When Midnight Strikes
Thank you, Brightcloud0915 for reviewing! Now, it's time for the story! Enjoy the next chapter of When Midnight Strikes, and don't forget to read and review!
Chapter 3
Midnightpaw glanced around at her surroundings. Trees towered over on all sides, and they blocked the sunlight… just like when she was battle training…. Suddenly, a cream-yellow shape appeared in front of her.
Squinting, she realized it was a cat, with sparkles shining in her fur. Her amber eyes glowed with seriousness, and that's when Midnightpaw realized it was Yellowgaze. The warrior padded towards her silent, and the fluffy midnight-pelted apprentice felt petrified by fear.
Slowly, Yellowgaze leaned down and pressed her nose against Midnightpaw's head. "Greetings, young one," she purred softly, stepping back and looking at her with soft amber eyes.
"Y-Yellowgaze? What's wrong with you?" Midnightpaw asked, a little shaken at the way her mentor was speaking to her. "You were just an apprentice a few moons ago! You're acting like you're an elder!"
"No, silly," Yellowgaze meowed, her whiskers twitching in amusement. "I'm not Yellowgaze, although I do look like her… but that's not the point! StarClan has called you here for a reason."
Midnightpaw would've smacked herself with her tail if she could. I can't believe I thought she was Yellowgaze! Her personality is way too different than this cat! So she just tilted her head at what the look-a-like meant. "So… why am I here?" she asked slowly.
"I am here to tell you of something special… When midnight strikes, the snowy owl will take flight." Suddenly, a gust of wind surged through the trees, lifting Midnightpaw off her paws.
"W-what does it mean?" she yowled loudly. The roaring wind was getting louder and louder until finally, it just stopped. With a loud thud, her golden eyes snapped open.
"Midnightpaw, are you okay?"
The fluffy black she-cat flipped over to face her snow-pelted sister. "I'm fine, Snowpaw. What did Echoleaf say?" she asked curiously, her eyes shining slightly.
"She said you were just tired. Yellowgaze must've worked you too hard," her sister mewed worriedly. "Midnightpaw, next time, please tell me if you feel tired. I trust you a lot, and you should too." Snowpaw lowered herself down to lie down beside her sister.
"I do trust you," Midnightpaw murmured in her ear. "It's just that—"
"May all cats in camp gather under the High Ledge!" Kestrelstar's voice interrupted her meow and the black she-cat immediately jumped to her paws.
The two she-cats padded out of the medicine den to see most of the Clan gathered around the ledge. Next to Kestrelstar on the ledge was a gray tom with darker gray paws and ears. When Snowpaw caught sight of him, she immediately bristled. "Who is that?" she hissed.
Midnightpaw felt lost for words. The gray tom's fur shone brightly as the sun started to set behind him, and his emerald green eyes were sharp too. Wow, he's really handsome… She shook her head to clear the thought. She can't be falling for a tom she barely knew!
"This is Gray, a rogue we found on our territory," Kestrelstar began. "He is willing to join our Clan, and I'm letting him."
Shocked murmurs filled the crowd of cats. Midnightpaw fluffed her pelt up slightly next to her snow-white sister, who was looking at her golden-brown leader in outrage.
"But he's not clanborn! You have to have real warrior blood to survive in the forest," Snowpaw spat, her fur bristling. "You're really stupid if you're letting him join ThunderClan!"
"We're only testing him," Kestrelstar explained calmly, his green eyes flashing towards the apprentice. "If he fails, then we are banishing him."
Snowpaw seemed relieved by that and her flattened ears returned to their normal position. "Not that he'll survive long," she whispered in Midnightpaw's ear.
"He could prove to be really good, ya know," the fluffy black cat whispered back.
Her sister flashed her a look of disbelief before turning back to Kestrelstar. "By the power of StarClan, I grant this rogue an apprentice name. His name will be Graypaw until he becomes a warrior. Your mentor will be Stormheart."
The newly named Graypaw leaped down from the High Ledge and pressed his nose against the blue-gray deputy. Midnightpaw swore she saw a look of triumph cross Stormheart's face before it disappeared.
"Well, let's go congratulate the loser," Snowpaw growled. "Of course, that's what you would do, but I don't know if your hare-brained or not." She huffed and padded towards the apprentice's den, her head high.
Midnightpaw stared after her for a minute. What did she mean by that…? And what's with the random change of attitude? She just shook her head and padded towards Graypaw just as the sun disappeared over the horizon.
Well, that was chapter 4! And Graypaw has made an appearance! :D It's a little different from the original, where he was just a normal warrior apprentice, but as you can see, I changed that! And what do you think of Snowpaw's change of attitude? And especially, the prophecy! All will be revealed in the next chapter of When Midnight Strikes!