A/N: Well... I passed Sunday :) Being away for a full day and then losing my Internet the next was not part of my plan. Anyway, I've decided to just update whenever I can; that way I won't have to be set for a specific deadline that I might not be able to meet (I'm terrible with deadlines).
Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I don't own Warriors; just the few itty bitty really important characters.
Chapter 6
Mosspaw finished burying the remains of her mouse—which seemed to be her favourite prey right now—and padded back out of the dirtplace tunnel. As she gazed around her camp, she sighed in contentment. No Clan was better than ThunderClan.
Shaking herself, she started over to the medicine den. Hopefully Flamepaw would be in there, and they'd be able to take off to the Moonpool. The only trouble, of course, was where exactly was the Moonpool?
Mosspaw cautiously entered the medicine den, noticing that the brambles at the entrance were growing thicker. Greenleaf was definitely on its way.
Once inside, she noticed that Flamepaw wasn't there. Disappointed, Mosspaw fully entered and padded slowly over to Jayfeather who was kneading a packet of herbs together.
"Jayfeather?" she asked, watching as he kept his concentration on the herbs.
"Mmm?" came the annoyed answer.
"Where did Flamepaw go? We're supposed to go to the Moonpool tonight," she explained, stepping back as Jayfeather finished the mixture and got up to grab a leaf. As he started placing the herbs in the leaf, he answered.
"I sent him with some mouse bile to the apprentices."
"You sent Flamepaw to check apprentices for ticks?" Mosspaw asked incredulously. "Isn't that something apprentices do for themselves?"
Jayfeather stopped, having finished placing the herb mixture on the leaf. He raised his head, his whiskers twitching slightly. "I sent Flamepaw to give the apprentices mouse bile so the apprentices could check the elders. Dustpelt was complaining again today."
Mosspaw narrowed her eyes and looked away, feeling slightly embarrassed. Jayfeather leaned down and picked up the leaf wrap, taking it over to Briarlight who was sleeping lightly in her nest. Setting it down in front of her, he reached out a paw and poked her a few times on her head.
"Jayfeather."
Jayfeather flicked his ears back to Mosspaw, not turning.
"How do we get to the Moonpool?" she asked, scraping the ground with a claw.
"Why do you need to go to the Moonpool?" a voice asked from behind. Mosspaw turned around, but no cat was there. She stood up and padded over to the entrance, relaxing when she saw Flamepaw just entering.
"Why would you ask such a question, Flamepaw?" Mosspaw snapped, suddenly realizing he had asked a ridiculous question. "You, of all cats, should know the best!"
Flamepaw shook his head slowly, confusion in his eyes. It was soon replaced with laughter when his gaze focused on something behind Mosspaw. "I didn't ask that," he purred. "He did." Flamepaw nodded to whatever he was looking at, and Mosspaw looked over her shoulder.
"Snowpaw? How did you get in here?" Mosspaw asked, padding up to him and looking him up and down. Did he have some special power to be invisible? That didn't really make any sense; wasn't she the one in the prophecy?
"I entered when you turned around," Snowpaw meowed casually, as if sneaking behind a Clanmate's back was something every cat did now and then. Maybe it was.
"So why are you going to the Moonpool?" he persisted, sitting down and glancing behind Mosspaw to Flamepaw. "I thought only medicine cats went?"
"Oh, well . . ." Mosspaw hesitated. She couldn't very well tell Snowpaw she was part of a prophecy and going to meet apprentices from other Clans.
"They're not going to the Moonpool," Jayfeather meowed suddenly. The three apprentices looked at him, surprise in all their eyes. "They're just going to fetch an herb for me that's near the Moonpool."
"Then why are they going when it's dark?" Snowpaw asked. He didn't seem to believe Jayfeather, but the medicine cat didn't flinch.
"I find the herb is better found at night," Jayfeather meowed calmly, turning back to Briarlight, who was slowly chewing her herbs with a scrunched up face. "I should put in some heather nectar next time," he mumbled, turning away and retreating farther into his den. Before he disappeared, he looked back over his shoulder and meowed, "Follow the WindClan stream downstream. You'll see some rocks sloping upward. Climb those, and when you get to the top, that's where it is."
