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| The Soaring Wren Series | ||
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| Preceded by: None |
A Shaded Heart | Succeded by: Wren's Flight |
This is a short story for The Soaring Wren Series. This story is a prequel - don't be afraid to read this first. :)
Soaringkit always wanted to do the best for his Clan - and have a mate and kits, too. Ever since he was born, he knew he liked the mysterious - and popular - Flowerkit. However much the young cat loves her, she doesn't love him back. And when tragedy befalls, Soaringkit makes a promise that he vows not to break...
Enjoy <3333
A Shaded Heart
The warm greenleaf sun beat down on the WillowClan camp, the sun making dappled shadows under the willows. On one side, small portions of cats were talking in groups, others below a brambly rock. On the other side of the camp, there was no-one, but a ginger tom pacing the entrance to one of the dens.
Yowling split the air, but none of the cats reacted. This had been going since dawn, and it was sunhigh now. The ginger tom paced quicker.
Inside, a yellow tabby she-cat, young and strong, was bending over a brown tabby. The cat below had her face twisted with pain.
"I assure you, it won't be long, Treerunner," meowed the yellow tabby, as her paw moved onto Treerunner's belly. "I'm pretty sure you only have one kit."
"One kit?" Treerunner managed to pant under the stress of you kitting. "Yellowlight, I was pretty sure you said there'd be -" She broke off with another yowl of pain.
"Yes, yes, I know," Yellowlight relied sarcastically, the fur on her dark gray scruff bristling. "Just be patient. The kit's coming."
For one moment, there was silence. Then Treerunner gave a yowl of pain, and a pale bundle slipped onto the moss. At once, Yellowlight moved over to it.
"Is it over?" asked a voice from the outside. A ginger tom poked his head into the den, his green eyes shining.
"Yes," Yellowlight puffed, as she looked up. The ginger kit was now at Treerunner's belly, suckling. "You have a tom, Sandleaf."
Sandleaf purred in delight as Yellowlight moved away. He moved towards his mate, who was looking at their kit fondly.
"You name him," Treerunner insisted to Sandleaf. "He looks like you."
Sandleaf looked thoughtful for a while as he considered his decision. "He looks like one day, he could climb the willows like me, soaring through the skies..." Sandleaf took a deep breath, and paused. "His name will be Soaringkit."
~_~*~_~
"I thought he would've opened his eyes by now."
"Be patient, Feathershine. He'll open them in his own time."
"I don't know... Flowerkit and Lizardkit opened them quicker."
Soaringkit squirmed in his nest, against his mother's belly. He didn't want to open his eyes... well, not yet, anyway. He was perfectly content in the dark right now.
A scuffling made him twitch. High-pitched voices drifted into his ears:
"Bet you can't catch me!" meowed one cat. Its paws thrummed on the ground.
"No fair, Lizardkit! You're faster than me!" yowled another in reply.
"Try catch me!" Yowled the first, and Soaringkit heard his pawsteps falter as he ran away.
"No fair!" squeaked the second, and they moved away as well.
Well, what even is out there? Soaringkit thought suddenly.
This was the limit. He didn't want to be in this world of darkness anymore! What was out there?
Stretching open his eyes, he marveled at the sight above him. Patches of blue dotted the place above him. This place he was in - whatever it was - was bigger than he thought it was.
But there has to be more than this, surely. Where had those other cats gone?
"Hey, Treerunner!"
'What?" The brown tabby beside him - Soaringkit's mother, Treerunner - shuffled over slightly. Looking around, he noticed that the other cat in this palce - a silver tabby, most likely Feathershine - was staring intently at him.
"Soaringkit's opened his eyes!"
~_~*~_~
"Soaringkit!"
"Get off," Soaringkit huffed. "I'm trying to sleep..."
"What, don't you want to see a warrior ceremony?" asked Lizardkit in mock surprise. "I'd always thought you'd wanted to see a warrior ceremony."
"Well, why didn't you say so?" Soaringkit replied, blinking open his eyes. "I'm coming..."
Two moons had passed since Soaringkit had been born. Nothing much had happened with the Clan, but leaf-fall had dawned on the willows. Leaves, golden, red, and auburn, scattered the ground of the camp.
Lizardkit leapt in the distance in front of him. Soaringkit envied the sleek gray tom. The kit was bigger than him - and two moons older.
"Wait up!" Soaringkit sprinted to catch up with Lizardkit, who had slipped under a shady part of the camp near the elder's den.
When he finally arrived, Lizardkit and Flowerkit were waiting for him. Lizardkit's tail flicked in the direction of Bramblethorns.
"Look over there," he mewed. "Rubblestar's about to give Ashpaw and Cinderpaw their warrior names!"
Soaring stared in the direction Lizardkit told him to. Sure enough, Rubblestar was standing on Bramblethorns. The dark gray tom was staring at his Clan with icy blue eyes.
"Today," Rubblestar mewed, "we gather here to give two young cats their warrior names."
Below Bramblethorns, Soaringkit could see Ashpaw and Cinderpaw squirming excitedly.
