The Curse Of StarClan

Chapter Three

(Badgerpaw ^^^^)

Chapter Three

"Skypaw... wake up!"

Skypaw's eyes shot open. She had fallen asleep at the edge, watching her clan.

"You fell asleep!" Pebblestone laughed. "I guess the adrenaline wore off?"

"Yes." Skypaw groaned. "I'm still tired..."

"Well get your lazy rump up!" Pebblestone said all excited. "One of the apprentices are getting a warrior name!"

"What?!" Skypaw scrambled to her paws. "What?! Who?!"

"You probably don't know him," Pebblestone said. "But it's Oakpaw!"

"Well let's goooo!"

Skypaw and Pebblestone came just in time. "Oakpaw is now Oakpelt!"

"OAKPELT OAKPELT!" Skypaw joined the chant.

"Well, we missed most of it but hey, we were here for the best part!" Pebblestone grinned. "Now, you wanna go hunting?"

"YESSSS!"

Skypaw enjoyed the next few days of her life in StarClan. But for some reason, Badgerpaw seemed to hate her more and more.

Skypaw had sparred with Badgerpaw a few more times, and she had won most. Badgerpaw's pride had been crushed, which only fueled Badgerpaw's hatred.

Skypaw was sparring with Badgerpaw again, and she had gained the upper hand. She swept Badgerpaw's paws off the ground and he fell with a thud.

Skypaw pinned him down, she had won again!

"Great again Skypaw!" Pebblestone praised. "And Badgerpaw, that was a great move you pulled! Too bad Skypaw dodged."

Badgerpaw muttered a faint, "Thanks."

Wolfclaw stalked over and glared at Badgerpaw. "Some moves were sloppy, and you need to move faster."

"Okay!" Badgerpaw rolled his eyes.

"Try to use the move - the one that Skypaw dodged - on me." Wolfclaw snapped.

Badgerpaw rolled his eyes again and growled. But he crouched then suddenly sprang up, twisted around and brought his paw down on where Wolfclaw was a second ago, but he landed awkwardly.

"Faster! And you're too sloppy! Crouch lower, and push harder on the ground so you have a harder and faster take off. And when you bring your paw down, try curving." Wolfclaw demonstrated.

"Hmmm.. hey Skypaw, why don't you try it?" Pebblestone suggested.

Skypaw shrugged. She tried to do exactly what Wolfclaw did.

Skypaw crouched down so low, her belly fur brushed the ground. She braced her legs and suddenly pushed off. Skypaw twisted her body around in the air and swiped her paw, curving it.

"That was amazing! But try to twist your body faster, then it'll be perfect!" Pebblestone grinned.

"Thanks!" Skypaw had come around to think of Pebblestone as a big sister.

Badgerpaw was grumbling something incoherently as Wolfclaw lectured him sternly.

"Go hunt or something." Wolfclaw snapped to Badgerpaw.

Badgerpaw scoffed but followed his mentor's orders, he started to walk off towards the forests.

"Hey Pebblestone! Can I go hunting too?" Skypaw looked at Pebblestone.

"Of course!" Pebblestone nodded and started to trot back to camp.

"Thanks!" Skypaw called after Pebblestone and went into the forests too.

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Skypaw dropped into a hunter's crouch and stalked closer towards the plump rabbit. She still couldn't get used to the plentiful prey.

She pounced and gave a killing bite to its neck. It fell limp in Skypaw's jaws.

Skypaw made her way back, picking up prey she had caught beforehand on the way.

She was humming, happily skipping back until-

"OOF!"

"HEY!" Skypaw tumbled to the ground, along with another cat, squashing the prey she had caught.

"Sorry sorry!" Skypaw squeaked, scrambling to her paws and offering a paw to help the other cat up.

"Ughh..." The other cat said.

"Wait..." Skypaw took a good look at the cat. She picked the piegon off the cat's face. "Badgerpaw?"

"Yeah." Badgerpaw grumbled. "Also thanks for crashing into me. Our prey got squashed into a big... blob."

"Yeah... sorry 'bout that..." Skypaw said sheepishly.

"Eh, I guess it's fine." Badgerpaw rolled his eyes but cracked a tiny smile. "Hey uh, Skypaw, do you wanna hunt with me?"

"Uh, I guess." Skypaw shrugged.

"Okay. I know a great place. We can also hunt on the way." Badgerpaw said and started walking west of where Skypaw had come out of.

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"Are we there yet?" Skypaw huffed, her voice was half muffled because of the squirrel and mouse in her jaws.

"Yeah yeah, look." Badgerpaw said, his voice also muffed because of a rabbit.

He pushed aside a small curtain of hanging lichen and vines and Skypaw saw a small, grassy, vacant area that ended in at a cliff.

"Cool!" Skypaw exclaimed and dropped the prey.

"I know right?" Badgerpaw laughed a little at Skypaw's antics, because she was jumping around and being silly.

"Stop hopping, you look like a hyper kit on catmint." Badgerpaw said.

"Hey Badgerpaw, loosen up a bit! It's okay to have fun!" Skypaw laughed.

"Okay okay!" Badgerpaw rolled his eyes but grinned. "Hey did you know, that StarClan - or the Dark Forest - isn't the last stage of life?"

"Huh?" Skypaw stopped hopping and looked at him funny.

"You can die in StarClan." Badgerpaw said like he was pointing at a mouse and stating,"That's a mouse."

"What?! How is that even possible?"

"Haven't you heard of the battles that StarClan had? Cats died Skypaw, even though they were in StarClan, they died." Badgerpaw said in a weird voice.

"Uhhh Badgerpaw...? You okay?" Skypaw started to back away from him slowly.

"Of course no one knows what happens when you die. Cause no one came back." Badgerpaw continued, stepping closer to Skypaw. "Cats suspected their mortal bodies and souls just disintegrate. They don't get another life. Cause sometimes, StarClan cats get second chances. They get reborn into a new life, with absolutely no memory of what happened in their first, well, at least until they get up here again."

"Only cats that died purely accidentally, like they didn't know some plant was a poisonous plant, or cats that die of old age that have done good." Badgerpaw was still talking in the weird voice.

"Uh why are you telling me this?" Skypaw said.

"Because, I want you to know what could happen when you die for the second time." Badgerpaw's face twisted into a grotesque smile. "I don't like you, Skypaw. Let me tell you that. Or should I call you... Cloudwing?"

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