"Swiftpaw, why aren't you eating your half of the water vole?" questioned a wide eyed Briarkit. Her brown paw nudged the fresh-kill to Swiftpaw, but the apprentice did not respond. Her amber eyes were fixed upon a butterfly resting gracefully unto a tall weed. But her younger friend's meow made Swiftpaw blink back into reality. "Oh, sorry, I'm just a bit tired from waking up so early," she lied, and lowered her muzzle to bite into the still warm flesh of the water vole. The prey made her stomach grumble more for food.
Briarkit let out an amused purr, "Being apprentice must be demanding already, huh? Especially with Blizzardtail, I assume." Swiftpaw kept chewing her prey, her eyes flickering from her prey to the brown calico she-kit. He is pretty demanding, but in a good way. Her heart felt odd, rather, more calmer than earlier. Swiftpaw didn't know whether her heart was okay or not.
Once the apprentice finished, she picked up the remains of the water vole to bury, before a small, black tom rushed up to her. "TideClan, attack!" Beetlekit yowled, as his black fur stood on end. Brinekit and Poolkit bounded after him. Swiftpaw saw them heartbeats before, and when Beetlekit came a whisker close, she stood up and easily dodged the kit. They were much smaller to her, therefore, Swiftpaw felt a bit more superior.
"Ugh, seriously?" Briarkit rolled her green eyes at Beetlekit, Brinekit, and Poolkit, "Your attack was so bad!" The brown calico she-kit's tail stuck up offensively. Beetlekit's blue eyes widened, and a nasty scowl came upon his face. "What did you say about our attack, Briarkit?"
"It was terrible!" Briarkit spat in his face, before Dapplefur's mouth caught hold of Beetlekit's scruff. The black kit was about to leap at Briarkit. The queen hoisted him back into the nursery despite his tantrums, her eyes apologetic to Swiftpaw and Briarkit. Brinekit skipped after his mother, while Poolkit lightly nudged Swiftpaw, "Can we play moss ball with Briarkit?"
Swiftpaw blinked slowly, and the calico she-cat quietly purred. "I'm sorry, but I would like some rest," she kindly rejected, and Poolkit's blue eyes filled with disappointment. Briarkit walked back with the blue she-kit in comfort, as Swiftpaw retreated into the apprentices' den. Fatigue made her drag her paws into the reed den.
She was surprised to see Maplepaw there, as he lay in his nest, his white paws tucked underneath him. Swiftpaw padded over to her brother, "Resting for today?"
"Yeah...Blazestripe taught me how to swim today. Obviously it didn't work out," the red tom murmured, his tail wrapping around his hind legs. Swiftpaw lightly chuckled, "Blizzardtail taught me how to hunt! How exciting is that?" The calico she-cat made it into her nest, which was right next to Maplepaw's, and she set her chin atop of her paws.
"Swiftpaw?"
"Yeah?"
"Do you ever miss Echoflower?"
"Oh...every day," she replied, and she closed her eyes to hide the pain. Her heart ached for the beautiful black and white queen, that died just because of Redstar. Anger boiled for her father, but her only focus now is to sleep.
Swiftpaw closed her amber eyes, and her breathing slowed.
~
"Wake up, young one," a voice spoke, and a paw nudged Swiftpaw's shoulder. Swiftpaw shifted a bit in her sleep, but when she breathed in, there was an unfamiliar scent that met her nose. Because of that, out of fear, she woke up. The first thing she saw was familiar green eyes, but then another five cats stood behind. Swiftpaw's fur bristled, and she got unto her paws. "Who are you?" She asked, but her hind paws felt cool water.
Swiftpaw observed around herself quickly, only to find that where she was wasn't home. Tall cypresses stood, with a gentle breeze blowing. Grass, that was a beautiful green swayed, tickling Swiftpaw's stomach underneath her, and she could see birds flying high above. The sky was blue, and the water at her hind paws were clear and the sand was white. Where she was is beautiful.
A familiar tom approached her, a small skip in his step. His long, black fur was neatly groomed, and his amber eyes were bright. Swiftpaw's fur lay flat, and her eyes widened. "E-Eelheart?" The flashback of the dead tom came back, only that his eyes were alive, and he wasn't scarred.
"Oh, you remember me?" Eelheart tilted his head, before chuckling. The cat with the familiar green eyes blinked at them both, and easily Swiftpaw could see that the cat was female.
The green eyed she-cat had a slender body, a black tabby with glossy fur. She was very pretty, with shorter fur and a triangular face. Swiftpaw felt as if she would know this she-cat, but nothing came to mind.
"I-is this StarClan?" Swiftpaw asked nervously, her eyes looking at all the remaining cats. Am I dead? She thought in worry, and her eyes now focused on her pale ginger and white paws. If she was in StarClan, where was Echoflower?
The black tabby she-cat calmly spoke, "Yes, welcome to StarClan, Swiftpaw. Do not panic, because you're too special to be dead," Swiftpaw looked eye-to-eye with her, and the apprentice tilted her head. "Special?" she echoed, before the StarClan she-cat dipped her head.
"You are our only hope in saving TideClan, young Swiftpaw. Come," the she-cat beckoned, and she turned to pad over to Eelheart and the other three cats. Swiftpaw was very confused, and she blinked slowly. Saving TideClan? From who? I'm not surprised if it's Redstar. She thought sarcastically, before she followed.
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I'm so sorry guys for the massive delay! Today is my first day of summer break, and I'm planning on updating much MUCH more now! Thank you guys for being so patient! <3
-Morgan