What!? Alderpaw felt his pelt bristle with shock as the kittypet spoke. For a moment, he wasn't sure he heard right, and turned to read the expressions of the others. Their eyes were narrowed as they stared up at the fluffy white cat, and their whiskers twitched doubtfully.
Leafpool stiffened as if she has been slapped. With a fervent glance at the others, she said breathlessly, "You know, we should really get going. Thank you again for letting us through-- we're sorry that we trespassed." She herded the rest of he group together with a wave of her tail.
"Oh, it's fine!" the kittypet purred, tilting its head questioningly. "Though something seems to be the matter. What's wrong? You look as if you've seen a--"
"Maybe we'll see you later!" Leafpool was already backing away, signalling for the others to follow as she interrupted the oblivious tom. Swallowing, Alderpaw leaped to his feet and sprang forward, not looking back as he and the others dashed onto the grass. Though the kittypet's befuddled calls rang behind them, they continued to hurry away until a safe distance was between them.
At last they slowed down when the strange cat was no longer in view. "Stupid house cats!" Fernsong growled as they trudged through the stems. Alderpaw tried to catch Sparkpaw's eye, confused as to why they had ran from the harmless creature, but she was focused on the yellow tabby warrior.
Hollytuft gave a mrrow of agreement and hissed incredulously, "That mouse-brained kittypet was rambling like an elder!" She snorted. "SkyClan-- as if!"
"You didn't believe what he said?" asked Alderpaw, pelt prickling in surprise. His own mind was a turmoil of questions: there was another Clan? Now he felt his inquiries begin to fade as he heard his friends' contemptuous voices.
"Of course not!" Sparkpaw meowed, flicking her tail dismissively. "All kittypets have thistledown for brains." With a swift glance to Leafpool, she added hastily, "or at least, not the wild kind."
"You yourself have kittypet blood, too!" the medicine cat teased. But underneath her easy-going demeanor Alderpaw realized that she was tense with unease, and her fur spiked along her spine. Obviously she was not as relaxed as she let on.
Hollytuft's yowl yanked him from his thoughts. "Trees!" The black she-cat's eyes glowed, and her tail was pointing to the leafy canopy of a forest in the distance
"A place like home!" Fernsong purred, his claws tearing at the grass in excitement. Alderpaw felt the tom's enthusiasm echo inside of him as he realized they were approaching land similar to ThunderClan's territory. His throat tightened as he became conscious to how much he missed the dense woodland, the protective camp, and the familiar faces. He held back a sigh.
"Well? What are we waiting for?" Hollytuft's impatient mew sounded just before she took off like a rabbit on the moor, her plumy black tail streaming behind her. Sparkpaw followed in pursuit, screeching a joyful yip as her paws pounded against the grass. Fernsong raced beside her with his face alight with anticipation.
Alderpaw's belly twisted as he thought about the last time they had run into something without caution. He glanced to Leafpool, expecting her to scold the warriors for being so reckless, but he blinked when he saw her own brown tabby form streaking after the younger cats. He trailed behind with less energy, exhausted from the journey through Twoleg place and mind still buzzing over the kittypet's words.
The only cat who had remained with him was Sorrelstripe, whose face was contorted in pain and determination. With a flash of concern, he asked, "Are you alright?"
"Just my tail," she responded curtly, baring her fangs. "I swear by StarClan that I'll rip that badger to shreds if I ever see it again."
As she spoke, the two cats entered the tree line and both of them seemed to let out sighs of relief. The sky above them was no longer a shrouded, hazy color but bright blue, crisscrossed with weaving branches. Though the trees were taller and more spaced out than in ThunderClan territory, it was nice to hear the rustling of the leaves once more, and have the ready shelter of ferns, bracken, and brambles in the undergrowth.
Breathing in the fresh forests scents, Alderpaw found himself in an empty hollow where the others had stopped, sniffing at bushes and trees with a rejuvenated spirit. He found Sparkpaw rubbing her head on some moss with a grateful rumbling in her throat, and was just about to ask her what in the name of StarClan she was doing when the orange tabby answered his unspoken question.
