A Vision Of Shadows Rewritten: Apprentice's Quest

Chapter 8

Alderpaw slouched over Sandstorm's body, stomach churning as he struggled to stop her wound from bleeding. No matter how much cobweb Sparkpaw and the others brought him, it wasn't any use. Blood squelched beneath his paws and seeped into his fur, making his head feel fuzzy and sick. 
"Alderpaw...stop. It's okay." 
Alderpaw shook his head. If only he could clear his mind and think of what to do. If only he'd agreed to become a medicine cat! If Jayfeather had been training him instead of Lionblaze, maybe he'd know how to save Sandstorm! 
"I'm not letting you die. It's not your time yet!" 
The pale-ginger she-cat looked up at him with sympathetic eyes. Brightheart was sorting the herbs that she and Sparkpaw had found, anxious fear-scent radiating from her pelt. Lionblaze and Blossomfall stood watch in case their kittypet attackers decided to return, and Sparkpaw had gone off for more cobweb. Though he was surrounded by his clanmates, Alderpaw had never felt so alone. 
"I'm dying, Alderpaw. It's alright. I'm just grateful that it was honorable, protecting you and the cats of Skyclan. Besides, I'll see Firestar in Starclan and we'll be together again." 
Alderpaw's body felt heavy, as if even his fur was dragging him down. 
"But...what about Graystripe...Cloudtail and Purdy? What will they do without you? And Squirrelflight!" 
Sandstorm choked out a purr. "They'll all be fine. They're warriors! Well, elders now I suppose. They've seen worse. The other elders will join me soon, anyway. We won't be apart long." 
She raised a paw to gently touch his cheek, his paws gently easing off the wound in her side. 
"Alderpaw, this is not your fault. You can make this journey without me, I know it." 
"W-where do we go? What do we do? We need you Sandstorm!" His voice kept cracking with emotion. Brightheart had stumbled over to gently lick between the dying she-cat's ears. Sandstorm's body convulsed in a series of bloody coughs, which caught the attention of Lionblaze and Blossomfall. Lionblaze curled himself beside Alderpaw, his bushy tail bringing his apprentice closer. 
"Head toward the rising sun. You'll come to a river...Skyclan's camp isn't far from there." 
Blood now pooling around them from her wound, Sandstorm rested her head in the grass and let her gaze rest on the night sky, stars reflected in her green eyes. It wasn't long before her last breath left her body, and the small clearing was silent. Alderpaw barely noticed Sparkpaw reappear with more cobweb. Blossomfall shook her head gently and Sparkpaw's head dropped. Alderpaw pressed into Lionblaze's fur and squeezed his eyes shut, hoping that when he opened them it would all be a dream and Sandstorm would still be alive beside him. His mentor gently guided him away and into the trees while Brightheart and Blossomfall worked on digging a grave for their clanmate. They found a small pool of water not far away, and Lionblaze helped Alderpaw clean the blood from his fur. 
"Are you okay?" 
He nodded once. He wasn't okay, not at all. Sandstorm had always been there for him, even when he was a kit, and had always supported him. Now she was dead. As they walked back to where Sandstorm's body was being buried, he walked with his pelt brushing Lionblaze's, letting himself breathe in his mentor's familiar scent. He felt grateful that Lionblaze was both his mentor and his brother. He wasn't sure what he would do without him. 
Sparkpaw was helping Blossomfall and Brightheart lower Sandstorm's body into the ground, a hole dug in the middle of the clearing directly under the stars. Alderpaw rubbed muzzles with Sparkpaw as he and Lionblaze helped push the dirt over their clanmate. 
"She can see Starclan from here," Brightheart murmured. Lionblaze nodded. 
"It's a good burial place." 
Sparkpaw dipped her head sadly. "I didn't know her very well, but she was my mother's mother and one of the bravest cats I've ever met." 
The rest of the cats nodded solemnly. Brightheart had known Sandstorm since she was born in the old forest, Lionblaze and Blossomfall by the lake. She was well known and respected by all the clans. 
"She'll be with Firestar now," Blossomfall purred sadly. 
Sparkpaw turned her gaze to Brightheart. "Do we have time to sit vigil for her?" 
Brightheart hesitated, glancing at Alderpaw, who gave her an unsure look. 
