Chapter 14!
Featherpaw could smell the rain before she was even fully awake, the sound coming to her as her eyes fluttered open. It was cloudy yesterday… The young she=cat stood and stretched, glancing around and noting that both Foxpaw and Stormpaw were still sound asleep.
"Hey," she mewed softly, prodding her brother in the ribs with her paw. "It's time to get up, sleepy-paws."
When the dark gray tom began stirring in his next, Featherpaw moved on to Foxpaw, running the tip of her tail across his nose, watching with amusement as his whiskers twitched at the tickly feeling. Finally, with a massive sneeze, the ginger tom woke, his own sneeze seeming to startle him as he leapt to his paws, his eyes wide. Featherpaw let out a mrrow of laughter, sitting back on her haunches. Stormpaw couldn't stifle his own purr, and after he realized what had happened, Foxpaw laughed, too.
"Alright, alright," he finally rolled his eyes. "You got me." He shook the moss from his pelt and paced around Featherpaw in a circle. "What are you doing today, Featherpaw?"
The gray tabby shrugged. "Mousefur hasn't told me yet. I doubt we'll be hunting, though…"
Stormpaw sighed, and Foxpaw moved to circle him instead. Feathetail watched, her whiskers twitching. You seemed so wise yesterday, Foxpaw, but… Some things never change.
Leaving the toms to talk, she pushed her way out of the den and into the steady drizzle falling from the clouds. The camp was already active, cats moving about with their ears pressed down and their shoulders set against the rain. Despite it being new-leaf still, the rain had a chill to it that made Featherpaw shiver.
"Good morning!"
The light gray tabby turned to see Sorreltail moving toward her, her amber eyes bright despite the glum day. "Good morning, Sorreltail." Featherpaw greeted the young warrior warmly.
"Mousefur had to leave on the pre-dawn patrol," the tortoiseshell explained. "Fireheart told Brambleclaw and Swiftstep each to take a hunting patrol out. Do you want to come with me and Brambleclaw?"
"Sure," Featherpaw nodded, though her ears flicked skeptically. "It's going to be a rough day for hunting."
"Yeah, but it's got to be done." Sorreltail sighed. "Anyways, I'm going to go find one more cat, you go meet with Brambleclaw by the fresh-kill pile."
With a nod, Featherpaw did as Sorreltail suggested, approaching the dark tabby warrior at the fresh-kill pile. Hailpaw was there, too, she realized, picking through the pile as if he was looking for something specific.
"Good morning," Featherpaw mewed to both of them, taking a seat beside Brambleclaw and watching curiously as Hailpaw fussed over the prey. "What is he doing…?" She finally murmured to Brambleclaw, leaning closer to the bigger tom.
"Looking for breakfast for Yellowfang," the warrior answered with a small snicker.
"Don't laugh," Hailpaw insisted suddenly, turning a mock-glare on Brambleclaw. "Her old leg injury is bothering her with this rain and if I bring her wet fresh-kill I'll never hear the end of it! She's been groaning all morning, acting like she's in her death-nest."
Featherpaw couldn't stop her tail from curling in amusement at Hailpaw's joking exasperation. "I'm sorry, Hailpaw," she offered, giving the pale tabby and gentle nudge on the shoulder. "Here, I'll help you look." She crouched down beside him as he let out an appreciative purr, picking carefully through the pile to find the driest piece of fresh-kill. It looks like you're feeling better today, Hailpaw. She felt better knowing that he wasn't as on-edge, thinking back to when she and Foxpaw had run into him while hunting the day prior. He couldn't be still, and kept checking the air and pricking his ears. He had seemed to be acting more like Foxpaw than himself, but she knew Foxpaw just couldn't bear to be still—Hailpaw had always been much calmer than his brother.
"Will this do?" Featherpaw pushed a plump vole towards Hailpaw—one with only a couple faint raindrops on its fur.
"Perfect! Thank-you Featherpaw." Hailpaw stood, bending to pick up the fresh-kill before waving his tail in farewell and padding quickly back to the medicine den, hurrying as he tried to keep the vole as dry as possible.
"You know," Brambleclaw mused thoughtfully, pulling Featherpaw's attention back to the brown tabby warrior. "They may not look very much a like, but I see a lot of Fireheart in Hailpaw."
Featherpaw felt warmth blossom in her heart at the unexpected observation. It was a huge compliment, and also very true. "Yes," she agreed softly. "I see it, too."
Brambleclaw sighed. "It's a shame. We need more warriors like Fireheart."
"But we also need more medicine cats like Yellowfang—and like Hailpaw. No cat can truly be like Fireheart, but…" Her eyes trailed across the clearing to where Foxpaw was sitting with Dustpelt and Brackenfur near the warriors den, getting ready for his training for the day. "I feel that Foxpaw is also a lot like Fireheart, in his own way."
Brambleclaw's amber gaze followed her own, watching the dark ginger apprentice closely. "Perhaps." He glanced at the ground, unsheathing and re-sheathing his claws for a moment before h finally spoke again, his tone concerned. "You don't think… that I'm a lot like my father, do you…?"
Featherpaw blinked, surprised at the suddenly deep question. "Of course you're not," she instantly supplied, her blue eyes wide.
"Well I think you are."
