Thank you all! You have no idea how happy these reviews and comments make me, I check for them like 10 times a day after I post a new chapter...anyway, this story's about 2/3 over; there are five chapters left including an epilogue.
So...I'm awfully curious. What do you like best about this story? The characters? The plot? Anyone/thing specific?
Anyway. WARNING: Fights 'n'
fluff!
Chapter 9
DiscoveredSo ThunderClan had cared about Crystalpaw after all. Now they were coming for us, and we had nowhere to run. We still had to free the Moonpool stream of Flickerpaw’s dam, and that would never happen as long as he lived. If only we could entice away Rainpaw’s spirit to lead the stubborn tom out of his cavern and his territory…but that would immortalize more trees, and destroy more forest. We were trapped, like a hare with a broken leg or a fish missing a fin. All we could do was to hide in the Firelit shadows of his shining cavern.“Keep quiet,” breathed Flickerpaw, “or they’ll hear us.”
“We know that,” growled Sunpaw. “We’re not stupid.”
I was afraid. Not of the ThunderClan warriors, but what would happen if they brought us back. I knew that I would fight against them, physically if I had to, and so would Sunpaw and Crystalpaw. Sunpaw would laugh as he fought, and Crystalpaw would too.
Sunpaw crouched beside me, and snickered in my ear as he caught me staring at her.
ThunderClan would name her
traitor and
betrayer, but I supported and admired her. I felt warm—not the good warm, the embarrassed warm—inside as I heard Sunpaw breathe in my ear. “You love her, don’t you? That’s not bad. Good choice. She’ll kill you, though, if you say anything positive about ThunderClan.”
He was joking, but it was almost real. I wondered if Flickerpaw was a good fighter. He had to be, being so old. Swiftly, I went over the limited knowledge I had from Icepath’s lessons—
trip your enemy, use your size against larger cats, jump on their back, parry any attack you can, always keep your opponent in view, aim for the legs or head, never kill if you can avoid it…but this wouldn’t come to killing…
“Can’t scent a thing,” growled a male voice from above. The breath caught in my throat, and my heart rate accelerated tenfold.
On my left, Crystalpaw muttered, “Great. It’s Brambleclaw.”
“No wonder,” another voice meowed. It was a she-cat this time, and her voice was quieter and softer. “These woods must be infused with the power of StarClan. No living trees could ever be this beautiful, and there are flowers in the middle of leaf-bare!”
“Not Leafpool!” Crystalpaw breathed. “What, did they deliberately send every cat I hate the most?”
“Shh,” breathed Icepath.
Pawsteps. They were way too close.
“Do you think that StarClan sent them, and us, here because this should be the new Moonpool place?” Leafpool mused. “It’s certainly magical enough.”
“Perhaps. Are you certain you saw cats, Flashpaw? Not just the brightness of the trees?” The tom, Brambleclaw, asked.
“Of course I’m sure. They were white and brown. Apprentice-sized. The white one must have been Crystalpaw,” a third voice meowed. It was male, but higher than Brambleclaw’s:
an apprentice. A warrior, a medicine cat, and an apprentice, I assessed in my head. We had the upper hand so far. How I wished Moonpaw could fight…!
“Who’s the other cat, you think?” Meowed a fourth voice, female.
“Probably a rogue,” replied Brambleclaw.
Crystalpaw hissed beside me. “Shimmerfur.”
“You three check across the dry stream,” Brambleclaw’s voice ordered. “Flashpaw and Shimmerfur, you come with me. Explore everywhere you can. Check up trees, in bushes, and keep your eyes open for movement in the distance. They may have heard us and are running away.”
I held my breath. We were outnumbered, six to five. Sunpaw tensed on my right, and Crystalpaw’s unsheathed claws gleamed in the Fire’s light on my other side. I copied her, wondering if I could beat the ThunderClan warriors. I would fight alongside someone else, I decided, as a team.
A few more terrifying moments passed, and I was beginning to feel a little less fearful when a face appeared in the opening, snow trickling down into the cavern. It was a she-cat with a light pelt—Shimmerfur. She gasped, and then cried out, “Brambleclaw! They’re here!”
As one, we all rose. Moonpaw looked around from the mounds of moss we’d placed around her, and called softly, “Defeat them!” Her face twisted with pain, and she dropped her head again. I cursed the tree she’d fallen from a thousand times over.
