I just want to say thank you to those who reviewed! For some reason the site didn't put this story as updated so…:\ huh. Anyway, here are the comments!
Silent Steps in Silver Snow: I don't know if he's gonna die or not…didn't really think that far ahead but that WOULD make it more interesting, huh? Hmm…*strokes beard* and yes, I plan on making them stay together till the very end. ^-^
Luckyfur: Lol I think if everyone loved Crowstar like you do, he wouldn't be so evil. :3 and yeah, I thought of her maybe going in Hawkstar's mind but I figured that would just make the story drag out more and honestly, I just really need to make Echopaw a warrior already! XD
Rainy1212: Your wish is my command! *throws Rowanstrike plushie*
Iceflower of ThunderClan: Alright, alright, I'll wait till the end to demand if you guys want a sequel or not XD calm down girl….^-^
VitaniXKopa: But of course you can have Rowanstrike! *tosses on to you* And thank you very much! You're the second person who told me I made them cry. XD
Onto le story!
No one spoke as Breezewater lead the ThunderClan patrols into the heart of WindClan territory. As they got ever closer, the faint sounds of battle grew louder until the shrieks and wails evaded all thought. Echopaw wanted to cover her ears with her paws as the group skidded to a halt at the top of the gorge that led to the where the attack was taking place. She peeked over the edge and her heart thumped as she remembered looking at it from down below through Crowstar's eyes. Even from up there it looked terrible.
The scrawny shape of the WindClan cats were easily outnumbered by the other two Clans and Echopaw could tell every warrior of Swallowstar was fighting for their life. She heard Petalstream say softly, "Sandfur, go. Now." Sandfur and his patrol broke away and swiftly rushed down into the gorge, bodies low to the ground and tails streaming out behind them.
The ThunderClan deputy turned to the two remaining groups. "Whitepelt, head over to the right side and position for the ambush."
Whitepelt nodded and flicked his tail for his cats to follow. Echopaw raced away from the remaining cats and caught up to Tinyfeather. The silver she-cat looked frightened and was shaking.
"Echopaw," she whispered as the creamy apprentice slid up beside her. "I don't think I can do this!"
"Of course you can," Echopaw hissed. "You have to!"
"But what if I see," her voice dropped as Dustclaw shot them a questioning look. "What if I see you-know-who there? What if I have to fight him?"
Echopaw shook her head, suddenly tired of Tinyfeather's torn loyalty. "Listen to me," she snapped as quietly as she could. "This is your own fault for getting into this mess but now is not the time to let your feelings for him get in the way of your Clan. If Blackpaw is holding down a WindClan or ThunderClan warrior you attack him, do you understand? I don't care if you love him or not, loyalty to your Clan always comes first."
Tinyfeather looked stunned at her blunt and exasperated tone. "You don't understand!" the silver warrior spat.
"I understand that you would let a cat possibly be killed just because you care more about a ShadowClan cat then your Clanmates!" Echopaw growled. She knew this was the only way to get Tinyfeather to listen to her. "Now, we don't have time for this." She raced ahead to catch up with Whitepelt and left her friend alone with her own guilty conscious.
"Okay, ThunderClan," Whitepelt murmured, halting at the top of a small slope. "Try and keep to the shadows until Sandfur pushes them to us."
Echopaw crouched down against a small rock next to Forestfur. With the dark night, her mentor's black coat blended in perfectly; while Whitepelt's fur was stark in contrast. Echopaw thanked StarClan that clouds covered the moon so that it didn't shine down and give their position away. Her thoughts drifted to Rowanstrike and she remembered that he was placed in Sandfur's patrol. Oh, please let him be okay! Let all of them be okay…
She felt a tail lay comfortingly across her back and she looked up into Forestfur's amber eyes. "I want you to know that I'm proud of you," her mentor meowed. "I couldn't have ever wanted a better apprentice and you've grown into a fine cat and warrior. I'm proud to be your mentor."
