Warrior Cats: Into the Unknown.(1/3)

Chapter 3

Fernpaw dragged her paws into camp. They felt as heavy as stones, and her eyes were glazed with exhaustion, although she was about explode with happiness. She'd toured Thunderclan's territory. She really was on her way to become a warrior. "Have some fresh-kill. You deserve it." Hollytuft purred to the apprentices, clearly amused by their exhaustion. Fernpaw nodded to the black she-cat as the warrior padded away to join Molewhisker, Cherryfall and Icefeather by the fresh-kill pile. Fernsong padded to the warriors' den, his tail high in the air. Sparktail shook her fur. "So, are you excited to become warriors?" She asked, gazing down at the apprentices with clear green eyes. Fernpaw nodded weakly. "Yes, but I'm exhausted." Cloverpaw mumbled. Fernpaw agreed with her brother. She had never walked so far in all her life, but still, she had seen so much today. "You'll get used to it." Sparktail purred before turning and trotting toward her best friends, Icefeather and Leafheart, who were locked in a playfight near the warriors' den. Fernpaw watched as Sparktail mewed something to them. The two she-cats scrambled to their paws and shook dust out of their fur. Icefeather nodded and looked at Leafheart, who nodded eagerly. Sparktail gave a little bounce before spinning around and yowling over her shoulder. "You'll never catch me!" Leafheart sprang after her, and Icefeather sprinted after the two she-cats. Fernpaw looked up when she heard paws approaching her and her siblings. Ivypool halted in front of them, her eyes blazing with pride. "I'm so proud of you." She purred, giving Timberpaw a lick between the ears. "Come on, let's eat." She mewed and turned around and padded to the fresh-kill pile. Fernpaw got to her paws and padded wearily after her mother. She could feel exhaustion in her whole body as she fought the urge to slump down to the ground and sleep for a moon. Ivypool tore a rabbit in two and gave Fernpaw one part and Timberpaw the other. Then she took a squirrel and divided it into two parts and gave Oakpaw one and Cloverpaw the other. For herself, she took a plump mouse. Fernpaw devoured the rabbit in famished gulps. She felt strength flooding into her paws as she tore the squirrel into her. She burped and rolled over, exposing her belly. "I could sleep for a moon." She murmured, stretching. Ivypool nodded. "Yes, I asked Frogpaw and Pigeonpaw to make nests for you, although I don't know if they obeyed my orders." She murmured, sitting up. "Those two toms will never stop getting into trouble." She purred before standing up and shaking out her fur. "Are you excited to go out on patrol again?" Cloverpaw's mew was muffled as she chewed her part of the squirrel. Ivypool nodded. "I can't wait to feel the wind in my fur and hunt for my own prey again." She mewed, closing her eyes. Fernpaw twitched her ears before rolling onto her belly again. "How long have you been a warrior?" She asked her mother. Ivypool looked thoughtful, and for a moment her eyes clouded, as if she were going through distant memories. "I've been a warrior for about 6-7 leaf-bares." Her mother then answered. Fernpaw's eyes widened. Her eyes ran over her mother's slashed ears, and a long scar across her shoulder. Her mother had other scars, but they were hidden by her soft fur. Fernpaw got to her paws and stretched, arching her back and parting her jaws into a long yawn. "I'm going to get some sleep." She murmured as she turned around and headed for the apprentices' den. "When is the next gathering?" She slowed down a bit when she heard Oakpaw ask their mother. "In a quarter moon, if I remember right." She murmured. Fernpaw felt excitement stirring up inside her once again. She couldn't wait for the moment where she'll become a warrior. She pushed her small body inside the entrance. The sun shone down, and managed to break through a couple of places in the den. It was warm and cozy inside. She sniffed each and every nest. Frogpaw had made his nest beside Pigeonpaw's, near the wall. Swiftpaw and Acornpaw slept in the middle of the den, while Willowpaw slept alone in the other side of the den. A few other nests covered the grass underneath. She flopped down in the nest beside Acornpaw's. This is the nest she would sleep in until she'd be made a warrior. She closed her eyes, and was instantly swept into unconsciousness. Fernpaw opened her eyes in a large, lush clearing. The air felt damp, and dew glittered on the green plants around her. She sniffed the air. She'd never been here before. Bees buzzed lazily around, landing on colorful flowers and sending pollen scattering around them. A light, gentle breeze stirred the air, ruffling the fur and blowing the leaves of the trees that towered above her. She could hear rustling in the undergrowth as small creatures scuffled around. Fernpaw flattened her ears and crouched as suddenly eerie silence gripped the forest. The bees stopped humming, the prey stopped moving, and the wind dropped. But suddenly a loud, terrifying screech echoed from the trees. Fernpaw gasped and backed away. Terror filled up inside her, and her heart began beating faster than ever before. She looked down at her paws when she felt something warm and sticky soak them. She yowled in horror when she saw scarlet liquid cover her paws. She looked wildly around, her eyes widening when she saw her clanmates stepping out of the trees. But they were bloody and scarred, clumps of fur missing from their bodies. Their ears were slashed and torn, their ribs and joints jutting out from their pelts that clung to their bodies, and they looked weaker and more miserable than ever. "Help!" Fernpaw screeched as the blood rose a mouse-length by mouse-length. She felt it soak her belly fur, and suddenly, the ground disappeared from underneath