Warrior Cats; Smokeskull's Revenge [ 1 ]

Chapter 22

Smokepaw's jaws sowed shut. She couldn't speak, she couldn't do anything. Her entire body was glued to the ground. Where am I? She growled in her head.
But then, it echoed again. "One cat is bold, yet another will hold! The Clan will soon mourn, and so will you; be torn!"
Smokepaw's head jolted back as she realized Adderstrike's nose was a whisker away from hers. She tried to growl, snarl, yowl, anything, at the fox-hearted cat. Her claws pinned to the floor, forcing her to stay back.
"Don't act like that!" The rogue snapped, clawing at Smokepaw's ear. She ducked in time to dive away.
Adderstrike chuckled. "You didn't think I actually killed your sister, did you?"
Smokepaw stared at him in amazement. Willowpaw wasn't dead?!
"The only way to reverse the prophecy was to stay in CloudClan! They're mourning your loss!" He snarled, insulting her image badly.
Smokepaw felt hot on every part of her body. W-what?!
Adderstrike laughed painfully, trying to stop himself from choking on his own evil laughter. "You mousebrain! I could attack from right here and you wouldn't do anything about it!"
Yes I would! Let me free and let me at you! You'll be crowfood! Smokepaw scoffed angrily.
"The prophecy isn't fulfilled by you, Smokepaw, the prophecy is you!" The dark warrior threw his head back laughing once again.
The prophecy is you!
The prophecy is you!
The prophecy is you!
The words corrupted her head and she put her paws over her ears after suddenly realizing she had been set free. "Make it stop! Make it stop!!"

Sandpaw's face stared into Smokepaw's as her eyes shot open. Her sides heaved up and down as quick as a frightened rabbit.
"What's wrong?" She meowed with wide, concerned eyes. "Did you speak with StarClan?"
A cat pushed her out of the way. Her long white-and-orange-patched pelt dangled above her face as the medicine cat reached over her.
"Honeywhisker! Be careful!" Sandpaw warned.
Honeywhisker purred reassuringly. "It's okay Sandpaw, I know what I'm doing." The cat brushed her long pelt over Smokepaw's stomach. "Cardinalpaw? Get back here with that feverfew!"
The medicine cat apprentice turned back right away and padded directly towards them. "This is used as an anti-hallucinate medication. It will help you more after Cardinalpaw puts some poppyseed inside of it, okay?"
Cardinalpaw looked restless, but he still met Smokepaw's gaze and turned away back to the storage den.
When he returned, a bundle of leaves hung from his jaws.
"That's yarrow!" Honeywhisker rasped harshly, getting up from her place and taking the sac of herbs. "You stay here while I fetch the right herbs!" She turned and stormed off.
Cardinalpaw sat down, his eyes barely open.
Laying on a nest of moss, Smokepaw felt bad for him. Being a medicine cat must have been a hard job. She turned to him and smiled. "One day it'll be worth it." Smokepaw mewed kindly.
Sandpaw's jaw almost fell out of her mouth when Cardinalpaw smiled back at her. "I sure hope so," He replied, "If not, then my life isn't worth living." The Tom gave a slight chuckle, but almost fell asleep in the middle of his sentence. He laid down and yawned, looking at Smokepaw with grateful eyes.
Even though she had not known this cat for very long, she felt a friendly connection with him already. "I don't need these herbs she's going to give me." Smokepaw shook her head smiling.
"I know-" Cardinalpaw stopped himself from finishing.
The grey apprentice's head fell to the side. "What was that?"
"Oh, um, nothing." He twisted his facial expression and Smokepaw shook her head. "Just that she should be giving you just poppyseeds. It will ease your pain and help you sleep without kicking Sandpaw anymore." Cardinalpaw looked over his shoulder and winced.
"She's probably got a sore rump because o'you!" Honeywhisker set down a few borage petals and poppyseeds.
Cardinalpaw shook his head. "You do know that's borage leaves, not feverfew?"
"O'course I know that! Do ya think I've gone mad?" The medicine cat replied sternly.
The Tom bowed his head.
Honeywhisker pushed the leaves closer to Smokepaw as she edged away. "Can I just take the poppyseeds?" She mewed with a sweet smile.
The medicine was going to scowl, but remembered the fight from a moon ago. The images portraited in her eyes. "O'course darlin'."
Smokepaw smiled again and gulped down the poppyseeds. She huffed and blinked herself awake. "Do you think I'll be able to go on my final assessment today?" Smokepaw flinched at the thought of not getting her warrior name today like she'd been promised. Actually, they promised the final assessment would be today, but the ceremony must be before moonhigh!
"Surely Halfwind will take ya." Honeywhisker rasped, flicking her tail at what seemed to be Cardinalpaw's nest. It was a small bundle of moss, just big enough to fit him in if he curled up tight enough.
Smokepaw chuckled. "May I?"
"Go ahead m'dear!"
Sandpaw jumped to her paws excitedly. "Let's go!" She zoomed past the medicine cat and raced towards the warriors' den.
Smokepaw purred her goodbye and darted after her close Clanmate. Her long legs came to a quick halt when the two warriors emerged at Sandpaw's sides.
"That was quick." She purred as Halfwind sniffed the air.
The deputy glanced back and forth from Sandpaw to Smokepaw. "It's going to storm. Are you sure you want to go now?"
"Yes!" Sandpaw burst out, leaping to her paws.
Snowstream purred. "Then we have no reason to stop you." She said, sitting down and folding her tail over her paws. "Do you know what to do?"
Smokepaw nodded, but Sandpaw leaned in as if not knowing the answer-or just wanting a repeat just to make sure.
"You must hunt for the Clan until we tell you it's okay to come back." Halfwind explained. She kept her standing position, pulling her ears back against the slight wind. "If coming back to camp before we tell you that you can, your training will be pushed another moon."
Smokepaw's eyes slipped open a little more than she had willing. Would they really do that to twelve-moon-old apprentices?
Sandpaw nodded, so Smokepaw did the same. "I understand," The cream cat vowed, "We will not come back until you grant our permission."
The deputy looked at Snowstream and they shook their head with a smile. "Very well, go on then." Halfwind meowed.
Wind made Smokepaw's fur bristle, but it didn't stop her from feeling the same tinge of excitement that Sandpaw had no fear of expressing.
The apprentices stood up immediately and rushed over to the exit. Smokepaw stopped to look back, but Sandpaw almost ran her over.
"Hey!" She growled.
"Sorry." Smokepaw started slow, but began to gallop across the marsh.
Not far behind, Sandpaw raced alongside. "I'll take this side, you go over there. It'll be better if we split up."
Smokepaw nodded her agreement and turned the other way so her tail faced Sandpaw's fading image.
She began to limp through the muddy undergrowth, trailing her own path, sniffing the scents of prey at every tree and corner.
Stormy clouds rumbled in overhead, covering the early moon that tried to show itself. The stars managed to twinkle brighter, lighting Smokepaw's path into a musky abandoned den.
Its crooked tree roots stuck out of the bracken and marsh like rusty old claws. Her jaws separated to grasp the air in her mouth. Smokepaw's eyes narrowed as she entered the pine trees.
The den was nearly three tail lengths away when Smokepaw's ears perked at a sudden twitching sound behind her. She turned quietly and watched as a vole picked it's way under a barb of comfrey root. She lifted her nose, smelling the air for direction. When the winds told her they were headed towards her, she loosened her tight grip on the soil and stalked towards the vole.
A hole under the comfrey root stood in the way of Smokepaw catching one of her Clanmate's meals, but she knew she had four paws and four legs. Anything was possible if you had it in you.
"Hi-yah!" Smokepaw launched herself at the vole and grasped onto both sides of the comfrey root.
She could hear the tiny meal panicking inside the enclosed area. She lifted a paw tolet it out, and when it went running, Smokepaw killed it with a quick nip to the neck.

