Soon Cherrykit returned to the nursery for milk from her foster mother, Sageteller the very kind queen that was one of the three mothers who looks after the long dead Riverstream. But her bothers and sister was ready to play with the other energetic kits, all except the grouchy kit, Ivykit, name after the leader. "Let's play Warriors. I'll be Blazestar, Doveheart could be my deputy and you are all my warriors." Blazekit purred with cuteness as the other kits cheered and began to play, except for Ivykit. "I don't want to play any of your stupid games. I prefer to be alone and train to be an apprentice." The dark tom grunted as he walked away.
But then his brother nipped his tail and and pulled him back to the large group of playful kits as Ivykit complained and whined every step of the way. "Come on, how come Cherrykit and Streamkit could sit this one out and I'm the only one who has to be forced to play your stupid games?!" Ivykit hissed at his brother. "Because Streamkit is listening to the elder's story and Cherrykit is busy eating." Blazekit chirped cutely. The dark tom growled in frustration as they went back to their play place. "Alright are are your warrior names?" The jittery little Blazekit ordered.
"Doveheart!" Dovekit mewed loudly. "Sniffnose!" Sniffkit yelled was well. " Littlebeat..." Littlekit said so very shyly to them. "Clawfoot, senior warrior!" Clawkit mewed. "Juniperflower, the most prettiest of all the clan cats." Juniperkit acted attractive to the young toms. "Great..." Ivykit moaned sarcastically as he began to lie down and close his eyes. "Come on, Ivykit. What is warrior name?" Sniffkit pounced on him, but Ivykit rolled his eyes, not caring. "Warriors don't chose their own name." The dark tom grunted rudely.
"Please... Just play along with us if that is okay?" Littlekit asked politely, shaking a little from fear of being yelled at. Ivykit smiled a little and pretened to be ticked off at everyone else. "Fine. I'll be Ivyeye the elder who sleeps." Ivykit grunted as went back to sleep. "Okay warriors, we need to get to the trees to ambush the rouges in the clan!" Blazekit ordered as he climbed on the root. For Blazekit and Sniffkit was easy, but Clawkit he was having trouble. "Come on Clawfoot. Your name is Clawfoot, use them." Blazekit chuckled. "Be quiet Blazekit." Clawkit grunted.
As Hazeleye watched his kits play he thought of his sister and mater.
When the sun began to set and say goodbye to the world for now with a very beautiful color following it like a head of the pack leading it's wolf brothers, Hazeleye grabbed his litter and brought them back inside to the nursery for some sleep from all the fun and play. "Alright kits, it's time to sleep so you could grow up into warriors like Papa." The brown tom cooed to each of his young daughters and sons. "But I don't wanna..." Cherrykit complained then began to yawn like crazy with little sleepy eyes and trying to get up.
"Goodnight, my kit..." Their father whispered as he tipped toed away, not to disturb the kits or the queens. As he left for the warriors den, he saw they star filled, night sky and wonder if his true love, his flicker of life was watching him and their children right now, regretting being apart from the family. *Good night, Riverstream. I hope to see you in my dreams again.* Hazeleye thought in his mind, hoping that she was listening. It has been many moons since her tragic death by the claws of one of Dragonstar's warriors- Dragonstar... What if he wanted more then just one forest?
The brown tom imagine the horror that could come to the forest. The countless roars of agony, the feel of blood on the grass, the smell of cats oozing blood to death, the sight of all his allies and clanmates dying right before his eye and his kits! *What if that monster goes after them again? I won't allow this, not while I live!* Hazeleye thought but then a tail brushed his shoulder. He'd jumped and turned around to see Maplekiss awake. "Hazeleye! Finally. *Sigh* Ivystar wants you to go on a border patrol near the abandon barn." Maplekiss instructed.
"Oh. Sorry... I'll be on my way..." Hazeleye hesitated as he'd left on his own, forgetting to assemble the patrol. As he got to the barn to make sure that no cat that was not from his clan was in his territory. But then he heard a noise from the bushes. He'd turned his head and sheathed his claws for battle. He'd growled in warning."Oh calm yourself, you barbarian. Unlike you, I have no need to fight like a beast." A voice grunted as a silhouette of a cat jumped to the aged fence. It was a pale fluffy, well groomed, fat tom with a shiny collar around his neck. "Who are you? And what are you doing on my territory?" Hazeleye demanded.
"I'm the most handsome cat of all who walked or breathed, my name is Fluffy Wuffy Kitty knippie kins the fifth of the long line of civilized house cats who lived and breath-" The kittyoet blabbered on and on. "I'll call you Fluffy." The brown warrior interrupted, beginning to feel his patients slipping. "How rude! And I came all this way to warn you about an evil spirit in the abandon farm who is trying to destroy your... Clans, whatever they are called." Fluffy grunted. "What do you mean?" Hazeleye growled angrily, showing his teeth.
