The Coming Storm

[riku16]

Stars glittered down coldly on the river by which the tortie shecat stood.Shadows slipped through the undergrowth,thin shapes,glossyfurred shapes,slipping between the stems like water through reeds.The pelts of the cats rippled with muscle,sleek fur shining.The tortouishell cat lifted her head and scented the air.She picked up the scents of fish,vole,Riverclan,and herself.She took comfort in these scenbts,nothing was out of place.She gazed out into the water,thinking deeply.It was good to be in a clan.To find something worth living for.If she as still a rogue....the thought made her flinch.She could only pray she`d fit in. Tawnypelt continued studying the river.Glances of silverscaled fish sometimes interrupted her gaze.Would the other rogues hate her?Did t matter anymore?Maybe.Maybe not.Tawnypelt`s tail twitched as the patrol finally went past her.Her eyes were clouded with pain as she slipped into the shadows,following them until she broke away to a secret place.She twitched the tip of her tail.Why was it so hard adjusting?She closed her blazing eyes to think.Maybe she just needed to find a really good friend or two.She laid down at the sparkling stream`s bank.This was the place she always escaped to.Whenever she was feeling confused,or needed time to think.She opened her intense gaze to catch the reflection of stars on the surface.

[Cricketfoot]

Cold wind whispered through the grass. It swayed like the waves crashing on the shore of the sundrown place. At least, that was the image that the apprentice had in his head every time the story was told. The story of how they came to find this territory. Led by six cats under a prophecy. They saved the clans and their story would be told for seasons to come.

Those stories meant nothing to him though. All he wanted right now was to get away. To get away from the noise and hustle of the camp. Often, it was too much for the apprentice. The voices and the excitement of the other cats burned his ears and gave him a sour taste in his mouth. He absolutely hated being around them but they were his clan and he was their future medicine cat. Stormpaw just gave in to the fact that he would be here for the rest of his life. His long, matted tail dragged across the soggy ground along the river.

Suddenly, something snagged the tangled fur and the tabby cat came to a halt. Turning around, Stormpaw sighed as he quickly eased his tail away from the thorn it had caught on. Once it was free, he was able to continue on his way but instead, the tom just stopped. As he sat, his bad leg sat at a weird angle, sticking out from under him. Even in the dark, any cat could see the long, thick scar that ran down it. Stormpaw hated the injury. It kept him from doing things he wanted. It always pained him and he just wished that the pain would stop.

Sometimes Stormpaw contemplated the possibilities of how he could stop the pain. Especially where he ended what he had now. To leave to what the other cats called Silverpelt, but he didn’t believe in StarClan. So the fear of what would happen when he died kept him here in his clan.

His leg getting sore, Stormpaw got to his paws, swinging his bad leg behind him. Most cats would think this to be extremely uncomfortable but to him, it hurt the least. Limping awkwardly, the tom continued on down the bank when he saw a tortoiseshell tail disappear into some reeds. Furrowing his brow, Stormpaw followed it.

Inside was a long river, hidden from the rest of the clan by this thick forest of reeds. Stormpaw spotted the shape of a fellow clanmate. Her scent told him it was Tawnypelt, the rogue that had joined them. Not even he could believe that their leader had let her in but there was no arguing with the head of the clan. “What are you doing out so late?” He questioned, narrowing his eyes.

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Character: Stormpaw
Words: 461
Completed

[riku16]

Tawnypelt turned her head when she heard a questioning voice.She looked at the apprentice,worry in her voice as she said"I just needed to think"."But I could ask you the same question".His scent wafted into her nose,Stormpaw.She wondered why she did not care that he had disturbed her.Tawnypelt pricked her ears as a voice was carried to her on the wind.It was too low to make out.She lifted her head eyes wide.The stars were shining brighter.Was the voice Starclan?"Did you hear that,Stormpaw"?Tawnypelt glanced across the clearing,and eventually looked at Stormpaw.The moon shone turning her tortoushell pelt aglow.She remembered him swinging his leg when he came in.Tawnypelt`s fur bristled on edge and she crouched nervously.Even now his leg was at a awkward angle.She tried to cover her nervousness by lifting a forepaw and running her tongue over it in cleansing swipes.Too rough,her deep scratch to her foreleg began bleeding again.

She flicked a irratrated ear as the blood trickled down her shining coat.She flexed her paw before putting it to the ground with a wince.Sore.She gazed up into the starry depths of Silverpelt."Did you come to get away for a bit too,Stormpaw"?A slight smile parted his lips."Are you worried about something?Are you in trouble?You can tell me."The reflection of the stars shivered on the surface of the river.She moved closer to him.Suddenly she had a vision,the whole of Riverclan territory was on fire.The sounds of cats wailing in terror battered her ears.Firelight reflected in Tawnypelt`s eyes.She started trembling.NOOOO she wailed in her mind,eyes stretching in horror.She curled up,covering her face with her tail.

[Cricketfoot]

“You’re bleeding.” Stormpaw growled grumpily. Great, another wound to fix, just what he wanted. With the flick of his ear, the tom plopped down on the ground, popping his back leg out from under him. The thing was really starting to hurt; he was going to need poppy seeds by the time he got back to camp. Not that he didn’t mind that, nearly every night he took them to help with his leg, completely numbing his pain. It wasn’t like he needed to know he was in pain in his sleep.