“Come out of there!” Commanded Brambleclaw, his broad tabby face appearing beside Shimmerfur. “We know you’re holding Crystalpaw!”
“They aren’t holding me!” Crystalpaw nearly shrieked back up at them. She took a pace forward, hatred and defiance and anger on her face. “I stand here of my own free will, and
these cats are my Clan!”
“Come back, Crystalpaw.” A new voice spoke, and a light brown face pushed her way in between Brambleclaw and Shimmerfur. The medicine cat, Leafpool. “Are you hurt?”
“No!” She snarled. “And even if I were, I’d never let you touch me.”
Leafpool looked hurt. I felt a twinge of sympathy for her—she looked like a sweet cat.
Just a twinge.
Brambleclaw’s eyes were searching each one of us. His gaze landed on Icepath, and he inhaled sharply with recognition.
“You!” He meowed, pointing to the white warrior with his forepaw. Icepath tilted her head and squared her shoulders in a superiorly pitying expression. “You’re a RiverClan cat!”
“Good job,” Icepath replied lightly. “Now, would you three kindly move aside so we can exit this cavern and talk to you on an even level?”
They obliged, Brambleclaw leading them aside. I could see that they had spread out in a circle around the opening. Icepath led the way, pausing close to the tunnel, waiting for us. Sunpaw went next, then me, and Flickerpaw came up with Crystalpaw. He had appointed himself as her guard, which was a wise choice.
But then I felt a swing of terrified jealousy inside me as he gave her a reassuring glance, and she returned it with a smile.
“The others,” meowed a black tom, “they’re from RiverClan too.”
“Oh, very clever, Nightfur,” spat Crystalpaw. “My friend here isn’t from RiverClan, any mouse-brain with a nose can tell he has no Clan scent.”
The black tom, Nightfur, shot her an angry look, then exchanged glances with a she-cat of the same hue.
We arranged ourselves in a circle, our backs inward, and our tails brushing each other’s. “Is this all of you?” Asked Brambleclaw.
“Yes,” replied Sunpaw. His lying skills were superb: he looked completely natural, and his tone was casual, with traces of tenseness and trepidation. I carefully observed our situation. The six ThunderClan cats—Brambleclaw, Shimmerfur, Leafpool, Nightfur, Flashpaw, and the black she-cat—were indeed spread out in a circle around us, all with claws unsheathed and looking ready for an attack.
“We’ve been searching for you for days, Crystalpaw,” meowed the black she-cat. “Why did you leave? Surely you didn’t leave because I was a bad mentor.”
“You weren’t,” Crystalpaw replied tersely. “I merely disliked ThunderClan, wanted a change of scenery. Anyway, Icepath here has been more strict and efficient than you would have been, Skyheart, and I’m not treated like a kit here either.”
Skyheart stiffened at once, looking as angry as Nightfur and Brambleclaw.
“Traitor,” growled Nightfur.
“We have orders to bring you back to Firestar,” meowed the dark tabby tom, Brambleclaw.
Crystalpaw gave a
mrrow of scorn. “And will I be accused of treachery?” She asked.
“No,” he answered, drawing out the word, “unless you don’t come quietly. You already have a lot of cleaning out the elders’ den in the future, so I wouldn’t recommend making things worse.”
“I have no intention of returning,” she snarled, then spat at his paws. “I’d die for my Clan—
this Clan.” She swept her tail in an arc, indicating us.
“The warrior code states that you should never attack members of your Clan,” meowed Brambleclaw. “A true warrior honors and fights for the warrior code above all else.”
“That isn’t
true,” challenged Crystalpaw. “A
true warrior doesn’t fight for what they’re forced to. A true warrior fights for what they believe is right.” She tossed her head before lunging at him, claws glinting in the light of Flickerpaw’s immortal woods. Brambleclaw’s amber eyes widened in surprise, but he reacted quickly, throwing up his own paws to parry Crystalpaw’s attack.
With a yowl, Icepath dove forward to tackle Skyheart, and I saw Flickerpaw running at Nightfur. The black tom was easily the biggest cat there, but he was no match for the immortal cat who had Fire on his side. I saw the black tom’s face twist in shock as he glimpsed Flickerpaw’s silver eyes. The brown-flame tom leaped, spinning in unearthly grace, and I was envious. Then I saw Brambleclaw pin down Crystalpaw by her throat, and I felt the adrenaline explode inside me.
