Mousepaw lay curled in her nest, watching the dark flank of Ravenpaw rise and fall slowly. She couldn't sleep, her dreams addled with images of Hazelpaw and her parents, of Hazelpaw falling into the same fate as Bluemist, rabid and raging, until finally put out of her misery by Sunstar himself. And strangely enough, flashes of a dark-pelted, blue eyed tom. She knew exactly who he was, not his name, but where he came from: he was that apprentice she had seen on the PineClan border.
She wondered, absentmindedly, what he was doing right now. She rolled on her back, paws tucked into her chest. Was he asleep? Or laying awake, like her, thinking of events of the day, or of strange dreams? Or maybe even late-night hunting, wasn't that PineClan's specialty?
Her chest rose and fell with a long sigh, her amber eyes flickering shut. Where was Hazelpaw? Was she even alive still? Or had she been murdered? Possibly drowned or fell from a cliff or tree? Had one of the other journeying apprentices turned on the rest and killed her? What if she had gotten bitten by a animal and turned rabid like Bluemist? Or killed like Finchfang?
Mousepaw let out a soft groan, eyes snapping open. Why did her mind have to conjure the worst images and thoughts?
Slowly, she rolled onto her side. She could hear the muffled voices outside, two toms talking...who? Wingpaw, possibly, he was missing from the den. But who else? Who would Wingpaw want to talk to at this time of night? She flinched suddenly, a soft squeak coming from Ravenpaw, the she-cat's hind leg lashing out of her nest, spraying the surrounding floor with shreds of moss.
She watched the sleeping apprentice closely, her eyes nothing more the small slits of black and amber. Ravenpaw often had nightmares, and Mousepaw knew that, but tonight the other she-cat seemed off, her breathing quick and shallow, soft squeaks coming from her, her paws lashing out. Slowly, Mousepaw stood and crept over to Ravenpaw, and tentatively lifted a paw, shaking the black she-cat's shoulder gently.
~•~ ~•~ ~•~ ~•~
Ravenpaw leapt from Sunstar's den, eyes narrowed in thought. So Canopypaw could see dead cat's, and Wingpaw was going to be training in the Dark Forest. She hated the small pit of jealousy that grew inside her, for StarClan's sake, she shouldn't be jealous, she told herself. What Wingpaw was doing was highly dangerous, and he could be killed from the sound of it.
She trotted quickly into the ferns that surrounded the apprentices den, and slipped inside. Firepaw was there, strewn out over her nest like she always was. And so was Mousepaw, curled up tightly with her tail over her nose, but if the she-cat was sleeping or not, was a mystery to Ravenpaw. The dusty brown tabby often pretended to be asleep, and then would sneak out of the den late at night, but Ravenpaw never had any intention of following her. She knew that the she-cat hadn't been the same since her sister had left the Clan's territory on a mission from StarClan.
Of course that would change a cat; Mousepaw only had Hazelpaw, considering both their parents were dead, one having gone mad with rabies and executed in front of their eyes. Did I change after Fernshade died? Ravenpaw wondered. She had been to young to remember how she had reacted when her birth-mother had died. She remembered her faintly, though. The sweet scent of milk and the nursery, the warm blue eyes, and soft midnight black pelt, and her soothing, low voice.
But had she changed at all, was something Ravenpaw wouldn't know. Sighing, she crawled into her nest, the moss cool from a day without anycat in it. She settled down, closing her eyes and drawing her tail over her nose, mulling over what she had been told in Sunstar's den all the while.
When she woke, she was in a very strange place. She couldn't see the ground through the thick mist that surrounded her legs, but could feel the muddy leaf-litter underpaw. It was dark, very, very dark, the sky only lit by the quarter moon. The trees were shadowy and tall, reminding Ravenpaw of the shadow-cats the Elder's used to tell her about. The trees were leafless, not a hint of life in the eerie forest, except for the blue and green glowing fungi growing on the dead trees.
Ravenpaw shivered, taking a step forward. How had she gotten here? And...where was here? What was this place.
"Hey! You!" Ravenpaw spun around, coming face to face with a silver she-cat not much younger then her.
"W-who are you?" Ravenpaw managed, taking a slow step back, and squeaking when she hit mud.
"Uh, Silverkit." The she-cat replied nonchalantly.
"Silver...kit? You look really old to be a kit still. Are you a StarClan cat?" Ravenpaw asked tentatively.
"Uh, nope! I'm a WaterfallClan cat, very much alive. And, my leader just had kits, hasn't had time to give me my apprentice name yet. This place is weird, huh? I can't find Two-Face or Strikestar or Snakepaw anywhere, though. I wonder where they got to. Oh, I bet he's laying awake, excited about our training session tomorrow!" Silverkit squealed, bouncing slightly on her tip-toes.
Ravenpaw froze, her hackles rising. "Did...did you just say Two-Face?" She whispered, her voice hoarse and trembling.