In his dreams, where he was often alone, the way he liked it, he was free to run. Run any distance and feel the wind in his fur. He was no longer hurt and he was like any cat. There was no clanmate to give him a sympathetic stare or treat him like a cripple. Sure, he was a cripple but he hated being treated like one. It felt like the clan was ready to give up everything to take care of him but he could take care of himself. He didn’t need a cat to defend him; he didn’t need a cat to fight his battles. He was no longer a kit and he wouldn’t be an apprentice for much longer. Hopefully soon, he would be receiving his medicine cat name and working side by side with Echosong. Not as apprentice and mentor but as clanmates.

Though, for now, he remained the grumpy, crippled apprentice of the wonderful Echosong. He was looked down upon by everyone and no cat looked up to him. It would not be like he would ever be considered normal. No, the scar that ran all the way across his back leg screamed to the world that he was a cripple. That he couldn’t run right or fight the way other cats would. The stories he had heard of cats that were like him always ended the same way, they either went to the elders or became medicine cats. Well, his choice had been voluntary, unlike one story of a ThunderClan apprentice that had been hit by a monster on the thunderpath.

“I just need to get away from all the noise. Other cats annoy me and I have no idea why I am even talking to you.” Stormpaw mewed bluntly, giving his dirty tail a twitch. Though, he was about to stand up and leave when he saw the rogue’s pelt bristle, making him jump to his paws. Under the strain, his bad leg almost gave out but he stayed up right. When the yowl came from her throat, a shimmer of concern gleamed in Stormpaw but that quickly flickered out. He couldn’t care for any cat too much. That just wasn’t who he was.

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Character: Stormpaw
Words: 463
Completed

[riku16]

The cats of her Clan gazed at her in horror,their faces outlined by the fiery gaze.Tawnypelt`s claws tore at the grass,her eyes wide in terror.She screwed her eyes shut and shook her eyes back and forth trying to wake up.Why Starclan why?She seemed to have forgotten Stormpaw.Even though he was practically at her side.Her nose twitched and the scents of water,and Stormpaw broke the vision.She shuddered,shaken by the vision.Tawnypelt ducked her head,hiding her gaze in embarrasment from Stormpaw.Her ears pricked,catching the thud of paw on soil.Why all the panic and fear.Such a terrifying vision.A fresh wave opf alarm engulfed her.

Her blazing amber gaze raked the bare clearing.The fur on her back stood straight up.The vision had been terrifying.She tilted her head and mewed"Where did all the fires go"?Her whiskers twitching she said"Didn`t you hear the warning from Starclan"?She got to her paws,her tail curling round his chin."You deserve more respect than you get".Her ear twitched as she looked back at him.Her burning stare seemed to praise him.She let out a little mrrrow of amusement.Her other ear twitched.She brushed her tail over his ears before padding onto a bank of heather.A message to Stormpaw that small act had been.All Tawnyprelt could do was tell him what she wanted him to know.Would he believe her?Medicine cats.There was no trouble convincing them.A low purr erupted from her throat.No threats could really face Riverclan,could they?Her heart twisted in her chest.Soon.Everytrhing will be beging.Nothing ordinary cats could do.Fear starved her for wisdom.

[Cricketfoot]

The word fire sent a sudden chill down the tom’s pelt. Well, if it wasn’t that, it was the seething pain that radiated through his leg. That could also be a problem getting back to camp. It would also mean stealing a few extra poppy seeds from Echosong’s stores. He wasn’t really supposed to have them, she said to just learn to deal with it. So he had to sneak them behind her back. Sure, there were plenty to go around after he done but he feared that she would soon notice.

“You saw fire? A message from StarClan?” Stormpaw couldn’t help but snort in amusement at the mention. “You believe StarClan sent you a message? Are all the cats in these clans so daft?” He couldn’t help but give a mrrow of laughter. “Sorry to break it to you Tawnypelt. I know you were a rogue, brought here, taught to believe in StarClan, but they don’t exist.”

Stormpaw rarely preached his beliefs but they weren’t a secret either. His open contempt over StarClan was obvious whenever a cat mentioned them. Though, he would often keep his mouth shut and pad away from the conversation. Most cats thought this was a phase the young cat was going through. For he HAD to be different. A young, crippled, abused, medicine cat apprentice, he had to be different from any other cat. He would go through different stages in his life, thrown off the typical path an apprentice would follow. Every cat pitied him, he was special, he needed to be treated differently. Well, that wasn’t true.

“Anyways, it was just your imagination. You warriors never get enough sleep, causes you to hallucinate and believe things that could obviously not be real.” Stormpaw mewed bluntly, getting to his paws. He swayed for a heartbeat, pulling his back leg to stick out behind him. A long, thick scar ran down the wiry leg, appearing brightly beside his dark fur. “I will be going now then if you don’t mind. You better come with me though; we need to fix up that opened wound.” He meowed gruffly, flicking his ears at the wound that ran down Tawnypelt’s leg.

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Character: Stormpaw
Words: 364
Completed