I sprinted forward across the snow-strewn ground, barreling into the ThunderClan tom and knocking him off balance. Crystalpaw flashed me a grin before kicking at his belly, causing him to yell out in anger and pain. He swung around, golden eyes livid, prepared to attack his Clanmate. He lunged; his superior size would surely overpower her, but she jumped aside, circling around him to leap onto his back: I recognized Icepath’s training. Snow flew up around them. Brambleclaw shook himself viciously, but she held on. Eyes spinning, he saw me, and lumbered forward. I backed away several paces, my mind whirling chaotically, trying to remember what Icepath had taught me—
parry any attack you can. He threw his claws out at me, and I was somehow ready. I brought up my forepaws and thrust him backward, darting to his left flank and aiming a blow at the leg. Crystalpaw shouted encouragement…I think. I saw scarlet droplets spin through the air as he swirled around and knocked me off my feet. Utterly winded, I could only lay on my side, twitching and trying to breathe. Brambleclaw bore down on me, but Crystalpaw slashed at his back from her perch and jumped off as he flinched in pain. She circled around him to fight beside me.
“Let’s go!” She cried, running off to aid Sunpaw with Shimmerfur. From the corner of my eye, I saw Flickerpaw advance upon Brambleclaw, and grinned. Nightfur had vanished. Flashpaw was running up to stand against Flickerpaw with Brambleclaw; Sunpaw fought with Shimmerfur, and he laughed as he lunged; Icepath grappled Skyheart. Crystalpaw was advancing on Shimmerfur as well, but Leafpool was moving to intercept her. Crystalpaw didn’t see her…
“No!” I shouted, jumping forward after the white apprentice. But Leafpool sprang, flipping Crystalpaw under her, delicate claws pressed up to Crystalpaw’s neck.
“Everyone stop!” Shrieked Leafpool. Flickerpaw spun around, his eyes huge and diluted with fear as he saw Crystalpaw’s predicament. Sunpaw looked dumbstruck, and Icepath fearful.
My heart went wild. Medicine cats were gentle and never killed, but there was some light in Leafpool’s eyes that told me she wouldn’t hesitate to hurt Crystalpaw. “Firestar,” she meowed loudly, “I think we need you now.”
And out of the gold-dusted, white-edged ferns stepped the flame-colored leader himself.
“No!” Shouted Flickerpaw, throwing himself into the path of the ThunderClan leader. His silver eyes were filled with the most terrible hate and anger I had ever seen. Firestar looked surprised, perhaps even a little amused.
“Who are you?” He asked.
“I will not have ThunderClan cats here!” He yowled. “Especially not their leader!”
“Why not?” Growled Firestar.
“You
all betrayed me!” Flickerpaw shouted, his voice high and hysterical. “You
all condemned me to live here, away from my family, away from everyone save Rainpaw, and then she died, and I
couldn’t. She kept me company in all those years, singing to me, but did you care? No, we never heard from you again! You’re one of them—you must have heard of Duskstar the great, the admirable.” Flickerpaw spat as Crystalpaw had done. “His warriors were my jailers, just because he couldn’t bear to see his daughter suffer my fate.”
Firestar observed the brown-flame tom in shock and slight confusion. “I am the leader of a Clan,” he meowed. His tone was that of someone speaking to an impertinent apprentice who was ignorant of Clan life. “And I don’t recognize you. Are you from RiverClan?”
“No,” he snarled. “Did you hear
nothing I just said?”
“I did, and I do recognize the name of Duskstar. His daughter went on the great expedition for more territory and returned moons later.”
“You don’t know the half of it,” Flickerpaw breathed, his voice dangerous and low. Firestar was still looking somewhere between confused, surprised, and pitying—oh, if only he knew what Flickerpaw was capable of! My mouth curled at the thought.
“Flickerpaw. Flickerpaw.” Sunpaw muttered quickly, coming up to him and nudging his side. “Don’t waste your breath.” The immortal tom glanced at him, and then slowly backed away.
“Now. You’re all coming back to the Clans, except you can stay,” Firestar meowed, flicking his tail at Flickerpaw with his last words. He was attempting a subtly kind tone, but the look of such intense hatred he received from Flickerpaw was throwing the ThunderClan leader off somewhat. “As for you, Crystalpaw…” He studied her closely. “As Brambleclaw said, you shouldn’t have made things worse for yourself.”
