The Journey to Thunderclan
Part 1
Bluetail's Plan
"Where did he go?" I demanded.
"We don't know," Brokenkit replied. His eyes glistened with worry. I knew how close he and Blackkit were.
We had all gone inside the kit's den. We all sat around in a circle, trying to figure out where Blackkit had gone.
"Maybe you should go and look for him," Icekit suggested. "Just in case something's happened to him."
"Yeah, but can I trust to leave you guys here alone?" I asked.
Hurt flashed across Snowkit's eyes, but she stayed silent.
Just as I was about to give up, Blackkit padded into the den.
"What's going on?" He asked. We all just stared at him. For the longest of time we all just sat in silence.
"Where have you been?" I demanded. Blackkit took a step back, looking surprised.
"I-I," he looked Icekit, Brokenkit and Snowkit over, then looked back to me. "If you want to know, then they can't."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Snowkit stood, lashing her tail. "We're you're brothers and sisters too!"
"I know, Snowkit, but this is something only for Earthpaw's ears," Blackkit replied evenly. I was surprised at how calm he was. Usually Blackkit would've lashed out on her, but right now something was going on. Something weird.
"Okay, then c'mon, Blackkit," I walked out of the den.
Once we were settled in my den, Blackkit started to tell me what had happened on his adventure in the woods.
"So, I was walking, just trying to find something to do," He began, "and then I saw this tree. It was hollow in the bottom, so I went inside to, I guess explore. When I went inside this Starclan cat appeared."
My eyes widened. Another prophecy?
"He said his name was Harry, and that he was my Guide," Blackkit said. "It was kinda confusing at first, but now everything makes sense."Oh, just his Guide. I knew how serious this was, but it was much better than another prophecy. The kits were too young for too much confusing stuff.
"You've found your Guide?" I exclaimed. "That's brilliant!"
"Do you have yours?" He asked me.
I nodded. "She was our mom's mom. Her name is Snow-that-falls-from-mountain."
"But…that's not a Warrior name, or a Kittypet name," Blackkit said.
"Yeah, she's from a different group of cats; a Tribe. Their…kinda like a Clan, but they have different customs," I explained.
Blackkit nodded. "But how do you know so much about this?"
"Snowy told me," I explained. "Her mother had told her stories from the Mountains, and Snowy passed them on to me."
Blackkit sighed. "I wish I could have known her."
"Oh, Blackkit," I said, resting my tail on his shoulders. "It's okay."
He looked up at me. "But she died because we were born. It's our fault that's she's gone."
"Blackkit! Don't say that! If it's anyone's fault, it's Bluetail's," I said. "I don't want you to think that it's your fault that she's dead. That was a long time ago, Blackkit. I don't want you to stress about it anymore."
"Okay," He said. "Should we go back to the Hollow now?" He looked a bit happier now.
"Sure."
… … … … … … … … … … … … …
Time passed quickly. The kits grew every day, and each day got stronger, and smarter. With each passing day, I felt less like their babysitter, and more like well…just their brother. After a while, the kits were able to do more things on their own. Bluetail started trusting them to go to the river alone sometimes.
Time seemed to erase most bad things, at least for the time being. Like Bluetail didn't seem to be mourning over Snowy as much. He seemed to go back to being just himself, which could be a good or bad thing, depending on who you are. Most everyone forgot about Tigerpaw, or, I guess just stopped mentioning him. And now Snowkit wasn't talking about Rusty as much as she used to, although I could see in her eyes that she still missed him dearly.
I opened my eyes, still tired from the night before. The kits had stayed up late, partying and playing around. I finally gave up with trying to tell them what to do, and came to my second den a little earlier than usual. I yawned, and closed my eyes again.
Just a few more minutes…
"Earthpaw! Wake up!" Something landed hard on my side. I groaned, and sat up. Brokenkit's scent washed over me.
"Brokenkit, what is it?" I asked sleepily.
"Bluetail has an announcement!" Brokenkit exclaimed.
"Okay, I'll be there in a minute…."
"What's wrong?"
"Huh? Oh, nothing. Just…tired…,"I replied.
"Oh. Did we keep you up last night?"
I nodded, closing my eyes again.
"Sorry. But you need to hurry!" Brokenkit said.
"Okay, but please get off of me. You're not as light as you used to be," I replied.
"Oops." Brokenkit climbed off of me. I stood up, facing Brokenkit.
In the past moon and a half, he had grown a lot. Now instead of a chubby little kit, he was growing up, and looked more like an apprentice than a kit. His fur shined in the light from the tunnel.
"Ready to go?" he asked. He voice was a little deeper too.
"Yeah."
When we got back to the hollow, the other kits were already gathered around Bluetail. Brokenkit and I padded closer, and sat down.
I looked the other kits over. They had grown too. Blackkit had gotten taller, and had also lost some of his kit fat. His dark blue eyes were focused on Bluetail, ready to hear what he had to say.