Echopaw dipped her had in deep respect. "And I couldn't have asked for a better mentor."
"They're coming!" Sunwhisper hissed.
Echopaw whipped her head around and squinted to make out dark shapes running toward their hiding spot. Her heart pounded as she saw Sandfur and his patrol streaming behind the group of ShadowClan and RiverClan cats .Echopaw quickly searched through the ThunderClan cats and she felt a wave of relief when she realized they were all there. However, she didn't have time to dwell on it because soon the enemy was upon them.
"ATTACK!" Whitepelt's yowl startled her and the hidden warriors leaped out of the shadows with fierce caterwauls. The RiverClan and ShadowClan cats scrabbled to a halt as the warrior rained down on them. Screeches of surprise emitted from them as ThunderClan cats surrounded them from both sides. Echopaw rushed forward and landed on an orange she-cat's back. He dug her claws in and the ShadowClan cat yowled in pain, struggling to shake her off.
Echopaw clung to her, pummeling her with her hind paws, until the she-cat shook her off and fled. Echopaw leapt to her paws and joined Jaypath in fighting off a huge RiverClan tom. While the blue/gray she-cat distracted him, the small apprentice rushed between his legs and unbalanced him. He fell to the ground and Jaypath leapt on him, clawing and hissing viciously. Echopaw bit down hard on his tail and, with a few more swipes, sent him racing away. She nodded at her foster mom and turned to analyze the fighting.
The surprise of their attack had begun to wear off but she noticed that there were mostly RiverClan cats left. "ThunderClan, push forward!" Sandfur shouted, grappling with a dark gray tom. He grabbed the tom's scruff in his teeth and shook him hard and quick. Then he flung him away as if the warrior were just a mouse. "Fight not for ThunderClan but for WindClan as well!"
Suddenly, a large shape barreled into Echopaw and sent her flying. She lay, stunned and breathless, for a few moments on the ground before the cat pounced on her. The rank scent of ShadowClan filled her nose as a paw pushed her face into the ground. She struggled to get out of the cat's grip but a sharp hiss stopped her.
"Stop struggling!" Echopaw froze as the sound of Blackpaw's voice sounded in her ear.
"Blackpaw, get off me!" she snapped, scrambling to her paws when he loosed his hold on her. She spun around, spitting the dirt out of her mouth, and faced the black tom.
"My name's Blackfrost now," he corrected, blue eyes worried and weary. "Where's Tinyfeather?"
Echopaw narrowed her eyes at him. "Stay away from her," she warned. "If someone catches sight of you two together and not fighting each other, they'll get suspicious very quickly."
Blackfrost flicked his ears dismissively. "I don't care if they see us. I need to talk to her. And if you won't help me, I'll find her myself." He spun around and slipped back into the dwindling mass of fighting cats.
He's going to get them both killed! She huffed exasperated. Not for the first time, she wondered why Tinyfeather just couldn't find love in ThunderClan.
Swiftly assessing who was the enemy, Echopaw spotted Featherpool a ways away with Littlewhisker, Bluepool, and Iceheart. They were frantically rushing back and forth between an abundance of wounded WindClan cats and Echopaw hoped that they were alright.
"ShadowClan, retreat!" Shadestar's call rang throughout the gorge and the few remaining warriors fled from the scene.
"No! Stay and fight you cowards!" Crowstar yowled, leaping up onto the boulder that Swallowstar had been on before. "Why are you surrendering? Drive them out!"
Echopaw narrowed her eyes and started racing forward but before she could, a flash of silver blurred past her as Littlewhisker flung himself at the rock. He clawed his way up and stood facing Crowstar.
Oh, StarClan, no! Echopaw begged, pushing herself until she was racing towards the boulder. However, she had been all the way on the other side of the gorge and her short limbs could only take her so fast.
"What are you, a Medicine Cat apprentice?" she heard Crowstar sneer as she neared them. "You think you can defeat me?"
