Note: Tidepaw isn't actually flying in this chapter. It's just a simile.
With that out of the way, please enjoy this chapter!
Chapter 10
Tidepaw miserably trailed after her Clanmates. Hearts heavy, they were headed back to the camp where they would have to share the news of their defeat. Periodically, she glanced at the space to her side, always expecting Rainpaw to be there with words of encouragement. But every time, she found Rainpaw's space empty, reminding her of how her best friend was now the prisoner of WindClan.
Tidepaw now had Rainpaw's name to add to the ever-expanding list of cats she had failed to protect.
She grimaced at the memory of Rainpaw's capture. Boulderpaw had grabbed her while she was trying to soothe the grief of a WindClan she-kit. Tidepaw sympathized with that silver she-kit, despite her grief causing Rainpaw's capture. The sight of her standing over her dying father had reminded Tidepaw of the death of her own father, Quailfeather. But my father's death is different, isn't it? Quailfeather died at my claws, while none of the blame for Galeflight's death lies on his daughter's paws. If only I had been more loyal, all of my crimes could have been avoided.
Tidepaw glanced to her side again, and noticed that Copperpaw was moving to walk beside her.
The reddish brown tom snarled with frustration, and Tidepaw bowed her head in shame. "My sister…" Copperpaw trailed off uncertainly. "I let her get captured. It's my fault. And now, who knows what WindClan could be doing to her?"
Tidepaw moved closer to him in an attempt to make him feel better. "Don't worry," she mewed. "Ravenstar knows that if he lets Rainpaw get hurt in any way, it will cause an even larger war with RiverClan. And even if he is too stupid to realize that, Rainpaw will hit him until she gets her way."
Copperpaw blinked at her. "Tidepaw, you're still joking even now?" he murmured uncertainly. "How can you always be so strong? Isn't it hard some times?"
"I told you, and so did Rainpaw, that you need someone to lean on just as much as the rest of us," Tidepaw mewed, moving in closer to him. "I'll be that cat, if you need me."
In truth, Tidepaw wanted nothing more than to fall to the ground and sob, for the loss of Rainpaw and for the death of the ginger tom that had shown compassion to a Clan which was not his own. But I have to keep moving forward. For Brightpaw's sake, and now for Copperpaw as well. Their needs outweigh my desires completely. And so she trudged on back to the camp, making sure the reddish brown tom beside her never wavered in his wordless march.
…
The cats of RiverClan filed back into their camp, and the despair emanating from them signalled to their Clanmates that they had been utterly defeated. Still, the cats who had not fought padded forward curiously, and began posing their questions.
"You didn't lose the battle, did you?" a tom named Pebbletail hesitantly asked.
Otterstar nodded slowly, and began describing the battle to her Clan. Tidepaw, who had already witnessed her Clan's loss, padded away from the clearing, not at all eager to relive it. She found her paws guiding her into the medicine den, and she stifled the hunger she felt as she padded in.
Tidepaw had expected to find solitude among the herb store, but instead she was greeted by Streampaw, the pale littermate of Rainpaw and Copperpaw. The older apprentice flicked her tail in greeting, but continued to stare at the herb store. It seemed like her thoughts lay elsewhere, somewhere far beyond the lake.
"Nightheart went out to try and find some herbs with Grasstail and Hollyheart," Streampaw murmured. "And wow, all this medicine stuff is beyond convoluted. You're smarter than any of us give you credit for."
Tidepaw cleared her throat, causing Streampaw to glance over and notice for the first time just which apprentice had entered the den. "Oh, Tidepaw!" Streampaw greeted. "I was expecting Rainpaw. Is she very far behind?"
Tidepaw shuddered, staring at her black paw as she spoke. "Rainpaw isn't going to catch up," she admitted, drawing out the words as if that would hurt Streampaw less. "A WindClan apprentice caught her, and she's now a hostage in WindClan camp. I'm so, so sorry."
"What?" gasped Streampaw, nearing falling over from the shock. "How did that even happen? Rainpaw wasn't fighting! She was just carrying herbs to the injured cats!"
"She was trying to comfort a WindClan kit that had snuck onto the battlefield," Tidepaw explained. "She wasn't paying attention to her surroundings while doing so, and the apprentice managed to sneak up on her and hook his claws around her neck."
Streampaw shook, her eyes strangely blank. "No, no," she repeated to herself. "I won't let this happen. I'm going to talk to Mistfur. There must be something we can do!" She stormed out of the den, barging past Tidepaw as she did.
Streampaw had always been particularly close with the deputy. Mistfur had admired her curiosity and creativity from the moment they had first interacted. Streampaw had likewise been in awe of the older she-cat's responsibility and level-headedness, and their age gap had done nothing to hinder their friendship. Streampaw's schemes had always benefited from her powerful friend. But now, it was almost impossible that even their deputy's influence could help Rainpaw.
Tidepaw remained in the medicine den, taking in Rainpaw's now stale scent. She growled in frustration, turning and running out of the den before the knowledge that she could do nothing to help her best friend overwhelmed her.
Bursting out of the medicine den, Tidepaw failed to keep her eyes on what was right in front of her and collided with Amberfang. "S-sorry," she apologized hastily, not wanting to awaken his wrath.
Amberfang examined her like he would size up a rather plump piece of fresh-kill. "Stupid apprentice," he growled after an agonizingly long time. "You should have watched where you were going. I hope you're not running off like my apprentice decided to."
Tidepaw gasped. "Wildpaw ran off?" she asked. "Why? Where?"
Amberfang shrugged. "The moment he heard about Rainpaw's capture, he took off towards WindClan territory," he explained. Worry suddenly flickered through his yellow eyes. "Maybe you could go and find him," he hastily added. "You're not doing any hunting at the moment, and I don't want him to be hurt trying to be some kind of hero. There's no such thing."