"I'll never complain about my nest again!" she exclaimed. "This beats that rough Twoleg stone by a moon!"
Fernsong was wandering about with his nose twitching. "This would be a good place to take a break," he pointed out, lifting his muzzle. "I smell lots of prey."
"There's water-scent too." Hollytuft licked her lips thirstily, and Alderpaw himself noticed how dry and scratchy his own throat felt. He found himself longing for the cool refreshment of the lake water he had always gone to whenever he felt parched.
Leafpool gazed about her, looking pleased and approving. "You should go and get a drink, then rest," she said, nodding. "I'll stay back here and make sure there's no danger."
Looking eager, Hollytuft bounded to her brother's side and called, "Alderpaw! Sparkpaw! Let's not wait around-- I could drink the whole sun-drown place!" The two apprentices scampered up to her and Fernsong, and she looked to her sister. "Coming, Sorrelstripe?"
The brown she-cat let out a long groan in reply, and Alderpaw was alarmed to see her sink to the ground with eyes flashing in pain. Sorrelstripe opened her jaws once more to respond, but all that came out was another moan of pain.
Fernsong's tail stiffened. "Sorrelstripe?" he whispered, his mew tight with fear. Leafpool darted to the warrior's side, immediately sniffing her tail. Her eyes darkened.
"She'll have to stay here," the medicine cat murmured, worry crossing her face. "I'll look after her, but Alderpaw, you should try to find some cobwebs on your way. I've run out of herbs." She flicked her tail, and Alderpaw saw it was no longer covered with spider silk or wrapped around dock. The medicine cat must've deemed the plants unusable.
Gulping, he nodded and exchanged an anxious glance with Sparkpaw. He could feel Fernsong and Hollytuft's anguish crackle off their pelts, and did his best to distract them by nudging the black she-cat. "Where did you smell the water?"
Hollytuft blinked, snapping out of her misgivings. "Oh, right." Still looking slightly preoccupied, she flicked her tail and vanished further into the copse of trees. Alderpaw padded next to her on the way, hoping to give the stressed warriors a sense of comfort with his presence. Soon he pricked his ears to a sound of trickling water, and emerged onto a bank of a small creek.
"Thank StarClan." With an appreciative glimpse at the sky above, Sparkpaw bent her head to lap at the clear water. Alderpaw did the same, and purred as the cool liquid ran down his throat, wetting his once-swollen tongue. He continued to drink as much as he wanted, until, it seemed, he would've drained the streams in RiverClan's territory.
As he straightened up and caught a glimpse of his reflection in the creek, he realized what a mess he looked. His whiskers were bunched and askew, his fur on his face blacked from the Thunderpath, and his entire pelt matted and dirty. He hurriedly dipped a paw into the cold water to rub across his face, thinking of what Squirrelflight would've said about his grubby coat.
What are you, some rogue kit? Look at your fur for StarClan's sake! You look as if WindClan dragged you through the gorse. Give it a good lick now, or else everyone'll think I'm raising foxes!
The bitter-sweet memory of his mother's scoldings made him purr with both amusement and remorse. He wished his mother were here now, to look after him and make sure no harm came to her precious kit. The young apprentice missed her so much he felt as if some cat had shoved a stone in his throat to settle heavily where his heart should be.
Then Alderpaw gave his pelt a vigorous shake to expel his thoughts. There was no use yearning for what he couldn't have-- and he was a big cat now, an apprentice on a mission from StarClan. Instead of whimpering over his homesickness, he should be focused on the task at hand.
The sound of Sparkpaw calling his name brought him back to earth, and he followed the sound of her voice to where she was crouched at the base of an oak a few tail-lengths away. The tall tree loomed above them, and its thick roots curled into the ground like snakes. The ginger she-cat was fishing around for something, her cheek pressed to the ground. "Alderpaw!" she repeated, straightening up when he saw her. "I think the bottom of this tree might have some cobwebs worth investigating."
