Welcome back to the real chapter 12 of The Rise of Swiftstar. I have decided who Swiftpaw will "end up with". Now without ado the next chapter… Will be coming right up after the break (Review answers)!
Review answers:
MeowKitty1912; Thank you for the explanation about that I really needed it, and I am sorry to say but Heatherstar is still Heatherstrike, most of the last chapter didn't actually happen sorry about that…
Breezetail of WindClan; so you like SwiftXJay, it is a possibility, thank you and I love that you liked the chapter!
Amberfoot7; Shinestar isn't dead the whole BTB was a dream of Heatherstrike's, and you support SwiftXMouse
Swiftstar Lover; I know, and another for SwiftXMouse, and I did update you happy?
Heatherstrike88; It is fine that you don't review often, and you can pm me on the subject of Heatherstrike and her family.
On with the story…
In the apprentice den (ThunderClan)
"Mousepaw wake up!"
Yet the brown apprentice slept on causing the silver she-cat to huff in annoyance. She shook one of his shoulders, hissing.
"Mousepaw time to train,"
This time the tom's eyes flickered open, resting on her.
"Morning Swiftpaw,"
"You are going to be late for training AGAIN groom yourself and meet us in the sandy hollow, oh one more thing HURRY!"
Swiftpaw turned and left the den, then sprinting out of camp. Rushing to meet Roughpelt and Shinestar who was overseeing the training session. Since Mousepaw's mentor was in the medicine den after an old shoulder wound from the battle with WindClan had reopened.
"Shinestar, Roughpelt," Swiftpaw dipped her head. "Mousepaw will be here soon don't worry."
"HERE!"
As if on cue the apprentice bolted into the sandy hollow his fur still a little messy. His eyes were still dulled with the tiredness of sleep and he slurred as he spoke.
"I'm here"
"Finally now we can start… go,"
Swiftpaw launched herself into a tree climbing up and up and up. Until the others looked like small specks, with a leap of faith she hurled herself into the next tree. Moving a little lower, she repeated getting lower, and lower, and lower.
"Roughpelt where has she gone?"
Shinestar's confused remark could be heard from her perch, then she spotted her target. Multiple nests of sleeping birds 'Better be Q&Q… Quick and Quiet' with a lunge she took out the first nest killing all in it before a sound could be made. Lunge. Another. Lunge again. One more. Blood splattered the she-cat's muzzle and paws as she brought down the kills, then jumping back to the ground.
"WOW, I am very impressed Swiftpaw. I must say, you are a hunter just like your father. Corntail was this clan's best hunter, and it looks like his daughter will take his place as best in clan."
"Thank you Shinestar,"
"Next up is my temporary apprentice Mousepaw, go!"
The brown tom leaped into a shorter tree, before virtually disappearing due to his fur color. Some soft yelps could be heard, then four squirrels hit the ground followed by a blood splattered tom with gleaming eyes.
"How did I do?"
But he was all alone, the two mentors were watching from a closer perch as Swiftpaw kept to the shadows. Though her silver fur had been matted with mud, and she had been groomed to look like a warrior from another clan.
"Well what do we have here?"
Swiftpaw hissed slurring the last five words. Her blue eyes glinted with an evil looking light as Mousepaw trembled a little.
"Y_you shouldn't be here, this is ThunderClan territory… Shinestar w_will hurt you… Yeah!"
"Where is this mighty Shinestar? Or are you just some wimpy apprentice that makes hollow threats trying to secure his safety… well guess what? ShadowClan apprentices have longer training so you are doomed."
"W_who are you?"
"YOU DARE QUESTION ME! I AM THE ELDEST APPRENTICE OF SHADOWCLAN AT 14 MOONS OLD, RUN SCRAWNY THUNDERCLAN SCUM!"
