Chapter 28: The fallen and the rising...

Swiftpaw felt the urge on consciousness drawing her out of the comforting sleep, she groaned irritably as she became more and more aware of what was going on around her. With a sigh, shrunk down deeper into the soft bedding. Wait.. that's fur... She breathed in the scent and recognised Snowpaw immediately. She opened one eye and saw him looking down on her with bright amber eyes. "Why did I have to wake up?" Swiftpaw groaned, putting her head on her paws.

Snowpaw chuckled, and flicked her with his tail. "Because Lionblaze is worried sick?" he suggested. "In fact, your entire family is rather paranoid."

Swiftpaw nodded, and reluctantly sat up, her chest giving her a sharp jolt of pain as she did so. "What about you?"

Snowpaw's eyes widened. "I was terrified!" he suddenly realised what he said as Swiftpaw raised her eyebrows and gave him a cheeky smirk.

"Oh really?"

"um...well.. yes...but...oh be quiet!" Snowpaw hissed half-heartedly. His eyes locked on a shape behind Swiftpaw. She slowly turned around to see Jayfeather curled around Ravenpaw, both were snoring quietly. "It seems like Toadstep has competition for the father position!" Snowpaw joked quietly. Swiftpaw nodded, the medicine cat was normally so hostile, but there sleeping, curled around Ravenpaw, he looked like the most devoted father or big brother ever seen, ready to be wounded before anything could get to his precious burden that he protected.

Jayfeather's ear twitched, and his head raised from his paws, he looked down on Ravenpaw as if he could see her and purred, obviously hearing her peaceful breathing. His head went in Snowpaw's direction. "Nightmares?"

"Not one." Snowpaw purred.

Swiftpaw had no idea what they were on about, the last couple of days she had been oblivious to her surroundings, filled with poppy seeds and fighting an infection, she had been too busy fighting her own battles to know what Ravenpaw was going through. "It good to hear you up and about Swiftpaw, go outside, you could do with some fresh air." Jayfeather growled, his tone slightly light.

Swiftpaw didn't know if it was an order or not, but went outside anyway, her legs stiff and chest aching, but she had Swiftpaw ready to help her if she fell.

She blinked the sun out of her eyes, it was just past dawn, and the sun was already in the sky, making its climb to sunhigh. She laid down on the ground under the highledge, she surveyed the camp while Snowpaw went to get her fresh kill.

The trees were in full leaf, the life of Greenleaf was showing brightly. The air was cooler, fresh with the recent rain, the clearing was mostly empty, with warriors and apprentices out doing duties. But Swiftpaw did see Brightheart pad out of the warrior's den and rasp a lick on Snowpaw's head, of course with a groan in return. Then to Swiftpaw's surprise she trotted over to her. "Hello Swiftpaw, nice to see you up and about."

Swiftpaw looked down at her lazy shape, soaking in the morning sun, hardly up and about at all. "Well in a way.." Brightheart chuckled.

"How's Cloudtail?"

Brightheart purred and shook her head. "Went out on dawn patrol, his paw still hurts and he insists on going out with Blackpaw to train. Mousebrain."

Swiftpaw smiled as she saw Snowpaw trying to pull a rabbit from under the fresh kill pile, her smile turned into a fit of huge laughter as the rabbit was pulled out, but Snowpaw was not expecting it and did a messy backward roll into the medicine den entrance, scattering the leaves that protected the den. Swiftpaw and Brightheart reacted with a huge burst of laughter as Snowpaw frowned, trying to gain back some sort of dignity.

...

Mysticpaw scraped past the bramble barrier of the Darkclan camp, growling as his pelt snagged on a thorn and was torn off in the process. He carried a juicy rabbit, the smell of warm fresh kill was refreshing on his tongue, and it was now the middle of Greenleaf, with the sun a scorching blur of light, and the sky a brilliant blue expanse without a single cloud. The recent rain had brought life back to the forest, with the trees bright and the prey in abundance. He shook his head, whisking a irritating fly away from his already flustered face. His short fur was helping with the heat, but it was hotter than Mysticpaw had ever experienced. Beside him his mentor Lightshadow padded quietly, her breathing soft and gentle. Her long black tail snaked across the ground, she looked at Mysticpaw with an approving yellow gleam, she carried a squirrel, fat on the endless produce the forest seemed to be giving lately.

He reached the opening to the camp, with a intake of air he padded into the camp with his tail held high. He wanted to impress his father, who would no doubt be reporting to the dark forest leaders on every cat's progress. He scanned the camp with curious amber eyes, he saw his mother grooming Swallowpaw, paying special attention to her now scarred ear. He rolled his eyes, his mother cared so much more about his sister than himself and Nightpaw, the two brothers had terribly scarred pelts, and ears for that matter, received from the beatings of the dark forest and his father. "You go and give that rabbit to the new cats, they're going to need it." Lightshadow mewed before turning away to place her contribution to the pile. The new ones...

Recently a few new cats had joined Darkclan, more of the cats found from the twoleg place and brought to Darkclan by Dogfang who was in charge of the "operation" as it was called. This time though, they were all apprentice age. There was three, all she cats. Two of which were sisters.

With a proud and formidable stance he padded over to them, they were sitting by largerock, the place of meetings with unsure expressions. Mysticpaw placed the rabbit on the ground and decided to make sure these cats knew he was important from the start, well that's what his father had told him to do, and no doubt the dark forest wanted him to adopt that attitude, and they were the cats that Mysticpaw made sure he followed, because if not his doom would be expected.