"Of course there are heroes among the Clans!" Tidepaw protested, suddenly filled with vindictive fury. Amberfang had callously cut down one of the few cats that had tried to help RiverClan, and now his own apprentice seemed like a mere afterthought to him. Tidepaw had seen the horror, the despair in that WindClan she-kit's eyes when her own father died in front of her. Tidepaw had felt such despair when she had killed her father, but she could barely imagine what the kit must be feeling. And it was all because of Amberfang.
"Really?" Amberfang hissed, his tone hardening. "Then where do you suppose I could find those heroes? How many cats have you seen helping this Clan through our darkest hour? The Clans celebrate their so-called heroes, but here's the truth. This is a world of endless strife. Heroes always fail. And when they do, they carry the weight of their failure until it consumes them utterly, and they become another scourge upon the Clans. Only one who dies for their ideals can remain a hero."
He locked eyes with her for a few moments, and she shrunk back, disturbed by the ferocity of his gaze. Seeing her lack of responses, Amberfang continued. "One need only look at the wreck that Finflutter has become to see the truth behind these cats we call heroes."
"Well, that doesn't sound too hard," Tidepaw shot back. "Maybe I will talk to Finflutter, and find that things aren't as absolute as you say they are."
Amberfang abruptly shrugged, moving past her into the medicine den. "Whatever you want," he grunted, sounding tired. "I'm not sure why I even bother talking with stubborn younger cats."
With that, he vanished into the cave.
Tidepaw's thoughts didn't linger on Amberfang. She bolted out of the camp as soon as he left, determined to find Wildpaw before he could hurt himself. It wasn't until she was halfway to the WindClan border that she wondered what business Amberfang had in visiting the medicine den.
…
She found who she was looking for a few foxlengths before he reached the marshes. Wildpaw was racing towards the WindClan border as swiftly as his paws could carry him, probably doubting the other apprentices' chances of catching him. His hypothesis was completely wrong, but then, he had never seen the extent of what Tidepaw could do.
Tidepaw, wind sweeping through her thick blue-gray fur as she ran faster than she had ever run before, felt like she had been transformed into a WindClan cat. Her throbbing scar made movement agony, and she needed all her willpower to precisely line herself up with Wildpaw. Then, thrusting herself forward, she burst off the ground.
She was flying.
A feeling of ecstasy coursed through her. Tidepaw soared over the ground, clearing the distance between her and Wildpaw. And then, just as quickly as it had begun, her flight ended. She came plummeting back down, crashing into the brown tom as she did. The two apprentices tumbled across the ground, finally rolling to a stop after a few heartbeats.
"Scarred one," an ice-cold, ethereal voice whispered as she lay still. "One with eternal wounds of body and mind, of soul and self. You must conserve your gift. Ragnarok approaches."
Tidepaw let her power slip from her, and her ecstasy faded, replaced by pure pain. She wanted her power. It gave her the strength to help her Clan. But she would not let it define her. Even though I'm worthless without that strength, I won't let it make me forget all other skills I've been taught.
Nearby, Wildpaw had risen. He glanced over, and his eyes filled with anger at the sight of her.
"In StarClan's name, what do you think you're doing?" he snapped.
"Wildpaw," Tidepaw growled back, "what were you thinking? You were just about to cross the border, an act of open defiance against WindClan. We lost today. If one of those warriors saw RiverClan cats just ignoring that defeat, WindClan would descend on us like a storm, destroying us utterly. There would be no chance of survival in our weakened state."
Wildpaw paused, then stared at his paws shamefully. "But, they took Rainpaw," he quietly protested. "We still have to do something. One of my Clanmates is in danger. It's wrong to just sit around uselessly, pretending that things will stay the same."
Tidepaw nodded, standing up and walking over to Wildpaw despite the pain coursing through her. "I know," she agreed, trembling as she spoke. "If I thought it would help Rainpaw, I would tear through all of WindClan myself. But I can't do that. The warrior code says that loyalty to RiverClan comes first. We just have to trust in StarClan, hoping that they'll protect Rainpaw from any harm."
Wildpaw regarded her for a moment. She stared back into his eyes, pleading with him to listen to her before she started questioning her own words. The Clan has to come first. The Clan has to come first. If I don't remember that, things will end up just like last time.
She could still taste Quailfeather's blood in my mouth, and knew that it would never leave her until the end of her days.
"Come with me then," Wildpaw begged, sliding away from her as he did. "Together we can save her."
Tidepaw stopped, hesitating. She thought of Rainpaw, always beside her, always pushing her forward. She thought of Rainpaw's dedication to RiverClan and how she gave strength to her Clanmates. Tidepaw couldn't remember a time where Rainpaw hadn't been her friend. Despite not being born in RiverClan, Rainpaw had been just as much a RiverClan cat as any other. And she had helped so many cats with the medicinal knowledge she possessed.
Like Brightpaw.
Tidepaw's thoughts shifted. To Brightpaw, her last remaining family. To the other apprentices, who still counted her a friend. To the kits of RiverClan. To the elders. To the warriors who fought to protect and uphold the code.
She glanced back at Wildpaw, who was still slowly sliding away from her.
Click.
Tidepaw shot forward, pinning Wildpaw down before he could get up and start to run again.
"No way are you doing that," she snarled, barring her teeth and putting on her best imitation of Darkclaw's growl. "Rainpaw wouldn't want this. She's a RiverClan cat through and through, and she would want her Clan to survive. Right now, what she needs is for RiverClan to wait, and find a way to have her returned diplomatically. And if you can't understand that, then I will beat you down and drag you back to RiverClan camp myself. Understood?"
Wildpaw nodded hastily, not calling her bluff. "I'll come back," he agreed, his eyes showing sincerity. "I won't try anything."
Satisfied, Tidepaw released her grip and started back for the camp.
"I'll beat you someday," Wildpaw muttered as he followed her. "Because you're my rival, Tidepaw."