With every day, Snowkit was looking more like Snowy. She had her eyes, and now I noticed she had her fur too; somewhere in between long and short.
Icekit had grown too. Her silver stripes flashed in the light, and her eyes sparkled with excitement. She knew that something important was about to happen.
I turned back to Bluetail, who was still sitting silently.
"Well spit it out!" Brokenkit suddenly shouted.
Bluetail blinked, taken aback.
"Sorry," Brokenkit said shyly.
Bluetail seemed to brush it off, and began to speak. "I've decided, that the kits have been doing well in the forest for the past moon or so."
Moon and a half, I corrected silently.
"And I think that Earthpaw is ready to receive his Warrior name in a few moons," He continued.
I sat proudly; I'd be a Warrior soon. It might not be my life-long dream to be a Warrior like it was Tigerpaw's, but that didn't make it any less important to me.
"So, we are going to Thunderclan!" Bluetail finally announced.
"Yes!" Brokenkit jumped up. A few flames flickered along his pelt. "We're gonna be Clan cats!"
Huh. They're power's are still triggered by emotion. They've still got a ways to go. I found myself smiling; maybe they weren't as grown up as I had feared.
"We really get to train as apprentices," Icekit said. "I can't wait!"
"And we'll be another step closer to completing the prophecy," Blackkit said, looking at Brokenkit. "'To train to be faithful fighters,'" he quoted.
"Oh, yeah," Brokenkit said."We're gonna be the best Warriors ever!" He flattened himself to the ground, a mock look of anger laid across his face.
"But what about us?" Icekit asked.
"Well…It said Snow and Fox will see through new eyes…seeing the Flaming and the Flying," Blackkit said. "So…we're not sure about that part yet."
"But won't we be good Warriors too?" Icekit asked, looking at me. This was one of those rare times when she was actually unsure.
"Of course," I replied. "Why wouldn't you be? Just because the Prophecy doesn't say you'll be a Warrior, doesn't mean that you can't become one."
"Okay," Icekit purred.
"Snowkit?" I noticed that she hadn't said anything. "What's wrong?"
She looked up at me, tears forming in her eyes. "We'll be even farther from Rusty."
"Oh," Dread sank inside of me. In the past moon, I had made the ridiculous assumption that Snowkit had forgotten her friend completely. Not until now did I realize how silly that was.
"Snowkit, you can't see him now anyway, remember? He was taken away, just like you said," I said. "So now, when we go to Thunderclan, you could be moving closer to him."
"Yeah…," She was silent for a while.
My gaze drifted over to Bluetail, and to my surprise, I found that he was staring straight at me. Warmth flooded his gaze. I could tell that he was proud of me for trying to cheer my sister up. At the same time, I felt that he should be the one over here, trying to make her feel better. Didn't he have any emotion for anyone else?
"We're leaving tomorrow at dawn," Bluetail added quietly. "Try to be ready to leave by then."
Then he disappeared into his den. I watched him, still a little perplexed.
Try to be ready by then? What's that supposed to mean?
Suddenly I was seeing flaws in my father's attitude that I hadn't noticed before.
… … … … … … … … … … … … …
That night as I slept, my dreams were swirled and fogged. When I opened my eyes, I was in a lush forest, filled with the dark of the night. I stood up, and looked around, tasting the air. Usually, I don't dream like this; where I'm conscious of what's going on.
I kept tasting the air, and suddenly recognized a scent.
A white sparkling she-cat stepped through the trees.
I dipped my head. "Snow."
"Earthpaw," She said gently. Her voice reminded me of Snowy's; just as warm and gentle, but Snow's had a certain ring of authority.
I looked up at her. "What have you come to tell me?"
"There's…," She paused, looking a little guilty. "Another prophecy for you."
"But…we already have two!" I exclaimed. "How am I supposed to figure all of this out?"
"Earthpaw," Her tone was still gentle. "The only reason there are so many is to make all of this easier. You have a really important destiny, and the easiest way to help you is by giving you prophecies. Do you understand?"
I nodded. "Of course. I honored, actually, that Starclan would choose to help me. I'm ready to hear it."
She smiled at me. "I'm glad I'm your Guide, and not…," She trailed off. "Never mind. Here's the prophecy:"
" Earth will cross into Shadow. The Flame shall be extinguished, Snow will melt, Fox will wither, and the Storm shall continue on."
"What?" I asked. "That doesn't make any sense at all!"
"Earthpaw, you know I am not allowed to tell you what it means," Snow told me.
"In other words, you have no idea what it means," I replied.
"Well, even if I did, I couldn't tell you. It is for you to figure it out on your own," Snow told me.
I dipped my head again. "Very well."
Then everything started spinning. Starclan's hunting grounds disappeared, and suddenly I was blinking in bright sunshine. When I sat up, I realized that I had stayed in my regular den all night. I shivered, despite the fact that the sun was shining brightly. I stood up, and walked stiffly out of my den into the hollow. I sat there, thinking about the prophecy.
