Chippaw's POV

"Wolftail!" I growled, trying to get my fathers attention, but he was too absorbed by his new mate to listen to me. "Wolftail!" I yelled, and then yelled again, attempting to nudge his side. It was like I wasn't even there. When I craned my neck to prod him with my nose, he got farther away without necessarily moving at all. Confused, I tried to hurry toward him to get his attention, but he kept sliding away; each time faster and farther. 

I tried to run this time, but my legs seemed to be stalling and my feet were heavier than boulders. I called out to him again, but it was quiet. The wind was so strong it blew me over, and when I turned back to find Wolftail, he was no where to be found... My heart sped up. I could feel it beating in my throat. 

A voice spoke to me, "Run..." It was like a whisper directly into my ear; before I could even blink, Wolftail and all of StreamClan's members, possibly even RockClan - there was just so many of them - were all in front of me... coming for me with flesh missing all over their bodies and glossy eyes... 

My legs were stiff and I realized that boulder-feeling in my paws hadn't gone away. With all my might, I tried to force myself to run, to do anything. Horrified, I was frozen to the spot.

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I basically jumped out of my nest when my mind finally woke me up from my nightmare. There was a strange feeling of bugs crawling through my fur... so I chewed at my legs and flank until I realized I had a ball of fur on my tongue. I spat it out and looked around the empty, dark den.

The wind howled and whistled through the apprentices den, shockingly cold breezes making their way around my curled up body. That was the third time I had been woken up. The odd dream made my heart sore, but I pushed it to the back of my mind. It wasn't like it was real, so why overthink about it? 

My eyes stung as I blinked them open, my body wanting more sleep but my mind was just about done with the game. I will just see where the moon is, and if it's only moon-high then I will continue to try to sleep... I thought to myself, standing up in my nest and stretching my sore legs. 

Groggily, I stepped over empty nests as I made my way out. "At least it wasn't someone's snoring keeping me awake..." I sighed as I exited the den. It was eerily quiet out, with the wind making the trees creak and the occasional moan far off in the territory somewhere. As I focused on the noises around me, I noticed there were faint snores coming from the dens, meaning everyone was asleep.

The moon was just getting past the midnight mark, and after I glanced up at the glowing white ball, I remembered there were things to discover beyond this boring campground. I peered around; not a soul was awake, meaning I was free to explore wherever I pleased until the sun began to wake up. 

I followed the shore of the lake, letting my paws do the leading. As my legs took me forward, I gazed at the water beside me. There were ripples throughout the lake from the heavy winds, and a beautiful reflection from the bright moon. The reflection seemed to bounce on the surface. Stars glistened in the dark blue sea above, seemingly blinking down at me. I was once told those stars are SoulClan warriors watching from above... Are you still watching over us, mother? I thought as I watched thick clouds roll in. The pebbles below made a satisfying noise as they rubbed together under the pressure of my paws. I felt the need to run... to prove to that nightmare I could outrun any infected creature, to prove to SoulClan above I could run as fast as a rabbit.

Taking off, I bolted down the shoreline. I was a little wobbly as each paw sunk into the pebbles as my weight put pressure on them, but I gained speed quickly. Pebbles and the sand beneath went flying behind me as I tore down the shore. The wind blew at my face and for a split heartbeat I closed my eyes. In that heartbeat, I breathed in the world around me deeply. When I opened them, there was an oncoming boulder, so I leaped onto it. Pride surged through me, but only for a few heartbeats. Turning to my left, I quickly noticed I was basically on RockClan territory. 

Gulping, I got down to a crouching position and crept away, my eyes locked on the camp only tail-lengths away. The Gathering Place came into my line of view and so that is where my paws led me.

