HELLO! A newfound inspiration has been created! How, you may ask…? XD
I DON'T KNOW! But, I'm not complaining, and I KNOW you guys aren't.
Okay, I feel such overwhelming guilt in forgetting to say this: I forgot to state that EMBERPAW IS NOT HAVING KITS! I'm so sorry, I guess it was pretty obvious that that was the main thought that came across, but no, since they are both too young, and they haven't been alone… sorry. StormxRaven, you were the closest, but not correct…
Also, I didn't forget about you; and you didn't come across as snobby or rude or whatever:)
DID YOU KNOW: Emberpaw's warrior ceremony is coming up pretty soon?! IKR the time has really come up on me… LIMITED TIME TO VOTE ON HER WARRIOR NAME! next chapter, I will post the top three names in RANDOM ORDER hehe, please vote; it can be found on my profile page!
Would you like to be in the story? XD please, leave your Rouge/Darkforest/Warrior name below, along with a brief personality and appearance, expect yourself to be in the story! Beware: you may be an evil cat, so if you don't want to be evil, please tell!
Okie, ENJOY AMIGOS!*Giggles*
Emberpaw blinked, sun shining right into her eyes. Wary to move, she instead checked her surroundings; she was in what looked like an abandoned twoleg nest, the roof was broken and the sun shone on her body through the holes and cracks. The smell of mold permeated the nest, along with the smell of mice. She hesitantly shifted her body, happy when no aches came, and dropped into a hunting crouch. A few heartbeats later, a mouse peeked its grey little head out of a hold in the floor, and began nibbling on some tan stalks on the other side of the nest. She stalked forward, trying her best not to let her claws scrape against the wooden floor. A moment later Emberpaw pounced, catching the stunned mouse by the tail and killing it with a swift bite to the neck.
"Nice catch." A voice said, and a cream colored tom padded out of the shadows and studied her. He looked around her age, but much bigger than she would ever be.
"T-thank you," she replied, wincing as her voice cracked in her dry throat. Clearing it, she spoke again.
"I'm guessing I'm not going to be let out if I ask to leave?"
The cream tabby looked embarrassed at her slightly hostile tone.
"No, at least not right now," he said, padding closer and sniffing her stomach. "Omar still needs to check you out. He should be back from patrol any time now."
Emberpaw cocked her head. "Omar? Is he a medicine cat?"
"Yes, that would be your name for what he does."
Emberpaw spoke the question that had bugging her since she had first had the pains: "Does anyone know what's wrong with me?"
At this, the tom chuckled, as if remembering something. "Well, our mothers all thought you were pregnant, but you are in too much pain for a pregnancy. Besides, I do know, it's something to do with the spirts, I would guess the Darkforest," he stopped at her stunned expression. The Darkforest was recruiting outside of the clans?! Emberpaw hadn't known this.
Trying to keep her voice level, she inquired, "How long have you been training there?"
"About four seasons," Emberpaw, upon hearing that he was one of her elders, bared her neck in surprise.
"You may return," he purred. "That's the first time anyone's done that! According to Fall, I'm one of the first ones they took on. What about you? How long have you been training?"
"Two seasons," His eyes widened. "Really, only two? When you were about to confront my father, you looked at least four seasons! Even I'm not strong enough to fight my father, yet." He said this last word with a hungry gaze.
Emberpaw realized she didn't have this strange tom's name. "What's your name?" "Oh, I'm sorry, I completely forgot! I'm Hawk, and you're...?" "In the Dea- I mean, Darkforest, I'm Red, but my apprentice name is Emberpaw."
He giggled. "That's such a weird name! Why don't you just go by your Darkforest name?!"
"Well, in the clans, the Darkforest to most is just a tale to tell kits, and for those who do believe, it's very bad, to be training there, so I keep it a secret. One other cat in my clan goes, also."
Hawk looked perplexed, but just shrugged his shoulders and padded out of the twoleg den, and after a moment's hesitation, Emberpaw followed him. Expecting to see a huge camp full of cats similar to Riverclan, she was disappointed to find they were in the middle of nowhere. There wasn't even the scent of other cats in the area.
"The leader thought it would be best, since we are most likely going to return you, that you not know where our camp was. Although Emberpaw was disappointed, she had to be impressed by the leader's forethought into this.
"So, where is this not-pregnant cat of yours, Hawk?" Emberpaw jumped at the voice, and for some unknown reason, she instantly hated this cat. His fur was an orange-cream, and his eyes a dark brown. He walked in such a way that it made her uncomfortable; and his gaze towards her sent her goose bumps.
Trying not to look as intimidated as she felt, she stood up from her sitting position, let her reckless side take over, and padded confidently up to this rouge and smiled. "That would be me,"
As much as she hated it, Beetlepaw's advice rang through her head: if you can't stand them, if they irritate you to no end, if you're intimidated, be nice; kill them with kindness.
So Emberpaw was doing just that.
"I'm guessing you're Omar?" she asked sweetly, pushing down the bile in her throat from talking so… she-cat-ish. After this cat, she would leave the honey-talking to Beetlepaw.
"Yes," is all Omar said. The cream tabby was sniffing her stomach, her head, and her paws. She shifted uncomfortably, needles sprouting in her forepaws from staying in one position for so long.
After another moon it seemed, Omar gave his opinion on her health.
"She definitely isn't pregnant, but tell me everything that has happened."
Emberpaw didn't know where to begin. "Everything?" she asked hesitantly.
"Yes, yes, everything since your last… traumatic experience. Traumatic experience? Emberpaw had only had one of those, and it was a mouthful to explain to these two cats. She searched for the best way to explain her story. She opened her jaws to speak, Hawk leaned forward, interested, and she spoke.
By the time she was done, it was past sun-high, and the mouse she had eaten had long since burned off. The trees around her cast long shadows across the other two cat's faces, both of them still digesting what she had told them. Emberpaw had told everything, from her 'traumatic' separation from her family, adjusting to Riverclan life, her dreams of the Darkforest, from which Emberpaw guessed Omar was a part of too, as he nodded as she knew what she was speaking of, Starclan, she even told them about that warm feeling she got when she was with Troutpaw!
To her revelation, it felt good to get everything off of her shoulders. It felt like a weight had been hovering on top of her, threatening to crush her, but it was gone, and she felt relieved beyond belief.
After a couple of heartbeats, Omar shook his head. "You have been through much, but you will understand that most of it will have a good outcome. As a fellow Darkforest member, I will help you escape."
"Me too, me too!" Hawk piped in, excited, his tail creating clouds of dust from the ground. She was surprised, but wary also. She didn't trust this cat, but Hawk seemed to… she pondered what she should do.
OKAY! I tried to create a cliffhanger of sorts, but I failed HORRIBLY :S okay, heres what im going to do now…
A NEW POLL IS UP! On this chapter, open for 48 HOURS ONLY! Please vote, it depends on which way the story will be going. The questions will be whether or not she trusts the creepy cat Omar and the trust that Hawk has in him, or her gut. PLEASE VOTE, IT CAN BE FOUND ON MY PROFILE PAGE!
Comment, follow, favorite, idc, just please do ^^
'Till next time,
My Alter Ego, Myla