Status: Working Working WORKING
The Spark That Started the Fire
Trouble
Firepaw had heavy paws, when he returned to camp. It was just past dawn when he entered camp through the entrance. Juniperspot was gone, and the camp was waking up. He dragged his paws towards the apprentice den and looked up with tired eyes and saw his mentor, Sandstreak, storm over in a furious fit. "Where in StarClan have you been?"
"S...Sandstreak! I... I thought you were on dawn patrol." Firepaw stuttered, blinking to make sure he was seeing right.
"I was on dawn patrol until Heatherstar asked me to send you, Tallpaw and Darkpaw on your first assessment but you weren't here. Now Tallpaw, Dawnstripe, Darkpaw and Skystorm are doing their assessment, leaving you behind to fall behind on your warrior training." Sandstreak paused, narrowing his eyes he hissed "Where were you anyway?" Firepaw looked away, unable to meet his mentor's gaze.
"I had a belly ache so I went out to get some fresh air." he muttered, shuffling his paws. "I got lost."
"If you have a belly ache, you should have gone to Hawkheart and gotten herbs." Sandstreak hissed impatiently. "Why don't you go now, but once you leave I want you to change the bedding in the nursery and elders' den. That might make you think twice before you go wandering off again." Sandstreak stomped away and out of the camp, his ears flat on his head and fur spiking up threateningly.
Firepaw grumbled to himself, stalking off to the medicine cat den where Hawkheart was. He stood at the entrance, trying to fake pain in his belly by leaning on the side of the wall. "Hawkheart..." he moaned, "I have a bellyache, do you have any herbs?"
Hawkheart looked at Firepaw, his yellow eyes narrowed, he flicked his tail signalling for Firepaw to come closer, "Come here and let me examine you." he growled. Hawkheart had never been the most gentle or compassionate medicine cat, but then again he was born a warrior. Firepaw faked a limp as he moved towards Hawkheart, his heart pounding. Hawkheart looked him up and down, "Lye on your side." he growled and Firepaw obeyed. Hawkheart sniffed him up and down, "Now close your eyes." he ordered, and Firepaw closed his eyes. He felt exhaustion rush over him and felt himself drifting off. Then he felt Hawkheart press his paw on his squishy belly and he tried to pretend to wince. When he opened his eyes Hawkheart was back in his stores.
"What are you going to give me?" Firepaw asked, Hawkheart snorted, "You don't have a belly ache. You sneaked out of camp last night and pretended to have a belly ache to get out of work, didn't you?" Firepaw shrugged, looking at his paws.
"It wasn't exactly like that." he muttered, his fur going hot.
"I was a warrior apprentice once, I used that trick once so I'll cut you some slack. Young cats are raised so strict now-a-days, I'll give you some poppy seeds and let you have a nice long sleep."
"But Sandstreak told me to clean the bedding for the queens and elders." Firepaw blurted.
"He can't contradict a medicine cat, I'll ask Redclaw to get Shrewpaw to do it." he said sternly, picking up a poppy head and shaking some poppy seeds onto a leaf. He picked it up and gave it to Firepaw, "Eat them and I'll deal with Sandstreak" Hawkheart growled, his thin patience evaporating quickly, "Now eat the seeds." Firepaw nodded and quickly lapped up every seed while Hawkheart left the den. Firepaw felt sleep come like a wave that pushed him into a dark, warm abyss.
Nutmeg walked home quietly, embracing every step as she felt tiredness press down on her and threaten to crunch her. She reached the barn just as the rooster was crowing, making her fur crawl at the sound the claws on stone. She hauled herself over each bail of hay, glancing to see Ella and Lilac gone, but Prince was sleeping in the back corner, no doubt back from a long night of whatever it was he did. Nutmeg carefully found her spot on the beam and she laid down, her paws dangling in thin air as sleep pressed into her flank, suffocating her until she was asleep.
