Chapter fourteen is here! I apologize for taking so long with this chapter. The holidays are coming and I've found I have no time... Sadness. Total sadness. I'm sorry for the hold up.
Reviews:
Airking- Don't be sad Airking! Here's the next chapter. And thanks for reading. I'm glad you loved it so much to read it all in one day. (I've done that sometimes... I end up writing my papers at like... midnight.) Enjoy!
Recognition(s):
Wolfe (why I didn't think of calling you this earlier I'll never know) and Icy (that's my amazing nickname for her) are now being recognized for reviewing more than once and loving my story. Thanks for supporting me guys! I'm glad you continue to read my story. Evia's not a ghost, but that's okay, because it was awesome anyway, and we all know that. Go Wolfe. And Icy... What is there to say about the hyper person who reviews? I'm glad you like the story Icy, and yeah, I like Lostkit too. (personally Streamkit's my favorite, Cavekit and Lostkit tie for second, and then Meadowkit)
Now that Evia's in a Clan, what will happen? Well you have to read to figure it out, so yeah. Go ahead.
Erin Hunter owns Warriors, not I. I claim none of this but my plot and the charries I list at the bottom, so there you go.
Actual Announcement for Story:
WWWWAAAAIIIITTTT! Do not read the chapter just yet! I have a random question that I actually am considering using in future chapters! But I am undecided! Help me decide by going to my profile! PLEASE! There you will find a magical poll. The question is; If Evia were a warrior, what would her name be? I have many choices, so choose three and submit your vote. I'm not sure when I'll close the poll, so hurry up and vote! Also, I have posted Evia's biography (bio) on my profile if you would like to see it. But do not read her history unless you want to ruin it for yourself!
Hollyleaf's POV
"You're getting your name?" I cried out, pleasantly surprised by Jaypaw's news. At last. He had been so lonely and left out when Lionblaze and I had gotten our names. Jaypaw nodded, still purring. I licked his ears. "That's great!"
Lionblaze nodded. "StarClan's going to be happy that you got your name," Lionblaze meowed.
"I know. We'll finally be able to fulfill that prophecy," Jaypaw agreed. A sense of unease spread throughout his pelt, but it was gone so fast I wondered if it was my own imagination.
I sighed and sat down, digging into my untouched vole. "I wonder why Leafpool hesitated to give you a name moons ago," I wondered aloud.
Jaypaw remained silent, and for a second I thought I had offended him.
"I did start training as a medicine cat late," he finally mewed, and then he stood up and walked off.
Lionblaze flicked his ears. Then he licked the golden fur on his chest. "He's never in a good mood," Lionblaze remarked.
I shook my head. "I wish I understood."
"Why bother? He will push you away before you get anywhere near an explanation," Lionblaze remarked.
I narrowed my eyes, glancing up at him. "But…"
"No. Jaypaw brought this on himself. Let him deal with it," Lionblaze decided, glaring at me before standing up and picking up the fresh-kill bones. He stalked off, and I stood there, frozen to the spot. Hadn't he been such a nice and socialable tom only days before?
Both my brothers had been acting so weird lately. Understanding it was beyond me. One was shut off from everything, one acted like he was above everything. Perhaps I'd never understand, but I wish I did.
I walked over to the medicine cat den. We had a few more days until the gathering, so I guessed Jaypaw still had to wait awhile, but I could see he was happy as he listened to Leafpool list off which cat was sick and with what. Eventually he stood, brushed past me with a nod and a purr, and padded over to the elders den.
He still had a while, but at least he knew Leafpool didn't think of him as worthless.
"Hollyleaf! Wanna go hunting?"
I pricked my ears, whirling around. It was Honeyfern. Behind her stood Mousewhisker and Brackenfur. I nodded to the three of them before running over. "Where to?"
"Sky Oak normally holds all the prey before Leaf-bare," Brackenfur reasoned, licking a paw to distract himself.
"Good idea!" Mousewhisker mewed. "Come on." The four of us made our way towards Sky Oak.
When we got there, we all opened our mouths to allow prey scents to wash over us. It took a while, but in the end I discovered Brackenfur was right. I smelled a lot of squirrels, and was that... starling? I licked the tip of my nose once before gliding along the ground, aiming for the starling. Honeyfern was right behind me, and ended up tripping on my tail, causing me to fall and alert the starling. I stood quickly, leaping seven tail lengths into the air to make sure the starling didn't escape. When I landed, Brackenfur and Mousewhisker were staring at me. Honeyfern must've missed my impossible leap because she was saying sorry over and over again. I spat out the now dead starling. "It's okay, Honeyfern. I still got it," I told her reassuringly.