"Of course," she sighed. "But just for a little while. We don't know what's going on in Skyclan, and Sandstorm wouldn't want us to grieve long." 
Alderpaw wasn't sure how long he'd laid beside Sandstorm's grave, but a gentle nudge from Lionblaze made his eyes snap open. Guilt flooded his mind. 
I fell asleep during Sandstorm's vigil! 
Lionblaze must have read his expression, because he gave his apprentice a comforting lick between the ears. 
"It's alright, we're all exhausted. No one noticed." 
It wasn't long before they reached the fence where the previous day's battle had taken place. Alderpaw felt anger growing in his chest at the cats who had hurt his clanmates. How had they been beaten by kittypets? For the second time, Alderpaw sunk his claws into the wood and began pulling himself up, Sparkpaw and Blossomfall at his heels. He dropped to the grass on the other side with a thump and an embarrassing oof. The grass here was much greener than the territories by the lake, the trees not as tall. Bushes lined the side of the twoleg den, and Alderpaw's mouth watered at the scent of catnip. 
"Who are you?" 
They all flinched at the sudden voice from behind them. A plump gray she-cat was balancing on the tops of the fence posts, her blue eyes wide and curious as she gazed down at the travelers. 
Brightheart shouldered past him, fur prickling. 
"My name is Brightheart. We don't want any trouble, we're just passing through." 
The she-cat blinked once and tipped her head. The movement made something around her neck jingle. 
"What a strange name! Do you all have odd names?" 
Sparkpaw leaped forward, her neck fur raised. "Let us pass, kittypet!" 
Blossomfall cuffed her apprentice around the ear. "Hush!" 
The kittypet simply let out a mrrow of laughter. "I'm Velvet. What are you cats doing here? You're obviously not house cats. Are you strays?" 
Strays? Does she mean loners? 
Brightheart shook her head. "We're warriors from Thunderclan. We live by a lake not too far from here. We're looking for another group of cats called Skyclan. Have you heard of them?" 
Velvet flicked her tail, thinking. "I don't know much about them, but a cat I know has talked about them before! His name is Socks, he lives with the twolegs three houses down." 
Hope flared within Alderheart. If these kittypets had heard of Skyclan, that must mean they're still around! 
"That's great! Will you take us to him, please?" By the tone in her voice, even Brightheart seemed to be relieved. Now that Sandstorm was gone, Brightheart had officially taken the lead of their little group. Alderheart could tell that she had begun to feel the pressure. 
"Sure!" Velvet leaped from the fence top and onto the grass beside them, signaled for them to follow her and bounded down the rows of fences. With Alderpaw and Brightheart in the lead, the clan cats followed their new guide to a small gap in one of the fences, the bottom rotting and chipping apart. Velvet squeezed through first, followed by Alderheart and his clanmates, and they found themselves in another clearing of grass. Everything was nearly the same as Velvet's yard, though this twoleg den was smaller and flatter and the grass was overgrown, reaching Alderpaw's shoulders. 
"Wait here, I'll get him!" 
The Thunderclan cats waited awkwardly by the fence gap as Velvet raced to the den, disappearing into the grass. 
"She sure is pretty," Sparkpaw meowed suddenly. Alderpaw wasn't sure if she was serious or just trying to break the silence. 
"Plenty of your clanmates are pretty," Lionblaze mrrowed, joking, but Alderpaw detected a delicate warning in his tone. Velvet returned a moment later with another cat at her heels. A skinny black tom with tortoiseshell patches and white paws nodded to each of the cats in greeting, his green eyes curious. Alderpaw's pelt grew flushed.  
"Velvet says you're looking for Skyclan. Why?" 
No cat spoke, each of them looking to Alderpaw for explanation. Nervously, he took a step forward. 
"I've had visions of them," he meowed. "In each vision, they were in trouble and needed help. We're clan cats too," he added, "But we live next to a lake." 
A knowing light sparked in Socks' eyes. "You're from the clans then? Are you from Thunderclan?" 
Surprise flickered through the forest cats. How did this kittypet know about Thunderclan? In the old forest Thunderclan territory was bordered by Twoleg Place, and some of the cats there had encountered Thunderclan cats before, but now they lived far away from Twoleg Place. 
"Y-yes, we are. How did you know?" 