her paws. The flood of blood swallowed up her clanmates, who screeched and yowled for her help. Fernpaw stared in horror when she saw a wave rising up in front of her and then it came crashing down onto her. The stench filled her nose, and blood flowed into her nostrils and mouth, and she gagged and coughed as she thrashed around wildly to break the surface. She felt bodies hitting her as the current swept her around. But then, a voice spoke, ringing in her ears like a scream, although it was silent and smooth. Darkness will enfold the forest. Blood will bring death, and death will bring the end. Fernpaw screeched as someone began shaking her violently with a hint of claws in it. She sprang to her paws in the unfamiliar surroundings of the apprentices' den. She was panting and gasping for air. Her fur had rising and stuck out all angles, so she looked twice her normal size. Her ears were flattened and her tail bushed out, her claws unsheathed. She spun wildly around, her eyes flickering from side to side. "Fernpaw!" Someone leaped at her and pinned her down. She let out a yowl as she thrashed around. "It's alright! It's alright, calm down!" She closed her eyes and opened them wide again. Squirrelflight had pinned her down, a white paw planted on her shoulder while the other held her hindquarters down. Fernpaw stared up at the dark ginger she-cat. "Relax." Squirrelflight mewed before stepping off her. Fernpaw scrambled to her paws. Frogpaw and Acornpaw were staring at her with a frowned look upon their faces, while Swiftpaw and Willowpaw gazed at her with sympathetic eyes. Fernpaw's siblings glanced at her with worried looks on their faces. Fernpaw looked at the entrance of the den. Stormcloud and Alderleaf stood there. "Come on." Alderleaf murmured, cocking back his head to beckon her to come. Fernpaw nervously followed him, Squirrelflight padding after her. She breathed in deeply when she broke out into the open air. Silverpelt blazed over her, shining brightly along with the moon. "What's going on? A cat can't get a whiff of sleep!" Fernpaw winced at Cloudtail's irritated yowl from the elders' den. She looked down at her paws when she heard Brightheart try to calm her mate down. She glanced shyly up at Alderleaf, who held a few leaves in his jaws. "What happened?" She croaked, not daring to meet the deputy's or the medicine cat's eyes. "You were crying out in your sleep, waking everyone up." Squirrelflight mewed sympathetically. Fernpaw looked down at her paws, shame washing over her. "Sorry." She mumbled, flattening her ears to the back of her head. "Nothing to be sorry for, we all have nightmares." Squirrelflight mewed, giving her a quick lick between the ears. Fernpaw nodded. "Do you want to sleep in the medicine den?" Alderleaf asked her when Squirrelflight turned around and leaped up the tumble of rocks and disappearing into Bramblestar's den. "Sure." Fernpaw murmured absently, glancing worriedly at her father as he padded to Ivypool who was gazing out of the warriors' den with a frowned look upon her face. Stormcloud murmured something in her ear, and she nodded, but she didn't seem to belive what her mate said. "Come on." Alderleaf mewed and nudged her gently toward the medicine den. She stumbled toward it. Fernpaw turned her head around when she felt someone's gaze boring into her back. Ambermoon sat beside the barrier entrance, her tail wrapped neatly around her paws while her chin was lifted high in the air. Fernpaw stopped when she saw that Ambermoon gave one nod, her narrowed pupils deadly serious. She swung her head around again and hurried after Alderleaf. Jayfeather sat in the entrance, his tail wrapped around his paws. Fernpaw felt a shiver run through her body as Jayfeather's sightless gaze rested on her, as if he really could see. She felt her legs shaking as she staggered into the medicine den. Alderleaf stopped beside Jayfeather to have a quick word with him. "Lie down here." Alderleaf murmured and pointed at a cozy nest beside the pool in the back of the den with his tail. Fernpaw nodded and climbed into it. It was a lot bigger than her nest in the apprentices' den. It was probably supposed to be for warriors or fully grown cats. She slunk into the soft moss and curled up into a tight ball. She watched as Alderleaf dropped the bundle of leaves beside her nest and then padded into the cleft of the rock and pushed his body into it. As his tail disappeared, Jayfeather got to his paws and turned around to face Fernpaw. She forced herself not to shrink away from his burning gaze as he padded toward her. "Do you want to tell me what the prophecy was about?" He asked her, sitting down beside her nest. Fernpaw felt her jaw drop and her eyes widened. "What..." Her voice trailed off, too astonished. How did Jayfeather even know she had been sent a prophecy. She held her breath when Jayfeather shook his head. "It's alright. It was probably a shock to you, but you must tell me when you're ready to." He murmured as he stood up again. Alderleaf limped out of the cleft, holding a forepaw up, and nodded to Jayfeather as he stopped beside Fernpaw. Fernpaw felt curiosity rising up inside her until Alderleaf shook his paw and a few poppy seeds fell from his pads. "Here, eat those two." He murmured before snatching up a green leaf with his claw. "Then eat this leaf. It's thyme, and it will help you calm down after the shock." He murmured as he unsheathed his claws and the leaf swirled into her nest. Fernpaw nodded and stretched out her neck to lap up the poppy seeds. After gulping them down, she grabbed the thyme in her jaws and munched on it before swallowing the bitter tasting leaf. She then dropped her head onto her paws. She felt tiredness creeping up inside her, and she drowsily closed her eyes, and almost at once, sleep overtook her.