Shattered Clans- A Warrior Cats Fanfiction

Chapter 15

First of all, I want everyone to admire the new cover of this book!!! Made by chrxnicles, I CANNOT thank her enough!!! Please please PLEASE go check out her books and vote EVERYTHING. She really deserves it!

The pic up there is what I could find on Adderfang. Look at those eyes!! Please check out my other books and vote them. <3

Clearpaw's p.o.v

Clearpaw was quite frustrated. With Cranefrost mysteriously missing- probably out with Jackalflame mooning over him, and Snowpaw gone- probably at the Dark Warriors' camp learning deadly battle moves and mooning over a tom there, Clearpaw was left alone. Not that she wanted to see Snowpaw.

But she couldn't help wondering if she was the only one who actually cared about the prophecy. They had so many questions- why wasn't their mother in Starclan? Who were the Dark Warriors? How could they defeat them? What was the Talon Prophecy warning them about? And none of them were answered.

Clearpaw lay down in the apprentices den with her head rested on her paws lazily. She watched the kits from the nursery jump around playfully. We were so care-free then, Clearpaw thought. She missed the days when she didn't have pressure and the weight of the 5 clans' destinies on her shoulders. She couldn't imagine her, Cranefrost, Snowpaw and the rest of her littermates doing that now. 

A thought came to Clearappaw's mind. Was she getting to distracted by the prophecy? Should she be spending more time with Leapmist? He had been giving her looks that displayed impatience, longing and expectancy lately. Did he expect Clearpaw to invite him to hunt with her or something?

Clearpaw decided to take a break. Maybe she had been more stressed lately.

She felt hot as she walked towards Leapmist, who was deep in conversation with Moongaze. He's going to say no and humiliate me in front of the whole clan, Clearpaw thought. But she had become so close to him in the past moons- she had to at least ask!

Everything seemed to go silent as she padded up to him, paw step by paw step. Leapmist turned around to Clearpaw, and Clearpaw saw his eyes twinkle in happiness.

She took a deep breath, and the words seemed to flow out of her mouth. "Do you want to come hunting with me?" To Clearpaw's surprise, Leapmist immediately nodded and abandoned Moongaze and whatever important conversation they were having.

Clearpaw couldn't help but smile when she looked back and saw Moongaze still in the same spot she was in, glaring at Leapmist and her. Everyone knew she loved Leapmist and hated it when other cats 'stole' him from her.

Leapmist thought of Moongaze as a friend anyway...

Clearpaw hoped he loved her. 

It seemed as if he'd gotten over Cranefrost to Clearpaw's liking.

As they walked through the forest, Clearpaw decided to start a conversation. "So what were you and Moongaze talking about?" Leapmist seemed to tensen up and Clearpaw wondered if she'd said the wrong thing. He hesitated before he answered.

"She... asked me to be her mate and I refused."

Clearpaw didn't know if she should feel triumphant or sympathetic or sad or happy. So instead of feeling anything, she mumbled "oh."

They came to a spot where the trees parted and the sunlight crept through the dense layer of leaves. Prey scents were ample in this area, so Leapmist and Clearpaw came to a silent agreement that they would hunt there for a bit. 

Clearpaw smelled a pigeon and started to stalk it. Everything was so silent and Clearpaw realised how beautiful the forest really was. She could spot lush green bushes ample with ripening berries. Clearpaw could hear the soft gurgle of a tiny river that had formed from the rain a couple of sunrises ago. 

She forgot all about the pigeon and gazed up at the umber-brown bough of the oak trees that towered over her. Carolling birds sat on the branches and sung soothing melodies. 

Clearpaw seemed to stare in wonder and amazement for a moon before she realised how much time she had wasted. Quickly scenting a squirrel in the tree a couple of fox lengths away from her, she lowered herself into a crouch and began sneaking up to the oak.

When she reached the spot exactly below the branch that the nonchalant squirrel was washing itself on, her hind legs sprang and she leapt up, her paws out ready to catch the squirrel.

But the squirrel was one step ahead of her. It saw exactly what Clearpaw was doing and scurried down the tree onto the floor... right into Leapmist's open paws.

"You first catch?" He asked, delivering the killing bite and then pushing the prey to her. Behind him there was a small pile of prey that made up of three mice and two squirrels.

Clearpaw nodded, hoping that she didn't appear weak. "Yeah, I kind of got distracted."

Leapmist nodded. He hadn't said much since Clearpaw asked him what he was talking about to Moongaze. Clearpaw made a mental note to never make the conversation awkward or uncomfortable. 

Finally, on the way back, Leapmist spoke.

"Do you think I should've said yes to Moongaze?" 

Clearpaw didn't answer immediately, but when she did, she felt satisfaction- she had picked the right words. "It depends on what your heart wants you to do. If you truly love her, go for it! But if you think you're not ready for a mate or you've got your mind set on a different cat, go with that feeling. There are heaps of she cats in Thunderclan that would give up all the prey in the forest to be your mate. Whichever cat you choose would be the luckiest cat in the world!"

Well... Clearpaw was uncertain about the last part. Did she sound love struck? Was it obvious that she loved him?

Leapmist stared at her with huge, unreadable eyes. "Clearpaw, I-" But Clearpaw never heard what he was going to say next, because everything faded away.

A silhouette of a cat appeared from the misty shadows. "Beware the frost that has a scattered future."

And then Clearpaw's senses melted and once again she fell into a deep, woozy sleep.

Hahahaha!!! Cliffhanger! Please check out my new book- Name that apprentice!! :D