HELLO ALL! I couldn't stand the wait, so I wanted to update. Maybe I'll update every Thursday/Saturday from now on. That seems like a good time. Anyway, I've just been getting enough reviews, so YAY! Thanks to everyone who reviewed, even the anonymous people! : ) Umm . . . here's the chapter; I don't want to give anything away.
Disclaimer: No matter how much I try, I won't own warriors. That sucks.
Stormpaw felt like he was falling through endless darkness. Everything was painless. The throbbing of his head had ceased, and a soft numbness had covered his body. Stormpaw knew his eyes were closed; he couldn't see.
Faint voices were murmuring words he couldn't make out. Stormpaw groaned and made an effort to open his eyes, but he couldn't move. Wind whipped at his pelt, and suddenly he was standing in the moorland; he could tell even with his eyes closed from the soft, springy grass.
He tasted the air; a familiar scent wafted through the scent glands. "Nightwind!" he exclaimed.
Nightwind's warm scent surrounded him. "Hello, Rainkit."
Stormpaw bit back a retort; he was sick of this Rainkit stuff. He forced himself to keep quiet and instead let out an exasperated sigh. "When am I finally going to learn who I am?" he wailed.
Nightwind's voice was amused. "The truth is right in front of you. Open your eyes, Rainkit."
Stormpaw blinked open his blue eyes. He expected to see the black she-cat in front of him, a warm gleam in her eyes, but instead, he couldn't see anything but darkness.
"You can see the truth, Rainkit," Nightwind repeated. "Open your eyes."
"But . . . they're open," Stormpaw croaked. He realized the truth of his words- he was blind. His heart began to pound. "I'm blind," he whispered. "I can't see anything, Nightwind!"
The she-cat's voice was like stone. "Why are you so oblivious? When all you need to know is right in front of you, you can't see it!"
Stormpaw began to panic. "I can't see!" he yowled. "Nightwind, help me!"
The wind blew sharply, ruffling Stormpaw's fur; it carried Nightwind's scent away. Stormpaw gazed around frantically, blinking rapidly as if to clear the blackness. But nothing came. He couldn't see. He couldn't see . . . .
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Stormpaw thrashed violently. "I can't see!" he yowled. "I can't see!"
"Stormpaw!" A familiar voice. Harepaw. "What's going on?" Stormpaw pictured the tan medicine cat apprentice in front of him, green eyes wide with worry.
"I can't see!" Stormpaw screeched.
"Well, open your eyes!" Harepaw was frantic. "Um, poppy seeds, poppy seeds . . . StarClan, where'd I put the poppy seeds . . ."
Wincing, feeling as though his head were about to split open, Stormpaw continued flailing his paws wildly, with no control of his movements. Feeling seeped into his body; he recognized the soft moss bedding that was tearing under his claws.
"Stormpaw! Calm down!" Harepaw hissed. "Hold still . . . Reedtail!" For the first time since they'd met, Harepaw sounded scared. Stormpaw would have seen the apprentice's frightened expression, but he couldn't.
"What's going on?" Reedtail had entered the den. Stormpaw was now batting at the air like a kit hitting a leaf, jaws outstretched in a soundless yowl.
"He says he can't see," Harepaw meowed quickly.
Stormpaw felt small seeds slide into his open mouth. He choked, then relaxed as the pain in his head eased. He flopped down on the moss nest, trembling.
"Stormpaw?" Harepaw asked quietly.
Slowly, Stormpaw let his eyes flutter open. Everything was blurry, but he could see. He blinked swiftly, then sighed with relief as everything came into focus. "I can see," he sighed drowsily, as the poppy seeds began to take effect. "You were wrong, Nightwind . . ."
. . . . . . . . . . . . . ………………………….. . . . . . . . . . . . . ………………………… . . . . . . . . . . . . ……………………………… . .
"Hi!"
Stormpaw blearily opened his eyes. A small reddish-brown tom was staring at him with curious green eyes. "Who're you?" he asked, his words slurred.
"I'm Dustkit!" the cat replied, swishing his tail.
