A/N: Day late. Oh well, it's Easter! :D
Reviews:
Silver wolf rain- thanks!
XxSilverslashxX- thanks for reviewing!
Wishheart01- totally right!
Dragonflywing- cool, thanks! Hmm... might be able to use him, I'll see!
xWillowsongx of RiverClan- I would do a cat with her eyes but a more slate gray pelt ;)
Okay, next update might land on Friday or Saturday morning, maybe even Sunday evening. My bro's birthday party is on Friday, and on Saturday and Sunday I'm going to be up at my aunt's place where I don't have wifi. So we'll see.
Chapter Twelve: Common Sense
"Ravenheart, hurry!" Rabbitpaw cried.
"What are they trying to do?" Nimble asked.
Rabbitpaw flicked her ears to show that she heard her, "Ravenheart!"
"Coming!" another large rock was flung into the hole.
"Well, if you can't get to the ground you have to make it come to you," Rabbitpaw answered her question with a smirk and pushed on the rocks to get them closer together.
The fighting increased on top of the chasm and the rocks stopped falling. Rabbitpaw began to shiver, her fear scent clearly noticeable. Another dark form paused above the ledge and paced it for a heartbeat or two before stopping. In a blink of an eye he had leaped down.
"Akain!" Rabbitpaw squealed.
"Hey kit, what predicament have you gotten yourself into now?" he smiled, his frosty gaze meeting Nimble's.
"You came back…" she whispered.
"Of course I did," he glanced up at the fighting scene, "We can't stay long. The wall is still too high, but if we work together we might all be able to get out." Akain leaped up on top of the pile of stones, "Rabbitpaw, get on my back and you might be able to grip the ground."
"O-okay," she flinched as she sunk her claws into his fur to get a good enough grip. He rose up a bit and she just managed to catch a solid root with her paws. For a moment she was dangling in mid-air before she pushed herself up.
Another loud battle cry came.
"Retreat!" Ravenheart's cry shattered the sounds of fighting as the clan cats broke off.
"Go!" Akain snarled, "Come on Nimble, up on my shoulders."
"They'll kill you," she stated, not budging.
"At least it won't be you," he retorted, "Now come on, I don't have all day!"
"No. I refuse. You'll have to drag me up."
Akain snarled, "Go!" he spotted Rabbitpaw still waiting, "Kit, your clan needs you."
Rabbitpaw's undecided gaze flickered back and forth from the two of them. If she didn't go now she would be surrounded completely with no hope of escape. Both Akain and Nimble's gazes betrayed the simple fact. With one more quick glance at Akain Rabbitpaw took off.
"I can't believe you cut it that close!"
Rabbitpaw hissed, "At least I had some courage. You just ran off!"
"I call it more like common sense!" Ravenheart growled back.
"I would say it was bravery that lacked thinking," a voice sounded from behind them.
"Akain!" Rabbitpaw spun around, "Wait… how did you manage to escape?"
A smug look appeared on his muzzle, "Oh, well, I am a master story teller." His face fell, "We're back to square one… but it is bound to be made harder this time."
Ravenheart blinked, not saying anything.
"You're just going to give up?" Rabbitpaw turned on him, "We have to save Nimble! The whole clan's fate could rest on it-"
Akain rested his muzzle on her head to silence her, "Wisdom comes with age, and also patience. Maybe it is time to involve your leader now? After all, she should have known about this in the beginning. Unfortunately as soon as you get the rest of the clan involved I cannot help anymore. It is too risky if somebody is loose mouthed."
"You are right," Ravenheart choose his words carefully, "Maybe with FieldClan's help we can bring around an era of peace."
Akain nodded, "I must go now. My story hasn't knocked all suspicion off my back. I have some… things to deal with, and you all must go before they track you down."
"Of course," Ravenheart swished his tail for Rabbitpaw to follow, "The others have continued on ahead of us."
Shock was clearly written all over Blizzardstar's face.
"We are sorry we didn't let you know sooner," Wolfshadow apologized, hoping to curve the young leader's temper.
"You fools!" her tail lashed, "While you were off running around playing games with enemy we were actually planning! Now look what you have done! First of all, you are all untrained for this. Did you ever think of that? And taking an apprentice into battle like that! I'm surprised Rabbitpaw is still here! Not to mention your pelts! If you want it to work you need skilled senior warriors with dark pelts to blend into the night. Ones that don't allow their emotions to play a role! I frankly thought I had taught you better, Ravenheart! And the rest of you- did you ever stop to think what this could do to the whole clan?"
Even the fiery Emberstrike studied her paws, shame coursing through her pelt. Hazelblossom was shaking all over and Wolfshadow wrapped his tail protectively around her, glaring at Blizzardstar. Stormdance was nervously licking shaky paws. Ravenheart flinched at every word spoken. Only Rabbitpaw was seemingly unshaken.
"I can fight," her gaze was challenging.
