---The Fire Within Us--- }{ UF, Adventure/Romance

[Sunsetfur]

Title: The Fire Within Us
Chapters: Approximately 15
Author: Sunsetfur, yours truly
Pairing: N/A (That would spoil the story!!)
Rating: PG
Spoilers: Erm...this takes places a few years after the NP, pretending Po3 never happened. So spoilers for all the New Prophecy and for my previous two installments.
Summary: Eaglepaw, son of Tigerflame and Gorsethorn, must take up the mantle of heroes as he sets out to discover the path beyond the Moonpool before the water runs out and all connection to StarClan is lost.
Warning: Character death, fighting, loss and sadness
Disclaimer: Don't own characters that the Erins created, or any of the concepts.
Beta: N/A
Cover: N/A

Author's Notes: Well, this is it! The last part of Silverpool's tale, or the Green Fire and Stormclouds Trilogy. I thank you all for your support, but I must warn you that this will not be updated as quickly as Gathering Darkness or Gray Skies, Black Dawn were. This story is barely past the prologue, while Gathering Darkness was long complete and Gray Skies, Black Dawn was halfway complete. Tigerfur has posted the last two, but I've decided to post my final installment myself. Enjoy, and please review!

Prologue
Dreams of the Eagle[/u]

His face haunted me in the Seeing-water of StarClan, comforting and terrifying. I watched him grow, always fearing the day when his destiny would arise. Would his be like mine, or Tigerflame’s? History repeated itself often. Would he be a victim of forbidden love, to watch his mate die as perhaps a punishment? Or would he journey beyond our borders and return triumphant? Or perhaps, as Hawkwing often pointed out to me, his life would take him on paths unexplored by his mother, me, Dawninglight, or Hawkwing.

The pool shimmered with every color imaginable. It was blue-silver water, as any normal stream or pond would have, but it rippled without a touch from paw or pebble. And from the ripples sprang flickers of cold, watery light, lingering in the air for an instant before disappearing into the pool. There were delicate roses and palest reds, thin orange and sunny gold, flashing green, brightest blue to twilight violet and dusky shades of black and gray and brown. And sometimes they would move, take shape, and form into flickering pictures.

His face was there. Again and again it formed for a few moments in the Seeing-water. It was so clear and recognizable to me—his brown tabby fur, darker than his father Gorsethorn’s, and big amber eyes with tinges of green, one positioned a fraction higher than the other. He wasn’t the brightest cat, quite unlike his sister, but he was soft-hearted, unlike his brother, who was quick to argue and irritable. He wasn’t feisty or strong in battle, but more solitary, preferring to keep his problems and feelings to himself. Eaglekit was the unique one in the family.

And his destiny was beginning to be foretold.

Then there was Moonkit. She was the youngest and smartest of Tigerflame’s kits. Already she had caught the interest of the warriors, and many requests had gone out to Mistystar for mentorship. She was blissfully drinking it all in, for all the attention was for good reason: Moonkit had achieved catching a bird when she was five moons old, helped to track down Dawninglight’s daughter Birdpaw when the brown she-cat was lost as a kit, and invented a team game of keep-away with moss, using small stones to record the scores.

Sunkit was quite the opposite. He was the oldest kit of his litter, strong-willed and easy to irritate. He challenged the apprentices regardless of his age and size, and seemed to forget that he was indeed smaller than them. This probably was fed by the fact that he was the only tom of his age, except maybe for Graypaw, Morninglight’s son, who was several moons older. Oddly enough, Eaglekit was his best friend and ally, the two of them often pairing up against Moonkit their sister. She usually won their fights anyway.

I watched them, sometimes flitting down to stand beside them or simply watching Eaglekit’s face sometimes appear in the Seeing-water. And now, as I peered down into the prophetic pond, I saw him again, his small head and shoulders, silhouetted against a whirl of flames.

Would he be killed in a fire?

Was he doomed to die at the paws of a fiery cat?

Would he turn to evil?

Will he be consumed by the evils of another?

I had to do something…but what?

I arose from the water’s edge, and felt an involuntary shudder pass down my back. Quickly and quietly, I curled up to sleep beside the pool, letting my tail-tip rest in the colorful ripples. The water’s fire-image still crackled silently, and Eaglekit’s shape moved around in it frantically.

I opened my eyes, and saw the little brown shape of my youngest grandchild blinking sleepily, his eyes wide.

“Dawninglight? What is it?” He struggled to his paws. He was six moons old now, soon to be apprentices, but here he looked as young and vulnerable as a four-moon-old. He stumbled a bit nearer, and his big eyes flew wide, huge and confused. “Wait—you aren’t Dawninglight! And you don’t have Clan scent, either. Where am I?”

I rose, carefully keeping my tail in the water, peering down at the young cat. Indeed, he was very nearly the spitting image of Gorsethorn, but his fur had darkened from kithood to a rich, dusty brown, the color of sand beneath the water.

“Look in the water,” I told him, evading the questions.

“Tell me who you are,” he insisted, not moving from where he was crouched.

I sighed. “I am Silverpool, your mother’s mother, and you are in StarClan.”

He visibly started, looking around wildly, taking in the faint trees, the sparkling rivers of stars. “But—but why am I here?”

“Look into the water,” I insisted, “and you will see.”

Eaglekit shot another glance around him, watching me mistrustfully. He slunk over to the Seeing-water and I glided over beside him.

“Don’t touch it,” I told him quickly.

“Why not?”

“The living must never touch the Seeing-water of StarClan,” I meowed softly. “It is infused with great and terrible power beyond measure. The mortal would be consumed by it.”

He frowned, and carefully stretched his head out over the splashing pool and looked down into its depths.

The water, which had been depicting a yellow tabby climbing in a tree, immediately began to ripple and change. It flashed through half-assembled images of rock and tree, river and meadow, sun and snow. Finally the colored flashes slowed, revealing the same flickering picture I had beheld: Eaglekit, surrounded by flames.

He gasped, but the image changed again. Now it showed him sprinting alongside two unfamilier warriors across a barren meadow devoid of trees. Now it showed a darkened sky, and the pool’s eye swiveled up to the sun, which was little more than a red line in the sky…

Eaglekit was breathing fast.

The colors reformed, and the shapes of swooping eagles filled the watery sky, and fell upon two terrified cats below, one gray and the other golden-brown. Then the Tribe’s waterfall flashed into view, and a half-lit hole filled with white flowers, then a pair of evil eyes and another flash of silver.

And the flashing suddenly paused, frozen on the image of a small white cat, with a bent and broken body who lay among the roots of a weeping willow, its drapes cast about the pale, shivering shape.

I whisked my tail out of the water, and Eaglekit vanished. This corner of StarClan was silent once more, save for the Seeing-water’s constant rippling, its surface blank and unfathomable once more.

[.Swiftclaw.]

Yay! It's here! ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D
Great so far! ;D

[Morning]

Yaay! Its here! omg, i can't wait to sign up so that i can PM you fanmail!

[Sunsetfur]

Hey, I forgot totally to post the Allegiances last time, so here they are:

RIVERCLAN

LEADER: [/b]
Mistystar—gray she-cat with blue eyes, has six lives

DEPUTY: [/b]
Lionpelt—golden tabby tom, blue eyes
Apprentice, Galepaw

MEDICINE CAT:
Willowleaf—pale gray she-cat

WARRIORS:
Reedwhisker—long-legged black tom, green eyes
Tumblepelt—light brown tabby tom
Nightshadow—black tom with blue eyes
Flamingfur—ginger tabby tom
Scarletfire—dark ginger she-cat
Streamflower—black and white tabby she-cat blue eyes
Barkpelt—golden brown tom
Apprentice, Birdpaw
Shadowflicker—pale gray tom
Morninglight—gray and white tabby she-cat
Gorsethorn—light brown tabby tom
Ashenrain—silver tabby she-cat
Apprentice, Brightpaw
Dawninglight—black and gray tabby she-cat, amber eyes
Smokepelt—black and gray tabby tom, green eyes
Apprentice, Graypaw
Darkstorm—dark gray tabby tom
Icepath—white she-cat
Rowanfur—ginger tabby she-cat with green eyes
Robinflight—ginger she-cat with amber eyes

APPRENTICES:
Galepaw—white and gray she-cat
Graypaw—dark gray tom
Brightpaw—silver and black she-cat
Birdpaw—brown she-cat

QUEENS:
Tigerflame—golden-brown she-cat streaked with gold, green eyes (Mate—Gorsethorn)

KITS:
Sunkit—golden tom-kit with green eyes (Mother—Tigerflame)
Eaglekit—brown tabby tom-kit (Mother—Tigerflame)
Moonkit—small silver she-kit with bright amber eyes (Mother—Tigerflame)

---

Chapter 1
Clouds[/u]

Though Sunkit told me it was stupid, I was sure that my dream was real. Tigerflame confirmed that her mother was indeed named Silverpool, and she had died before I was born. It was rather intimidating to have seen something like this at my age, according to Moonkit, who had heard it from Willowleaf. She told me that it was a medicine cat’s trait, though I had no interest or desire in being one. So I attempted to forget about it. My apprentice ceremony was coming, and I had to focus on impressing the warriors.

