Live Again

Okay, this story is not all mine. My friend who's not on the wiki helped write it. She may get an account soon, I'm not sure, but anyways she was really afraid of plagairism and it took forever to convince her to let me post it. So....yeah

Allegiances
ShadowClan

Leader: Blackstar

Deputy: Rowanclaw

Medicine cat: Littlecloud (Apprentice, Berrypaw)

Warriors:

Smokefoot

Toadfoot

Applefur

Crowfrost

Ratscar

Snowbird

Tawnypelt

Olivenose

Owlclaw

Shrewfoot

Scorchfur

Tigerheart

Dawnpelt

Pinenose

Ferretclaw

Starlingwing

Kinkfur

Ivytail

Chapter 1
Mapletail woke at sunhigh to see Volepaw waiting dutifully with a rabbit in his jaws. She prodded Starsurface awake with one paw. "What!" she snapped. It was hard not to be cranky when you were an elder. Then she saw the rabbit and her eyes widened. Snaketail yawned and stretched.

While the elders were tucked in, Shrewpaw, Volepaw's brother, cleared out the old moss and brought in fresh moss. When they finished eating Volepaw checked them for ticks. Mapletail, without any ticks, laid down only to jump up with a shriek. "This moss is dripping with water!" She then proceeded to give Shrewpaw a lecture on respect until the patrols were out.

Shrewpaw fetched dry moss, and the other elders went to sleep. The next morning Mosskit, Flamekit, Thornkit, and Berrykit were begging to hear a story only to be interrupted by Mosskit. "Your stories are boring! I want to hear Snaketail!" So Snaketail told a story about a fox. Meanwhile Mapletail and Starsurface huddled in the other corner.

Mapletail hissed at the kits. "Even if we were lousy warriors, we should be respected as elders!"

"Well, I was a really irresponsible warrior," Starsurface said.

"But still..." Whatever she was going to say was interrupted by the kits leaving and returning with prey in their jaws.

Flamekit gave a fat, juicy frog to Snaketail. However, Thornkit gave some scrawny mice to Mapletail and Starsurface. Before they could complain, the kits left. Snaketail finished his frog and went to sleep. Starsurface and Mapletail, however, couldn't sleep with their empty bellies yowling. The mice had tasted bad, like crowfood, so they didn't eat it.

Finally, they gave up and talked. "I want to get fresh-kill, but I stole food as a warrior...." Starsurface sighed. "But we're elders!" Mapletail shot back. "You're right," Starsurface agreed. With that, they padded outside to the fresh-kill pile. By now it was around sunhigh so most of the Clan was on patrol. They found a couple voles, picked them up, and were heading to the elders den when a cat stopped them. It was Tigerheart.

"Didn't you already eat?" he asked. "Our mice tasted odd!" Mapletail shot back. "The Clan must be fed first!" he exclaimed. "It's okay," Starsurface mewed gingerly and put the voles back. "Good," Tigerheart snapped. "You know, youngster, I've got a few ticks that need mouse bile," Mapletail said loftily. "Yes, and I need my bedding changed. Shrewpaw gave us very poor quality," Starsurface added on, "Can you do that for us?" "That's an apprentice task!" Tigerheart exclaimed. "And I'm telling you to do it," Mapletail replied tartly.

At the end of the day, Mapletail and Starsurface, with new moss, clean fur, and an angry Tigerheart, went to the fresh kill pile and saw the two voles lying untouched.

Chapter 2
The clearing that was the ShadowClan camp was a hectic mess, the apprentices all asking to go to the Gathering. It was considered normal, but Starsurface didn't like it. She wondered why there was no apprentice fetching her a freshly killed frog. Her belly rumbled.

Mapletail was by her side, taking a nap, unaware of all the chaos. Starsurface wished she could fall asleep like Mapletail. But with all the noise! She may be going blind, but she wasn't deaf yet!

She sighed. Although she was a cranky elder, she felt bad about being served. All her life, she had been mediocre. A  derelict apprentice, who barely passed training because she once ate two pieces of fresh-kill before feeding her Clan. She was only chosen to lead a patrol once. She wished that she had an adventurous, carefree life. Her temper boiled over.

"Give me some fresh-kill, you frog-brained apprentices!" The busy clearing stopped and stared, waking Mapletail. Snaketail, the other elder in the den, ambled away from Blackstar.

"Hi, Snaketail," Starsurface mumbled. "Cheer up, Starsurface. You know how apprentices are these days. Lazy," he paused for a moment, hoping that she was reassured. "You're not still mad about that whole thing with the kits calling you boring, are you? Kits will be kits. The don't know what they're talking about," he croaked. "Anyways, you and Mapletail get to go to the Gathering! Just one night of gossip, then we can rest our old bones."

Starsurface ambled bak to the elders' den to tell Mapletail. But before she arrived, Volepaw came with a fat, juicy mouse. Volepaw was a good apprentice, not like the others, who favored Snaketail openly.

Snaketail. One name that stuck in her head. Had they been a bit younger, as warriors, she would've been happy with Snaketail as a mate. He had been very kind to her, even though she was a frog-brain as a younger cat. But Snaketail had a mate. Whitewater had joined StarClan moons ago. Snaketail was heartbroken. Starsurface and Snaketail were too old no. And her would feel as if he was betraying Whitewater.

Mapletail had gruffly agreed to go to the Gathering. Blackstar was a good leader, and he saw past their faults, and let them go to the Gathering. Starsurface wasn't looking forward to any of Purdy's stories though, that was for sure.

Snaketail, Mapletail, and Starsurface walked side by sie to the tree-bridge, making sure to stay next to the vast, swirling lake. The lake had been surprisingly rough all day.

Scorchfur rested the tip of his tail on Mapletail's shoulders. Mapletail whirled on him. "I'm not that old, you know!" she snapped. Scorchfur edged away.

They were almost across RiverClan territory, and they were nearing the tree-bridge. It shifted under the weight of all the cats. She was surprised that she didn't see RiverClan. They wer probably there already.

Snaketail and Mapletail prepared themselves to get on the tree-bridge right in front of her. They were nearing the middle of the bridge, and it was beginning to wobble uncontrollably. The choppy, gray water churned below, and wind whistled eerily through the trees on the island. Almost like a cat hissing. Mapletail's ears pricked at the creepy noise. Distracted, her paws slipped and she fell into the sucking black water.

"No!" Starsurface croaked. Mapletail thrashed frantically. A gray wave slapped her on the side of the head. "Help!" she called, coughing and spluttering.

Before she even thought of her creaky old bones and stiff joints, she plunged in the water after Mapletail. She was surprised by the force of the churning water. She tried to regain control, but she couldn't. She could just feebly move her paws. But she wasn't defeated yet.

She wriggled throught the water until she was beside Mapletail, who was rapidly sinking.

She opened her mouth to grap mapletail's scruff, but she accidentally took in more water. She coughed and spluttered, bringing more water into her lungs. Mapletail was no longer fighting--just sinking towards the lake's rocky bed.

She saw the shadow of another cat as they jumped into the water, little bubbles exploding around them.

But it was too late. Mapletail had no fight left in her. And Starsurface had sucked too much water inside of her. She was going to die. She went limp, and began to sink. She felt a huge pressure on her chest, and claws pricking her everywhere. The water pressed at her from all sides. Everything slowly faded away, with her thoughts: At least I might be welcome in StarClan....