Chapter 35
Okaii, well I know I said firestar never died, but he did. XD im so confusing..
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Ash's P.O.V.
I woke up in a memory. One of the worst memories I've had yet.
It was two days after we were born, I had just opened my eyes. Froya and Sorrel were suckling. All those two had done was mewl and talk. They had opened their eyes a bit before me, maybe last night. I say that because thats when they started talking, asking questions. I didn't remember what they asked but that was the reason I didn't ask anything.
As I looked around, my eyes focused in on the cave. The nest was smaller then, Sunshine, Crow and Raven no where to be seen.
I tried to push my way through, my stomach beginning to growl. I felt a shove from Froya and I was forced back. I grunted and tried to get my way through. I only got a bit when Mini pushed me away. I mewled in frustration but she wouldn't let me come over.
"Ash." Mini growled, "Froya and Sorrel need to be fed, too." I protested in bewilderment. "What? I barely got to have anything!" I squealed. "You be quite, Ash. Stop complaining." She hissed, pushing me down. 'What did I do? Why can't I eat?'
"Mini, I'm hungry, let me eat! Please!" I begged. I hadn't eaten since yesterday night. Mini growled, eyes to a slit. "What did I say. Why can't you just listen?" I slouched down and sat there. 'What's the point?'
"All you do is argue. Why can't you just stop talking?" Mini hissed, pushing my face so I fell to the ground, out of the nest.
"What did I ever do to you?" I whispered to myself. I didn't bother with trying to get back into the nest.
Rubbing my jaw, I curled up in an empty, tough nest. It took longer then it should've to fall asleep.
I guess I wasn't used to being alone then.
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Storm's P.O.V.
I padded out of the medicine den, fully aware of the looks everyone was giving me. I felt a lot more paranoid because the cobweb Leaf had applied to my jaw had to be placed on my entire left side of my face, covering my eye. I looked around the camp to find almost everyone looking.
I swallowed, taking slow strides toward the fresh-kill pile, only to find myself heading to Venom's den - which was also where they put the fresh-kill.
I sat under the shadow of his den and Put my chin carefully on my paws. A dull pain shot through my body and was sent to my brain as soon as my chin touched my paw. Instinct made my head shoot back up and I was forced to keep my head up.
Fox, Snow and Dagger padded over. I sat up, fighting the urge to greet them.
'Leaf had told me when I woke up not to open my mouth what-so-ever. That means I can't eat, talk or participate in battles. Not until my jaw heals a bit more. All I'm wondering is, How am I supposed survive now? I am weak as is, and I can't eat!'
"How are you, Storm?" Snow mewed, sitting in front of me. I shrugged. "I don't think she can talk right now," Fox meowed. "I can see that, Fox." Dagger growled, glaring at him. Fox held the stare and didn't flinch.
"How do you feel? You look great today!" Snow purred, covering for my brother and Fox. 'Why is Fox here?' I wondered, sizing the orange cat up and down. Snow seemed to be loosing some weight, not much but enough to notice. 'I wonder how that's working out for her?'
I realized he was looking at me, smirking. Something was sparking in his eyes - triumph maybe? I fought the urge to growl.
Dagger and Snow pelted me with questions and I either nodded or shook my head, sometimes shrugging. Eventually the two decided to leave me alone but Fox didn't leave with them.
"You know its only scars, right?" I looked to my paws as Fox spoke. I clawed at a feather and Fox sat beside me, his tail tip running up and down my spine. "Don't worry, Storm," He murmured and I looked up at him.
"You're going to be okay. Your scars don't matter, they tell a story of what you've been through and that you survived. That dog seemed to be viscous and mean by the looks of how much cobweb you have." Fox meowed, "You just wait, once you get to have those cobwebs off and once your jaw has healed, you won't be any less beautiful. Trust me."
I just studied his broad face, how the scars on his muzzle and ears were hidden behind his dark yet bright blue eyes. 'Will my eyes show more then my scars?'
Fox snorted, looking away. 'What was so funny? Did I amuse him? Could he hear my thoughts?'
