Duck That Flies and Wolf That Howls

This story is by IcewrathXFeatherswirlXCraneheart for Ash's Contest.

Chapter 1: Wolfpaw

Wolfpaw padded into the ThunderClan camp with a pheasant in his jaws.

"Well done, Wolfpaw!" his father, and mentor, Jaystar purred.

Wolfpaw shrugged and meowed, "It's just a pheasant."

He padded on and put it on the fresh-kill pile and sat down to groom his sleek black fur, and get all the dirt from the white socks on his front paws. He stared into a small pool and saw his reflection. He was a very handsome tom with light blue eyes.

He settled down to watch the clouds drift across the sky. He was bewildered by it all. The clear blue of the endless sky. The large, fluffy, white clouds that floated gracefully on the most windless of days. The graceful soaring of eagles as they circled above. The cool, light breeze of the upcoming leaf-bare.

"Wolfpaw!" a she-cat's voice squealed.

"It's Wolfpaw!" another meowed.

He was suddenly surrounded by a mob consisting of six she-cat apprentices. Their names were Spottedpaw, Skypaw, Amberpaw, Snowpaw, Hollypaw, and Leafpaw.

Spottedpaw was a dark brown, graceful she-cat with blue eyes and black spots that shimmered on her pelt.

Skypaw was a silver she-cat with light blue eyes, like his.

Amberpaw was a ginger she-cat with green eyes.

Snowpaw was a totally white she-cat with amber eyes.

Hollypaw was a dark ginger she-cat with black spots and deep amber eyes.

Leafpaw was a light brown she-cat with green eyes.

And they were all very pretty, but not as pretty as one certain cat...

"Wolfpaw! You are so handsome!" Hollypaw squealed.

The she-cats went on with the praises as he shot a sympathetic glance at the two other apprentice toms, named Dustpaw and Snakepaw, who were staring at them.

The apprentice she-cats were all beautiful, but there was only one she-cat that occupied his thoughts.

He stared across the clearing at Duckpaw. She was a beautiful tortoiseshell she-cat with green eyes. She was sitting there sorting herbs for her mentor. He sighed as he recalled that she had no interest in toms, especially because it was against the warrior cat code.

He continued to stare. She was so closed off from all toms, except her brother, whose name was Snakepaw, but he was determined to at least become friends with her, if not more.

Where is the wave that will carry me

A little closer to you?

Chapter 2: Duckpaw

Duckpaw sat beside the medicine cat, aware of a pair of eyes on her. She looked up to Wolfpaw staring at her.

What? Is he angry because I don't come tripping over my paws to coo over him? she asked herself, a hint of scorn lingering. She couldn't see what the big deal was about that black tom. She only saw another apprentice. Snakepaw, her brother, padded over and she purred. She loved her brother dearly.

"Looking at Wolfpaw, sis?" Snakepaw teased.

"No!" she shook her head.

"What are you doing, Duckpaw?" Snakepaw asked.

"Sorting herbs into good and weathered piles, then I am going to seperate the good herbs," Duckpaw explained.

Snakepaw pretended to yawn, "Well, Duckpaw. Tomorrow I'll be explaining things to you."

"Why?" Duckpaw asked.

"All of the apprentices get their ceremonies tonight," said Snakepaw, his tawny golden eyes shimmering.

Duckpaw's mentor came out of her den meowed, "Get ready to go to the Moonpool. You get your full medicine cat name tonight. You can do that later."

Duckpaw shot a smug glance at her brother and scraped all the herbs back into the den.

She and Dapplefur prepared themselves and started off to meet the other medicine cats by the stream.

"Hi, Duckpaw!" her friend, Mintpaw meowed, padding up next to her. "What's new?"

Duckpaw smiled, "I'm getting my full medicine cat ceremony tonight."

"Well done, Duckpaw!" Goosewing, a kind, old tom medicine cat, meowed.

Mintpaw's eyes widened. "Wow!" she gushed, "You are so lucky! It will be? ages? before I get my ceremony." She shot a glance at Goosewing, who was smiling at the two youths fondly.

"It will come," she reassured her friend.

The medicine cats arrived at the Moonpool.

