Wildpaw stalked the mouse and pounced. She killed it with a quick blow with her paw. She trotted over to the roots of the oak she had buried two mice and a squirrel. Prey dangling from her jaws, she padded back through the woods to where Pudding and her kits where laying.
"Here you go," Wildpaw mumbled around the prey and dropped it at her feet. Pudding's eyes widened at the small pile of fresh kill. It must look like a feast to her, thought Wildpaw. She took a one of the three mice for herself and settled down in the shade of a hazel bush. Finishing her morsel in famished gulps, Wildpaw got to her paws and stretched until the leaves on the forest floor brushed her belly fur. Pudding was just swallowing the last of the squirrel, mouse bones scattered around her.
"Thank you so much!" she mewed happily. "You saved my life and my kits lives!" Wildpaw flicked her tail in embarrassment and looked at her paws. She took a deep breath and a dark, shadowy stench hit the roof of her mouth. DarkClan! They had followed her!
"Pudding! Come with me!" she hissed, scanning the undergrowth and scooping up a protesting kit at the same time. Pudding did as she was told, but confusion lit up her face. looking both ways, Wildpaw led the way over a ridge and started racing across the open grass, the kit bouncing against her chest. Pudding dashed after her. Wildpaw skidded to a halt when her back turned cooler, indicating that trees were overhead, blocking out the sky. Pudding set her kit down gently and whipped around to face Wildpaw.
"What is your problem!" she hissed at her. Her eyes darkened as she gathered up her other kit and curled up around them. Wildpaw looked away, not wanting to explain. They were still after her and she could only run.....
~♥~
"We have to figure out what the prophecy means," murmured Tornadostar, her wise silver gaze hardened with determination. Shinestream squinted in the darkness of the cave only they knew about.
"What was it again?" Shinestream wondered. Tornadostar hissed in frustration. She just wanted to leave the cave, because foreboding crashed down on her every time she remembered how invisible eyes had scorched her pelt on the trek here.
"The darkness is coming, to overwhelm the light, but the star shines brighter, but the wind will run and save the wild, berry and hazel will come together, the leaf will compose its own song, and the spotted lily shall see what is to come," Tornadostar repeated for the third time. Shinestream nodded, her gaze starring at nothing in particular as she ran through the prophecy in her head.
"Darkness could be DarkClan. Light is obviously LightningClan. 'but the star shines brighter' makes no sense," mewed Shinestream. "'The wind will run' could mean.........I don't know...." her voice trailed of in confusion. She looked at Tornadostar, and saw understanding flash in her eyes.
"Windrunner!" they gasped at the same time.
"It makes sense! 'the wind will run to save the wild' must mean Windrunner will save the wild......." rasped Tornadostar. Shinestream nodded in agreement and continued decoding StarClan's mysterious message."'The berry and hazel will come together'? What could that mean?" Tornadostar wondered. Shinestream shrugged.
"The leaf will compose it's own song' must mean Leafkit and Songkit! They are about to be apprenticed," Shinestream reminded the jet black she-cat. "And we already know that Spottedpaw and Lilypaw have seen what's to come." Tornadostar nodded blankly and flicked her ears towards the mouth of the cave, the only light source streaming into the cave. Cra-ack! A twig snapped somewhere among the bushes near the cave. The she-cats glanced at each other.
"You stay here. I'm going to go check it out," murmured Tornadostar. The medicine cat opened her jaws to protest, but was silenced by a glare from her leader. She watched, her fur on end, as the jet black cat crept out of the cave, her ears pricked to hear the slightest movement. Leaves rustled ahead and Shinestream crouched lower into the dark shadows. She watched the ferns swallow up a black tail tip as her leader plunged deeper towards the sound of the rustling. Shinestream closed her eyes, praying to her warrior ancestors that Tornadostar was safe. Suddenly, a frightened caterwaul split the air, echoing all around Shinestream as it bounced off the walls. She jumped up and pelted into the undergrowth, the light temporarily blinding her. She crashed blindly towards the sound of Tornadostar's yowl for help. As her muscles began to burn, she skidded to a halt for a heartbeat to listen.
"SHINESTR--" screeched Tornadostar, but her cry was cut off. Fear crashed over the she-cat as she bounded toward the yowl and froze in horror at what she saw.
The leaves scattered on the forest floor were bright red with blood. Tornadostar's blood. Shinestream looked at it in horror and backed away, her pelt fluffed up in pure terror. She whipped around and raced back to camp as fast as an ancient WindClan cat. Invisible eyes watched her retreating form as she headed back to camp to tell the Clan.
~♥~
Stargaze knew her secret would come back to haunt her. She could feel it. It was struggling to be set free and she couldn't do anything about it. With Tornadostar thought to be dead, she was leader, but betraying StarClan made her not fit to be leader. She knew her decision would haunt her as her secret would until it was set free. She leaped onto Overhang Rock, the sun reflecting dully of her unkept pelt from grief and hopelessness. Charred, the dusty brown she-cat, sat next to Leopardshadow and Darkshadow, his mate's belly bulging with his kits.The last border patrol had found her almost starved to death. Now she was healthy, her fur well kept and sleek.
"All cats old enough to catch their own prey gather beneath Overhang Rock for a Clan meeting!" she yowled at the top of her lungs. Cats began streaming out, wondering what it was this time.
"Naming new apprentices proves we will remain strong." she began, gazing down at LightningClan. "Today, from this moment on Charred will be known as Charredpaw until she has recieved her warrior name. Swiftwing will be her mentor." Stargaze dipped her head, guilt crashing over her as she thought about the kits she had abandoned.