Nutmeg was back in the grand clearing, the stars seemed to gleam even lighter tonight. This was the first night in a long time she had had two consecutive trips to the starry forests. She couldn't help feeling she wished she could have had her own sleep for tonight, but she was grateful to see Silverwind again. But this night she didn't appear from the mist like normal. Instead there was a tall, silver she-cat with black stripes down her pelt, though like Silverwind she had stars in her fur. Her eyes were grey but they shone like silver in the starlight. Her legs were long and swift and she looked like just about the fastest cat she had ever laid her eyes on. The tall she-cat looked down with narrowed eyes at Nutmeg. She didn't look warm and inviting like Silverwind. This cat looked cold and judging, like Lilac had become. "So." said the she-cat, her voice unusually low for a queen. "You are the famous 'Spark' that will save the clans I have heard so much about." she narrowed her eyes even thinner like blades against black. Nutmeg was confused.
"I think you have me mixed up with a different cat." Nutmeg said cautiously. "I am not a spark and I am not a clan cat."
A mighty yowl echoed in the clearing and Silverwind charged from behind one of the great oak trees, her eyes blazing. "Nighttail! This is not your place!" she snarled, taking a protective stance between Nutmeg and the stranger whom was called Nighttail.
"We have seen into the future, Silverwind! If the prophecy comes true, then my son will be lost from his clan." Nighttail snarled, "This is exactly my place."
"If the prophecy doesn't come true all four clans will be destroyed." Silverwind hissed, "Or did you forget that?"
Nighttail flicked her tail indignantly, "And we have to sacrifice my son for that."
"His destiny lies outside of the clans, it always has and sabotaging this prophecy will not change that." Silverwind said, more calmly. Nighttail looked away, her eyes filling with sadness. Silverwind rested her tail on Nighttail's shoulders, "I'm sorry, sister, but this must be done." Nighttail nodded solemnly and began to fade. Silverwind turned to Nutmeg.
"Who was that, what did she mean?" Nutmeg asked, her eyes wide with anxiety.
"It is not time for you to know than, precious." Silverwind bowed her head and began to fade, as she vanished she whispered, "One day you will understand."
"S...Sandstreak! I... I thought you were on dawn patrol." Firepaw stuttered, blinking to make sure he was seeing right.
"I was on dawn patrol until Heatherstar asked me to send you, Tallpaw and Darkpaw on your first assessment but you weren't here. Now Tallpaw, Dawnstripe, Darkpaw and Skystorm are doing their assessment, leaving you behind to fall behind on your warrior training." Sandstreak paused, narrowing his eyes he hissed "Where were you anyway?" Firepaw looked away, unable to meet his mentor's gaze.
"I had a belly ache so I went out to get some fresh air." he muttered, shuffling his paws. "I got lost."
"If you have a belly ache, you should have gone to Hawkheart and gotten herbs." Sandstreak hissed impatiently. "Why don't you go now, but once you leave I want you to change the bedding in the nursery and elders' den. That might make you think twice before you go wandering off again." Sandstreak stomped away and out of the camp, his ears flat on his head and fur spiking up threateningly.
Firepaw grumbled to himself, stalking off to the medicine cat den where Hawkheart was. He stood at the entrance, trying to fake pain in his belly by leaning on the side of the wall. "Hawkheart..." he moaned, "I have a bellyache, do you have any herbs?"
Hawkheart looked at Firepaw, his yellow eyes narrowed, he flicked his tail signalling for Firepaw to come closer, "Come here and let me examine you." he growled. Hawkheart had never been the most gentle or compassionate medicine cat, but then again he was born a warrior. Firepaw faked a limp as he moved towards Hawkheart, his heart pounding. Hawkheart looked him up and down, "Lye on your side." he growled and Firepaw obeyed. Hawkheart sniffed him up and down, "Now close your eyes." he ordered, and Firepaw closed his eyes. He felt exhaustion rush over him and felt himself drifting off. Then he felt Hawkheart press his paw on his squishy belly and he tried to pretend to wince. When he opened his eyes Hawkheart was back in his stores.
