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

Chapter 23

Fernpaw bounded into camp, a couple of mice in her jaws. Icefeather had led her, Lilyheart, Swiftstrike, Lionblaze and Dewnose on a hunting patrol. They had been just outside the barrier when they had heard Bramblestar call a meeting. He stood beneath the highledge with Coal, Diesel and the other former Renegades lined up behind him. Fernpaw's heart dropped. Was he going to send them away? He couldn't! She dropped her mice onto the fresh-kill pile before bounding over to where the cats had gathered. She sat down beside Brackenfur and Greystripe. "I have been talking to our guests, and we have come to a decision." The Thunderclan leader began. "I have decided that we will train them as Thunderclan warriors, and they have agreed to get new names, and to be loyal to our clan and defend it with their lives." Shocked murmurs spread through the clearing and Fernpaw's heart skipped a beat in excitement. She eyed Coal, and she saw excitement shining through his yellow eyes. Bramblestar then turned around and beckoned Mickey forward. "Mickey, from now on you'll be called Nightpaw. I'll be your mentor, and when you finish your training, you'll receive your warrior name." He mewed. Nightpaw dipped his head before padding over to sit beside Briarlight. Fernpaw dashed over to them and brushed past him. "Congratulations." She whispered excitedly. Nightpaw dipped his head before continuing to watch the ceremony. Flick got the name Flailpaw and got Ivypool as a mentor. Flash got the name Flashpaw, his mentor Dovewing. Simba became Goldenpaw, his mentor Snowbush. Diesel got the name Sootpaw, his mentor Molewhisker. Juniperpaw became Juniperpaw, her mentor Poppyfrost. Alex became Firepaw, as Bramblestar said that he looked a lot like their former leader, Firestar, and his mentor was Bumblestripe. Big Red got the name Redpaw, his mentor Dewnose. Coal became Coalfur and got Lionblaze as a mentor. Fernpaw fidgeted in excitement as her friends came to sit beside them. "You're going to be warriors!" She squealed like an excited kits. Goldenpaw and Nightpaw purred in amusement while Sootpaw gave her a quick lick on the cheek. Then Cloudtail padded up to them. "Just remember that if you are to join our clan, you'll have to be loyal. Like Firestar once said to me, you can't live with a paw in each world." He mewed and the new apprentices dipped their heads. "There is no other place for us to go anyway." Flailpaw murmured with a sad look at Flashpaw. Bramblestar nodded before dismissing the meeting. Fernpaw wriggled her hindquarters in excitement before bounding over to Lionblaze who was padding their direction. "Can I take Coalpaw, Sootpaw and Ale-Firepaw and Juniperpaw to the training hollow?" She asked, stepping from paw to paw. Lionblaze looked at Poppyfrost, Molewhisker and Bumblestripe, but the toms just shrugged. "That's fine with me." Molewhisker murmured, his tail tip twitching. Fernpaw nodded eagerly before dropping into a hunting crouch. "Come on!" She yowled to her friends before sprinting out of the hollow. The barrier shook as they raced out of camp. Happiness surged through Fernpaw as they bolted to the training hollow. Paws pounded on the forest floor, spraying up fallen leaves behind them as the five apprentices pelted on. A bird let out an alarm call and fluttered away as they thundered past. "Almost there!" Fernpaw yowled when she saw the rocky slope of the hollow a treelength away from her, the rocks jutting out of the ground. She skidded to halt on the edge, panting, before scrambling down. Juniperpaw, Sootpaw, Firepaw and Coalpaw followed her, half slithering, half falling down into the hollow.