…
By the time they arrived back at the camp, the day was nearing its close. Nevertheless, Tidepaw had joined a patrol to the west edge of the territory and hunted for fish that would feed her Clan. Excluding a short encounter with Twolegs, the patrol was fairly eventless, and their catch was measly.
Tidepaw waited until Dapplefur, RiverClan's sole queen, had eaten enough to fill her belly so that she could stay healthy and produce milk for her newborn kits. Tidepaw avoided the Nursery out of habit, but Quillpaw visited there often, and had told Tidepaw all about Dapplefur's son Earthkit and daughter Pondkit. They didn't do much more than mewling at the moment, but soon they would be just as lively as Tidepaw and her friends had been a few moons ago.
As Dapplefur headed back to the Nursery to feed her kits, Tidepaw snatched up a few pieces of fish and carried them to the elders' den. Five elders had lived during Tidepaw's days in the Nursery, but now only two toms, Troutfin and Morningclaw, remained. The whole Clan had mourned the passing of the other three.
Tidepaw's scar ached as she padded into the den and set the fish down before the elders. "I brought you this meal," she said, giving the two toms that had spent their lives serving her Clan a bow.
Morningclaw snatched a fish and began sniffing it with disdain. "I don't think I've ever seen an apprentice who was this slow to bring fresh-kill to their elders," he growled. "We've been starving here all day."
Tidepaw bowed lower, so that her nose was almost touching the floor of the den. "Sorry," she apologized. "We had to hunt all day just to find a few morsels of food."
Morningclaw regarded her for a few more moments, brow furled. Then he snapped, "And sit up straight! All you youngsters ever do is slouch and mumble, as if you don't want me to hear what you're saying. It's disrespectful to your elders!"
Tidepaw immediately leapt up from her bow, worried that Morningclaw was going to start chewing on her. "Will do your, um, elderliness," she mewed awkwardly, stumbling through her words.
"Don't mind Morningclaw," Troutfin mewed as he collected his share of the fresh-kill. The large gray elder regarded Tidepaw thoughtfully. "He just misses the good old days. I think we all do. Back when apprentices were quick to help their elders, the Clans didn't take in so many outsiders, and the warrior names weren't so stupid. Oh, those were the days."
Predictably, this didn't do much to reassure Tidepaw.
Troutfin's eyes had glazed over and he seemed to be lost in a stupor of reminiscence about the so-called 'good old days'. "Back in my day, the suffix 'storm' actually meant that you were crazy," he purred. "Now it just means that you don't have pure blood. And we didn't just hand kittypets free warrior names, because that would be against tradition. And we also made kittypets take warrior names, because they disrespect tradition by not taking them. And the Clans didn't stick their noses in the business of other Clans. We can get along by ourselves!"
While Troutfin was distractedly ranting, Tidepaw turned and rushed out of the den and back towards the fresh-kill pile. Once she reached it, she selected a fish and took a bite from it, savouring it as she chewed and swallowed. Her stomach rumbled, telling her that this was not enough, that she had barely any energy in her body. Tidepaw ignored it. She had eaten all the food she deserved. The rest of RiverClan needed it more, and she was going to go to sleep soon anyways.
Instead of eating, Tidepaw groomed herself. She started with her fur, but soon her attention was taken by her black paw. She licked it repeatedly, even though she knew that no matter how hard she tried to clean it, it would never be blue-gray again.
Soon, the rest of RiverClan began to congregate around the fresh-kill pile. Like Tidepaw, their pelts were ragged, their frames were thin, and their eyes betrayed exhaustion that should have belonged to a cat many seasons older than any of them. They had been defeated when they had needed this one victory more than anything.
Beside Tidepaw sat Duckfoot and Skystorm. Skystorm was distractedly staring off into the distance, and Tidepaw wondered if she wished that she and her brother had gone with their sister Creamfur to live in ShadowClan. It was the Clan of their father, Sootstain, and its members had welcomed a younger Creamfur when she had burst into their camp, demanding they make her an apprentice. But then, maybe Skystorm was happy to be in the Clan of her mother, Scaleshine, and just hoped that the cruel season plaguing RiverClan would end. Tidepaw would probably never know, not unless she found some way to get into Skystorm's head.
A sudden throbbing in her scar struck Tidepaw, and she collapsed, landing flat on the ground. She stayed down, finding it better than moving and contending with the pounding in her head.
As Tidepaw lay on the ground, Duckfoot pushed a piece of fish towards Skystorm. "Here, you take my share," he offered. "I'm not really hungry anyways."
Tidepaw blinked. Duckfoot had to be lying.
Skystorm looked shocked as she moved her gaze between Duckfoot's fish and Duckfoot himself. "Come on Skystorm, think of a reply," she admonished herself under her breath. Tidepaw picked it up, but evidently Duckfoot did not.
"Just take it," he insisted, noticing her surprise. "I don't need it and you're looking pretty thin. It'll help you, you know."
Skystorm shook her head and started to step back. "I can't take food from a Clanmate," she replied.
Duckfoot sprang forward, refusing to let her get away. "No, really," he pleaded. "You're hungry, and it's food. Besides, it's not leaf-bare. I'll have plenty to eat when the fish come back." When Skystorm continued to walk away, he added, "I'm not going to eat it anyway. You wouldn't want to waste food, do you?"
Skystorm stopped. "Fine," she said, a hint of annoyance tingeing her mew. "I'll eat it." She shot a quick glare at Duckfoot, before pulling his portion of fresh-kill over to herself. Then she bent down and began to chew at it.
As Duckfoot watched her, Tidepaw tapped him with her tail. He spun around, shocked at her unexpected prodding.
"Tidepaw!" he gasped. "I didn't see you there. What seems to be the matter?"