The medicine cats gathered around as Dapplefur started the ceremony, "Duckpaw, is it your wish to become a full medicne cat and serve the Clan by healing them and upholding the medicine cat code, to be loyal and hard-working as the medicine cat for the rest of your days?"

"It is!" Duckpaw meowed.

"Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your full medicine cat name. You will be known as Duckflight."

"Duckflight! Duckflight! Duckflight!" the medicine cats chanted.?

Duckflight beamed and lapped some of the water from the Moonpool after settling at the water's edge. Her dream took her to the bright, pretty forest of StarClan.

"Hello, Duckflight..."

She turned to see her grandmother, Cinderclaw.

"Cinderclaw!" Duckflight rejoiced at the sight of her kin, who had died of greencough when she had been a kit.

The young, swift wolf will hunt the pretty mallard...

"What?" Duckflight meowed, "What does that mean?"

StarClan faded away, leaving Duckflight more confused than ever.

More things than are dreamed about

Unseen and unexplained...

Chapter 3: Wolfpaw

"Wolfpaw, Snakepaw, Hollypaw, Snowpaw, Amberpaw, Leafpaw, Spottedpaw, Skypaw, and Dustpaw, do you all promise to uphold the warrior code and protect and serve the Clan at the cost of your life, if necessary?" Jaystar asked, his eyes gleaming with pride at his son.

"I do!" the apprentices said in unision.

"Then by the powers of StarClan you nine are now Wolfhowl, Snakeeye, Hollyflight, Snowwing, Amberdrop, Leafflutter, Spottedhead, Skytuft, and Dustclaw! StarClan honors your skill and bravery and we welcome you all as full members of ThunderClan!"

"Wolfhowl! Snakeeyes! Hollyflight! Snowwing! Amberdrop! Leafflutter! Spottedhead! Skytuft! Dustclaw!" the Clan chanted.

Wolfhowl wished Duckpaw, or whatever her name was now, was here to see this, but she would probably be focuseed on her brother, not him. The new she-cat warriors were chanting his name over and over again, however.

I wish they could start seeing that I am not interested! he thought, frustration spreading through every hair on his pelt.

"Wolfhowl! Wolfhowl!" the she-cats shreiked.

"Will you be my mate?" one asked.

"No! I called him first!" another said.

"No! He's mine!" another yowled.

"Stop!" he shouted, his temper boiling over, "I am not interested!"

He stormed away, his pelt growing hot as the she-cats stared in shock as he disappeared into the forest.

"Wait! You need to sit vigil!" Jaystar said.

Wolfhowl ignored him and stormed on. It was dawn anyway. As he went to the lake he saw Duckpaw walking to camp with her mentor.

He poked his head out of the bushes and hissed, "Duck! Duckpaw!"

Duckpaw turned and went into the bushes.

"You have to help me!" Wolfhowl pleaded, "All the she-cats love me, but I only love one cat."

"I'm Duckflight now," she said, "And I don't know how I can help."

Duckflight! How nice!

Wolfhowl stared into her pretty eyes and he felt words of love crawling up his throat, but he snapped them back. He couldn't do this now.

"N-nevermind!" he stammered, looking away.

But I believe there's a ghost of a chance we can find someone to love

And make it last...

Chapter 4: Duckflight

Duckflight yawned. The night at the Moonpool had exhausted her and she really needed to rest. She rearranged her moss and settled down. Then she remembered her encounter with Wolfhowl. She found it strange.

What could he have wanted? she wondered.

She remembered the spooky prophecy she had recieved earlier at the Moonpool.

The young, swift wolf will hunt the pretty mallard...

She knew that the wolf must be Wolfhowl, but she had no idea what a mallard was, and she didn't think any of the Clan knew either.

She dozed the day away, then woke in the evening with her stomach growling like a hostile togue. She hadn't eaten since before the visit to the Moonpool. She dragged herself to the fresh-kill pile and chose a big, plump pheasant. Of course, she would need to share it, so she sat next to Snakeeyes, who had run up to her excited the moment she had stepped into camp that morning.

"Duckflight!" Snakeeyes purred.

"Hi, Snakeeyes."

Duckflight set the pheasant down and tore into it ravenously.

