Lilypool's Lullaby

Chapter 10 For Whom Lilypool Toils

I was sitting in the clearing looking up at Silverpelt. Dawnpaw, Duskfur can you see me or am I just dreaming when I see you? There was a gush of wind blew through the entrance of the camp and with it came a beautiful and perfect blue flower that seemed to glow in the moonlight. I stared down at it smiling. I picked it up and went into the warriors den and tucked it into the mossy and dryish nest I slept in. I curled up and fell asleep. When I woke the sun had just barly rose. I streched and let out a big yawn. I got up and Nightclaw opened an eye and yawned unsheathing then sheathing his claws again. He got up and followed me out of the den. There was nothing in the fresh-kill pile.

"Hey want to go hunting?" i asked Nightclaw looked at me then said "ya! Lets go!" there was a rustle of bushes and a sleek and beautiful cream color she-cat slid out of the wrriors den. "Mind if I join you?" she asked. "Of corse not you can join us any time, Sandpelt!"Nightclaw asured. I noded and smiled and we all headed out. Nightclaw and Sandpelt kept talking and probly scared off all the prey.

"Shhh!" Sandpelt said perking her ears and twitching her pink nose. Her dropped into a crouch and stalked off through the bushes. There was a rustle and she emerged with a big rabbit. "Wow! Great catch Sandpelt!" Nightclaw said enthusiastically. My whiskers twitched as they both started talking again. I started walking without them. My thoughts where clouded. Why is he being so nice to her! I'm the one who lost my mother and sister! My thoughts where inturupted by a low and almost quiet mew of pain. I sniffed the air and felt my heart stop beating. "Birchstar?" I said frantic. I raced over to where the sound came from and saw Birchstar laying on the floor his blood pooled around him and was smeared on nearby trees and his fur was matted and bloody.

I stared athim with horror and walked forward and stared at my father. "L-Lilypool?"he weazed. I felt tears sting my eyes and he looked up at me. I burried my muzzle into his neck feeling tears stream down my face. The wind hummed the lullaby Duskfur sang to me not saying the words. I lifted my head and gradded leaves off a nearby bush and pressed them against his cut. My white paws turned red with his blood as I tried desperately to help him. Cob webs i need cob webs!. I started looking around for cob webs unsuccessful though. Ralph has some. I raced through the trees as fast as I could witch was pretty fast. I made it to Ralphs and scrambled up the fence. "RALPH? RALPH GET YOUR LAZY TAIL OUT HERE NOW!" I screeched. He appeared and sped up the fence seeing blood on me. "What happened?!?"

"Shut up and get me Cob webs now!" with out hesitating he ran off he came back with his entire front leg filled with webs. I jumped off the fence beckoning him to follow me. He obliged and together we raced through the trees he kept up with me rather easily. We made it back to Birchstar who had lost lots of blood. Ralph went to work placing cob webs on all his cuts. I looked around and found juniper berries and picked some nudging them torwards Birchstar. He didn't even attempt to eat them. He just stared up at me with dull green eyes. I whimpered and layed down next to him not caring about the blood that laped onto my underside. I rubbed my face against his and he tilted his head closer to mine. I cridd and soon there was a rustle of a bush and a laughing Nightclaw and a smiling Sandpelt came into view their happiness dimolished when they saw Birchstar, Ralph,and me all in a thick puddle of blood.

Sandpelt hissed and chased Ralph away. I saw a shadow cat smiling miniacally at me. "We will drain the light out of you no matter what we must do." he said then disapered. Birchstar shaked as he let out his final breath. I burried my muzzle into his neck as Starclan took the last member of my family. Nightclaw and Sandpelt must've noticed this to because I heard her say "Lilypool I'm so sorry." I didn't dare look up at her Instead I got up and sprinted torwards Barley's barn. I hesitated, looking out at the barn. I saw a mouse and chased after it. I ran strait into a ravin skidding then plunging into a prickly rose bush. I jumped out and started climbing out of the ravin a thorn in my paw getting more and more painful. I reached the top of the ravin I curled up under a oak tree and pulled the thorn out. I stayed there untill moonhigh.

I got up and started walking to camp letting my fluffy taildrag in the dirt. I tripped over an exposed root and fell into a mud puddle getting my fur messed up more than it was. When I made it back to camp it was quiet and cats stared at me sorrowfully and simpathetically. I saw Nightclaw sitting with Sandpelt cuddling. Sandpelt looked up at me and smiled not of reasurance but a smile that said "Nightclaw is MINE!" I closed my eyes and trotted over to Birchstars old den and crawled inside enjoying the scent of him I crawled into his nest and curled up. I started to cry old memories bubbling to the surface of my brain. Stating from the first time as a kit when I ventured from the nursery just to be with him. To the time when I fainted in his den. I heard a mew from out side but ignored it not wanting to see anyone at all.

I watched as the den went from black and shadowy to light as golden streaks of sunlightstreamed through the entrance. I heard the cats in my clan awake and going hunting and doing their normally warrior duties. I heard paws moving outside the den then a mew. The same mew from last night. I mewed back and to my surprise Eaglepaw entered the den. He shuffled on his paws nervously as he started walking torwards me. "Hi Lilypool. Are you ok?" he asked I lifted mdy head and noded feelingma ping of guilt as I remembered I had to train him and I didn't even start. I stood up and gave my chest a few licks and looked bck at him. "Do you want to start training?" i ask. His eyes brighten and he nods rapidly.

We walk out of the den and out of camp into a small clearing. "Now show me your hunting crouch!"I say enthusiastically. He gets into a crouch and hovers his tail just so slightly above the ground. "Wow! Where did you learn to couch?" i ask he stares at me and replys "Falconflight showed me!" he sat up and I went over to a bush grabbed a small yellow flower and placed it a few fox lenghts away from him. "Now then, pretend this is a mouse. Stalk it and pounce. He got into a hunters crouch and pounced his legs flailed in the air as he landed far from the dandelion. "Hmm do your crouch again but this time put your weight in your haunches for a more powerful pounce." he did exactly what I said and this time landed square on it. "Good! Now you must learn to hunt rabbits sence there are so many around the moors." I went into the bushes and found a thick and large stick and came and stuck it in the ground. "Now pretend this is a rabbit now show me how you would hunt it." he noded and crouched he stalked quietly across the ground moving side ways, then he rand forward and takled the stick out of the dirt and bit down about where a rabbits neck would be."great work Eaglepaw! That was perfect!" i said he stared at the ground and pushed his paw around bashfully.

We continued to train untill sunset and Eaglepaw was almost a better hunter than me."tomorrow we will do battle training" I said and Eaglepaw bounced around happily. When we made it back to camp I saw Sandpelt and Nightclaw talking. Sandpelt saw me and quickly leaned forward and licked Nightclaw on the cheek. I stared in horror as he just stared at her and she said something and rubbed her muzzle against his. I felt the world stop and I shake my head and I felt tears sting my eyes. "Lilypool? Are you ok?" I hear Eaglepaw ask. I look at him and fight back tears as I tell him "yes just go and do what ever it is you apprentices do and have fun." I try to say it happily but my voice cracks at the end and Eaglepaw knows that I'm lieing. Before he can protest I turn and run to the den and run inside. I plop down and start heaving as I allow tears to fall. Why? I thought they where my friends? My mind thinks. I stopped crying by the time the last bit of sunshine disapears.

I looked up and a familiar voice rings in my ears. "Its time to become leader."