Leaf-fall was approaching, even though the days were still comfortably warm. The grasshoppers still hummed in the fields, and fish were plentiful in both the river and the lake, though of course we were still to young to catch them. Moonkit had already caught two birds, and Sunkit a water vole, though Tigerflame severely berated him for going so close to the river. I had to my name a simple mouse, common prey for young kits to catch on their own. Tigerflame was proud still, and that alone was good enough for me.

“Eaglekit. Eaglekit.”

I looked up, selecting an expression of mock exasperation for my face. Sunkit’s golden head was poking out from behind the large fern cluster he was obsessed with. I scuttled over to him, crouching low to hide.

“What do you want?” I hissed.

“Look over there,” Sunkit mewed quietly, flicking his tail at something opposite us. I peered through the feathery fronds and saw Mistystar leading Reedwhisker, Nightshadow, Barkpelt, and Ashenrain into her den.

I gasped. “Mentors?”

“Maybe. Let’s go spy.”

“Are you insane? What if we’re caught?”

“We won’t be.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“Oh, come on, Eaglekit, do something daring for once! We’re nearly apprentices, for StarClan’s sake, and you’re still like, ‘Are you sure that’s okay?’ and ‘What if we’re caught?’ and ‘Oh, no, Mistystar wouldn’t like that, would she?’ and ‘Stop messing around, Sunkit.’”

“Am not,” I grumbled.

“Are too,” Sunkit sniffed. “And I’m going, whether you like it or not. And don’t you dare tell Tigerflame anything.”

“I won’t! I’m coming with you.” I scrambled to my paws and followed him as he slunk across the camp, pretending to be following a leaf floating on a breeze. He then dove into a gap in the brambles beside Mistystar’s den. I followed him quickly.

Mistystar’s hushed voice was easy to hear, disturbingly close and clear. “We’ll be caught, I know it, I know it,” I muttered angrily into Sunkit’s ear, trying to shrink against the thorns. But he wasn’t listening to me. Ashenrain, Tigerflame’s sister, was talking now.

“Well, I’m sure anyone would be pleased to take Moonkit,” her voice meowed, “in fact, I certainly would if I didn’t have Brightpaw already. Not that she’s terrible or anything, she’s quite a wonderful cat.” The last sentence was added quickly yet truthfully, and I heard Barkpelt give a satisfied grunt.

“I was thinking of letting Streamflower take one,” Mistystar put in. “She hasn’t had another apprentice since Thymepaw died.”

“Yes,” agreed Nightshadow fervently. Streamflower was his daughter, I recalled. “What about Moonkit for her?”

“My thoughts exactly,” Mistystar confirmed. “Settled, then. Streamflower will mentor Moonkit.”

“What about Eaglekit and Sunkit?” Ashenrain meowed.

“Sunkit will need a tough mentor,” Reedwhisker mewed humorously. “He tried to smuggle Galepaw’s bedding into his own den when she said he had less sense than half a fish. And remember that incident with Willowleaf’s catnip?”

All five cats chuckled, and Sunkit beamed beside me. “Priceless,” he muttered. I rolled my eyes at him, and he mimed clawing my ears off.

“Gorsethorn could take him,” suggested Barkpelt.

“No,” Mistystar rejected. “He’s Sunkit’s father. I avoid using parents as mentors.”

“Because of favoritism?” Asked Nightshadow.

“And parents tend to go easy on their kits,” Reedwhisker meowed.

“You gave me Birdpaw,” Barkpelt pointed out.

“Yeah, well, you’re tougher than Gorsethorn,” purred Ashenrain.

“Exactly. Who else is there? I know that you both have apprentices, Barkpelt and Ashenrain, and they’re coming along wonderfully,” Mistystar continued. “Shadowflicker could use an apprentice. He asked Lionpelt about it a while ago.”

“He’d be good for either of them,” Reedwhisker agreed.

Sunkit and I exchanged delighted looks. Shadowflicker was an excellent warrior, well known for his good humor and adventurous spirit.

“Which one should he take?” Questioned Ashenrain.

“I’ll ask him for a preference,” Mistystar meowed. “And another cat needs to be chosen. So we have Streamflower and Shadowflicker…”

“Well, there’s Dawninglight, but she’s still recovering from her kits,” Reedwhisker meowed, amusement in his tone. “What about Flamingfur? He taught Tigerflame herself.”

I considered this for a moment. Flamingfur was a good warrior too. He liked taking cats out beyond the RiverClan borders into the land beyond, and was one of the best fighters in the Clan.

“Not a bad idea,” Mistystar commented.

“None of them want to be a medicine cat, do they?” Asked Barkpelt. “In case they want to be mentored by Willowleaf.”

“No, we already had Tigerflame ask them,” Nightshadow told him.

“Flamingfur it is, then,” Mistystar meowed. “Thank you all for your help. I’ll alert those three today, and Tigerflame’s kits will be more than ready for a ceremony tonight.”

Sunkit choked back a gasp. I flashed him a wild look, barely remembering to stay totally silent lest the warriors hear us. The padding of footsteps and the rustle of leaves alerted us to their leaving. We waited for a few moments, breathless, before Sunkit gave the signal to sprint out of the hiding place. Immediately after he let out a fierce yell and tackled me. I retaliated, whacking his shoulders with my forepaws as he tried to pin me down.

“What are you doing?” I hissed.

“It’s called tactfulness, mouse-brain,” he replied through gritted teeth. “So no one figures out what we were up to!”

Taking advantage of his lapse in concentration, I pushed up at his belly with my back paws and threw him off. He let out a hilariously high-pitched squeal as he fell back and rolled across the grass. Several peals of laughter echoed across the camp clearing, and I looked around to see Moonkit, Galepaw, and Birdpaw trotting up to us.

“Good technique, Eaglekit,” Galepaw meowed genuinely, shaking out her pretty gray and white pelt. “Sunkit…lose the squealing.” Brightpaw snickered good-naturedly, and Sunkit sat up, fighting to regain his pride.

“Well, if Eaglekit wasn’t so thick he’d’ve never been able to throw me off.” I shoved him with my shoulder.

“Stop fighting,” Moonkit told us, drawing closer. She was smaller than Brightpaw and Galepaw, a lot smaller, but she didn’t seem to notice or care.

“Hey, oh intellectual one,” Sunkit meowed loudly, prodding her silver flank with his paw. “We have something to tell you. Is Tigerflame around?”

Moonkit’s eyes widened, a bit of skepticism in them. “She’s talking with Morninglight in the warriors’ den. Why? What have you done now?”

“Nothing,” Sunkit assured her, lying in his perfect way, leading her to the nursery and ducking inside. It was deserted. She settled down regally in our nest, watching us suspiciously. Sunkit glanced out the entrance to make sure that no one was listening in before turning to her. “We found out who our mentors will be.”

“What?” She jumped up, excitement flaring up inside her. Then she remembered that she was supposed to be calm and sensible. “How do you know that?”

He shrugged. “Me and Eaglekit eavesdropped.”

