echopaw's decision

by sparkflight

when a young rouge named echo and her mate, hawkstorm, die of greencough, then are both reincarnated into brother and sister, but as it turns out, her brother, is from thunderclan, while echopaw has been raised in shadowclan. oakfur, there father, hates thunderclan and all of it's cats. but when her father becomes ill, though, echopaw must choose between her brother and her father.

7. Chapter 8

chapter 8: the decision

echopaw opened her eyes. it had been three sunrises since the mysterious prophecy had been given to her, and she still could not shake of a growing feeling of dread. all was normal around her, her clanmates hurrying around to get the days work done. it was just another regular sunrise in shadowclan, but although she had been raised here, somehow, she did not feel welcome. do I really want to stay here? she thought. all that's here for me is a sick father and a mother who isn't even mine. if I stay here, I can cure my father and still be a medicine cat. but if I go to thunderclan, I could stay with my brother and escape from my responsibilities here. I could meet even more of my true kin, but I would have to let my father die- suddenly, she felt a sharp prod in her shoulder, and echopaw whipped her head around to see who it was. she let out a sigh of relief when she saw that it was splashpaw, a younger, snarky apprentice who dappleheart had recommended to help echopaw out when she was gone. but even though her mentor had approved her, echopaw still felt that the 6 moon old apprentice was snarky, impatient, rude, insistent, and lacked even the basic medicine cat skills. of course, splashpaw had never had anyone tell her what to do until recently, when the leader had told her to "mind her tongue" when the medicine cat had chosen her to help out. she braced herself as splashpaw opened her mouth, but what she said was actually interesting. have you heard? the tabby asked. my father is going to be DEPUTY of shadowclan! what?! echopaw exclaimed. but we already have a deputy! uh, not anymore! she replied. your father is sick, and since it's going to be a lounge time until he recovers, my father is going to be deputy in his place! and then leader! the young she-cat mewed excitedly. isn't that great!? echopaw felt her heart drop like a stone. with her father controlling the clan fifty percent of the time, the tabby would become even more annoying. and if he became leader? unbearable.

uh hello! earth to echopaw! splashpaw meowed. you know, it would not surprise me if you moved to the elders den early. you're always so boring! I mean, who would want to spend all their day stuck in a den, sorting plants? you guys are kind of useless, if you think about it. you don't even hunt! all you do all day is stuff your faces with OUR prey! now, at this, echopaw felt her blood begin to boil. she rose to her paws, lifted one up and swiped splashpaw across her face! the young apprentice stumbled, and then regained her balance, and hissed, you're in big trouble! I thought medicine cats were supposed to heal cats, not hurt them! and with a swish of her tail, she stalked of her den over towards dropletstar. echopaw sat down in defeat and groaned. maybe the elders have the good idea, scolding young mouse brains like her, she mewed. she could do with a little scolding.

but did she even care? all echopaw wanted was to be a normal medicine cat, healing her classmates in a clan where nobody expected too much of her. was there even a clan like that? thunderclan's pretty close, she thought. I could start over. and besides, it doesn't feel like I belong here anymore.