Mind Over Matter

Prologue (Flameheart)

The peaceful woodland was quiet and at rest. Mice nibbling their meals and settling into their nests, all the while the trees awakened. Wings spread and took to the sky, sharp, motionless eyes looking for the lingering prey for the taking.

Out of the trees and into the open. The moon turned the lifeless rocks of the clearing a shining silver. Making for a beautiful view of the forest that hardly anybody would ever see. The rocks broke away onto a path of stepping stones. Making for an uncertain way across the black depths they poked out of and stood above.

The river below swirled, bubbled, and foamed. Completely black, it would travel until it gave into the roaring, gaping depths of the gorge nearby. Crossing the shore beyond the stones, the ground becomes soft underpaw. You can hear the frogs croaking, screaming, and singing.

The marshy lands of those who need to live in a wet area, with no dry ground. Being slick underpaw, the prey inhabiting the area could easily escape the predators that lurked about in the reeds. The soft ground will eventually sink down, going back down into a deep ring of water. One with land in the middle.

This is the home of many, many cats. Swimmers, the catchers of fish. Built and born to survive in the marsh that most would consider unlivable. They loved the marshy lands, the taste of the fish that came from the pools of water and the swirling river.

These cats were large, with hulking muscles that made them have super strength. Giving them the power to swim against river currents effortlessly.

These powerful cats, call themselves RiverClan. Tonight, in RiverClan, under the stars and bright moon. A magical event is about to take place. Something referred to as 'The Miracle of Life'.

"Blueflower's kits are coming!"

Chapter I (Pumpkintail)

Smokepaw felt the cold snow that had fallen last night brush against her belly. Crouching in the undergrowth of the RiverClan territory, she put one paw in front of the other gingerly, worrying that the thick white powder will crunch under her feet. She’d been stalking a water vole for a while now, inching closer and closer, biding her time and waiting for the right moment to strike. Her nostrils flared as she sucked in the smell of the water vole. Good prey was hard to find in leaf-bare, and she had to seize the moment. She knew that her mentor, Spottedclaw, was watching from somewhere, examining her every move. She had to make a good impression.

The water vole scurried through the snow. Then, it stopped and sat up, holding a freshly dug out seed in its tiny paws. Smokepaw licked her lips, thinking of the juicy water vole meat, but immedietely chased the thought away, knowing the water vole would most likely serve as food to one of the queens

Without any more hesitation, she burst out of the undergrowth and launched herself at her prey. Her claws grabbed onto the water vole’s body. She sank into the snow, bowling over, trying to hold the brown creature in her paws for long enough to finish it with a swift bite. Once the deed was done, she spoke.

“Thank you, StarClan, for this prey,” she meowed solemnly to the sky before picking up the water vole with her teeth. Suddenly, the branches of the tree above her shook. Before she could look up, Spottedclaw landed elegantly on the ground a tail-length away from her, a satisfied expression on her face. Smokepaw grunted, realizing that her mentor had watched her all this time without her knowing. However, it solidified the belief in her that she still had much to learn.

“A good catch,” Spottedclaw nodded approvingly. “Now, let’s get back to camp. Your paws must be freezing off after all that stalking in the snow.” Smokepaw lifted her tail proudly and followed her mentor back to camp. Every cat knew that Spottedclaw was not one to overdo it with praise, but that just made Smokepaw value her approval even more. Besides, Spottedclaw told her that she felt this leaf-bare was remarkably cold, but it’s not like Smokepaw could agree or disagree. It had been the elder Hayshine who told her that the gray apprentice’s mentor was especially grumpy this time of the year, so whether the calico deputy’s statement held any truth remained to be seen.

Spottedclaw and Smokepaw pushed through the thick grass and bushes that formed the border between the RiverClan camp and the rest of the territory. As Spottedclaw padded off to speak to some of the senior warriors, Smokepaw walked over to the fresh-kill pile and dropped her catch on top. The pile looked pitifully small compared to what she remembered from when she was a kit, prancing around the camp with her sister in tow during greenleaf. A howling snapped her out of her thoughts.

“For StarClan’s sake! Why aren’t there any apprentices around when you need them?” a voice shouted from the elders’ den. Smokepaw couldn’t stop her eyes from rolling. She turned to look at Spottedclaw, who had turned after the noise too.