“You didn’t!” Gasped Moonkit. She turned on me. “You followed him into that?”

I shrugged. “Yep.” She gaped.

“Don’t act all warrior-y,” Sunkit told her, the faintest edge of a drawl in his voice. “Anyway, they’re considering Streamflower, Flamingfur, and Shadowflicker.”

“Which one did I get?” Moonkit demanded.

“Dunno,” Sunkit answered promptly. I shot him a look of deepest mischief, which he returned.

“When’s the ceremony?” Moonkit asked breathlessly.

“Tonight,” I meowed.

“You’re not serious!” She all but shrieked.

“Not serious about what?”

Tigerflame poked her head into the den, and I jumped. Sunkit turned around coolly, masking his surprise, and meowed, “I caught another vole today.”

“Really?” Tigerflame asked, her green eyes softening as she emerged fully into the den. “Well, I’ve got some even better news for the three of you. I just had a word with Lionpelt.”

“Yeah?” Sunkit meowed breathlessly. He was such an efficient liar, it was startling.

“And you know what’s happening tonight?”

Moonkit shrieked again. Even she was a better pretender than I was. I pulled an eager, excited expression onto my face.

“Apprentice ceremony?” Moonkit squealed. Tigerflame smiled and nodded.
“Who are our mentors?” Demanded Sunkit.
“You’ll find out,” Tigerflame replied evasively. “I can tell you that they’ve picked three very fine warriors. You won’t be disappointed.”

---

It had been a long time since such a spectacular sunset had graced the forest. Newleaf had been very rainy and wet, the skies almost always clouded. But now the clouds were welcome as they caught and trapped the fiery light in their arms: finest rose, golden orange, and light gray.

Tigerflame, of course, had insisted on grooming and washing each of us. Moonkit had pointed out that cleanliness was essential to…something. I hadn’t really been listening. Sunkit hated it all. I was neutral, as usual, the middle cat.

There was an air of gentle suspense in the camp throughout the afternoon, and now it had risen to a bursting point as Mistystar’s call sounded from outside.

“It’s time!” Moonkit squeaked. “Come on, come on. Sunkit, don’t make a fool of yourself…”

But Sunkit had already shot out of the den, with me behind him. Glancing back, he promptly rolled over and tangled his fur in the brambles, giving him a very handsome, tousled look.

Tigerflame emerged, and sighed in cheerful exasperation when she saw Sunkit. The rest of RiverClan was gathering around the Blackstone already, and Lionpelt sat beside Mistystar at the front of the group. There was a parting between the warriors, with the leader and the deputy at its head, an aisle to a new life. Mistystar saw us coming, bunched her legs beneath her, and leaped up onto the dark rock, standing a couple heads taller than everyone else.

Moonkit bustled forward first, and I went behind her. Sunkit followed me, casting cool looks about the crowd of watchful warriors. I could see Streamflower’s eyes shining as she watched Moonkit.

We reached the front, and Mistystar began the ceremony.

“We have gathered here for an important and heartwarming ceremony that everyone here knows and remembers fondly: the making of a new apprentice. In this case, we have three young cats ready to begin their apprenticeship that will take them on the path to becoming a warrior.”

Mistystar looked down at us, sitting side by side. I was on the left, with Sunkit on the right and Moonkit between us.

“Moonkit,” Mistystar continued, “come forward.”

Trembling slightly, my sister stepped forward, her bright eyes round and wide.

“From this day until the hour you receive your warrior title, you will be known as Moonpaw.”

As if on cue, Streamflower took a step forward as well. Mistystar smiled and meowed, “Streamflower will be your mentor. She is a good warrior, and has a spirited and forgiving heart. Moonpaw will be her first apprentice, and I know they will both do well.

“Sunkit, come forward.”

Sunkit stepped up to stand beside Moonpaw and Streamflower.

“From this day, until you become a warrior, you shall be known as Sunpaw. The warrior Flamingfur will be your mentor.”

Flamingfur came up too, his fiery orange pelt brilliant in the sunset light.

“Flamingfur, you were Tigerflame’s mentor also. Now you will train her kit, Sunpaw. You are well-known and loved by many, and your energy and skill will help Sunpaw through his life.”

It was my turn. Now was the moment. I could feel the eyes all turn to me, watching as I joined my brother and sister as apprentices.

“Eaglekit, come forward.” I did. “From this day until StarClan looks upon you as a warrior, you will be known as Eaglepaw. Shadowflicker will be your mentor. Shadowflicker, you had the strength to survive the Burning last greenleaf, and your strength and resilience will show through in your training of Eaglepaw.”

Mistystar jumped down from the Blackstone to touch her nose to each of our foreheads. We all bowed our heads. Then she raised her head to the sky and meowed, “StarClan, look upon these new apprentices, and in your light they will grow and live until they join you in death and starlight.”

Then the murmuring began, and it swelled into that victorious chant I had only heard once before, for Dawninglight’s daughters, but now it was for us.

“Moonpaw! Sunpaw! Eaglepaw!”

Shadowflicker was up beside me, his light gray fur turned to gold. “Congratulations, Eaglepaw.”

Eaglepaw.

I ruffled my fur. Tigerflame told me that I looked like my father, but his fur was lighter. And Tigerflame’s father, Reedwhisker, looked nothing like her. The trait of golden and brown fur came from somewhere…but I didn’t know where.

But I shouldn’t dwell on uncertainties. Tonight was my night to be happy. I was an apprentice now—older, more responsible. That’s what Moonpaw would say, at least.

---

You like it? Please review! Comments are appreciated, criticism also. Which kit is your favorite? ;D I love Sunpaw.

~Sunny (wow I just realized that Sunpaw is akin to me in names!)

[Morning]

I didn't mean to sound like a stalker last time!
Well, I really liked the first chapter, and I just have two problems/questions...
-Is Gorsefur dead?!?!?!
-"Flamingfur, you were Tigerflame’s mentor also. Now you will train her kit, Sunpaw, also. You are well-known and loved by many, and your energy and skill will help Sunpaw through his life.”
Those are all my problems .
You really are amazing, Sunny, and I can't wait for you to finish this and Scourge's story.
-Morning

[Sunsetfur]

Thanks, Morning. You didn't sound like a stalker! Are you waiting to join? And...Gorsefur? Do you mean Gorsethorn? He's not dead.

And as for the 'also' thing, I didn't catch that when I reread it. I'll fix it now; thanks. And for Scourge's story...I've hit writer's block for that, and I'm very occupied with finishing this trilogy before I crack down on BFBD. So when this is finished, you can expect it to be added to more.

[Morning]

Hey Sunny!
Err, well, its been so long since you talked about Gorsethorn that I forgot his name! lol, And shame about the writer's block =(. When I have one I read/watch a really good book/movie. Hope that helps, and can't wait to see more! (Of this and BFBD!)
(Still waiting for permission from parental unit to sign up... rawr)
Loffles,
Morning

[ghostfeather]

YAY!!! IT'S HERE!!!! srry didn't post before. I haven't been on in forever. busy with school. I LOVE IT SO FAR!!!! ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D I like Eaglepaw. not because he's the main charrie, but because he looks like Gorsethorn. I love Gorsethorn. *huggles Gorsethorn* ;D ;D

continue soon!

[Sunsetfur]

Thanks all. You guys are so great ;D ;D ;D Don't have a lot of time, so I'll post this chapter quickly.

Chapter 2
Failing

The daunting aspect of training lay ahead of us. For around five moons, we
would train with our mentors constantly, learning to hunt and fight, becoming immersed in the world of maturity. It was a little disappointing. Would Sunpaw lose his mischievous spirit, and become more like Moonpaw, who had always been smarter than her age? And what of me? Would I change, too?

“Eaglepaw, come on. We’re going out again together,” Moonpaw meowed, nudging me with her paw. “Streamflower and Shadowflicker are waiting over there.”

I looked up wearily. It was the fifth day of training, and I was exhausted. Shadowflicker had taken me and Sunpaw out for a midnight patrol with Gorsethorn, who was somewhat irritatingly eager to watch our performance. Tigerflame was keeping a respectable distance, but I found myself missing the quiet nursery. An advantage of the apprentices’ den, however, was that I didn’t have to be inside every night at a certain time. The night guards almost always fell asleep on the job, except for Icepath, who was more nocturnal than an owl.