Am I going to tell the kits about this? Should I worry them even more than they should be? It is my prophecy, so I probably should just keep it to myself.
Earth will cross into Shadow…Am I going to….Shadowclan? Does this mean that I don't belong in Thunderclan with everyone else?
A pang of worry hit me. That couldn't be true! Why would I ever dream of going there? They already hate my brothers and sisters, so what's to keep them from tracing me to them? Shadowclan wouldn't ever let an outsider in, especially if I'm Bluetail's son, who has Thunderclan blood.
Who says you have to tell them all of that? I suddenly found myself trying to find ways to convince the Shadowclan cats. But who says that I actually want to join?
I'd be alone, with no family. Snowkit, Blackkit, Icekit and Brokenkit would miss me so much, and imagine what would happen to Bluetail! I couldn't make him go on without me; not after Snowy died! He'd fall apart in front of his Clan!
"Earthpaw! You're up!" It was Brokenkit. He padded over to me. "Are we leaving soon?"
"Probably," I tried to sound happy, but this Shadowclan business was really starting to bother me.
"Cool," Brokenkit said. He studied my face, and seemed to see that something was bothering me. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing," I said quickly. "Everything's fine. Now, why don't you go and get Bluetail up? You know how he likes to sleep in."
Brokenkit frowned, as if it he didn't believe that I was okay. "Okay." He padded into Bluetail's den. A moment later I heard a loud, "WAKE UP!"
I sighed.
Not what I meant, Brokenkit. Not what I meant.
The Journey to Thunderclan
Part 2
Leaving Home
"Okay, kits, let's go," Bluetail said. He started leading the way out of the hollow. My brothers and Icekit followed after them, but I stayed back. I was excited to go to Thunderclan, but I still didn't want to leave the hollow.
Earthpaw suddenly turned around and looked at me. "Are you okay?"
"I-I, I'm scared to leave," I admitted. "How is this going to work, Earthpaw?"
"What do you mean?"
"Will Thunderclan accept us, just like that? Doesn't that seem kind of strange?"
"Well, Bluetail's sister is the Leader, and I'm sure that she would love to have her kin in her clan. She's not going to turn you away, Snowkit," Earthpaw said.
When he said that, it made me feel a little better. "Okay. Then let's go." I followed him away.
… … … … … …
I smiled. Snowkit seemed much happier now that I had talked to her. All of the kits seemed happier, actually. They all walked as if they knew where there were going was important, and it was.
Everything seemed to be going fine, when suddenly there was a groan next to me. I looked over and saw Brokenkit.
What's wrong now?
"What's wrong?" I asked.
"I'm bored," Brokenkit said.
"Traveling isn't all fun and games," I told him. "It takes work."
"I know, but I'm tired," Brokenkit groaned. "And this is taking way longer than it did when Icekit, Snowkit and I went together."
"Yeah, but you were using your powers then," I told him. "You were flying, so you were going much faster."
"Why can't we just fly now?" He whined.
"Because Bluetail can't and because if you guys use your powers, you'll be too worn out to get away if ShadowClan sees you. You know that they'll recognize you in a second," I replied.
Brokenkit sighed. "I guess."
"Brokenkit, you've got to know that not everything can go your way," I suddenly said. "It's not all about you."
He looked a little surprised. "Yeah, I know that. How about you?"
"What's that supposed to mean? If you're saying I'm selfish, then I take back everything I've every taught you; you're powers, the prophecy, the flying."
Brokenkit scowled. "Now you're not being fair!"
"Oh, so it's about being fair," I replied hotly. Usually, I would've just given him his way, because it wasn't worth fighting. But today I had had enough; I was stressed about my dream last night, had to keep the kits in order because Bluetail was too busy to care, and also travel at least to ShadowClan territory by night fall. "You know what? You're just a kit. I couldn't expect you to understand."
Brokenkit stopped walking. "Are you saying that I'm mouse-brained?"
"What? No!" I suddenly realized what I had said. "Brokenkit, I-"
"Just forget it," Brokenkit said, and padded forward to walk with Blackkit.
I wanted to called out and make his come back to me, but I knew that it was no use. He was mad at me, and for now, that was that.
… … … … … … … … … … … …. …
I sighed. "I'm tired." I didn't want to whine, but right now, my paws ached and I felt like I would fall down at any moment. If I was whiney or not didn't really matter to me right now.
Icekit yawned, "Yeah. We'll probably stop soon. The sun is setting."
"Good."
A rank scent suddenly filled my nose. "Ew." Icekit stopped too and wrinkled her nose. Next to us, Blackkit and Brokenkit both scowled in disgust. Bluetail had stopped a few paces ahead of us.
"We've made it to ShadowClan," I whispered. Icekit nodded.
