Post by Windheart on Jul 17, 2007 11:47:52 GMT -5
Chapter One
Snickers looked outside through the window. It was a nice day outside, and she enjoyed it. The warm sunshine bathed her fur, and she loved the feeling. She looked back and saw the twoleg playing with her kit. That twoleg kit is no bigger than a cat! Thought snickers. She started grooming herself, bringing her rough tongue to her silky, patched fur. A squirrel outside caught her attention. She stared at it unblinkingly, as she looked out at the forest. Another movement caught her eye. She saw another cat; a brown one too; leap up and catch the squirrel. She stared at the other cat in admiration. The only thing she wondered was; where does that cat come from? Does his twolegs let it out? Or is he…a forest cat? She wondered. I wish I could do that. Just catch a squirrel and eat it. That’s much tastier than that hard food they give us. She thought she saw the cat turn at her, and stare at her with pity in his eyes. Then he turned around and walked away with the dead squirrel in his mouth. The bushes quivered where he had disappeared and she stared blankly at them. She turned back to look at her twoleg, still busy with her kit. She started grooming herself again, moving her tongue in smooth, soft, strokes. But the question stayed in her mind. Is he a forest cat? She walked over to her bed and laid down. She dozed off into a silent sleep. She dreamed she was in the forest, and she saw the brown cat again.
~***~
Snickers woke with a start. She blinked, and then looked around. The shiny twoleg thing was shining, and she smelled twoleg food cooking. She stood up and stretched, and just as she was about to walk out of her bed, the twoleg kit came to her and started petting her. She purred, and rubbed her muzzle in its hand. It squealed in delight, and then snuggled with her. A purr rumbled in her throat. If I went to the wild, I would never be able to do this. Do I really want to be in the wild? The other twoleg called for her kit, then they went into a room, she followed the twoleg kit and sat by the twoleg table as they ate. Delicious smells rose from the twoleg food, and snickers wished she could have some. The mother twoleg called for her, and snickers walked over to her. Snickers looked up at her with pleading eyes, and finally the twoleg gave way and put a small crumb on the ground. Snickers purred and walked over to it. She licked it off the ground and chewed it. Then she walked up to the open window and sat in the ledge. She saw the other cat again. This time, instead of only glancing at her, he was staring at her. She stared back, in awe. To her surprise, he started padding up from the forest. He walked near the window she was staring out, and she was glad it was open. As he was walking, rain started drizzling down from the clouded sky. The cat didn’t even flinch. He kept right on walking. For some reason, she felt comforted by the pattering rain. The cat finally came to the window. He shook himself, and jumped up on the ledge. “What’s your name? Mine’s Oakfoot.” He meowed eagerly. He sounded friendly. “Er- Snickers. Nice to –uh- meet you, Oakfoot.” She meowed unsteadily back. Talking to him was much harder than she had imagined. Especially since he was so handsome. His brown fur was neatly groomed, shining from the light in the twoleg nest. “I don’t really know how to put this, but, would you like to come to the forest with me?” Oakfoot asked nervously. “I –I-I would like to, b-but, what will my twolegs do? I’m really sorry, but I can’t.” she replied, head down. “Oh.” He answered. “Well, I have to go. Bye.” He turned and jumped off the sill. He rushed down through the pouring rain and into the forest.
~***~
Snickers yawned sleepily. She drowsily got out of her bed and stretched. She suddenly remembered something. She wanted to go to the forest. But, she had to say good-bye. She padded rushingly up the stairs into the kit’s room. She nuzzled its hand, and then licked its face. She backed away and went downstairs again. She knew that it would be too risky if she said good-bye to the full-grown twoleg. Her twolegs had kept the window open luckily. She jumped on the ledge and clawed at the black net until she had made a hole. She squeezed through it and accidentally stumbled onto the porch. The feeling felt strange on her feet, as she padded around. She stepped delicately off the porch. The air was crisp and cool. It was still raining, but she enjoyed it. A fat raindrop landed on her nose. She padded quicker and quicker, racing through the grass as if her life depended on it. She swiftly followed his scent through the forest. She suddenly halted. She stared at a huge wall of thorns, with only a small opening in the front. She silently crept through the tunnel and came in upon a huge clearing. She could scent many cats here. She sniffed Oakfoot’s path into a space with a bush growing. She peeked in. She spotted Oakfoot immediately. There were many other cats in there, and snickers didn’t want to disturb them. She wound her way as silently as possible through the mass of cats until she reached Oakfoot. She prodded him with her paw. He blinked open his eyes lazily. “Snickers?” he meowed. “Yes.” She replied. He stood up and walked to another place. It was a small cave with a bramble curtain in the entrance. He walked in with her. “Goldenstar.” He whispered. “Oakfoot?” she asked drowsily. She stood up. She was a magnificent golden tabby with piercing blue eyes. “Is that a kittypet?” asked Goldenstar, her eyes widening at Snickers’ pink