“Eaglepaw!” Moonpaw growled impatiently. I rose, padding over to her with a slightly bouncy step.

“Coming, your highness.”

She threw me a careless glance as I followed her over to where our two mentors stood together by Mistystar’s den.

“It’s hard to believe that you two are siblings,” commented Streamflower, humor in her bright blue eyes.

“Well,” Moonpaw began, then faltered, trying to decide what to say.

“I got all the good traits,” I told them.

“Ouch,” muttered Shadowflicker. Moonpaw hissed and unsheathed her claws.

“Oooh, scary,” I meowed.

“Stop it,” Moonpaw growled.

“Let’s go,” Shadowflicker suggested, stepping between us. I cast her a sly glance as he led us out of the camp. She shook her head at me, smiling.

We paused beside the river. Streamflower cast us a glance. “Have you learned to swim?”

“Somewhat,” Moonpaw answered. “Tigerflame showed all of us when we were around five moons old. She took us out to the shallows of the lake, where the water gathers into that little basin by the marshes.”

“Ah yes. That’s where I learned also,” Shadowflicker meowed. “Actually, more like Barkpelt and I taught ourselves…”

“I remember that,” Streamflower mewed affectionately. “I was what, an apprentice at the time?”

“Almost a warrior,” he remarked.

“Well, I was old enough to remember how much trouble you two got into when you were kits.”

“Those were the good days,” sighed Shadowflicker reminiscently.

“Well, we didn’t take these two out just to talk,” Streamflower asserted.

“Let’s get a move on. Mistystar wants us to patrol the ShadowClan border today, and work along the lake until we reach the marshes.”

“Long route,” commented Shadowflicker. “Very well. You can lead.”

The black and white she-cat swished her fur and waded into the river. She plunged into the swirling water and swam strongly across the water, pulling herself out expertly onto the opposite shore. Shadowflicker encouraged us with a flick of his tail, and I stepped forward boldly. Poking one forepaw into the water, I shivered and tentatively approached the river. It looked vast and foreboding, tantalizingly daring me to come to its depths.

I took a deep breath and dropped forward. Instantly the current caught me, almost sweeping me off my feet and away through the meadows, but I fought against it, keeping my nose pointing up and my eyes fixed on Streamflower’s shape. Propelling myself with all the strength I could muster, I broke through the river, swimming to Streamflower. Swimming! It felt wonderful to have torrents of cool water whipping around me, tugging through my streaming fur.

And then I felt sand beneath my paws as I neared the other side. I unsheathed my claws and dug them into the unstable soil, shouldering my way through the current and onto the sunlit shore.

“Well done, Eaglepaw!” Called Shadowflicker from the other side. Moonpaw pulled up beside me a moment later, shivering and shaking.

“So cold!” She muttered, shaking out her silver pelt. Shadowflicker swept through the water as if it were dense as air, and was padding beside us in a heartbeat.

“Excellent,” commented Streamflower. “Let’s go. If either of you pick up any prey-scent, feel free to work on your hunting skills. I know Moonpaw’s learned a little so far…Eaglepaw?”

“I’ve taught him the basic technique for catching mice, and we reviewed birds yesterday,” Shadowflicker told her. We came to the edge of the fields, and I lifted my head to scent the breeze. This was unfamiliar territory to me. Shadowflicker had only taken me so far through the other half of RiverClan territory, along the WindClan border, and the marshes and the Island. The scent of lakewater was there, and faint traces of ShadowClan carried from their pine woods. The acrid smell of the distant Thunderpath I knew was there came to me, and there was prey-scent too, mice.

“Is the ShadowClan scent normal?” I asked.

“Not really,” Streamflower mewed slowly, tilting her nose up slightly to scent along with me. “But it’s a windy day.”

“I’m sure there are no invaders,” assured Shadowflicker, amusement in his tone. “Last time I talked to Blazepelt, he bragged nonstop about the increase in the squirrel population there.”

I grinned. Tigerflame talked about her journeys to the Mountains often, and she always mentioned Blazepelt as an apprentice.

We continued on through the field, passing many little groves of birch and beech. The smoky gray strip of a Thunderpath lay ahead, parting the wooded meadows from the rising pine forests of ShadowClan. I could see the Twoleg nests clustered around a half-bridge at the Thunderpath’s end.

“There’s the border,” Shadowflicker meowed, pointing with his tail at the Thunderpath. “Be sure to memorize ShadowClan’s scent and the Thunderpath’s. They’re similar.”

“ShadowClan has that sharper tang, though,” observed Moonpaw. “Must be the evergreens.”

“And the Thunderpath is fouler,” I added, determined to show that I was smart too.

“Exactly,” Streamflower confirmed.

“These are the fields where your father first appeared,” Shadowflicker told us. “I still remember it. Silverpool brought him in—you know, she was your mother’s mother—just after the death of her other two kits, your mother’s siblings.”

Silverpool. My dream suddenly came back to me. It was strange to hear her referred to as a once-living, known cat. Moonpaw’s ears flicked at the mention as well, and she shot me an unneeded warning glance from her amber eyes.

“How did Silverpool die again?” I asked.

“Taken by the Burning,” Shadowflicker replied simply. “I thought you knew that.”

“I did,” I told him quickly. I felt a bit guilty. I wondered if Tigerflame had lied. Why…? I wasn’t sure. This whole
dreaming-about-Silverpool-who-tells-me-my-future thing was overwhelming.
And combined with training? I was going to explode before the next full moon.

“Keep going,” hissed Moonpaw, prodding my shoulder with her tail. I started moving again beside her, shooting a resentful glare in her direction. The Thunderpath smell was very irritating. If any ShadowClan cats felt like trespassing today, they were in for it. Only I had no idea how to fight against their seasoned warriors.

“Oh no,” snarled Streamflower. She dropped into a crouch. My heart rate accelerated as I swept the fields with my eyes. Then I saw them—three colored shapes, leaping across the Thunderpath.

“Are you serious?” Shadowflicker whispered, beckoning for us to crouch down too. “Why in StarClan’s name are they here? These two can’t fight, Streamflower.”

“They may not have to,” the black and white she-cat answered slowly, and, to
my great surprise, she rose.

“What are you doing?” Hissed Shadowflicker.

“It’s not ShadowClan!” She replied. Her voice contained surprise, relief, and bewilderment. “Look, they’re coming to see us.”

I stood beside her, watching the approaching cats. One was a light, floaty gray, another a darker shade, and the smallest white. The light gray one was leading.

I tasted a new scent on the air, one that I didn’t recognize. My shoulder fur bristled instinctively. “Who are they?”

“ThunderClan,” Shadowflicker replied. They were close now, and he called out, “You’re trespassing!”

“Sorry about that,” meowed the light gray one. They stopped before us, their breathing fast and heavy. Streamflower and Shadowflicker dipped their heads, and Moonpaw and I imitated them quickly.

“Greetings,” Streamflower mewed. “Why are you here?”

The dark gray one was staring intently at us. I felt uncomfortable.

“Bad news,” replied the she-cat.

“Moonpaw, Eaglepaw,” Shadowflicker cut in quickly, “this is Featherwing, ThunderClan’s apprentice medicine cat.”

“Ah,” Moonpaw muttered.

“And why are you here?” Streamflower continued.

“These are Tigerflame’s kits, aren’t they?” The dark she-cat spoke. All eyes swiveled to her.

“Yes,” Moonpaw meowed tentatively.

“Why?” I inquired.

“I journeyed with her to the Mountains,” she answered, “during the epidemic of the Greenleaf of the Black Sun. I’m Cindersnow. She would have known me as Cinderpaw.”

“Really?” Moonpaw meowed. I remembered a mention of a Cinderpaw once or twice.

“Anyway,” interrupted Streamflower impatiently, “what is your purpose here? You mentioned bad news.”