"No, Firepaw, not like that. Look how I do it." Fernpaw mewed exasperately when Firepaw missed again. She dropped into a hunting crouch, her tail still behind her as she slithered forward on the mossy floor like a snake. Her eyes were fixed on a sapling on the other side of the clearing, and she imagined that it was a bird. When she was a fox-length away, she stopped dead. Then, she leaped into the air and landed with her paws on the sapling, crushing it to the ground. "This is how you hunt birds." She mewed, stepping off the trampled sapling. "Let me try." Juniperpaw mewed, bounding forward. Fernpaw watched her perform the move excellently. "Good job, Juniperpaw!" Fernpaw purred, and the white she-cat ducked her head. "Can you show us some fighting moves?" Sootpaw begged, giving his white chest a couple of licks. Fernpaw looked at him. "I've showed you every move I know already." She murmured. "Not mine!" Timberpaw yowled as he bounded into the hollow, Oakpaw, Badgerpaw, Smokepaw and Cloverpaw at his heels. Then, an idea sparked inside Fernpaw's head. "Let's try something new." She mewed excitedly. "Juniperpaw, Sootpaw, Coalpaw, Firepaw and I will fight against you." She mewed and nodded to Timberpaw and the others. Timberpaw narrowed his eyes before shrugging. "Seems fair to me." He murmured as he dropped into an attack crouch with Badgerpaw and Smokepaw on either side of him. Cloverpaw crouched beside the gray tom while Oakpaw beside the badger-looking apprentice. Then the pale brown tom sprang back to his paws. "I don't think that's fair though. Badgerpaw and Smokepaw have been apprentices for only half a moon, and your team is full of experienced apprentices." Oakpaw pointed out and Badgerpaw spat in defiance. Fernpaw sighed. Why was he always so grumpy all the sudden? "Okay, we get Smokepaw, and you get Sootpaw." She mewed and beckoned her friend to her. Sootpaw nodded and bounded over to them while Smokepaw scurried over to Fernpaw. "Okay-." Fernpaw's mew was cut off by Cloverpaw. "Wait, what about we play a game?" Her sister suggested. Fernpaw pricked her ears. "What?" Cloverpaw looked up on either side of the hollow then dashed over to one side and scrambled up. She grabbed a loose ivy stem before dragging it back down. She clawed it in two parts and carried one behind her own team and the other to Fernpaw's team. "We are supposed to get yours and you're supposed to get ours. You have to defend your ivy from us and we'll defend ours from yours, get it?" The light brown tabby and white she-cat mewed as she padded back to her. Fernpaw nodded eagerly as she bounded over to her friends. "Let's make a plan." She mewed over to Cloverpaw, and her sister nodded before sweeping her tail towards her and her team gathered around her. "Okay, what's the plan?" Firepaw asked, excitement pulsing off him in waves. "Juniperpaw, you're the fastest one of us. You and Coalpaw go and try to grab their ivy and bring it back. Smokepaw, Firepaw and I will defend our ivy." She mewed and all the cats seemed fairly satisfied. Fernpaw dropped into an attack crouch beside Smokepaw, who was in the middle of the five cats. "Ready?" Fernpaw asked, but Badgerpaw had already launched himself forward. Timberpaw sprang after him and let out a yowl as he hurled himself past them. Letting out a hiss, Firepaw barreled into him, carrying the dark brown tom off his paws. Smokepaw charged into his brother and the two apprentices came a writhing ball of fur. Cloverpaw and Oakpaw were standing in front of their ivy. They're using the same plan as us. She realized. Coalpaw and Juniperpaw pelted across the clearing. Coalpaw bowled Cloverpaw over while Juniperpaw neatly dodged Oakpaw and grabbed the ivy in her jaws. Fernpaw whipped around and saw Badgerpaw biting the ivy. Smokepaw was tussling with Sootpaw, batting at his face with sheathed claws. Fernpaw let out a yowl and launched herself onto the black and white tom. Badgerpaw collapsed under her weight but scrabbled at the ground with his forepaws in attempt to escape her. Timberpaw was tussling with Firepaw. Firepaw reared up onto his hind paws and Timberpaw copied him. The two toms swatted at each other. Fernpaw looked down at Badgerpaw again and grabbed his scruff, careful not to draw blood, and swung him around. He let out a squeal as she threw him into Sootpaw. The larger tom let out a grunt and stumbled backward. Fernpaw then spun around and bolted past Timberpaw and flashed out a paw, hooking his massive paws out from under him. Firepaw used his chance and pushed at his chest with his ginger paws. He nailed Timberpaw to the ground. Fernpaw let out a yowl of triumph when Juniperpaw managed to escape Cloverpaw with the ivy held firmly in her jaws. But Badgerpaw charged into her and bowled the small white she-cat over. Fernpaw let out a hiss of frustration but whipped around when Firepaw called her. "Fernpaw!" He yowled. Sootpaw had leaped onto his back and Timberpaw was managing to escape. Letting out a yowl, Fernpaw charged into them and crashed into Sootpaw's flank, sending him tumbling back. Firepaw spat in triumph and flipped Timberpaw over onto his belly. She leaped in front of her ivy when Oakpaw tried to reach it. Darkness filled her mind, and she felt a surge of rage inside her. Lifting a paw, she swatted at his face and sent him crashing to the ground. "Hey, no claws!" He screeched. Fernpaw shook her head. Blood was welling out of Oakpaw's cheek where three sets of claw marks had been formed. She looked down at her paw. Scarlet liquid dripped off it. Fernpaw took in a gasp and swayed on her paws. The cats around her had stopped fighting and the clanborn apprentices were staring in astonishment at her. Then Oakpaw sprang to his paws and bared his teeth. Spitting, he slammed into her side. She let out a grunt as he bowled her over and she landed heavily on her flank. Oakpaw let out a hiss as he raked his claws down her side, tearing open her skin. Screeching in fury, Fernpaw sprang to her paws. She felt darkness sweeping before her eyes again, blinding her. Her heart thudded in her chest, but then she felt someone whisper in her ear when she reared up onto her paws and slashed out at her brother with a flurry of claws. She felt blood spatter onto her paws. "Fernpaw, is this really what you want?" A soft voice mewed in her ear and then in the other, she heard Ambermoon's voice. "Fight it, Fernpaw! Fight it!" She shook her head when someone charged into her side and pinned her down. She let out a screech as she tried to push the darkness in her mind away. It pulsed at her inside her head, making her ache all over her body. She felt it spread into her limbs, and she felt her heart thudding faster than ever. She panted hard as she shook her head. She dug her claws into the ground in her pain and let out another painful screech. The weight on her shifted and she heard anxious mews around her. "What's happening?" Cloverpaw whimpered. "Don't come closer." Coalpaw ordered her with a fierce mew. Smokepaw let out a squeal of fear. Her mind raced and she saw images of slashing claws, slavering jaws and eyes burning with hatred, then a tiny squeal and the vision faded. She began hearing voices in her head.

