Happy Easter!
I've been waiting to write this chapter for about 2 weeks. Finally it's done! :D
EradrinSkyleaf: I think Toy Story is Pixar, so yeah it counts. I also liked those movies. :) CHEESE GROMIT! (do you know where that's from?)
ilovewarriorcats: Hmm... I could probably fit in the OC if the other medicine cat doesn't die and she just stays an apprentice. That okay? (I'm such a Potterhead... HARRY POTTER YES) Yeah, I had a test and a midterm and then a bunch of history outlines to do... but now it's break and I'm procrastinating until, like, next Sunday maybe. XD It's really bad. I'm not going anywhere for break, though I've gone different places for the last 5 years or so. Ah well, it's nice to stay at home and relax, especially since two of my friends are also staying here. :)
QLKwriter: Kits indeed these days. Everyone likes Mulan, it seems! I can certainly see why-it's a great movie. :) Hercules was also wonderful.
whitewind04578: Ooh, if I was allergic to dairy I'd just starve to death. Half of my entire diet must be dairy. XD I've been wanting to see that new Cinderella movie, people are saying it's really good. Wall-e is also pretty great. :)
Willowdream of ForestClan: Toothless! :D One of my friends wants to cosplay Toothless. I'm not sure how far she is on that, though.
ShadowHawk540: I liked the first of those movies, but the rest I never really got around to seeing. Are they any good? :P I actually own two cats and I used to own two dogs. My allergies aren't so strong that I can't live with them, and the allergy only shows up on a blood test. (I could sort of tell you were tired XD)
Sootpaw's POV
LeopardClan filed slowly back into the camp. Yes, we had technically lost the battle, but I still felt like there should be a more triumphant air. As I ducked through the thorn tunnel, I drew breath to yowl in victory, but my voice died in my throat as I saw the two mounds of fur lying in the center of the clearing. One was large, a mountain of dark brown fur compared with the smaller bundle of pale gray fur beside it. My throat constricted as I recognized the lifeless forms.
Aspentail and Shadepaw.
Two more dead because of Nightstar. A growl rose up in my throat, but I fought to keep it down. Somehow I figured it wasn't proper to growl at a funeral.
After paying my respects, I left Aspentail's and Shadepaw's families and close friends to spend one last night with them, heading to the outskirts of the camp to keep vigil. I had some time while NightClan recovered from the shock of our attack—maybe a few sunrises. I needed to make the most of that time. To stay awake, I should formulate a plan. I had a few ideas about what to do, but I had to decide what would be best.
But try as I might, I just couldn't keep my eyes open. I was exhausted from the battle, my legs weary, my claws sore. Curled up beside Dawnpaw, whose flank was already rising and falling rhythmically, I felt myself slowly…
drifting…
off…
to sleep…
Forgive me, Aspentail. Forgive me, Shadepaw, I thought. But I need to sleep tonight. When all this is over, I'll stand vigil for all those lost in this war, I promise.
The next morning dawned crisp and cold—the first weather that really hinted at the approaching Leaf-bare. I shivered as I blearily blinked away my sleep, fluffing up my fur against the cold. Though I wanted to race through the forest to warm myself up, I figured I should probably get to work on the plan suddenly fully formed in my mind. It was as though my sleeping brain had been thinking about what to do all night long. So, instead of bounding across the camp and out the entrance, I climbed up to the Highledge and yowled at the top of my voice, "Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey join here for a Clan meeting!"
Dawnpaw sent me a quizzical glance, but I blinked at her, nodding wordlessly at the space below where cats were slowly gathering in a semicircle, asking her silently to join them. I'd explain later. Fortunately, she followed my instructions without any more questions.
"Cats of LeopardClan," I began, because obviously that was how all great, important leaders started their Clan meetings, "we sure clobbered NightClan yesterday. I just wanted to let you know that I think you're all awesome fighters." Obviously great leaders then continued with words that could have been a kit's. It seemed to amuse the warriors, though, and a soft laugh ran momentarily through the assembly. I waited for it to dissolve into the wind gusting overhead before continuing.
