Swiftbreeze flicked his tail back in forth in an attempt to distract himself from the foggy cloud of sleep the was threatening to over take him during his warriors vigil. He was positioned right at the camp entrance and, laying down with his forepaws tucked beneath his chest. He stared ahead into the darkness, guarding the camp, the moon bathing his blue pelt is a coat of silver.
Rustling out on the darkness caught his attention and Swiftbreeze flicked his ears in the direction of the sound, narrowing his eyes as the rustling continued. He glanced around the camp, everyone else was in their dens and would stay in their dens until sunhigh. He stood to his paws, flicking his tail nervously, unsure weather to investigate the noise himself or to call the alarm.
Taking a deep breath he took a step forward.
"I'm a warrior now" he thought, gulping before trotting out into the darkness "This is my clan, and I will protect it"
Unsheathing his claws, a deep growl rumbling in his chest, the rustling grew louder and the distinct sound of pawsteps grew closer.
Without a moments hesitation Swiftbreeze launched himself into the bush, crashing roughly into something solid. Swiftbreeze scrambled to his paws, cursing as he was struck in the head, falling to the ground again.
Looking up, his blue eyes met amber, and he let out a shaky sigh of relief as the familiar scent washed over him.
"Swirlspots" Swiftbreeze greeted, shakily standing to his paws.
"Mousebrain" Swirlspots cursed, cuffing him across the ear again with her white forepaw "How dumb are you Swiftpaw? Jumping at me in the dark like that, I could have killed you" the pale cream queen scolded.
Swiftbreeze rolled his eyes "Yeah yeah Swirlspots. And the name is Swiftbreeze now" his voice was harsher than he had intended but he attributed it to the rough beating the she-cat had delivered to him only moments ago.
"Congratulations" Swirlspots meowed, curling her tail over her paws "I don't have much time, Moonstream sent me to tell you that you need to meet her tomorrow at fourtrees"
"Moonstream? Fourtrees?" Swiftbreeze meowed "Whats going on? Is she in trouble?" his blue gray pelt fluffed up as worry sparked through his body.
Swirlspots shook her head "Reedstar promoted all of the apprentices, Moonstream included"
"Can he do that?" Swiftbreeze asked warily.
Swirlspots bared her teeth "Aparently he can do whatever he wants" suddenly she composed herself "I shouldn't speak ill of him" she paused thoughtfully "But he hasn't been the same since Mothpetal's death, growing restless and seeking more solitude as time passes"
"When he made the warriors, he forgo the sacred words, he has been doing that for the past few moons. Galeforce and Splashtail didn't receive them and neither did my kits Goldenpaw and Honeypaw"
Swiftbreeze flicked his ears "Why do we need to meet at fourtrees?"
"There is lots of news to be discussed, I'll be coming too. It would be best if we don't draw too much attention to the border, Reedstar has been picking up on your scent"
"Alright, I'll be there at sunset" dipping his head, stepping back "Safe travels"
The cream and white she-cat dipped her head, before turning and disappearing into the darkness.
Swiftbreeze made his way cautiously back to the camp entrance, sending his prayers to Starclan that no one was awake. Suddenly he sensed a presence beside him. He quickly tried to think up an excuse as the white she-cat spoke.
"Hello Swiftbreeze" Moony meowed, her clouded blue eyes twinkling mischievously. The she-cat was technically a full fledged warrior as she had trained in the ways of the clans with Leopardlight when she was a kit. A battle with Sunvine left her almost completely blind in both eyes and though she was welcomed into the clan she still tried her best to be a fully functioning member of the clan.
Swiftbreeze paused for a moment before speaking, unsure what to do since his silent warrior vigil would not be over until the sunrise.
"It's ok" Moony meowed, her blue eyes glinting mischievously "I wont tell"
"My legs were cramping, I had to stretch them" Swiftbreeze lied coolly, looking at the ground.
Moony rolled her blue eyes at him, flicking his shoulder with her tail-tip as the clanmates stopped just outside the camp entrance "And I'm sure that Riverclan she-cat in our territory was just a coincidence"
Swiftbreeze froze "You scented her?"
"I heard the two of you, as I made my way back to camp"
Swiftbreeze bristled, fear coursing through his pelt, this was the closest he had ever come to his affair with Moonstream being discovered. He had no excuses prepared, no reason to use to convince the white she-cat that what she had heard was false.
"I don't know everything about the ways of the clans, but from what I can gather I can conclude that whatever you feel for this Riverclan she-cat, Moonstream was her name?"
Swiftbreeze nodded guiltily, completely at the mercy of Thunderclan's newest apprentice.
"Yes, well from what I can gather there are those who would not approve of your relationship with her, even those that would hate you for it, yes?" Moony murmured.
