Hey all, here is the next chapter, finally things are moving along and getting to where they need to be! I didn't really get a great response from the last chapter, as I expected to and that was kind of a disappointment because clearly more people read it than just the one that reviewed, but thank you to Nova Lioness for your review, I really appreciate your loyalty to my stories. Hopefully you guys can find it in your hearts to give me a review after this chapter, I would really like to know what you all think. So please take the time to leave me a review so I can know what you think, I would really appreciate it.
Anyhoo, here is the chapter, enjoy!
Swiftpaw paddled strongly through the river near the training hollow, relishing in the feeling of his damp fur in the heat of Greenleaf. He ducked his head, diving down under the surface of the water, closing his eyes, enjoying the feel of the water propelling past his face and his whiskers. Swiftpaw pushed up from the bottom of the stream, breaking the surface of the cool stream with a loud gasp as he filled his lungs with fresh crisp air.
Strongly, the blue tom paddled his way to the shore, he pulled himself up onto the bank giving himself a big shake, sending water droplets flying from his sleek pelt.
Swiftpaw let out a deep sigh of contentment, laying down and stretching out, letting the mid-day sun warm and dry his pelt, the memory of the day he learned to swim playing in his mind.
"I don't know why I was so afraid to learn how to swim" he thought to himself as he meticulously raped his tongue over his short fur.
The day after the gathering had been particularly hot and Swiftpaw eagerly began his swimming lessons, by the next day he was a master,
"Are you sure you weren't born in Riverclan" Moonpaw teased, shaking water droplets from her sleek pelt.
Swiftpaw climbed out of the river, his pelt sopping wet and his whiskers drooping from the weight of the water droplets "I'm sure" he began to shake the water from his pelt, aiming as many drops as possible at Moonpaw "You're just a great mentor".
The white and gray patched she-cat shrieked playfully and jumped away, trying to avoid the water, her green eyes glowing.
Swiftpaw stepped closer to her, burshing muzzles, causing her to purr contently. Then suddenly he pushed forward, knocking her into the chilly depths of the river. When she didn't resurface immediately, cursing like she would usually have done, Swiftpaw grew worried. He crept toward the edge of the river, staring down, scanning the blue water for any sign of her. A dark mass moved upwards from the depths, before Swiftpaw could react he felt himself plummeting into the water.
He splashed frantically, spluttering and coughing up water, only to see Moonpaw strongly swimming circles around him, purring in amusement.
"Im gonna get you" Swiftpaw yowled, swimming after her.
Swiftpaw purred to himself, standing up and stretching, his fur was nearly dry, dry enough that he could go in search of the rest of his hunting patrol without looking suspicious. He trotted over to some freshly covered prey, pulling out a limp squirrel and three plump mice. Just enough prey to explain his long absence.
Lifting the prey in his jaws he trotted through the forest heading toward the sandy hollow where he left Flowertail. He was simply indifferent to the fact that she was on his hunting patrol, but that quickly changed to annoyance when he found out that they were the only two cats on the hunting patrol.
The more he pushed her away, the more desperate her affections became.
Shaking his head in annoyance he charged forward until the clearing came into view, the soft sand felt good beneath his paws and he dropped the prey on the ground, laying down and tucking his paws under his chest and waited.
A shrill yowl caught his attention and Swiftpaw leapt to his paws, flicking his ears trying to figure out where the sound was coming from. The shriek sounded again and he charged towards it without thinking.
Branches whipped his face and thorns clawed at Swiftpaw's pelt as he raced in the direction of the cries for help. As he stumbled upon the sight he skidded to a halt.
A few tail lengths in front of him was Flowertail, caught in a metal twoleg contraption. The jaws of the contraption were clamped around her forepaw and blood seeped from the wound caused by the jagged shiny teeth that were stuck in her leg as the she-cat struggled to pull her leg free.
Staggering out of the bushes barely a tail length from where Flowertail struggled came a fox. Swiftpaw felt a horiible feeling creep through his bones, he had never seen a fox before, had never smelled their retched scent. The fox seemed as though it couldn't stand properly and when Swiftpaw searched for the reason why, he caught the glare of another of the same metal contraptions Flowertail was stuck in, clamped around one of the fox's legs as well.
The young fox was skinny, and its eyes were glazed over, but it moved towards Flowertail with a deep desire of hunger. Flowertail yowled for help and Swiftpaw moved.
Without thinking he slammed his body into the fox's, knocking the injured creature off its paws. The fox let out a strangled yelp as it attempted to get back on its feet, before it could manage to, Swiftpaw lunged forward nipping at the fox and slashing his claws into it's pelt. He hissed and spat and moved forward as the fox rolled on the ground, getting further and further from Flowertail.
The fox scrambled to its paws, yelping as Swiftpaw clamped his jaws around one if its hindlegs. As Swiftpaw let go the fox limped away, leaving behind a trail of blood.
