The Three of StarClan: Book 1: Finding Night

Chapter 3

Tawnypaw knew. He had always known. He knew that his family was lying to him. He wasn't sure what had caused him to be so untrustworthy of his own kin. Tawnypaw's ears flicked as he stared up at his mentor. The cat who stood above him was a bluish grey, well-muscled tom. His fur shone through the peaks of the forest trees, which made his fur, and also the leaves, shine in the golden evening sunset. Tawnypaw admired his mentor's strength and power. He was standing on a high branch, close to the top. "Tawnypaw!" He called. "Are you going to come up here?" His deep voice boomed. "Sorry Skystalker! I'm on my way up!" With that sentence, he unsheathed his claws and grabbed the trunk of the tree. The bark felt hard and rough against his claws, but he was an apprentice, and Skystalker always says that Treeclan apprentices get used to the bark at some point. Tawnypaw sighed, and began to climb up the tree. He dug his front claws into the bark, and kicked up the lower part of the trunk with his hindlegs. Moss, dirt and bark flew apart as he scrabbled up the tree. Tawnypaw has heard the stories of these trees, and the very name of Treeclan itself. He had heard the tales of Tree, a cat who discovered Treeclan by learning how to attack his enemies by jumping from the branches and onto the victim. The technique is used mostly for prey, but in a battle, it becomes pretty useful. Tawnypaw didn't think about things like the tales of the clans, he thought about what deceitful thing his kin could be hiding. He always tried to deny that his parents were lying to him, but he just couldn't believe himself. It had haunted Tawnypaw ever since he was a kit. He dug his claws harder into the bark, trying to get his mind off things. He was about a tail-length away from a thick branch that he could get his claws on. He pushed off his hindlegs and reached for the branch, claws outstretched. He felt himself dig into the thick bark of the branch. He turned frozen when he looked down. He hadn't grabbed onto the branch at all! He was falling. Falling onto the hard grass. At the height he was at and from the way he was falling, he would surely be killed! Tawnypaw snapped out of his frozen trance and let out a loud shriek. His tortoiseshell paws flailed into the air. There was a sound of a few snapping branches and then a loud wail. Pain stabbed Tawnypaw like lightning. He gave a yowl of furious pain as he felt the hard dirt. Skystalker's deep booming voice called after him. His voice began to trail away as Tawnypaw began to close his eyes in unbearable pain. Then, nothing. Tawnypaw saw absolutely nothing but blackness as he lost consciousness.

Tawnypaw's vision faded back to him. Everything was a colorful blur with nothing but miscellaneous shapes and sizes. When his vision was finally good enough for him to recognize his enviorment, he slowly stumbled up. He tried to figure out where to place his paws, slowly moving with each forepaw. Tawnypaw's vision was now fully regained. His jaw hung open. "This isn't Treeclan!" He exclaimed. Tawnypaw took in the details of this strange place. The trees were barren, there was nothing but darkness for miles, and twisted shadows formed around him. Soft whispers rustled through his ears. His legs became weak. He didn't know where he was or how he got here in the first place. "Hello?'' He called out. Eerie silence surrounded the forest. Tawnypaw's ears flicked back in surprise. There were no sounds of scuttling prey or chirping birds, in fact, there wasn't even any wind to carry the scent! Everything seemed so...still. Tawnypaw was stricken with fear as he stared at his surroundings. No! He thought. No! no! no! His mind was panicking. Tawnypaw wanted to run, but he felt like ice when realization hit him. "I've heard of this place.." He whimpered. "All those tales I heard as a kit, they're true!'' With that moment, something made Tawnypaw jump out of his fur. There was a low rustling sound from the corner behind him. His ears flicked and his tail-tip twitched. Tawnypaw didn't ask questions, he just blurted out the words; "Alright, if your looking for a fight, you got one!" Even though every hair on Tawnypaw's fur was on end. A dark shape slid out of the bushes. It was a tortoiseshell cat, resembling a bit like Tawnypaw. "W-who are you!?" He spat at the strange cat. The tortoiseshell Tom was taller and obviously looked more stronger than Tawnypaw. But, Tawnypaw is almost two moons away from becoming a warrior and now wasn't the time for him to act like a kit. He immediately slid out his claws while still staring directly into the other cat's amber eyes. "Answer me!" He yowled, ready to lunge at this cat. The other cat didn't speak. He just carried on, washing his paws. Then, finally, he uttered three simple words. "Wake up Tawnypaw!, Tawnypaw, please wake up!" The young Tom was immediately confused by this. Suddenly, he felt the ground quake beneath his paws. Everything around him spun, and yet, the older Tom cat still kept his gaze on him. "What do you want with me?" He gritted through his teeth. The cat simply flicked his tail, and went on his way. "Wait!" He exclaimed. "Come back! I'll find you!" the words echoed around him as pain stabbed at him. He felt numb to his bones, and once more, his vision faded. At this point, Tawnypaw didn't know what to do. He wouldn't stay like this forever! Would he? Rushed thoughts of panic filtered his mind for a few heartbeats and then he couldn't think of anything. No sounds, No thoughts. Nothing was in his mind.