Tidepaw gave him her best hard stare. "Here's a protip," she mewed. "Next time you get it into your head to initiate an awkward situation, do it from the comforting privacy of behind some rocks. Got it?"
"Naturally," Duckfoot replied, nodding.
Satisfied, Tidepaw flopped back onto the ground. As she did so, Skystorm finished her meal and stood straight up, licking her lips.
"That felt good," the gray she-cat purred to Duckfoot. "You were right. I did need that."
Duckfoot responded with a ridiculous bow, and his ear brushed against one of Skystorm's white spots. "Always happy to help," he said.
As Duckfoot raised his head, his eyes narrowed and he began to growl. Tidepaw's ears perked up with surprise and she turned her head, following Duckfoot's vision.
Three cats had entered RiverClan camp, being escorted in by Icefang and Silverstripe. Leading them, with orange fur swaying in the wind and green eyes gleaming, was Sunstorm. At his side were a mottled brown and gray tom and a black she-cat with white paws. They were both complete strangers to Tidepaw. All three of them had their mouths stuffed full of herbs.
"We found these three at the ShadowClan border," Silverstripe explained. "They said they wanted to come down to the camp. And hey, I'm a nice enough guy when I want to be. So I brought them."
The RiverClan deputy Mistfur padded over to meet them, sizing them up as she did. All three of them dropped their herbs as she approached.
"Sunstorm, Bumblebuzz, Poppytail, it's a pleasure to have you three here," she mewed.
Bumblebuzz recoiled and stepped back, getting swatted by Poppytail for his trouble. "I don't want to be here," he muttered, sweating with nervousness. "I hate RiverClan and they smell like fish."
"Behave yourself," Poppytail hissed under her breath, swatting him again.
Oblivious to this all, Mistfur had been examining the ground beneath her paws for a few seconds. "Well, we're happy to have you unless this isn't a declaration of imminent war or something of the sort," she muttered. "In that case, I'll beat your leader to death with one of you."
Sunstorm's eyes widened with surprise for a few heartbeats. Then, after he flicked his tail for a moment, he began coughing.
Bumblebuzz jumped to Sunstorm's side and placed a paw on him. "You okay?" he asked frantically. "The RiverClan air isn't hurting you, is it?"
"She's killing me," Sunstorm coughed, all the while shaking back and forth.
Tidepaw seemed to realize before Bumblebuzz that Sunstorm's coughing was actually laughter.
"No!" Bumblebuzz screamed. "I won't let it hurt our medicine cat!" He jumped in between Sunstorm and Mistfur, which only seemed to amuse Sunstorm more. Behind them, Poppytail shook her head in disgust.
"I honestly have never seen someone so amused before in my life," Tidepaw commented. "Then again, Sunstorm's sense of humour always did strike me as pretty odd."
"I hate that guy," Duckfoot snapped in reply, glaring at Sunstorm.
"Him?" Skystorm asked, pointing her tail at the ginger medicine cat. "Why? He seems to be a pretty nice cat."
"He's always flaunting his medicine cat privileges," Duckfoot growled as he scuffed the ground with his paw. "It's like he thinks he's better than any of us. The medicine cats may say that their work is for all four Clans, but that should only go so far. Sunstorm wasn't born with knowledge of our boundaries, so he doesn't understand that the Clans won't ever just come together in peace."
Tidepaw frowned. She liked Sunstorm well enough, and she couldn't see Duckfoot's opinion becoming a popular one. From the stories she'd heard, one of the greatest and most well respected leaders had been Firestar, a ThunderClan cat who had strived to aid the other Clans when they found themselves in times of need. And Rainpaw was another medicine cat that wasn't Clanborn, but none of RiverClan had ever thought any less of her.
But I failed Rainpaw, didn't I? I've failed everyone I care about. Tidepaw gritted her teeth. She noticed that she was staring at her black paw and quickly shook her head before looking back at the visitors.
Sunstorm seemed to have calmed down, and Poppytail had restrained Bumblebuzz, who was screaming about RiverClan. The ginger medicine cat wiped his brow and looked back to Mistfur. "Sorry about that outburst, Mistfur," he mewed. "You're the greatest. Anyway, I don't think Thornstar is planning anything so drastic, but he does have a nasty little habit of misbehaving when I'm not around."
While Sunstorm rambled, Otterstar had been padding over to the ThunderClan patrol. "So, to what eccentricity do we owe this visit?" she asked.
"Ah Nightclaw, radiant as always," Sunstorm mewed, dropping to his paws in a mock bow. Otterstar simply glared at him.
"I wanted to bring RiverClan some fresh-kill, but Thornstar wouldn't let me," Sunstorm explained. "Maybe he thought it would get all mushy or something. Anyway, I brought some travelling herbs instead. They won't fill your stomachs, but they will give you strength. It's the least I could do. And I added in some herbs that I assumed would be dwindling in RiverClan at this time. I thought Nightheart and Rainpaw would appreciate that."
A crowd was beginning to form around the ThunderClan visitors. From it stepped Amberfang. He swept the herbs up into a bundle. "Very generous of you," he mewed. "I'll take these herbs to the medicine den."
As the dark tabby bent down to pick up the herbs, Sunstorm called out to him, "Amberfang. Do you ever miss being a medicine cat?"
Amberfang's expression soured. "Times have changed, Sunstorm," he muttered. Then, after a moment of thinking, he added, "Do you still have the dream you had when we were apprentices?"
Sunstorm nodded vigorously, his green eyes still gleaming. "Yes," he replied solemnly. "I never want to see another cat get hurt again, not when it's within my power to help them. I want that more than anything else."
"Stick with that," Amberfang mewed thoughtfully as reached for the herbs. "It's good to know that in the midst of so much darkness, we can have a beacon to follow." As he started to walk away to Nightheart's den, he stopped, dropping the herbs again. "Watch out for war, Sunstorm," he called out to the ginger medicine cat. "Not even the medicine cats can stop it once the seeds have been sewn." Then, he picked up the herbs and left.
