Hooves to Paws: An MLP/Warriors fanfic

Chapter Eleven

Rainbow Dash(Swiftpaw)'s POV

I went asleep expecting to return to the Dark Forest, but instead I appeared in a starry clearing. I unsheathed my claws.

"Where am I?!", I growled.

Two cats, a fiery orange tom and a dark blue-gray she-cat appeared. I narrowed my eyes and looked at Moonstar with disgust. The orange tom just stared, his emerald eyes shining.

"Traitor!", I growled at Moonstar.

"Swiftpaw, we mean you no harm. We come with a warning.", the orange cat meowed calmly.

"Who are you?", I asked the cat.

"I am Firestar, a ThunderClan leader from long ago, back when the Dark Forest cats first attacked.", he replied

Moonstar looked back at me again, her sky-blue eyes pleading. I narrowed my eyes at her, but listened.

"Swiftpaw, you need to stop.", Moonstar meowed.

"Stop what?", I asked mockingly.

"Going to the Dark Forest. You do realize they will pin you against your own Clanmates, expecting you to kill as many as you can get you claws on, right? They are training you for their own puposes, not to make you a better warrior.", she replied.

I narrowed my eyes. "What do you know?! You left!", I spat.

"As long as I was there, I learned a lot. They plan on pinning all the Dark Forest apprentices against their Clanmates. They expect them to kill, and take as many lives as possible. The Dark Forest cats could even pin you against Falconstar."

Firestar spoke next. "This isn't just your problem or our problem, Swiftpaw. The Dark Forest will attack all four Clans. Many cats will die. You can fight with us, or against us."

And with that, the two spirits faded away. I saw the Dark Forest come to view, but then the starry clearing returned. I unsheathed my claws, digging in the ground. My fur was bristling wildly. I was furious.

"What do you want now?!!?!", I yowled with such rage even I jumped.

A new cat approached me. She was a silver and white tabby, and had ice blue eyes.

"I am Ivypool.", she meowed, then sighed before she continued,"Swiftpaw, just be careful. I was there once, and I was blinded. The only thing I wanted was to be the best. I didn't realize I was being trained to kill. I didn't realize they didn't care."

"What do you mean they don't care?!", I hissed.

"They don't need you to stay alive. They just need an army. And if you do die, you'll just become one of them", she repiled.

I narrowed my eyes as Ivypool kept speaking.

"I was blinded by their praises and promises. I soon found out they were just using us. They're doing the same to you, Swiftpaw."

Ivypool put her tail on my shoulder, then faded away.

The Dark Forest finally came into view. I ran to the training clearing to find an angry Thistleclaw.

"Why are you late, Swiftpaw?!", he growled.

"I couldn't come. Stupid StarClan cats were in my way.", I meowed.

"Excuses, excuses,"Thistleclaw hissed. He padded forward towards me, his claws unsheathed. I stayed in place. With a flash of his claw, Thistleclaw swiped my cheek with such force I was knocked to the ground. Wincing through the pain, I swiftly got up.

"Never be late again.", Thistleclaw meowed in a quiet voice that made me shudder. He stomped away into the darkness. I went to follow him, but a new voice behind me made me turn.

"Stay here, Swiftpaw.", Snowtuft meowed.

I unsheathed my claws. "Why?", I hissed.

"We are switching mentors tonight. I am your mentor now.", he replied calmly. Snowtuft must have noticed the wound on my cheek, because he asked about it.

"Thistleclaw do that to you?", Snowtuft asked.

I nodded. "I was late."

Snowtuft nodded like he understood. "Thistleclaw's a cat you never wanna be late to see.",he meowed, then shook his head to change the subject. "I forgot, we're water training today."

I cocked my head. "Why do we need water training?", I asked.

"You need to know how to fight on all terrain. Then you could attack any Clan, no matter the battle.", Snowtuft replied

After we got to the water, Snowtuft showed me how to swim.

"You may not like the water, but knowing how to swim is very helpful. Its a bit like running, but you have to keep moving your paws. You try, Swiftpaw.", he instructed.

I padded into the murky water. The water was somewhat warm, yet an icy chill crept down my spine. My fur was soaked up to my neck, but I kept swimming like Snowtuft instructed. Moving my paws back and forth was hard after a while, the water feeling like slime. The water slipped through my legs as I waded back to shore. I shook the water off my paw and watched it splash the ground. It was a reddish color.

Cats must have bled a lot in the water, making it red,I thought.

Snowtuft showed me how to knock a cat off their paws in the water, and told me to do it to him. I swept under the water, my wounded cheek stinging like fire. I could just barely make out Snowtuft's white fur in the red river, but I soon found his legs and smacked the tendons like Snowtuft showed me. I swam swiftly under Snowtuft, and made it by his tail by the time he fell.

"That was very good,", he meowed a few moments later, after he got out of the water.

Breezepelt and Lizardpaw walked by and came to the shore near us.

"Snowtuft, how about we test these apprentices' new water skills?", Breezepelt meowed.

Snowtuft looked surprised. "Fine by me. You know what to do, Swiftpaw.", he meowed calmly.

I nodded, and Lizardpaw and I headed into the water. With a flick of Breezepelt's tail, Lizardpaw lunged at me. I swam under him, and pounced on his back. I held him under, forcing my paws down. But Lizardpaw was too strong. The young tom flew up sending me flailing in the murky blood-red water. My lungs screaming for air, I swam to the surface. Lizardpaw was waiting, and held me down near the top of the water.

"Keep her under, Lizardpaw!", Breezepelt hissed.

Keep me under?, I thought, but I need air! I'll die!

I flailed and eventually, the world was slowly going black. I heard growling and hissing, and eventually I ended up on the surface. Water in my lungs, I coughed as I gained conciousness.

Walking back to the waking world, Ivypool's words flashed in my mind.

They don't need you to stay alive. They just need an army. And if you do die, you'll become one of them.

What if Ivypool was right?

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Yay! A long chappy! Well, the climax is coming, which means evil is rising....

DUN DUN DUUUUNNNN!!!!!!

The_Derpinator™