“The fighting did no good anyway,” Leafpool meowed, carefully lifting her claws from Crystalpaw’s neck. “Now you’ll just be punished more.”
“I suppose you know all about punishment, don’t you?” Crystalpaw retorted forcefully. Leafpool flinched. “Firestar’s favorites always get off, don’t they? I don’t care. I guarantee you that I won’t be trapped in ThunderClan for much longer.”
“We’re trying to protect you,” Leafpool insisted, her voice beseeching, and wounded from Crystalpaw’s accusation.
“Then leave me here!”
“That wouldn’t be protection, that would be abandonment,” corrected Skyheart.
Firestar flicked his tail to Brambleclaw. “You can guard her. As for the RiverClan cats, Mistystar will decide what to do with them. Shimmerfur, Skyheart, you will be on the left flank, and Nightfur and Flashpaw will take the right. I’ll lead, and Leafpool will take the rear.”
Nightfur had appeared from the shelter of a towering oak. He was limping and bleeding from both flanks. I smiled at Flickerpaw’s unmatchable skill.
The ThunderClan warriors assembled around us, herding us into their midst. “Wait!” I meowed, pushing Flashpaw aside. “Moonpaw’s still in there, and she’s injured.”
“Badly? Leafpool, you get her out and follow us behind. You’ll be all right?”
“Of course,” the tabby she-cat replied before sliding into the cavern. I heard Moonpaw’s shrill, accusing voice rising from the Firelit shadows.
I leaned close to Icepath. “Shall we go with them, or try to fight?”
“We’ll have to go with them,” she breathed back. “We can always escape again. I have to return.”
So she still intended to sacrifice herself to save Flickerpaw, and the Moonpool. Regret and pity built up inside me—it was a waste, really, for this young and beautiful warrior to give up everything.
Firestar began to pad away from the battle clearing, and his warriors herded us behind them. Leafpool was leading a trembling Moonpaw, whose expression was stony. Crystalpaw looked absolutely murderous as Brambleclaw shadowed her.
And I glanced behind, and Flickerpaw was standing rigid, his silver eyes pleading, terrified of being alone again. I almost halted, not wanting to leave him so afraid and alone, but Crystalpaw’s tail poked my side and I turned around again, walking closer to her free left side.
I felt his eyes burn into all of us as we left the borders of his woods. Cold instantly struck me, and my paws sank into freezing snow that sent a shock through my body. I’d forgotten the cold that lay outside of Flickerpaw’s warmer territory. Crystalpaw and Icepath shivered too, but Sunpaw looked like he didn’t even notice. His fur was thicker, obviously. Moonpaw and Leafpool had caught up with us, and Moonpaw instantly staggered away from the medicine cat and stumbled between me and Sunpaw. I moved closer and supported her with my shoulder, and Sunpaw did the same.
We kept walking through the cold woods, devoid of leaves and grass and flowers. The branches of the mortal trees criss-crossed each other in dark patterns, and they rattled in the breeze. I imagined being trapped in ThunderClan’s territory, waiting for Mistystar to come to us like we were lost, misbehaving kits.
The trek lasted a long time. The sun was dropping in the sky, giving it a faint orange glow, when we first glimpsed the lake. Firestar veered right and led us back into the thick trees of his home territory. ThunderClan’s scent washed over me. The shadows felt menacing: RiverClan’s territory had ample trees, yes, but I was used to thinner woods and tree-scarce meadows.
I knew, from what Shadowflicker and Crystalpaw had told me, that ThunderClan’s camp lay in a treacherous gorge. It was dubbed as the strangest and most dangerous camp in all four Clans, and the best protected, for you could only enter it where the slope was gentlest. The circular gorge was surrounded partially by brambles, and when they first appeared, I knew we were there. Firestar circled around them partway and slid under an archway of thorns, down into a tunnel that opened to the top of the slope. We were herded through, one by one. Inside the thick barrier, it was slightly warmer, but any low breeze would spiral down into the enclosed space and fill the gorge with cold air. There were more thorny plants clinging to the loose soil on the bottom, and cats peered out from them curiously, probably wondering why in StarClan’s name we were here.
