Chapter 13!
"Fox-dung!" Stormpaw watched through frustrated amber eyes as the sparrow he had been stalking took sudden flight, cawing as loudly as possible.
"Bad luck," Sootfur called sympathetically, joining the apprentice. Whitestorm was close behind, adding an understanding mumble of his own. Stormpaw sighed softly, scraping his claws through the moss beneath his paws.
"I'm sorry, Whitestorm… I'm not sure where my focus is today…"
The old warrior shook his head. "You made a great journey yesterday." As he mentioned it, Stormpaw caught the curious gleam in his mentor's eye, though he knew the wise old tom would never ask what had happened. Honestly, Stormpaw wasn't quite sure himself. He only knew that as he and Foxpaw were waiting outside Mothermouth, the scent of blood began wafting from the dark hole before them, and shortly afterwards the medicine cats reappeared, Hailpaw the last to exit and looking as if he had taken a plunge in the river. The pale tabby had stumbled numbly along beside Foxpaw, silent as the night itself until they reached ThunderClan territory and he had been forced to eat. Stormpaw hadn't seen either of the brother's since then, and though it was only sunhigh, he couldn't help but to be worried.
"Besides," Sootfur's voice broke the dark gray apprentice from his thoughts as the young warrior continued, "It's not as if you were at fault. The bird just took off—you were downwind and everything."
"I guess so…" Stormpaw let his voice trail off, his eyes lingering on the ground.
"Maybe some battle training would help you refocus."
Stormpaw glanced up at his mentor, surprised. "Battle training? But Foxpaw and Featherpaw are hunting…"
"Yes," the white warrior agreed thoughtfully. "Which means the elders will be cared for. And as of right now, Sootfur stands undefeated in the sandy hollow."
As his winning streak was mentioned, Sootfur's whiskers twitched in amusement, though his ears still flicked back sheepishly. "I didn't think any cat actually counted."
Stormpaw felt his tail curl in amusement. "Foxpaw does. Brambleclaw did, too."
Whitestorm dipped his head. "Lead the way, Stormpaw."
"Yes, Whitestorm." Immediately, the dark gray apprentice turned towards the sandy hollow, letting his mind wander again as Sootfur and Whitestorm fell into step behind him.
I wonder what Hailpaw saw… His mind flickered to the events of the past half moon. Despite ThunderClan's thriving ranks, they were all being worn thin by doubled patrols and guard duties. Bluestar was acting as if ShadowClan would start a war at any time, but Stormpaw found it hard to see even Tigerstar leading the scrawny remains of ShadowClan into any kind of battle. A strong wind could force their strongest warrior to the ground as it was. It would take much more than a half-moon pull the once-powerful clan out of despair. As they reached the sandy hollow, the young tom contemplated asking his mentor about it, but he quickly shook the thought from his mind. Whitestorm was very close to Bluestar, and her shaken mental condition was sure to have him concerned enough as it was.
"Alright, Stormpaw," Sootfur took a ready position towards the center of the clearing. "Let's see what you've got."
It occurred to Stormpaw quite suddenly that though he had seen the young warrior defeat Brambleclaw, Tawnypelt, his siblings, and even his mentor in sparring match after sparring match, he himself had never been the gray-black tom's opponent. Focus.
The dark gray apprentice crouched low to the ground, his amber eyes scanning his opponent carefully. Sootfur's own eyes were bright with anticipation, his tail waving slowly back and forth as he waited for Stormpaw's first move. Very quickly, Stormpaw decided it would be impossible to take the other tom by surprise. That in mind, he went for the boldest approach he could think of, suddenly rushing the young warrior and hoping his slightly greater size would give him the edge he needed. Sootfur seemed to read his moves like Yellowfang read the stars, darting nimbly to the side and immediately following up with a lunge of his own, knocking Stormpaw's legs right out from under him. With a huff, Stormpaw rolled instantly onto his back. Without a moment of hesitation, Sootfur took the bait, pouncing on the younger tom's exposed belly.
Now! With a mighty heave, Stormpaw shoved all four of his paws up into Sootfur's stomach, launching the slightly lighter warrior across the training hollow. The dark gray apprentice scrambled to his paws, ready to bask in his surprise victory, when Sootfur rolled immediately onto his paws again, regaining his footing and crouching low to the ground, his eyes as bright as when they started, though his pelt was dusty and ruffled.
