|
| Preceded by: None |
Standards | Succeded by: Healing |
Prologue
- A lone spirit walked in StarClan, heading towards the Stone of Rebirth.
- "Rushclaw!" a cat called. "Wait for me, will you?"
- Rushclaw turned to see an old friend of his, named Eaglewing. "Sure, I will, if you manage to catch me."
- Eaglewing purred and leaped from a distance, aiming for Rushclaw. But Rushclaw dove out of the way, rolling across the soft grass to escape the fun-filled attack.
- Eaglewing tried again, making Rushclaw annoyed. He let Eaglewing land, confused, and then he snapped, "We're going to fade if we don't hurry."
- Eaglewing nodded and stepped back, allowing Rushclaw to stand and shake the dust off his pelt.
- Together they raced through the forest, skidding to a halt in front of the largest stone Rushclaw had ever seen.
- A cat slipped out from behind it. "Hello Rushclaw," it mewed in a calm, smooth tone. "Hello, Eaglewing. I've been expecting you."
- Rushclaw glanced sideways at Eaglewing, who stared back.
- "I see you would like to be reborn?" the strange cat asked, phrasing it as if it was a question. But it didn't give time to answer, either. "I have instructions for you to follow, and you two had better follow them carefully."
- "What's your name?" Eaglewing's voice had fear tinged in it, as if there was something to be afraid of.
- "Yellowfang," the cat snapped. "I was the ThunderClan medicine cat before I died, and I have chosen not to be reborn."
- Eaglewing nodded.
- "Both of you will put your right forepaw on top of my right forepaw, one at a time," Yellowfang instructed. "Then, you will make a choice."
- "What kind of choice?" Rushclaw questioned.
- She gestured to four small stones, each with a symbol on it. "You will choose what Clan you will live in," Yellowfang intoned. "The four stones represent ThunderClan, RiverClan, ShadowClan, and WindClan in turn."
- "How do we choose?" Eaglewing asked Yellowfang.
- "You will press your right forepaw to it," Yellowfang replied. "Any more questions?"
- "What if we do something we regret in our chosen life?" Rushclaw asked. "What if something happens that we never wanted?"
- "Live with it," Yellowfang snapped irritably. "No more questions," she added as Eaglewing opened his mouth.
- Eaglewing stepped forward. "I'll go first."
- Yellowfang stretched out her right forepaw and Eaglewing put his on top.
- Rushclaw padded forward and placed his right paw on Yellowfang's, after Eaglewing had removed his. He felt a sharp pain and pulled back.
- Eaglewing was standing in front of the four stones when Rushclaw turned around.
- "Should I go to WindClan again?" he asked Rushclaw softly.
- Rushclaw shrugged and pressed his paw to the ThunderClan stone.
- "I'm finally free," he whispered.
- Eaglewing, the giant rock, and the four stones faded away, and the spirit knew that he would not see them again.
Two nights later...
- "Just one more, Nettlefur," Ravenheart crooned. "C'mon, you can do it..."
- Nettlefur screeched in obvious pain and a tiny brown bundle tumbled out of her. The father, named Brackenheart, rushed forward to nip the kitting sack.
- There were only two kits. A black tom, and a brown tabby she-kit. Both squirmed to be closer to their mother.
- "Finally, no more secrets," Ravenheart whispered.
- Brackenheart's eyes were distant-looking as he stared at his second litter of kits. "Wow..." he croaked. "Nettlefur, they're beautiful!"
- Nettlefur nodded tiredly and nudged the brown tabby she-kit. "We can name her Mousekit," she told Brackenheart.
- "That's beautiful," Brackenheart replied.
- The black tomkit laid there, nameless.
- "The black one's name-free," Ravenheart joked half-heartedly. His heart pounded desperately. Please name him! he thought.
- Nettlefur nodded, then her eyes gleamed. "How about Freekit?" she asked.
- Brackenheart nodded eagerly. "That's a wonderful name."