"Hello. I'm Mysticpaw I don't believe we have met, I guess you've had your apprentice ceremony?"

The shyest, a golden brown tabby with a white chest and paws, and mystifying blue eyes spoke up. "We have, I'm Gingerpaw, Minnowtail's apprentice."

Mysticpaw's amber eyes sharpened with interest. The healer's apprentice? "Well that's good, we need another healer. This clan is getting too big for one cat to look after. So what's your story Gingerpaw?"

Gingerpaw looked unsure for a moment, before replying "My mother got run over by a car, or as you call it a monster. My dad was never around and I was the only kit, your clan found me and looked after me, and taught me about being in a clan till I was ready to come here."

Mysticpaw felt a tug on his heart strings at the tragic tale, but regained his confident composure quickly. "Well it's just as well that we did." He turned to the other two, one was another golden tabby but she had green eyes, and the other was a calico and white with blue eyes. "And you two?"

"I'm Thicket, and this is my sister Maple. We haven't been apprenticed, we have to wait till tonight for the dark forest to do the ceremony. Our twolegs abandoned us, and we had to fight to survive. We had to use our claws to get a meal, so I think we will do well in this clan." Thicket growled, letting her claws unsheathe. Mysticpaw frowned, knowing she could competition. But secretly he was impressed. These two looked like the formidable cats that the dark forest could turn into their own personal army. Mysticpaw knew he had to keep his eye open when training with these two.

"So you've learnt our customs?" Mysticpaw asked.

"Yes. We know about the dark forest, Starclan and everything a clan is. But I've been wondering why is Darkclan the only clan that follows the Darkforest?" Thicket mewed.

Maple frowned and cuffed her sister round the head. "Mousebrain! Haven't you learnt anything? The dark forest are the reason this wonderful clan helped us! They helped it's leader Breezestar to create it, they teach us and mentor us to be the most feared warriors of them all, Darkclan has taken territory and is never weak thanks to the mentors in the Darkforest! You should be more grateful to be welcomed into this powerful empire." Maplepaw mewed, her tone light but full of conviction, she obviously cared for her sister but also wanted her to share her firm beliefs in the dark forest. Mysticpaw nodded, Maple would go far with the Darkforest.

Thicket nodded, looking slightly surprised at her sister's outburst. "Of course maple, in fact I can't wait to meet them."

Mysticpaw felt his stomach churn, these cats believed the dark forest were their saviours, little did they know that they meant nothing to the so called "mentors" they could be replaced easily and were simply only useful if they could fight and follow orders. They had no idea that the dark forest was just a place of death, filled with killers and traitors. All they wanted was power and they would sacrifice anything or anyone to get it. With a death sentence hanging over Mysticpaw's head he knew it was his duty to make these cats as loyal as possible to Tigerstar and his rouges, even if he knew it was wrong.

A yowl above their heads made the apprentices look up. "Let all cats old enough to fight, join beneath the largerock for a clan meeting." Mysticpaw recognised his father's loud summons, he led the three new cats round so they could look up to see his father without much difficulty. Breezestar was standing high on the rock, with his chest puffed out and his amber eyes gleaming in the fading light of the sunset, his fur was tinged orange and the sun was fading behind him, casting a mysterious shadow on his face.

"It is almost night, the other clans sleep but Darkclan prepares for its greater future. We are the strongest clan, we will always be the strongest clan. This is why we train my clanmates, one day our clan will be unstoppable, so victorious that not even all the four clans combined can stop us!" Breezestar yowled, the clan let out a yowl of excitement, many sounded like battle cries, Mysticpaw made sure his was loud and clear, knowing his father would approve. He simply had to act completely loyal to the dark forest, or everything he cared about would be taken away from him.

"Tonight, is a special night. We have three new apprentices, and when we sleep some shall be chosen to go to the apprentice ceremony for two of them. Gingerpaw, as most of you have discovered is now our apprentice healer."

"Gingerpaw! Gingerpaw!" yowled the clan, Gingerpaw ducked her head under the praise.

"Go to your nests, and Dogfang gather the patrols for the dawn patrol." Breezestar ordered with a low growl. Dogfang dipped his head in acknowledgement.

The meeting broke up and the cats of Darkclan made their way down the tunnels to their nests, Mysticpaw saw Minnowtail lead Gingerpaw to the healer's den, and a loud Redpaw leading Thicket and Maple down the tunnel that would lead to their den. With a sigh and a tinge of unease at the prospect of going to the dark forest again, Mysticpaw followed them and settled into his nest in the warm den.

As he settled into the nest, all was quiet. All the other apprentices were asleep and twitching occasionally as they dreamed. Mysticpaw wished he had their peace, but he was plagued by the thoughts that if he put a paw wrong he could be murdered, every visit to the dark forest was almost suicide. With quiet whimper he tucked his tail over his nose and gave in to sleep.

Mysticpaw blinked his amber eyes open to see the murky fog that covered the dark forest. He groaned quietly, but he knew there was no going back. He looked to his left to see Clawpaw looking down on him, beside him stood Maple and Thicket, both had faces full of nervousness and awe. Redpaw groaned as they dawdled. Mysticpaw stood up, and with a sweep of his tail the apprentices followed him, closing ranks behind him. He felt a grin plaster his face, knowing the power he had over these cats. "Let's go."