"It looks very familiar," Icekit remarked. "I think we're at the same spot as before."
Bluetail turned around, "Don't cross over this scent line. This is ShadowClan territory."
We all nodded.
"Are we resting here tonight?" Blackkit asked. Bluetail nodded.
"Finally! Rest!" I said. "Should we help make nests?"
"No, Snowkit," Bluetail said, and for a moment, I saw warmth in his eyes. I stepped back, wondering if something was wrong with him. "You all have walked a lot today, more than you ever have in one day. You can rest; Earthpaw and I will make nests and hunt."
… … … … … … … … … … … … …
I sighed. Now I had to help hunt.
Wait…if you hunt, you'll have a chance to get away to ShadowClan, and maybe convince them to let you join. This way, the kits won't know I'm gone until it's too late, and if Bluetail tries to get me back, they'll shred him…
"Earthpaw? Why are you smiling like that?" It was Blackkit, who was looking up at me. Then I realized that I was smiling almost…evilly.
"Huh? Oh, no reason," I said, "I'm just happy that we're closer to where we need to be."
"Okay," He didn't look convinced, but he did turn around to sit with Brokenkit.
"I'm going hunting!" I called as I started to walk away.
"No, Earthpaw, you stay here," Bluetail said. I stopped, sighing. "I need you to make the nests; I'll hunt."
And what difference would that, make father? I gritted my teeth. "Fine."
I made nests for everyone, and by the time the sun had set, we were all settled in for the night. As I settled down in my nest, I thought more about how I was going to get away.
I could wait until they're all asleep, and then sneak off.
I closed my eyes, and waited for everyone else's breathing to slow. Just as it seemed I could sneak away silently, I felt a brush of fur against my back. I lifted my head slowly and saw Brokenkit, curling against me.
I sighed. How could I get away now? If I moved, I could wake him up, and risk a huge explanation that really didn't need to happen.
Wait, I thought that he was mad at me! I smiled. He must be doing it unconsciously.
For that split second, I could never imagine leaving my little brother. For that moment, I wanted to just hold onto him, because he mattered so much to me.
You hurt him, a nasty voice in my head told me. You need to get out of here before you hurt the rest of them.
I'll just have to try and leave tomorrow night, or even early in the morning.
The Journey to Thunderclan
Windclan Attack
Part 3
"C'mon, Brokenkit, you're falling behind!"
Since when is he in charge of me? Blackkit has acted like he was in charge ever since we got our powers.
I sighed, and followed the rest of the group. Now that we were on our second day of traveling, I'd learned a thing or two, one of them being that traveling is very boring. You don't do anything but walk, and walk, and walk. Then you get tired, but guess what? You still have to walk. But there's more! Every day that you're traveling you do the exactsame thing. You wake up, eat, walk, eat, sleep, then do it again.
I sighed. "Can't we get to Thunderclan already?"
Bluetail looked back at me. "It's just a little ways from here. All we have to do is go through WindClan's territory."
"Why didn't we just go through ShadowClan territory?" Blackkit asked.
"Do you know how dangerous they are?" Earthpaw asked. "They're the most bloodthirsty out of all of the Clans."
"Although traveling through any territory is dangerous," Bluetail added.
Snowkit and Icekit shivered. I rolled my eyes. ShadowClan wasn'tthat bad. Sure, they were scary, but that doesn't mean that you have to be terrified of them.
Now I noticed that we were walking through marshland. The wet squishy mud oozed between my paws. It was like when we played at the river, only way muddier, and there was no water.
"Ew!" Icekit said, wrinkling her nose.
"We're almost out," Bluetail murmured. I looked back at Earthpaw, who was quietly walking at the back of the group. Usually hewas the one to comfort us, not Bluetail.
As the day went on, the marsh disappeared, and was replaced with a hilly landscape. Rocks broke through the surface of the grass, shining white in the sun. It got tiring to walk with the dry mud on my paws. I wanted to stop and wash it off, but Bluetail insisted that we at least get to WindClan by night.
Soon Bluetail led us up a steep hill. I dug my claws into the ground, determined not to fall back down. Once we were at the top, Bluetail stopped.
"Is this WindClan?" Snowkit asked, her eyes bright.
Bluetail nodded. "Now, as we pass through here, you need to be quiet. Just because this isn't ShadowClan doesn't mean that we can yell. I want silence." His eyes were fierce.
We all stared at him, a little shocked. Bluetail may ignore us from time to time, but he was never exactly…harsh with us.
"Understand?" Bluetail's voice was a little softened a little. We nodded. "Okay." Then he led the way the rest of the way up the slope, and through WindClan territory.
As we walked, I looked around us. A huge expanse of moorland stretched out in front of us, and to both sides. There were hardly any trees; just moorland and open sky. The wind blew through and ruffled my fur, chilling me.
I gritted my teeth, and tried to follow everyone else.