"So, Nightclaw, how are your medicine cats getting along?" Sunstorm asked, looking back at Otterstar. "Neither of them came out greet me."
"Stop calling me that!" the milky white RiverClan leader snapped. "I've been a member of RiverClan since you were an apprentice."
"My mistake," Sunstorm mewed quickly. "I'm horrendous with names, you know. Anyway, about those two-"
"Rainpaw's gone," Mistfur growled, cutting him off. "We fought WindClan today, and one of their apprentices managed to get his claws around her throat. Ravenstar took her, and said that he would return her when he felt that RiverClan deserved her back."
Sunstorm's eyes narrowed, and Tidepaw saw them cloud over with more fury than she would have ever expected from the cheerful ThunderClan tom. I guess we're all hiding something, right? Everyone here has secrets that torment them. I'm just the worst cat among them.
"I am not Clanborn like the cats gathered here," Sunstorm mewed, voice trembling with rage. "The animosity the Clans hold for each other is not burned into my blood. I serve the medicine cat code, which tells us that all four Clans are worth fighting for. But here, what WindClan has done, that makes my blood boil. I promise you, I will talk to WindClan. If they won't change, I'll make them change."
Otterstar nodded. "We would appreciate it, Sunstorm," she said. "RiverClan thanks you for all you have done for us. Now, it's getting fairly dark. Would you and your Clanmates like to stay the night and head home in the morning?"
Sunstorm bowed to her again. "Helping out cats in need is nothing, really," he mewed. "Thank you for your kindness, Nightclaw. It would be great to stay the night."
As Otterstar narrowed her eyes, Bumblebuzz began to wail. "Not RiverClan!" he cried. "Please Sunstorm, let me go home!"
"I promised Swarmpaw I'd help her with tree climbing tomorrow, and she'll be awfully disappointed if she has to train with Featherflame again," Poppytail muttered. "But if we must stay, then I suppose I can't protest."
"No!" yelled Bumblebuzz. "We mustn't! We mustn't!"
Sunstorm turned back to his Clanmates, smirking. "Sure about that, Bumblebuzz?" he asked sweetly. "I heard a rumour somewhere that once again, the Nightmare Walker haunts the darkness. I certainly wouldn't want to run into it, but if you want to take your chances, it's fine by me."
Bumblebuzz's eyes bulged, and he looked around the camp with a horrified expression. "I'll. Stick. With. RiverClan. If. That's. Fine," he choked out.
"I'll make us a nest outside the camp," offered Poppytail. "That way I can keep an eye on him and he won't have to sleep so close to the RiverClan cats."
Sunstorm nodded. "Very good," he mewed. "You two lovebirds take care of yourselves." Then, he wandered off to find a den.
Tidepaw waited around for a little while, massaging her scar as the sky darkened. Finally, she felt that she should go back to her den. She stood up, first walking all the way to the medicine den and checking on Brightpaw. Then, satisfied that her sister was safe, she padded back out into the camp. As she headed towards her den, she noticed a lone cat sitting outside, staring at the stars.
It was Finflutter.
Tidepaw stopped midstep. She had told Amberfang that she would talk to Finflutter, boasted about how he was wrong and that heroes still existed in the world. Right now, out here in the night, was the best chance she would ever get to talk with him.
Tidepaw padded over to the golden tom and sat down beside him. She waited a few minutes, but he didn't seem to notice her.
"Like, do you like the pretty lights as well, Tidepaw?" Finflutter finally mewed, just as she was getting up to leave.
Tidepaw met his eyes. "Are you looking for your kits?" she asked.
Finflutter immediately broke off eye contact with her and turned away from her.
Intrigued, Tidepaw continued. "You blame yourself for their deaths, don't you?" she asked, finally putting the pieces together. "You broke things off with Otterstar, didn't you? She still loved you, still loves you now, but you left because you couldn't face her when you thought that you'd killed them. And now, you're just trying to hide the pain so that no one else notices its there, right?"
Finflutter's tail twitched ever so slightly. Tidepaw sat there in the night, watching him. After a long time, he broke the silence.
"Two of them, a tom and a she-cat," he mewed, all traces of cheerfulness gone from his voice. "They were named Dustclaw and Sparrowheart and they were perfect."
Tidepaw nodded as Finflutter told his story.
"It happened about three moons before you were born," Finflutter continued. "Tensions with ShadowClan were running high, and we knew there was a battle coming. Amberfang and I planned everything out, making sure that we were ready for it. Those two kits, they didn't have a disloyal bone in their bodies. They wanted to fight too, to protect their Clan, even though they were only nine moons old. Instead, we had them stay at the camp with the other apprentices, to protect the elders and kits if ShadowClan broke through into our territory. They seemed to understand. Those two would have done anything for their Clan."
Finflutter turned to look at Tidepaw. His eyes with filled with loss and longing.
"Amberfang and I had vastly underestimated our enemies," Finflutter explained. "ShadowClan overwhelmed us, and I thought for sure that it would be our end. But then, almost as if StarClan had sent them, a patrol of apprentices arrived to save us. Our two kits were leading it, and they charged into the battle. They fought like LionClan warriors, and I had never been so proud of my kits. Those apprentices saved the lives of most of RiverClan's warriors."
"And then?" Tidepaw asked as Finflutter paused.
"They fought like LionClan cats, but it wasn't enough," he mewed sombrely. "Oh, we won the battle, but the ShadowClan warriors struck fast and cruelly. Before they retreated, they had dealt mortal blows to my kits. I watched the life leak out of them, and I'm sure that in their last moments they knew that I had failed them, and that there was nothing I could do to save them. All Otterstar and I could do as they died was give them their names, so that they'd be warriors in StarClan. After that battle, there was no questioning that they were true warriors."
