By Sorrelflower.
To let you know, I am currently changing the plot, to correct spelling mistakes and expanding each chapter.
Prologue[]
Two she-cat, one cream and one white, ran into the twoleg nest, their pelts bristling with fear. Not far behind, a reddish tabby she-cat with veyr dark amber, almost red eyes. She ran after them, her claws unsheathed and her eyes burning with ferocity. Inside, the two she-cats tried to hide. The cream cat sqeezed into a tire, tucking her bushy tail out the sight of the red tabby, and the white dived into a tipped over, empty bin, ignoring the stench and the bones of twoleg prey. The red tabby leapt into a puddle, glaring around, hissing challenges and threats.
"Come out!" she yowled. "Are you a cat or a mouse? Come out and face me!" her claws ripped at the objects, splitting soft pelts and scoring marks on hard things that made a terrible screechy sound. Her claws slashed closer to Lily's hiding place, and she backed furthur into the bin, unsheathing her claws. Suddenly the tabby stopped. she sniffed the air, frowning, one paw still raised, her long claws shining in the dim light. And then she stiffened. They all heard twoleg voices. Five twolegs, three kits and two adult ones, huddled together on the hard path outside, a dog yapping and whining with fear from one of the twoleg kit's paws. They were staring at the nest in pure horror. Ruby stared in shock as the ceiling began to collapse, burning objects falling, flames lapping at the air hungrily. Racing to the window, she yowled as a flame singed her tail. Lily and Honey ran across the room, which was filled with smoke, the fire raging behind them. Just then, a pile of boxes and chairs fell between the two.
"Lily!" yowled Honey, skidding to a stop and rumaging through the boxes. "Where are you?"
"Help! The fire's burning me!" Lily's paws were flailing out of a pile of chairs. Honey rushed over, and heard yowls and screeches of pain, along with the tell-tale roaring of flames.
"I'm coming!" Honey pulled off a stool and dragged her sister from the debris. A terrible red burn scorched her back.
"Come on!" Honey shoved Lily to her paws as the pile of chairs collapsed. the fire was upon them. Honey screeched and pushed Lily out of the window, springing after her as the flame missing her tail by a claw length. They were sent flying as the nest exploded, and the twolegs and the dog stumbled away as large, red monsters appeared around the corner.
Chapter 1[]
Ravenpaw watched Graystripe and Millie leave. Sighing, he waited until Graystripe's tail disappear over the hill before going inside. That could be the last time he ever saw Graystripe. He was cat he had grown up along with, trained, played, hunted with.n Graystripe and the rest of ThunderClan had helped them get their home back after chasing the rogues away. He had to admit that he missed the kits and Minty. Minty had been the only one who took pity on Ravenpaw and Barley, and her kits, Cloudy, Icicle, Snowflake and Sniff had been so innocent and cute. Barley sat in the doorway, licking a paw and drawing it over his ears.
"I know that was hard for you." he sighed, blinking with sympathy. "It's like when I had to leave Violet with Fuzz when I was younger. And when Hoot and Jumper left. It was difficult for me, but they had to leave." Ravenpaw recalled that time. Just when the rogues had been driven out of their barn, Barley's brothers, Hoot and Jumper, formerly Ice and Snake, had begged for mercy. Barley allowed them to stay, and then Hoot and Jumper began to make Ravenpaw do eveyrthing for them, and they blamed him when they made a mess of the barn. Eventually, Barley saw past it and made them leave.
More to be changed soon
"Ravenpaw, look!" he meowed. Ravenpaw followed his gaze. Two she-cats walked towrad them. One was pretty, long furred and cream coloured with orange eyes, whilst the other was elegant, soft white furred. But she had one blue eye and one yellow.
"Excuse me!" yowled the cream one. "My sister Is hurt!" The white she-cat was limping, eyes glazed with exhaustion.
"Come in!" Barley moved out of the way. As she limped past, Ravenpaw caught a whiff of her pelt. There was the light smell of twoleg on her, but there was a large mark on her back - the mark of a terrible burn.
"We were caught in a fire." The cream she-cat explained. "Lily got trapped in an old twoleg nest, and well... the fire reached her."
"Ravenpaw, do you know anything to cure this stuff?" Barley looked at him hopefully.
"Sorry.. But willow bark and poppy seed will ease the pain." Ravenpaw whisked away, hoping that not all of the forest had been destroyed.
Chapter 2[]
He found some poppies and willow trees, and took the samples back to Lily. She lapped the poppy seeds and Ravenpaw hoped dock leaves would help the burn. She writhed. It would sting. Then she lay still. As soon as she went to sleep, the cream cat turned to them.
