Warriors: Toxic Claws From The Trusted

Chapter Three

In front of him as a large she, large to an apprentice's standards, at least. "I'm sorry! this is a HUGE misunderstanding and- and I accidentally got over-" The cat smiled. "I know, I saw the whole thing! I thought you were a goner! I almost pelted over here and interfered." Moonpaw looked confused. "I'm Lostpaw. RiverClan apprentice, freshly 6 moons." Moonpaw looked confused, still but this time his eyes showed a glimmer of amusement. "I-I'm Moonpaw. ThunderClan apprentice... Freshly... Three moons. well that isn't true- I'm almost four i think but... Our leader is truly treacherous." Lostpaw was a tortoiseshell she and when Moonpaw said this, she was sad. "I'm sorry, I wasn't aware.. Did what I said about being six moons and stuff make you sad?" Moonpaw laughed "No.. It's fine." "Good. Maybe I'll see you again at a fourtrees meeting once you go." "I hope to see you again too" Moonpaw stammered. "Uh... I'd better get going" blood rushed through Moonpaw's ears. Lostpaw definitely noticed his weird act. Lostpaw smiled before padding off. Moonpaw blinked before crossing the river once the current weakened.

"Why are you so wet?" hissed Blackpaw as Moonpaw padded into the apprentice den. "Fell in the river, nothing more, nothing less." mewed Moonpaw strangely. Blackpaw looked suspiciously at him but flicked his tail. Mudpaw wasn't as calm though, he was in the corner of the den and hissed. "Go dry off! And i overheard you and Blackpaw earlier, I thought you were getting bedding?" Moonpaw looked embarrassed. I totally forgot! thought Moonpaw before dashing off and through the gorse tunnel.

Moonpaw padded back into camp, jaws full of moss. When the apprentices noticed him they all got out and Moonpaw replaced each bit of bedding, one by one. An apprentice Moonpaw hadn't ever seen was outside the den too. "Oh! Hello! Have I uhm. Seen you before?" mewed Moonpaw when he finished. "Probably not. I was forced to spy in RiverClan during the war. They tore off one of my ears when they found out though." meowed the apprentice she. Moonkit didn't respond but found a nest to lie in.

Gorsepaw emerged from the Gorse tunnel, with his jaws full of skinny, bony prey and his paws bleeding. Gorsepaw sat down half of the prey in the pile and then hurried off the the warrior den and gave the rest to the only remaining elder. Moonkit couldn't make out what he said but it looked like a purr. Gorsepaw padded into the apprentice den, paws still bloody. "What happened out there? You've been gone since Sun-High and the moon's been up for a while now!" Gorsepaw looked behind him at the half moon and looked back with no words. "Smokefur and Cursedclaw decided me, you, and Mudpaw will go to Fourtrees" Mudpaw, who's still awake stood up and hissed. "I wouldn't even think of going if you're there." Moonpaw looked amused. "You father ordered." Mudpaw unsheathed his claws and stood- but then he sat back down, claws still unsheathed. Gorsekit whimpered all night in pain, keeping everyone up except the half-deaf Mintpaw.

Rain fell hard and Bloodtail trotted over to the apprentice den. "Moonpaw. We shall train today. We have a feeling war will start at Fourtrees. tomorrow." Moonpaw's eyes widened. "War?!" he yowled. Bloodtail nodded. Moonpaw looked over his shoulder and noticed Gorsepaw was gone. Moonpaw stretched and stood up, padding across the clearing a few heartbeats later, Bloodtail at his side. once they got outside the camp they headed for the sunningrocks. "You know Bloodtail? You're super cool. If I was leader, you'd definitely be my  deputy." Bloodtail purred and blinked at him gratefully. Moonpaw heard the sounds of a kit wailing from where the ThunderPath was. Moonpaw's eyes widened. The wailing sounded familiar... it sounded like the rude hisses that came from Mudpaw. Moonpaw pelted past his mentor and scrambled onto the path. On the path was Mudpaw, alone. He was bleeding out onto the path. "Mudpaw!" mewed Moonpaw. Mudpaw looked up and Moonpaw. "Of all cats who could help me... It was you." hissed Mudpaw. "You're dying! It doesn't matter who helps you, just stay silent and let them help!" Mudpaw's eyes looked blank. "I won't take orders from you." spat Mudpaw. "I don't care. You're like- the only one in the clan who doesn't like me other than Blackpaw, and he hates everyone  it seems like. I won't be shocked if you bleed out and die here on this path, all because you're a stubborn, rude, annoying little kit." Mudpaw's eyes widened. "I'll kill you if I need to" he hissed. "Not in this state you can't." mewed Moonpaw coolly. Moonpaw looked over Mudpaw's body and noticed where he was bleeding from. Mudpaw's tail was in half, torn by a monster. Moonpaw grabbed Mudpaw by the scruff of his neck. Bloodtail appeared from the bushes and didn't notice Mudpaw as Moonpaw pelted over to the sunningrocks. Moonpaw dropped Mudpaw on the ground. "Are you alive?" mewed Moonpaw as he grabbed herbs from by the river and messed with plants and the water. "I- U- Alive?" mewed Mudpaw weakly. "Good." mewed Moonpaw as he tied up Mudpaw's half-torn-off tail in herbs and cobweb. "Drink this, it may help." mewed Moonpaw as he forced a soaked herb down the throat of Mudpaw. Mudpaw finally moved and he looked up. "Cloud- Cl- Clou- Mom?" he stuttered. "Hm?" mewed Moonpaw as he watched. "Are you taking me to StarClan? I don't deserve it." he mewed. "I'm staying alive? Thank StarClan. Why are you here? You should be hunting with my sister- and my brother." Mudpaw seemed to be either hallucinating or talking to his mother from StarClan. "I'm going to go blind? Then I cannot be a warrior!" he wailed. Suddenly Moonpaw heard the voice too. "You will be a warrior, I know. We didn't intend for you to almost die but you can still be a warrior. Moonpaw has saved your life. Be kind to him. Your pain isn't an excuse to be rude, you know. I love you, my child. Take care of yourself. We shall speak again on a day as beautiful as this." mewed a StarClan cat who was holding Mudpaws's head up. The Starclan cat had a beautiful curly pelt and her eyes were blank. Blood dripped from her glowing body and once she finished speaking, she floated off. Mudpaw rolled over and stared at Moonpaw. "You saved my life." Moonpaw was still in shock from what he heard and saw so he didn't respond. "Do you think I can be a warrior too?" Moonpaw's eyes were filled with relief. "Of course you can." Mudpaw blinked gratefully. "I shall fight in the upcoming war too, alongside you and Gorsepaw. I will safe our Clan from my father. If it he wasn't leader I'd still have my tail." Moonpaw nodded and helped Mudpaw up.