Mosspaw noticed he hadn't mentioned the Moonpool, just said "it". Calling "thanks" over her shoulder, she followed Flamepaw out of the medicine den, leaving Snowpaw behind, who had decided to visit Briarlight.
The two apprentices padded over to the entrance of the camp, stopping simultaneously when they spotted Lilycloud and Seedspeck sitting vigil just outside the tunnel. Flamepaw hissed to Mosspaw, "So did you think of a way we could get by them, other than using the dirtplace tunnel?"
Mosspaw thought for a few minutes. Two really annoying, newly-made warriors sitting vigil were going to be hard to pass. . . .
"They're sitting vigil!" Mosspaw purred, flicking her tail from side to side excitedly. After a glance at Flamepaw's "I know" look, she elaborated. "Lilypaw—eh, cloud—and Seedspeck can't talk; they're sitting vigil! According to tradition, they won't be able to ask us where we're going because they have to stay silent!"
Flamepaw nodded slowly, then started padding into the tunnel, Mosspaw following closely behind. They emerged out the other end, padding through the two sisters as casually as possible. Before they could escape, the two warriors had jumped in front of them. Seedspeck opened her mouth to speak, but Mosspaw lashed out a sheathed paw and gently whacked her on the side of her head. "You're holding a silent vigil, remember?" she chided, glaring up at Seedspeck. "That means you have to stay quiet," she meowed slowly, speaking as though she were explaining something to a kit. She motioned to Flamepaw, starting to pad away. "Let's go!"
Flamepaw caught up to her and nudged her side, nodding back to the two dumbfounded warriors. Mosspaw looked back and suppressed a purr; the identical looks of astonishment on Seedspeck and Lilycloud's faces were priceless!
Soon enough, Mosspaw and Flamepaw reached the stream. Mosspaw had to stop quickly when Flamepaw—who was in front—stopped with no warning. He moved away and leaned down to sniff a patch of grass, his gaze intensifying as he raised his head to stare across the stream and into WindClan territory.
Mosspaw padded over and sniffed the grass as well, recognizing a familiar scent as well as a not-so-familiar-but-still-recognizable scent.
I guess it's true, then. I wonder why they would go to the extent of this?
Giving herself a shake, she brushed against Flamepaw as she started padding downstream. "Come on, Flamepaw, we'd better get going if we want to make it in time to meet the others," she called, stopping as she waited for her brother to catch up. "There's nothing we can do about them."
Flamepaw sighed, trotting over to her. They kept up the pace as they followed the stream, sometimes having to wind around bushes or rocks before continuing on their path. Before long, Mosspaw spotted two cats up ahead. "Look! Honeypaw and Nightpaw!" she purred to Flamepaw. They picked up their pace, skidding to a halt beside the two ShadowClan apprentices.
Honeypaw was staring into the stream, watching the water flow down to the lake. Mosspaw joined her, hearing an exaggerated sigh coming from Nightpaw.
"What are you looking for?" she asked, staring down at the water too. The stars above reflected in the stream, making it sparkle in the bright moonlight.
Honeypaw shrugged, finally looking up. "We were waiting for you, so I thought I'd see what stars looked like in this stream. Our stream—part of the boundary between ShadowClan and ThunderClan—is blocked by trees, so the stars don't shine in it."
"Can't you look in the lake?" Mosspaw asked, wondering which star was Hollyleaf.
"Yes, but the lake hardly moves, and I wanted to see stars in a stream," Honeypaw purred, glancing over her shoulder at the two other apprentices. "I guess we'd better get going now."
Mosspaw padded slowly beside Flamepaw, who was now padding alongside the bank of the stream. She glanced at the water, wondering if it was cold. Honeypaw dropped back to pad alongside her, and Mosspaw suddenly got a brilliant idea. She leaned closer to Honeypaw and whispered her idea to her, and to her delight, Honeypaw nodded excitedly and trotted back up to Nightpaw.
