Here is chapter 5. Enjoy and please leave a nice review :D I hope you all like it things are starting to get moving now. Although this will be a long story since we will be following Swiftpaw, Hazepaw and Moonpaw through their lives as apprentices and warriors.
Disclaimer: I don't own warriors or Firestar sadly
Swiftpaw looked over his mentor's shoulder, looking to Hazepaw for help. His brother simply shrugged and trotted into the medicine den, his jaws over flowing with the herbs he collected. Swiftpaw slowly looked up, meeting Lionstreak's blazing ice blue eyes.
"I asked where have you been?" Lionstreak repeated, his eyes were narrowed and his tail lashed back and forth.
Swiftpaw shrugged "I was helping Hazepaw gather herbs" he meowed matter of facty, stepping to the side in an attempt to get past his mentor.
Lionstreak easily blocked Swiftpaw's way with his larger body "And who gave you permission to leave camp? Last time I checked apprentices weren't allowed to go waltzing through the territory unsupervised"
"I asked Shimmerlight" he countered "Or are your orders more important that the deputy's?"
Mentor and apprentice stood nose to nose, whisker to whisker, bristling angrily.
Shimmerlight charged over, pushing the two toms away from each other "What is going on?" she hissed "Lionstreak you are supposed to be guarding camp, not arguing with Swiftpaw"
Lionstreak flicked his tail pointing to Swiftpaw "Swiftpaw claims that you sent him to collect herbs with Hazepaw despite the fact that he didn't ask me for permission first"
Shimmerlight nodded "I did give him permission to leave camp with Hazepaw"
Swiftpaw puffed out his chest triumphantly.
Shimmerlight frowned, casting an annoyed look to her son, her icy blue eyes narrowed sternly "But I was not aware that he had not asked you first"
Swiftpaw scuffed the ground with his paw under the icy glares of both his mother and his mentor.
Shimmerlight turned to face Lionstreak dipping her head to him "I apologize, I did not know he didn't have your permission", she slowly trotted away back into the warriors den.
Lionstreak narrowed his eyes at Swiftpaw "Whitefog and I were going to do battle training with the apprentices just before sunset because we had to cancel this morning when you slept in and since you failed to show up once again we continued without you. If you ever want to be a warrior you need to get serious about your training. If you continue to act like a kit then don't be surprised when Snowkit and Icekit are made warriors before you" as he spoke his voice grew louder.
"Amberstar would never do that" Swiftpaw yowled, stomping the ground in frustration.
Lionstreak shook his head sighing loudly before speaking "As punishment you will be confined to camp until the half-moon" he silenced Swiftpaw before he could interrupt "It would have been a lot worse if you hadn't had permission to be out of camp. I am your mentor, you need permission from me first of all if there is something you want to do" once again he silenced Swiftpaw "Go to your nest"
Swiftpaw sighed in defeat, padding toward the apprentices den, he turned around when he was just outside the den to see Lionstreak pacing in frustration. Taking a deep breath Swiftpaw squeezed into the den, settling in his nest as exhaustion overtook him.
Half of a Moon Later...
Swiftpaw trudged through the camp slowly, it was just after sunhigh and all the other apprentices were out on patrol. It was his last day confined to camp, and his paws itched with the yearning to do something. He had managed to sneak out of camp a few times to visit with Moonpaw, though their meeting became less frequent and the tension of the ongoing feud between their clans was heavy on their minds. In the early morning it was warm and wet causing a thick layer of fog to roll through the camp the moist water droplets sticking to Swiftpaw's pelt uncomfortably.
It was still too early to clean any of the dens and the elders weren't up yet. Willowfall had been kitting all night with Topazmist and Amberstar by her side, the tabby leader must have fallen asleep in the nursery with her daughter. Brightwing was curled up outside the nursery, Icekit and Snowkit pressed tightly against her belly.
Spotting Hazepaw emerging from the medicine den Swiftpaw raced over.
"Hey Hazepaw" he meowed "Want to see who can hold a hunting crouch the longest"
Hazepaw shook his head bemusedly "Swiftpaw, we haven't played that game since we were kits"
Swiftpaw dropped into a crouch wiggling his haunches "Aw, come on, I'll bet we can hold it for moons now"
Hazepaw shook his head again "I'm sorry, but I have to go to the moonstone tonight with Topazmist for the half-moon meeting and since she was busy all night helping Willowfall kit she didn't have time to gather the traveling herbs so I'm going out to get them for her"
Swiftpaw groaned "You're so lucky you can leave camp whenever you want"
Hazepaw rolled his eyes and trotted away, out of the camp entrance.
Swiftpaw sighed watching his brother go.
Swiftpaw stalked over to the freshkill pile, nosing through the leftover prey. Thoughts of the succulent fish he had eaten when he met Moonpaw swarmed his mind making his mouth water. Settling for a young bird he trotted over to the stump outside the apprentices den, bunching the muscles in his legs he leapt up and settled on the tucked his tail around his hind paws as he began plucking the feathers from the bird before biting into it and quickly devouring it.