"Share much?" Snakeeyes teased.

"For that you're not going to get treated when you get a thorn in your pad!" she teased back.

Snakeeyes cried, "No! Not that!" Then he added, "I'm not that hungry anyway." He stood and streched, padding away to the warriors' den to sleep.

Duckflight still felt like she could sleep for a moon, but she knew that Dapplefur needed rest, too. She would just have to keep herself awake, as the rest of the Clan slept.

Slowly, she kept eating, savoring the bites, because leaf-bare was rushing up fast, and slowly, cats left the clearing and went to sleep.

Duckflight took the remains of her pheasant into the den and ate while sorting herbs, shivering at the chilly night breeze flowing into the den.

"You cold?" she felt a warm figure next to her.

She looked through the dim light, "Wolfhowl?"

"I thought you would be lonely and cold, up all by yourself," he murmured.

"Well, you can make yourself useful and hang moss in the den entrance to make it warmer in here. Want some pheasant?"

"Ok and sure." Wolfhowl took a bite of the pheasant and he took some moss from the storage and started draping it over the entrance.

It got much warmer after a few minutes, "Thanks."

"Anytime," Wolfhowl meowed.

Was it just her imagination, or was that a hint of a purr in his warm voice? Was there a glint of love in his light blue eyes?

"Ummmm... Duckflight..." Wolfhowl began, "I need to ask you something..."

"What is it?" she asked, nervous.

"Well..." his eyes shifted from her to Dapplefur, then he shuffled his paws and sighed, "Nevermind."

Duckflight grew bewildered once again and she wondered, for the second time that day, what was going through that tom's head.

What am I supposed to do?

Where are the words to answer you?

Chapter 5: Wolfhowl

Wolfhowl woke in his new nest in the warriors' den feeling horrbile. Last night had been awful. How could he be a warrior if he couldn't tell the one cat he truly loved that he loved her.

Wolfhowl pushed it away and decided to start fresh today, and he decided that today would be the day that he told Duckflight his feelings. He padded over to the fresh kill pile and grabbed a mouse.

Skytuft came up and licked him on the cheek and purred. He drew away, disgusted.

As if a silent signal went of all of the she cats with crushes on him were over there and mooning over him.

He ran into the forest with his mouse, angered. Sometimes, he wished he wasn't the most handsome tom in the Clan. It was such a hassle, trying to please his father and Clan and trying to not make any she-cats too upset.

He sat by the shore and ate his mouse in peace, letting the sunlight soak into his black fur. He spotted Duckflight a bit away on the shore, her eyes closed and her head bent low.

An elder was at her paws, rasping.

"It is my time, Duckflight. Even you can't save me now..." the elder rasped.

"Shadeface!" he recognized the blood covered elder as his grandfather.

"Don't go..." Duckflight choked out.

"What happened to him?" Wolfhowl cried, rushing up.

"He was attacked by a ShadowClan apprentice," Duckflight meowed, she coated his wounds with cobwebs and poultices, "I tried everything, but his wounds are too fatal and deep."

Wolfhowl wrapped his tail around her, but she pulled away sharply.

"Look," Shadeface's voice shook, "A pretty mallard!" His old face folded into a warm smile as he stared to the sky.

Wolfhowl and Duckflight looked into the sky, where a duck flew overhead. He saw Duckflight stiffen. They looked back down at the smiling elder, who heaved his last breath and closed his eyes.

Wolfhowl bent his head and touched his nose to Duckflight's cheek, who seemed to relax, though she looked around nervously.

"Duckflight.... I know this isn't the best time, but, I love you." Wolfhowl meowed.

Duckflight's face stretched into a smile filled with love, but she yanked her gaze away and her eyes grew cold.

"No!" sh snapped, "I can't love you, Wolfhowl. I just can't. StarClan warned me..." she broke off and turned away.

"But if StarClan knew this would happen, then it should be ok," Wolfhowl tried to hide the flowing river of upset emotions that was swelling inside.

She turned and snarled, "No!" Then she raced off into the forest.

Wolfhowl started to cry like a kit, next to his dead grandfather, in the middle of the scent of the love of his life.

What did I see,

Fool that I was?