- Ravenheart nodded and padded out of the nursery, his heart rising in happiness.
- But another cat stopped him from going back to the medicine den, where he could sleep.
- "Jaytail?" Ravenheart croaked. "You're dead."
- His old mentor nodded. "StarClan have sent me with a prophecy."
- Ravenheart gasped and let his ears perk up.
- "Freedom isn't held by bounds," Jaytail told him, "but some cats have trouble finding it."
- Ravenheart nodded and blinked. When he opened his eyes, Jaytail had vanished.
- Ravenheart was alone this time. Truly, wonderfully alone.
Chapter 1
- "Wake up, Freekit!" a tiny voice hissed.
- Freekit had been hearing this voice for far too long. He knew it was his sister, Mousekit, because another, bigger cat had been hissing at her to stop.
- "Freekit! C'mon, I wanna play!" Mousekit complained again.
- Freekit blinked open his eyes and directed his eyes at his sister, who he knew was just heartbeats older than him. He had sensed it even before his birth.
- "What?" he sighed.
- "Freekit!" Mousekit crooned. "You're awake at last!"
- "I am," Freekit grunted.
- Mousekit paced around him. "C'mon! Let's go outside!"
- "I don't wanna!" Freekit protested. "It's too big out there. I like it in here." In the nursery, he felt comfortable being in a small space.
- Mousekit sounded disappointed. "Fine, I'll go on my own." She pranced out.
- Freekit didn't know what to think. Mousekit seemed energetic enough, but her voice sounded sad.
- He felt confused already, and he had just opened his eyes.
- "Run!" Freekit cried.
- The thing was huge, and it was right behind him. It was looming over him, and Freekit hadn't faced it yet.
- Suddenly, he felt himself growing bigger and stronger, as big as a full-grown cat.
- But he knew he was stronger. He knew what was going to happen before the threat attacked him, and he could figure out how to react.
- And suddenly, his threat was gone, as quickly as it had come. Had it been a dream?
- "Mousekit?" Freekit asked. He knew she was sleeping, she was showing all the signs.
- Mousekit lifted her head. "Yeah?"
- "Have you dreamed yet?" Freekit asked.
- Mousekit nodded. "I dreamed I was fully-grown, Freekit, and the strongest warrior in ThunderClan."
- Freekit purred, he had dreamed the same thing.
- Mousekit continued, "But then, I dreamed of being overcome by a bigger, stronger cat. And I felt angry, y'know? Actually, that cat looked like you- but you looked like a warrior or something."
- "Or something?"
- "You know what I mean."
- Freekit twitched his whiskers at her and fell asleep.
Two moons later:
- He knew he was dreaming when he saw a very familiar cat in front of him.
- "Yellowfang?" Freekit breathed.
- "You don't look too familiar to me," she mewed, "but I can guess who you are."
- Freekit flicked his tail. "I'm Freekit," he told Yellowfang.
- Yellowfang muttered a name that Freekit don't catch, and then added, "Why are you here?"
- Freekit shrugged and turned away. "I can go, if you want."
- Yellowfang didn't reply, and Freekit padded into the trees, his sight fading like a shadow.
Chapter 2
- Mousekit nudged Freekit into the medicine den. "Go on, he's not scary!"
- Ravenheart had insisted on taking a closer look at Freekit for some reason. Freekit was strongly aware of his disability, but he had always thought of it to be normal to him. After all, he could see in different ways.
- "I'm not different because I'm blind," Freekit hissed. "You know I can see just as well as any other cat."
- Mousekit blinked. "You can?"
- Freekit had said the wrong thing. "You know," he improvised, "I can smell stuff and hear stuff better than you."
- Both kits definitely heard Ravenheart's annoyed call. "Get in here! I don't have all day!"
- Freekit blinked and padded into the nursery, jumping over a branch.
- "You were supposed to crash into that," Ravenheart protested.