"Yeah, she's our mentor type thing here. Creepy lookin' she-cat, I tell ya. Chest looks like it's been carved out, I bet I could jump inside it if I was smaller." Silverkit said this in a very chill voice, as if it were very normal.
"Hello, dearies," Ravenpaw and Silverkit spun around, to see a gray-pelted she-cat with leaf green eyes, white belly and paws, slinking towards them.
"Hi, Moon!" Silverkit meowed, "have you seen Two-Face? Or Snakepaw?"
'Moon' rolled her eyes, as if annoyed, "by the Dark River," she said harshly. Silverkit squealed, turning to go run.
Ravenpaw, terrified of the gray she-cat, turned to run after Silverkit, but a paw hooked behind her leg, dragging her backward.
"No," Moon spat in her ear, "you stay right where you are. I have a proposition for you, apprentice."
Ravenpaw scrambled to her feet, turning to face the gray she-cat, legs trembling, "w-what do you mean?"
"I want to train you. You're a special young she-cat, and I think with a little of my training, and of course Two-Face and Strikestar's, you could be a very powerful asset." Moon sat down, grooming her paws.
Ravenpaw swallowed hard. So these were Dark Forest cat's. Yet, she noticed, Moon was fully solid, not see-through. Weren't Dark Forest and StarClan cat's see-through? "A-asset for what?" She whimpered.
"The Clan's, of course." Moon stated.
"Ravenpaw? Ravenpaw, wake up..."
Ravenpaw jerked awake sharply, met with the startling gaze of Mousepaw.
"Hey, you alright?" Mousepaw tilted her fluffy face, amber eyes glowing with worry in the dim moonlight, "you were crying out in your sleep."
Ravenpaw pulled herself into a sitting position, her legs and body trembling, "Shh, don't wake Shadepaw," she murmured, "I'm fine, bad dream, that's all. Did I wake you?"
"He's probably already awake from you crying out. No...no...I was already awake, Wingpaw's outside with somecat talking, Whitepaw's hunting with Emberfeather, and Firepaw's patrolling with Frozenblood, and with them going in and out I couldn't sleep." Mousepaw murmured.
"He's with Sunstar," Ravenpaw meowed, hearing the conversation clearly, "they're talking about Silverwing, Canopypaw and something about medicine cats."
"How...how did you hear that?" Mousepaw stuck her head out of the den momentarily, before slipping back in, "they're all the way on the otherside of the clearing, I only knew it was Wingpaw because I recognize his voice easily."
"Erm...?" Ravenpaw couldn't figure out why she could hear it so easily, her mind still taken over by fright of the she-cat in her dream, "sharp hearing, I suppose."
"Really sharp hearing." Mousepaw murmured.
"Go back to sleep, Mousepaw. We better not wake Shadepaw, or he'll have our ears."
She wondered, absentmindedly, what he was doing right now. She rolled on her back, paws tucked into her chest. Was he asleep? Or laying awake, like her, thinking of events of the day, or of strange dreams? Or maybe even late-night hunting, wasn't that PineClan's specialty?
Her chest rose and fell with a long sigh, her amber eyes flickering shut. Where was Hazelpaw? Was she even alive still? Or had she been murdered? Possibly drowned or fell from a cliff or tree? Had one of the other journeying apprentices turned on the rest and killed her? What if she had gotten bitten by a animal and turned rabid like Bluemist? Or killed like Finchfang?
Mousepaw let out a soft groan, eyes snapping open. Why did her mind have to conjure the worst images and thoughts?
Slowly, she rolled onto her side. She could hear the muffled voices outside, two toms talking...who? Wingpaw, possibly, he was missing from the den. But who else? Who would Wingpaw want to talk to at this time of night? She flinched suddenly, a soft squeak coming from Ravenpaw, the she-cat's hind leg lashing out of her nest, spraying the surrounding floor with shreds of moss.
She watched the sleeping apprentice closely, her eyes nothing more the small slits of black and amber. Ravenpaw often had nightmares, and Mousepaw knew that, but tonight the other she-cat seemed off, her breathing quick and shallow, soft squeaks coming from her, her paws lashing out. Slowly, Mousepaw stood and crept over to Ravenpaw, and tentatively lifted a paw, shaking the black she-cat's shoulder gently.
~•~ ~•~ ~•~ ~•~
Ravenpaw leapt from Sunstar's den, eyes narrowed in thought. So Canopypaw could see dead cat's, and Wingpaw was going to be training in the Dark Forest. She hated the small pit of jealousy that grew inside her, for StarClan's sake, she shouldn't be jealous, she told herself. What Wingpaw was doing was highly dangerous, and he could be killed from the sound of it.
She trotted quickly into the ferns that surrounded the apprentices den, and slipped inside. Firepaw was there, strewn out over her nest like she always was. And so was Mousepaw, curled up tightly with her tail over her nose, but if the she-cat was sleeping or not, was a mystery to Ravenpaw. The dusty brown tabby often pretended to be asleep, and then would sneak out of the den late at night, but Ravenpaw never had any intention of following her. She knew that the she-cat hadn't been the same since her sister had left the Clan's territory on a mission from StarClan.