"Well, Thorn wants me to come on patrol, bye, Storm." Fox whispered to me, giving me a warm smile. I looked into his eyes but he gave nothing away. There had to be something that he was hiding.
'Am I being tricked? I can't be. He's so nice, cute and strong. He made me feel whole again.' But as he padded away, his warmth and words left with him. He was gone and so was the other side of me.
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Strike's P.O.V.
I led the way down the trail and into WindClan territory. I looked over my shoulder as I crossed into it. Moon was hesitating.
"Come on. We have a right, this was our territory first." I told him and he looked up. "But it's their territory now, isn't it?" Moon scoffed. Fang rolled his eyes and I flicked my tail forward. "Hurry up, Moon. You have a duty to do."
Moon stepped over the border and I padded along quietly.
"Remember to get the plants by the roots," Fang mewed to me. I turned to him. I was almost as tall as him. Fang was one odd-colored cat. With an awkward brown stripe down his spine and the rest of his body white and muscular, it didn't fit.
"I will only grab the ones that are scarce by the roots." I replied, turning forward again. Moon was sniffing the air, possibly for prey. "What are you doing, we need to hurry along and find herbs." I hissed and Moon padded forward, catching up with us.
"I know, I'm worrying that WindClan warriors will find us and kill us," Moon growled, looking around the moor. 'I've never seen Moon like this before. I had heard that Moon had showed no fear when the patrol found him and when they came to camp. Why is he so fearful now?'
I sniffed the ground as the scent of comfrey became stronger. I trotted toward the smell and grabbed as many as I could and left. There was plenty there so I didn't need to get them by the roots. 'In ThunderClan territory, there is a lot of catmint. We're going to be traveling for a while to get it...'
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We had collected burdock root, borage leaves, comfrey and tansy. Wild garlic and catmint was still on my list to find and grab. We had to go near Twolegplace where the horses were to find the tansy, meaning we had to go back. I looked for catmint but there was none in their gardens.
"I heard Venom was sending out cats to hunt in Twolegplace for rats," I suddenly told them. "Prey around here is becoming scarce with Twolegs, though they aren't as loud as they were before. I think they are stopping."
Fang nodded and Moon didn't seem to care. They both had herbs in their mouths. Fang held the tansy, roots and all. Also burdock root. Moon had comfrey and borage leaves. I was going to carry the rest.
"Okay, we are going to have to go into ThunderClan territory from the east to get wild garlic - as in going to ThunderClan camp and finding it near there - and then make our way north to the abandoned Twoleg nest to get the catmint. I have gotten it there before." I mewed to myself, picking up the pace.
"Don't be drooling or breathing on my herbs you two!" I teased and I guess they took it serious and started breathing slower. I hopped over the stream that ran down from the Eastern Wolves place and waited for Fang and Moon to jump over. Fang just stepped in and climbed in while Moon stepped back and leaped over the stream.
Before I could tell them it was a joke, I was interrupted by sudden voices. I realized in a heartbeat that we were in ThunderClan territory. "Get down!" I hissed to the two young warriors.
They got down and I looked around. I gestured with my head for them to follow me as I stalked away, my tail trailing the ground and my twitching to be put up so I could hear better.
I felt a nose push my tail up and I put it up just enough so it didn't trail on the ground. I jumped in behind a bush and breathed evenly. I spotted the cats.
"This is going to be harder then I imagined..." I groaned low. Moon nodded and we watched as the ThunderClan patrol chatted away.
"I swear, if WindClan tries anything I'll shred them!" A smaller cat hissed. 'Must be an apprentice,' "Now, now, they haven't done anything yet." A warrior scolded.
They sniffed the border and the apprentice's fur stood on end. "Intruders! We have intruders!" He hissed loudly. The mentors' eyes narrowed. "We need to tell Bramblestar this, immediately." He growled, leaving with the apprentice.
"Follow them and we'll grab the wild garlic, be quiet!" I whispered to the two warriors behind me. I stalked quickly with the two warriors beside me. Moon stalked carefully beside me, his muscles rippling along his shoulder. 'Don't dash ahead or I swear I'll murder you, Moon!' I warned in my mind. Hopefully, he wouldn't blow it for us. We were going to the enemies camp, right there. If we do anything noisy, they'll hear us.