"I'm Honey and this is Lily." she mewed. "Our sister is after her, because of some reaosn I don't know. She's called Ruby, and she's a reddish tabby wiht amber eyes. If you see her, don't approach -" she had barely finished. a she-cat matching Ruby's descrption burst inside. her eys blazed, and were fixed on Lily. she leapt, claws outstrecthed. They were longer then Tigerstar's had been. Ravenpaw sprang, bowling her out of the way. Ruby reached up, trying to bite his neck, but he blocked her jaws. He sprang away, leading Ruby away from Lily. Honey hissed, and Barley leapt to help. Barley was older and heavier then Ruy, and she crumpled beneath his weight. He slashed his claws across her eyes. Suddenly, she screeched.
"My eyes!" she yowled. "My eyes!" she lashed her claws blindly, eyes pulsing wiht red. Barley winced at the sight of blood.
"Help her!" Lily staggered to her paws and hobbled over to Ruby.
"But-" Honey began to protest. But Lily spun round, eyes blazing.
"She's still our sister!" she growled. Ruby had collapsed into a heap of hay. Her eyes were nothing but bloodied and destroyed.
"Kill me!" wailed Ruby. "THERE'S NOTHING TO LIVE FOR!"
"Please sister, stop it." Lily put a firm paw on her shoulder. "you'll make it worse."
Chapter 3[]
"Please, Ruby, stop!" there was the yowl of Lily and Honey.
"Barley!" Ravenpaw prodded Barley awake and ran outside.
"You can't do this, Ruby!" The sound was coming from the roof.
"Let me go!" Ruby writhed in Lily's jaws above. "Please! Let me fall! There's nothing to live for!"
"Ruby, i beg you, listne to me!" Lily was struggling to hold on the Ruby's scruff. "Just becuase you're blind dosen't mean you can't live!" Dangling on the roof, Ruby hung form Lily's jaws, and Lily's tail was clamped in Honey's teeth. Honey's claws were sank in the roof, and she was struggling to hold on.
"Quick!" Barley's tail was disappeared as he raced toward a pile of boxes. Ravenpaw followed, and they sprnag onto the roof.
"Help us!" Honey yowled through Lily's tail. Barley and Ravenpaw rushed over, and grabbed Lily's scruff.
"Ruby!!!" Lily yowled. The weight disappeared. Ruby plummeted to the ground. she didn't twist to land on her paws. she just fell.
They rushed down the roof, and skidded to a halt at the body. Ruby lay still. Lily closed her eyes, and then pressed her nose into Ruby's fur.
"We should take her inside." said Ravenpaw quietly. Gently as he could, he grasped Ruby's scruff and dragged her into the barn.
Chapter 4[]
Ravenpaw caught a mouse and took it to Lily. a whole pile of mice lay at her paws, but she just stared at it blankly. He sighed, and jumped onto the hay heap. Barley slept, wiht Honey on another heap. All They could do was sleep. Then the door opened. The twoleg came in, put the food down, and went back out, not noticing Lily. Lily turned and walked to the back of the barn, some fur on her scroched back starting to grow. Ravenpaw curled up, and closed his eyes.
Lily wouldn't eat anything. They tried everything, mice, birds, rabbits and even rat. But she didn't touch it. Ravenpaw went into the woods that were left. the twolegs were pouring gray slop on the ground, and flattening it. Ravenpaw ran past. But he felt twoleg paws grab him. he struggled, and hissed. He stratched it, and it dropped him. He ran off toward the old terriotories. It was then he fell into the river. he coughed. it looked cleaner then it had been. He sniffed the water. it smelled normal, and it was clear. There was a lot of fish at the bottom.
Maybe Lily likes fish? Ravenpaw jumped and caught a carp. Then he dragged it home.
"You're wet!" Barley chuckled.
"I caught a fish. Lily!" he yowled. The white cat padded over. her eyes swept toward the carp. Her eyes glittered.
"Do you want this?" Ravenpaw mewed. She looked blankly.
"Go on, Lily." Honey urged.
"Fine. if it makes you happy." she picked up the carp and trotted into the barn. Ravenpaw followed to make sure. A pile of clean fish bones were on the ground, and Lily was digging a hole. she pushed the remains inside and patted the soil onto the remains.
She's no rogue. She's respectful - dosne't play with food, dosen't leave it lying around to rot.
Chapter 5[]
It was four moons since Lily and Honey had come to stay. Honey and Barley were becoming close. Ravenpaw lay in the hay, tired. Lily snoozed next to him, the burn gone. Her tail was resting on his flank, and her breathing was slow and steady. Her tapered ears flicked as a tiny draft gently went past. Ravenpaw saw the rain outside, drumming down heavily. He sighed and rolled over.
"Watch my tail!" Lily snapped. Ravenpaw mewed apoligy before she went back to sleep. He liked Lily. Even though she was stubborn and fiesty, she was beautiful and warm hearted. In the hay below Barley and Honey stalked a mouse together.
No doubt they're more then friends. Ravenpaw closed his eeys and fell into slumber.