Of course that would change a cat; Mousepaw only had Hazelpaw, considering both their parents were dead, one having gone mad with rabies and executed in front of their eyes. Did I change after Fernshade died? Ravenpaw wondered. She had been to young to remember how she had reacted when her birth-mother had died. She remembered her faintly, though. The sweet scent of milk and the nursery, the warm blue eyes, and soft midnight black pelt, and her soothing, low voice.
But had she changed at all, was something Ravenpaw wouldn't know. Sighing, she crawled into her nest, the moss cool from a day without anycat in it. She settled down, closing her eyes and drawing her tail over her nose, mulling over what she had been told in Sunstar's den all the while.
When she woke, she was in a very strange place. She couldn't see the ground through the thick mist that surrounded her legs, but could feel the muddy leaf-litter underpaw. It was dark, very, very dark, the sky only lit by the quarter moon. The trees were shadowy and tall, reminding Ravenpaw of the shadow-cats the Elder's used to tell her about. The trees were leafless, not a hint of life in the eerie forest, except for the blue and green glowing fungi growing on the dead trees.
Ravenpaw shivered, taking a step forward. How had she gotten here? And...where was here? What was this place.
"Hey! You!" Ravenpaw spun around, coming face to face with a silver she-cat not much younger then her.
"W-who are you?" Ravenpaw managed, taking a slow step back, and squeaking when she hit mud.
"Uh, Silverkit." The she-cat replied nonchalantly.
"Silver...kit? You look really old to be a kit still. Are you a StarClan cat?" Ravenpaw asked tentatively.
"Uh, nope! I'm a WaterfallClan cat, very much alive. And, my leader just had kits, hasn't had time to give me my apprentice name yet. This place is weird, huh? I can't find Two-Face or Strikestar or Snakepaw anywhere, though. I wonder where they got to. Oh, I bet he's laying awake, excited about our training session tomorrow!" Silverkit squealed, bouncing slightly on her tip-toes.
Ravenpaw froze, her hackles rising. "Did...did you just say Two-Face?" She whispered, her voice hoarse and trembling.
"Yeah, she's our mentor type thing here. Creepy lookin' she-cat, I tell ya. Chest looks like it's been carved out, I bet I could jump inside it if I was smaller." Silverkit said this in a very chill voice, as if it were very normal.
"Hello, dearies," Ravenpaw and Silverkit spun around, to see a gray-pelted she-cat with leaf green eyes, white belly and paws, slinking towards them.
"Hi, Moon!" Silverkit meowed, "have you seen Two-Face? Or Snakepaw?"
'Moon' rolled her eyes, as if annoyed, "by the Dark River," she said harshly. Silverkit squealed, turning to go run.
Ravenpaw, terrified of the gray she-cat, turned to run after Silverkit, but a paw hooked behind her leg, dragging her backward.
"No," Moon spat in her ear, "you stay right where you are. I have a proposition for you, apprentice."
Ravenpaw scrambled to her feet, turning to face the gray she-cat, legs trembling, "w-what do you mean?"
"I want to train you. You're a special young she-cat, and I think with a little of my training, and of course Two-Face and Strikestar's, you could be a very powerful asset." Moon sat down, grooming her paws.
Ravenpaw swallowed hard. So these were Dark Forest cat's. Yet, she noticed, Moon was fully solid, not see-through. Weren't Dark Forest and StarClan cat's see-through? "A-asset for what?" She whimpered.
"The Clan's, of course." Moon stated.
"Ravenpaw? Ravenpaw, wake up..."
Ravenpaw jerked awake sharply, met with the startling gaze of Mousepaw.
"Hey, you alright?" Mousepaw tilted her fluffy face, amber eyes glowing with worry in the dim moonlight, "you were crying out in your sleep."
Ravenpaw pulled herself into a sitting position, her legs and body trembling, "Shh, don't wake Shadepaw," she murmured, "I'm fine, bad dream, that's all. Did I wake you?"
"He's probably already awake from you crying out. No...no...I was already awake, Wingpaw's outside with somecat talking, Whitepaw's hunting with Emberfeather, and Firepaw's patrolling with Frozenblood, and with them going in and out I couldn't sleep." Mousepaw murmured.
"He's with Sunstar," Ravenpaw meowed, hearing the conversation clearly, "they're talking about Silverwing, Canopypaw and something about medicine cats."
"How...how did you hear that?" Mousepaw stuck her head out of the den momentarily, before slipping back in, "they're all the way on the otherside of the clearing, I only knew it was Wingpaw because I recognize his voice easily."
"Erm...?" Ravenpaw couldn't figure out why she could hear it so easily, her mind still taken over by fright of the she-cat in her dream, "sharp hearing, I suppose."
"Really sharp hearing." Mousepaw murmured.
"Go back to sleep, Mousepaw. We better not wake Shadepaw, or he'll have our ears."
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