IvyClan--Warriors Fanfic Book 1

Chapter 8

I haven't written this in more than a year, i know.

Darkleaf was showing Needlepaw the territory of IvyClan. It's pretty, yeah, but I've already been here millions of times before--but when? I've never escaped camp, Needlepaw pondered.

"What's wrong with me?" Needlepaw asked.

"Nothing's wrong with you. In five days its half moon, and we're going to the Moonrock to share tongues with our ancestors."

"Will StarClan tell me everything?"

"I don't know. I can't control StarClan." Darkleaf sighed. It was probably hard, teaching an apprentice with some sort of special power or something, Needlepaw didn't quite know what.

Needlepaw kept her eye out for anything unfamiliar. But even though she'd never seen anything, it felt like she has. The pine trees that she knew were out here. She could probably navigate this whole territory better than anyone in the Clan, and she hated it. Why can't I be like Galekit, Icekit and Frostkit? Why couldn't it have been one of them? She wondered, even though she wouldn't wish this on her worst enemy.

***

Five days later, as promised, it was time to go to the Moonrock. Needlepaw was shaking, and she couldn't tell whether it was fear or excitement. Of course, she's been having a lot of bad dreams these past few days...she didn't know what they were about, but...they could have been important. When she and Darkleaf were about to leave camp, she was bombarded with questions form Galekit, Icekit and Frostkit. After Darkleaf nudged them away, Needlepaw realized they had to go through all the other Clans' territories' to get to the Moonrock. She didn't know how the knew, but they had to go through LeafClan's border first. When they arrived, a patrol stopped them.

"Where are you going with that kit, Darkleaf? It might be half moon, but you shouldn't bring a kit with you," one of them meowed calmly, but impatiently.

"She's not a kit!" Darkleaf snapped back. "She's my apprentice. She's small, that's all."

"Okay, then," the cat meowed back. Soon they encountered Peartail, the medicine cat of LeafClan. 

"That's a small apprentice you've got there," she mewed to Darkleaf.

"My name's Needlepaw," Needlepaw meowed.

"She is three moons old, but she has a prophecy," Darkleaf added, "she might be small, but medicine cats don't fight."

What prophecy do I have? Needlepaw wondered. Guess I'll find out!

"Yeah, I understand," Peartail  mewed. "You're special, aren't you, young one?" she added.

"Wish I wasn't..." Needlepaw whispered. "I wanted to be a warrior."

"It's okay. You'll like being a medicine cat," Darkleaf interrupted. 

We'll see, Needlepaw thought angerly. She has spent less than a quarter moon learning herbs and she already hated them--and knew them. She knew them even before her training, but she didn't realize it before she was apprenticed. She hated because she assumed that she was too young to have interest in them, she should have still been in the nursery, after all. Then Spottedfoot, the MorningClan medicine cat and Squirrelthistle, the MoorClan medicine cat joined them. The same conversation was spoken again, and Needlepaw was sick of it. Oh she's small! Oh she's special! I get it already, she thought to herself. It didn't help that they each repeated the same thing ten times. Finally they arrived at the Moonrock. Needlepaw already knew what to do, as if she's done this many times before. She touched the Moonrock with her nose before anyone even got the chance to explain how to do it, but only after Darkleaf presented her to StarClan.

A cat with wisdom greater than the stars must save the Clans...A cat with wisdom of the stars must save the Clans...the same phrase repeated many times with the image of sick IvyClan cats being kicked out of the Clan, followed by cats of the other Clans, which she recognized even though she hadn't ever seen their camps before. A cat--but she didn't see which cat--started shivering. The medicine cats dashed to its' side, including Needlepaw herself, trying to save it, but it died. Then Needlepaw woke up. The greenleaf air was still hot, even though it was nighttime. The other medicine cats woke up shortly after. They have been having that same exact dream, just like Needlepaw! That's what her prophecy was..."a cat with wisdom of the stars..." Surely that was her prophecy! She didn't know why the Clans were kicking sick cats out, they could be cured. Or, well, they could die. Needlepaw felt worried. She flexed her claws in the grass below, while looking at the small, white bolder--the moonrock--infront of her. She felt tired, and couldn't wait to go back to camp, even though she knew she would have to answer all of her brothers' questions. She sighed. They call me lucky without realizing how lucky they are, she thought. They don't understand the pressure of having a prophecy to fulfill and some sort of weird power--more like a curse--to "help" you.

"We should probably go home now," Darkleaf said. "It was nice to see you all again," she added, touching noses with them all. 

"Bye, see you at full moon," Needlepaw meowed as the other medicine cats exchanged their goodbyes as well. Finally, Needlepaw thought. It's been a long night.

***

When she woke up--later than usual--the next morning, her brothers were already standing by her side, asking her questions when she was barely consious.

"Did any cats from the other Clans attack you?"
"Huh?"

"What did you dream of at the Moonrock?"

"Moon what?"

"Moonrock!"

"Let me get up first, please..."

"Can we play when you're done your apprentice duties?"

"Sure."

Knew it, Needlepaw thought. If only we were actually all six moon old apprentices!

She got to her paws, sighing. Yet another day of learning herbs. If only she could be a warrior apprentice! But really, she just wanted to play with her brothers at an age like this. There's another reason, other than size, that kits become 'paws at six moons old. If only I was still as enthusiastic about everything as them, she wished. 

"MorningClan is attacking!" Needlepaw heard Mosswhisker's familiar voice. 

Why do bad things happen to good cats, she thought in annoyance.

A group of five warriors and two apprentices burst into the camp.

"You have a three month old apprentice! That's breaking the warrior code! Spottedfoot told us you were doing this!"

Wouldn't put it past him to do that, considering his level or curiousity last night, Needlepaw thought. She wasn't surprised at all, but at least now she knew why. She was too sleep deprived to be fully aware of the situation.

"Okay, our Clan broke the warrior code, but we didn't ask for your assistance in, I don't know, bearing it or something? Why, exactly, did y'all decide to come after me?" Needlepaw snapped back loudly.

"We're taking you with us, Needlepaw. We won't let such a special cat grow in such an unloyal Clan!" The cats yowled.

Oh, for StarClan's sake, will this nonsense ever stop?