Hurrying along, we caught up as they went into the camp. The scent of ThunderClan was overwhelming and it made me gag. I focused on the smell of wild garlic and eventually the smell hit me and I revealed the growing plant of wild garlic. I dug carefully around the stems and got to the roots.
"Hurry up, I think they're getting a patrol ready to go find the smell and stuff," Fang hissed. He must've dropped the herbs.
I growled, "Yeah, yeah, just a heartbeat and I'll have them."
I pulled them out and dug out another one. "Squirrelflight, take Rosepelt, Millie, and Spiderleg." I heard a deep, strong voice growl and murmurs erupted around the camp.
"Lets go! Go!" Fang growled, grabbing the herbs again and we pelted away. Branches whipped our faces as we pelted off north, swerving clear of ThunderClan camp. Small hills with cliffs made it harder for us to get away. Our scent would be mixed with ThunderClan cats and we'd have to cut into ShadowClan territory to get out without being caught.
I spotted three cats ahead and I swerved to the east more, thick trees making it even harder to get through. I halted, gasping for breath as we looked for an easy way to get through. "Is this really worth catmint? I mean, we can come back anytime. ThunderClan is starting to become suspicious of who we are. Before we know it, they'll be demanding a fight!" Moon growled, his voice muffled by the herbs.
I nodded but kept going, breaking into a run around trees. The trees were all of a sudden gone and we were on a path. I slowed down and Fang and Moon did, too. We casually padded up the path until the abandoned Twoleg nest was in sight.
"Finally," I groaned, trotting forward. "Stay here," I ordered, dropping my herbs and dashing away. Mud puddles dotted the path as I went up. They seemed to be drying up. Today was starting to become a sunny day, warm not hot.
A garden was there with herbs of all sorts. 'We could use sorrel for any traveling or battles... Some lamb's ear was here as well, but they grew in the camp anyway. We had plenty of that.' I thought, grabbing the sorrel and then the catmint by the roots.
I hurried away, skidding down the damp-ish trail. Fang and Moon were waiting patiently, ears pricked in worry and alarm.
"Lets go," I muttered, grabbing the wild garlic. We ran down the trail and went off the trail and toward the shore of the lake. We passed a huge, old oak tree before coming to the lake. We quickly ran along the lake's shore, hopping over the stream and into WindClan's territory.
A strong scent pierced my nose and I searched the moor, finding the yellow plant called goldenrod. I pointed to it with my paw and Moon grabbed it carefully and set down the herbs he held in his jaws. He packed them together and grabbed it and we left. "The Tribe of Rotting Skulls!" A call from above made me flinch. We were west of their camp, at the bottom of the slope.
"Run!" Fang hissed and we ran through the moor. It was hard to breath with the herbs stuffed in my mouth, but I was fine. Moon was dashing away, heading forward as quickly as possible. Moon looked over his shoulder and he looked back, running faster. I ran a bit faster, faster then I'd probably ever ran before. Fang came in beside me, easing his way forward. He was taught to ease into a fun so he wouldn't be sore after, but that idea was too late for me.
"Owlwhisker, Heathertail, warn Onestar! This has gone too far!" I heard a she-cat yowl and I pushed harder, practically tripping into our territory.
I dropped the herbs on a rock and gasped for air. Fang and Moon did as well. "Fang... Stay here... Moon - " I paused for a breather, wheezing. "Moon and I will... get Venom. Keep an eye on WindClan," Fang nodded, panting along with Moon and I.
I picked up Fang's herbs and mine, putting some under my chin and some in my mouth. Moon and I dragged our feet up the trail. 'That was more running I've ever done in my life!'
I padded into camp, ducking under the entrance, and led Moon to the medicine den. "Here," Moon mewed to Leaf and I dropped mine, too.
Venom was talking to Fox and Thorn when we came up to him.
"Venom," I mewed, "I think we're going into war."
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