Blank Slate

CHAPTER NINE

A yawn escaped Slatepaw's jaws as he let his yellow eyes peek open. Sunlight was slowly creeping into the den, followed by a light sense of warmth that seemed dulled by the leaf-bare chill that seeped into the air.

Getting up and stretching, the tom flicked his tail back into the air, curling it a bit and then settling back down. Curling his tail back around him, the gray-furred apprentice got comfortable in his nest. From what he could see the sun wasn't really up yet, and so it would be useless to get up now. He might as well rest for now.

And as the tom did so, the tom's mind quickly wandered.

Particularly, of thoughts about democracy and how amazing it was... as usual.

Although this time, he seemed to be at a roadblock for what actually to do. He could think about how great it was going to be when democracy ruled the Clan all he wanted, but for now, he didn't have any ideas.

Okay, Slatepaw, he thought, tail flicking slightly behind him as he prepared himself.

We can do this. What ideas do we have? Yeah, not much... Well, okay. If the goal is to have democracy, then how do we go about getting it? We've gone over this before, but I know that this will be different. We can think of an idea. I know it! Democracy will be so much better for everyone. For me, for Finchpaw, for Peonystrike, even if they don't know it yet they'll be so much happier with democracy! Everything will be so much greater... so much fairer. I know that all the warriors will see the clear preference of democracy.

It will be grand... Fantastic, even. Everyone will be so pleased and comfortable with the new way of life and nobody will even think to go back to being ruled by a tyrant so terrible as Brightstar, and the terrible deputy that served her too. I can't wait till everyone sees what they really were missing- democracy!

We'll finally be rid of that terrible tyrant Brightstar. Oh, I cannot wait to see the look on her face when she's finally on the wrong side of the fight. And then we'll get rid of the traitor, the liar Spruceblaze... He'll be so dumbfounded when we finally get him. We'll catch him in a lie, we'll- we'll...

And despite the thoughts that dashed through Slatepaw's mind like a parade, he still had no ideas on how to actually catch Brightstar; how to actually expose Spruceblaze; how to put this plan that had been festering for so long into motion.

A soft huff escaped his muzzle - mostly out of frustration - and Slatepaw shifted slightly in his nest, almost as if attempting to get more comfortable would help him figure out a solution. The gray-furred apprentice laid his head on his paws, letting his ears fall flat against his head.

Letting his eyes close, he continued to try to think of ideas, though it wasn't working very well.

"Slatepaw."

"Burnetflame?" Slatepaw's yellow eyes immediately opened within moments of hearing his former mentor's voice. He could recognize it anywhere. Instantly, he could feel a sense of anticipation fill him and he had a strong urge to rise to his paws and leap around the den. Though, he had to be soft in his words and movements if he planned any.

The other apprentices would know before it was time.

The she-cat's thick russet fur was smooth and groomed, Slatepaw noticed, and her green gaze was shimmery. Her tail flickered slightly behind her, twitching back and forth.

"You need to relax. I'll tell you what to do," she meowed, blinking at him. Burnetflame settled down in front of him, almost copying his position. The dead cat curled her tail around herself, shifting a bit. Slatepaw looked expectantly at the she-cat, excitement beginning to spiral within him. He was going to have a plan! He could finally make something happen! Something was going to happen!

"In order to go through with letting democracy finally rule this Clan," she began in a calm tone, "You need to get all of the members of the rebellion to remember, and although-"

"I tried to get them to remember. I already carved the sign on the trees and nobody even seemed to care or notice them at all..." interrupted Slatepaw with a lash of his tail. His mentor was telling him things that he already knew. He needed to know what to do and fast before something else terrible happened.

Burnetflame's gaze sharpened for a moment and her thick russet fur seemed to rise at his interruption, though the she-cat mewed calmly, "Be patient, Slatepaw."

The tom dipped his head, going silent for the time being.

"Although you've already tried to get them to remember, you need to do it in a new way," she told him, "There are many options for getting them to remember, however, I think the best and most efficient would be to attempt to gather them all in the original meeting place."

"That's-" started Slatepaw in a somewhat louder tone than before.

"Sh!" the she-cat's eyes narrowed at him, and her tail flicked once more as she studied him, "You must be quiet, for the sake of the Clan. Now, I think you've got a pretty good idea of what you need to do."

"Wait- no, can you-"

Burnetflame, without letting the gray-furred apprentice finish, stood up, tail lashing like a flag behind her as she turned slightly as if she were to leave the den, though her voice resounded once more before she left.

"Don't ever lose sight of your goal, Slatepaw. I believe in you. I know that you can do this."

The she-cat didn't let Slatepaw say anything more, because she quickly headed for the entrance of the den. Without turning back, the thick-furred cat slipped from the den, seemingly dissipating into thin air, and in her place was the usual.

A plain, simple, normal apprentice's den.

Yet this time, a pale gray-furred apprentice inside of the den had a plan. And he was ready to execute it as soon as he could.

Written by Lamb ^^