But Mousepaw didn't run he turned, leapt into a tree and came crashing down on Swiftpaw. With a screech the silver she-cat allowed her brown friend to pin her. Swiftpaw went limp, not daring to move a muscle until with a roar of fury launched herself upwards. Throwing her friend to the edge of the clearing, he stood and shook his head trying to get a grasp of the situation.
"ThunderClan FOXHEART!"
Swiftpaw knocked Mousepaw completely out of the training area pinning him on his back before slowly lowering her muzzle teeth barred, hissing louder than what she thought was possible. With an incredible amount of sudden power the brown apprentice threw off Swiftpaw, he then proceeded to leap into the trees.
"SUPPREISE SHADOWCLAN SCUM!"
This time when she was pinned, Mousepaw flipped her onto her back her soft stomach facing upwards. The brown tom unsheathed his razor sharp claws and lowered them to her neck.
"This is for trespassing,"
Just before he could strike the fatal blow, Shinestar and Roughpelt appeared yelling to the brown tom.
"MOUSEPAW STOP!"
"What? I'm finishing this intruder…"
"This intruder is your friend Swiftpaw, sup?"
Swiftpaw didn't bother masking her voice, and with that her friend stepped off of her dipping his head.
"I'm impressed with both of you, and Mousepaw GREAT tree work."
"Um Tallfeather I need to talk to you,"
"Yes, how can I help you Heatherstrike?"
At that exact moment blackness surged over the two she-cats. They woke in a dark field with a strange voice speaking to them.
It has all changed
In the blackest night, smoke surrounding all a swift savior will appear fighting back to the rough but invisible enemy
Protect the savior
The savior mustn't be lost
The invisible enemy will watch as the savior rises to their position in fear
Though the first step is a mere pawn in the entire game
Then the right-hand must be cut off
And the invisible evil must be finished by a swift slice to the throat
You have your warning
Tread carefully
The two woke immediately after the final word was spoken, Heatherstrike muttered.
"The die is cast,"
"What does that mean Heatherstrike?"
"I don't know it just felt right. Huh. Oh well I am going to go send out a patrol, bye Tallfeather."
"Bye Heatherstrike,'
"GET UP APPRENTICE!"
A voice boomed, the source a huge tom with glittering eyes. He was yelling at a young she-cat with silver fur and bright blue eyes.
"Swiftpaw if you are to become strong you MUST become stronger!"
"Thunderstar I am doing my best, please let me rest."
"Fine let us study on trust and betrayal,"
A white light surrounded the two cats as they were whisked to a younger looking ThunderClan camp. A Ginger and white tabby stood on the leaders rock.
"This was Stripestar, his best friend and deputy Shadefur is the dark brown tom near the camp entrance, you see Stripestar was a great leader but a lot of his clan envied him. Even his deputy,"
Once again white surrounded the two and they were in a slightly older ThunderClan camp.
"So one night Shadefur planned to kill Stripestar, the two were like brothers but Shadefur allowed his envy to cover his logical thinking. So he gathered ten other warriors that wanted the great leader dead. They lured out the leader and each cat sliced his stomach once. The final and killing blow was to be dealt by Shadefur. And when they carried their plan out, when Shadefur stepped up to his dyeing friend he realized what he had done."
The two were now in front of the scene where Shadefur was killing the leader.
"When Shadefur stepped up to kill his friend, Stripestar just looked at him an uttered his final words,"
Thunderstar stopped in time for the real Stripestar to speak.
"You too Shadefur?"
The dark brown tom shed a single tear and whispered to his leader and friend.
"I'm so sorry,"
Then to Swiftpaw's dismay the brown tom cut through the leader's chest then moved forward licked his friend's forehead and slit his throat. Somehow Stripestar managed to rasp his true final words.
"T_the die is c_case, t_he clan will turn against you t_traitors! T_this is not the end of me!"
Stripestar stopped breathing moments after, the once great leader was dead. But a breath of life entered him as the ginger tabby shot up from his spot, all wounds gone. He sprinted off, his killers who had left wouldn't know he was alive just yet… not just yet.