Featherpaw gasped, whipping her head around to see Sorreltail approaching them again. Brambleclaw's eyes widened, but before he could speak the tortoiseshell and white she-cat slapped her tail across his mouth, her amber eyes warm.
"Not everything about Tigerstar is bad, Brambleclaw. There are so many tales of how his strength alone turned the tide of a battle—of how he worked harder and longer every day for ThunderClan. Just as no cat can truly be like Fireheart, no cat can truly be like Tigerstar. But I think you and Tawnypelt both are a combination of all of the good traits in both Tigerstar and Goldernflower."
Featherpaw felt her heart throb for the dark tabby warrior as Sorreltail's powerful words seemed to leave him truly stunned for a moment. Finally, he bowed his head, his broad shoulder slouching as if a giant weight had been lifted from them.
"Thank-you, Sorreltail…" he whispered softly—so softly that Featherpaw was almost certain she wasn't meant to hear. Sorreltail rolled her eyes, before touching her nose gently to the tip of Brambleclaw's ear.
"Stupid furball…"
Featherpaw shifted her weight from one paw to the other, averting her gaze as to give them some privacy. She hadn't noticed how close Brambleclaw and Sorreltail had become now that they were both warriors, but it seemed they were very close, indeed. Does this mean Sorreltail wants to be a queen…? She's only been a warrior for small amount of time, but… Ferncloud went to the nursery almost immediately… She shook the thoughts from her mind. Sorreltail's decision to bear kits or not to bear kits was hers alone. It's none of my business.
"Well? Are we going to hunt sometime today or what?"
Featherpaw felt her whiskers twitch as she realized the fourth cat that Sorreltail had found was Cindercloud, who was now certain to give them a hard time about what had just happened through the entire expedition.
"Of course we are." Brambleclaw ducked his head to lick his chest fur self-consciously, and Sorreltail rolled her eyes.
Featherpaw jumped to her paws. "Let's go then!"
As they hunted, the rain only got heavier, until Featherpaw couldn't see more than a mouse-length ahead of her nose. They had split up, and were to meet at the ravine at sunhigh, but Featherpaw had no idea where the sun was—or how far from the prey she had already caught she was.
Mouse-dung… The light gray tabby shook her head. It's useless, I have to go back. Thunder erupted from the clouds, lightning flashing violently above her, making the small she-cat yowl in sudden surprise, crouching low to the muddy ground. StarClan, please help me make it back to camp…! The wind whipped her fur harshly to the side, the rain pelting her like a thousand tiny rocks. Setting her shoulders in the direction of camp (she hoped) Featherpaw ducked her head down and pushed forward against the rain. She had only made it a few tail-lengths when a faint sound reached her ears.
"Featherpaw!"
She turned, peering through the rain until a blurry shape became visible. Wet fur brushed he flank and with a start, she recognized Ashfur.
"You have to go back to camp!" The warrior yowled over the pouring rain. "The rest of the patrol made it back already, and Fireheart gave orders that all cats are to stay in the camp until the storm goes away!"
"Who else is out right now?" Featherpaw yowled back, her mind flashing to her brother, Foxpaw, and Hailpaw.
"Just one more patrol!" Ashfur answered, giving her nudge. "Graystripe is fetching them now!"
Featherpaw nodded, allowing the pale warrior to urge her forward. They stayed close, and Ashfur was determinedly patient, staying with her even as she stumbled with every strong gust of wind or flash of lightning. Another peal of thunder crashed overhead, lightning splitting the sky and forcing Featherpaw to stop and crouch low to the ground again, her entire form trembling. Ashfur crouched beside her, his flanks pressed against hers.
"I know it's scary, Featherpaw," he gave her a nudge. "But we really need to get back…" His voice trailed off as another sound—one completely foreign to Featherpaw's ears—cut through the storm raging around them. It sounded as if the ground itself was yowling in pain, and Featherpaw looked around desperately to place the awful sound to something. Ashfur figured it out first, his blue eyes growing wide as they fixed on something just over Featherpaw's shoulder. Featherpaw immediately turned to look, her own eyes growing wide as she saw something tall and dark looming toward them—a shape as tall as the sky itself.
"Featherpaw!" Ashfur suddenly rasped. "Featherpaw get down, the tree is falling!"
The light gray tabby only had time to close her eyes as Ashfur barreled into her, and with a screech louder than any creature of clap of thunder, the tree came crashing down on top of them.
Hey guys! I know the previous few chapters were slow, so I decide to start the drama a little early ;) I'm still looking for the answer to the question in the previous chapter though: If I name Foxpaw Foxtail or Foxfur, do I need to change Stormpaw or Featherpaw's warrior names, or do you think it would be okay to leave them? I don't know Dx and to my reviewers:
LavenderCrystalOfRoses: I did! Thank-you so much for reading, and especially for reviewing! I'm glad you like it(:
Beautiful Nightmarism: Thank-you! I'm glad you didn't completely forget about it, and I hope you'll continue reading it to the end(:
Twilightwolf2298: I'm glad you're enjoying it! I know you reviewed on the first chapter, but I hope you make it all the way to Chapter 14 and continue to let me know what you think! Thanks again for reading!
Feel free to give me your input on Foxpaw's warrior name, and constructive criticism and suggestions are always welcome(: Lots of love!