One word. WOW. So as I promised, here's the newest chappy in our story... a whole week later. It feels like ages since I've updated. Guess my inner writer is still used to updating on Saturdays. Oh, well. (:
So Spring Break has begun for me and a bunch of other peeps... for those of you who are also on break, you know we rock. For those whose break is next week, know the smugness that you'll be sleeping in while we drag our butts to school. ;P
Anyways, thanks for reading, and I love reviews, so let me know what you think about it. I'll see you all next Wednesday, peace!
Chapter Eight: Firerunner
When they finally returned to camp, Brightpaw disappeared, and Frostpaw went off to find Rowanpaw, to see how his tour had been, and Lionpaw found himself alone.
He glanced around, and sat on his haunches, flicking his amber gaze around. He may have lived with the Clan for six moons by now, but he hadn't formally met every lion yet. Yet he knew their names: Leafstorm, a pretty lioness with dark brown, red, and tawny fur blended over her pelt, was standing next to Emberfoot, a large lion with a reddish mane, discussing something.
Shiverpelt, a grayish lioness who was Buzzardpaw's mentor, was padding across the clearing, followed by a small lioness Lionpaw knew was named Grasstail, and another slender lioness with a strange spotted tail, whose named was Ivytail. As the three lionesses passed, he nodded respectfully, and knew they were probably going on a hunt.
As Shiverpelt, Grasstail, and Ivytail plunged into the jungle and disappeared, Lionpaw got up and decided to go find Curlclaw or someone, to see if there was anything he could do.
Suddenly a large dark-furred lion was standing in front of Lionpaw, and he blinked, freezing.
"Lionpaw?" the lion growled. Lionpaw shook himself, realizing it was just Longfang, their deputy. But he felt a nervous shiver claw his spine- the deputy was fierce and demanded respect, and to be alone under his gaze was almost terrifying.
"Hello, Longfang," he meowed, forcing himself to gaze into the deputy's eyes.
"So you're the infamous new apprentice of Snowstar, huh?" Longfang inquired, looking interested, and watching Lionpaw scrutinizingly. Lionpaw squirmed under the deputy's gaze.
"I am."
"So you're so important, you think you can stand around watching us work?" he asked coolly, flicking an ear.
"What? No!" Lionpaw exclaimed, feeling dismay shake his heart. "I was actually just going to find someone... I want something to do."
"You need something to do," Longfang replied roughly, then flicked a tail at the fresh-kill pile. "Pebbleheart needs some breakfast. Hopefully you're not too busy to take it to her?"
Lionpaw stood up, feeling small against the huge lion, but indignant all the same. "Maybe!" he shot back.
Longfang shook his head. "Well, then you can do that. And don't let me catch you being no help to the Clan again," he growled, and padded away. Lionpaw would have sworn he muttered, "Cubs," under his breath, but he couldn't be sure.
Lionpaw blinked, and shrugged, trotting over to the pile. It was tall, with the tasty-looking bodies of small prey; as Snowstar had told them this morning, larger prey had to be eaten quickly, so it didn't go bad, and that normally left over smaller prey. He decided on a large bird, and began dragging it across the clearing, and towards the tall rock cave that gently sloped into smooth stone and sprouted flowers and grass into the darkness of the medicine-lion den.
He dropped the bird, and tasted the air, as he had been taught today. "Hello?" He hadn't talked to the Clan medicine-cat, Pebbleheart, before, and wondered if Amberpaw was there.
"Lionpaw?" He was delighted to see a familiar slender body race out from the cave, and shining green eyes that reminded him of his mother sparkled as the pale golden cub raced towards her brother.
"Amberpaw!" Lionpaw purred, as his sister pressed against him, rasping a tongue over his face.
"I was wondering when you'd come see me, silly furball!" Amberpaw meowed, laughing, and took a step back, noticing the bird. "Is that for Pebbleheart? She's starving-"
"You bet I am," came a voice from the darkness of the cave. Suddenly a thin lioness slipped from its depths, and a shaft of sunlight hit her brown-gold fur, making her glow. Warm brown eyes shimmered down at Lionpaw.
"Hello, there," she meowed, sitting down next to her apprentice.
