Heartstar's rise : Book Two

Ch. 1

Darkness. Echoes. Silence. 

Heartpaw blinked his eyes open. His body ached. Everything ached. His mind ached. He should be in StarClan. He was probably in StarClan. Why did StarClan seem so... different? Definitely not what he had seen in the dreams. He was in a quiet den of dirt and big comfortable moss bed. He sniffed. The smells were wild, but he liked it. He smiled. Maybe being in StarClan was better. Looking around, he realised on the strong scent of herbs and saw them arranged nicely around him. A light brown, tabby cat padded in. He was probably from StarClan as well. 

             "How did you die?" blurted Heartpaw. It was the first thing which had come into mind and the cat gave him a weird look. Another cat appeared. He was dark cream coloured. 

             "No, he's delusional," grumbled the cream coloured cat. The other cat narrowed his eyes but didn't say anything. 

              "I'm in StarClan, right?" Heartpaw clarified, staring at the strangers confusedly. 

              "No child," said the tabby cat gently, as if he had some sort of mental problem. "You are definitely not in StarClan." Heartpaw sighed. 

              "Oh," said Heartpaw slightly disappointed. This meant he was very much alive and had to face the reality of life. He grunted and huffed. 

              "Aren't you going to ask where you are?" said the cream cat. 

              "No," said Heartpaw. He shrugged. He honestly didn't care. He had no more Clan. His Clan hated him. His family threw him out. Anywhere was better than ShadowClan. 

               "Well I'll tell you anyways," put in the tabby cat. "You're in WindClan. In the medicine den actually. I'm Addertail. And this grumpy cat is Marshtail." 

               "Deputy," clarified Marshtail. Addertail rolled his eyes. 

               "You're lucky I was on the patrol with the others, collecting herbs, they were going to drag you into the middle of the Thunderpath," said Addertail. 

                "Hmph," grunted Marshtail. "We should have left him on the Thunderpath. Doesn't look like he has any will to live anyways."

                "Marshtail, why are you here anyways?" sighed Addertail. "We're just going to talk to him. Y'know, maybe we'll end up chasing him out anyways." Marshtail grunted and stalked out. Heartpaw watched the medicine cat carefully. He had never imagined WindClan like this. He had imagined the, living out in the moor or always running about. He realised suddenly Ivypaw was in WindClan and his interest flared up. Ivypaw... He imagined her light tabby pelt and soft eyes. Her sweet smile and mostly, her laughter and the way she could make him laugh. He remembered how good it felt, to just laugh his heart out with her. All their night time meetings. When she had crossed the border to ShadowClan or sometimes he had crossed to WindClan. 

               "What are you thinking about?" asked Addertail, breaking Heartpaw from his thoughts. 

               "Nothing," mumbled Heartpaw. 

               "Everybody is always thinking about something," pointed out Addertail and sat facing Heartpaw. "Why were you lying on our side of the border ShadowClan cat?" Heartpaw hesitated. There was no good way of saying he had been banished. 

               "They threw me out," Heartpaw finally said. 

               "Ah. But you're just an apprentice, is that right?" said Addertail. Heartpaw wondered if WindClan knew about Ivypaw and him, ShadowClan certainly did. Maybe Lionbreeze - the ShadowClan medicine cat who hated Heartpaw - had told Addertail.