Mudpaw, bloody-tailed and all limped into the camp with Moonpaw. Cursedstar pelted out of his den and looked worried. "What happened to you?!" He mewed, sounding blank and monotone. "It's your fault I'll never be a normal warrior." Mudpaw said before padding away from him. Lilynose ran out of the medicine den, without her mentor, panting heavily. "I have got a message from StarClan!" Cursedstar turned around and hissed. "Speak up already, or I'll crush you." Lilynose breathed out. "Lion, Tiger, And Leapord will save our clan, but do not forget a curse among your Clan and the stars, Leaf-bare will not stop death but increase it. Do not let the snow turn red." Cursedstar mewed curiously. "And why didn't Sunheart get this message?" "She did, but she's helping a queen give birth." "We have new kits?" mewed Cursedstar.  "Yes. They are the kits of Smallbubble, three. She says the kits are most likely yours." Cursedstar's eyes lit up with joy. "I haven't had kits since Mudpaw and his siblings. May StarClan grant me healthy ones." Mewed Cursedstar before padding into the den.  Almost every cat followed. Moonpaw got to sit in the front of the crowd. Smallbubble was on a moss nest, three mewling kits sat next to her. Her beautiful golden pelt was shining in the light of both the moon and the sun. Her face was covered in scars, but her expression was sweet. Sunheart sighed. "More kits, more work." she giggled. Smallbubble turned her head and hissed at Sunheart. "My kits will be no burden to this Clan, and I'll kill anyone and everyone who disagrees. Do not think my kits are evil or annoying just because I'm from ShadowClan!" "Calm down, my love." mewed Cursedstar. "I trust you, no matter when you came here, one-hundred moons ago or this moon. Moonpaw looked confused. "When did she become deputy?" Gorsepaw padded into the den and sat next to Moonpaw. This time, Gorsepaw had bloody ears, a bloody nose, scratches all around his face, and wouldn't speak. Riverstripe padded into the den too and mewed. "When you fell asleep after the war." "Oh." responded Moonpaw. Cursedstar gave all three mewling kits a lick on the head. Smallbubble mewed. "I've decided to name them after those silly elder tales." "The she who looks like me and has your brown spots is going to be Leopardkit. The fluffy one who had my golden fur will be Lionkit and the brown one who's practically identical to you is Tigerkit." Cursedstar nuzzled his mate. "They have great names." he meowed. Mudpaw limped towards his new siblings and licked and nuzzled each of them. Gorsepaw moved his head slightly and spoke in his brother's ear. "Moonpaw.. I cannot see out of one of my eyes anymore- I think Smokefur's training to make me a warrior is going to end up with me dead." Moonpaw's eyes widened and he looked back to see every cat leaving the den. "Maybe you don't have to go through this pain. Run away! Become a rogue, or loner! I'll visit you no matter what you do!" Gorsepaw nodded. "I could never leave ThunderClan. Maybe it's best if i die a happy death than live a horrible, lonely life." Moonpaw hissed. "I'll find something! You have to live! Imagine how sad our mother would be!" Gorsepaw smiled. "You can try, i guess." He finally meowed before limping off to the apprentice den.