"H- hi," Lionpaw replied, blinking. "I'm Amberpaw's brother-"
"I know, it's an honor to finally talk to you," Pebbleheart meowed, friendly. She sat down easily, tail curling neatly around her paws. Although she was a full medicine-lion, and already a mentor, Lionpaw got the feeling she
was still young, despite the gentle wisdom glowing from her eyes that almost belonged to a much older cat.
"Er- thanks. You too," he replied, not really sure why it would be an honor to meet him. "But Longfang just told me to bring some food to you, so..." He nodded to the bird.
Surprisingly, something flickered in Pebbleheart's eyes when he mentioned the deputy. But it was gone as soon as it had come. "Oh, thank you, I am pretty hungry. The elders are complaining over stiff muscles again." She chuckled and shook her head, yet her mood seemed dampened for some reason.
"Well, I guess I should be going, Pebbleheart, I've got to collect those juniper berries," Amberpaw meowed, standing up and flicking a tail.
Pebbleheart stared at her apprentice, as if thinking about something else. "Oh, right. But you'll need help carrying all of it," she realized.
"I can help her," Lionpaw instantly offered, pleased at a chance to show Longfang he was not useless.
"Thanks," Amberpaw mewed, rasping a tongue over his ear gratefully. "Any other herbs we're low on, Pebbleheart?"
Pebbleheart glanced at her apprentice. "No... that's the only one we need, since the elders have been demanding so much recently..."
"Fine, I'll see you later," Amberpaw meowed over her shoulder as she turned tail, and began padding towards the camp entrance.
"It was nice to meet you!" Lionpaw called after Pebbleheart, who ducked into her den, giving no sign she'd heard him. When he shrugged and turned back around, Amberpaw was half-way across the camp, and he raced after her.
"Where are LightningClan's newest apprentices heading off to so soon?" came a friendly voice as they plunged through the barrier surrounding camp. Lionpaw looked back with his sister, and realized a brown lion,
Dustmane, had spoken. He was sitting in front of the camp, pelt dappled by shafts of sunlight through the canopy of trees leaves, and guarding the camp.
"I'm getting some juniper berries, Dustmane. Lionpaw here's helping me," Amberpaw meowed.
Dustmane nodded. "Be careful out there, you two."
"We will!" Lionpaw waved his tail as he and his sister trotted into the undergrowth, and in no time, their camp was no longer in sight, and the beautiful jungle surrounded them. Far-off growls of bears, barks of coyotes, and
hisses of snakes filled their home as they padded peacefully under the wild trees.
"How's life as a medicine-lion apprentice?" Lionpaw meowed after they'd walked in silence for a moment or two.
Amberpaw was looking around intently, keeping her eyes narrowed for the berries Pebbleheart needed. "It's fun. Ever since I first met Pebbleheart as a small cub, I knew I wanted to be a medicine-lion. It's so..." She shook
her head, turning her starry eyes to gaze at Lionpaw, unable to find words to describe her job to the Clan.
"I'm glad you like it," Lionpaw mewed, touching his tail to her flank affectionately. "But Cricketpaw and I sure miss you at night."
Amberpaw looked sad at his words. "Oh, I know- but I guess we had to grow up eventually. But I miss her and you as well. It's weird in the medicine-lion den."
"And it's weird in the apprentice den," Lionpaw replied with a grin. "And... what about Pebbleheart? Is she a good mentor?"
Amberpaw nodded. "She's amazing, just..." Her voice hesitated. "It's weird. She acts so odd whenever I mention Longfang."
"Really?" So Lionpaw hadn't been imagining things after all.
"Yeah. But he who doesn't get nervous around him?"
Lionpaw knew what she meant, remembering his earlier encounter with the deputy. "Exactly."
"But really, Pebbleheart's great. She tells me stories of the Clan, about her mentor, about Snowstar when he was an apprentice." Her eyes sparkled, but died suddenly. "And then... sad things, too. Like Firerunner..."
"Firerunner?" Lionpaw repeated, twitching an ear. "Who's that?"
Amberpaw sighed, still looking out for her berries. "He was an amazing warrior, a few moons before we were born, about as fierce and respected as Longfang." She shook her head as Lionpaw listened intently. "When
Snowstar's old deputy retired, the whole Clan knew either Firerunner or Longfang would be chosen. But it was horrible..." Amberpaw sighed, glancing at Lionpaw. "Pebbleheart said that the night Snowstar had to choose a new deputy, she was out alone and found Firerunner's dead body, stinking of DarkClan."