- Freekit sighed and backed up, allowing his tail to lightly touch the stick. "Happy?"
- Ravenheart sighed. "You're blind. How do you seem to function like every other cat?"
- Freekit shrugged and noticed as Ravenheart reached out a hesitant paw to touch his head. Freekit leaped backward, spitting, "Don't touch me!"
- Ravenheart snapped his paw back, his frustration radiating from him. "I'm sorry! I'm trying to see how you do it."
- Freekit spit at him and stormed out of the medicine den, banging into Mousekit.
- "Hey!" Mousekit squeaked in protest, standing up. "Why are you so annoyed?"
- Freekit just lashed his tail and stalked back to the nursery.
- "I hate being blind!" he hissed to himself.
- "Are you okay?"
- Yellowfang's voice cut into Freekit's dreams, causing him to open his eyes.
- At his startled expression, Yellowfang mewed, "Yes, you can actually see when you dream, or if you are in the presence of a StarClan cat."
- Freekit knew that he could see. "Why do you keep talking to me?" he snapped. "I can see fine without your stupid help."
- Yellowfang hissed. "You'll know eventually."
- Freekit shut his eyes, telling himself to wake up, that he never wanted to see this she-cat again.
- And when he opened his eyes again, she was there, tracing her claw in the dirt.
- "Yes?" Yellowfang asked expectantly.
- Freekit sighed and decided to be nice. "Why are you here? Why do you want to help me?"
- Yellowfang looked up. "Because you have a history, Freekit."
- Freekit sighed. This isn't helping! he thought angrily.
- Yellowfang's calmness unnerved Freekit. It wasn't fair that she could sit up here and have endless prey and endless cats to talk to and endless sight. All she had to do was trace her claw in the dirt and she was happy.
- "Well," Yellowfang spoke up, "tomorrow you become six moons. That means your apprentice ceremony is tomorrow, right?"
- Freekit nodded.
- Yellowfang's eyes shone with happiness. "I'll let you go, then." Her tail waved and Freekit closed his eyes.
- When Freekit opened his eyes to darkness, he sensed a kit jumping around him.
- "Apprentice ceremony! Apprentice ceremony!" Mousekit chanted.
- Freekit allowed himself to purr. "Yeah, it's today, isn't it?"
- Mousekit nodded vigorously.
- Nettlefur, their mother, purred and stood up. "Good luck," she mewed.
- "I'll need it," Freekit murmured to himself.
Chapter 3
- "This Clan meeting," Reedstar mewed, "is to create two new warriors-in-training."
- Freekit stared up at his leader. Mousekit squirmed beside him.
- He could sense Ravenheart's eyes boring into him. He didn't turn, however.
- "Mousekit, you first," Reedstar directed.
- The kit stepped forward confidently.
- Please get a good mentor! Freekit pleaded.
- "Mousekit, from this moment on, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Mousepaw," Reedstar mewed. "Your mentor will be Duskfoot."
- "Mousepaw!" Freekit chanted with the Clan. "Mousepaw! Mousepaw!"
- "Freekit?" Reedstar prompted.
- Freekit stepped forward, and a shiver ran down his spine as he sensed Reedstar's annoyance at making a blind cat an apprentice.
- I'm not blind, he thought. I can see!
- "Freekit," Reedstar's voice rang, "from this moment on, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Freepaw."
- Freepaw wanted to leap into the air. But that would make his paws rise off the ground.
- "Your mentor," Reedstar continued, "will be Thorntail."
- Freepaw heard Mousepaw chant, louder than the Clan itself, "Freepaw! Freepaw!"
- Freepaw sensed the cat he recognized as Thorntail pad up to him and touch his nose. "Good luck," he whispered.
- Annoyance flashed through Freepaw. "I won't need it," he hissed.
- Thorntail only nodded. "We'll begin training tomorrow," he told Freepaw quietly.
- Freepaw only nodded curtly, and went with Mousepaw to find his nest in his new den.
