Warriors: Sounds of the Forest

Chapter Twenty-two: Riversong

Something was wrong Darkpaws training was going great, soon he would be a full medicine cat; but I could tell that something was bothering him. One night he had left the camp and returned with several wounds, he had said that he got stuck in some brambles but I could tell from a distance they were claw wounds.

Also, something was happening else where in the forest, though it had been some moon since my prophecies neither of them had yet shown themselves in anymore then the same vision repeated each night, and because of this I had not had any actual sleep in moons, and though I feared each dream and the message it brought, I always waited eagerly for each night, hoping that I would learn more each time by noticing something i had perhaps missed the night before.

Amberstar had notice my weakness and always asked what was wrong, I couldn't tell her, not after the what happened with Thorntail. So I always would shrug in response to each of her questions and tell her that i was just having poor sleep.

Though it was only just now dawn I knew that tonight was half moon and that it might be time for Darkpaw to get his full name. I'd wanted to ask Starclan what if they thought he was ready but they never spoke of anything other then the omens. Perhaps, I could ask them now. I wondered as I sat looking at the sunlight filtering through the entrance of the den. After all, I wouldn't be needed as early as the warriors. So I laid myself back into my nest gently.

---bare dark trees surrounded me, this was not Starclans' hunting grounds. my eyes searched the dark fores for any of the starry cats who had perhaps brought me here for a reason, in my heart I felt that only my ancestors would know this.

"Riversong..." a voice whispered. so I followed where I thought it had come from.

I reached a wall of dead brambles, their dry brown thorns makeing it impossible to pass through. But just in front of me there was a small opening, just big enough to peak through.

"The fox has left this world." a dark voice purred, its presents was someone i thought i knew but his pelt was covered in shadows cast by the dark tree above him. "we have been left ungaurded."

A second cat sat across from him and he was someone that I knew, his ugly yellow-green eyes piercing through the darkness. It was Badgersoul.

"She could barely stop us before, I had slipped past her easily, and I wouldn't be back here if Whitestar hadn't gotten himself killed-" he snapped but was cut off.

"YOU got your host killed not him." the other tom snarled, his bright blue eye suddenly glowing with anger as they reflected the dim light"

I felt myself shiver slightly as i felt i had heard enough. I began to turn when my pelt snagged the brambles I had been looking through. I let out a quiet gasp as the thorns dug into my pelt like claws.

"Shh!" the tom hissed to Badgersoul. As I felt his burning eye melt through the brambles into my pelt.

"Badgersoul," he said quietly, "we have a visitor, wait here while i go fetch her." then all was quite, my heart pounded so loudly that i felt that he would hear it too. I begged for myself to wake up but all the same i was in the dark-forest held down by the claw like brambles.

"Please!" I begged when I herd his paw-steps grow nearer "I wont tell anyone what a heard!"

Suddenly the paw-steps stopped, the blood pounded in my ears. "What are you doing here!" the tom snarled, I closed my eyes and shivered the tom still hid himself from me but his voice echoed everywhere.

"I don't know! I just woke up here!" i said trying to steady my voice as I opened my eyes again; nearly jumping back when i found he was just a tail length away, towering above me.

His eyes suddenly lost their angry glow as he spoke again "You are Riversong aren't you?"

"y-yes" I sputtered

"Come with me." he grunted as he began to tur away.

"I cant..." I replied as I tried to tugg at the thorns

He turned and glared at me but walked back slashed the thorns away with his claws. "now follow."

I followed as he lead me back to where he had been with Badgersoul when i had been watching them.

"I see you caught the intruder." Badgersoul grunted as we padded up. My fur spiked as we passed him, the larger tom forcing me to sit in between him and the wall with Bagersoul at his side.

"What did you hear!" he snarled. my eyes glistened with fear as I told him all that I had heard. his claws were extremely long and his pelt as black as night, his pelt was covered in scars and his long tail had a crook in it at the end, as if he had broken it while still alive.

"We should kill her!" Bagersoul snarled when I finished.

"But this is a dream!" I gasped

The tom looked at me as he snickered his reply "Any wounds that you receive here will carry on with you when you awaken. If you die here you are dead in the living world as well." he paused and turned to Badgersoul and calmly said "We wont kill her... we have enough to keep her quiet.

A knot tightened in my throat. "What do you mean?" I gasped.

He looked back at me and grinned as he stepped closer until he was nose to nose with me. "Say or try anything and we will not only kill you, but Darkpaw as well."

"You have him?!"

"Every time he closes his eyes." Badgersoul growled

"And just in case you think we cant harm you..." the black tom placed his needle sharp claws on my cheek "think again." he finished as he slashed his claws across my face. Blood began flowing relentlessly through the new wound. "A scar to remember me by." the tom snarled. "And another surprise will be there for you when you awaken.

Then just as he and Badgersoul stood to leave her grunted with a small smirk on his scared face. "and in case you were wondering, I'm your fathers brother, Scarpelt."---

My eyes flashed open and pain filled my face as i realized blood was still pouring from the wound, i had to cover it before another cat saw!

rushing into the herb storage I grabbed a large amount of cobwebs and began pushing them on my face, the wound had crossed all the way across my face, from cheek to cheek. it would be hard to hide but I had to try!

Suddenly a soft pelt brushed against mine and murmured, "it is time for the Dark to join the Stars, for It is the only way to save it..." then the pelt disappeared, leaving behind only a slight trace of scent.

I realized that my wound had stopped herting and i removed the cobwebs. only a scar remained now. And i realized tht it was time for Darkpaw to have his name.