Strength Of A Leopard (BOOK THREE) [ON HOLD]

Chapter Three

All that night, Leopardpaw was haunted by the dream of falling rocks. When he woke, he felt exhausted despite having slept all night.

"Leopardpaw!" Frostpaw shouted from the entrance of the apprentices den. "Everyone! Come, quick! Hawkstrike is dying."

"Dying?" Foxpaw sprang up, pushing his way passed Dustpaw. His sister spat at him as he brushed against her, ears flat.

Leopardpaw followed the younger apprentice to the elders den, where only Tigerstripe, Hawkstrike, and the medicine cats were. "What's this? I don't need a parade of apprentices in here while I'm trying to work." Frostytail spat. "Rosepaw, get them out of here."

"Can't we stay?" Frostpaw begged. "We want to say our goodbyes to Hawkstrike!"

"He used to be someone's leader, you know." Foxpaw said. He had GreenClan blood, while Frostpaw and Leopardpaw had MudClan. His sister Stormpaw was also GreenClan, while Dustpaw and Squirrelpaw, their adopted siblings, had ShadeClan and MudClan.

"You were a tiny kit in the nursery when Hawkstrike was leader, Foxheart." Rosepaw pointed out.

"My name is not Foxheart." Foxpaw growled.

"Oh, you're right," Ashfire, just entering the den, said. "I apologize for my sister's rudeness. It should clearly be Foxdung-"

He was cut off by a swat in the shoulder by Owlflight. "All of you, get out of here." He demanded. Stripedstar was so elderly at this point that Owlflight, who was deputy, had basically taken over.

"We just want to say goodbye to Hawkstrike." Foxpaw growled.

"I'm afraid it's too late for that." Frostytail spoke very softly. "Hawkstrike is on his way to StarClan now."

Owlflight licked the former leader's ear, his tail drooping. "Out, now." He said sternly. Foxpaw, who always insisted on being difficult, refused. Ashfire grabbed him by the scruff of his neck and practically dragged him out of the elders den.

Leopardpaw followed them, keeping his distance from Foxpaw. The apprentice was thranshing wildly, claws unsheathed. He clawed at Ashfire's flanks, ripping off tufts of grey fur.

"Foxpaw!" Sandtail, Foxpaw's mentor, ripped him away from Ashfire. "Leave him alone, will you?" She spat. "You won't get anything from the fresh kill pile, and will spend your time cleaning ticks from Tigerstripe's fur. Go ask Frostytail for some mouse bile."

"Now isn't the time for that, Sandtail." Owlflight appeared from the den. "The clan will sit vigil for Hawkstrike tonight."

Foxpaw grinned, being relieved from his punishment. Sandtail glared at her apprentice, but said nothing. Leopardpaw wondered if Foxpaw and Sandtail were in a situation like he was with Coldwind. Though, he didn't think he'd ever find out, as Foxpaw wasn't the type of cat that any apprentice would want to be friends with.

*

"Leopardpaw!" Three days had passed since Leopardpaw last dreamt of the falling rocks. "Leopardpaw! Where are you?"

"I'm here!" Leopardpaw sat up so that his sister could see him. Frostpaw padded over to join him where he was eating a squirrel.

"Squirrelpaw and Dustpaw are going hunting. Want to come?" She asked.

"No thanks." Leopardpaw shook his head. "I'm not feeling too well."

Frostpaw flopped down. "Go on without me!" She called to the other apprentices. "What's the matter? Should I tell Frostytail?"

"No, it's not that. I've just been.. Thinking." Leopardpaw shrugged.

"About what?" Frostpaw tilted her head.

"Well.. I have a question. Do you ever have this dream where, like, you're in the nursery, and you get crushed by falling rocks? I have it all the time, and I can't understand why."

Frostpaw shook her head. "I haven't had any dreams. Do you think it's a message from StarClan?"

"Maybe."

"Maybe it's a warning that you'll be crushed by falling rocks!" She gasped.
"I'm not in the nursery anymore." Leopardpaw pointed out.

"Right. Maybe it means some other kit will get crushed by the rocks." She glanced towards the entrance to the nursery. "Brackenkit?"

Leopardpaw's eyes went wide. "We should warn Silverwing!"

Frostpaw stood up, but Leopardpaw stopped her. "No, wait. I think it will be a litter of three, because there were two kits in the nursery with me. Brackenkit is Silverwing's only kit. It must mean that some other litter will be crushed."

Frostpaw sat back down. "Maybe it means your kits will be crushed."

Leopardpaw shuddered at the thought. "I'll think about it."

"Let me know if you figure out anything else." She whispered.

He ate the rest of his squirrel in silence. As he was picking up the remains to throw away, a cry echoed around the walls of the cave. "Stripedstar!" It was Dustpaw, returning from her hunting trip with Squirrelpaw.

As Leopardpaw looked up, his blood turned to ice. Dustpaw had blood smeared over her black fur, coating her in red. Her ear was torn off and one of her eyes was swollen shut. "Stripedstar!" She called again. "Squirrelpaw is dead!"