- Thorntail guided Freepaw through the forest.
- Of course, Freepaw's senses were alert and alive with strange feelings.
- A log was lying right in front of him. Thorntail was beginning the task of getting Freepaw over, but Freepaw backed up. "Let me do it," he mewed.
- Thorntail stepped back, confusion and worry coming in waves.
- Freepaw took one more step backward, then rushed towards the log and jumped.
- He become completely blind. He had no way to see anything around him, and he began to urge himself to land.
- He slammed into the ground with an uhf! and stood up quickly, so he could feel around him.
- Thorntail landed behind him. "Wow," he mewed. "For a blind c-"
- "I'm not blind!" Freepaw snapped irritably. Softening his voice, he added, "I just can't see."
- He could sense his mentor looking at him for a long time. After a while, Thorntail mewed, "Let's go. I want to get back to camp by sundown."
- Freepaw walked next to his mentor, hating every moment of it.
- "And, then, I I swiped my paw like this." Mousepaw imitated the movement. "And I caught the mouse!" she finished.
- Duskfoot was next to her, pride radiating from her. "What about you, Freepaw?"
- Thorntail, next to him, answered, "He jumped over a log. It's like he can see."
- Freepaw flinched, remembering his earlier words of wisdom to Thorntail. "It was luck," he mumbled modestly.
- "You looked like you know exactly what you were doing," Thorntail protested. "It wasn't luck."
- Duskfoot glanced at the young warrior and shrugged, awe and confusion now taking the place of her previous pride.
- Mousepaw wasn't surprised at all. "He's been able to like, see,"- she paused- "or whatever, since we've been kits."
- Freepaw flinched again and mumbled, "I'm going to go get a mouse."
- The three cats looked after him as Freepaw stood and walked away.
- Freepaw could sense his own frustration radiating from him as he padded towards the pile. Why am I so special? he asked himself angrily. How come I can't see like any normal cat?
- He let those thoughts echo.
Chapter 4
- Whispers.
- That's what he heard. Whispers.
- He urged them to stop, but they wouldn't.
- Wake up, they told him. No, sleep. Sleep forever. No worries in the world.
- Wake up, they told him. Wake up, and see.
- Freepaw flattened his ears and hissed, "Shut up!"
- The only way to quiet us is to open your eyes, the whispers told him.
- Freepaw gritted his teeth.
- The whispers continued, Hurry, Rushclaw! You have a mission.
- Freepaw snapped his eyes open. "My name is Freepaw!" he snapped.
- He felt around the apprentice den. Mousepaw and the other apprentice, Smokepaw, were awake, confusion radiating from them.
- "Are you okay, Freepaw?" Mousepaw asked cautiously.
- "It was the voices," Freepaw whispered. "They called me Rushclaw."
- Smokepaw just stared.
- Mousepaw shrugged at him.
- Freepaw's heart was pounding. "They called me Rushclaw! There were voices- voices of cats."
- And then, suddenly, he could see Yellowfang. He remembered her telling him that he could see in the presence of another cat.
- Smokepaw's eyes were filled with confusion, Mousepaw's eyes were filled with fear.
- Yellowfang shook her head gently. "Don't tell them any more," she whispered.
- Freepaw flattened his ears and stomped out of the den, nearly crashing over a branch lying on the ground. He didn't see right when his eyesight was working.
- Yellowfang followed him. "Look around at your Clan," she said. "Look. There's Reedstar, talking with Thorntail and Duskfoot, obviously about training you and Mousepaw."
- Freepaw glanced over and picked out who he thought looked most like Thorntail.
- "Over there is Ravenheart," Yellowfang continued, "who is talking to the Clan deputy and your father, Brackenheart."
- He knew that the deputy was his father.
- "That's the warriors den, over there," Yellowfang continued, flicking her tail.
- Freepaw didn't even look. "Leave me alone," he growled. "I already know where everything is. I know every cat's scent!"