"What are you going to give me?" Firepaw asked, Hawkheart snorted, "You don't have a belly ache. You sneaked out of camp last night and pretended to have a belly ache to get out of work, didn't you?" Firepaw shrugged, looking at his paws.
"It wasn't exactly like that." he muttered, his fur going hot.
"I was a warrior apprentice once, I used that trick once so I'll cut you some slack. Young cats are raised so strict now-a-days, I'll give you some poppy seeds and let you have a nice long sleep."
"But Sandstreak told me to clean the bedding for the queens and elders." Firepaw blurted.
"He can't contradict a medicine cat, I'll ask Redclaw to get Shrewpaw to do it." he said sternly, picking up a poppy head and shaking some poppy seeds onto a leaf. He picked it up and gave it to Firepaw, "Eat them and I'll deal with Sandstreak" Hawkheart growled, his thin patience evaporating quickly, "Now eat the seeds." Firepaw nodded and quickly lapped up every seed while Hawkheart left the den. Firepaw felt sleep come like a wave that pushed him into a dark, warm abyss.
Nutmeg walked home quietly, embracing every step as she felt tiredness press down on her and threaten to crunch her. She reached the barn just as the rooster was crowing, making her fur crawl at the sound the claws on stone. She hauled herself over each bail of hay, glancing to see Ella and Lilac gone, but Prince was sleeping in the back corner, no doubt back from a long night of whatever it was he did. Nutmeg carefully found her spot on the beam and she laid down, her paws dangling in thin air as sleep pressed into her flank, suffocating her until she was asleep.
Nutmeg was back in the grand clearing, the stars seemed to gleam even lighter tonight. This was the first night in a long time she had had two consecutive trips to the starry forests. She couldn't help feeling she wished she could have had her own sleep for tonight, but she was grateful to see Silverwind again. But this night she didn't appear from the mist like normal. Instead there was a tall, silver she-cat with black stripes down her pelt, though like Silverwind she had stars in her fur. Her eyes were grey but they shone like silver in the starlight. Her legs were long and swift and she looked like just about the fastest cat she had ever laid her eyes on. The tall she-cat looked down with narrowed eyes at Nutmeg. She didn't look warm and inviting like Silverwind. This cat looked cold and judging, like Lilac had become. "So." said the she-cat, her voice unusually low for a queen. "You are the famous 'Spark' that will save the clans I have heard so much about." she narrowed her eyes even thinner like blades against black. Nutmeg was confused.
"I think you have me mixed up with a different cat." Nutmeg said cautiously. "I am not a spark and I am not a clan cat."
A mighty yowl echoed in the clearing and Silverwind charged from behind one of the great oak trees, her eyes blazing. "Nighttail! This is not your place!" she snarled, taking a protective stance between Nutmeg and the stranger whom was called Nighttail.
"We have seen into the future, Silverwind! If the prophecy comes true, then my son will be lost from his clan." Nighttail snarled, "This is exactly my place."
"If the prophecy doesn't come true all four clans will be destroyed." Silverwind hissed, "Or did you forget that?"
Nighttail flicked her tail indignantly, "And we have to sacrifice my son for that."
"His destiny lies outside of the clans, it always has and sabotaging this prophecy will not change that." Silverwind said, more calmly. Nighttail looked away, her eyes filling with sadness. Silverwind rested her tail on Nighttail's shoulders, "I'm sorry, sister, but this must be done." Nighttail nodded solemnly and began to fade. Silverwind turned to Nutmeg.
"Who was that, what did she mean?" Nutmeg asked, her eyes wide with anxiety.
"It is not time for you to know than, precious." Silverwind bowed her head and began to fade, as she vanished she whispered, "One day you will understand."