"I mean if I were you, I would try to stop the evil inside the barn before it's spreads and reaches a certain cat who has a thing for blood and tells the beast where you all are." Fluffy warned then left, but Hazeleye did not notice as he'd stare at shock of the cat that the kitttypet was referring to. He had no time to think and ran in the barn. His bloodcurdling screams filled the forest as the patrol he was suppose be with ran after him.
The tom was in the deepest and darkest place, he was not sure where he is. The brown warrior did not know what happened that
night in the barn. All he could remember was saying goodnight to the kits, getting instructions to the boarder patrol from Maplekiss who the message was sent from the Morning clan leader, Ivystar, checking the boarders from Morning clan to the abandon barn, getting a warning from a fat, snobby Kittypet with the funny name 'Fluffy', and heading inside when he was attack from behind, but that was it, he could not remember anything else after that. *Did whatever attack me... K-kill me. A-am I... D-dead?*
Hazeleye thought to himself as he'd try to leap out of this, but his body did not move, Was Star clan calling to him, bringing him to the silver she-cat he loved and lost, Riverstream. "R...Riverstream... Riverstream... Riverstream..." The brown tom managed to call out in the darkness over and over. "Hazeleye, You're awake! Thank goodness! Can you hear me?" A voice echoed in his ears, it did not even sound like Riverstream, but a cat he dose know. He grunted in response. "It's me... Pebblestone!" The voice shouted. In the cave, the dark Tortoiseshell medicine cat, Pebblestone smiled in relief that he'd woke up.
"Where... where am I and where are you?" The silhouette of Hazeleye wondered as he tried to jolt up, but then felt great pain. "Don't try to go too fast. You suffered nasty wounds and scars. The patrol found you and brought you back here. You would have died if we didn't reached in time." Pebblestone explained to him as she helped him balance himself. "How long was I asleep?And why is it so dark inside your den?" Pebblestone sighed in sorrow for the poor tom. "Hazeleye it has been nearly ten days since you were injured. And the reason you can't see is because... I could not save your eye or ears, even half of your tail is gone. I'm sorry but, you will never see again." The medicine cat explained sadly.
He couldn't believe this, he will never be warrior again, he'd walked to who knows where for him and he sat down shock of this great horror he had fallen into. "Tell everyone that I'll be moving into the elders den." The tom moaned in sorrow. "I'm sorry, Hazeleye." Pebblestone try to comfort. "No, not Hazeleye... Chewedtail. I don't want the kits to know what happen to me so please keep them from seeing me."
It had been one whole moon since Ha- Chewedtail joined the elders den with Mintbreath, Mole-eyes, and Ribbons and he was
lost in his sorrow. He felt that he has lost too much, his parents abandoning him and sister and turn rouge, his mate one true love Riverstream died in battle, his sister Leaftail leaving the clans, and now his rank as a warrior. He'd wished that he'd died that night just to be with Riverstream again. He did not to know the pain of lost again, like his kit or his friends. He hardly ate, never went outside, never did really anything but mope in his nest. His kits try to visit but the elders kept them away.
Mintbreath had been very irritated of the toms actions. He must do something to save his daughters mate from the deep depression that he once knew. That night before the moon had climbed towards the sky and illuminate the forest like it's brother, Mintbreath awoke the new elder, Hazeleye from his slumber. "Chewedtail, we need to talk." The elderly tom demanded from him as the blinded warrior turned around to what he seems to face him. Even in his blind eyes, were a cat who was completely defeated and was now alone and had nothing left to keep him whole. Mintbreath knew that look too well.
"Leave me be..." The brown elder moaned in agony. The blue tom growled in anger. "GET UP, HAZELEYE! NOW!" Mintbreath Demanded from the defeated one with pure rage and annoyance flowing through him dangerously. The brown warrior slowly got up, but then was forcefully yanked up eye to eye by Riverstream's father. "What is the meaning of this? And I no longer bare the name of a strong warrior." The elder weakly demanded. "Your are that warrior, you idiot! What is with you lately? Why are you not with your kits, connecting with your clanmates, giving warriors advise?" Mintbreath hissed like a terribly angry lion.
Chewedtail pushed Mintbreath's paw out of his way and turned away. "You don't understand what it's like for me. I lost so much, like a cat like you can relate from my past!" The bitter tom growled at him. Very big mistake. The blue tom pounced on him and pinned him down. But the blind tom Bit the paw that pinned him down and he'd manage to claw the elders face. It began with tooth and claw at each other. The kits came to see what was going on. "It's alright, kits. Just elders that need to fight it out. We'll come back later." Ribbons assured them as they left for a game to keep them occupied.
But finally, Mintbreath was victories. "I know what is like to lose what you love most. I had a mate who died from the pain I had gave her, they respect of my clan from breaking the greatest of the warrior code, my son turned evil because I was forced to give him up for a clan, my daughter in a war that I have brought! So don't tell me that I don't know. They'll need you to be their father! Now go before I shred your mouth! End the cycle of suffering." Mintbreath wisely meowed in great truth. "Alright, bring them in."