Soon dawn came, and Rustclan waited anxiously for their new leader.
Watersplash felt a soft paw poke her side. She opened her eyes slowly to see a silver kit with white markings and big green eyes. The kit squeaked in surprise as Watersplash opened her eyes, scuttling backwards.
Watersplash shook the morning dew off her pelt and narrowed her eyes at the horizon. She'd been on guard along with four other warrior for the entire night, just to make sure Deathclan wasn't coming back
"Who're you?" she silvery kit asked, her voice soft and high. "You smell familiar," the kit added.
Watersplash bent her head to sniff the kit and let out a purr. She smells just like Willowwhisper! she thought. "You must be Splashkit," Watersplash purred. "That's right! How'd you know?" Splashkit asked.
"Well my sister's been talking about her beautiful kits for a while now!" Watersplash mewed. Splashkit cocked her head, thinking, then answered, "That's us, right?" Watersplash nodded, pleased. "So that means..... you're Willowwhisper's sister!" Splashkit mewed.
"Correct," Watersplash purred. Splashkit sure was a good thinker!
Suddenly, a furry little whirlwind fled past the two she-cats. Watersplash swiveled her head, looking for it. Then she felt something behind her and turned to see a gray tom kit hiding near her hind leg.
"Graykit?" Splashkit mewed, astounded.
"Don't let Crowkit find me!" Graykit purred. "We're playing hide and seek!"
Then another tom kit, this one much darker, came barreling toward them. "Graykit I can smell you!" the darker tom chirped.
"Dang it!" Graykit mewed sullenly, stepping out from behind Watersplash.
"Now it's your turn to be it!" the darker kit purred.
"Ok Crowkit....... but you have to catch me first!" Graykit mewed and bounded off, Crowkit running after him and Splashkit, saying, "Wait for me!"
Watersplash purred as she watched the kits play. Willowwhisper's kits sure are lively! Watersplash thought with a purr.
Then, she heard soft pawsteps. Watersplash whirled her head around to see Fogmask, no, Fogstar, padding toward through the entrance with Midnightmoon and Whispersong.
"Fogstar, you're back!" Jaypaw called. With that, the rest of the clan took notice and padded up to their new leader, congratulating him. Watersplash stayed back until the rest of the clan had receded back to their activities. She padded up and mewed, "Congratulations," with pride in her voice.
"Thanks," he answered back. "Fogstar...?" Midnightmoon asked. "Oh, right," Fogstar answered and leapt up onto the Highrock.
"All cats who can catch their own prey, join here beneath the Highrock for a clan meeting!" Fogstar called. After all the cats had gathered, he began to talk.
"These are dark times..." he began, "but we carry on. We have our kits, to grow strong as warriors...." Watersplash looked at Willowwhisper and her kits and smiled. "And we have apprentices, who carry on our traditions and become warriors in their own time, vowing to protect and serve the clan with their lives. So now, I would like to give the clan's apprentices their warrior names."
With a gasp of realization, Bluepaw bounded forward, her sisters bringing up the rear, eyes shining in anticipation.
"I, Fogstar, leader of Rustclan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on these three apprentices. They have trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend them to you as warriors in their turn," Fogstar looked down at the young cats, pride in his eyes. "Mistpaw, Jaypaw, and Bluepaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and to defend this clan, even at the cost of your lives?"
"I do," Jaypaw said, holding her head high and tail quivering in anticipation,
"I do," mewed Mistpaw, her voice ecstatic with excitement,
"I do!" Bluepaw mewed, almost on the verge of yowling, her shoulders stiffened with excitement and surprise.
Watersplash suppressed a purr of amusement as she watched her old apprentice.
"Then by the powers of Starclan I give you your warrior names. Jaypaw, from this moment on you will be known as Jaysong. Starclan honors your intellect and skills. Mistpaw, you will be known as Mistshadow. Starclan honors your bravery. And Bluepaw, from know on you shall be known as Bluestorm. Starclan honors your quick-thinking and courage," Fogstar mewed as he touched noses with each of the new warriors.
