Warriors: Prophecy From StarClan, The Owl's Kit.

Chapter 13

Softpaw could hear the queens quietly comfort the kits who were scared out of their mind.

"It's okay Snowkit, everything will be fine." Loinclaw soothed.

"But I don't want to be a StreamClan cat!" She protested loudly and a few StreamClan warriors look over at her with compassion.

Softheart walked along side Loinclaw, looking around sadly carrying one of her small kits, while Willowheart and Ravensight carried the other two.

Softpaw felt her fur ruffle, the StreamClan warriors were just doing what their fox heart leader told them. They aren't happy about this either.

"How did Gentlestar go?" She asked Creekpaw who was walking beside her.

Creekpaw looked uncomfortable and said out loud, "she was found dead at the border between StreamClan and FeatherClan, we believe one of FeatherClan's warriors killed her, so they had to be punished."

Softpaw looked at him in surprise, wasn't he just on her side. Softpaw turned her head seeing Reedstar glaring before giving a satisfied nod and trotting up further ahead.

Creekpaw growled and whispered to Softpaw. "That's what Reedstar said, not every cat believes him, I know he killed Gentlestar. There was no scent of FeatherClan on her." He explained.

Softpaw had to hold back a growl herself, nothing would satisfy her more then to rip Reedstar's pelt off. And by the low growl Bluefeather had been doing, she was not the only one.

Reedstar looked at Bluefeather amused, "what is it little sister? I have taken you from our mother's soft Clan and brought you over to the strongest clan in the forest."

"FeatherClan is not soft. We are honorable, and well trained." Bluefeather growled and lashed her tail. "Unlike some cat here who I'm guessing killed Gentlestar, considering that's what you'll do to get your way Reedstar."

Reedstar pinned his ears back turning around sharply glaring at her with his teeth bared. "A real warrior will do whatever it takes to win." He hissed.

"That's mouse dung! The Warrior code clearly states that a true warrior doesn't have to kill cats to win their battles unless it's necessary for self defense." Softpaw growled at the StreamClan leader her tail lashing.

Reedstar turned to Softpaw shooting her a sharp glare, before he turned to Bluefeather. "I suggest you getting that apprentice under control before I do." He hissed and looked to the scar that went from Bluefeather's shoulder to her flank, "before I give her a scar like I did to you to remember a lesson."

Bluefeather held her head high, and looked at Reedstar with no fear but pure hatred towards her brother. "Try to do it to her and you'll lose all nine lives at once." She hissed a warning, one that Softpaw knew Bluefeather would not hesitate to enforce.

Reedstar snorted and continued leading them until they came to the river. He then swam across with grace and ease followed by his deputy and warriors.

Softpaw paused at the river's edge looking at the water fearfully, she couldn't explain why, but she used to have nightmares of falling into the river and drowning when she was a kit. They were so bad that Flamestar had ordered some warriors to take her out of camp and show her the river to show that she didn't need to fear it while in the camp as it was to far away.

"Are you going?" Said an irritated voice and Softpaw's prickled hearing the voice of Timbersting.
The brown tabby she-cat tried nudging Softpaw to the edge of the river.

"She's never swam across the river, let her jump across the stones." Creekpaw meowed to the brown Warrior who lashed her tail in frustration.

"It's not that hard to swim across the river, if she can't learn to swim, then she'll be a land dweller and we don't allow that anymore." Timbersting meowed giving Creekpaw a glare with her yellow eyes.

Softpaw could feel the rocks under her paws by the waters edge start to slip, her heart begins to pound so heavily into her chest and her eyes widen with fear. She tries to back up but Timbersting only shoves her forward.

She let a terrified yowl as she plummeted into the cold water head first. Panic rushed over her and she kicked her legs and moved her paws, but she still could not make her way to the surface. She closed her eyes as she felt herself hit one of the rocks on the river.

I'm going to drown! I don't know how to swim in the river! She thought in a panic as it was getting harder to hold her breath, she began to kick again and she heard a muffled splash, a few seconds later teeth gripped her neck scruff and her head was over the water.
She gasped for air as the cat dragged her onto the other side of the river as she coughed and shook in fear.

"Softpaw are you okay?!" Bluefeather called beside her. Softpaw blinked her eyes several times because the water stung her eyes, BlueFeather stood next to her soaking wet from the river: At first she assumed it was Bluefeather who saved her, but she could still feel the cat at her neck scruff as they roughly licked her fur the wrong way.

Turning to get a glance, she realized it had been Creekpaw to dive under the water. "I'm okay I think." She meowed finally but very shakily.

"Me and Creekpaw jumped in to save you, it appears he's a lot faster swimmer then he looks." Bluefeather meowed and licked Softpaw's fur.

"What in StarClan's name are the three of you doing?" Reedstar growled at them.

Softpaw looked and fear clinched her heart, his fur was on edge and his green eyes were dark as he glared at them.

"One of your Warriors pushed Softpaw in the river, she's never swam before! And we already lost one of our best warriors to the river." Bluefeather growled her fur now on edge.

Reedstar was about to open his mouth when Duckpool, the golden colored medicine cat hushed him. "Reedstar, the apprentice almost died, learn to show some form of care." The she-cat meowed in her gentle smooth voice.

Softpaw looked up her eyes wide at the medicine cat as she got to her paws shaking some of the water off her fur.

Duckpool tilted her head slightly glancing at Softpaw curiously, before giving a soft look and nod and trotting off before the leader had a chance to say anything. Loinclaw crossed the river with Snowkit and a StreamClan warrior with Storm kit, and as they put them down the kits bounced over to Softpaw's paws.

"Are you okay Softpaw?" Snowkit asked, "we saw you go under the water!"

"We were soooo worried." Stormkit chirped.

Softpaw let out a sigh of relief, "I'm fine. Thank you Bluefeather and Creekpaw." She meowed as Reedstar huffed and trotted off.

Softpaw's eyes narrowed after him, why did he split them up from their Clan? Why drive FeatherClan our? Softpaw was determined to learn the truth, even if she had to spy.