"I think you're right," he meowed, peering into the darkness beneath the wooden tendrils and spotting a gleam of silver. "Thanks, Sparkpaw." Leaning forward, he reached out with a paw and hooked it under some roots, waving it around before drawing it back out again. He studied his paw and flicked his tail in satisfaction when he saw the shining strands wrapped around it, waving as they were suspended in midair.
Sparkpaw flicked her ears in recognition and pounced on the ground with paws outstretched barely a step away. "Make sure you don't bring along the spider!" she joked, eyes glinting with mischief as she showed him a tiny, spindly creature dangling from her claw.
Ew! Get that thing away from me! Drawing back with a hiss, Alderpaw stalked away before his weird sister could shove the spider at his muzzle anymore. He kept his cobweb-plastered paw off the ground, hopping over to Hollytuft so as not to ruin the valued string. "I'm going back to Leafpool," he told her. "I think she'll need this cobweb."
"Alright then. Thanks, Alderpaw." Hollytuft nodded in indebtedness and touched her nose to his, obviously thinking of her sister. "We'll bring Sorrelstripe a wet mossball to drink from, and go hunting. I'll make sure to catch something good for you." With a friendly wave of her tail, she turned back to the stream.
"I'll hold you to that!" Alderpaw mrrowed as he limped away, still refusing to let his foot touch the ground. He hobbled back from the direction in which he came until he spotted Leafpool's white-tipped tail between the trees.
The brown tabby she-cat barely looked up as he entered, and muttered her thanks under her breath when he gently set the delicate cobwebs in a bundle at her paws. "Sorrelstripe's tail wound is infected," she reported, anguish evident in her voice. She gingerly nosed the brown cat's fur. "I have to go look for marigold or horsetail, or it might get worse. I want you to stay with her until I or the warriors return."
Alderpaw felt his pelt stand on end as he thought of what would be expected of him, but seeing the glimmer of anxiety in Leafpool's eyes, and the way Sorrelstripe restlessly shifted on the bare ground in discomfort, he could only dip his head. He'd do whatever it took to care for his patient.
The dark ginger tom was almost taken by surprise of this new feeling of his defensiveness, the fierce need to protect the wounded. Blinking, he watched as Leafpool rose to her paws and licked him between the ears. "Thank you,"she said softly, already turning away. "I'll try to hurry, I promise."
Despite the worrying possibilities that gnawed at his belly-- what happened if Sorrelstripe got a fever? Or if her wound got worse?-- Alderpaw tried to clear his head and feel confident as he watched his mentor disappear into the trees. It had to be a good sign that she was trusting him enough to watch over a dangerously injured cat.
Flattening his ears, he circled to curl up on the ground a fox-length away. "Don't worry, Sorrelstripe," he assured the she-cat, his words thick and slurred with sleepiness. "I'll make sure nothing happens to you." He waited a moment for a reply, but the dark she-cat's shallow breaths already rasped in her throat as a quiet snore.
Alderpaw's eyelids felt heavier than stone. He let them close as he drifted off, surrendering his weariness to the black tide of sleep.
The next heartbeat, silver light flooded into the young tom's eyes. Shooting to his paws, he realized he stood in a sparkling forest, where the lush undergrowth glittered with starlight. The soft grass beneath his paws whispered in the breeze that blew an enticing scent of prey. He had been here before: StarClan.
Alderpaw was not surprised when a cat padded gracefully out of the mist. He straightened up to try to look attentive, conscious of the fact that he was responsible for communicating with his ancestors now that he was a medicine cat. As the stranger came into view, he saw that he had a strangely familiar flame-colored coat.
An image of Sparkpaw flashed in his mind, and the next moment he knew who the StarClan tom was-- the cat who had an uncanny resemblance to his sister. "Firestar?"
The former ThunderClan leader dipped his head. "Greetings, young one," he said softly, and when he looked up Alderpaw could see his eyes glowing. "StarClan wishes to assure you that we are still here to support you, no matter what dangers have befallen your cats."
