Warriors: Wounded Pride (Book 4)

Chapter 18

    Tidepaw slowly opened her eyes and yawned. She soon realized that she wasn't in the Driftclan Apprentices' den. Where am I...? She thought as she looked around to spot her brother and sister nearby. The two slept in their nests, snoring silently as Tidepaw looked around the den more. She soon noticed the stars around the den and under her. This isn't Driftclan... She thought, hopping onto her paws. Tidepaw then padded over to Oceanpaw and slapped his head with her paw. "Wake up!" she meowed.

"Tidepaw, leave me alone! I'm trying to sleep!" Oceanpaw replied.

"No, fish-brain! Wake up!" she replied, then slapped him on the head again.

His eyes shot open as he glared at his sister. "What do you want?"

"We're not in Driftclan!" Tidepaw meowed.

"What?" Oceanpaw stood up. "We're in the Apprentices' den!" he meowed, then looked around. "Since when did the den have... Stars?"

Tidepaw shrugged. "I don't know if it ever had stars!"

"Is Seapaw here?" The black-furred tom looked over to Seapaw's nest to see her wide awake and standing in her nest.

Seapaw padded over to her siblings.

"Well, where are we then?" Oceanpaw asked.

"Do you think I know?" Tidepaw replied and sighed.

"I mean, yeah! You woke up first!" Oceanpaw said.

"I'm going to hurt you..." Tidepaw sighed again.

"Tidepaw, Oceanpaw, Seapaw!"

The three apprentices turned their heads to the entrance of the den as they heard their names. They all padded to the entrance, then slowly padded out, Tidepaw in the middle of her siblings. The apprentices stopped in front of a starry-furred she-cat. She kept a wide smile on her face. "Hello!" she mewed.

"Who are you?" Tidepaw and Ocean replied in unison.

"I'm a cat that'll help you three save your clan!" she mewed back.

"Save our clan? What from?" Tidepaw asked.

"Shredflash..." Seapaw whispered.

The starry-furred she-cat nodded. "Yep! And I have a prophecy that involves you three!"

"A... Prophecy?" Oceanpaw questioned.

"A Prophecy!" Tidepaw mewed.

"Listen closely, you three..." The Starclan she-cat started. "The shadows of the shadow will come as one to stop the shred's dying dream."

"What does that mean?! Why are we part of this?" Oceanpaw questioned her.

The starry-furred she-cat smiled as she faded away. "You'll find out soon!"

Tidepaw, Oceanpaw, and Seapaw then blacked out as the Starclan cat disappeared.

*

"Why am I part of this prophecy?" Oceanpaw questioned as he paced around the Driftclan Apprentices' den.

"What do you mean?" Tidepaw replied, licking her paw and rubbing it over her face.

"Why do I have to be part of this? I have nothing to do with it!" he pouted.

Tidepaw gave Oceanpaw a confused look. "Do you have water in your brain?"

"No!" Oceanpaw replied. "I have training to do! I'm going to be a warrior!"

Tidepaw sighed.

Seapaw watched the two from her nest and shook her head.

*

"Stay safe!" Thistlewhisper called to Drizzleflower as she padded out of the Medicine Den.

"I will!" Drizzleflower called back as she padded away from the den and over to the Driftclan entrance. The white and cream-furred she-cat looked back before she turned her head back around and padded out of the camp.

A few heartbeats later, Drizzleflower sighed as she gathered herbs. What could the prophecy mean? She thought as she padded around the Driftclan territory. The shadows of the shadow... Drizzleflower padded around more, thinking to herself as she spotted dock leaves and went over to them. Uprooting them from the ground and carrying them in her maw. Hopefully, we'll find out soon... She thought to herself.