- Yellowfang sighed and Freepaw was engulfed in blackness.
- Freepaw tried not to dwell on what had happened for the next few nights.
- But no matter what happened, the dreams would come.
- His head told tales of a prophecy given to a cat named Rushclaw.
- And he, supposedly, was Rushclaw. Somehow.
- Smokepaw and Mousepaw always complained of the noise he made during the night.
- So one night, Freepaw decided to go on a walk.
- He had been on enough patrols to know the territory, and he had felt it from his birth. Hills rose and fell, the only thing keeping him from running were the trees scattered.
- But tonight, he decided to run.
- He had felt the other cats race across the ground. He understood that they were fast, and they ran for different reasons. Desperation might be clinging to them with every pawstep, or they might be running happily alongside a Clanmate. Either way, all of the ThunderClan cats were quick and hard-to-catch.
- "There's a Gathering tomorrow night," Mousepaw whispered warningly. "You don't want to get caught."
- Freepaw just snorted. "I won't, I promise."
- Mousepaw sneered at him but didn't say anything more, allowing Freepaw to go without a fight.
- He almost padded straight out of camp, using the tunnel. But three pawsteps away, he stopped short. Guard! he realized with a start.
- He spun around and climbed the Highledge instead, creeping past Reedstar's den.
- When he was safely out of the camp, he breathed a sigh of relief and kneaded his paws against the ground. I'll go to the ShadowClan border, he decided.
- Suddenly, his vision opened. He spun around, hissing to himself, but didn't see any cat.
- He let his fur fall and whispered, "Thank you, Yellowfang."
- He could see. He could leap over logs and shrubs without panicking like he had before. He hadn't attempted jumping again after that incident.
- He raced. He couldn't feel his speed, like he could with other cats, because he was leaping over logs and jumping up ledges.
- And he lost his abilities when he could see.
- Suddenly, a stench, recognizable by his patrols, slammed into him and he skidded to a stop. ShadowClan! he realized.
- But he didn't only smell the scent markers, like he usually did. He could smell a cat, and it was close, too.
- Freepaw dropped into a hunting crouch, creeping forward slowly.
- And then he heard a snort. "What are you doing? Are all ThunderClan apprentices trained to hunt us down?"
- Freepaw looked into the face of a ShadowClan cat.
Chapter 5
- He was a ginger tabby with blazing amber eyes. His muzzle was white.
- Freepaw's breathing was irregular. "I- I'm not trespassing. I just can't sleep."
- The ShadowClan tom shrugged. "What do I care if you're trespassing or not?"
- Freepaw's tongue caught between his teeth. "I-"
- "My name's Jaggedpaw," the ginger tom mewed proudly.
- Freepaw's worried floated away like a leaf on the water, blown by the wind. "I'm Freepaw," he replied.
- "You sound relieved," Jaggedpaw pointed out mildly. His tone wasn't offended.
- "I thought you were a warrior or something," Freepaw breathed.
- Jaggedpaw just purred. "I trained late. I caught greencough as a kit."
- Now Freepaw could see Yellowfang, off to his right. She was panting slightly. "You run fast!" she called.
- "Thanks," Freepaw called back.
- Jaggedpaw's ears perked. "Who are you talking to?"
- "Yellowfang," Freepaw replied instantly, not thinking.
- Yellowfang's face screwed up with annoyance.
- "Who's Yellowfang?" Jaggedpaw asked.
- "She's- er- a cat from StarClan," Freepaw answered truthfully.
- "Oh."
- "When she's around," Freepaw added, "I can see through my eyes."
- "Can you see through your nose or something?" Jaggedpaw snorted.
- "My paws," Freepaw corrected. I'm being way too truthful with this cat! he realized with a start. "I- I've got to go," he stammered. "Morning patrol," he added.
- "Okay," Jaggedpaw mewed. "I'll see you at the Gathering tomorrow!"
- Freepaw nodded at him and spun away, already running.
- Too many secrets had come out.