StarClan's Wrath

Chapter 6

Weedpaw jumped at the sight of the strange cat. She stared at him with eyes that were fearful, curious, and angry all at the same time. "Hey now, I just said hi," the cat mewed. He walked toward Weedpaw, who made no move. "M'name's Spade. What's y'er name?" When Weedpaw shook and took a step back, he added, "Don't be shy, young'un."

"W-Weedpaw," she stammered. Spade? What a weird name.

Spade gave a weird look. "Weedpaw? What a weird name." Weedpaw gave Spade a returning look. I was just thinking that about your name. "Are you a friend of the cat that chased me over an animal?"

"Stubbypaw? Yeah. You were trespassing on Clan territory." Weedpaw's tone was a little harsh, but she immediately softened up. "Sorry. We're Clan cats. We're not supposed to tolerate trespassers."

"Clan cats, eh?" Spade seemed interested. "Well, young'un, I apologize for stealin' y'er morsels. I was unaware of the boundaries. Perhaps that's what I was smelling. I always thought that the Clan cats were a myth, but I guess I was wrong. What's Clan Life like?"

Weedpaw got a little nervous. "Well... I'm only a warrior apprentice so I don't know entirely. So... you start out life as a kit. My name used to be Weedkit, and my brother was Brightkit. Our friend was Stubbykit."

"So y'er names always start out as 'kit'?" Spade asked.

"Yeah," Weedpaw mewed. "We're always under the age of six moons unless we're held back from being an apprentice. Either because we're hurt or we've misbehaved. Then, when we're six moons old, we become warrior apprentices or medicine cat apprentices. Our names end in -paw, and we're called 'paws to signify the path our paws are now on. We get mentors at our ceremonies and we either go out for battle training or hunting. Or we are given the task of cleaning out bedding and removing the fleas and ticks of elders."

"What about those medicine cats?"

"Well... medicine cat apprentices are trained to follow in the pawsteps of the medicine cat. They learn healing and spiritual lore from their mentors. They also come with their mentors to visit the Cave of Whispering Spirits ever half-moon to receive dreams." Weedpaw began to frown. "I wanted to be a medicine cat... then I had to listen to my stupid destiny."

Spade perked up. "Hold it there, destiny? What kind of destiny?"

"I was... given a prophecy. My brother and I were given one." Weedpaw mumbled with a bit of resentment in her voice. She hated the prophecy. "So we have to follow our stupid destiny, all because some cats in StarClan wanted to see us as the wrong things!"

"What's StarClan?"

Weedpaw shook her head, but kept her temper. This was a kittypet. Not a kit. "StarClan are the spirits of our warrior ancestors up in Silverpelt. Silverpelt is the thick band of stars across the sky. Whenever a cat dies, a new star appears. They watch over the Clans and guide us through harsh times."

To her surprise, Spade just let out a mrrow of laughter. "Pfft, heavenly ancestors? Is that the best you got? They're just cats in the sky! They're probably just bullies telling you what to do. Just don't listen to them." Although she agreed that she shouldn't have to listen to StarClan, she still flared her nostrils. How dare you insult StarClan! she begged herself to say out loud. But it never came. "But actually... I can't be stirrin' up a hypocrisy. M'great ol' auntie-- her name was Mags-- went to kittypet heaven. I guess she's a cat in the sky too."

"What was Mags like?" Weedpaw asked.

Spade thought for a moment. "Mags was great. She'd tell me an' my siblings great stories of when she used to go on rides with her housefolk on a boat. One day, we were all so lucky that we got to go on with her! It was great. You'd feel the wind on your face and have the water droplets get you. The housefolk would catch some fish with these sticks that had string attached to the ends of them. Then we'd get a nice treat."

You sound so much like a RiverClan cat... Weedpaw thought in her head. "That was one of the best moments I had with her. You always have to cherish the time you have with your relatives," Spade mumbled. "When I said goodbye to her, I knew it wasn't goodbye forever, and that I would see her again. And when I see her again, she won't be in pain anymore... and she won't be weak."

Despite her attitude and reluctance, Weedpaw then felt a wave of sympathy. He was right. Weedpaw would have to cherish the time she had with Brightpaw, Honeydrop, and Sootstar. "A lotta strays and feral cats think that all we house cats do is lay around, eat, sleep, an' do our business in the litterbox... but Mags gave me an adventure. The boat ride, the exploration of the local parks, toy heaven, it was amazing... until she said she was getting sick."

"But... doesn't your medicine twoleg help fix it?"

"It's not like 'yer simple cold or flu or bellyache, young'in," Spade said. "She was showin' her age. She got weaker, an' couldn't make it to the litterbox. Next full moon marks exactly four years since she died. I remember the day so clearly. The vet was at her home when we were taken there to say goodbye. I even remember the last words she said..." Spade took a deep breath. "Great-auntie Mags's last words were 'You're all house cats, and you be proud of that... you didn't let any nasty stray or feral change your destiny to what they wanted. You make your own decisions. Create yourself as you get older and wiser. An' don't ever let anyone tell you that you can't be what you want.' Then, the vet did somethin' to her an' she got sleepy... before she died, I could hear her say 'I love you all for who you are' escape her lips..." He sighed and sat down.

Weedpaw placed her tail-tip on the kittypet's shoulder. She knew to see these types of cats in a  different way now. Even kittypets got to take bites of prey, explore, and have destinies. "It's all right," Weedpaw mewed.

"Sometimes, it doesn't feel all right," Spade retorted. "But... as long as I know that she's in kitty heaven, she's safe, she doesn't have pain, and she'll be watching over me." His sadness turned into a slight joyful look, signifying that he was cheering up.

Then, a voice sounded. "Weedpaw!" she heard. "Weedpaw, you need to get back!" it said.

"I have to go. Curfew." Weedpaw mewed.

Spade waved his tail in goodbye. "Have a good night, young'un," he mewed as Weedpaw rushed back to the camp.