Swiftbreeze nodded again, whispering "Friendships outside of your own clan are frowned upon, however choosing a mate from another clan is strictly forbidden" suddenly he lifted his head, meeting her blue eyes with his own "Go ahead, tell Amberstar, tell the whole clan for all I care. I love Moonstream, and I'm not going to stop seeing her, she changes nothing, I'm still a loyal warrior"
Moony's whiskers twitched amusedly "Oh I have no doubts about that, I won't be repeating anything I heard tonight. I believe that if Starclan truly exists, they would want you to be happy, and if this she-cat makes you happy, then who am I to tell you how to live your life."
A smile tugged at Swiftbreeze's lips and a warm feeling spread through his fur "Thank you Moony, thank you so much"
Moony smiled, laying her tail-tip on his shoulder "I can only hope that wherever my daughter is, she may find true love, and follow her heart as well"
Together the two Thunderclan cats padded through the camp entrance, the sun had just begun to peak above the horizon, casting the morning rays through the tree tops, bathing the camp in a warm golden light. Swiftbreeze quickly moved back to his position for his vigil, laying down and tucking his paws beneath his chest, just as Shimmerlight trotted out of the warriors den.
Swiftbreeze leapt to his paws as his mother moved towards him, pushing past their early rising clanmates, excitement coursed through his pelt as he eagerly awaited his first duty as a warrior.
He kneaded the ground impatiently, it felt like moons had gone by before Shimmerlight was standing before him, he ginger pelt lit up like a flame and her ice blue eyes glowing with pride.
"I see you made it through your vigil" she meowed "Its alright, you can talk now"
Swiftbreeze let out a breath he didn't know he had been holding, his tail tip quivering with excitement "I'm ready"
Shimmerlight tilted her head curiously "Ready for what?"
"For my first warrior duty of course" Swiftbreeze exclaimed, as if the idea was obvious and she was the one acting strange.
Shimmerlight shook her head amusedly "Oh no, first things first, your going to sleep"
Swiftbreeze's tail drooped sadly, "But its dawn"
"And you have been awake all night" Shimmerlight countered, she laid her tail on his shoulder "I will find something for you to do once you rest up, its time to act right. You're a warrior now, its time to be responsible, you will be leading your own patrols, going on solo missions and someday training your own apprentice"
Swiftbreeze rolled his eyes as his deputy, and his mother, lectured him "Okay, okay, im going" he flicked her with his tail, trotting to the warriors den. As he pushed his way into the den, a sudden feeling of exhaustion over took him. He quickly settled in a nest in the outside of the ring of nests in the den, curling his tail over his nose, his eyes drooping heavily with sleep.
Swiftbreeze opened his eyes to find himself standing alone in a dark forest. Looking around he recognized the place as fourtrees, but the scene around him sent shivers through his pelt. A thick layer of fog rolled through the underbrush and billowed off of the great rock like a smoky waterfall.
He warily stepped forward, feeling the need to look around the great rock. Something was drawing him there, but not a scent nor sound was present. An eerie feeling crept through his pelt as he slowly made his way to the great rock, the fog closed in around him, glancing behind him Swiftbreeze couldn't see the edge of fourtrees anymore. He was slowly being closed in by the thick fog.
He was now standing beside the great rock, he couldn't quite see what was on the other side and he shakily let out a deep breath, urging himself to look. Sending a silent prayer to Starclan and taking in a deep breath Swiftbreeze forced himself to take another step forward, frozen in shock as his pale blue eyes focused on the sight before him.
Laying down, a foxlength in front of him, on a small patch of grass untouched by the menacing fog, was a pale faceless she-cat. She looked directly at Swiftbreeze with her blank face, sending shivers of uneasiness through Swiftbreeze's pelt.
The she-cat stared blankly ahead as movement caught Swiftbreeze's attention, looking down at the she-cat's belly three blue-gray faceless kits squirmed.
Swiftbreeze's breath hitched in his throat and he took an uneasy step forward, still feeling drawn to the pale faceless family.
Suddenly brown dried up vines sprouted from the ground, slinking their way over the pale she-cat's body, slowly engulfing her to the point where she vanished completely, leaving the small faceless kits squirming on the ground, in search of their mother's warmth.
Swiftbreeze felt his heart lurch as the she-cat vanished.
More vines surged forward wrapping around the tiny kits' bodies and curling around them until the kits vanished beneath the spiny tendrils.
"No!" Swiftbreeze yowled, rushing towards the kits, the need to protect them surged through his pelt, fueling his rage.
The vines sprung forward, spiraling their way up Swiftbreeze's legs holding him in places as they moved over his body, tightening around his chest and digging into his ears. His vision grew blurry as he struggled to breathe and it all went black, the green tendrils wrapping around his face dragging him into unconsciousness.