Suddenly there was a brush of fur against my side. I glanced over, and there was Earthpaw, walking beside me. I looked away from him. He had called me mouse-brained!
I don't know what's been going on with Earthpaw, but it's definitely something weird. Usually he's always there for all of us, to do anything that we need. But lately he's been kinda moody and not as friendly as usual. Maybe he's stressed out from traveling.
I glanced back at him for a moment, then away again. I wasn't going to talk to him no matter how stressed he was. I quickened my pace, and tried to catch up to Blackkit who was a few paces ahead of me.
"Brokenkit."
I turned and glared at Earthpaw. "What?"
"Are you okay?" For a moment he truly looked concerned; just like the Earthpaw I used to know.
I stared at him for a moment. "Am I okay? Why are you so worried?"
He looked hurt now. "Brokenkit, I know that you're still mad at me."
"Yeah. What's it to you?"
"I'm your brother. Is it bad to be concerned about you?"
"No, but you haven't been so concerned lately," I told him.
"I'm sorry for saying those things to you," Earthpaw said quietly.
What should I say? Should I forgive him?
What are you thinking, Brokenkit? It's Earthpaw! Of course you should forgive him!
"That's okay," I said. "I was being a little too cocky then."
Earthpaw smiled. "C'mon, let's go."
I followed my older brother across the moorland, itching to get to Thunderclan.
… … … … … … … … … … … … …
I pricked my ears as we entered a thicket. Something didn't feel right. I didn't like the idea of crossing WindClan territory in the first place, and now not being able to see where I was made it even worse. Snowkit walked beside me, looking around warily.
"I hope we get to ThunderClan soon," She whispered.
"Yeah," I whispered back.
"Why are you whispering?" Brokenkit asked.
Bluetail whipped around, "Shh! We don't want any patrols to hear us!"
"Too late."
I stepped back as four lithe cats stepped out of the bushes. Bluetail and Earthpaw stepped in front of the rest of us, shielding the other cats from view.
"What are you rogues doing on our territory?" One of the cats asked.
"Rogues?" Blackkit asked. "What rogues?"
The WindClan cats ignored him. "Well?"
"We're just passing through," Bluetail told them evenly.
"To where?"
"ThunderClan," Bluetail replied. "We're going home."
"Wait," A she-cat stepped out of the group. "You're not…Bluetail, are you?"
Bluetail exchanged a glance with Earthpaw, and then looked back at the WindClan cats. "Yes. I'm going home. And if you could just-"
"We're going to have to escort you home," The first WindClan cat interrupted. He nodded to the WindClan cats, and then formed a circle around us.
"That doesn't quite make sense," Earthpaw spoke up. "We're going to where we live! If you take us home, then you'll be trespassing on our territory."
"So? We just need to make sure that ThunderClan knows we've returned their long-lost Warrior," The WindClan cat didn't seem to care what rules were broken as long as he got credit.
"And their 'wittle kits!" Another WindClan said. He looked like an apprentice, and a young one at that.
"We're not little!" Brokenkit charged up to him.
"Um, yeah, you kind of are," The apprentice replied.
"You don't know what I'm capable of," Brokenkit said darkly. I knew he was referring to his powers, and I silently urged him not to blow in front of these other cats.
"Oh, can you sleep? I'm so sacred!" The apprentice said sarcastically.
"No," Brokenkit said grimly. "I can-"
Bluetail cleared his throat loudly, warning Brokenkit to close his mouth. Brokenkit glanced at Bluetail, and then looked back to the apprentice. "Never mind."
"Huh," The apprentice said arrogantly. "Guess I was right."
"Scorchpaw," One of the WindClan warriors warned, "don't be rude. He's only a kit."
Scorchpaw rolled his eyes.
Brokenkit stared at the warrior and unsheathed his claws. "So what if I'm a kit? That doesn't mean that I can't do stuff!"
Bluetail sighed. "Can we please just go?"
"No," The first WindClan cat said. "We'll take you home."
Brokenkit growled. "Let us go home!"
"Ow!" Blackkit jumped away from Brokenkit's side. "Brokenkit! Your fur's hot!"
The WindClan cats stared at Blackkit like he was crazy. They didn't understand how Brokenkit's fur could be too hot to touch.
Brokenkit ignored Blackkit and glared at Scorchpaw. Scorchpaw stared back smugly.
"What are you looking at?" Scorchpaw taunted.
"Scorchpaw," The warrior warned again.
"I'm looking at you," Brokenkit replied angrily, and that's when the sparks started flying off of his pelt. "But not for long."
The other WindClan cats seemed to notice that Brokenkit was about to burst into flames, while Scorchpaw seemed oblivious to the situation.
"Scorchpaw, forget this! Let's get out of here!" The warrior called, backing away. The rest of the warriors backed away, too.
Scorchpaw kept smiling smugly at Brokenkit. I wondered how in the world he could not see the flames.