"Great move, Stormpaw, but it's going to take a lot more than that!"
Stormpaw felt his paws tingle at the challenge, his mind completely clear of the troubling thoughts that had plagued him all morning. "You asked for it!"
By the time the sun was sinking into the trees, Stormpaw felt as if he had made the journey to Highstones a million times, his muscles screaming for rest and his mind foggy from the many powerful swats he had taken from Sootfur's heavy paws. Still, he had almost beat the gray-black warrior more than once, and he felt that just in a day of battle training with the young warrior he had improved greatly. Whitestorm, also, seemed pleased by the day's progress, freeing both of them to go eat while he joined the first patrol of the evening. Stormpaw welcomed the early dismissal, padding wearily after Sootfur as the warrior led the way back to camp.
"It'll be your turn soon, you know."
Stormpaw glanced up, noticing that the gray-black tom had fallen back to walk beside him. "For what?"
Sootfur rolled his eyes. "To become a warrior. Though…" He looked troubled for a moment. "I can't help but to feel Bluestar only gave Rainwhisker, Sorreltail and I our warrior names just have more warriors."
Stormpaw was quiet for a moment, thinking. "Maybe so… But there was no doubt that all three of you were ready."
Sootfur sighed. "I suppose. And it's not that we aren't thrilled, it's just… We're worried about Bluestar."
The dark apprentice sighed, knowing as they approached the gorse tunnel they were losing time to speak. "We all are…" He finally murmured, before pushing his way through the prickly gorse that marked the entrance of the camp. As the sun was setting, the activity in the camp was calming, and it was easy for Stormpaw to spot Foxpaw and Featherpaw by the fresh-kill pile, choosing a meal for the evening from the seemingly abundant options.
"Hey," he called in greeting, joining his sister and friend at the pile. "How was the hunting?"
"Great!" Featherpaw purred, turning and greeting her brother with a gentle lick on his shoulder. "Foxpaw was really scatterbrained until we ran into Hailpaw out gathering herbs, though."
Foxpaw rolled his eyes. "Running into Hailpaw had nothing to do with it. I just wasn't fully awake yet, that's all." His midnight blue eyes met Stormpaw's amber, and Stormpaw understood immediately. Hailpaw had recovered from whatever it was, so things were okay again. Thank StarClan…
"Hailpaw was acting a little strange, too, though…" Featherpaw murmured softly, tilting her head to the side.
Foxpaw shrugged, finally separating two plump mice from the rest of the prey. "He was just concerned."
"About what?" Stormpaw took a rabbit as Featherpaw chose a blackbird, and the three made their way back to the tree stump to eat.
"He said he had a strange dream, and to keep an eye open for anything strange. He kept checking the air, like he was expecting to smell something dangerous." Foxpaw settled between Stormpaw and Featherpaw with his mice, quickly finishing one before continuing nonchalantly, "I suppose it's his job as a medicine cat apprentice to act strange sometimes."
"I wonder if he told Bluestar…?" Stormpaw mused thoughtfully, glancing towards their leader's den.
The red-furred apprentice shrugged, eating the second mouse more slowly. "He'll probably tell Yellowfang first," he finally deduced, swallowing his last morsel. "And considering how Bluestar has been acting lately, Yellowfang will probably tell Fireheart."
Featherpaw sighed, her soft blue gaze following Stormpaw's to rest on the lichen-covered entrance of Bluestar's den. "I hope she's okay…"
"We all do," Foxpaw assured her gently, resting his tail on her flank for the briefest of moments. "We can only do as she asks of us though, and have faith in her judgment."
Stormpaw mumbled an agreement, finishing his rabbit and glancing at the slightly smaller tom, whose dark blue eyes were turned towards the stars that were slowly appearing above them. When did it become so natural for you to say such wise things, Foxpaw…?
Before he could even begin to wonder about the answer to that question, Foxpaw jumped to his paws, shaking himself thoroughly as if he were shaking water from his pelt. "Anyways," he announced suddenly. "I'm going to bring Hailpaw and Yellowfang some fresh-kill before Dustpelt gets ready to lead the second evening patrol. I'll see you both tomorrow!"