"Hey, Nightpaw," she meowed, stopping by the edge of the stream again. Nightpaw glanced back, and, with a small sigh, padded back to his sister. Flamepaw and Mosspaw stopped beside them too, the two she-cats giving each other knowing looks.
"Yeah?" Nightpaw asked, holding out a paw to dab it in the water. "We're going to be late if you keep holding us up."
"Oh, what's the harm in being late?" Honeypaw exclaimed, raising her paws and shoving Nightpaw into the water. Purring, Mosspaw did the same to Flamepaw, and the two toms resurfaced with a yowl.
"That water's cold!" Flamepaw hissed, standing up and shaking himself. The water came up past his chest, so it didn't do much good. "Let's get them!" he added, getting a nod of approval from Nightpaw.
Before they could climb out of the water, Mosspaw and Honeypaw gave a running leap and cleared the stream by a mousetail. They nearly collided with four other cats—Waterpaw, Icepaw, Mistpaw, and Sunpaw, to be exact.
Waterpaw and Sunpaw both raced over to the bank and helped Nightpaw and Flamepaw out. The four she-cats all started racing away before the toms could start themselves, needing to gain a head start so they wouldn't be punished too severely once the toms caught up.
Mosspaw felt so much joy in racing across the moorland; it was just so amazing to be running freely just for the sake of it without any trees or bushes in the way. Of course, there was the occasional rabbit hole, but once spotted, they were easy to avoid.
She stopped suddenly, skidding into Honeypaw, who had bumped into Mistpaw. The WindClan she-cat had suddenly crouched down, but before Mosspaw could see why, Icepaw ran into her, the toms following close behind.
Regaining her balance, Mosspaw looked over Honeypaw's shoulder to see a familiar dark gray tom standing in front of Mistpaw, a confused expression on his face. In a flash, Mosspaw remember the scent on the patch of grass and his name from the Gathering.
"Crowfeather?" she murmured, feeling Flamepaw come up beside her and stare at Crowfeather as well. The warrior was still staring down at Mistpaw, as if he couldn't tell why there was a WindClan medicine cat apprentice crouching in front of him.
He didn't ask any questions as he lifted his eyes and looked at the other apprentices, but his gaze lingered on Flamepaw and Mosspaw as if he could tell what they were thinking. Without a word, he stepped aside and kept padding down the slope, probably towards the WindClan camp.
Flamepaw and Mosspaw looked at each other, then over their shoulders at the retreating figure of Crowfeather. What were those two cats thinking, leaving scent lying around the border like that? If Leafpool and Crowfeather were going to meet, they could at least be sensible enough to disguise their scent.
I wonder why I'm not angry at Crowfeather for meeting up with Leafpool, she thought, starting to pad after Mistpaw and Honeypaw, who had now recovered and were starting to pad on to the Moonpool. He's an enemy warrior! Yet . . . I almost want them to meet up. That makes absolutely no sense!
Mosspaw suddenly stumbled on a rock jutting out of the earth. Regaining her footing, she looked up at the larger rocks leading up to a higher ledge where she could just see some brambles. With a deep breath, she clambered up the boulders, not stopping to rest until she reached the top.
Once up there, she sat down and waited for the others to reach the top as well. Sunpaw and Flamepaw had already arrived before her, and Sunpaw was now telling Flamepaw about something. Honeypaw leaped up the last boulder and came to a stop beside Mosspaw, also sitting down to catch her breath.
". . . the loners from the horseplace?" Sunpaw was saying, and Flamepaw nodded. "Well, there's two gray and white cats, as well as a black one."
Icepaw reached the top, turning around to help Mistpaw up.
"I was on a hunting patrol with Sunstrike and some other cats, when we saw the black cat—I think I heard his name was Blackshadow—sitting on the top of the fence and staring across the lake towards ShadowClan territory," Sunpaw continued. "Smoky, one of the gray and white cats, said something to him, and Blackshadow replied, saying 'I'm just waiting for the right time.' Isn't that weird?"
Flamepaw nodded, and Nightpaw and Waterpaw, who had reached the top, moved closer to listen as well.