"NightClan has been beaten back for now. I doubt they'll try attacking us anytime in the next few sunrises. Yes, we were injured…" I glanced over at the medicine den. Stormtuft had told me rather snappishly the previous day that Rustpelt "will live, but not if you keep pestering me about him." "Yes, some of us didn't make it back…" I spared Mistheart, Twigpaw, Morningpaw, and Larkwing a sympathetic look. "But I believe that our attack yesterday gave us an extra few sunrises to plan and prepare for NightClan."
I took a deep breath. This was the main part of my plan. How would LeopardClan react? Would they accept my idea? Would they dismiss it as naïve? Why did I have to talk like a kit earlier?
But I had to find out. I couldn't just stand here on the Highledge forever. There was work to be done and our precious time was trickling away. So, after another deep breath, I meowed, "I think that I should use this time to journey to the Moonpool and receive my nine lives and my leader name."
My pronouncement was met by a sudden, absolute silence. I saw Dawnpaw sitting amongst the other cats, her eyes wide with shock. I stood uncertainly on the Highledge, wondering if the Clan would accept my decision. Finally, after several awkward heartbeats that seemed to last lifetimes each, I heard a voice.
It was Larkwing. Standing up from her place beside her friend's body, she called, "I think that's a wonderful plan!" She stared around at the Clan, all eyes now on her. "We have a few days, right? Why shouldn't Sootpaw go get his nine lives? Ashthorn never did and look what happened to him."
Nods began emerging all across the Clan. I glanced once again at Dawnpaw and saw with relief that her face had softened into acceptance and she was nodding alongside her Clanmates. Then, Stormtuft stepped forward from his place beside the medicine den and LeopardClan went quiet again.
"Sootpaw needs a medicine cat to escort him on the journey," he meowed. "I have too many wounded to care for here. I doubt any cat here could heal Rustpelt as quickly as I can." My heart sank. Couldn't I journey there by myself? "Therefore, I will send my apprentice, Goldenwing, in my stead," Stormtuft continued. I breathed a sigh of relief. I could still go.
Goldenwing padded out from the medicine den, a bundle of herbs clenched in her jaws. Dropping them on the ground, she called up to me, "These are for you, Sootpaw! Traveling herbs!"
I'd never heard of traveling herbs before. I bounded down the Rockfall, staring at them curiously. "What do they do?"
"They give you strength so you can travel quickly without stopping to eat on the way," Goldenwing explained in a rush. "Eat them now and we can leave with speed."
Time was essential; Goldenwing was right. Giving her a grateful glance for her understanding of my rush, I bent and lapped up the herbs, chewing minimally before swallowing. That was a smart move on my part. The herbs tasted like rancid crow-food.
"Come on." Goldenwing bounded out of camp. I paused for only a moment to rasp, "Larkwing is in charge. Practice your fighting moves," before following her through the thorn tunnel, still gagging at the herbs' taste.
The journey to the Moonpool passed in an afternoon. By the time we got there, the sun had drifted most of the way below the horizon. Luckily, we wouldn't have to hang around waiting for the sun to set.
The path down to the Moonpool was lined with pawsteps from ages ago. I spared half a thought to wondering why the pawprints were extra-deep in some places and nonexistent in others, as though ancient cats always put their paws in exactly the same places every time they walked this path. The rest of me was focused completely on the Moonpool.
It was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen, with the possible exceptions of Dawnpaw's eyes when she laughed. The water was crystal clear, though it glittered so thickly with reflected starlight I couldn't see the bottom. I glanced upward at the sky, where the first few stars were only starting to appear. Where did all that starlight come from? Was it, perhaps, coming from inside the Moonpool itself?