Honeyfern's mouth opened, then closed. "Wow," Mousewhisker whispered. My fur grew hot with embarrassment as I quickly went back to hunting.
Hopefully they wouldn't think anything of my little display...
We arrived back at camp, and only Mousewhisker seemed to be talking about my incredible catch. Honeyfern hadn't even seen it, and Brackenfur was old enough to not gossip. I sighed in relief and made my way to the fresh-kill pile to drop off everything. Lionblaze approached, laughing his head off with Mousewhisker trailing behind him.
"Mousewhisker says you leaped higher than a SkyClan cat could, the one from the legends," Lionblaze commented.
"She did!"
"Whatever. At least you caught it," Lionblaze pointed out. Mousewhisker's ears and whiskers drooped, and his tail dragged. No one believed him. That was good. He stalked off and threw himself into the warriors den, probably to take a nap.
Lionblaze gestured towards a secluded part of camp blocked off by a stone. Sneaking in there, he got straight to the point. "What happened?" he questioned.
"The starling was getting away! It must've heard me, but I couldn't just let it get away," I quickly defended myself.
Lionblaze narrowed his eyes. Then he sighed. "Life is so complicated with this prophecy," he finally meowed.
I shook my head. "We'll figure something out."
Lionblaze snorted. "Good luck with that. I doubt Jaypaw will agree with anything we suggest. He's so close to StarClan it's beyond freaky! Who knows what he's hiding from us?"
"Nothing," I murmured.
Lionblaze stood up and looked around. "Maybe you're right. But something doesn't feel right. You know? It's like I licked my fur the wrong way," Lionblaze mewed uncertainly. I nodded sympathetically. "Come on, sis. Let's go."
"Lionblaze."
The golden tom turned to look at me, and I bowed my head. He'd growl at me for worrying, but how could I not? "What about WindClan? They have not attacked after falsely accusing us of stealing prey," I pointed out shyly.
The mighty warrior flicked his ears. He was dismissing my worries like he always did. He took it seriously for two minutes, then let it drop. That's what he always did. But I guess it was better than Jaypaw, who wouldn't even listen at all. "WindClan is testing us to see what we do. They're casting one more threat, probably preparing themselves, eating more so they don't look half-starved," Lionblaze reasoned. I nodded and followed him out of our private discussion area.
Still, how could WindClan accuse me, and ThunderClan, of breaking the Warrior Code? Of all Clans, surely we were the ones who followed with the most devotion, with the most care.
Jaypaw's POV
The day seemed more exciting with a new promise in the air. I could become a true medicine cat, with a true name. The thought made my pelt stand on end. Still, I had to work hard to make sure Leafpool didn't change her mind, but I was confident she was not. The pride was pouring off of her.
After I delivered all the herbs I needed to, I made my way back to the den.
"Jaypaw," Leafpool called out gently.
I pricked my ears, signaling I was listening.
"I would perform your naming ceremony now, Jaypaw. But you want the other medicine cats to see you receive your name, right?" Leafpool asked.
I nodded. "I'll wait a little while longer," I told her.
Leafpool's feelings changed to relieved. I was not in a snapping mood today, and for that she seemed thankful.
I wondered what would happen when we went back to the pool, though? StarClan was still fighting the cruel cats, I was sure of it.
The chill wind that promised leaf-bare washed over me. I shook slightly. I had nearly forgotten that the time for snow was coming, the time for cold and little prey. "Leafpool, what has really been going on in the Clan. No one seems to tell me anything," I finally meowed.
"That's odd," Leafpool commented, more to herself than me. "ShadowClan, until recently, have remained silent. WindClan have also, until recently, remained quiet and peaceful, but now they say they prepare to attack us for stealing their prey, which is beyond me. We have stolen nothing." I pricked my ears, waiting for more. Leafpool sighed. "RiverClan does nothing, as usual. They are RiverClan, that is all. But it is ShadowClan that worries me the most," the she-cat admitted.
I nodded. "Agreed. Who knows what lies Sol has been telling them, and why have they suddenly gone protective?"
Leafpool shook her head. "We will not find out. A few more days and we will be attending the Gathering again, but ShadowClan will not be there," she reminded me. I sighed and stood. "Where are you going, young one?"
I said nothing, just turned around and left the den. I made my way out of camp, no one stopping me. They were well aware that I would be receiving my name shortly, meaning that I had something better to do than sit in my mossy nest.
My paws softly hitting the earth were one of the few sounds that rang in the forest as I veered right. Squirrels were gathering acorns at the last minute, and there was the sound of a few mice quickly hiding from my presence, though their attempt was unnecessary. Medicine Cats didn't hunt or fight, just learned moves. Except for me. Special Jaypaw.