collar with diamonds and a small golden bell on it. “Well, yes. Her name is Snickers.” He replied. “Uh- hello.” She meowed nervously, looking down at her paws. “I-I guess she could stay. But we need to do the collar job like we did with Skypaw.” Goldenstar meowed. She padded up to Snickers and tugged the collar. Snickers felt like howling in pain, but kept her mouth shut and just winced. The little bell rang as Goldenstar pulled the small strap and the collar slipped off. Goldenstar kicked back some dust, and then shook her ruffled pelt. “We will hold the ceremony at dawn. Snickers may sleep in my den tonight.” Goldenstar meowed. “Thank you.” Snickers meowed. “Oakfoot, get some moss, please.” Goldenstar meowed. “Okay.” He meowed. He disappeared out of the den and then came back with a large wad of moss in his mouth. He set it down in front of Goldenstar’s paws. “Goodnight, Goldenstar.” Oakfoot meowed and dipped his head respectfully to his leader. “Goodnight, to both of you.” She replied. “Goodnight.” Snickers whispered, already half asleep. “Do you want your ceremony or not?” Snickers heard a voice say. She blinked open her eyes sleepily. Goldenstar’s face was a mouse length from hers. Sunlight was streaming in the den; Snickers guessed it was dawn. “Okay, I’ll be there in a minute.” Snickers replied, as she got up and stretched. She groomed herself in fine strokes, making her patched fur glint in the sunlight. She looked up, the sun reflecting her bright green eyes. She padded out of the den just as Goldenstar was calling the clan. “May all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather here for a clan meeting!” Goldenstar yowled, as her call rang around the clearing. “I Goldenstar, leader of ThunderClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to accept this cat. She promises to train hard and learn the warrior code. Snickers, do you promise to do so?” Goldenstar said, looking down at Snickers. Snickers decided to be formal. “I do.” She said. “Then by the powers of starclan I give you your apprentice name. Snickers, until you have received your warrior name, you will be known as Patchpaw. Redfoot,” She began. Why was she talking to another cat? Wasn’t this supposed to be her ceremony? “You have not yet had an apprentice. Mousetail taught you well. Pass on these skills to Patchpaw. Redfoot bent his head towards Patchpaw. “You’re supposed to touch noses with me.” He whispered, very quietly. “Oh. Sorry.” She whispered back she held up her head and touched his black nose with her pink one. His nose was wet. She backed up after a few seconds and noticed cats were cheering for her. “Patchpaw! Patchpaw!” She purred happily. She walked down to where a whole bunch of cats her age were. A black one suspiciously glared at her. She could tell he was going to be difficult. A ginger one with a black paw greeted her happily, purring at her. A gray and brown one with white paws and another brown one with white and black paws congratulated her. Then a gray one came up to her. “I used to be a kittypet too.” She whispered. She stared at the gray cat in surprise. She could barley see an indent around the fur on her neck, which must have been where her collar was. “I’m Applepaw!” the ginger one with a black paw said. “And I’m Pondpaw, and this is Pinepaw.” The grey and brown one said, tapping the other with her tail. Applepaw shoved the black one. “Introduce yourself!” she whispered to him. “I’m Blackpaw.” He growled. “I’m Skypaw, by the way. The gray one said. A calico a bit like herself came over to her. “I’m Brightpaw. Welcome to the clan, Patchpaw. I’m the medicine cat apprentice. I’ll be the medicine cat one day.” She said. She seemed friendly. She looked old, though. For some reason, she reminded her of Oakfoot and the ginger and white cat. “Do you know anyone named Oakfoot?” Patchpaw asked. “Oh, yes. He’s my brother. And Cedarclaw’s my sister.” She said. Patchpaw looked confused. “Oh, Cedarclaw is a ginger and white cat.” Brightpaw replied. Now Patchpaw got it. They were all littermates. It constantly made Patchpaw remember her littermates; Violet, Flower, and Butterscotch. She was brought back to the clan by Applepaw gently nudging her. “What?” she said. “The apprentices den is over there.” Applepaw said, pointing her tail towards a large hole in the ground with brambles and ferns growing on the out side. She didn’t like the idea of sleeping in a hole. ”It’s really comfy inside. Do you want to go see?” she asked. “Sure.” She said. She followed Applepaw into the hole. She squeezed in, the dirt brushing her fur. She stepped inside. She was taken back by surprise. It was very roomy, with nests like Goldenstar’s. There were small cracks and holes in the roof, which provided a bit of sunlight. “Hey, is Patchpaw in there?” a voice said. It was Redfoot. “We were going to go on our first patrol, to explore the territory.” He said. “Coming!” She yowled. She scrambled out of the hole where he was waiting for her. “Let’s explore the territory. I’ve asked Stonepelt, Cedarclaw, and Skypaw to come as well. Let’s go. They’re already waiting by the entrance.” He meowed. He dashed off. Patchpaw ran after him. They met again at the entrance. “Okay, Patchpaw, we’re going to try to be at the Thunderpath by sunset. We’ll show you The Holly bush and the Blooming Oak first. Then, we’ll go to the sacred hills and hunt for a bit. We might have to cross Sheer Falls River, though. After we cross the Thunderpath, we’ll show you Toad Pond. Let’s start now.” He said, as they all turned out the thorn tunnel.