“The worst,” Featherwing replied. “It could not wait until Gathering. I think we have to act now, and I mean now, or risk…” She trailed off, shaking her head. “I discovered it accidentally, when I was collecting herbs. Watermint grows well there…at the Moonpool.” A sinister wind buffeted us at that moment.

“The Moonpool?” Streamflower meowed sharply. “What about it?”

“The Moonpool is failing,” Featherwing whispered, her eyes blank and unfocused. “And if we do nothing, it will vanish entirely before the moon is full again.”

“Failing? What do you mean?” Cried Streamflower.

“The water level has shrunk dramatically,” Featherwing elaborated. Her blue eyes were pain-filled and terrified. “The little waterfall that feeds it has all but disappeared, and the stream that powers that is almost gone.”

Shocked silence followed. I simply stared. I’d heard of the Moonpool…but what was happening that could change the forest so radically?

“No,” whispered Streamflower.

“Do you realize what this means?” Her voice rose to a hysterical note. “We would all but lose contact with StarClan! Where would the medicine cats meet at the half moon, and how would a leader receive their lives?”

“This is terrible,” growled Shadowflicker.

“What do you suggest we do?” Streamflower asked.

“I don’t know,” the gray she-cat confessed. “I hoped to talk to Willowleaf for ideas. She’s the eldest medicine cat now, you know.”

“Besides the retired Littlecloud,” Cindersnow pointed out. The powerful emotion in her voice was undisguised. I watched her curiously. She was a very interesting she-cat.

“Yes, but he’s to old…” Featherwing trailed off. “I’m lost. Amberleaf agreed to check it out now, and I still have to talk to Willowleaf and Falconclaw…”

“How’s Falconclaw doing, do you know?” Asked Shadowflicker. “He’s been my friend since apprenticeship.”

“Better,” Featherwing told him. “He was very unsure, and I can’t blame him, when he took on a medicine cat’s role without a mentor of his own Clan. I think I’ve done well.”

“I’m sure you have,” agreed Streamflower.

“There’s little time,” insisted the ThunderClan she-cat. “Will you take us to Willowleaf?”

“Of course,” Shadowflicker told her. Her face relaxed.

“Thank you, and may StarClan light your path.”

“Come, you two,” Streamflower beckoned, and I followed. That dream was invading my mind again. I had seen a cavern filled with flickering flames, and cats’ shapes had been in it, along with his own shape. Could that be related to the failing of the Moonpool?

Dark thoughts stole through my mind. I couldn’t tell anyone else, or they might make me become a medicine cat. I didn’t want to be a medicine cat. But I didn’t want to be let this happen either.

What would Tigerflame do?

I felt terribly alone.

[Morning]

Ohmigosh! It's here! yess! I love you sooo much, Sunsetfur!

[guest]

o.0 okay...

[Mosspath]

I think your stories are great!!! ;D
Please continue soon!!!

[Sunsetfur]

Thanks to all of you! ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D


Chapter 3
Adventure[/u]

Willowleaf didn’t know what to do either. Nor did WindClan’s young medicine cat, Falconclaw. Or anyone else. The verdict was to wait for the next Gathering, which, at that time, was four days away. Now it was closer; the moon was an oval, almost-full white shape in the sky. The Gathering approached, and so did the whole problem. Every cat saw the Moonpool at least once in their lifetimes, even though it lay just beyond ThunderClan’s territory. It was a magical place of connections, and I felt drawn to it. Perhaps it was because of Silverpool.

The day of the Gathering dragged out longer and longer, and the sun tantalized us, purposely slowing to make us wait longer. I cast it angry looks all throughout the day. Shadowflicker showed me how to fish today, though I still hadn’t succeeded in catching one. Typically, Moonpaw marched into camp today with a beautiful silver one in her mouth. Typically, Sunpaw told me that she’d found it already dead on the shore. Jealous.

It seemed that I was always doomed to be stuck in the middle. She was already an excellent fisher, and Sunpaw was commended constantly for his quick abilities at bird-catching. My brother was also the best fighter among the three of us, even though Moonpaw was the more calculating, intelligent fighter. And then there was me. Me, Eaglepaw, son of Tigerflame and Gorsethorn, who’d gone on the journey during the Greenleaf of the Black Sun. Me, the middle kit, who had been born after Sunpaw and before Moonpaw. Me, who would always been following around those I admired. How many of Sunpaw’s schemes had I actually helped to engineer? How many times had I ever corrected Moonpaw?

I felt rather ill now. Stupid. I was worrying too much. And the Gathering was tonight. Mistystar had five new apprentices to choose from, and Moonpaw was practically guaranteed to go. That left me, Sunpaw, Birdpaw, and Brightpaw.

I hung my head to pick at the fish I was eating. It was way too big for me. Moonpaw was off sharing hers with Brightpaw, and Sunpaw was nowhere to be seen. I spied Birdpaw on the other side of the camp, heading for the fresh-kill pile.

“Hey, Birdpaw!” I rose, and the brown she-cat turned around. “Want the rest of this fish?”

“Yeah, thanks Eaglepaw,” she replied gratefully, flouncing over and settling down opposite me. “Ready for the Gathering?”

“Dunno,” I answered glumly. “Mistystar’ll only choose a few of us.”

“Well, you have a good chance,” Birdpaw pointed out, “Sunpaw’s probably been counted out due to that grass thing.”

“Grass thing?”

“Didn’t you hear? It was really funny, actually—see, Sunpaw climbed up into that giant maple near the ShadowClan border, and he had this disgusting grass stuff up there with him. He carried it up. It looked like bedding not changed for days, which it probably was. And then Brightpaw came walking up, and she didn’t notice him, so when she was positioned just right, he dropped the whole load onto her.” Birdpaw laughed. I’d always liked to hear her laugh—it was clear and liquid, like a gentle spring breeze over the lakewater. Brightpaw may have been the prettier of the two, but Birdpaw was more kind.

I purred along with her. I could just imagine Brightpaw’s face when that happened. Tigerflame said that she was an identical copy of Dawninglight, her mother, when she was younger.

“No wonder she looks so annoyed,” I commented, nodding over at the black and silver she-cat. I thought I could pick out a few strands of grass in her smoothly groomed fur.

Birdpaw dipped her head and tore a strip off of what was left of the fish. Mistystar emerged from her den, and many heads went up simultaneously.

“Ah—look! She’ll be announcing who’s going now,” I told her.

“Mmm. Good,” she responded, her mouth full. Swallowing, she meowed, “Finished. Let’s get over there.”

Mistystar let out her familiar call from the Blackstone. The rock, strangely, had paled ever-so-slightly during the Greenleaf of the Black Sun, and it was subtly mottled now; some parts were a trace of a hue lighter than others. The warriors were gathering, as always before, and would always be until the day of death and judgment should the world ever fail.

What was wrong with me today? Here I was thinking about the end of the world and myself being a failure. I was becoming a regular Blackstar, as Sunpaw would have said.

“You can’t blame the old mouse-brain, really,” he had told me. “Ancient as the moon, he is.”

“Don’t be disrespectful!” Moonpaw had snarled back, giving him a flick with her tail.

I smiled at the memory.

Shadowflicker and Barkpelt had sat down together with Streamflower and Flamingfur, and their heads were bent together. Willowleaf had emerged, sober and calm as always, with her usual strange, slightly sad aura. Tigerflame said that she’d never really gotten over the death of her mentor, Mothwing. Tigerflame and Gorsethorn sat side by side, tails entwined, and I swiftly turned away, feeling strange. Birdpaw cast me an odd glance as she settled down beside Brightpaw and Sunpaw. The silver and black she-cat was laughing, and Sunpaw looked hugely pleased with himself. I stole over beside him.

“What are you telling her?” I asked.

“I’ll tell you if you tell me what you’ve been saying to her, Eaglepaw,” he replied slyly, tilting his head toward Birdpaw.

“Shut up.”

“You first.”

I gave him a shove.

Mistystar’s voice broke through us, as always. “The Gathering is tonight, cats of RiverClan, and even though I don’t need to remind you I will. We leave at moonrise, and I’ll be taking with me Lionpelt, Willowleaf, Ashenrain, Brightpaw, Streamflower, Tigerflame, Darkstorm, Gorsethorn, Flamingfur, Moonpaw, Sunpaw, and Robinflight.”