The storm continued to rumble over the apprentice's head. Her stomach growled as the smell of freshkill wafted up her nose again. But as the warrior code told her, the Clan must be fed first.
Smokepaw had caught two finches, lots of minnows swimming around the watery moor, mice and voles, and other prey. Out of all of the hunting, Smokepaw enjoyed herself most while catching minnows. Scooping them out with one paw was her favourite thing to try at.
A rustle came from the shadowed bushes, making Smokepaw's hackles raise. She snarled before she caught the scent of Halfwind. Without thinking, she sat up and calmly lapped at her paw.
"You have done well." The deputy dipped her head and purred, flicking her tail back to the bushes where Snowstream appeared behind her.
The warrior purred as well, "We took turns watching you two." She meowed, turning away and leaping back into the green leaves.
Smokepaw dipped her head politely and forced herself forward, following Snowstream down the slope and back into the muddy moors.
Halfwind came not far behind. Her fur lifted half way as she sniffed the air from time and time.
Although the storm was rolling in faster now, the deputy didn't seem interested in it. "We must press forward and-"
Sandpaw leapt out of the ferns and surprised them all. "You guys know you're downwind, right? I could smell you when you started coming for me!" She mewed and touched Smokepaw's chest with her tail tip.
The three cats shook their heads at Sandpaw, but Smokepaw found herself the only one purring. Did they take this that seriously? She wondered, falling into sitting place with Sandpaw.
"Snowstream, you can take Sandpaw to packup her fresh kill and meet us back at camp by moonhigh at the latest." Halfwind ordered, flicking her tail back where Sandpaw emerged. "As for us," -she gazed down at Smokepaw although she was almost the same size as her- "We will have to find some rhubarb leaves to carry all those minnows!"
Smokepaw giggled. This the first time she had laughed in a long time. "Sandpaw said there is some there," She pointed with her nose to the large broken tree suck up in the mud. "She showed me them before."
The deputy nodded and Smokepaw raced off to find some.