“Smokepaw, could you-“

“Going,” the apprentice mumbled, stalking off towards the elders’ den. When she poked her head in, a foul stench immediately flooded her nose. She couldn’t help but gag.

“Oh, Smokepaw,” she heard a familiar voice speak to her. Blinking, the gray she-cat saw her sister, Mudpaw, pressing a dripping piece of moss to Ripplefrost’s back.

“Is that mouse bile?” Smokepaw questioned. Mudpaw only nodded. Smokepaw let out a deep sigh. “Well, that explains the stench.” She watched Ripplefrost huff.

“Back in my days, the apprentices were given a moon off hunting and patrolling if they dared to raise their tongue against an elder,” he rasped, his short rant immediately followed by a dry cough.

“Should I ask Birchpelt to give you some catmint?” Mudpaw asked, still rubbing the wet moss. Ripplefrost shook his head.

“I have endured so much in my days as a warrior, a little cough won’t put me down,” he retorted. Hayshine purred in amusement from another nest. 

“Pay no mind to Ripplefrost’s gloom. If everything were up to him, we would all be moping across the forest instead of running,” she joked. Smokepaw heard Duckwing and Bloomnose stiffle a laugh. Ripplefrost glared at his denmates for a brief moment before turning back to Smokepaw.

“What about you? Will you just stand there, or help your sister?”

Sighing, Smokepaw grabbed another patch of wet moss that Mudpaw had left at the entrance and pressed it to Ripplefrost’s other side. The brown tabby finally seemed to relax.

“Oh, yes, much better,” he mumbled. “Smokepaw, Mudpaw, had I ever told you about how I swallowed a live minnow when I was an apprentice?”

“No, I don’t think so,” Smokepaw lied.

“Oh Yes! Yes! We would love to hear it, Ripplefrost! ” Mudpaw purred delightfully. Smokepaw inwardly rolled her eyes. Suck up, she thought.

Mudpaw’s head snapped towards her, giving her a half-angry, half-confused look, as if she could hear her thoughts. Confused, Smokepaw stared back, until Mudpaw eventually looked at her paws and mumbled something Smokepaw couldn’t hear. The elders seemed to notice the shift in the atmosphere.

“Hey, you two have done enough for us,” Hayshine meowed awkwardly, trying to sound encouraging. “Why don’t you go outside and have a meal?”

Ripplefrost opened his mouth to protest, but he was immediately silenced by Hayshine’s look that told him she wasn’t just saying it for no reason. Smokepaw glanced at Mudpaw as she was padding out, but her sister was looking down in front of her paws and wouldn’t meet her eyes. 

Outside, she spotted Mudpaw’s mentor, Shellfire, make their way towards them. He stopped before his apprentice and shook his dappled pelt to get rid of the snow in it.

“Are you up for hunting?” he asked the brown she-cat, who nodded, eyes brightening. As she followed her mentor, Smokepaw suddenly got an idea in her head.

“Hey! Wait! Can I... come with?” she blurted out. Shellfire glanced at her.

“Only if Spottedclaw’s okay with it,” he meowed. Smokepaw shook her head.

“She won’t mind,” she promised. “After all, the Clan needs prey now, right?” The senior warrior seemed to weigh the dark gray apprentice’s words in his mind before eventually nodding.

“Very well. Come,” he said, waving his tail. Smokepaw padded up next to her sister, prepared to make conversation. Mudpaw seemed to go back to her usual self.

“So,” she started, “Ripplefrost quite a grump ain't he?” Mudpaw let out a purr of amusement.

“He is,” she agreed, “but if he heard me say that, he would claw my ears off!” The two sisters shared a laugh. 

Bounding across the RiverClan land, Smokepaw realized that the territory seemed oddly quiet. The branches still rustled and birds still chirped, but it felt as if something was missing. She slowed down and started looking around, stretching her ears to hear what she was looking for, even though she didn’t even know what it was.

“Smokepaw! Are you coming?” Shellfire called after her, a few fox-lengths ahead.

“Yeah!” she called back, bursting into a sprint to catch up with her littermate and the dappled warrior. 