Watersplash was the first to yowl the warriors' new names to the sky. "Jaysong! Mistshadow! Bluestorm!" Soon the entire clan took up the chant and Watersplash's heart filled with pride until it felt it would burst!
"I have one more announcement to make!" Fogstar called. Soon, everyone had quieted and he spoke again. "It has come time to name the new deputy of Rustclan."
Fogstar stopped speaking for a moment to allow a bit of silence, in tribute to the deaths of Beyrlstar and Pumatooth.
"I say these words before the body of Beyrlstar, that he may hear and approve my choice!" Fogstar took in a deep breath, and to everyone else, he appeared to have perfect composure, but to Watersplash, it was easy to see that he was nervous and struggling.
"The new deputy of Rustclan will be Tawn," Fogstar called out.
The leader of the Resistance looked shocked and nervous, and Watersplash padded over to her silently and mewed, "You'll make a great deputy!"
Tawn glanced at her in surprise, but slowly nodded. "I accept," she mewed, and a cheer sounded from the clan.
Honestly, Watersplash felt relieved. She was happy she hadn't been picked. She wasn't ready to be a leader, especially since it was so hard to make decisions for herself already! Soon the clan was dismissed, and Watersplash hurriedly bounded over to Bluestorm.
The silvery she-cat was just finishing her congratulations to her former apprentice when Fogstar padded up behind her. "We're having a meeting in my den," he mewed, his voice troubled. Watersplash gave Bluestorm a parting flick on the shoulder, then followed Fogstar into the leader's den.
Inside was Snowfrost, Tawn, Flameclaw, and Hawkfire, along with herself and Fogstar. Hawkfire cut right to the chase.
"So what're we gonna do now?" she asked grouchily. Watersplash flicked her ears in confusion, and saw Snowfrost mouth, Blood.
"Isn't it obvious?" Flameclaw said. "Attack Deathclan!" he finished when no one else answered.
"Well easier said than done!" Snowfrost scoffed.
Watersplash felt herself nodding. "Snowfrost's right. We can't just march in there and take the place. It'd be like trying to drive off a family of badgers! In their den!"
Flameclaw opened his mouth for a sharp retort, but then Sootshadow slipped in through the den. "Sorry I'm late!" he mewed and bounded over to sit by Snowfrost, who was blushing madly but trying to conceal it.
"I agree with you Watersplash that it wont be that simple, but we need to do something," Fogstar mewed.
"Yes, we can't let him keep picking us off one by one," Tawn added.
Watersplash sighed. "I know... it's just, I don't want anyone else to get hurt because of me and Willowwhisper."
Fogstar gave her a comforting looked and Hawkfire scoffed, "It's not like Icestar wasn't going to try and take over at some point! You guys just helped it along!"
The rest of the group shot glares at her and Hawkfire sighed, "Whoops..."
Fogstar cleared his throat to get their attention then mewed, "I'm hoping Sootshadow can inform us about the new camp's defenses and weaknesses."
All eyes turned to the ash-colored tom, and he squeaked in surprise. "Me??"
Everyone nodded, and Snowfrost gave him a reassuring smile. "Ok... I'll try my best"
Hours later, Watersplash was having trouble trying to remember all the weaknesses, strengths, vantage points, hidden areas, enemy tactics, etc, that her head felt about to explode.
Finally Fogstar said, "Alright, it's late, why doesn't everyone get some sleep?" Watersplash gave a sigh of relief and Fogstar twitched his whiskers in amusement.
However tired she was, Watersplash waited until everyone had gone before saying, "See you in the morning," and exciting the leader's den.
Watersplash was soon curled up in the warrior's den. She sighed. It was different, know that Fogstar was leader, and she suddenly felt cold without him in the warrior's den next to her. The she-cat grumbled to herself and curled into a ball trying to fall asleep.
* * * * * * *
Watersplash woke up, eyes wide with shock. She'd had a dream.... but suddenly she couldn't remember what it was! Oh well.....
