Dapplecinder's Prophecy

Chapter 6

Dapplepaw closed her eyes as she transported back into the present day.

"It's okay." Squirrelfall mewed sadly to her apprentice, still staring down the ridge. "You tried your best to save her. No cat could ask for more than that."

Dapplepaw realized she must've been idle for a while. Well, grieving's an excuse.

If only Squirrelfall knew as much as I do.

Abandoning the ridge, Squirrelfall and Dapplepaw returned back to camp. Dapplepaw saw her sister pad up to her. "Where's Mistypaw?"

Dapplepaw winced. "She, um, she didn't make it."

Sandypaw looked closer at her sister. "What?"

"Mistypaw died?" Echopaw ran over to join his sisters.

Dapplepaw shifted her paws uneasily. "I'm afraid so."

"No!" Birchpaw mourned. "No, no, no!"

Berryfrost wrapped her tail around her son sadly. "No! I've lost a kit!" She cried.

Birchpaw collapsed to the ground, yowling, "No! StarClan, help me!"

Dapplepaw felt great sympathy for the young tom. Even Sandypaw seemed upset for his loss.

"No, wait!" Dapplepaw protested. "Birchpaw!"

The young tom gazed at her dully. "What is it?"

"Mistypaw's okay!"

Birchpaw didn't look convinced. "How do you know?"

Should she tell him? No! "Mistypaw told me before she died that she'd be okay. She said she will love being among StarClan!" Dapplepaw meowed hastily.

But Birchpaw just mewed gloomily, "Great. Okay, then." With that, he padded into the apprentice den. Berryfrost followed behind him.

Eggpaw poked her head out from the shadows. "Great StarClan, what are you doing?" She hung her head. "This day will only bring more pain. How can you consider this preparing us for the worse that will occur for young Dapplepaw?"

Shaking her head, Dapplepaw went to the training hollow to practice her battle moves and hunting skills with her mentor. So much for that, then, I guess.

"Now!" Squirrelfall yowled, and she lunged for her apprentice. Dapplepaw let out a hiss as she flashed out a paw, tripping Squirrelfall. Her mentor tackled her over, the weight startling Dapplepaw. Like honey, she was able to slip out from under her mentor. Flying into the air, she lashed out her paws and landed in front of Squirrelfall. Aiming under Squirrelfall, her mentor looked down. She then hooked her mentor's paws from under her and she staggered forward. Dapplepaw stood over her mentor in excitement.

"You're battle moves are impressive," Squirrelfall panted. "Let's hunt."

Spotting a squirrel on a birch tree, Dapplepaw crouched down, her waving tail immediately shooting down in between her legs. As swift as a snake, the apprentice leaped onto the birch tree, her claws scrabbling for a grip as she leaped from branch to branch. Flexing her claws, she shifted onto the trunk and began to claw her way up, keeping her body close to the tree and her legs bent. When she finally reached the squirrel, she pounced and bit its neck, causing the tree branches to rustle. Leaping far, Dapplepaw managed to bounce from the birch tree to a maple. Her claws skidding on the bark of the new tree she landed on, she eventually landed smoothly onto a clump of ferns. She held up her squirrel for Squirrelfall to see.

"Great!" Her mentor purred. "You'll make a fine warrior soon!"