“That’s strange,” Shellfire remarked. “We should be nearing the river, but I can’t hear it.” Smokepaw strained her ears to listen, but she couldn’t hear anything either. She darted ahead, ignoring Shellfire’s cries of protest. She skidded and slid across the snow-covered forest floor. She came closer and closer to where the river was, and yet, she still couldn’t hear anything. Suddenly, she didn’t feel the soft snow under her paws, but a cold, hard surface.

Without warning, she heard a creak and then a soft cracking noise. Before she could realize what was going on, she felt someone pull at her scruff, dragging her back. She let out a surprised yelp, just as the snow-covered ice beneath her broke into pieces. 

“Be careful!” Shellfire glared at the young apprentice. “If I hadn’t pulled you back in time, you’d be swimming down there with the fish.”

Panting, Smokepaw turned to look to where she stood a few moments ago. Beneath the cracked ice that now had a hole in it, she could see a dark, murky water flowing underneath.

“Is that...?” she trailed off.

“The river!” Mudpaw exclaimed, eyes wide. Shellfire stared at the opening in the ice, eyes clouded with thoughts. Smokepaw shuddered. Had she really almost fallen into the icy depths?

Then, a sickening, sinking feeling twisted her belly. The river... was frozen. She felt her stomach twist and heart sink. How are we going to feed ourselves now that the river is frozen?

Chapter 2(Flameheart)

Mudpaw sat down, her amazement cut off by the creeping feeling of being sick to her stomach. She didn't know what what causing it, but it was like it was wrapping into a ball to flip her stomach over. The feeling of dread covered her shoulders and seeped into her nerves.

"How are we going to feed ourselves now that the river is frozen?" She looked over at Smokepaw, who was still staring down at the ice. "I'm sure we can find other ways to hunt, Smokepaw. The ice has to thaw in due time!"

Smokepaw jerked her head up, whipping around to Mudpaw. Confusion in her gaze. "I didn't say anything, Mudpaw." The brown apprentice tilted her head, confused. Of course Smokepaw had spoken, she had heard her!

Mudpaw stood back up, confused. "Yes you did! You were just worrying about how we were going to eat now that the river is frozen-" The brown she-cat swung her head around to her mentor. "-Shellfire! You heard her, right?" Shellfire looked between the two, hesitant, then shook his head.

"Afraid I didn't, Mudpaw: You must be tired. You did sleep properly last night, right?" Mudpaw's head was spinning now, had she been caught up in worrying about this cold leaf-bare that it was affecting how she slept? Maybe it was just me. She shook her head, trying to make it clear.

"I slept fine," She insisted. "Maybe it was just me. Sorry." She then looked back over towards the river. The rushing water had been trapped in semi-thick ice. Cutting off a good water source, and blocking them off from the fish below. "Do you think it'll snow now that it's gotten colder?"

"Most likely," Shellfire nodded, lifting his head to the sky. "The sky will turn grey, and you'll wake up one day to snow covering the forest. It'll be beautiful: trust me." Mudpaw tilted her head, trying to picture snow. The elders always said it was like a white soil that covered the grass and trees.

"Will it be like the soil?" Mudpaw looked down, dragging her paw across the soft earth below her. Shellfire had said that the soil was for plants. A blessing from Starclan for herbs to grow from and thrive. So that RiverClan wouldn't suffer from sickness.

The water is a gift given so we do not thirst, She recited silently. and a special gift so we can have food that the other Clans can't: the fish. "Not quite." Her mentor interrupted her thoughts, Mudpaw looked up at him. She waited for further explanation as to what the tom meant. "It's... Softer, in a way. It packs down under your paws and becomes firm. Very noisy in hunting, but we can use it as practice for stalking. So it's not all bad."

Shellfire stood up. "That being said, we came out here to hunt. Now that the river is frozen, it'll most definitely snow. If we want some full bellies to tough it out. We start now, and hunt as much as we can before the prey flees to their dens. Come along." Her mentor beckoned the two to follow him with a sway of his tail. Bounding forward with strong legs from ages of running across the marshy territory.

Mudpaw took a glance back over at her sister, then bounded off after him. With more sloppy paw coordination than he had. She always found herself to not be as sure when stepping out onto the territory. Being old enough to finally be outside, but being too young to be outside alone was a strange point in life.