The medicine cat apprentice shifted on his paws guiltily, fully aware that Firestar was speaking about Sorrelstripe. "I'm sorry!" he blurted. "I've been trying my best, but--"
He broke off as the StarClan tom lifted his tail. "There's no need to apologize," he assured. "StarClan knows that misadventure always falls upon those who need it least. Your group is doing well, but you must hurry. Danger is coming fast upon the Clans." His voice held a note of urgency that made Alderpaw flinch in alarm.
"We will," he promised, remembering the question that had been nagging at the back of his mind since leaving the Twoleg place. "But I need to know some things first. Is. . . is there such a thing as SkyClan?"
Now it was Firestar's turn to cringe, which made Alderpaw feel all the more nervous. What could the ginger tom be hiding? "I need to know the truth," he demanded.
The starry cat shuffled his paws in reluctance. Finally his wary eyes met Alderpaw's as he replied slowly, "It's true. Long ago, there was a fifth Clan, until Twolegs destroyed their home. When the other Clans refused to offer them shelter, SkyClan was forced to flee the old territory."
At once the world seemed to spin beneath the young tom's paws, changed in every aspect he knew. "But there has always been four Clans!" he burst out, ears ringing with what he had just heard.
"Not always," sighed Firestar, his eyes clouding. "SkyClan did run away, and they were later destroyed by rat attacks."
"And whose fault is that?" Alderpaw found himself digging his claws into the ground to steady himself against a wave of emotions: betrayal, anger, and confusion. Lots of confusion.
He took a pace back, but Firestar stepped forward with a pleading expression, willing him to understand. "I too was surprised and furious when I learned about this," he said. As if that helped anything.
Alderpaw hissed at him. Don't try to placate me! he spat in his head, wishing what the fiery tom had said was not true. But it was, and it made the apprentice's head swim in bewilderment in a sea of the lies that had long been fed to him.
"Th- then why?" he choked out, stammering. "Why did you never tell the Clans? How can StarClan just lie to us like that?"
Firestar studied his paws, suddenly interested in the grass beneath them. "This was a long time ago. The Clans do not need to know about this," he muttered, still refusing to meet Alderpaw's eyes.
As the dark ginger medicine cat studied the guilty face on the starry leader, he realized what the real reason was: StarClan was reluctant to admit that their Clans had made any of the horrible mistakes they had made. They were covering up their sins in lies, hiding them and locking them up where no oblivious cat would ever find them, solely because they were embarrassed that they were not the all-powerful, completely wise cats they portrayed themselves as.
"When I was alive, I was sent on a quest to revive SkyClan, and now they thrive in their new home," Firestar quickly explained.
Alderpaw flattened his ears, refusing to listen to the tom's excuses. "You wouldn't have to if the Clans hadn't done such a cruel thing," he countered, bearing his teeth.
Firestar opened his jaws to protest, but Alderpaw cut him off. He didn't care if he was interrupting an old legend, a respected leader. The cat who stood before him was just another fox-hearted liar in his mind. "I thought you were good," he snarled. "But now I see that StarClan are just a bunch of starry old fools-- cowards that won't own up to their mistakes."
Before the former leader could reply, Alderpaw whipped around and plunged into the sparkling undergrowth. No more would he allow his so-called ancestors to manipulate him with their false truths. Instead he felt his paws pound the ground as he pelted away, like the pounding of his blood in his ears.
Alderpaw did not know where he was going, nor did he particularly care. His whole pelt felt as if fire ants crawled through it, feeling uncomfortable and heavy like he was a different cat in another's body. He concentrated on running, releasing his frustration through every strike at the ground.
Then a glowing white light shone through the trees, and he staggered to a stop.
Panting, feeling as if the breath was torn from his lungs, Alderpaw stared at the glow that seeped through the branches of the forest. Forgetting to be afraid for once, he crouched and crept forward, curious of what lay ahead.
He was not expecting a break in the trees where the forest abruptly cut off, leaving him standing in an almost blinding light. His eyes sought a haven from the harsh beam, and they landed on a stretch of shadows at the opposite end. He pricked his ears when he saw the dark trees, with their twisting trunks and dead leaves. The young tom could not smell anything from where he stood, but his pelt tingled at the sense of blood and death.
