar and her eyes blinked open.
"Emberstar, you're awake." Lurkingshadow said.
"Yes… But not for long. I see my old friend made it. I was waiting got you to come before I passed." Emberstar rasped.
"Emberstar you can't die. You have a clan to take care of." Blizzardstar said.
"Yes, yes I do… But Lurkingshadow has been my deputy for a long time… He knows what to do. I wanted to talk to you Blizzardstar. As we speak I am losing my final life. I would like to share my final moments with my old friend." Emberstar said. Blizzardstar desperately looked at Weedpaw but he bowed his head. Silverpaw couldn't tell if he was sleeping or showing he couldn't do anything else.
"Blizzardstar, I met you when we were apprentices. We were rebellious, ambitious, and brave. This was why we both became leaders. When Duststar made you deputy, I knew he was making a good choice. When I became leader of Shadowclan Duststar constantly boasted about what a great deputy you were, and to be honest, I had to agree. The moment you became leader I knew Thunderclan was in good paws. And Blizzardstar I want to apologize again about the death of your mother. Every day I wonder if I could've helped her. I know that you've always been angry at me for that-." Emberstar said.
"I'm not angry anymore… Her death was always going to happen and no cat could've helped her without getting killed themselves." Blizzardstar said. Embertstar's head rested more gently on her nest.
"Good. That is something I've struggled with my whole life. Now the stars are calling to me, which means my time is up. We will meet again Blizzardstar. Train my deputy well, and I shall tell your family you said hello." Emberstar said. Her brilliant eyes glittered one last time and closed forever. Blizzardstar bowed his head in respect and grief.
He then turned to Lurkingshadow. Lurkingshadow looked terrible. He usually looked so bold and prepared but now he looked confused, frightened, and weak.
"You have much to learn. As Emberstar's final wish, I shall train you as best I can to be a grand leader for Shadowclan." Blizzardstar said. Lurkingshadow surprisingly looked confident and prepared once again.
Suddenly Littlewhiskers burst into the den. Weedpaw lifted his head and blinked his eyes. He looked toward Emberstar and nearly collapsed.
"Emberstar's dead…" Weedpaw said. LIttlewhisker's nodded.
"I know. Starclan told me. It was not your fault. Now come, Willowleaf and I need extra help." Littlewhisker's put his tail around his apprentices shoulders and lead him away.
Silverpaw knew this was going to be a long and saddening day.
Hello! Yay chapter is up! Expect next chapter soon. Until then please review!