With that, the dark furred tom padded away, waving his tail in a last farewell as he left. Stormpaw sighed, his gaze travelling the camp. If it hadn't been for their gloomy conversation about Bluestar and Foxpaw's accidental reminder that they were to be ready for battle at any moment, Stormpaw could believe that this was the most peaceful the forest had ever been.
The gorse tunnel began shaking, drawing the dark gray apprentice's attention to the border patrol just returning. Fireheart was at the lead, Graystripe, Ashfur, and Willowpelt close behind. Dustpelt was emerging from the nursery, calling to Rainwhisker and Longtail as he made his way to meet Fireheart at the middle of the camp.
"It's hard to keep up with so many patrols," Featherpaw sighed softly. Stormpaw nodded, before rising to his paws and moving closer to his sister, sitting beside her and beginning to quietly groom her fluffy light gray pelt. She purred appreciatively, closing her eyes. "Just the other day I went on two—one in the morning and the second evening patrol."
"It's like Foxpaw said, though," Stormpaw mewed between licks. "We have to have faith in Bluestar."
Featherpaw nodded her agreement, before yawning. "It wearing us down though. Especially warriors like Fireheart and Whitestorm, who are trying to pull double the weight for the rest of the Clan. I know Whitestorm had been on at least one patrol every day—as well as training with you and hunting for the Clan."
Stormpaw gave a nod of his own, his ears flicking back uneasily. "He's not as young as he used to be, either," he admitted regretfully. "I can't help but to think I may be his last apprentice."
Suddenly, Featherpaw purred, rolling onto her stomach and swatting gently at Stormpaw's shoulders. "Well at least his last will be his best!"
The dark gray tom let out a skeptical snort, giving his sister a good-natured cuff on the ears. "I'm going to tell Sandstorm you said that."
"No!" The gray tabby jumped to her paws, her eyes wide. "She'll have me climbing trees for ages without stopping and searching the elders for ticks until I'm an elder myself!"
Stormpaw purred in amusement, shaking his head. "I'm kidding." A yawn of his own escaped his jaws, and without a word, the two both turned to the entrance of the apprentice den, entering and curling up together.
"Busy day tomorrow," Featherpaw meowed through another large yawn. "Goodnight, Stormpaw."
"Mhm…" Stormpaw pressed closer to his sister, their pelts mingling. "Goodnight." His eyes fluttered shut, his mind instantly wandering. StarClan, please watch over Bluestar, and the rest of ThunderClan. I fear her mind is wavering… He thought of the dark concern ever-present in Whitestorm's sandy yellow eyes, and the weight that seemed to be constantly on his mentor's old shoulders. Please let her be okay.
Hey guys! So… Wow. It has seriously been forever since I have updated. And let me say for the 800th time… I'M SO SORRY Dx I feel like I've let you all down in a major way… But I'm back! And I'm ready to get this fic finished! I've got a lot of inspiration for this one right now, and I'm really hoping it stays with me. Now, I did that thing again… The one where I completely forgot what I was going to name Foxpaw (oops) but I think I've really got it settled this time. The problem is… I think I may give him the "fur" or "tail" suffix and if I do… Should I Change Stormfur or Feathertail's names, or should I just leave them? Please tell me your thoughts! Not only on his name, but on the story as a whole (or even just this chapter.) Thank-you so much for reading and sticking with me, if you have! I love you guys! Oh, and to my lovely reviewers:
My guest: It's only a small thought for now, and I don't think I want to give it away, but trust me, if I pair her with someone, I think you'll like him ;)
Frostflower223: I'm really glad you think so! :D and thanks for the suggestion, I'll definitely keep it in mind(:
Beautiful Nightmarism: Thank-you for the suggestions! I really like them (: If I don't use them for Sandstorm, do you mind if I use them later on for another pairing in this story?
Bramble: Thank-you! I'll try my best.
Ninja: Finally got the 14th up(: Sorry to make you wait so long Dx
Tawnyheart: I'm definitely going to continue writing(: and thank-you!
Wyldclaw: Thank-you! I'm hoping he will(:
Thanks again for reading! You all are the best! Lots of love!