Voices broke out through the crowd, murmurs of excitement and sighs of disappointment. My heart sank like a stone down into the crushing blue-dark waters if the river.

“See? Not going,” I sighed to Birdpaw.

“Yeah, well, neither am I. We’ll keep Galepaw and Graypaw company.”

“Fun,” I hissed. Sunpaw was bouncing around with excitement.

“At least she didn’t chose them over us, the new apprentices. They’ve already been to four Gatherings each.”

“Yeah,” I growled. “I’m gonna go sleep. Wake me up if Sunpaw doesn’t, will you?”

With that said, I ignored the rest of the cats and slunk off to the apprentices’ den. It was less homely than the nursery, but the scents of his friends were there. What was so great about them, anyway? The Gatherings?

I retreated to the back of the den where my nest was, apart from the others. Grateful for my brown pelt, I curled up among the moss and field grass, letting it shift over me, closing in with the welcome darkness that would put my disappointment and worry at bay.

I dreamed vividly for the first time since I’d seen Silverpool, before I’d become an apprentice. It wasn’t a dream about her, though, and I was a bit grateful. I didn’t want some over-motherly she-cat telling me to not worry and be happy for my brother and sister. Older cats didn’t understand anything.

I was in a forest, not dark and evil, but sunlit, filled with shining leaves of ruby and citrine, more beautiful then earthly leaves. Gone were the crinkled browns of autumn: this was splendor of an immortal place. The grass grew long and fragrant, the perfect shade of dusky green, and dew drops like liquid pearls adorned every surface, even though the sun was high overhead and warmth contradictory to the season brushed against my fur.

As in a usual dream, I had no control over my actions. My dream-self took a step forward, walking carefully among the bright trees. I sensed another presence, but he took no notice. He waked along, and I watched. And then out of the light appeared the silhouette of a young cat, fit and strong, and I could see the edges of his fur, the hue of which fell somewhere between flame and brown. It may have been fire-colored, but it was flickering, almost, with light brown. Or perhaps it was the other way around. I caught the flash of his eyes, and I was startled to see that they were bright silver, as of moonlight catching on the river or the brilliant dew of this world. My dream-self was stricken with awe, and I felt his companions gasp.

“Eaglepaw! Eaglepaw!” Cried a voice, and it echoed about the place, and the fire-silver cat’s head whipped upward with incredible reflex.

I felt myself slipping away into the twilight of dream and waking, and I lost all thought or feeling. Then I was awake, jolted back to my world, and Sunpaw was looking down at me, his green eyes wide and urgent.

“Wha—”

“Eaglepaw! Listen, listen to me—follow me now.” Without a backward glance he dove behind me and disappeared through the secret escape tunnel he’d carved out from the brush on our first day: a trademark of his. I fought blearily against the thorns until I emerged into the open space outside the camp.

“Come here, you mouse-brain! I need to talk to you, now, quickly.” Sunpaw slunk swiftly down the hill toward the river and slid into the shadows of a small holly shrub. I followed, stumbling over a rock.

“What is it, Sunpaw? What are you doing?” I asked, my voice thick and tired. The full moon was hung in the ebony sky still, and the first streaks of dawn were not yet visible.

“I need to talk to you, listen,” he meowed. “Keep quiet or someone will find us, and then we won’t be able to get away—”

“What? Get away?”

“Shut up!” He snarled, speaking very quickly and in an undertone. “Let me tell you about the Gathering. They spent a whole load of time blabbering away about their precious Moonpool, which that depressingly tragic medicine cat Leafpool whined about the whole time, and you know what? They’re still not doing anything! They’ve elected to just wait until spring and see if the stream gets going again. Stupid. If they’re not gonna do something then I am. I leaving now. Coming?”

I spluttered, staring at his pale face in the dark. “What are you gonna do? Just blindly follow the Moonpool stream, up until you find something? Anything? You’ve never even been there! And what if we’re caught?”

“We’re?” He interrupted sharply. “You’re coming, then? Great, let’s go.”

“No, wait!” But Sunpaw already dived out of the holly and was sprinting away. I sprinted after him, but he kept running, laughing into the night. I threw a glance over my shoulder and saw that the camp had disappeared. Swallowing quickly, I kept on running, until we passed the marshes and came to the woods that bordered WindClan. Sunpaw stopped here, ducking among bracken, his eyes glowing with wildness.

“What are you thinking?” I growled, skidding into the dark beside him. “We can’t go! We’re apprentices, for StarClan’s sake, and we haven’t been to the Moonpool, and we don’t even know how to defend ourselves, and what if we’re caught, have you considered that?”

“Let’s see. You know what I’m thinking. Yes, we can. Yes, we are. No, we haven’t but we can. No, but we can improvise. Yes, I have considered that.” Sunpaw flashed a grin at me. I frowned.

“Look. Can’t we just get a warrior, or someone?”

“Like who?” Spat Sunpaw. “Tigerflame, Gorsethorn, our mentors, Mistystar, Lionpelt, Willowleaf, and practically everyone else will just hold us back. I want to get away, Eaglepaw! I want to get out and prove that apprentices can do stuff too, not just the all-powerful, all-knowing warriors! Now stop talking like Moonpaw. You’re coming or you’re not, and if you’re not, you better not breathe a word to anyone.”

I was silent for a moment, breathing heavily through my nose. In truth, part of me agreed. I didn’t think.

“I’ll come,” I meowed. “But if you get me killed, I swear I’ll come back and haunt you.”

[Mosspath]

This story is brilliant!!! ;D ;D

[Sunsetfur]

Thanks everybody! Remember - I wrote these stories BEFORE the Power of Three came out, so Birchfall's name here is actually Birchclaw.

Chapter 4
Unearthly

Any other cat would have expected me to be frightened, excited, worried, exhilirated, or adventurous. But…I wasn’t. I guess there was a bit of rebelliousness inside me, and resolution. Sunpaw was a fighter, and he was clever. But what would happen behind us? I thought of Tigerflame. Her siblings had been lost, and now that was happening to Moonpaw. I felt a bit regretful also for leaving her behind. I should have liked Birdpaw to come, for she was a good friend. In the unknown, you always felt better alongside friends you knew and trusted.

“We’ll stay close to the lakeshore,” Sunpaw meowed as we crossed the WindClan border. “There’s a stream that flows into it, and the marks the border between ThunderClan and WindClan. Then we’ll follow that until we find the Moonpool.”

“Or what’s left of it,” I muttered darkly. Admittedly, the lake was comforting, unchanging and steadfast. “And where then?”

Sunpaw shrugged. “Beyond.”

I frowned. The sand shifted beneath my paws, and the gentle waves of the lake fell short of my paws by a tail-length. I was very jumpy in this open land: WindClan’s territory was barren and almost completely devoid of trees, and any cat would be able to spot us from a long way away.

“We’d better travel all night, as quickly as possible. We can stop once we’ve cleared Clan territory.”

“Do we have to walk that long?” I asked.

“Yes, mouse-brain, unless you want the patrols to find us.”

I grunted. We were what, seven moons old, traveling like fugitives? This was stupid. What was I doing here? We kept walking along the lakeshore, watching the green forest of ThunderClan draw closer and closer. Dawn began to creep across the sky, and Sunpaw quickened the pace.

“We have to go fast. They’re bound to discover our absence soon,” I pointed out.

“The stream’s just ahead. I can see it.”

A ribbon of dark gray water was ahead, flowing down into the lake. The stream. I hoped we would make it away unseen—the dawn patrols would be sent out soon. Woods wreathed the stream ahead, and it felt a bit familiar to be under the trees and beside a source of moving water again. How on earth did Sunpaw know what he was doing in these unfamiliar lands?

“Great StarClan,” murmured Sunpaw, halting beside the water’s edge. I came up beside him and gasped. The water was barely higher than a kit’s paw. “I can see what they meant.”

We turned right to follow the remnants of the stream that wound away between two small hills. The ground was steeper here, as the stream flowed downwards. After a while, Sunpaw decided to cross to the ThunderClan side. “Throw off our scent a bit,” he explained. The water was warmer than it should have been, probably from little water and too much sun. The sky was growing steadily brighter.

