Happy tau day! :D (Everyone pretend I posted this at 3:18:53) tau is 2*pi. My brother thinks that it's way better than pi. So, spread tau awareness!
Join ImagineClan!
Onto the story.
Chapter22: Smokepaw
"… and then, I used your trick and leaped down from the tree right on top of her!" Hollowpaw finished his story of his battle training experience from earlier that day. The sun was setting, and Smokepaw was eating and exchanging news with the younger apprentices. She was still debating about telling Hollowpaw who he was, but decided to ask Blazepaw first when they would meet that night.
"I could have so beaten you if you hadn't cheated and used that ThunderClan move!" Yewpaw countered.
"It's not a ThunderClan move! I-I think it's from other Clan…" Hollowpaw muttered and took another bite of his shrew.
"Hah! Another Clan? There have always been four Clans!" Vinepaw sneered.
Yewpaw nodded in agreement. "Besides, I think you're more a WindClan cat than a ShadowClan cat! You're so skinny and fast."
Strangely, Smokepaw felt herself brisling Vinepaw's comment. SkyClan deserves to be known! It's not fair that they were driven out. We should – What was she thinking? Smokepaw shook her head to clear it of the strange thoughts, only to have Hollowpaw look at her strangely.
"Are you okay?" He asked.
"Uh… yes, I'm fine. I should probably get some sleep now." Smokepaw rose to her paws and padded swiftly over to the apprentices' den. Smokepaw curled up for a short nap and waited for the others to fall asleep.
Smokepaw blinked open her eyes. She was satisfied when she heard the deep breathing of the two other apprentices. Wait… two? Smokepaw crept her way over to Hollowpaw. When she saw him twitching silently in his sleep, she left the den. He's probably dreaming about catching a mouse or something.
Before long, Smokepaw spotted Blazepaw waiting in their usual clearing. Smokepaw purred when she greeted him.
"It's so good to see you again! You have to go to the next gathering. Something big is happening." Blazepaw seemed troubled.
"Why? What's happening?" Smokepaw gazed into Blazepaw's troubled eyes.
"Just make sure you go there. It's about the rogues."
Smokepaw sighed. "There is something I must tell you."
Blazepaw perked his ears in worry. "ShadowClan has recently gotten three new apprentices; Vinepaw, Yewpaw, and Hollowpaw. Hollowpaw is from the past, even though he doesn't remember it."
Blazepaw's eyes brightened for some reason. "Just like Lion's Roar, Dove's Wing, and Jay's Wing! I've spoken with them and Bramblestar. We aren't alone anymore."
Smokepaw pulled back from Blazepaw. "We were never alone!" She hissed. "We had each other. How could you tell them?"
Blazepaw shuffled his paws. "Well, uh, they sort of found out…"
Smokepaw snorted then sighed. "Alright, fine."
"And, also, you know how you said Hollowpaw is from the past?"
Smokepaw nodded.
"Who was he?"
Smokepaw sighed. "He's Jackdaw's Cry."
Blazepaw looked confused. "Who's he?"
Smokepaw thought for a moment. "I'm not sure. I think he was one of the first WindClan cats."
Smokepaw whirled around when she heard a faint gasp. "Come out, Hollowpaw!" She hissed. He followed her? But he was asleep! When Hollowpaw emerged, Smokepaw asked, "How much did you hear."
The young black tom looked guilty for a second, and then apparently he couldn't hold in his excitement. "I heard about the three, and how you remember, and about the pas, and – about… me."
Smokepaw sighed. "Why did you follow me?"
"I-I didn't mean to cause harm. I was dreaming, and this older tom who looked a lot like me came up and told me to wake up and follow you. When I asked him who he was, he said that he's my spirit. So I woke up and came here."
"He looked like you? And he said he was your spirit?" Smokepaw turned to glance at Blazepaw.
"That's not how it's like for the three." He confirmed.
"Then it must be different for some. That was probably Jackdaw's Cry."
Hollowpaw shook his head. "No! …No it can't be! I'm as ShadowClan cat! Not WindClan."
"Some of the early WindClan cats, or cats who lived in the group on the moor, broke off to form ShadowClan after the great battle. Shadowstar was one of them. If Tall Shadow, who was the leader of the cats on the moor, became the leader of ShadowClan, Jackdaw's Cry also had black fur, so he might have joined her." Smokepaw pointed out.
Hollowpaw was nodding, then he stopped. "Wait. How did you know that?"
Blazepaw shook his head. "'When know more than we should.' Smokepaw, me, Harepaw from WindClan, Beetlepaw from RiverClan, and some of the rogues have these memories from the past."
Hollowpaw nodded understandingly.
"Since apparently you're in on this, too, make sure you go to the next gathering." Blazepaw looked between Smokepaw and Hollowpaw.
"Of course he'll go! He's a new apprentice. But I'm the only one who's not a new apprentice, but I'll still try to go. It might be hard." Smokepaw pointed out.
Blazepaw sighed. "I don't know about you, but I should probably go back to camp."
Smokepaw nodded. With two apprentices gone, the chances of someone noticing doubled.
The three departed. Blazepaw headed into ThunderClan territory while Smokepaw and Hollowpaw walked in silence.
"Smokepaw?" Blazepaw whispered. "Why are the rogues here. It has something to do with their memories?"
Smokepaw nodded. "They are angry to have been forgotten. They are mad that others have been forgotten, also, those who should have been remembered. They are also saddened by the Clan's ways."
Hollowpaw stopped and looked up at her. "Saddened? By what?"
"You remember how you were talking about another Clan?" Hollowpaw nodded. "There was, or is. The Clan SkyClan. The Clan cats who know about it call it the fifth Clan, but it is the first. They were driven from their territory when twolegs cut down their part of the forest."
"They didn't they just come to the lake with the rest of the Clans? They were driven out, too."
"If they were driven out at the time, then the Clans would still remember them." Smokepaw snapped. She sighed. "I'm sorry; I've just felt this way ever since Vinepaw said that…"
"Don't listen to Vinepaw. She's just trying to have everyone be on her side."
Smokepaw nodded and continued. "They were driven out long before the other Clans."
"Why didn't the Clans help them?" Hollowpaw asked.
"Because they were many mouse-hearts at the time! The each gave their own excuses, but mostly how SkyClan couldn't catch their type of prey. But surely if kittypets can learn, then forest born cats could learn to catch prey, as well?" Smokepaw spat. She looked up at the setting moon. "We need to head back now."
Hollowpaw nodded and they snuck quietly back into camp, and back into their nests.