Ravenheart cuffed her over the ears, "I am sorry, Blizzardstar, for my apprentice's behavior. And I am also sorry for mine. We shouldn't have charged off like that, it was a foolish thing to do."
Blizzardstar shook her head sadly, "I sorry too, for what I have to do now. Rabbitpaw, for a whole moon you will have Dovetalon as your mentor. Maybe he will teach you what you need to know about self-control and respect for the short time he has you. The rest of you will take over the apprentice jobs of keeping the dens clean and hunting."
She got up and strolled out of the den.
"Raven-" Rabbitpaw began.
"Don't talk to me," Ravenheart snarled and followed the white-pelted leader out.
"I don't see why I have to learn this! I can already hunt fine! Ravenheart taught me!"
Dovetalon rammed into her side, knocking her down and making a moan escape her lips, "Because you have the worst hunting crouch I have ever seen in clan history! Look! It was easy enough for me to unbalance you."
Rabbitpaw got to her paws, "This clan doesn't have much history to talk about."
"Your weight is too much on your back paws- try to even it out."
Rabbitpaw growled put adjusted properly, this time not falling when Dovetalon rammed into her.
"Very good," he said his first words of praise all day, "Tomorrow we will continue. Maybe work on your tracking skills."
"My tracking skills are fine!" Rabbitpaw hissed, "They don't need work!"
Dovetalon tilted his head, "Or… you could clean every nest in the camp tomorrow, your choice."
"Fine, we'll work on my tracking skills, not that they need any work!" Rabbitpaw shouted over her shoulder and stormed off.
"Hollypaw, Wildpaw, do you both promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect your clan, even at the cost of your lives?" Lionstar asked, his amber eyes flickering from one to the other.
"I do," Hollypaw announced without hesitation.
Wildpaw's breath caught in her throat and for a moment she was afraid that she wouldn't be able to utter the two simple words, "I do."
Lionstar nodded, "By the power that StarClan invested in me I now name you Hollyshade and Wildsong, respectively. StarClan honors both of your determination and personalities and we welcome you as full warriors of FieldClan."
Wildsong looked around the gathering clearing, her chest puffed out. Both FieldClan and ForestClan warriors cheered Hollyshade's and her name. The two new ForestClan warriors, Sunleap and Bonefoot, also bounded up to them.
"So, we are not that much behind you, actually," Sunleap purred.
"You're lucky you are the leader's kits," Wildsong smirked, "Otherwise I'm sure you would have had to wait until the next gathering.
"Nu-uh!" Sunleap waved her tail wildly.
Bonefoot dropped down into a hunting crouch and surged forward, catching her tail into his mouth playfully, "We did pass our assessments with flying colors," his voice was muffled by tail-fur.
"I bet my assessment was better than yours!" Wildsong licked one of her paws, "Hollyshade and I almost fed the whole clan!"
Sunleap yanked her tail out of Bonefoot's mouth, shooting her brother a glare, "Probably Hollyshade did most of the work!"
Wildsong couldn't allow their insults to ruin her day!
"Well, I'm sure Bonefoot did most of your work!"
Sunleap looked at her paws, "I did enough to pass…"
The new FieldClan warrior beamed triumphantly.
So that's what you've come to. Did you know that Sunleap barely passed?
She deserved it then.
No, she didn't. She barely passed because she was chasing a mouse and sprained her paw. She's lucky to be here tonight, even though she had just as much skills as her brother or any other warrior… or you for the matter.
Just leave me alone, okay? Dumb mind… why are you always arguing with me! Why am I even talking to you?
Mind? Ha!
You're not my mind?
I'll see you tonight, Wildsong.
What?
I'll see you tonight.
A/N: I wasn't quite the happiest with the ending of this chapter. Oh well, it was a day late after all so I figured it needed to be put out.
YAY! Wildsong has her warrior name! So do Sunleap and Bonefoot! Poor Rainkit and Crystalkit, they should've been there too :( Yeah, I'm dumb for killing them off last book...
AND (SPOILER) BLIZZARDSTAR WILL BE HAVING MORE KITTIES SOON! YAY FOR FOREST AND HER!
So, since I basically killed Rainkit before she got a chance and she was Stormfeather's kit, then I'd like to give her the chance to make one of the kits. I, personally, would like to make one since Crystalkit was the only kit I made in the litter and I ended up killing her also. That leaves... let's just say maybe ONE or TWO kits that you guys can make! Just start submitting kits and I'll choose 1 or 2 of them to appear in her litter! It just depends on which kit I like, so don't go complaining to who-knows-who if your kit doesn't get chosen. Also, please include a brief description of their PERSONALITY and a WARRIOR NAME (or a couple different possible names) for them!
That's all!
Q) Who do you think is talking to Wildsong at the end?
1-a random dark forest warrior
2- one of her murdered brothers
2- her half-sister, Thundersong
Until next time,
~Willow