Littlewhisker's green eyes blazed with an anger she had never seen before. "You killed my brother, you monster. You don't deserve to live."
Crowstar lashed his striped tail. "I've killed many cats, fish-brain, and you're not going to stop me from doing it again."
The small tom crouched down, bunching his muscles in preparation to spring. Echopaw spotted Featherpool who didn't notice the two on top of the boulder because she was trying to treat a badly wounded warrior. "Featherpool!" she shouted, her lungs burning.
The Medicine Cat looked up and her eyes found Echopaw. She tilted her head questioningly.
"Little…whisker…" Echopaw gasped, her legs heavy and her heart pounding. She was still a good ways away from the rock. How wide is this stupid gorge? she thought furiously. She tried to get her legs to move faster but she tripped over a small whole in the ground and she tumbled, head-over-tail, onto the sand. A huge cloud of dust enveloped her and she coughed as it stung her throat. As it cleared away, she struggled to her paws and squinted up at the boulder.
Littlewhisker leapt at Crowstar but the RiverClan leader easily dodged out of the way and lazily lashed out a paw to trip the smaller cat. Littlewhisker staggered to regain his balance but in those few moments Crowstar barged into the younger cat and sent the tom sprawling across the surface of the rock where he slid over the edge. Just in time, Littlewhisker's claws grasped a paw hold before he went crashing down.
Echopaw's heart thumped wildly as she watched the Medicine Cat apprentice barely hold on while his hind legs scrabbled to fight footing. It was a long drop to the ground and a cat could get seriously injured if they fell. She pushed herself forward and fought to reach the stone before Crowstar could finish her friend off.
The brown and white tom advanced slowly towards the flailing apprentice, his eyes sparkling. He placed a large paw over Littlewhisker's smaller one and stared down at him, head cocked slight. "Any last words, apprentice?" he growled. Littlewhisker yowled as Crowstar's claws dug into his paw.
"No, hold on Littlewhisker!" Echopaw panted, getting closer and closer to her enemy. Just as she was within leaping distance, a dark gray shape shoved past her and clawed its way up the rock. Echopaw staggered out of the way as she was pushed and blinked in shock. Her eyes widened as she saw that it was Featherpool who had beat her to them.
The Medicine Cat climbed her way up the huge boulder and threw herself at Crowstar. "Let go of my apprentice!" she shrieked, crashing into him. Crowstar shouted in surprise as her momentum cause them both to tumble over the edge.
"NO!"
Echopaw didn't know who yelled it, whether it was her, Littlewhisker, or both of them. As Featherpool disappeared over the edge, Echopaw raced to the front of the rock where the two cats had landed in a heap. She didn't see either one moving and her heart stopped beating. She bolted to where Featherpool lay, ignoring Crowstar's still body.
At first Echopaw didn't think she was breathing but then she saw the shallow rise and fall of the she-cat's chest. "Featherpool?" she cried, nudging the Medicine Cat gently with her muzzle.
"Echopaw, is that you?" Featherpool breathed, her eyes unfocused. Echopaw saw how both of her hind legs were twisted at awkward angles that didn't even look as if they could be mended. Turning away from the horrific scene, the creamy apprentice licked her friend's ear comfortingly.
"You're all right," she whispered even though she could hear her voice shaking. "You'll be fine. We just need to have Iceheart and Littlewhisker take a look at your wounds and then they'll heal you up. You'll be good as new in no time." Echopaw knew she was babbling to hide the fear that took hold of her.
"Echopaw," Featherpool murmured. "It's okay; this was what I was supposed to do. StarClan's waiting for me now." Her green eyes shifted to something just over Echopaw's shoulder. "Can you see them? Can you see our warrior ancestors, Echopaw? They're so beautiful…"
Echopaw quickly started licking the fur between the gray she-cat's ears. "No, don't leave me, Featherpool," she begged. "You'll be okay, you have to be! Littlewhisker…a-and Iceheart-"
"Snowstar, is that you?" Featherpool mewed, not even listening to Echopaw. "I'm ready now."