Finflutter stared at Tidepaw, but it was an unfocused, haunted stare, as if he was watching Dustclaw and Sparrowheart die all over again. Tidepaw felt a wave of pity for him.
For a little while, the two cats simply sat there in silence. Finally, Tidepaw found the courage to speak.
"You're a hero, you know that," she mewed, breaking the silence at last. "That's what many cats see you as. You proved yourself to them long ago, and you did it again when you helped us defeat Bonetail."
Finflutter stared at her, a horrified look in his eyes. "No," he mewed, "I'm not. I failed. I did a bit against Bonetail, but I'm not going to go back to those days. I've proven to myself that I'm not a cat that can protect others."
He's just like me. Tidepaw shrugged, her fatigue catching up to her. She'd heard Finflutter's story, but there didn't seem to be much she could do. She was, after all, too similar to him to change him. Except that I was never a hero. I was always a failure, a curse on the Clans.
She turned and walked away, back towards her den. "Shame," she muttered. "Guess Amberfang was right about you."
"Wait!" Finflutter called after her as she walked away. "Ugh, I'm such an idiot. I can't believe I didn't remember until now."
"Huh?" Tidepaw stopped in her tracks, then spun around to face him.
"You're Quailfeather's daughter, right?" Finflutter asked.
Tidepaw nodded, feeling ashamed, as she always did when her father's name was mentioned.
"Stupid me," grunted Finflutter. He smacked himself. In the head. It was a sight to behold.
"You and your sister are all alone, aren't you?" Finflutter continued, gritting his teeth with what seemed to be frustration. "Both of your parents are gone?"
Tidepaw nodded again. And it's my fault. My failure.
"Quailfeather is my brother!" Finflutter exclaimed, obviously exasperated with himself. "And I was too busy wallowing in my stupid self pity to realize that he had two kits that needed to be looked after with him gone. I should have done something for you two."
This time, Tidepaw simply shrugged.
Finflutter shook his head. "But I'll be neglectful no longer," he declared. "You should get some sleep, Tidepaw. In the morning, and in all mornings after, you two can wake up with confidence. I promise you, you do not have to be alone anymore."
It was the first time Tidepaw had ever seen Finflutter's eyes shining with determination.
"Okay," she agreed. "I'll see you then."
Turning, she finally headed off to her den to get some sleep. Well, that was more than a little unexpected.
She padded into the apprentices' den, lying down beside Streampaw. Curling up to go to sleep, she reflected on the day's events. Rainpaw was gone, but Sunstorm had promised to help. And Amberfang had been wrong about Finflutter. She knew that now.
Just before she fell asleep, something Sunstorm had said entered her mind.
"I heard a rumour somewhere that once again, the Nightmare Walker haunts the darkness."
Tidepaw closed her eyes and fell into her dreams.
…
"Countless tales have been told about Jayfeather, Lionblaze, and Dovewing, the three warriors who held the power of the stars in their paws. However, light cannot exist without darkness. Like the Dark Forest reflects StarClan, the Three who lurked in the dark opposed the Three with the power of the stars in their paws. They rose during the Echo Wars, and unlike their counterparts they were not born into the Clans. They were created from the shadows, and from their first heartbeats they knew who they were and understood the power they possessed."
Even though Tidekit knew that the Dark Three had been vanquished, she couldn't help but feel chills down her spine as she listened to Troutfin's story. She found herself unconsciously moving towards Rainpaw, who gave an amused smirk.
"You'll be an apprentice tomorrow, Tidekit," her gray friend told her. "You don't need me to protect you."
Worried when Streampaw warned them that they would have less time for everything as apprentices, Tidekit, Wildkit, and Quillkit had all gone to listen to the stories of the elders, knowing that it was their last day as kits. Brightkit hadn't joined them, but Rainpaw had come along in her stead.
"Deathwatcher's vision stretched beyond the land of the living," Troutfin continued. "Its eyes could see the departed spirits of our warrior ancestors, and it could tell when a cat's death was inevitable. Nemean was a force of destruction and entropy, using its power to leave ruin in its wake. And the Nightmare Walker sought out the darkest dreams, devouring them and adding to its power thusly."
As Tidekit tried to listen, she noticed that Wildkit was making striking motions with his paw, as if he was imagining himself fighting in the Echo Wars.
"Much of what was once known about the Echo Wars has been lost to time," Troutfin explained, "but we do know how the Dark Three came as Ragnarok descended, spreading despair with their mere presence. The Clans fought against them, sacrificing many brave warriors, and in the end it was their courage and sacrifice that allowed the Three of the Stars to strike them down with the Stone of Songs. The chaos created by the Dark Three faded away like a bad dream, and once Ragnarok passed, peace returned to the Clans."
"And then the Clans fought the Vestrians, right?" Quillkit asked.
Troutfin shook his head. "You're mixing up the stories," he mewed. "The Vestrians were the six almighty beings worshipped by the Sky Avengers, cats the Clans fought three season cycles ago. They had nothing to do with the Echo Wars."
Quillkit nodded with comprehension. Then, more thoughtfully, she added, "Will the Clans ever fight the Vestrians?"
"I should hope not in my lifetime," Troutfin growled. "How would we fight beings that are beyond mortal? We have no Three, no Stone of Songs. We would have no method of defeating them. And even if we did, what would happen once we purged the world of Vestrians? The Vestrians control the sun and the sky. Destroying them could mean the end of times."
"Okay," Quillkit agreed, "but what if-"
"Out with the lot of you!" Troutfin snapped. "I've told you all a story like you wanted. Now, just let me eat my supper in peace."
"I don't think he'll be giving any more stories," Rainpaw said. "We should get our own meal and then you three should head back to the Nursery. You're becoming apprentices tomorrow, so you should get a good rest."
Tidekit followed Rainpaw out of the Elders' Den, bouncing with glee at the thought of the next day. Apprentice! Apprentice! I'll be an apprentice tomorrow. So, my name will be Tidepaw, right?