"But that's not the weirdest part. A crow suddenly swooped down from the sky, followed by a second, and landed a few fox-lengths away from Blackshadow. The poor cat yowled and leaped off the fence, nearly landing on Smoky. I think he's scared of crows!" Sunpaw purred, starting to push his way through the brambles.
All the other cats purred with him, following him through the thorns. The spot they were going through wasn't nearly as thick as around it, but the thorns still tugged annoyingly at Mosspaw's fur and clawed her nose.
"That sounds like Blackshadow," some cat murmured. All the apprentices froze. It was obvious that none of them had spoken.
Mosspaw cautiously looked down the pathway to the Moonpool. There, standing by the edge of the Moonpool and looking warily up at them, were two cats; one gray, one ginger. There was something familiar about them, but Mosspaw just couldn't place what it was.
"Who are you?" Waterpaw called out, pushing his way forward to see better. All the apprentices crowded forward as well, all wanting to see a glimpse of the two cats.
The gray cat glanced at his companion, probably wondering if they should tell strangers. "First tell us who you are," he replied, stepping closer to the ginger cat.
"We're Clan cats," Sunpaw replied. "We live in four different Clans that are—"
"We know what the Clans are," the gray cat interrupted. "What are you going to do with us now?"
"We don't even know your names!" Waterpaw yowled. His tone didn't sound exasperated, more like he just felt like yelling. Waterpaw could be strange sometimes.
"Do you go around finding out the names of loners before you report them to your leader?" the ginger cat called out, her whiskers twitching as she tried to keep from laughing.
"No, we don't, but what are your names?" Icepaw meowed, pushing her way closer to the front to stand beside her brother.
This whole time, Mosspaw was trying to figure out why they were so familiar. Had she seen them before? Maybe on patrol, or . . . had they been brought to ThunderClan when she was a kit?
Suddenly, it clicked.
The gray tom sighed and flicked his tail. "I'm—"
"Thorntail and Rosethorn!" Mosspaw exclaimed, jumping into the air with satisfaction. These were the cats she had dreamt about! But why had it taken so long to realize who they were?
Mosspaw trotted down the pathway, closer and closer to the two cats. As she neared, she breathed in their scent, hoping to remember it. Sure enough, their scents were the same as in StarClan. She relaxed, part of her duty done. Now, to convince them to join a Clan, assure the other cats that they were safe to be around, and find the other two cats that were Rosethorn and Thorntail's friends, and she wouldn't have to worry about them anymore! Shouldn't be too hard.
"How do you know our names?" Thorntail asked carefully, taking a step away from her. "We've never met before."
"Yeah, Mosspaw, how do you know their names?" Flamepaw called from where the others were still standing. "And what are loners doing by our sacred Moonpool?"
"I dreamt about Rosethorn and Thorntail. Hollyleaf told me they were being sent back to the Clans from a long time ago, to give them a better life," Mosspaw explained. "There are also two other cats that were sent back, but I have no idea who they are."
"Then you used to be from StarClan?" Mistpaw asked quietly, creeping down to approach the two cats as well. Rosethorn nodded, making Mistpaw perk up with excitement. She seemed to be in awe.
"I expect the other two cats that were sent back are Blackshadow and Applefur; they're mates, so they may be together," Thorntail meowed, as the other apprentices finally overcame their wariness and trooped down to join them.
"Blackshadow!" Sunpaw exclaimed in delight. "The tom scared of crows?"
Thorntail nodded, both him and Rosethorn purring. "Do any of you know Applefur?" Rosethorn asked, her gaze lighting on all the cats. She stopped at Honeypaw, who was staring wide-eyed back at her. "She's got a similar fur colour as me. . . ."
Honeypaw looked away. "There's an Applefur in my Clan," she mumbled. "But she's been there ever since I was born; before that, even."
"What Clan do you live in?" Rosethorn prompted, seeming keen on finding out where her friend was.
"ShadowClan," Honeypaw replied, looking up at the older she-cat. "I'm positive Applefur was born in ShadowClan."
Rosethorn nodded. "That would make sense; in the old forest, I don't think Applefur took much of a liking to ShadowClan—no offense—so I would find it hard to believe she decided to live there willingly."