Dismissing my slight anger so as not to alert WindClan to my presence, I walked over to the border and started exploring, scenting wherever possible. I was nearing the lake when I smelled it, that faint aroma that I loved. Evia. She had been here. The scent was a few days old. She hadn't been here in a while. But that did not make things simpler. She had been here. That's when I also smelled rabbit and squirrel. Nosing the sand and bit of shrub, I found a few bodies of small prey. It seemed Evia had been hunting as well. But... How long had she been here; hunting and living? How long had she gone unnoticed?
Narrowing my eyes, I quickly threw the prey into the lake, making sure to listen for the splash of them landing, and then ran back to camp as fast as my paws could carry me. But I froze.
She wouldn't want me to tell, would she?
But what would it matter? She ran off before I could even figure out how I could help her. Who knew where Evia was now? Not me.
Scowling, I returned to camp, and I told Firestar...
-against my better judgement-
To make sure to renew WindClan borders immediately.
.........................................................................................
The moon gathering came fast, and before I knew it Brambleclaw was calling out warrior names. "...Hazeltail! Poppyfrost, Cinderheart, Brackenfur, Sandstorm, Thornclaw and Brightheart. We're heading out for the gathering!" Brambleclaw called. All around me you could hear cats coming out of their dens to crowd around Brambleclaw and Firestar.
"Enough! Let's go!" Firestar yowled, obviously eager to head to the gathering. I wonder why that was. Perhaps my grandfather had some interesting news.
"Firestar!"
The tom stopped in his tracks, and I heard Graystripe approach his leader and friend. "What of Blossomkit?" Graystipe asked, worried.
"We have searched for her. It's been a few days. Where had her scent ended up?" Firestar asked.
"The trees," Graystripe answered.
The leader thought this over. "Did you try seeing if she ever left the ground?" Graystripe must've nodded, because Firestar went on. "Then allow two warriors to go search in the trees tonight while we're gone, but no more than that, understood?"
"Yes, Firestar!"
With that, the crowd of cats moved out of camp and headed for the gathering.
Would they ever find Blossomkit, though?
A fear clenched my heart. I was supposed to protect her, wasn't I? She was the tiny flower that needed defending. I wasn't sure as to why, but surely it was a bad idea to allow the kit to wander aimlessly who knows where. What if a badger or fox found her? Or... one of the clans? I unsheathed and sheathed my claws for a second as I left ThunderClan camp behind. I'd have to look for her immediately.
...............................................
I followed towards the back of the line today, with Lionblaze and Hollyleaf patiently guiding me around, though I clearly didn't need their assistance. I was not weak, and even if I couldn't see, I had other senses much sharper than their own.
I was more than glad when we finally were done skirting the beach, because my paws were soaked, and were now waiting in line at the fallen tree trunk to get onto the island. Eventually it was my turn, and unsheathing my claws, my paws carried me across the trunk as fast as possible. There was this feeling inside me, telling me to get there as fast as possible. This meeting was important, that much was obvious. There was this aura surrounding the tree tonight. What made tonight so special, anyhow?
It appeared that WindClan had gotten here first, and RiverClan was arriving just behind ThunderClan. I made my way to the back of the groups to listen to any conversation that struck me of interest without them noticing. I did not wish to cause a commotion.
Firestar, Leopardstar, and Onestar were all in the tree now, their deputies at the roots. Their scents told me that. I could tell Firestar was about to call everyone together. His voice started to ring throughout the island, but he was interrupted.
"Dear Firestar. Starting without us? We thought you knew better then that," a voice hissed.
"Blackstar!" Leopardstar exclaimed, obviously surprised.
I scented the air to see who else had come. It appeared Russetfur was there, Scorchfang as well, Littlecloud, Ivytail, Smokefoot, Crowfrost and Ratscar.
Then there was Sol. I would recognize that smell anywhere.
"Greetings, Firestar, Onestar and Leopardstar," he spoke. His voice was so recognizable as well. How could you miss it?
"Hello Sol," Firestar answered, shocked like the others. Murmuring broke out in the clearing. "What brings you here?"
"You'd think you'd know that! We found a she-cat in our territory, and she smelled of the clans. Now which one of you sent her?!" Blackstar retorted angrily.
"A she-cat, Blackstar?" Leopardstar inquired. "I don't think any of us have any idea what you're talking about."