"Leave. Now," Brokenkit growled.
Scorchpaw snorted. "Fine. You're annoying anyway." He turned around, and that's when Brokenkit exploded.
"THAT'S IT!" Brokenkit leaped after him, and shot a ball of fire straight at Scorchpaw's tail. Scorchpaw screamed, and ran after the other Windclan cats.
Brokenkit watched smugly. "Wimp."
"What did you just do?" Bluetail demanded, stepping in front of Brokenkit.
Brokenkit looked surprised. "I…"
"How could you show your powers to another cat?" Bluetail looked angry beyond belief. He looked to Earthpaw. "I thought you told them!"
"I did," Earthpaw replied. "But that doesn't mean that he's not going to show anyone. Our powers are triggered by strong emotions, dad. When that mouse-brained Windclan cat insulted him over and over,I think he kinda had that coming for him."
Bluetail sighed. He looked a lot calmer now that Earthpaw had explained, but he still looked worried. "But now those cats know about Brokenkit's powers. They might spread it at the next gathering."
"No they won't," Earthpaw replied. "They have no proof that it was Brokenkit that caused the fire."
"Then what's our excuse that he didn't do it?" Bluetail asked.
Earthpaw looked thoughtful for a moment. "We deny that this ever happened."
"That's not going to work," Bluetail said. "We've caused a huge dilemma."
"It'll have to," Earthpaw said.
"But that's lying!" Snowkit suddenly protested. "That's wrong."
Earthpaw looked at her sadly. "That's what has to be done, at least for now."
"We can't lie!" Snowkit replied. She looked to Bluetail. "I thought you said that when we came to the Clans that we'd be safe. If we lie, then we're not safe. We cause problems for ourselves and others."
For a second she didn't even sound like herself. She sounded much wiser. I stared at Snowkit for a moment, wondering who she sounded like.
"What?" She asked.
"Nothing," I told her, then looked up and Earthpaw and Bluetail. "Snowkit's right. We shouldn't lie about what happened."
"There's nothing else to do," Bluetail said sadly. "But don't worry; I'll sort all of this out with Bluestar when we get home. C'mon, kits, let's go." He began to lead the way.
The Journey to Thunderclan part 4
Part 4
This is Not Thunderclan
I scampered after Bluetail, still shaking from out encounter with WindClan. Who would've thought that cats could be so protective? It was just a piece of land, and they wanted us off of it so bad they were willing to escort us off of it. I was glad when the moorland disappeared and turned into a normal forest. It felt way more familiar here.
I was walking and looking around at the trees when suddenly there was no ground beneath my paw. I looked over, and found that I was standing on a huge slope. I gasped and looked around. We were all standing in a gigantic hollow, with four giant trees standing at each corner. Everyone stood silent with awe. Earthpaw broke away from the group and started pacing around the hollow, always looking up.
"What's that?" Brokenkit asked. He had noticed a gigantic rock that was sitting in the center of the hollow.
"Oh, that's the Great Rock," Bluetail said proudly. "Leaders sit there during Gatherings, so everyone can see them." When everyone sat silent staring at him, he asked, "Don't you know what a Gathering is?"
"Um, no," Snowkit said. "Not really."
"I've never…told you?" Bluetail asked, blinking in confusion.
"Nope," Earthpaw said, who was suddenly back with the rest of us. "You've only told me and…" His voice trailed away. I realized Earthpaw's hesitation to mention Tigerpaw, and for a moment, I felt a little bad. Tigerpaw had had to leave, and only because Bluetail had a few issues with him.
"So," I said, breaking the silence, "tell us about gatherings."
"Gatherings are when all four clans come together on the full moon," Bluetail began. "The leaders tell all of the clans about stuff that has happened in the forest."
"And you get to meet other cats," Earthpaw put in, "and learn about all of other Clans." His eyes were bright, and I realized that, like us, he'd never been to a Gathering either.
"Can we get on with this?" Brokenkit asked. "I want to go to ThunderClan!"
Bluetail nodded, purring a little. He led the way out of the hollow, and then we were on top of a ravine. I looked down over the edge, and tried to not to start shaking.
"Careful, Blackkit," Earthpaw murmured, and used his tail to pull me back to safety. When I had straightened up again, I looked around.
On this side of Fourtrees, there were huge leafy trees, birds tweeting, and the sound of a river rushing not too far away. I knew that this had to be ThunderClan.
"Where's the camp?" I asked.
"Down the ravine," Bluetail replied, surveying the rocky ledges to the ground. My stomach did a flip. Walking down that didn't sound so safe.
Even though I was excited to be in ThunderClan, this huge ravine was about to make me change my mind. I wanted to turn around and go back to our original home, all the way back to the hollow. But I knew that I couldn't do that. I had to face my fear, and climb down the ravine. ThunderClan warriors had to be brave, and facing your fears takes bravery.