Swiftpaw leapt down from the stump, carrying the bird carcass to the dirtplace behind the nursery, he stopped just beside the nursery, dropping the bird when he heard voices.
"She is so beautiful" Amberstar meowed lovingly "Have you named her?"
"No, not yet" Willowfall murmured.
"May I?" Amberstar asked, her voice dripping with hope.
"Oh of course" Willowfall answered, purring loudly, "She looks just like you and Drizzlelight"
"Mothkit" Amberstar whispered "Her name shall be Mothkit"
"It's lovely" Willowfall purred "But why name her after Reedstar's daughter? Isn't her death a memory the clan should forget?"
"No death should be forgotten" Amberstar snapped, her fur bristling. Suddenly she took a deep breath forcing her fur to lie flat, "I'm sorry" she whispered "Excuse me", Swiftpaw heard the shuffling as the tabby leader stood to her paws, squeezing out of the nursery. He watched as the she-cat trudged slowly to her den, her tail drooping and her head hung low.
Hazepaw trotted excitedly beside Topazmist, his pelt quivering with excitement, tonight he would speak with his ancestors. "And hopefully figure out what to do about Swiftpaw" he thought, pain gripped his heart as he thought about Swiftpaw, he didn't understand his brother's desire to see the Riverclan she-cat, he didn't understand why it was so important to him.
"Hopefully starclan can help us sort this mess out" he thought, spotting the Shadowclan medicine cats waiting for them by the Windclan border.
Mallowbelly sat patiently, her white pelt glowing in the night. Her apprentice Finchpaw sat quietly at her side, despite the ginger she-cat's quiet composer her golden eyes were glistening with fire and excitement.
"We should really get going" Mallowbelly meowed "Ravenflight must already be there by now and Nightswallow already passed through with her new apprentice"
The medicine cats worked their way through the Windclan territory, Topazmist walked beside Mallowbelly and Hazepaw fell in step beside Finchpaw.
"How are things in Thunderclan?" Finchpaw asked, as the two apprentices quietly padded side by side.
"Fine, Silverstreak has been complaining about her back, I've been trying ragwort but it doesn't seem to be working"
"Have you tried adding tansy to the poultice?" she asked "I tried that with one of our elders and he hasn't complained since, well he hasn't complained about his joints" she meowed mischievously.
Hazepaw purred back at Finchpaw as the gaping jaws of mothermouth appeared before them.
Ravenflight were nowhere to be seen. "They must be inside already" he thought as he followed the other medicine cats inside, the total darkness made him uncomfortable for a for heartbeats until his whiskers began to brush the walls. Soon the bright light of the moonstone reached his eyes and when the stone was in sight the medicine cats all sat around the stone.
Nightswallow stepped forward "I would like you all to welcome my new apprentice Moonpaw"
Murmurs of greeting sounded from everyone besides Hazepaw. The blue tom narrowed his eyes and adjusted his position trying to get a good look at Moonpaw as the ceremony continued.
"Moonpaw is it your wish to join the ranks of a medicine cat, to stand apart from clan rivalries and the warriors code, do you promise to treat all cats equally and to do all that you can to help others?" Nightswallow asked.
"I do" Moonpaw meowed quietly, she looked down at her paws and her ears flattened against her head, she didn't seem excited at all. Hazepaw frowned, she seemed almost sad to be making her vows, he briefly remembered how excited he had been at his medicine cat ceremony.
After Nightswallow stopped speaking the medicine cats all pressed their noses to the moonstone, quickly falling asleep.
Hazepaw opened his eyes finding himself in a clearing, looking up the stars shone brightly above him. A single star fell from the sky and as it got closer to the ground it changed shape into a fiery colored tom with illuminant green eyes.
"Hello Hazepaw" Firestar meowed, shaking stardust from his pelt "I have a prophecy for you"
All thought of Swiftpaw and Moonpaw flew from his mind as he prepared himself for what he was about to hear, his blue gray fur quivering with excitement.
Firestar warned "Many times before has the fate of the clan been placed in the paws of the young. You will have many moons to prepare for the trouble"
Hazepaw nodded eagerly "Can I tell anyone?"
Firestar nodded "You may tell your mentor and leader whenever you wish, now for the prophecy".
Firestar's green eyes grew brighter until they looked almost white and his pelt began to glow as he spoke in a ominous voice "The vines were not choked and so they regrow, if not destroyed the clan will reap what they sow. Repair torn flesh and broken bone, one full moon one-half nearly grown. Though the breeze may be swift and the shadows hazy, only loyalty to what is right can heal what is shaky"
Firestar began to fade as the words sounded again and when Hazepaw woke he found himself beside the moonstone again. Blinking furiously he stood to his paws, finding himself nose to nose with Moonpaw.
"You have some explaining to do" Hazepaw hissed.