"No!" Echopaw shouted, digging her claws into the ground. "No Featherpool, please! Don't leave me…"
"Goodbye, Echopaw. I'll always be there with you…" Featherpool sighed and her eyes drifted closed. One last breath escaped her until she lay still.
Echopaw shuddered and lay down next to her friend, pressing against her. So much death…why, StarClan, must you take so many cats tonight? She felt two pelts on both sides of her and she blinked. The shimmering figures of Snowstar and Featherpool appeared in her line of vision and the Medicine Cat looked young and healthy again.
You have lost so much, young one, Snowstar's voice entered her mind. But we will always watch over you and we will be there beside you in every battle you face. Do not lose hope.
But how? Echopaw asked, eyes misting. Green eyes met green eyes as she looked at Featherpool. The gray she-cat dipped her head.
There is always hope, Echopaw. You just have to know where to find it.
Then, the two StarClan cats faded away until she was alone. She touched Featherpool's cold fur with her muzzle and stood up. She would grieve later, but for now she had to go help her Clan. She was about to pad away when a muffled groan stopped her. She swung her head around and saw Crowstar shifting where he lay.
The hatred that erupted in her was now all too familiar as she stared at the RiverClan leader. She stalked toward him and he looked up at her approach. His eyes were dazed and confused but Echopaw knew it would not be long before he regained his strength.
"How many lives do you have left, Crowstar?" she spat, halting in front of him. "One, two, eight?"
Crowstar hissed and didn't answer, not that she had expected one. She knew it would be too easy to get his weakness from him just by asking.
She shoved her face close to his but to his credit he didn't flinch. Her eyes held a fire that could burn wholes through his fur. "You have killed cats that I cared for, took the lives of the innocent. I'm going to make sure you never lift another claw again." She raised her forepaw and her ivory claws gleamed. However, before she could bring it down on his neck, Crowstar lunged at her.
Taken by surprise, Echopaw crashed onto the ground a little ways away. Crowstar leaped on top of her and shoved her face into the dirt. "You wouldn't have been able to do it," he growled in her ear. "You ThunderClan cats are too weak. I'll let you live-this time-because I know you'll suffer more alive than dead." The weight lifted off of her as he loosened his grip and raced away.
"To me, RiverClan!" he shouted, escaping out of the gorge and fleeing.
The RiverClan cats that were still fighting yowled and followed their leader. Echopaw spotted Petalstream give one last scathing blow to Clumpfur, the black and white warrior, before letting him run. Her blue eyes shone with triumph as the last of the cats escaped out of the WindClan camp, leaving a disturbingly still silence.
Echopaw searched the camp with her eyes and her blood ran cold when she saw the number of cats that had severe wounds while some were just lying on the ground, unable to get up. She glanced back at Featherpool's dead body and dipped her head in deepest respect to the Medicine Cat who had died to save her apprentice. I'll never forget you.
Then, she turned and made her way slowly to where her Clanmates were gathered, all showing wounds from battle. She knew WindClan would need their help to rebuild the Clan that they had been and her shoulders dropped at the daunting task that loomed before them.
But there it was again, that little spark of something that kept burning even through the darkest of hours. And Echopaw knew exactly what it was.
Hope.
NAAAH! *hides under bed as angry mob assembles* I'm sorry I killed Featherpool! Don't hurt me!
Yeesh, I just realized how much death is in this story. Very depressing, actually…Eh, the next chapter will be happier, I promise. I think we all need a break from this gloomy perspective. :3
Well, review, all of you lovely readers! I want to hear your opinion! And, just because I'm nice, everyone who reviews will get a virtual Featherpool plushie in honor of our favorite Medicine Cat. (: This is probably the last chapter before I leave for a month, but I'm glad I got to write it down. I'll be on when I can and I look forward to seeing some reviews in my inbox during this long month. :D
Love you all,
~Starr