Goldenwing slipped past me as we reached the Moonpool's edge, indicating with a paw where I should sit. We settled down together by the pool, Goldenwing wrapping her tail around her paws. I couldn't sit that neatly, however. The sight of the pool had started up a flood of adrenaline inside me. What would happen? What would it be like to receive eight more lives? I twitched my tail back and forth to let off excess energy.
"Are you ready?" Goldenwing asked. I turned and saw her staring at me with amber eyes, her expression unreadable. What was she trying to tell me wordlessly? Was she giving me courage? Was she trying to keep in her own emotions? Was she nervous? Apprehensive? Or was she excited to have a leader willing to receive his nine lives?
I nodded.
"Then drink from the Moonpool," she instructed.
I drank from the Moonpool. All of a sudden, I felt lightheaded. Splaying my paws as so not to fall into the water, I closed my eyes. I felt my chin hit the stone under my paws.
The darkness dissolved into pure, blinding white light. I tried to shield my eyes but found they were already closed. As I blinked them open, the light dissipated into the blueish light of the full moon, surrounded not by stars, but by plain, dark sky. I blinked again, staring around at the empty plain to which I'd come.
Behind me stood Goldenwing. She must have followed me into my dream. She gave me a pointed look before nodding to a spot directly in front of me. I turned back around and gasped at the sight.
What seemed to be millions of starry cats suddenly stood in semicircle upon semicircle, swamping me in the white light of stars that glittered in their fur. I reared up on my hind legs, trying to see where the sea of cats ended. They seemed to go on forever.
"Sootpaw."
My face split into a wide grin as I spotted the dark gray fur and blue eyes of Ashthorn weaving his way through the crowd to stand at the very front, wearing a smile indistinguishable from my own. "Ashthorn!" I cried, bounding forward, but instead of nuzzling his fur, I met air. Backing away, I looked at my father, confused. "What-"
Ashthorn's smile had faded. "You cannot touch us here," he said, shaking his head sadly. "Only if we appear to you in a dream can we have physical contact."
"Oh." I sat back, feeling rather put out. Then I remembered what I was here for and looked up in excitement again. "But you can still give me my lives, right?"
Ashthorn hesitated. "We… should," he said carefully. "But there's a problem, I'm afraid."
"What's the problem?" I demanded. Nothing would stand in my way of becoming LeopardClan's true leader, not even a lack of physical connection with my father.
"We cannot let you skip two ranks. One can skip deputyship during trying times, but I'm afraid it is not within our power to make an apprentice a leader."
The words non-physically slapped my face. "Wh-what?" I stammered.
"You need to receive your warrior name before we can give you your leader's title and lives," Ashthorn explained again. "It can't be done."
"But you said you could give me my lives!"
"No." Ashthorn looked as saddened as I would have felt had I not been so indignant. "I said we should have been able to give you your lives."
I sat stunned for a moment. I'd come all the way here just to be told it was all for nothing? I'd wasted my Clan's time? Maybe even cost some cat their life? "But you can make me a warrior, can't you?" I argued. "You were LeopardClan's leader before—you should have given me my name!"
But even before I'd finished speaking, Ashthorn was shaking his head. "I'm one of StarClan now. We can only perform the leader ceremony, not a warrior ceremony. At least, not a warrior ceremony for a living cat. You will have to return to your Clan and receive your warrior name there from a Clanmate."
"But I'm leading the Clan already in all but name! Rainpaw and Cinderpaw are off on quests! Who will perform the ceremony?"
"There is a cat who can do it."
I thought hard. Aspentail had died, but there was still one senior warrior left. "Larkwing?" I suggested.
"No," Ashthorn said. "Still another." He and the rest of the cats had begun to fade.
Panicked, I shouted, "Who?"
"Who else can perform a ceremony?" came the whispered reply. "Who else has performed a ceremony?" And the cats of StarClan faded into blackness.
Dun dun duuuuuun!
Did anyone expect that he wouldn't be able to get his name and lives? :)
AOTD: This one's hard... Maybe The Lion King or Mulan or Spirit. They're all so good, though!
QOTD: What are you all doing for Easter?