Sunpaw still led, while I kept behind, looking over my shoulder every now and then. My legs were terribly tired. I cast a wary glance behind us again, filling my mind with thoughts of home and sleep, not taking in at first the two animate shapes that were moving behind us.

“Sunpaw!” I cried. “Look—we’re being followed.” The golden tom whipped around.

“Great,” he hissed, looking around. They were still a ways off, but I could see their colors—light gray and white. “Come here, Eaglepaw. We’ll hide our scent with water.” He splashed into the stream and rubbed his fur against the muddy ground, staining his bright pelt dark brown. I followed his example, cringing as the cool mud seeped down to my skin. Sunpaw ran upstream and dove into the shelter of a bramble thicket. I squeezed in after him, pushing myself as close to the ground as I could, trying to see past the branches to the trailing cats. I could no longer see them, which meant they were drawing closer.

I hardly dared to breathe as footsteps approached.

“Why would they come so far out here?” Mewed one voice. I recognized it at once—it was the voice of Icepath, a RiverClan she-cat.

“It’ll be Sunpaw’s doing,” growled a second. My heart jumped—Moonpaw was here too. Great. Just what we need. “He’ll want to find out about the Moonpool himself, and Eaglepaw will have gone with him.”

“They’re close…” Icepath murmured. “You’re sure it was him?”

“His pelt is brighter than the sun,” Moonpaw meowed sarcastically. “He’ll be easy to spot if he’s hiding.”

Sunpaw growled very, very quietly. I could see Icepath’s white paws just outside the brambles. I held my breath.

“Try further upstream,” Icepath suggested, and I exhaled. I could hear the two she-cats pad away, the grass rustling beneath them.

After a moment, Sunpaw whispered, “Let’s go.”

We slid out of our hiding place. I heard splashes up ahead: Icepath and Moonpaw had crossed the stream. “Keep to this side,” I suggested to Sunpaw. “They’re on WindClan’s territory now.”

Sunpaw started to run. He kept away from the stream, concealed in the forest’s green shadows. I followed. Eaglepaw, the follower.

And then a white shape exploded into view, colliding with me and knocking me right off my paws. I yowled as I felt claws pressed into my skin. My first thought was that Icepath had seen us and jumped at me, but I looked up into a pair of light green eyes, different than Icepath’s amber.

“Who are you?” The she-cat meowed. Her voice was quiet, but filled with strength. I couldn’t help but feel respect for her. She smelled of ThunderClan.

“Who are you?” Sunpaw retorted defiantly. “And would you mind getting off my brother and leaving us be so we can get away unnoticed?”

“I’m not getting off him,” the she-cat growled. “You’d better be nicer if you don’t want me to call your friends there.”

Sunpaw’s placid expression of critical arrogance fell off his face instantly. It was quite humorous.

“We’re from RiverClan,” I told her quickly.

“And where’re you going?”

“To the Moonpool!” I snarled. “Now get off and be gone, and don’t tell anyone anything about us.”

“The Moonpool?” She exclaimed, her eyes widening with delight. “Don’t be stupid, I’m coming with you! You’re off to find out about the water shortage, aren’t you? I want to come.”

“You’re being stupid,” growled Sunpaw, advancing on her. I took advantage of her lapse in concentration and pushed her off of me. “You can’t come. This is for us to do. Go back to your friends.”

“Why would I go back there?” She mewed dismissively. “I don’t care if I never see that pack of ‘be-a-hero-and-ShadowClan-is-evil’ mouse-brains again.”

I stared at her, a bit stunned. “Don’t you have any family?”

She rolled her eyes. “Of course. Who cares?”

I was taken aback. What kind of cat didn’t care about their family? “You really want to come?”

“Yes, I do, and you really have no choice, cause who’s to stop me from telling your plans and whereabouts to the entire forest?” The white she-cat smiled hugely. Sunpaw looked immensely annoyed.

“Fine, then,” he snarled. “What’s your name?”

“What’s yours?” She countered sweetly.

“Sunpaw.”

“And you?” She turned her green eyes on me. I regarded her as I would Moonpaw.

“Eaglepaw.”

“Crystalpaw,” she told us. “And don’t just ignore me and pretend I’m not here. I like RiverClan. Any Clan’s better than ThunderClan.”

“Why’s that?” Sunpaw asked. His voice was heavy with annoyance and resign.

“Like I said before. They think they’re so pure and perfect. It’s always like ‘we must help them’ and ‘we’re so kind and caring’ and ‘oh, never mind those other Clans, we’re just fighting on peacefully’. I hate it. Especially Leafpool.” Crystalpaw rolled her eyes again, jumped up to walk beside Sunpaw as he turned and began to walk upstream. “She’s the ultimate suck-up. D’you know she actually had an affair with a WindClan cat? And she got away with it, too! It’s cause Firestar’s her father. Featherwing’s so much nicer. I’ll expect that’s cause she’s half-Tribe. Cindersnow tells such amazing tales about them. I met a few of them, once, when they were still living in the moors near WindClan.”

“Shut up!” Growled Sunpaw. “There are cats looking for us, and at your volume, we’ll be heading home in no time.”

“Who’s looking for us?”

“Our sister,” I explained to her under my breath. “And another warrior.”

“Ouch. You left her behind? Your sister, I mean.”

“Yeah.” I crouched down, slinking as close to the ground as I could manage. I wasn’t sure how to feel about Crystalpaw. She was talkative, and I could definitely see her having a personality clash with Sunpaw.

Then voices slashed across my thoughts: “Moonpaw—look! There they are!”

I spun about wildly, spotting Icepath standing several fox-lengths away, still on WindClan’s side.

“Run!” Shouted Sunpaw, and I bolted, following his flashing yellow fur, and I could see Crystalpaw beside me. Icepath cried out in alarm, and I heard water splashing and twigs snapping as she scrambled to follow us.

“Let me lead!” Cried Crystalpaw, shoving up to run beside Sunpaw. “I know the way better than you do.”

Sunpaw didn’t reply, but allowed her to run a tail-length ahead of him. She veered away from the stream and ran up the hill that flanked it, climbing to higher ground before it dropped down to lower elevations again. Then there was another hill, and I could barely keep up: my legs were like stone weights hanging from my body, except they were filled with fire that burned. I had trouble drawing breath, and my eyes wandered and fell out of focus. “Sunpaw,” I choked. Then, suddenly, the ground vanished from beneath my paws.

With a yowl of horror I plunged, imagining some gaping void that would swallow me up instantly, but I hit the ground quickly. It was very soft, with small, smooth pebbles scattered everywhere, most pressed into the muddy earth. With a grunt, I raised my head, feeling my muscles flare with fiery pain.

“No—Eaglepaw!” Sunpaw meowed frantically from somewhere close by. I heard pebbles slide and felt breath on my ears. “Get up, get up, they’re here, they’ll take us back…”

“Too late,” Icepath’s voice rang out. “What were you thinking? Were you even thinking? Is this your reason for running away?”

I opened my eyes. The white warrior was standing a fox-length away. I lay in some sort of shallow dip in the ground, and wilting ferns grew all around. Darkened, dying moss was clustered on almost every stone. Water dripped feebly from some overhanging clumps, and some of it gathered in a muddy puddle near the edge beneath the steep, near-vertical slope. The stream trickled nearby.

“The Moonpool!” I breathed, my throat pressed against the ground. With a groan, I hauled myself up into a sitting position. Mud slicked my chest fur and was splattered about my head and back.

“What’s left of it,” mewed Crystalpaw darkly. Her white fur was splattered with brown as well.

“Who’s this, Sunpaw?” Sang Moonpaw, flouncing over to stand beside him. He looked murderous.

“This is Crystalpaw,” Crystalpaw retorted mockingly. Moonpaw looked over at her swiftly, and I saw that her eyes were stony.

“You’re not from RiverClan. What were you doing with my brothers?” Moonpaw asked.