"Ashpaw and Cinderpaw, come forward."
The two pale cats stepped forward. Darker flecks dotted their pelts like dark stars. Rubblestar lifted his head to the sky, and mewed:
"I, Rubblestar, leader of WillowClan, ask my warrior ancestors to look down on these two apprentices. They have learnt the ways of your noble code, and I commend them to you as warriors in their turn. Ashpaw and Cinderpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code, and to defend this Clan, even at the cost of your life?"
I can't wait until my warrior ceremony, Soaringkit thought.
"I do," Ashpaw mewed, his gray tail flicking.
"I do," added Cinderpaw, after her brother.
"Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior names." Rubblestar beckoned Ashpaw forward. "Ashpaw, from this moment you will be known as Ashsky. StarClan honors your determination and courage, and we welcome you as a full warrior of WillowClan."
Ashsky licked Rubblestar's shoulder, and then returned to his place beside Cinderpaw. The young gray she-cat trembled as Rubblestar called her forward.
"Cinderpaw, from this moment you will be known as Cinderdust. StarClan honors your spirit and compassion, and we welcome you as a full warrior of WillowClan."
Cinderdust was purring as Rubblestar - the father of Ashsky and Cinderdust - licked her shoulder. Cinderdust then went back to sit next to Ashsky.
The Clan started cheering for Ashsky and Cinderdust: "Ashsky! Cinderdust! Ashsky! Cinderdust!"
"That'll be us one day," Flowerkit hissed, her green eyes shining. Her brown tabby fur bristled with excitement.
Soaringkit looked at Flowerkit, and agreed silently. And at that moment, Soaringkit realized how much he wanted to have kits of his own.
I want Flowerkit to be my mate someday.
~_~*~_~
"Soaringkit, from this moment on, you will be known as Soaringpaw."
Soaringpaw puffed his chest out in pride. How great did it feel, to finally become a WillowClan apprentice!
"Your mentor," Rubblestar mewed solemnly, his blue gaze darkening. "Soaringpaw, I have thought about this for a while... your mentor will be Tansynight."
Tansynight? Why did Rubblestar give me Tansynight for? Soaringpaw thought scathingly. The black-and-cream she-cat was a well-respected warrior. It was rumored between the cats of WillowClan that she would succeed Rubblestar as leader - after the deputy, Redleap, had retired - obviously.
Tansynight padded through the throng of cats to meet Soaringpaw. Her tail lifted high as she looked at Soaringpaw with an intense green gaze.
Is she curious? Soaringpaw thought, as he thrust his head towards Tansynight reluctantly. In response, he felt Tansystar's black nose touch his.
Cheers of his new name broke the silence: "Soaringpaw! Soaringpaw!"
He could see the cats cheering for him: Lizardpaw and Flowerpaw, who had been apprenticed two moons before; his parents, Sandleaf and Treerunner; Ashsky and Cinderdust, even Redleap was cheering. The only cat that stayed silent was Yellowlight, whose amber gaze was burning into Soaringpaw's pelt.
"Come on." Tansynight's voice brought Soaringpaw out of his trance. "Time to explore the territory."
~_~*~_~
"This is the far border. This is the border that surrounds the larger part of WillowClan's territory - and where we have the most trouble with rogues."
Soaringpaw twitched his ears as Tansynight explained the far border. Why did she have to explain all of that stuff? All he wanted to do was to start his training. However, the mention of rogues had interested him.
"Rogues?"
Tansynight nodded. "That's right. A couple of rogues have been scented around our borders lately - luckily, they haven't gone into our territory." Tansynight's chest puffed out with pride. "WillowClan is strong enough to defeat anything."
Soaringpaw nodded vaguely. He wasn't really paying attention. What was that weird smell that was coming from nearby?
To Soaringpaw's dislike, Tansynight had smelt it too. "Get behind me," she hissed.
"Why?" Soaringpaw complained, as he moved behind Tansynight reluctantly.
Tansynight flicked her tail at Soaringpaw, and he fell silent. It felt like forever that he was behind Tansynight. Just then, the smell of the stench increased, and two cats stepped out from behind one of the willows.
There was a tom and a she-cat. The tom was dark gray, with lighter gray paws and belly, the she-cat was a small light brown tabby. They stared in shock as Tansynight hissed: "You'd better not step on our territory."
"This is someone's territory?" questioned the dark gray tom. His ears flicked nervously.
"Yes," Tansynight hissed. "Stay away!"
The light brown she-cat licked her belly nervously as her dark gray friend bent over to her. With one fleeting look at the two cats, they went away.
"Why didn't we fight those rogues?" Soaringpaw complained.
Tansynight shot a fierce gaze at Soaringpaw. "They didn't go on our territory, Soaringpaw," she mewed. "The most important thing about rogues is to not attack them if they're outside you're territory. Warriors need to show some mercy, Soaringpaw."
Warriors need to show some mercy, Soaringpaw.
Tansynight's words rang in Soaringpaw's ears. Was that really important?
Yes, it is, whispered a voice inside his mind.
~_~*~_~
To Be Continued...