"I've got to run off to the medicine den for a little while," Rainpaw realized as the three kits followed her outside. "I'll meet you three at the fresh-kill pile, okay?"
"Don't take too long!" Tidekit called after her gray tabby friend as she scurried away to the medicine den.
As the three kits padded over towards the fresh-kill pile, Wildkit suddenly stopped. "Tidekit, wait," he mewed. "Let's have one last fight before we become apprentices, okay?"
"You're on!" screeched Tidekit, leaping towards him before he could declare that the fight had started.
Tidekit landed next to him, swiping his ear as she hit the ground. Wildkit seemed to fall off balance. Taking advantage of the situation, Tidekit rushed forward, only for Wildkit to ram into her with his head.
The wind knocked out of her, Tidekit slid back. Smirking, Wildkit charged forward. Before she had time to dodge, he spun around, knocking her legs out from underneath her.
Tidekit crashed down to the ground.
"I win!" Wildkit whooped. "And it was the fastest win ever! I'm the greatest! I'm the greatest!" He leapt up and down with glee.
"Quiet down, kit," a warrior snapped. "Some of us are trying to relax after a hard day."
Even though she wasn't the subject of the warrior's scorn, Tidekit shrunk back. She didn't want to make an enemy of any of the warriors, especially since she knew that one of them would become her mentor very soon.
"Cut them some slack, Amberfang. They're only kits. I'm sure you were just as excited on the night before you became an apprentice." Tidekit recognized the speaker as Mistfur, the Clan deputy. She was approaching the fresh-kill pile with Streampaw at her side.
"Kits should learn to behave themselves," Amberfang spat. After shooting a glare at Tidekit and her companions, Amberfang slunk off towards the warrior's den.
"What's his problem?" hissed Quillkit when Amberfang was out of earshot.
Tidekit shrugged. "Maybe he's just tired," she suggested. "Warriors fight to defend their Clan, and they do a lot of hard work. It would all add up, I assume."
"I don't trust him," muttered Quillkit.
The three kits continued on their way, reaching the fresh-kill pile after a few heartbeats.
Quillkit and Wildkit quickly selected a piece of fresh-kill, but Tidekit wasn't as decisive as they were. She spent a few moments scanning the fresh-kill, trying to decide on a meal. My last meal as a kit, maybe?
"There you are, Tidekit! I was so worried about you!"
Tidekit turned, frowning. Her mother Swanwing was rushing towards her. Quickly, Tidekit licked the pieces of dirt out of her fur so that her mother wouldn't realize that she'd been fighting with Wildkit. Her mother detested her fights with Wildkit.
"I couldn't find you anywhere," the gray and white she-cat meowed when she reached Tidekit. "I was afraid you'd run off out of the camp or something."
"No way!" exclaimed Tidekit. "I become an apprentice tomorrow! I want to protect my Clanmates, so I wouldn't risk getting in trouble and delaying my ceremony. Why would you even think that?"
"All mothers worry about their kits," Swanwing explained. "You and Brightkit are the most precious things in the world to me, so it's only natural. But don't worry about your ceremony tomorrow. I'll be watching, and I'm sure everything will go great."
Tidekit sighed and miserably glanced at the ground. "I know you'll be watching," she mewed, "but what about Quailfeather? He always seems to be away doing warrior missions. Will he even bother to be at the ceremony?"
"Of course he will," Swanwing reassured Tidekit, draping her tail around her daughter. "He cares about you because he's your father."
Really? I sure didn't notice. "It doesn't seem like he cares about me," Tidekit grumbled. "If he did, wouldn't he spend more time with me?"
"Tidekit," Swanwing said in the tone of voice that indicated she was about to give the same tired old excuse she always did, "the Clan needs your father. You know that there's a fish shortage, and we also have to deal with Bonetail and his rogues, as well as tensions with ShadowClan. Your father is one of RiverClan's-"
"Strongest warriors, I know," Tidekit growled, cutting off her mother. "But how strong is he really? Is he strong enough to take on all of Bonetail's rogues? If so, why hasn't he done it yet?"
"It's not a question of how strong I am," mewed someone behind Tidekit. She whipped around, and saw her father standing before her. "It's how I gain my strength," he continued. "I believe that when we are protecting something truly precious, we can become more ferocious than the warriors of TigerClan. You're what's precious to me, Tidekit." He rubbed his tail against her.
"You, Brightkit, and your mother are the things that let me stay strong and keep fighting," he explained. "So I'm sorry I can't always be with you, but I promise you, no matter what I do, I'm thinking of you. I'll be at you ceremony, Tidekit, and I'll keep an eye out for you. I know I'm not the best father you could have, but it's the best I can offer. Can you forgive me?"
"Yes!" screamed Tidekit, flinging herself at her father and accidentally knocking him back. "Yes! Thank you, thank you, thank you!" She rubbed against his black fur, and Swanwing joined them. Tidekit really couldn't stay mad at a family member.
"One big happy family, right? Aw, I could almost feel jealous."
Tidekit looked up to see Rainpaw approaching. "Have you eaten yet?" the gray tabby asked.
She shook her head in response. The medicine apprentice unsheathed her claws, and hooked a mouse on them, dropping it in between the two of them.
"Care to share a mouse?" Rainpaw offered.
Tidekit nodded enthusiastically, taking an eager bite of the fresh-kill. Together, the two friends devoured the mouse, leaving not even a scrap behind.
"So, where were you anyway?" Swanwing asked when Tidekit and Rainpaw had finished eating.
"In the Elders' Den, listening to a story," Tidekit explained, pointing her tail at Rainpaw. "Rainpaw was with me, and so were Quillkit and Wildkit. We were listening to a story about the Echo Wars. I can't believe that our ancestors faced such ferocious enemies!"