Back in ThunderClan
Swiftpaw woke to a familiar sound the call of a battle.
"CODE BLUE! CODE BLUE! MOVE IT THIS IS NO DRILL!"
The apprentice den was empty not counting the silver she-cat. Swiftpaw sprinted outside to see chaos reigning over the camp. The one elder and few queens and kits were rushing to their hiding place. Ravenpaw and the new medicine cat apprentice Jaypaw stood scared in a corner. Then a yowl was heard by almost all.
"WindClan attack!"
What looked like all of WindClan streamed into the frantic camp, met by a wall of warriors? Swiftpaw saw the sickening face of Owlpaw in the crowd. The she-cat started sprinting towards the battle. She launched herself over Shinestar and Lilystar and hit her target.
"Who is a kit-apprentice now?"
Swiftpaw hissed to Owlpaw.
"Last fight was a warning, this time I will kill you!"
Swiftpaw was thrown off of the WindClan tom by an unknown warrior, then a yowl followed.
"SWIFTPAW DUCK!"
The apprentice ducked in time to see Mousepaw launch himself onto the warrior that had attacked her, he was closely followed by Ravenpaw and Jaypaw.
"So Swiftpaw, it's just you and me,"
Swiftpaw used her time to dart under the overconfident tom and jab her claws into his exposed underbelly.
"FOXDUNG!"
The tom roared, he batted away the silver apprentice and pinned her down he teasingly unsheathed one set of his claws and drew them closer and closer to her belly. Swiftpaw cringed at how blood from his stomach wounds was flowing onto her once silver fur.
"NO!"
Jaypaw lunged towards Owlpaw suppressing the tom and freeing Swiftpaw, the silver and crimson apprentice leapt to her paws and attacked the WindClan tom from the side. She growled.
"Don't mess with ThunderClan!"
"WINDCLAN RETREAT!"
Owlpaw shook off the two ThunderClan apprentices and sprinted off after his clan. There was a screech and the two bloodstained apprentices whipped their heads over to look at the cause.
"No, no, no, no,"
Gingerfur stood at the side of an unrecognizable red tom there was one spot on his forehead that was a shining silver.
"Shinestar please no."
Swiftpaw ran up to her leader and whimpered.
"No! THEY TOOK SHINESTAR!"
But right after the silver apprentice spoke the leader started gasping for breath. He looked wimpy at Gingerfur then to Swiftpaw and spoke.
"Swiftpaw I think that you should know something,"
The two looked evenly at each other until Shinestar broke the gaze to nod at Gingerfur.
"Swiftpaw your mother and I have become mates,"
"What?"
"Mates, we are mates… are you ok?"
"Yeah just fine."
"THE DAUGETER OF SHINESTAR?"
A voice boomed, the clan looked up to see the whole WindClan battle patrol.
"GET THAT APPRENTICE!"
Within seconds the fighting resumed as intense as ever. When a warrior tackled Swiftpaw and tried to capture her, Mousepaw drove him off with the ferocity of a seasoned warrior.
"GOTTCHA!"
The WindClan leader and three warriors surrounded Swiftpaw.
"Oh, hi there… want to talk this one out?"
"NO MORE TALK! WINDCLAN RETREAT!"
One of the warriors grabbed Swiftpaw and sprinted out of camp, the silver apprentice could hear two cats yelling out.
"NO!"
The sound of heavy paw steps could be heard from not far behind. Then the scents changed to the wretched smell of WindClan and the lush forest became a smooth more.
"No, no, no, NO! That's my family that you stole me from!"
"SHUT UP WORTHLESS MAGGOT!"
A yell from a WindClan warrior silenced her. Though the silver apprentice didn't stop fighting her captor's grip. The warrior stopped and slammed her head onto the ground making everything go black.
Question of the day; what was the tail of Stripestar based of, and would you, the readers, be interested in a whole other story about the life of Stripestar?
See you all next time!
Swiftstar out