Blackstar was evidently irritated. Apparently we were all mousebrains and were supposed to know what they were talking about. "She is a two-colored one. A fiery one at that. But you needn't worry. She'll be... taken care of by us. But you'll regret it soon," Blackstar assured us all, his voice carrying a suggestive threat. My fur bristled. Who was he talking about?
"Must we always make accusations and start fights?!" Hollyleaf yowled. I stiffened. What was she doing? "Don't you see that none of us sent a spy? Why is it that at every gathering we can't just talk about new kits and warriors and get it overwith? Why is it that we feel that we have to fight?" Hollyleaf was angry and desperate. I pinpointed her position, and as one Lionblaze and I tackled her, slapping our tails to her mouth.
"Hush!" I hissed to her.
"Hollyleaf! Do you want to be an idiot? Don't talk unless you want Firestar to claw our ears off," Lionblaze warned, and we both got off our sister. She gave a grunt and got up.
"It's against the warrior code," she mewed worriedly. "I mean, what if the clouds cover up the moon again. StarClan can't possibly be happy with..."
"Clans are meant to fight. There is nothing wrong with it. It's how we sort out our differences," Lionblaze reasoned.
"What makes you think we'll take your word. You're not even a full warrior. You are part kittypet," Smokefoot roared.
Firestar's scent told me he was uncomfortable with the whole situation, as was I. Who was this cat? "Blackstar, what of this cat? What do you mean two colored?" Firestar asked.
"One eye is of a different color than the other," Sol calmly explained.
Blackstar hissed. He obviously disagreed with that simple explanation. Perhaps he hated this cat, or was scared of her?
Still, what kind of cat had two different eye colors?
But I knew that was not the question that was truly bugging me and clawing at my heart. That was not the correct question to be asking. Hadn't Longtail once said "You can ask a lot of questions, but sometimes you figure out more by asking less. It depends on whether they're the right questions to ask."
So here's my question;
Did I know that she-cat?
I had an odd feeling I didn't need to ask the question. That I knew the answer. And that's what scared me the most, was the fact that I knew. And it might just be my undoing. That I am sure of.
"Blackstar, you have come to wrongly accuse these clans of sending a spy," Firestar began, trying to keep his temper in check.
He was having better luck than Leopardstar, who was hanging on to her composure just barely. "You have no further business here. You have forgotten StarClan and the warrior code. Be gone!"
Sol, Blackstar and the warriors did not hesitate, and they left, pride flowing off their pelts.
The gathering went on as if nothing had happened, but I knew better, as did Lionblaze and Hollyleaf. Others had noticed it too, and were beginning to wonder and murmur to one another. It appeared things had been going on in ShadowClan, if you could call them a clan, that we had not known, and that was interesting. No doubt Firestar and Leopardstar would want to get to the bottom of this. Of course, Onestar's emotions and general thoughts hit me like a boulder. He figured it was not his problem, that ShadowClan was not a threat, that we all were acting like a bunch of kittypets, scared of the ShadowClan cats.
But that was Onestar, wasn't it.
The gathering came to a close, and after all the she-cats and toms got their fair share of sharing-tongues, we headed out, and arrived back in ThunderClan after keeping a brisk pace. Worry flowed off Firestar's pelt. He was obviously worried about his camp. ShadowClan could've snuck out as soon as Blackstar and Sol returned to take over.
When we got there, the warriors were still there, welcoming us home. But Graystripe, Ashfur and Berrynose were not back yet from their search for Blossomkit. I sighed and wearily walked back to my den. I'd figure this out, and everything else. Who the cat was, how to protect Blossomkit, and anything else if I could help it.
But my journey seemed impossible and that just pissed me off.
I am so quoting Jaypaw on that last part. (It's my favorite part of the whole chapter for some reason.)
I think this is my second longest chapter so far in this story, which I am glad, though hopefully there will be longer chapters.
Now, Wolfe, Icy, Books-to-the-ceiling, and Nightclaw were the first four to review my story repeatedly, and so, in honor of them, I believe it's only fair to dedicate Whitewing's four kits to them. You guys will always have a little piece of this story now, in honor of you. Thanks so much.
Oh, and Long Shadows just came out, and I read it. (not just came out, but same thing) I think it was okay, but part of it really got me pissed. Ugh! And I got Sol's description messed up, but you all know what I mean. I'll have to fix it later.
Okay, so, everyone knows how much I love reviews, so if you don't mind... Please review! I love you guys, and thanks for reading the fourteenth chapter, Announcement. Happy Holidays! Oh, and thanks Wolfe for pointing out my mistakes on this. I'd edit the rest of it, but I'm tired. Good night! Or good day! Or... I'm not sure what time it is for you guys so yeah, you get my point.
Ezzy!