She shook herself, but it still felt like something was wrong. She padded silently out of the warrior's den. Watersplash tried to be as careful as she could, so as not to disturb the new warriors' night vigil.... hang on... where were they?
She walked swiftly to the Highrock, searching for their scent's. Where could they have gone, and... why?? Watersplash knew that the three siblings were closely bonded to the warrior code, they would never break it! The code said that new warriors had to guard the camp and that they couldn't speak or leave their post unless....
Watersplash froze, her shoulders stiffening. Oh Starclan! Please don't let it be what I think it is! Watersplash sniffed urgently, following their scent. Soon the scent become stronger and she rushed forward, running out of the camp, following the scent to a nearby stream.
But.. they weren't there! And there wasn't a sign of danger anywhere! What in the name of Starclan is going on!? Watersplash started to ran back to camp, but tripped over a stone, falling into a concealed hole.
"What the..!" She said as she picked herself up. She was in what seemed like an abandoned badger burrow. She set a paw down in front of her and let out a surprised yowl when she touched not ground, but fur!
Watersplash looked down and saw the unconscious body of Bluestorm and her littermates. What's going on here???? Watersplash screamed to herself. Confused, Watersplash dragged the bodies of the new warrior's out of the burrow and set them beside the stream.
They couldn't have just gotten out into the forest, gone down a badger hole, and knocked themselves unconscious!!!! But wait... there were other scents... faint... but there nonetheless! Watersplash breathed in a sharp gasp. Deathclan! They'd concealed their scent well, but it was still there.
Watersplash's claws dug into the ground as she finally realized what was going on! The Deathclan warriors must have lured them into the forest to get inside the camp.... but what, or who, were they after? Watersplash didn't even have to think twice on that one! They're still after us! And if I'm not there, then the only other person would be....
"WILLOWWHISPER!" Watersplash yowled as she tore through the forest, running as fast as her paws could take her. There was no time to bring the warrior's back to camp! They'd be safer at the stream anyway... for now.
Oh focus! Watersplash finally arrive at the camp, shaking with adrenaline. Everything was silent and Watersplash thought for a second, was I wrong?
NOPE. A screech echoed through the camp, and Watersplash saw five dark shapes, four dragging the other through a secret entrance out of the camp. "Willowwhisper!" Shadowfire yowled, the rest of the clan up, confused.
"Shadowfire! Watersplash!" Willowwhisper screeched. "LET MY SISTER GO!" Watersplash yowled, racing towards them, her teeth bared and snarling. She swung her claws out, guided by rage, and felt them connect with fur. Soon, she felt red hot blood on her claws. Three of the Deathclan warriors held Shadowfire and Watersplash back, while the last dragged Willowwhisper off into the forest.
"NO!!!!!!!" Watersplash screeched, finding the strength to throw off the Deathclan warriors and racing into the forest, Shadowfire badly wounded behind her.
Trailing by scent alone, Watersplash tore through the forest. Suddenly, something grabbed her by the shoulders. Blindly, Watersplash lashed out and felt her claws rip through skin. She heard a hiss of pain and was pinned down. She roared in anger and tried to heave her attacker off. "Watersplash it's me!" said Fogstar's familiar voice. But she didn't stop fighting, she didn't care! She had to get to Willowwhisper.
"Stop! If you go after her, they'll kill both of you!" he pleaded. Finally she stopped and struggling and she let him up. Watersplash buried her face in his fur, starting to sob.
"It's going to be ok. We'll find a way to get her back," he said gently. "We'll find a way"
Sorry for the wait guys! I've been really kinda depressed and un-motivated these two weeks. :( Well, that's the life of a middle-schooler! But thankfully it's Thanksgiving! (pun intented). So, today I decided to suck it up and right a chapter! I tried my best to make this really dramatic, exciting, action-y, and long! Hope you guys enjoyed, and I'll update soon!(I hope) May Starclan light your path's everyone! And for all those still in sink with reality, Happy Thanksgiving!