Switpaw raced over to Flowertail's side and when he reached her he began to inspect the shiny twoleg contraption.
He gently reached out and touched the silver spikes, cool to the touch, and Flowertail hissed through gritted teeth as pain shot through her leg.
"It needs to be pried open with something" Flowertail hissed, her eyes closed to slits in pain "Maybe a stick or something like that"
Swiftpaw nodded vanishing into the bushes, reemerging with a thin brown twig in his jaws. He sat down next to Flowertail, sliding the stick down along the ginger and white she-cat's leg and into the contraption, turning his head to add leverage the blue tom pulled down, managing to separate the contraption's pointy jaws wide enough for Flowertail to slide her leg out.
As soon as the she-cat's leg was free, Swiftpaw dropped the stick and the jaws clamped shut again with a loud snap, splitting the twig in two.
Swiftpaw jumped back at the loud sound and Flowertail crumbled to the ground in a mixture of pain and exhaustion.
"T-thanks" Flowertail struggled to get out, she dropped her head and gave her bleeding paw a few tentative licks.
Swiftpaw stepped up beside her, nosing her paw gently "We should get you back to camp, Topazmist needs to take a look at that"
Flowertail nodded, leaning against him for support as the two Thunderclan cats made their way back to camp.
The two cats pushed their way through the Thunderclan entrance, heading straight for the medicine den, moving passed concerned and curious clanmates in search of Topazmist.
The comforting and sharp scent of herbs engulfed them as Swiftpaw helped Flowertail into the medicine den.
Topazmist scurried over to them, helping lead Flowertail to one of the mossy nests, Swiftpaw helped her to lay down and moved out of the way so Topazmist could assess the damage.
The ginger medicine cat prodded Flowertail's paw gently with her own, feeling how it moved both forward and backward and side to side. Flowertail winced in pain but managed to keep any cries silent.
"Well it isn't broken" Topazmist concluded "Just strained, ill give you some alder for the swelling and some poppy to help you sleep" the ginger she-cat vanished into her herb store and Swfitpaw trotted out of the den to give the she-cat some spacing, colliding face first into Hazepaw.
"What are you doing here?" Hazepaw asked, looking past Swiftpaw and into the medicine den.
Swiftpaw shrugged "Flowertail got hurt while we were hunting, her paw got caught in a weird twoleg contraption and I helped her back to camp"
Hazepaw smirked "You were hunting together? Alone?"
Swiftpaw rolled his eyes "We split up to catch more prey...oh foxdung! I left the prey out there" he pushed past his brother "I got to go"
"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey join her beneath the highledge for a clan meeting" Amberstar's voice rang clear and strong throughout the camp and Swiftpaw cursed under his breath.
"Aw great Starclan, what now? I have to go get that prey" he mumbled as he trotted out to where his clanmates were gathering.
Amberstar stood at the stop of the highledge, Shimmerlight sat below it right beside the leaders den.
"We have all been hearing the whisperings about how Swiftpaw bravely fought off a fox while Flowertail was incapable of defending herself, trapped in a twoleg contraption. After a conference with the senior warriors we have decided that he is ready for his warriors ceremony"
Hazepaw nudged Swiftpaw with his shoulder and Swiftpaw stumbled forward, awestruck with a mix of shock and humility at having the entire clan's attention on him. Most apprentices did not become warriors until after training for six moons, and they always had to pass a final assessment. Swiftpaw hadn't even had his mid-training assessment yet, as he had just reached his fourth moon of training.
Amberstar beckoned him forward with her tail and Swiftpaw slowly made his way to his place directly in front of the brown tabby leader.
"Lionclaw, do you believe that despite your apprentice's age and inexperieince that he has proven himself to be a loyal and hardworking warrior?"
Lionclaw stepped forward, his sleek golden pelt gleaming in the sunlight and his ice blue eyes shining with pride "I do"
"I Amberstar, leader of Thunderclan call upon my warriors ancestors to look down upon this apprentice, he has trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code and I commend him to you as a warrior in his turn"
She turned her gaze from the sky to Swiftpaw "Swiftpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend this clan even at the cost of your life?"
"I do"
"Then by the powers of Starclan I give you your warrior name, Swiftpaw from this moment on you will be known as Swiftbreeze. Starclan honors your loyalty and your knowledge of wrong and right"
Swiftbreeze shifted uncomfortably under his leader's gaze.
"And we welcome you as a full warrior of Thunderclan" Amberstar concluded the ceremony by placing her head on top of Swiftbreeze's and he licked her shoulder respectively.
"Swiftbreeze" "Swiftbreeze"
As his clanmates cheered his new name, Swiftbreeze couldn't help think about Moonpaw and the vow he had just made.
Nova Lioness: yes, Sunvine is back to cause trouble again, muhaha
-Tigerflower08