"Okay," I said, going to stand next to Bluetail. "Let's go then."
Bluetail leaped down to the nearest ledge, and the long journey down began.
Bluetail led us carefully down the ravine, having to help us at some places. Sometimes, he had to pick us up, and lower us to the next ledge, which by the way was very embarrassing. Earthpaw helped us out, too, but the way he helped was much better; he let us do the moving, but was always there to catch us if we were about to fall.
When we finally got to the bottom, the sound of the river was nearer, but I still couldn't see it. Now the trees looked taller, and for a second I felt trapped.
Snap out of it! This is your home! You can't be scared of trees!
When I tasted the air, I could smell a lot of cats, but I couldn't tell where they were. I knew that the camp was nearby, and I couldn't wait to get there. Earthpaw leapt down behind me, followed by Brokenkit, Snowkit and Icekit. Bluetail jumped down last, panting a little.
"Where's the camp?" I demanded. Bluetail was the last one down the ravine. He stood beside me, panting.
"Over-"
"Bluetail! Look!" It was Snowkit.
I irritatingly moved my eyes to my sister.
"Yes, Snowkit?" Bluetail asked.
"Look over there!" Snowkit was jumping up and down now, her eyes bright. "Over there! Through the trees!"
I glanced over to where she was beckoning, and I could see something shining.
"I see, Snowkit. Now, we really need to-"
"Can we please go over there? I really want to see it!" Snowkit was pleading, and her eyes were huge and sad.
"I-" Bluetail looked like he wanted to argue, and I was ready to move on; whatever was over there wasn't important. But then suddenly the unsure look in his eyes melted. "Of course. Let's go."
Bluetail merely walked away, leading us all away from Thunderclan. Snowkit followed, twitching her tail happily. Icekit followed them, though she went slower.
Earthpaw paced after them, looking relieved for some reason.
"What was that?" Brokenkit was next to me now.
"I'm not sure. I think I just saw Snowkit act like a little brat to get what she wanted," I replied.
Brokenkit nodded. "Yup. When did she start acting like that? Doesn't anyone else care about going home?"
"I do," I assured him.
He glanced at me. "Good. Now…I guess we have to follow them."
I sighed. "I guess…Can't we just find the Clan ourselves?"
"Probably wouldn't work," Brokenkit said. "It's too confusing here. I guess we have to go."
"Yeah. Maybe whatever's over there will actually be exciting."
"I doubt it. Who wants to go and look at puddles of water?" He wrinkled his nose.
"It's just water? How do you know?"
"Heard Icekit say it before she left."
I scowled. "Great. We're going to look at water."
"Brokenkit! Blackkit!" It was Earthpaw. "C'mon, you two!mYou don't want to be left behind!"
We followed after the group, breaking into a run after a few seconds.
As we got closer, I started to see a fence in the distance.
Are we near Twolegplace?
The three of us caught up to the rest of the group, and we found Bluetail, Snowkit and Icekit all looking down into the water. I smiled smugly when I saw her staring blankly into the puddles.
Not what you expected, hmm?
But as we padded closer, Snowkit glanced our way, and a smile broke onto her face, and her eyes sparkled again.
"Look!" She exclaimed. "Isn't this water so pretty?"
Brokenkit and I stood staring at her, but Earthpaw stepped forward, purring. "Of course, Snowkit! These puddles are awesome. But, you know, we really need to go home, and-"
"Bluetail," Snowkit interrupted, "can we play here for a while?"
Earthpaw stood blinking in bewilderment.
"Of course, Snowkit."
What else was he going to say?
Brokenkit grumbled under his breath, and started lashing his tail. "Sisters..." He turned around.
"Earthpaw," I asked, when the others had moved away "why did you just let Snowkit interrupt you like that?"
Earthpaw turned towards me, glancing over his shoulder. His voice was low when he began to speak. "Okay, look, this is something with her powers."
I pricked my ears. "You mean, Snowkit's not being a brat on purpose?"
Earthpaw shook his head. "Nope. Snowy told me about this; she said it happened when she was young, and I have to admit, I think it happened to me, too."
"So...what's going on with her?"
"This is a stage with powers. It's not very common; it only happens with certain types of powers. The same thing doesn't happen to every cat that goes through it, but I'm still pretty sure Snowkit is having it right now. In this stage, the certain cat becomes...somewhat more appealing to others. They have a certain quality about them, and during this stage, it's enhanced. They also begin to have some strange obsession with something, like, for instance, small pebbles," he paused, looking embarrassed. "And, from that, tend to get what they want."
"This doesn't happen to every cat, right?" I asked nervously.
"Nope," Earthpaw shook his head. "But it did to Snowkit. I'm pretty sure her enhanced quality is her eye, and her new obsession is water. This is making her senses very sensitive to water. She's going to be able to find it easily, and talk about it all of the time."
"And...Bluetail knows about this, too?"
