Warriorcats #1: Vengeance

Chapter Eight

Tallpaw was thankful for EchoDust, but part of him just wanted to strangle the old cat. His stormy gray fur and stiff movements made any cat in Stormclan feel pity for him, yet he declined any hint of generosity a cat could give. For example, the moment Tallpaw stumbled into the den, DuskStorm was more than happy to help EchoDust collect some herbs. The tom had just snorted and waved his tail in a submissive gesture. "I've got my slav- er... Apprentice for that!"

Now, Tallpaw was sitting in a rather damp bed of moss in the corner of a dark cave. The sun had dipped far below the horizon, yet a dim glow of blue light still infiltrated the muggy air. Nearby, a small dip of water was peeking out from a rather large crack in the cave wall. It seemed to be glowing with an ominous aura, as if it flowed all the way from Starclan just to show off its beauty. EchoDust was hunched over many piles of herbs, Fallenpaw close by. They seemed to be arguing in hushed tones, barely audible even with the cave's acoustics. Quietly, Tallpaw leaned forwards. His ears were perked as he strained to catch the source of the hushed debate. He almost leapt out of his fur when Fallenpaw turned around. Her blue eyes looked like icy flames, her bright orange fur ruffled contentedly. She had a very full voice, the kind of voice Tallpaw wished Cloudstar had. A voice full of authority, the kind never questioned and never disobeyed. The kind of voice that has no doubt, just a clever edge. In a nutshell, Tallpaw admired her voice.

"Tallpaw! Eaves-dropping is the trait of a fox." The insult was sharp, but at least it wasn't from EchoDust. The old gray tom just muttured something under his breath and limped out of the den. Wherever he was planning on going, he sure was being hasty about it. "I was just wondering if it concerned me." Tallpaw tried to sound innocent. Fallenpaw raised an eyebrow, her gaze portraying the words: "Yea, and pigs can fly too!". Tallpaw flattened his ears moodily. "C'mon, Fallenpaw! You can't blame me." He swept his tail to take in the whole den. "I'm not exactly entertained at the moment." Fallenpaw's gaze softened, but her tail was thrashing furiously. Something was hidden beneath her gaze, a mix of curiosity and worry. Like she wanted to see the future, but she was afraid of what she might see. Before Tallpaw could question her, SkyOtter entered. She looked as smug as a kittypet in its nest, her eyes level and calm. Every step was placed firmly, her head lifted high, her ears perked. She dipped her head at the two apprentices slowly, exhibiting that she came in no hurry. Tallpaw dipped his head in return, slightly appalled. Whatever the clan deputy wanted, she looked like she'd already found it.

"I see it's almost time to go to sleep, but I'm afraid that will have to wait." She sat down happily, although her expression was no longer at ease. "Cloudstar and I were just informed of a prophecy, concerning two apprentices and three warriors." Her voice was full of urgency, which wasn't exactly welcoming to Tallpaw. Fallenpaw herself had become unsettled, shifting uncomfortably on her bright orange paws. "EchoDust said that he was out collecting herbs earlier today, when he came across the stream Cloudstar had lost a life in. As soon as he neared it, his vision blurred and he saw a dark brown tom." She paused, as if struggling to recollect the story. "The brown tom told EchoDust a prophecy. He said: From the ashes of the fire, lay the remnants of a storm. Taller than the clouds can rain, shall control the final gain." After that, Tallpaw felt liked he was going throw up. Taller than the clouds can rain? Not to be ironic, but he was literally afraid of heights (unlike his name implies). When SkyOtter glanced his way, she let out a cheerful laugh. "Tallpaw, don't worry. We've decided there shouldn't be any real heights..." She sounded kind of uncertain, which alarmed Tallpaw even more.

Before he could completely freak out, Fallenpaw stepped forwards. "Anyways, who were the chosen cats?" She sounded impatient, but her voice carried a strong aura of authority, even compared to SkyOtter. "I can guess Tallpaw... But, who was the second apprentice?" SkyOtter flicked her tail to silence the apprentice. "We've decided the cats should be chosen according to the prophecy's will, but also according to their strengths and weaknesses. This prophecy doesn't completely single out the whole clan. Cloudstar chose Tallpaw, since he has experience with traveling and is included in the prophecy. He also chose Skypaw, mostly because of her smarts and quick-thinking. Then, I volunteered to go. Birchfeather will be coming, along with DuskGaze." Tallpaw tilted his head, waiting for more. Silence.

Fallenpaw paced around the cave, her fur ruffled and her gait stormy. She obviously wasn't happy. SkyOtter stood and shook out her pelt, sighing as she flexed her claws into the ground. "So, now what?" Tallpaw's voice came out as a squeak, which was kind of emberrassing. Fallenpaw glanced up in surprise, but luckily niether of the two she-cats were in the mood for games. "Tomorrow morning, we're returning to Ashclan. Hopefully they're medicine cat will have had a similiar experience..." She trailed off, shrugging. "And the rest goes from there." Tallpaw perked his ears slightly. "So, the whole basis of this plan lies in the paws of Ashclan?" He didn't sound convinced. "If they have the same dream, don't you believe they'd come here with the same questions?" SkyOtter ignored his last comment, her eyes drifting distantly. "I wouldn't say 'lies in their paws', Tallpaw." Her voice was soft and gentle, but still edged with urgency. "Let's just say that 'the ashes of the fire' may just be Ashclan in their worst demise." She leaned closer, lowering her voice to barely a whisper. Again, amazing how the sound didn't carry with the cave's acoustics. "You saw how much they're struggling with heat. Figure it out." With that, she turned and padded out of the den.

Tallpaw was tempted to call her and ask her what there was to figure, but stopped himself. It was obvious. Ashclan has been having difficulty with heat, especially with such sunny days. There's no doubt a fire could burst out of anywhere in their territory. The only question was: Why would a fire in Ashclan concern Stormclan?