Alderpaw now knew where he was. In between the dark and light, the border of StarClan and the Dark Forest. Which meant that Mapleshade's domain lay in front of him.
A shudder of fear trickled down his spine, but Alderpaw ignored it as he paced nervously at the silver forest's edge, staring into the rotting wasteland before him. Suddenly he stood still, relaxing as another thought came to him:
Was there even a difference?
He had thought that the Place of No Stars was filled with dishonorable, cheating cats, and StarClan held the wise and noble who kept order and balance. But Firestar had just proved him wrong: some of his ancestor's dark intentions were no different than that of their evil neighbors.
And if StarClan had been lying to him this whole time-- if his visions had been sent by deceitful liars-- than did that mean he wasn't really supposed to be a medicine cat?
Then, quite suddenly, the world dissolved.
Alderpaw was unable to move, or even make a sound, as his sight went dark, and the view of the two afterlife-territories seemed to melt away. His vision seemed to be submerged in blackness, and the apprentice could do nothing about it. The ground beneath him was swept away, and he found himself somewhere entirely different.
~*~
He was cold and cold and cold, down to his very bones. The freeze seemed to seep inside him and stay there, and not even the warmth of the nest around him could do more than brush against his fur. He shivered as ice seemed to creep along his spine, and immediately a flash of pain raced through him. It was there constantly, a dull ache throughout his body like nothing he'd ever felt before. He wanted to moan but no sound passed through his gritted teeth, shutting his eyes tight against the agony.
Twitching his paws helplessly, he tried to concentrate on the rise and fall of his chest, of the breathing which should not have taken as much effort as it did. As the pain faded once more into the background, soft whispering reached his ears. He could not tell who it belonged to, nor did he want to open his eyes to see, and the mutters were too quiet to hear.
The voices seemed to be anxious, but they too spiraled away like his senses, and he felt himself gradually sinking into a dark abyss. A numb sensation crept over his fur, only ceasing slightly when he twitched.
No. . . he pleaded silently. Not yet.
Only then was he conscious of the sound of pounding that echoed in his ears, of his heart thrumming with frigid fear. Another wave of pain. . . and then it was over, and he slowly relaxed, feeling his limbs grow limp. His mind urged him to hold on, but it felt so nice, so comforting to conform to the warm waves that lapped over him in a gentle tide.
Nothing. Even the touch of the nest he was laying in was gone, pulled away until it left no feeling. Images began to flash through his mind: a forest, a stone hollow, the gleam of moonlight shining on cats' fur.
He did not even flinch when a pelt brushed his and instead leaned into its softness. The voices became harsher, more scared.
Was that happiness, or sadness? Perhaps both, and yet the two words could do nothing to describe the emotions that battled inside him, though in the far corners of his mind and away from his main thoughts.
And with that, he let go. A strange feeling of sliding away stole over him as the warm waters surged over him and left him with an unearthly sense of energy and calm. A sigh, and then no more breaths, only a warmth that forced out even the deepest cold. He did not have to look to know that his pelt was filled with ghostly starlight.
At last, the pain was gone.
Alderpaw woke up.
~*~
A blurriness was left in his head from the dream, of everything that he had learned and experienced. One thought penetrated the surreal feeling:
Did I really just watch someone die-- as that someone?
Alderpaw shuddered, though it had nothing to do with the breeze. He tried to focus on something else and saw a group of cats clustered around a brown tabby. It took him a moment to realize that those cats were his friends, and the she-cat was Leafpool.
They all seemed to be chattering excitedly, raising their voices over one another. Groggy, Alderpaw blinked and pulled himself up to wander, partly in a daze, to where the others were talking.
Sparkpaw saw him and bounded over as he approached. "You're awake!" she gasped, eyes shining. "You won't believe what happened!"
Neither will you. Alderpaw kept this thought to himself as he tried to muster a similar feeling of excitement. "Wh- what do you mean?"