"Your ancestors," Rainpaw corrected.
"Huh?" Tidekit mewed, confused. "Do you have different ancestors or something?"
"I'm not Clanborn, remember?" Rainpaw mewed. Seeing Tidekit's look of surprise, she added, "I thought you knew."
Tidekit shook her head. "Explain," she mewed.
"I used to be a loner, but it all changed when I turned three moons old," Rainpaw told her. "Remember that sickness I told you about? How I survived, but my brother Scratch was lost to it? Well, my mother didn't think she could raise me any more, so she took me to the lake she had heard about. RiverClan took me in, and Willowfern had two kits that were the same age as me, so she adopted me. This is my home now, and I've never want to live anywhere else."
Understanding dawned on Tidekit, and she nodded. "Wow, to think I didn't know that," she mused. Trying to make conversation, she asked, "What's your mother's name?"
"Arietta," replied Rainpaw. "She was-"
But before she could finish, Swanwing wrapped her tail around Tidekit. "Come on Tidekit, you should get to sleep," she mewed. "You'll have time to chat again in the morning, but you have to get a good rest now for your apprenticeship ceremony."
Tidekit looked around, for the first time noticing how dark it had become. Despite the darkness, she still felt full of energy, and didn't want to go back to the Nursery just yet.
"I'm not tired," she protested. "You can go, but I'll join you later, okay?"
"Tidekit, I'm not taking any of this," Swanwing snapped. "You have to go to sleep if you want to become an apprentice."
"No way, my apprenticeship is at stake?" she gasped. "Sorry Rainpaw, I'll see you tomorrow, okay? But I'm really not tired."
The medicine apprentice shrugged, waving goodbye with her tail.
Tidekit followed Swanwing back towards the Nursery, where their nest was. "I'm not tired, you know," she repeated. Swanwing didn't bother to respond to her.
Tidekit repeated her protests about not being tired all the way to the Nursery.
But she still fell asleep the moment she lay down in her nest.
…
The sound of coughing woke Tidepaw. At first, she thought it was Brightpaw, whose illness was as bad as ever. Then she remembered that Brightpaw was in the medicine den. Tidepaw looked around the den and saw that Streampaw, who was lying next to her, was the source of the noise.
"Streampaw," she hissed, prodding her denmate, "are you feeling well?"
"I don't think so," Streampaw wheezed. "It hurts when I move. And when I talk." She coughed, and Tidepaw worried for a moment that she would wake the whole den.
"Look, I'll go get you some herbs, okay?" Tidepaw whispered. "Try not to move too much. Or cough."
Streampaw nodded, and Tidepaw crept out of the den and into the cool night. Her eyes slowly adjusted as she snuck over to the medicine den, trying not to wake the Clan.
Inside the medicine den, Nightheart was wide-awake, although his whiskers were drooping with weariness. "Let me guess," he mewed, voice flat. "Someone is coughing."
"Right," Tidepaw agreed. "It's Streampaw. Would you happen to have any herbs for whatever she has?"
Nightheart shook his head, anger and frustration showing in his eyes. "No, there's nothing," he sighed. "Whatever new disease this is, it's like your sister's illness in that I have no clue if there's even a way to treat. Half of the Clan must have been in here asking about it, but truth be told the only way I can think of to fight it is to move all the sick cats so the healthy ones don't catch it. I even roused Sunstorm, but he didn't have any ideas either. I fear that RiverClan might not survive much longer."
"No," Tidepaw whispered, shaking her head. "RiverClan will persist. We'll get Rainpaw back, and then we'll find a way to overcome this sickness and the famine. We have to."
Nightheart's head lowered. "Will we?" he wondered aloud.
Tidepaw turned and walked out of the den. As she did, she saw a figure entering the camp. Shrinking back so that it didn't see her, she sniffed the air. Amberfang?
"Everything will go as planned," she heard him mumbling to himself. "Of course it will. I have no reason to doubt that."
Intrigued, she continued sniffing the air. Shocked, she realized that Amberfang carried on him the scents of other Clans.
What? Tidepaw shrunk back even farther, thinking about all the things that Amberfang had said and done. That can't be right. Amberfang isn't a traitor. He may be grumpy, pessimistic, and a killer, but he's loyal to-
Then she stopped. Suddenly, everything clicked.
Amberfang was planning a war.
"No way," she gasped.
Tidepaw didn't have any evidence of this, but in her heart, she knew it was true.
Wanting to throw the Clans into chaos, are you Amberfang? Well too bad. Because even the worst, most irredeemable she-cat has things that she would give her life to protect. I will find proof of your intent, and then I'll expose your misdeeds to Otterstar. I promise, I will stop you.
She gulped. This wasn't just about RiverClan any more. Tidepaw had been thrown into something far bigger. The fate of all four Clans hinged on this. Amberfang's plans had to be thwarted. But first, she needed to find some allies that she could trust.
As Tidepaw headed back to her den, determination coursed through her. If the end of times truly was coming, then she was prepared to start fighting back.
To be continued…
It's good to finally be finished this chapter. I'm sure the next one will be done faster, as it isn't as arc based as the previous ones have been. It's about Darkclaw and (SPOILER ALERT) why his father was attacked.
Anyway, I'm looking forward to working on the next chapter because it's got more in the way of events. Tidepaw's next chapter will be eventful though, and by that I mean it might be the Tidepaw equivalent of Chapter 9. As a famous lion once said, be prepared.
Thanks for reading! Maybe you could share your opinion on this chapter? Or not, but I admit to be more motivated when I get reviews. I'm sorry if that sounds like a shameless review plug, because I really, really, really would hate to be a shameless "give me reviews" person. Really sorry if I seem like one. People doing that bugs me too.
Also, in case you were wondering, according to traditionist naming, the suffix "-storm" means that you're bipolar. You can't make this stuff up.
Again, thanks for reading! See you next chapter.