"What? One of them killed a LightningClan warrior?" Lionpaw gasped.
Amberpaw shrugged. "That's what Pebbleheart told me. The Clan was devastated, but Longfang became deputy. It's an old tragedy, buried by time and memory."
Lionpaw shook his head, wondering what other old stories like this were buried from him. "But did we ever seek revenge on DarkClan?"
His sister shook his head. "I dunno, Pebbleheart didn't want to talk about it after that. Ah!" She broke off, bounding through some ferns, tail lifted. Lionpaw followed, and knew she'd found her berries. But he felt troubled by the story of Firerunner.
He was taught the Warrior Code was everything, but with lions like Blackscar and panthers in DarkClan breaking it without thought, how could a Clan ever be truly loyal?
* * *
Blackscar had been on a border patrol with Emberfoot, Rainheart, and Sunpelt, and as Emberfoot went to Snowstar's den to report their findings, the patrol broke up. WaterClan had quit stealing prey and marking the wrong borders, but Blackscar knew with a sad pang in his heart that their anger was probably far from burned out.
He padded quietly across the clearing, skinny body padding weakly through the late-day sunlight. Sunset would not be far off, and he wanted a chance to speak with Brightpaw before the night had come.
It felt like ages since he'd had a father-to-son talk with his only child, and felt more lonely and unhappy than usual; ever since the naming ceremony yesterday, lions had begun acting more hostile than usual towards
Blackscar, like they blamed him for the cross-Clan cub being apprenticed.
Suddenly, there was a flash of gold, and Blackscar saw Lionpaw padding across the clearing with Brightpaw, heads lowered, tail flicking, as they discussed something. Wondering what could possibly be so important, Blackscar padded up to them.
"Hello, Lionpaw," he meowed, amiably flicking his tail towards his nephew.
Lionpaw blinked and looked up at him, expression unfathomable. "Oh, hey Blackscar." He didn't bow his head respectfully like he did to the other warriors, and Blackscar felt a pang of annoyance stab his chest; yet what had he done to earn the cub's respect? Mate with a WaterClan tigress, betray my Clan, lie for moons, break the Warrior Code... Shaking his head from the dark thoughts, he looked over at Brightpaw.
"Hello, father," Brightpaw meowed, eyes curious.
Blackscar smiled at him. "Brightpaw- I was wondering if you had a spare moment to spend with your old dad."
Lionpaw frowned and looked at Brightpaw, then shrugged. "It's okay. I'll catch you later," he told his friend, and turned away, going in the direction of the apprentice den. Blackscar watched the golden-furred cub go, and was once again struck by how much he reminded him of Snowstar.
"So?" Brightpaw prompted, drawing Blackscar from his thoughts. "What is it?"
Blackscar blinked, and shook himself, sitting on his haunches in front of his son. "I just wanted to see how your first day of being an apprentice went. Was it fun?" he asked anxiously, hoping with all his heart nobody had dampened his son's first day.
Brightpaw twitched his whiskers, sitting down as well and curling his tail around his legs. "Oh, well, it was fun. I learned the scents of the other Clans, and saw a bunch of places that I'll train at and fight at..."
"Good," Blackscar purred, bending down to rasp a tongue over his son's ear. "I'll bet you will be the best warrior there's ever been." He thought of Snowstar's vision, ears flattening with excitement. He wished more than anything he could tell Brightpaw about the vision, to perhaps make him more excited about his apprenticeship, but he'd promised Snowstar to say nothing- not even to his own son.
"Blackscar," Brightpaw meowed after a moment, looking uncertain. His tail-tip twitched.
The shaggy warrior peered at his son. "What is it?"
Brightpaw looked into his father's eyes, and took a deep breath, face troubled. "Blackscar- why do the other lions... hate me?"
Blackscar was so taken aback by the question, his jaw dropped slightly, and he felt his heart plummet. He hated hearing those words come out of his son's mouth. "B- Brightpaw," he managed after a moment, eyes beginning to burn. "They do not hate you." But his own uncertainty was obvious in his voice, and Brightpaw heard it easily.
"But they don't trust me, and you know why, don't you?" Brightpaw asked softly, gazing at his paws.