"I will find you, Wildpaw...." her voice trailed off. She couldn't leave her kit to die.
To Be Continued
42 Meows:
Shinestream frantically looked around the clan. "HELP! TORNADOSTAR HAS BEEN ATTACKED!"
***Shinestream
*Charredpaw dipped her head, and looked around curiously.*
:~~Charredpaw:
Charredpaw! Swiftwing!
~~Seamist
Windrunner said...
Windrunner pelted into the clearing a frantic look on his face. Darkclan cats he yowled at the top of his lungs. I think they might of killed Tornadostar.
Leopardshadow was laying in front of the nursrey sunning herself when she heard Windrunners frantic yowl and jumped up running towards the entranse to the camp her eyes wide in alarm. " What happened??" she asked question and fear in her voice.
Cricketchirp was on a hunting patrol when she smelt blood. She dashed off and skidded to a stop in front of Tornadostar and droped her prey. " HELP" she screeched.
The second Darkshadow heard Windrunner sprint through the camp entrance, he knew something was wrong. He walked out to see Windrunner yell: "DarkClan cats!".
Tears ran down Shinestream's eyes. "I don't know what happened! One minute Tornadostar told me look around and then I heard a yowl! When I ran to the spot where she was, her blood was on the ground!"
***Shinestream
"I can't belive it, Tornadostar is; dead?" Darkshadow mewed with a strong tone of sadness.
"Tell me exactly what happened, Shinestream!" demanded Stargaze, looking at her desperately. What would the Clan do with out their beloved leader, let alone how could Stargaze lead them?!?
"We need a patrol to go scout out the area and search for any scent of cat and then track them down!" Seamist jumped to her paws and yowled
"No! I'm not risking warrior until I know exactly what happened!" hissed Stargaze, looking at Seamist.
"We wont know what happens if we dont investigate the situation!" Seamist hissed back
"And what happens if some cat dies scouting! We need EVERY warrior! I'm in charge while Tornadostar is missing! Or have you forgotten? I'm deputy!" Stargaze spoke softly, but the threat in her vioce was recognizable. She was just as distraught for her leader as the rest of the Clan.
"If the group of cats was big enough no one would get hurt because we could protect each other! Of course I know whos in charge but very cat here is entitled to their own opinion!" Seamist spat
"Yes, but I make the decisions! I can't be sure one of you won't be hurt! I still have to decide a new deputy by moonhigh!" Stargaze said, looking at the sun high in the sky.
Goes over to see stargaze and seamist arguing over whether to sEnd out a patrol to look or not. "I have to agree with stargaze here. We can't afford to lose more cats." Darkshadow mewed evenly
"But there is a mysterey that needs to be solved! We have gone int battle before! At least let me go out.. Im fast and I will escape any danger" Seamist Meowed
"I agree seamist, but if we wait, it might solve itself" Darkshadow said
Stargaze's eyes softened as she looked at Seamist. She was her best friend. She couldn't let her go alone.
"I'm coming, too," Stargaze hissed in pretend anger to hide the momen of weakness she had just had. How can I lead this Clan if I put certain cats before the Clan??, she thought to herself despairingly.
"But what if it doesnt? The longer we wait the less chance we have of finding the murderer" Seamist explained
"Thank You Stargaze" Seamist dipped her head
"What if she isn't dead!" Stargaze demanded. "I don't know whether or not to go to the Moonstream or not!"
"What if she isn't dead!" Stargaze demanded. "I don't know whether or not to go to the Moonstream or not!"
"I'll come to. You'll need a big, strong tom." he said almost regretfully
Hissing, Stargaze led the way out of camp.
Seamist followed her best fried out of the camp ignoring her hiss
(What now?)
(Where Are We Going?)
(Where Shinestream and her met.)
(Okay)
It kept getting colder as the small threesome traveled deeper into the woods. A cold breeze cae through and made Seamists pelt fluff up "How close are we Stargaze?" Seamist asked
"I don't know," she meowed. The wind picked up and the slightest hint of blood hit her nostrils.
"That way!"
Seamist caght the smell of blood and followed Stargaze with Darkshadow hard on her heels she picked up speed and easily caught up with Stargaze. The scent of blood grew stronger
Stargaze gasped as she saw the blood on the ground. Black fur was scattered everywhere.
"Oh my StarClan," whispered Stargze, frozen stiff with horror.
Seamists eyes widened in horror. The scene in front of them was grusome. Fur and blood was everywhere! "What happened here.." She whispered to herself. She looked over and saw Stargazes face, she too was frozen in horror. Seamist scented the area "DarkClan!" She spat "Two toms by the smell of it"
"You mousebrain!" Stargaze hissed. "Smell the fur and the blood! It isn't Tornadostar's!" She didn't know the smell but it was familiar.
All Darkshadow could do was stare in shock at the scene in front of him. He went over and began sniffing, finding a scent trail he gruffly told Stargaze and Seamist to dollow him.
Seamist follwed Darkshadow
She followed Darkshadow in confusion.
I smell DarkClan mixing with Tornadostar he explained as he followed the scent trail. "I'm sorry but i lost it" he apologized. "Its just to muddy and wet here"
"Let me try! We might beable to find some blood or foot prints!" Seamist inspected the area carefully, and there in the mud was foot prints and a drag mark, where a cat had been dragged
"Ughhh It all stops here!" Seamist hissed in disbelief lashing her tail back and forth
"Lets head back to camp" Stargaze meowed
"Good Idea" Seamist agreed
Post a Comment