"This isn't what you want, Fernpaw."

"This is the true you."

"You aren't strong enough."

"Fight it!"

"You'll bring the end to our clans!"

"You are too miserable to fight this."

"Fernpaw, this isn't you. This isn't what you want. You are too strong. Push it away! You are our only hope." Ambermoon yowled above the other voices in her ear. Fernpaw let out a shriek as she writhed on the ground. "Go fetch Jayfeather!" Timberpaw screeched, and Cloverpaw launched herself up the hollow. Her mind pulsed in pain and she felt as if claws were tearing open her heart as she tried to fight it. Rage spread through her body, and she tried her best to push it away. "Help me!" She croaked as she saw blurred visions of cats in front of her. "You are our only hope." Someone whispered in her ear. Moons of pain and endless misery seemed to stretch out in front of her. Then she heard someone rushing down into the hollow. Scents of Bramblestar, Jayfeather, Icefeather, her parents, Cloverpaw and Redpaw's hit her nose. She let out another screech when the darkness, rage and pain spread into her body. She flipped over onto her back, and she felt foam spreading out of her jaws. "Our only hope." The voice whispered in her ear again. She let out a roar of fear and fury as she dug her claws into the moss around her. She trembled in effort as she pushed the darkness into a small ball inside her head, and locked it that way. She let out a sigh, and then her mind went blank, and she was swept into unconsciousness.