Striking Storms

Chapter 6

Thunderpaw perked her ears and lifted her head as she heard paw steps coming towards her. She sleepily opened her eyes, but they didn't have the same cheerful gleam, instead, they were dull and dark with grief.

They came to rest upon Stormstar. He was sitting there, his deep blue gave fixed on her. She jumped to her paws. "Stormstar!" she yowled. She darted over to her star mentor's side.

"You know what happened don't you. You know what killed Flowerpool! You could have saved her!" she screeched.

"I could not have saved her. No one could." Stormstar meowed softly, but then his tone deepened. "This is what I have told you about. They will pick off every cat, until there is no one left. You and your siblings have the power to stop them. You must learn how to wield your power, before they kill us all."

Stormstar's glittering pelt started to fade and began disappearing into the mist.

"Wait! Stormstar! I have so many questions! Don't go!" Thunderpaw yowled, but she realized she was yowling to no one. "I need help." she sighed and drooped her head. She curled up into a tight ball and fell asleep.

Thunderpaw's eyes blinked open and the glowing light of dawn poured into the apprentice's den. She studied up and padded over to Windpaw, careful not to wake the other apprentices, and shook him vigorously.

"Wake up Lightningpaw and meet me outside the camp entrance.

Windpaw nodded sleepily and rose to his paws just as the tip of Thunderpaw's tail disappeared out of the den.

'They must have had the same dream. Maybe Rainshine or Hailpelt told them more about Flowerpool's death.' Thunderpaw thought as she padded to the camp entrance.

"Where are you going Thunderpaw?" asked a voice. Thunderpaw whipped her head around to see Olivedust and Heronpaw on guard duty.

"U..Um.. Just to visit Flowerpool. And Windpaw and Lightningpaw are coming too so let them pass." Thunderpaw replied nervously.

"Well, just be careful. Otterwhisper and Spiderpaw spotted a fox around there yesterday."

"Yes please be careful." Heronpaw meowed his eyes shining.

Thunderpaw blushed and grinned. She could obviously tell that the tom had a crush on her, but she didn't know if it would be safe to love a cat. Wouldn't they just get picked of by the same things that killed Flowerpool? She sighed.

"I will." she meowed simply. She turned and raced through the forest.

Thunderpaw darted between trees and leaped over logs until she reached burial place, where all of the fallen cats off Willowclan were buried. She looked around at the mounds of soil covering the clearing. At the top of each mound was a symbol for each warrior. There was a pine branch for Tallpine, a eagle feather for Eagletalon. She kept scanning the mounds until she found  the one she was looking for. A bright pink blossom siting in a pool of water.

"Flowerpool." she breathed. She padded over to her mother's mound and sat at the foot of it.

"Why did it have to be you." she wailed softly. "If you can hear me. Tell me what happened. I can avenge your death."

Thunderpaw whipped her head around as she heard rustling in the bushes behind her. She relaxed as she saw Windpaw and Lightningpaw poke their heads out.

"You wanted us to meet you here. Why couldn't we just do it at camp?" Lightningpaw grumbled.

"Did either of you dream of Rainshine or Hailpelt? We need to talk about it." Thunderpaw meowed.

"Yeah. Why?" Windpaw asked.

"Did they tell you what killed Flowerpool!" Thunderpaw wailed.

"I don't think it's a what Thunderpaw, I think it's a who." Lightningpaw meowed.

"So you think one of our clan mates did it!" she screeched.

"Not exactly. What if it was a Dark Forest cat or someone working for them." Lightningpaw explained.

"That could be true." Windpaw meowed. "But how will we know for sure?"

Thunderpaw gasped as she heard a rustling in the bushes behind her. 'A Dark Forest cat!' she thought worriedly. But when she looked closer, she could make out the shape of a small cat. "Heronpaw!" she meowed shocked. "You followed me!"

"Well, yes. I, just didn't want you to get hurt." Heronpaw stammered.

"How much did you hear!" Lightningpaw demanded.

"Nothing! Just something about some Dark Forest cats and some star..mentors or something." the young tom stammered worriedly.

"Great." Windpaw grumbled. "Now what do we do."

"I promise I won't tell anyone!" Heronpaw cried.

"Ok, fine, just don't tell anyone. I'll talk to you about it tonight." Thunderpaw sighed.

Heronpaw's eyes lit up and he turned and bounced back to camp.

"So now what." Windpaw asked.

"Well, we have no other choice then to tell him." Thunderpaw admitted.

"Good luck with that." Lightningpaw meowed.

"It doesn't seem like you can trust him to keep this a secret." Windpaw admitted.

"I know." Thunderpaw sighed. "But we have no other choice now."

"He likes you Thunderpaw, you know that right?" Lightningpaw told her and grinned.

"I know." she sighed. "But I can't love him back. Or he'll be taken away just like Flowerpool." Thunderpaw sobbed. She turned and darted back towards camp.