Moonpaw inhaled sharply as she woke up.
Moonpaw felt unkempt and dry pieces of moss clung to her pelt. When she felt around her nest, Moonpaw noticed how disorderly it was; Quail feathers were strewn everywhere, willow branches tangled, and soft leaves clawed and broken.
Fox-dung! Another nightmare! Moonpaw thought irritably. She had been having that same dream three nights in a row.
Moonpaw sighed and shook the bits of moss from her pelt. After a very quick wash, Moonpaw trudged out of the apprentices' den and followed the scent of the fresh-prey pile.
No sooner had Moonpaw selected a water vole, a loud yowl could be heard. Moonpaw heard Riverclan warriors crash through the camp entrance. "What has happened?" Moonpaw asked, concern flooding her voice, as she heard Blackclaw lay something heavy onto the ground.
"What has happened?" Leopardfur hissed mockingly. "We found Crookedstar laying dead in the river!" she snapped. "That is what happened!"
Leopardfur stomped onto the Highrock. "Let all cats old enough to swim, gather for a clan meeting!" she yowled.
Moonpaw stood frozen to the ground, a vole still dangling from her jaws by its tail. Crookedstar... is dead? No, no, that can't be right. Moonpaw thought to herself, horrified.
"Leopardfur! Why are you on the Highrock? Where is Crookedstar?" Loudbelly mewed. "I say these words in grief and respect," Leopadfur began. "Crookedstar is gone. Blackclaw, Midnightfur and I were on patrol when we found him." Leopardfur's words were flat, as if she herself could hardly believe the grave news.
"We send our leader to StarClan with love, hope and kindness." Leopardfur mewed mournfully. "I suspect WindClan's paws may be behind this, but we will have to see."
A voice rose from the crowd. It was Silverpaw. "You need to journey to the Moonstone immediately. This clan cannot be without a leader for any longer than it needs to." Moonpaw was surprised to hear such wise words come from her brother. I suppose he has learned a lot since becoming a medicine cat apprentice.
"My apprentice is right," Mudfur mewed. "I will take you to the Moonstone to receive your lives from StarClan. We will be back before Moonhigh if we leave now."
Moonpaw finally gulped down her water vole in a single bite. She sat still, as if in a trance. Moonpaw hadn't particularly liked Crookedstar, but she still missed his presence.
"Moonpaw." Leopardfur's tone was icy. "I heard that you were battle training yesterday. Owlsight told me that it took you a while to even master the basics." Moonpaw nodded, bewildered. Leopardfur chuckled icily. "It shocks me that you have even learned anything at all during your apprenticeship."
Moonpaw felt her fur bristle in anger.
"You'll be taking care of the elders today, where you belong." Leopardfur mewed. Moonpaw fought to keep her tail from fluffing up in rage. "It was a mistake to even make you an apprentice. But, when I come back, I will assess your skills to see if you capable to continue your training, which I doubt," she mewed, smugly.
Leopardfur stepped away and Moonpaw heard her pad out of camp.
Moonpaw lashed her tail from side to side and dug her claws into the ground. How dare she? I'm as deserving of being an apprentice as anyone else! Moonpaw thought angrily. She raked her claws over the ground before sheathing them once again.
Moonpaw heard Petalpaw race towards her. "What was Leopardfur talking to you about? You seem angry, so it can't have been good," Petalpaw mewed comfortingly. Moonpaw guessed her pelt looked nothing short of a hairball. Moonpaw inhaled Petalpaw's soothing scent of flowers and instantly felt her heart beat faster.
"She thinks I can't be an apprentice, 'cause I... I-I," Moonpaw began, her voice quickly changing from angry to sad. It was obvious what Moonpaw meant. Leopardfur thinks I'm incapable, because of my vision.
"Oh, Moonpaw." Petalpaw gave her comforting licks, causing Moonpaw to shiver slightly despite not being cold. "She had no right to say that. You're so much more than your eyesight!" Petalpaw meowed, indignantly. Moonpaw sighed, her anger subsiding.