“Helping them escape,” Crystalpaw answered. “And me along with them. So, if you don’t mind, as long as Eaglepaw’s feeling better, we’ll be off. Kindly tell no one of our intentions, whereabouts, or planned destination.”

“You’re not going anywhere,” Icepath asserted firmly.

“Yes we are,” growled Sunpaw. “Look, Icepath, no one’s doing anything about the Moonpool and you know it. Why not?”

“You’re apprentices, for StarClan’s sake!” Icepath cried, exasperated. “What, seven moons old? And we can’t just abandon RiverClan. They might think we’re dead, or being held hostage…we could even trigger a war if they interpreted it wrong. Anyway, what do you exactly plan to do? You’re not even trained to fight yet.”

“You can teach us,” Sunpaw replied smoothly.

“And I know something,” Crystalpaw added. “I’ve learned a little.”

“We’re not going,” Icepath stated.

“Then you can stay,” chirped Crystalpaw. Icepath’s fur tensed in anger and frustration. “We’ll find our own way.”

“I’m not leaving you here, and you’re not going beyond Clan borders.”

“Come on, Icepath.” I was astonished to see Moonpaw turn to look at the white warrior, a sparkle in her eyes. Sunpaw looked enormously taken aback. “Tigerflame talks about you when you were an apprentice. You wanted to go with her to the Mountains, even plotted to run away with Darkstorm.”

“I—what? How did she know that?” Spluttered Icepath, her rigidness dropping away like a leaf.

Moonpaw shrugged. “Darkstorm mentioned it once.”

Icepath was silent for many heartbeats. I could almost see the two sides of her fighting in her eyes, indecision troubling her every feature.

“Please,” implored Moonpaw. Her face was soft, kit-like, and pleading. Her masquerade was perfect. Sunpaw even looked impressed.

Icepath straightened. “Can’t we just go back and tell Mistystar?” She asked weakly.

“No,” the four of us meowed in unison.

“And you know,” Sunpaw growled, “that no matter what your decision is, I’m going anyway.”

“And me,” I put in.

“And me,” added Crystalpaw.

Icepath sighed. Her eyes flickered around, pausing on each of us for a heartbeat, then she straightened her shoulders. “I hope you’ve got a plan, because I sure don’t.”

“Yes!” Meowed Moonpaw. Sunpaw was gaping at her as though she’d suddenly turned blue.

“Now you’re my sister,” he told her.

“Keep dreaming,” she scoffed. “You’re not related to me.”

“Stop it,” warned Icepath, and they were silent at once. She looked hugely pleased with herself. “Ah. So I’m the authority here. Was that the first time you’ve ever shut up when you were told to?”

“No,” rejected Sunpaw. “We’re leaving now. Crystalpaw, you can lead with me.”

The white ThunderClan apprentice padded over to him and proceeded to leap up, out of the Moonpool basin and onto the dry ground.

“You’re okay?” Icepath asked me. “That was some fall.”

“Yeah, I’m fine,” I meowed. My chest hurt, but I didn’t say. If I did, Icepath would make us turn back for sure. She went on to follow Crystalpaw, and Moonpaw went after, then me, bringing up the rear. I sped up, wincing, to walk beside Moonpaw.

“What’s up with you?” I asked. “Why do you want to come?”

“Never too early to earn some fame,” she replied, her voice and expression reserved and aloof. I snorted, then hurried to walk with Sunpaw.

“We should have left them behind,” he growled in my ear. “I don’t like being in a group like this.”

“Thinking of a way to ditch them?”

“In progress,” he muttered. “We can take Crystalpaw, though.”

“Ah.” I grinned. “You like her.”

“No. She’s tolerable, and better company than Moonpaw.”

“Agreed.”

The woods were thinner here, and I could see meadows beyond. We followed the stream a short ways before I insisted we get some rest. “I haven’t slept all night,” I argued. “And neither has Sunpaw.”

“Fine,” Icepath mewed. “You find somewhere if you want to rest.”

Sunpaw and I obliged. The Clan scent had all but faded now—a few traces of ThunderClan scent still floated through the air, but maybe it was because of Crystalpaw. The she-cat had barely stopped talking once we cleared ThunderClan’s border, expounding on every single thing she disliked about her Clan. And she hadn’t stopped.

We were passing through a woods of old oaks, interwoven with young birches and ashes. There wasn’t much undergrowth. Crystalpaw followed me and Sunpaw around, chattering nonstop.

“And Firestar’s way too lenient all the time. You know Leafpool?”

“You’ve already told us that story, like, twelve times.” growled Sunpaw. “You clearly despise her.”

“Fine then. Daisy?”

“Heard it.”

“Brambleclaw?”

“Yep.”

“Shimmerfur?”

“Several times.”

“Birchclaw?”

Sunpaw heaved a huge sigh. “No.”

“Well, his story’s not bad, and I actually like him a bit, he’s nice to me. But he went off and had kits with a ShadowClan she-cat! Imagine that. Firestar wasn’t thrilled. Blackstar didn’t really care, as long as they kept the kits, which they did. Birchclaw still sees them. Firestar quarantined him in the camp for a whole moon. Compared to Leafpool, who got nothing…”

“Look at that,” I interrupted loudly. “There’s undergrowth up ahead. See it?”

“Yeah,” Sunpaw meowed immediately, looking eager to end Crystalpaw’s lecture. “Great, Eaglepaw. Funny, it’s got flowers. You’d think that they’d all be dead by now.”

“Well, it’s still pretty warm out,” Crystalpaw stated.

“Still. Look.” I hurried over to a scramble of thorny fronds. As soon as my paws touched the grass a tail-length away from them, I felt…light. Floaty. Weird. Creepy. As if there had been some kind of weight inside me, but I hadn’t felt or noticed it until it was gone. The pain in my chest subsided at once, and the cut on my pad I’d gotten from fishing with Shadowflicker a few days ago felt nonexistent. I twisted my paw up to look at it, and felt shock ripple through me. The cut was gone completely, leaving not even a scar.

“Sunpaw. Sunpaw. Get over here.”

The golden-furred tom padded over, then started as he drew level to me. “Woah.” He looked around in wonder, staring at the thorns.

Crystalpaw followed, blinking rapidly. “They’re pretty,” she observed, flicking her tail at the blooms. They were deep orange in color, lightening to pale yellow in the center, with feathery edges to their long, elegant petals. Not a stain was upon them, no crisp of deadly brown or wilt to their emerald stems. The thorns were smooth and curved to perfect tips. Wide green leaves flowed down from beneath the blossoms.

“I’ve never seen anything like them.” Sunpaw padded past the fire-colored flowers, looking around. “Check out these trees—you ever seen such a color?”

“And the grass!” Gasped Crystalpaw. I looked down; the grass was a rich, almost translucent shade of green. Not a strand was dead.

“This is weird. Really weird,” muttered Sunpaw. “It’s…unearthly.” I craned my neck to look up at a birch. Every edge of bark gleamed silver, and the crowning leaves seemed to sparkle.

“Go get Icepath and Moonpaw,” I growled to Crystalpaw. She nodded, wide eyed, then bolted off into the normal woods.

“No one’s ever discovered this, you think?” I asked Sunpaw.

“Of course not. If they did, they’d move here. I’ll bet the prey is incredible.”

“But there’s no prey-scent at all,” I pointed out.

“Even weirder,” Sunpaw meowed. “But not as weird as those voices.”

“What?” I asked sharply. He shook his head. I frowned, pricking my ears up to catch a sound. I could hear him breathing and my own heart beating. There were Crystalpaw’s fading pawsteps, and a rustle of the grass where Sunpaw’s claws stirred it.

Then I heard it. Somewhere, in the distance, so faint it could barely be heard, was a low, lulling voice of a tom-cat, coming from the direction of where the perfect trees and shrubs led.

We were not alone.

---

Hehe, Crystalpaw's my voice a bit on what I dislike about ThunderClan. Gotta have a rebel in the 'perfect' Clan, no? Please comment & review! I'd love it if you gave me suggestions, likes and dislikes, improvements I can make, etc. other than just "good job". ;D ;D ;D Look out for Chapter 5: Flickerpaw, coming sometime next week.