Blackscar blinked, and felt a shiver go down his spine. No lion had properly explained to Brightpaw about what had happened before his birth; and with an uncomfortable shudder, he knew that the only lion who should finally reveal the truth was him: the reason those lions hated Brightpaw.
"Brightpaw," he said quietly, glancing around. They had to go somewhere private; remote, where he could be completely alone to properly explain. "Come with me. I... I have a story to tell."
Sadly, Blackscar's skinny frame stood up, and loped slowly across the clearing, with Brightpaw uneasily following, not sure what to expect, but knowing it wasn't good.
They plunged through the Clan barrier, and Blackscar began running: Brightpaw had to fight to keep up, as they flew by trees and bushes and plants. At last, with the sun beginning to set, they found a small clearing. It was
pretty, with tall, golden grass swaying gently, and the jungle trees towering around it.
"Come," Blackscar beckoned softly, voice almost bitter, as they walked into the small clearing. The skinny lion found a semi-comfortable spot, and sat down slowly, face grave and thoughtful.
Brightpaw, wondering why they had to go such a ways just to talk, flopped down, eyes dark. "What's wrong, father?" he meowed.
Blackscar was silent, body trembling. Slowly, he looked up, and his eyes glittered. He took a deep breath, and knew there was no return. His son had to know, now or never. "I have a story to tell you, Brightpaw," he murmured, face lowered.
Brightpaw frowned, and, heart beginning to thud, suddenly didn't want to hear this story. Yet a terrible fascination kept him rooted to the spot, and he listened.
"Several moons ago, I was at a Gathering, and I found a very beautiful WaterClan lioness, the daughter of the deputy, Torntail." He paused, voice cracking. "Her name was Littlecloud."
"Littlecloud," Brightpaw echoed, paw shifting uneasily.
"We talked, and I made her laugh. She liked me." Blackscar's eyes were distant, like he was in a memory, a dream, reliving something from another time. "We began seeing each other; we thought it was innocent, and the
Code said we could have friends outside of our Clan." Blackscar swallowed hard. "But it became something much, much more, and before I realized it, we had fallen in love."
Brightpaw stared at his father in horror, face draining. He had an ugly feeling that he knew where this was going...
"I'll never know what she saw in me. A shaggy, skinny brute, just the little brother of the great Snowstar." There was sudden bitterness and utter jealousy flaming in his voice now. "I never thought someone would look at me and see more than just the lion in his brother's shadow, but she did. She did." Blackscar took a trembling breath, shaking his head. "We didn't want to break the Code. But it happened anyways."
Blackscar paused, not daring to look at his son. "Before much time passed, she became pregnant. She was to have my cubs; I would be a father. And they would bind us together forever." Blackscar lowered his head, voice deep and shaking. "But it wasn't meant to be. On the day she gave birth to the cubs, something went wrong; the birthing cost Littlecloud her own life, and the life of our two daughters."
Brightpaw stared at his father, speechless, eyes wide. He knew the story was not finished yet.
"But one of the cubs lived. A boy." Blackscar looked up suddenly, and straight into Brightpaw's eyes. "You are the cub that lived, Brightpaw. You are Littlecloud's light; the bright flame in a world of shadow. You are my gift."
"Gift?" Brightpaw repeated, and was shocked by the amount of bitterness and anger burning there. He stood up, eyes bright, ears flattened, and stared at his father. "I knew Bluefur wasn't my mother; I knew Lionpaw and his sisters weren't my real siblings; but never did I think I was part WaterClan, part LightningClan. My blood... is worthless!" he spat.
"No!" Blackscar growled, standing up. "Brightpaw-"
"No wonder they talk about me, they stare at me, those accusing eyes!" Brightpaw hissed, feeling more fury, more grief, than he had ever felt in his whole life. "I wish I'd died with my sisters. I can't believe you let this happen.
Don't you see? I can never be a warrior!"
Blackscar felt hollow shock wash around him. He had never seen such hatred in a cub's eyes. It broke his heart to see Brightpaw so furious and unhappy. "Listen to me..." the lion spoke weakly.
Brightpaw just shook his head, taking a step back. "I hate you," he said quietly.
Blackscar froze.
No...
Without another word, Brightpaw turned tail, and fled into the darkening forest.