Chapter 14: The Change

The apprentices were sparing in the Blood Ring, a ring of rocks outside camp where the Warrior Ceremony would take place in a few moons. Shatterbreeze was sitting by the other apprentices as Wolfclaw and Stoneclaw fight furiously. Stoneclaw tears at Wolfclaw's ear and face while the tom stays latched on to his shoulder, digging his fangs deep.

They watched the mass of teeth and claws for a while. Lynxbreeze grinned as Wolfclaw was finally pulled from Stoneclaw's leg and pinned to the ground. The tom cried out. "What! You totally were becoming weak!" His sister chuckled. "Wolfclaw always underestimates Stoneclaw's patience."

Shatterbreeze smiled, and then looked at Lynxbreeze. "How can you even be siblings? You act or look nothing alike!"

Lynxbreeze frowns. "How are you similar to your siblings? I mean, they all got Bloodclan warriors, elite ones at that. You got a Thundie prisoner. Did you do something wrong?"

Shatterbreeze opened her mouth, and then closed it. What did she do to receive Colddusk as a mentor? She was Darkshard's first-born, the heir…right?

She turned at the sound of padding paws. Her mother appeared, along with Chill, to watch the training. Darkshard set her blazing green eyes on the two toms, watching with a small grin on her face. Chill remained emotionless.

Shatterbreeze flattened her ears, returning her teal eyes to the fight. Stoneclaw had pinned Wolfclaw for good. Each suffered deep wounds that bleed, staining the ground beneath them. Panting, the two toms stood, looking over at their leader. Stoneclaw stood tall and proud, Wolfclaw shrank under her sharp gaze. She flicked her tail, dismissing the apprentices. They all scurried off toward camp. Stoneclaw fell in-step with Shatterbreeze.

"That was a good fight, Stoneclaw." She said.

He grinned. "Thanks, I guess."

He slowed and she slowed to stay with him. Other apprentices walked past, too caught up in the fight to notice they were falling behind. Soon, it was just them.

"Um, Shatterbreeze." Stoneclaw shifted his paws, making his shoulder wound bleed more. A drop of blood splashed on the ground from a claw mark on his muzzle. "Can I…tell you something?"

Frowning, Shatterbreeze nodded. Suddenly, he licked her muzzle. He watched her with wide eyes. "Shatterbreeze…I love you. We're only appertinces, but…when I become a Elite..I…forget it, I just-"

Shatterbreeze had recovered from the shock and had put her tail to his mouth, quieting him. She licked his muzzle back. "I love you too."

A rumble vibrated in Stoneclaw's chest as Shatterbreeze snuggled into his chest. Their tails were wound around each other's so tightly, it looked like one.

A black tom with one white paw snarled at the sight he saw in the Gloompuddle. "No! The Obscurity was not supposed to do this!" He slashed at the puddle angrily, causing ripples to widen and disturb the image.

The dark brown tabby tom looked at pacing, fuming tom. "So what do we do? Your little prodigy failed!"

"Silence!" growled the tom. He continued to pace some more. The ice began to seep into his veins again. Or maybe it was the cold again. He wasn't sure.

He stopped, hearing the pitter-patter of light pawsteps. He flicked his ears before leaping backwards, landing on a mud covered she he never had seen here before. The she-cat cried out as his claws sunk through her fur into her skin.

"And who might you be, dearie?" he growled softly in her ear.

Mapleshade appeared. "Found her spying. She's from Starclan. Name's Goldensky."

As soon as the words left Mapleshade's lips, the she-cat's disguise fell from her fur. Stars began to swirl and swoop on her pelt, shining brighter as the mud slipped off her golden, ghostly pelt. Fear burned in her sky-blue eyes.

"What-what are you going to do with me?" she stammered.

"Were you the sister of Kestrelsong?" Scourge inquired.

She shook her head 'yes' vigourisly.

"Excellent." He nodded to Mapleshade, who then latched her jaws roughly around the scruff of Goldensky and dragged her deeper into the forest. Her screeches and sobs slowly faded from their hearing. Scourge then rose and started to follow.

"What are you going to do?" asked Tigerclaw, his amber eyes searching the black tom for any hints.

"Getting my Obscurity back in the right direction." He hissed, and then leapt into the shadows, disappearing from sight.