"Leafstar speaks of the Thunderclan cats Firestar and Sandstorm often. Are they here too?" 
Socks stretched his head to see past them, looking for the two warriors, and uneasy sadness swept through the group. 
"No..I'm sorry. They're both dead. Sandstorm died on our journey and Firestar died some time ago." 
Socks dipped his head. "That is sad to hear. I'm sorry for your loss. Leafstar will be saddened as well. Come with me, I'll take you to Skyclan's territory." 
Velvet rubbed muzzles with Socks briefly before saying a few quick goodbyes and squeezing out of the yard through the fence gap once more. Alderpaw noticed Sparkpaw watch her leave, green eyes trailing the she-cat until she was out of sight. 
The clan cats followed Socks around the edge of the Twoleg den and under the tall bushes facing a hard strip of ground. 
Sparkpaw sniffed. "That's the smallest Thunderpath I've ever seen!" 
Socks shot her a questioning look. "The sidewalk? No, the cars don't come up here. Not usually at least. The Twolegs use these to go on walks." 
Alderpaw listened to Socks with awe. He knew so much about twolegs, and yet he also knew about Skyclan and the other four clans by the lake. Still, there was something about him that made Alderpaw want to listen to whatever he had to say, no matter how odd. He said weird works like sidewalk and cars, and Alderpaw wanted to ask him exactly what he meant, but he didn't want to interrupt. He found himself noting how smooth the tom's voice was, how pretty his orange patches of fur looked in the sunlight, how lean and swift he was for a kittypet. He was shaken from his thoughts with a squeak when Sparkpaw nudged her weight into his side. 
"Great Starclan, stop drooling!" Though she didn't look back, Blossomfall flicked her ear, signaling that she had heard her apprentice's comment. Alderpaw felt his insides curl with embarrassment. 
"Shhh! All of Twoleg place will hear you! And besides, i'm not drooling." 
Sparkpaw just rolled her eyes. They weren't as bright and pretty as Socks'. 
"Sure you aren't. I haven't seen you do any of your usual weird stuff since we met him." 
"Weird stuff? What's that supposed to mean?" 
"You know, tearing at the grass, flicking your tail, excessively straightening out your pelt. I haven't seen you do any of it since we met up with Socks." 
Did he really do those things a lot? He had never really considered those things unusual before. Didn't all cats do stuff like that? Alderpaw suddenly felt as though his chest were being crushed. 
"Well you were all over Velvet!" he hissed, a little more harshly than he meant to. Without waiting for a reply, he quickened his pace to match his mentor's, neck fur rising. He wasn't sure why he felt so defensive. 
"Woah, what got bees in your fur?" Lionblaze meowed. 
"Nothing," he muttered. 
A doubtful look on his face, Lionblaze shrugged. "Alright. Have you talked much with Socks? He's a lot like you." 
Alderpaw's heart hammered in his chest at that. Socks was like him? What did that mean? 
"Huh?" 
"You should go talk to him. I think you'll enjoy each other's company." 
With a supportive nod from Lionblaze, Alderpaw crept forward to join Brightheart and Socks at the lead of the group. Brightheart purred in greeting. 
"Alderpaw, we were just discussing how Socks knows about Skyclan!" 
"Oh?" 
Socks licked his chest-fur awkwardly. "I'm a daylight warrior, but I haven't gone to camp yet today." 
A daylight warrior? 
Socks must have seen the confused look on Alderpaw's face, because he began going into detail about what his title was. 
"A daylight warrior is a cat who carries out warrior duties during the day and goes home to their twolegs at night. I usually just hunt for most of the day so the clan is fed when I go home, but others patrol and train their apprentices too." 
Brightheart was nodding thoughtfully. Clearly this concept of daylight warriors sparked her interest. 
"So you don't have an apprentice?" 
Socks shook his head. "No, I've just been made a warrior, so I'm too young. I'd love to have one someday, though! Is Alderpaw your apprentice, Brightheart?" 
The she-cat shook her head. "No, Alderpaw is Lionblaze's apprentice and his sister Sparkpaw is Blossomfall's. I'd love to have one too, but I guess I just haven't found the right cat yet." 
Socks flicked his ears. "Odd that you're a senior warrior and still haven't gotten an apprentice while the younger warriors are." 