Firestar took us down to the base of the gorge and designated us a place to stay behind some briars. We stayed close together, pressing against one another for warmth. My entire nervous system went wild when Crystalpaw curled herself close to me. Firestar left with Skyheart, Shimmerfur, and Nightfur, while Leafpool, Flashpaw, and Brambleclaw stayed behind to guard us. Flashpaw shivered, looking hugely out of place with his nervous expression. Leafpool’s amber eyes swept over us all, searching for injuries. Her gaze lingered on a cut on Sunpaw’s shoulder, which was not bleeding now, but was still coated with a tender scab and dried blood. She then trotted off to an opening in the wall of the gorge: obviously her den. I saw the face of Featherwing, her apprentice and the daughter of Stormfur and Brook, peer out. A few moments later, Leafpool reappeared with a bundle of leaves in her mouth. Dropping them before Moonpaw, she began to treat the reluctant she-cat’s leg. A smile flickered across my face as I watched my sister glower in the most evil way at the ThunderClan medicine cat.
Then I felt Crystalpaw’s breath on my ear. “Look at the sky, Eaglepaw.”
Skin tingling, I tilted my gaze upward. A patch of open sky was visible to us, and my breath caught in my throat at its beauty. Fluffy, long clouds were scattered in rows across the western sky, where the yellow-orange sun tainted it the same color. The clouds themselves were deep indigo. As my gaze traveled east, the brilliant gold changed from gold to pink to light blue. A few faintest stars were sprinkled along the edge of the eastern skies.
Crystalpaw sighed softly, laying her head on the ground. “Don’t you love it when the sunset’s like that?”
“Yes,” I murmured. I put down my head beside hers, keeping safely away, listening to Moonpaw’s exaggerated, discontented grunts.
“I wonder what Flickerpaw’s doing,” she mewed. “I miss him already.”
An unexpected swing of annoyance leapt through me…and was that
jealousy? I remembered the moment before the battle. “Flickerpaw,” I repeated.
Crystalpaw glanced up at me, as if detecting something in my tone, though I hadn’t thought I’d used any different voice. “What about him?”
I stared at the ground, wishing I hadn’t spoken.
A light suddenly flamed into her eyes. “Do you think that I
love him?”
I looked up, wishing I was better with words and wishing that there was no one around.
A nervous smile danced on her face. “Of course I don’t, you jealous mouse-brain.”
Every particle of my body flamed with the most intense embarrassment I’d ever felt. Heat crept up my spine despite the cold of leaf-bare, and I wished she would look away.
“I don’t love Flickerpaw,” she stated. “How could I? He’s totally devoted to Rainpaw, spirit or not. She makes beautiful verses, no? Did you hear that one the night before we left? Before you and I raced?”
I shook my head, not looking at her face, but focusing on a single strand of her white fur that had caught on a thorn. It was pure and cold, almost invisible in the frost.
“Well.” She cleared her throat. “It went like this:
“Flame song, flame song, like waves your golden wings leap and roll
Flame song, flame song, tell us a tale of your innermost soul…”
I raised my head slowly, and met her light green eyes for the longest moment of my life. “I could never speak my soul,” I murmured. “I couldn’t. I’m not like you, Crystalpaw, I can’t…” I shook my head helplessly.
She glanced around. Sunpaw and Icepath had gone to check on Moonpaw, and Leafpool was now attacking Sunpaw with herbs for his shoulder. Then she shifted herself so her flank was pressed close to mine, and she nosed under my head so it rested on top of her own. Her tail found mine, and curled around it. I was stunned.
“Would you like me to speak your soul?” She murmured. “Or are no words needed?”
I was totally stiff. Not a muscle moved in any part of my body, except for my heart, which was about to explode from the intense pressure it was getting from beating so fast. Crystalpaw was so open and comfortable, not caring about anything, but I was self-conscious and totally nervous.
And then Sunpaw looked over. His face split into a huge grin, and I wanted to melt. But his bright eyes were so full of support and bravery, and I felt a sudden bout of courage. Drawing as close as possible, I whispered to Crystalpaw, “Thank you.”
“No,” she replied. “Thank
you, Eaglepaw, for being brave.” Her greenleaf eyes flickered shut.
The stars were smiling at me as I fell asleep beside her.
---
Be prepared for Chapter 11: Choice, coming soon! It's complete also, just needs editing.
Another question I'd LOVE it if you'd answer:
If someone were to replace Flickerpaw, who would you like to be/think it will be?Thanks again!
~Sunny