"Leopardfur told me to take care of the elders today," Moonpaw huffed. "I suppose I should fetch some moss for them..." she mewed, dejectedly. Petalpaw gave her one last soothing lick and the two of them stood up.
"I'm so sorry about Leopardfur. But, I know how skilled you are as an apprentice and she's a fool if she can't see it too," Petalpaw meowed and Moonpaw smiled, involuntarily.
Moonpaw tried not to sulk as she treaded into the elders den clutching a large bundle of moss in the her teeth. "Ah! Moonpaw, nice of you to bring bedding," Greypool mewed.
Moonpaw set the moss on the ground and with Birchleaf's help, she changed the bedding for all of them. Moonpaw also gave each cat some fish and sat down with the elders.
"Thank you for helping us today, Moonpaw, ahh-choo!" Oakbranch mewed and sneezed. Moonpaw nodded, she was just thankful she didn't have to check them for ticks.
"It is unexpected that Crookedstar would lose all of his lives so quickly. The last I heard, he still had four lives," Birchleaf meowed and bit into a fish. "Those WindClan cats sure were hostile at the last Gathering." Greypool mewed, meaningfully.
"I was never a friend of Tallstar, but he is a leader. WindClan would never act in such a defiance of StarClan," Birchleaf meowed and noisily brushed their tail across the ground. "I agree, but Hailstar was gone only a green-leaf ago... Achoo! Ah-achoo!" Oakbranch piped in.
"Oh, I remember! Just after the Wolfbite situation," Greypool mewed. "Wolfbite, oof... he was a truly evil cat, I'd never expect it from a kittypet." Birchleaf shuddered. Moonpaw sat up, eagerly. She'd always wanted to hear about the battles with Wolfbite.
"How did the clans defeat Wolfbite?" Moonpaw mewed, curiously. "Oh, I don't think we did defeat him..." Greypool began. "Wolfbite's followers had disappeared by that point, and... It seemed like Wolfbite was cornered, about to defeated... but," Greypool meowed.
"But?" Moonpaw mewed. It was Birchleaf who continued. "Wolfbite disappeared. We haven't seen or heard him since then," Birchleaf sighed. "Achoo! B-but, before he left, W-ahhh-Wolfbite said that e-even if it wasn't him, the wolf would s-still bite, achoo!" Oakbranch spluttered.
Moonpaw turned to Oakbranch. "Are you alright? You've been coughing the whole time I've been here. Perhaps we should go to Mudfur," Moonpaw mewed, concern filling her voice. "Perhaps that is a good idea," Oakbranch meowed, a cough rising in his throat.
Moonpaw stood up and let the older cat lean on her. Moonpaw didn't need medicine cat training to smell the disease reeking from Oakbranch. "Thank y-you," Oakbranch spluttered between coughing fits.
"Oh, no worries," Moonpaw mewed, distractedly. There was a sense of dread in the pit of her stomach. What if it's Greencough? Moonpaw thought to herself. Apprentices have come in and out with prey. And the other elders! Oh, please let it be whitecough!
When they neared the medicine den, Moonpaw scented Mudfur. "Let it not be another case of Whitecough," the medicine cat mewed. He walked over to Moonpaw and took over supporting Oakbranch.
"Oh... Silverpaw, get some chickweed... and catmint if we have any!" Mudfur yowled. Moonpaw stood frozen to the spot, dread coursing through her.
"First Stormpelt, Stonefur and Rainpaw... Now it's as far as the elders' den." Mudfur tutted.
YOU ARE READING
The Blind Warrior - The Brightest Prophecy, Part 1
FantasyMoonkit was born blind and faces prejudice from her clan. As misfortunes and hardships face the clan, a mysterious cat joins them... But their intentions might not be as good as it seems. ...