Brightheart blinked in surprise. "Yeah...yeah it is." 
Eventually the twoleg dens began to fade away, the Thunderpaths turning to dirt and sand, the monsters that passed spraying little pebbles at the journeying cats. Alderpaw's pelt no longer smelled like the forest, his only comfort being the familiar scents and faces of his clanmates. There was the sound of pawsteps thundering toward them as a patrol bounded into view. 
Socks nodded to them, but they didn't seem to care or notice. 
The Skyclan cats surrounded them, circling their group. Socks didn't seem worried. 
"Hello, Macgyver. How are you?" 
The cat Macgyver, a black and white tom, curled his lip. "Who are these cats? We're not taking in more daylight warriors. Get out of here." 
Socks narrowed his gaze. "Why so aggressive, friend? Take us to Leafstar, please." 
Macgyver's claws sank into the dirt and his scent became anxious. 
"Leafstar isn't seeing any cat right now. You'll have to leave." 
"I may be a daylight warrior, but I'm still a part of Skyclan! Let me pass!" 
A ginger she-cat who was standing closest to Lionblaze dropped her shoulders. 
"Don't you get it, Sockstorm? Leafstar can't see you. There's no camp, half our warriors are scattered...whatever these cats want, we can't help them!" 
Sockstorm..?
Macgyver shot her a threatening look, but she held her ground. "I'm sorry, but he's a skyclan cat too. He deserved to know." 
Socks' fur was on end, his neck fur bristling and his body stiff. "What..? What happened? I've only been gone a day!" 
The ginger she-cat lowered her gaze. "They attacked in the night...they destroyed everything. We haven't found any of the elders and Pebbleshine has gone missing..." 
Socks moved to touch noses with his clanmate. "Great Starclan...I'm so sorry I wasn't there to help..." 
Macgyver sniffed loudly. "If some cats didn't spend the nights as kittypets we may have stood a chance." 
Socks shot him a glare, his claws sinking into the ground, but he didn't move. 
"I'm sorry Brightheart, it looks as though you'll have to go home. Perhaps you could visit again when we've gotten things straightened out." 
Alderpaw exchanged a glance with the older warrior. How could they leave when they had come so far? Sandstorm had died on their journey, and now they were being told to leave! Suddenly, a vision from Alderpaw's dream appeared before his eyes: The image of the black and white cat in the gorge. Had this cat been the one to attack Skyclan..? 
"Socks, we're warriors too. We know what it's like to have a clan in danger. Let us help you." 
The rest of the Thunderclan cats nodded softly in agreement, their faces solemn. Alderpaw was glad to see their support. 
The Skyclan cats exchanged worried glances, until finally Macgyver dipped his head. 
"Skyclan thanks you. Come, we'll bring you to where we're staying. Unfortunately it's not very comfortable..." 
Macgyver lead the way, explaining everything that had happened to Socks, while the rest of the Skyclan patrol mingled cautiously with the newcomers. 
Firefern padded alongside Lionblaze, keeping her voice quiet, but Alderpaw could hear her mentioning Firestar, and how Lionblaze looked a lot like what her mother Leafstar had told her. 
A small gray tom was walking beside Sparkpaw, who hardly looked his way. Alderpaw felt bad for him. His sister never really gave any tom the time of day. When they arrived at the makeshift Skyclan camp, Alderpaw was taken aback. There were cats sprawled in the grass, no nests, sides heaving as a single she-cat wove among them, layering cobwebs and stinking poultices on wounds. Lionblaze brought Alderpaw closer to him protectively. Socks looked just as horrified as Alderpaw and his clanmates, his ears back as he entered the scene. Firefern gave them an apologetic look. 
"I'll take you to Leafstar." 
Brightheart stopped the group with a flick of her tail. "I think Alderpaw and I should speak to Leafstar alone. Alderpaw was the one with the vision, after all." 
Alderpaw was the one with the vision. 
But we didn't get here in time.... 
What was the point of their journey if they were too late to save the cats of Skyclan? 
Alderpaw walked close to Brightheart as they followed Firefern to a small clump of bushes. Most of the leaves and blossoms had already fallen, leaving large gaps between the branches. Alderpaw could see the small shape of a tabby she-cat curled beside the roots. 
"Leafstar?"