"Aren't you from StarClan?" Icepaw asked curiously. "Wouldn't you have known where they are?"
"They were kept from the knowledge," a voice behind them all spoke. The eight apprentices turned around to see eight more cats standing behind them, all with starshine in their fur. StarClan had come to see them?
"Hollyleaf!" Mosspaw purred, spotting the black she-cat standing just behind the cat that had spoken. She darted forward and touched noses with the StarClan cat happily, glad to see her again. A visible bond was growing between them fast.
A beautiful golden she-cat approached Mosspaw, her gaze bright and happy. "Mosspaw," she meowed quietly. Mosspaw turned to look at her and nodded. "Please tell Leafpool that I am with StarClan now," she whispered. "I am Mothwing."
Mosspaw held back a gasp, her tail and ears perking straight up. Mothwing had been accepted into StarClan! Leafpool would be so pleased.
"We are here to give you eight apprentices some special abilities," meowed the cat that had first spoken. He was flame-coloured, much like Flamepaw himself, and he had the same sort of form as Flamepaw. . . .
"Are you Firestar?" Mistpaw asked timidly from where she stood beside a brown tom.
"I am," Firestar meowed, turning to look at the light gray she-cat. "And now that we are all together, line up, facing us."
Mosspaw drew back, backing up closer to the edge of the Moonpool. Hollyleaf took her place a few pawsteps in front of her, nodding ever so slightly.
Flamepaw was beside her, facing Firestar, and on her other side, Honeypaw was facing another flame-coloured tom.
Flamepaw was first in whatever was happening. Firestar took a step forward and rested his muzzle on Flamepaw's head, just like what a leader would do to a new warrior. As Mosspaw watched, she saw fire suddenly rise up from ground and surround Flamepaw, getting closer and closer, until it engulfed him. She cringed, waiting for Flamepaw to cry out in pain, but he didn't move a muscle. Firestar whispered something undetectable to him and moved away. Flamepaw turned his head to stare at his pelt in amazement, which was flaming, and dipped his head to Firestar.
Mosspaw glimpsed a look of shock from Thorntail and Rosethorn before Hollyleaf approached her. She rested her muzzle on Mosspaw's head, the same as Firestar had done. Moss appeared and started advancing towards Mosspaw, creeping faster and faster until it overtook her pelt.
It was surprisingly comfortable, though, and Mosspaw felt like she'd be able to lie on thorns and not feel a thing. Hollyleaf lifted her muzzle off Mosspaw's head and whispered to her, "You now have the power to change your pelt into moss. It will be helpful to blend in with your surroundings."
Mosspaw looked down at her moss pelt, realizing that if she scrunched up tight into a ball, she might be able to pass for a moss-covered rock. Maybe.
The other apprentices underwent similar transformations. Honeypaw became a glob of sticky honey, Nightpaw nearly vanished when he became like a shadow, Waterpaw started dripping with water, Icepaw became as hard and shiny as ice, and probably as cold as ice too, and Mistpaw also seemed to disappear from sight.
When it was Sunpaw's turn, he became a dazzling burst of really bright light, but he soon learned to tone it down and how to control it.
All the apprentices were astonished by what had just happened. Mosspaw lifted a paw and unsheathed her claws. They were barely visible from the moss-fur that was covering them, but when she poked her leg experimentally, the point of a claw was certainly there, and sharp.
Concentrating on what her regular pelt looked like, Mosspaw closed her eyes. When she opened them, her fur was back to the normal dark brown tabby pattern it always was, almost the same exact pattern as Bramblestar. The change hadn't felt like anything; it had just changed without her noticing.
Looking up, she noticed that the other apprentices had changed back as well, and were now watching Firestar as he approached Rosethorn and Thorntail.
"Now that you have been brought to the Clans, you must choose a Clan to live in," Firestar instructed. "It is your choice, of course, but it is always easier for a Clan cat to live in a Clan rather than live as loners or rogues."