"No, actually, he doesn't," Earthpaw admitted. "He's going along with what Snowkit says because she's reminding him of Mom. Snowy had water powers, and the same eyes Snowkit does. How could Bluetail resist?"
I nodded, understanding. "So it's like he's under her control."
"Just about," Earthpaw agreed.
"So, how long does this last?"
Earthpaw shrugged. "I don't think it lasts that long, but then again, I'm not sure; I don't really remember it happening, if it happened to me. Snowy told me it only lasts a couple days- if we're lucky."
I gulped. "And if we're not lucky?"
Earthpaw's eyes turned dark. "Moons."
"Oh no," I said. "I hope we're lucky."
Earthpaw nodded. "Me too."
We both turned, fur prickling with shock when we heard a loud shriek. I glanced over, and there stood Brokenkit, sopping wet, near a giggling Snowkit and Icekit.
"WHAT was that for?" Brokenkit demanded, shaking his pelt.
Snowkit shrugged. "We just thought that you might want to have some fun."
"That's wasn't fun," Brokenkit muttered, and turned away.
"You better go and explain what's going on," I told Earthpaw.
Earthpaw nodded, and headed in Brokenkit's direction.
I sat watching them for a moment, even though they were out of ear-shot.
"But Earthpaw!"I made out Brokenkit's voice. "I can't even get a spark on my pelt! I SOPPING wet!"
I shook my head, mostly because I couldn't believe what my family had come to. First, we had found out we had powers. Then, Tigerpaw was kicked out, and Earthpaw had started to act a little strange. Now, even we, the kits, are starting to fight amongst ourselves.
I gazed around the clearing, hoping something interesting would catch my eye. A ways away, I could see Bluetail sitting and facing a fence, looking up at it.
Curious, I padded over.
"Bluetail?"
He didn't glance my way, but flicked his ears in acknowledgment.
"What's this place?"
We sat in silence for a moment, but Bluetail replied. "This is where I met Snowy for the first time." He laughed a little at the memory. "I was silly...and young then. I ran away from my home, just to be with a she-cat...It seems silly, but still-" He looked over at me- "I don't regret meeting and spending moons and moons with the one I know I was meant for. Blackkit, I have my flaws, and I make mistakes, but I still know that I've made one completely correct decision; and that was running away with Snowy, so that I could be with her. Even if sh walks with Starclan now; I still had those great times with her...," He sighed.
"So, Mom was that amazing?"
"Yes, Blackkit. She was really that amazing. I don't regret any time I spent with her." A dark look came over his face. "Except for one time..."
I had a feeling I knew what that time was, and I didn't dare ask about it. "She...she had powers, too, right?"
Bluetail nodded. "Yes. Amazing powers, too. Just like Earthpaw's. Well, not EXACTLY. They're alike because they are both able to do so much with their powers."
"What kind of powers did she have?"
"Water," Bluetail replied. "Ah, how she loved the water...You'd think she was a RiverClan cat; she swam so well."
I purred; my mom truly did sound amazing. I was proud to have such a lovely she-cat as my mother.
Suddenly, from behind us there were some loud squeals, and the sound of a loud yowl. I whipped around, and there was Brokenkit, Snowkit, Icekit, and a Twoleg.
The Twoleg was holding a hard shiny webbed box, with a latch on it. I had a sick feeling I knew what that box was for.
"Run!" I screamed, but it was too late. Snowkit, Icekit, and Brokenkit we all scooped up, and thrown into their own individual webbed-thing. And there was Earthpaw, running here and there, trying to save them, but even he was caught.
Now all that was left was Bluetail and me.
"Bluetail," My voice was shaking. "What do we do?"
Bluetail was standing frozen with shock. He wasn't blinking, or even breathing. He was only standing there, like Snowkit had frozen him or something, but I knew that he was only terrified out of his mind.
"Dad!" It was Earthpaw. "Get help from ThunderClan! Get Bluestar and the Warriors!"
Suddenly Bluetail was alive again,and he raced into the trees, leaving me alone to fend for myself.
"Earthpaw! What do I do?" The Twoleg was rounding on me now, getting closer with each second.
"Blackkit," Earthpaw sighed. "Just...let them get you. Please. This is the easiest way; so we'll all be together."
"What? No!" The Twoleg was getting closer.
"Please. Their probably only going to take us inside, and then put us back when they realize how rambunctious you four will be!"
"No! Earthpaw...I can't. I just can't!" I exclaimed, backing up.
"Then...run to ThunderClan! Follow Dad's scent trail! Go!" Earthpaw commanded, and the ground started to shake. He sounded urgent, but also a bit sad. I knew that he wanted to be the safe one; the one going to get help.
"Okay! We'll get you out guys!" I promised.
"Hurry Blackkit! Save us! Please!" I could hear my littermates begging for me.
"I will!" I turned and raced for the bushes as fast as I could, not looking back.