His curiosity flared when he realized that Sorrelstripe was up as well, looking tired but at least standing. "When Leafpool was collecting herbs," she told him, "she saw that the ground fell away sharply, and it led to a ravine." Wonder sparked in her dull eyes. "Imagine if it held a cat who. . . who could. . ."
Alderpaw exchanged a worried glance with Leafpool as they saw the brown warrior lick at her tail. It was obvious that Sorrelstripe was feeling much worse than she let on. It was true: they needed help-- but what were the chances that a cat even lived in this place Leafpool had found? More importantly, were they actually friendly?
The older medicine cat seemed to sense all his doubts as if they were her own, and indeed they were. "We have to take the risk," she said quietly. "I couldn't find any herbs to heal Sorrelstripe, and the wound will only get worse if this continues."
"I'd do anything to help my sister, even if it means we have to fight a cat," Fernsong agreed passionately.
Hollytuft was watching her littermate with hopeful eyes. "It's the only chance we have," she pointed out. Without waiting for anyone to object, she took off into the bushes with her bushy tail held high.
There was no choice but to follow. Leafpool led the way after her, while Alderpaw stayed behind Sorrelstripe to see that she kept up. The she-warrior staggered, exhausted, but gritted her teeth as she forced herself to walk.
Now, with time to think, Alderpaw's dream came flying back to him. He couldn't help but fret and stress of the revelation that no other cat knew: the truth of a secret Clan from long ago. Not to mention his confusing nightmare-vision that had followed afterwards. What did any of that mean?
He shivered at the memory of the chilling air, and the ever-present pain. The next heartbeat he noticed Sparkpaw, gazing at him in a confused way. "Are you all right?" she asked. "You look as if you've seen a StarClan cat."
I did, and much more. But this was something Alderpaw could never tell her. "I'm fine," he muttered instead, hopping over a tree root in the way.
Suddenly a call rang out from ahead of them. It was Leafpool.
"The gully is just ahead," she warned. Alderpaw buried his dream deep inside his mind, like the remains of fresh kill, and focused on the sheer drop in the ground before his paws. Jagged rocks lined the side where they jutted forward over the outcropping. The very sight was ominous, and the young tom was forced to resist the urge to flee that ran along his nerves.
The six cats stood in silence for a while, staring fearfully at the tear in the earth. Alderpaw lifted his muzzle to sniff the air, but there were no scents to be found. Sparkpaw boldly placed her paws at the edge and leaned over, calling, "Hello? Anyone here?"
Her words echoed in reply, bouncing off the stone walls, but no other voice raised to meet hers. Sparkpaw wrinkled her nose in frustration and frowned into the chasm.
His sister's nearness to the empty space unsettled Alderpaw, and he mentally willed her to back away. But it was Leafpool who gently tugged her tail with her teeth, meowing, "Come back. It's dangerous to stand there for so long."
Sparkpaw wheeled around to face her, hackles raised. "I'm not a kit!" she snapped, stamping a paw down furiously on the ground below her.
Alderpaw stared frozen in horror as cracks immediately began to spread over the rock face from where her foot has slammed into it. No one else seemed to notice it. "Sparkpaw!" he shrieked, his voice escaping in a strangled gasp.
The orange tabby rolled her eyes, exasperated, and was about to take a step forward before the rock below her paws began to crumble.
It all happened before anyone could react. The lip of the gorge broke off with a noise like thunder, with Sparkpaw on it. Her scream sliced the air as she frantically tried to heave herself on solid ground, but her paws reached for nothingness.
Alderpaw found himself pushing past the other cats, his fear giving way to a surreal dizziness. He pitched himself over to the edge and stopped just in time to see Sparkpaw's wild eyes widen and her paws scrabble desperately at the chipping rock as she plummeted into the gorge.
A/N: Over 130 reads! Thank you all so much, it's really motivating to see this story get that many in a little less than a month. Unfortunately, updates may be slower from now on as school is right around the corner, but I'll be sure to write as frequently as I can. What do you think will happen to Sparkpaw? Let me know, and once again, thank you for reading! :D