A dark ginger she-cat, the one standing in front of Nightpaw, left to join Firestar. "Whichever Clan you choose, remember that it is only temporary. All four of you—Blackshadow and Applefur included—must choose the same Clan to be in, but it's not one of these four," she meowed.
Mosspaw looked up at Hollyleaf in confusion. "Are there other Clans?"
Hollyleaf purred, flicking Mosspaw with her tail. "You'll find out in due time."
Mosspaw sighed, shaking her head. "StarClan cats," she muttered under her breath.
Thorntail and Rosethorn looked at each other. They seemed to know exactly what the other was thinking. They were mates, after all, and weren't mates supposed to think as one? Unless . . . they really, really, really, really, really, really hated each other. But then why would they be mates?
Thorntail looked over at Mosspaw. "What Clan did you say you were from, Mosspaw?"
"I . . . didn't say. I'm from ThunderClan."
Thorntail turned away so they couldn't see his expression. "Crazy coincidences," Mosspaw heard him mutter.
"Okay, we'll join ThunderClan. Mosspaw was the only one to get a dream concerning us," he announced to any cat who felt like hearing. Rosethorn nodded in agreement, and they both stood up.
"Hold on," another she-cat meowed, halting all movement from cats. She was a spotted she-cat; most likely Leopardstar, by the looks of her.
"Before you all leave, there are two more things that need to be told," she told them.
"Right," a black and white tom agreed. Turning to Rosethorn and Thorntail, he meowed, "First, you have to promise to never to speak of what happened here at the Moonpool."
"Yes, Tallstar," Rosethorn meowed solemnly, with Thorntail nodding beside her.
"Second," the other flame-coloured tom meowed, "is that you apprentices are also equipped with telepathic communication. You'll find it comes in handy."
"What do you mean, Flametail?" Honeypaw asked, tilting her head to one side.
"And what in StarClan is something communication?" Waterpaw added.
"Telepathic communication means that you eight apprentices will be able to speak to each other through your minds. It is quite rare, and only given to cats that especially need it," Flametail explained.
"In your case, if the beasts come along, you might want to send for reinforcements, correct?" Mothwing meowed. "Sending a message through your mind is quicker than sending a cat, especially if there is no other cat."
"Will we be able to talk to other cats?" Sunpaw asked.
"Yes . . ." Tallstar meowed slowly. "But they probably won't know what's going on, and might not answer."
"What about StarClan cats?" Mistpaw asked timidly. Mosspaw noted that Mistpaw always seemed a bit shy around other cats. Hopefully she wouldn't be the same during a battle with the beasts, whatever they were.
"Probably," the brown tom in front of her meowed. "But it'll be up to the cat you're trying to talk with to decide if they want to answer, so don't be disappointed if you don't get an answer."
Mistpaw nodded. "Thank you, Barkface."
"I have a question," Flamepaw announced, standing tall. All faces turned to him, expectantly. "Just what are these beasts we have to fight? We need to know so we'll be ready."
"Oh, you'll know it when you see them," Hollyleaf muttered. "They're large, larger than a dog," she added. After that, the StarClan cats disappeared, leaving eight apprentices and two warriors alone at the Moonpool.
"Well," Nightpaw murmured, looking around at the others, "I guess we'd better get back home. Dawn will be here in a little while." The others nodded, and they all started up the path. Mosspaw beckoned to Rosethorn and Thorntail, and the two cats followed the apprentices.
Suddenly an extremely loud yowl followed by a cry sounded from outside the borders of the Moonpool. Sunpaw and Mistpaw jumped back, being the closest to the brambles.
The apprentices all looked at each other, wondering what was going on. "Should we look?" Mosspaw asked quietly, not sure if she wanted to know.
A furious hiss sounded, making the apprentices bunch together. Thorntail had his ears pricked, listening. "Some cats are fighting," he meowed. "We should go make sure it's not over something pointless."
Before they could push their way through the brambles, they all heard an eerie screech. The words chilled Mosspaw through to her bones.
"I'm going to kill you!"
A/N: Oooo... Cliffhanger. Anybody got any idea who just said that? Please answer in your review! (And please review! =^.^=) Next chapter will come soon, depending on how many reviews I get :D