"Dustkit?" Stormpaw asked. He jerked upward, suddenly wide awake. "Flowerpetal had her kits?"
"I guess, or else I wouldn't be here . . ." Dustkit answered, swishing his tail happily.
"Dustkit!"
A ginger she-kit had peeked into the medicine cat den. "You're not supposed to be in here . . ."
"Don't be such a mouse-brain, Amberkit," Dustkit scoffed.
"Is he awake?" a small tortoiseshell tom had peeked into the den. "Huh, Dustkit?"
"Yeah, Larkkit," Dustkit answered, rolling his green eyes. "Use those things above your nose called eyes, and you could see that."
Stormpaw surveyed the three kits amusedly. How long had he been asleep? "Where are Reedtail and Harepaw?"
"Reedtail is collecting herbs and Harepaw, now Harewhisker, is tending to Russettail's ticks," spoke a new voice. Stormpaw looked up from the kits to see Cloudstar. The white she-cat stared at Stormpaw hard. Then, she asked, "Are you ready to receive your warrior name?"
Stormpaw jolted. "What? I- I- yes!"
"Are you well enough?" Cloudstar's eyes glinted with laughter at the apprentice's flustered reply.
"Yes, of course!" Stormpaw scrambled up from his nest, finding his shoulder was covered with cobwebs. He ignored the fact and bolted after Cloudstar, bustling past Dustkit, Amberkit, and Larkkit.
"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather here beneath the Highledge for a Clan meeting!" Cloudstar's yowl rung out, and all the cats trickled to the clearing. Frozenleaf had a shredded ear, and Jadeheart was leaning heavily against her as she limped out.
Flowerpetal's three kits pressed themselves against their parents. Redoak licked each of their heads and twined tails with his mate. Stormpaw watched as Harepaw led the elders out of the den and Reedtail pushed through a bush and dropped some marigold and poppy seeds.
Cloudstar locked eyes with Stormpaw as she mewed, "I, Cloudstar, leader of ThunderClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice. He has trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend him to you as a warrior in his turn." Stormpaw kneaded the ground anxiously as Cloudstar went on. "Stormpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend this Clan, even at the cost of your life?"
"I do." Stormpaw saw Amberdapple's eyes gleam proudly.
"Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name." Cloudstar's voice rang out happily. "Stormpaw, from this moment on you will be known as Stormsky. StarClan honors your courage and skill, and we welcome you as a full warrior of ThunderClan."
Cloudstar stepped forward and laid his muzzle on Stormsky's head. Shivers ran through Stormsky's body as he licked his leader's shoulder. He turned to face ThunderClan, and he dipped his head.
"Stormsky! Stormsky! Stormsky!" the Clan chanted. Even Frozenleaf looked joyful as she cheered her former nemesis's name.
Stormsky smelled a powerful scent waft around him. He swung his eyes to the side and saw Lionblaze, amber eyes gleaming happily. "Well done," he meowed softly. "Stormsky."
Lionblaze vanished, then a new scent wreathed around Stormsky. He gazed to his other side and saw his duplicate staring at him, with more than happiness in his jay-blue eyes. "I finally did it," the copy meowed. "I'm finally a warrior. No more medicine cat duties . . ." His voice trailed off as the figure faded.
Stormsky frowned, then raised his head to the sky and let the sun wash over him. He barely heard Cloudstar meow he was sitting silent watch over the camp. At that moment, he didn't care.
That sundown as he took his place alone to guard camp, he looked up at the stars and thought, I know who you are. I know who I was. It all adds up. The darkness, the visions . . . it all makes sense now.
Jayfeather.
Woo! Warrior names, and the truth, and personally, I thought this was a very good chapter . . . Oh, and for those of you dying to know, ThunderClan won the battle. : ) How about that name? I like it! Allegiances update next, because you know we need it after new kits and a new warrior . . . expect it Saturday! My goal for this story is 100 reviews, so click that little button down there, it's dying for you to click it. Trust me; I'm a button whisperer. Laters! Swiftpaw