Chapter 6[]
Ravenpaw would watch Lily every day. Whether she was lapping the water by the river or climbing a tree, he would watch her, wishing he would never lose sight of her face. He crouched on the loft, watching her prowl towards a mouse. She pounced and dispatched it with a quick bite. She wolfed down the prey and buried it.
"Thank you StarClan for this mouse." she meowed, smoothing the soil. Ravenpaw pricked his ears.
"StarClan?" he leapt down beside her. She glared after knowing he was eavesdropping, but then sighed.
"My mother was Brambleberry, a medicine cat from RiverClan. She was quite old at the time." Lily mewed. "Honey, Ruby and our two brothers Soot and Ashes were found by a twoleg and he took us home. Brambleberry had just had us when A twoleg walked that way. she didn't have time to get us, but she tried to save us all. But the twoleg heard us mewling, and he took us. He tried to get Brambleberry too but she got away. Our brothers have become kittypets, but they're happy." She looked at him for a moment before padding away.
Chapter 7[]
Ravenpaw clawed his way up the tree after Lily.
"Can't get his high!" she caterwauled, clambering higher into the oak. He tried to go higher, but fear got the better of him.
"Ok! You won!" he yowled. She purred from somewhere above.
"Bet you can't jump from this tree to that one!" she challenged.
"Ok - you go first!" Ravenpaw looked down at the tiny ground below, trying to sound enthusiastic. The tree was very far away. Lily sprang, landed squarely on the branch. Ravenpaw gulped, and then leapt. His clawed the branch and hauled himself up.
"Ok!" he panted. "Let's get down now." They leapt to the ground and tumbled over each other.
"Ravenpaw, can I tell you soemthing?" Lily sat up.
"What is it?" Ravenpaw shook a leaf from his claw.
"I'm going to have your kits." she mewed. Ravenpaw stopped licking his paw.
"that's - That's wonderful!" he felt a wave of joy glow in his heart. "Then - then will you be my mate?"
"That's what i've wanted you to say ever since I first laid eyes on you." she meowed.
Chapter 8[]
"How long?" Ravenpaw paced outside a bundle of heay heaps. Honey poked her head out of a small gap.
"Not long." she replied. Barley waited outside with Ravenpaw, but he just sat down. There was the mew of Honey and Barley's kits from inside, Blossom (tortoiseshell she-kit), Felix (black and white tom) and Whiskers (white tom with black speckled paws). After what seemed like moons Honey came out.
"Go in then. Blossom, Whiskers, Felix! come outside my dears.you can look at the kits later."
"Oh okay." Blossom came out. "Come on." Felix and Whiskers bounded after her.
Ravenpaw went into the hay heap. He followed the short tunnel (about ten tail lengths long and one tail length wide and two tails high) and into an oval chamber ( about four or five cat lenghts wide and three cats lengths tall). At the back Lily lay in the warm hay, four kits curled up against her belly. She lifted her head sleelpily.
"What should we name them?" she yawned.
"How about this one Sage?" he pointed to a tortoiseshell tom (Ps. He isn't Sterile)
"This is Rosemary and Thyme." Lily stroked two kits (Rosemary = Gray and white she-kit. Thyme = Ginger tom kit). "And this is Parsely." Lily decided the last name of the she-kit, which was red tabby and white.
Epiloge[]
Ravenpaw grieved over Lily's body. Barley and Honey had died, along with his mate. He was very old now. His kits pressd their noses into Lily's fur. Suddenly a massive wave of peace washed over him. He could see light at the end of a long, dark tunnel.
"Don't go towrad the light!" he heard Thyme's desparate yowls in his ears. Even though Ravenpaw was standing still, he drifted towards it like a feather is disappeared into the brightness.
He woke. He was in soft grass, and soft moonlight shone brightly by the stars. A white figure padded toward him, her feathery pelt boucning in th warm breeze. stars flecked her paws.
"Lily!" he bounded over to her, and rubbed agaisnt her hard. she purred.
"Greetings, my love." she mewed. "Our friends are waiting for us." she turned and padded away, Ravenpaw matching her pace.
"Firestar!" Ravenpaw ran down the slope. Around Firestar stood Cinderpelt, Ferncloud, Mousefur, Bluestar and a sharp clawed black she-cat he didn't recognise. And...
"Barley! Honey!" Ravenpaw dashed over to his friends, who greeted him warmly. Felix crouched beside them, his kit fur fluffy and thick. A tiny gray and white she-kit wiht sleek fur talked with him, and she was crouched beside Bluestar and white she-cat with tapered, gray tipped ears. Barley and Honey both looked young and strong. It was there where Ravenpaw earned his warrior name: Ravenwing.
The End
Peopl should know: I have no idea if Bootside actually had kits, but I hope His daughters and sons are true (Brambleberry x Bootsie - I LUV this pair) that i think. At least have had a kit called Lily!