~***~
They Reached Holly Bush and Blooming Oak by sunhigh. They were right next to each other. They said holly berries were poisonous, so you couldn’t eat them. They started out for the Thunderpath. As they were walking, Patchpaw started to hear a rumbling noise. “What’s that noise?” she asked. “That’s Sheer Falls.” Cedarclaw explained. “It’s a large waterfall with a river. We’ll have to cross the river soo- oh, here we are.” She meowed. The trees started disappearing and showed a beautiful clearing. There was a large river in it, with a waterfall farther away. “Let’s go.” Redfoot said, stepping forward. The rest of them followed. Patchpaw nervously stared at the rushing current. Redfoot and Skypaw were already swimming across, and Stonepelt and Cedarclaw were behind her. She cautiously jumped in. The river was ice cold, but surprisingly comforting. She swam confidently across the river. She was almost swept away a few times, but she made it across safely. She got up on the other side and shook herself. “Good job. You swam well.” Redfoot said, praising her. Cedarclaw and Stonepelt got up, and they started off again.
Soon Patchpaw began to smell a horrible stench. “What’s that smell?” she asked, wrinkling her nose. “The Thunderpath. We’ll have to cross it soon.” Redfoot replied. Soon they came to a large black, hard, path. “It’s safe. Let’s go one by one.” Redfoot said. He darted across. Next Cedarclaw. Then Skypaw. Next it was her turn. She swallowed nervously. She started walking forward. Suddenly a loud noise started. She looked over, and to her horror, there was a monster coming towards her. Her heart started beating fast. Panic arose in her. Yet she didn’t move. “Patchpaw, run!” Skypaw screeched. Patchpaw didn’t hear her. A memory overcame her. When she was a kit; when she, Violet, Flower, Butterscotch, and Star had gone out exploring. Star lying bloody and unmoving on the small Thunderpath in front of her twoleg nest. She looked up, and the last thing she saw was large, bright, lights, before pain and darkness overcame her.
~***~
Patchpaw moaned. She felt horrible. She couldn’t see anything, but she had a sour taste in her mouth, and she could hear voices around her. She ached all over and her paw felt wrong. Her claws hurt. Her tail felt odd and stingy. She finally had the courage to open her eyes. She looked around. She was in a small cave, with sweet and bitter smells around her. “Is she okay?” She heard a voice say. “Yes, except for her torn out claws, twisted paw, and losing the tip of her tail.” She heard another voice say; a she-cat. The other voice sounded like Redfoot. “She opened her eyes! Look!” She heard skypaw meow. She heard Skypaw’s bustling paws on the cave floor, and then moments later saw her standing over her. “Are you okay?” Skypaw asked. “Y-yes.” Patchpaw rasped. Talking was a lot harder than she had imagined. She coughed loudly. “Sorry about your first day, not exactly going, well.” Skypaw meowed. “Yeah.” She replied. Coughing made it a little easier to talk. “I’m really sorry, Patchpaw, but when you were hit on the Thunderpath, three of your claws were torn out. And, your paw has been twisted and cannot heal properly. It also ran over your tail, so we had to—well, amputate it.” A silver and gray she-cat said. “That’s Moonshine.” Skypaw whispered. “She’s the medicine cat.” “So, now I only have six front claws, and a twisted front paw?! And only half of my tail?!” she nearly yowled. She was furious with herself. She could have run, but no. She just stood there, while she lost and injured parts of her body. “I-I’m really sorry, Patchpaw. I really am. “No, it’s okay. I’m mad at myself.” Patchpaw replied. She looked at her tail. Sure enough, it looked a lot shorter than usual. All of her fur stuck up in ragged clumps. She extended her claws on the front and saw only two on one paw, and, the other paw, which was twisted, had only four. She tried to stand up. It felt very awkward, since she didn’t have a tail for balance, and, most of all, she had a limping gait; thanks to her twisted paw. She grunted and laid back down again.
“The good thing is,” Moonshine began, “You’re ready to go now, if you want to. You healed a lot after all the herbs and rest you had. You can leave now, I you want.” Moonshine replied. “Okay.” Patchpaw said as she heaved herself up and limped out of the den. She squinted at the bright sunlight outside. “Patchpaw! What in the name of Starclan happened to your paw?! And your tail!” Applepaw exclaimed as she ran over to her, noticing her twisted paw and stumped tail. “Didn’t you hear? I got run over.” She said irritably, and stalked off to the apprentices den. “Patchpaw, wait!” Applepaw meowed, and raced over. “Seriously, what happened?” She asked. “Seriously, I got run over.” She said. “By what?”
“A monster, duh.”
How?”
“When we were crossing the Thunderpath, duh.”
Why didn’t you run? And, will you please stop saying duh?”
Patchpaw hesitated. “I didn’t run, because… I remembered something.” She meowed, and looked at her paws. “What did you remember?” She asked curiously. “I remembered… how my sister died.”