I hurried to the clear patch below the huge rocks where the leaders spoke to the Clans. The rocks were so tall... so tempting! Without really thinking it through, I jumped onto the boulders and hopped my way up to the top. "It is your leader, Chipstar!" I began, puffing out my chest and raising my chin. "Ever since I was made leader, StreamClan has been stronger than ever!" My imagination didn't last long as my anxiety kicked in. RockClan's guard could be watching me right now... Though, Wildstar mentioned RockClan cats have been tresspassing, so what can they say? I thought as I ducked down and sneaked away. 

Feeling vulnerable and out of place, I sniffed around for my next path. There was a choking smoke smell coming from behind the Gathering Place, and suddenly I remembered the Twolegs with big sticks could be still around. 

I sprinted toward the edge of the territory, suddenly very curious to see if they were alive. There was a glow off in the distance, and smoke bellowing into the dark sky. As I neared, I slowed down and watched the sparks dance into the sky. Eyes wide and mouth clenched shut, I slowed to a stop only a few tail-lengths away from their fire. 

It was the same three Twolegs, and the same few sticks. The only difference was... the one on guard no longer had one of his paws. It looked to be chopped off at the joint... I cringed and felt my fur stand on end. Poor Twoleg... I wonder what happened?

The other two were fast asleep, curled up in some form of long nest. I crept around the little circle they had formed. Strong smelling animal bones were piled up beside the fire, flies buzzing around them along with maggots underneath. My lip curled and I hurried along. Studying the one-armed Twoleg, I watched him use his good arm to pick at the fire with a stick. He blankly stared into the flames until I snapped a stick. 

His head shot to the left, where I sat crouched down. My breath caught in my throat and I prepared to bolt away. To my surprise, his eyes softened and he dropped the stick into the fire. Holding out his dirty pink paw, he made a less than impressing meow to me. 

My legs were trembling, but I decided to go up to him. He must be lonely, I decided as I stalked toward his open paw, After all, what harm could a one-armed Twoleg do? 

The rugged Twoleg reached out to me and I studied him further. He had spiky fur coming in on his face and his once pink skin was covered in dirt. Do they not bathe themselves? I wondered, sniffing his long, odd fingers. He let me sniff, and then I pushed my head against his paw. I watched him smile and then he stroked my back. It felt so strange to let such big paws touch me. 

The Twoleg said something in his language, and then turned to the two others and said it again. I found myself purring, and let myself rub against his covered legs. When I opened my eyes, the other two had lifted their heads and were looking at me with surprise. One of them rolled back over, while the she-Twoleg left her nest and sat on the log beside the one-armed Twoleg. 

She also reached out with her dirty paws to let me sniff, but I felt no need to. Their smell could be smelt from tail-lengths away, anyway. Like rotten prey, soil, and their body odor. Instead, I nuzzled my rough head against her soft paw and let them pet me. To my surprise, the she-Twoleg grasped me with her paws and sat me in her lap. 

Her deep green eyes sparkled with delight, the fur on the top of her head pulled back. This must be the first time in a while that they have come across anything nice! I wanted to say something, "My name is Chippaw!" I meowed up at the nice Twolegs. They purred and looked at each other, then meowed at me again. 

The Twoleg holding me said something to her friend, and he got up and rummaged through a black sack by the nests. He pulled out a clear packaging with something inside. I wriggled in her grasp, a little frightened by what it could be. 

It was a slab of meat. My ears perked up as he offered it to me. I sniffed it. It wasn't like any meat I had ever tried, but it smelt fresh and exciting. I ate up the pieces they gave to me, and hopped onto the ground, rubbing my sides against both of their legs. 

Soon I realized where the moon was and knew if I wasn't back by the time the sun comes up, Wolftail would be furious and asking too many questions. "Thank you, Twolegs! I will come again sometime!" I chirped and began to pad away. 

The clouds had covered the sky completely by the time I was half way back to the camp. It smelled like rain would be coming, but all I could think about was the discovery of generous Twolegs.

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Sorry for the slow updates, I just assume no one reads these anymore, but if you do, I hope you enjoyed (: