Twilight Crescent Midnight Moon
Chapter One
Crescentpaw walked across the wind worn moors. The path was familiar her mentor Patchfern had taken her here for hunting, saying it was the best place to catch rabbits. There was this one day when he was examining her hunting skills that Crescentpaw was chasing a rabbit. It ducked into a crack, the edges were breaking apart and she found it easy to get in. The deeper she went into the crack the more open and it led down into a cave, a very ancient cave. As far as Crescentpaw knew none of it, save one, Fogpaw. When she got back to camp she told him when the rest of the apprentices had left the den. It had been their secret place ever since.
Three moon ago during the battle when Thunderclan had attacked them for some unknown reason Fogpaw had been killed. Crescentpaw feared going back to the cave believing it would reopen the scars his death had left behind. That is what made her going to the cave now so confusing. As Crescentpaw came to the crack she began to admire it, how it was breaking made it obvious that it had been covered before, somehow. That it choose to collapse making it opened again always made her happy for some reason. Crescentpaw walked in her small size made it so she didn't have to squeeze in, the dirt under her pads became more hard and smooth telling her she was finally in the dark cave.
“Why here of all places” Crescentpaw meowed her ears flattening against her skull. She walked a little farther down closer towards the dark river. The memory of her fighting against Fogpaw who was pretending to be a Riverclan warrior that ended up with them both falling into the river flooded back to her. Crescentpaw couldn't help but purr at the memory, she and Fogpaw had to go back to camp with their pelt dripping with water, and as they stumbled over a excuse to tell their mentors. Crescentpaw dipped her paw into the water the familiar water mint scent drifted down into the cave.
“Fogpaw?” Crescentpaw meowed. She began to look around frantically hoping it wasn't just her imagination.
“I was wondering when you would come back here.” the low voice purred. Crescentpaw looked to her side seeing the gray eyes looking into her two tone ones, his long smoky fur, that shone brightly despite the lack of light.
“What are you doing here? Whitepool told me you were dead!” Crescentpaw yowled, unable to contain the happiness she was now feeling.
Fogpaw dipped his head “I am dead, your dreaming”
“Oh” Crescentpaw meowed crestfallen “Then why are you here instead with the other Starclan cats?”
“I was but they sent me down to tell you something, do you remember the two kits that disappeared the day of the attack?” Fogpaw meowed his gray eyes boring into Crescentpaw's just as they always had.
Crescentpaw nodded “Yea Twilightkit and Nightkit right? Thunderclan took them, even though they still deny it”
“Yes them, and Starclan are still confused as to how they got out of camp. Its like they were in the nursery one moment and the next they were gone. It is true that Thunderclan found Nightkit, but Twilightkit is lost we haven't been able to see her. You have been chosen by Starclan from birth to do something special. Just like I always knew you were. You have always been able to tell when something was wrong either nearby or many fox lengths away, you have felt your clanmates pain as if it were your own and you have the power to help them, even though it is at the cost of your own health. You must use this to help Twilightkit. Midnight and Twilight must come together” Fogpaw mewed his face grave.
“Midnight and Twilight? Shouldn't it be Night and Twilight? Its not as poetic as yours but still.” Crescentpaw meowed her voice trailing off as Fogpaw began to glare at her not taking the message seriously. Once she closed her jaw Fogpaw's expression was no longer serious.
Fogpaw butted his head into Crescentpaw's shoulder affectionately “Good luck, I'll be watching” he purred. He turned towards the path that led to Windclan territory and began padding back up.
“Wait! Stay!” Crescentpaw cried running after him. Fogpaw's pelt already began to turn into a fine mist, disappearing into Shadowpelt.
“Twilight and Midnight must come together, Crescentpaw, farewell” his voice echoing through her head.
The sunlight momentarily blinded her as Crescentpaw opened her eyes. From her side there was a paw prodding her in her chest. Crescentpaw flickered her gaze over to the white apprentice with ginger patches, Leafpaw.
“Come on, Patchfern has been looking for you.” Leafpaw mewed. Crescentpaw sighed, she stood up shaking from her pelt the small pieces of moss that clung to her.
“What are you and Scoutwhisker going to do today?” Crescentpaw meowed licking her paw then swiping it over her ear.
Leafpaw brushed flanks with Crescentpaw as she exited the apprentice den “We're going hunting with Polarclaw.”
Crescentpaw nodded, Polarclaw a dusky brown tom with a single white paw had become a warrior just a moon before. He acted higher then her and the other apprentice's even though his scent still lingered in the den. Leafpaw was fond of him for some reason Crescentpaw couldn't understand.
Stepping out into the clearing shaking her pelt again. A large cream tom with darker flecks approached her. “Get something to eat then meet me by the nursery” Patchfern meowed motioning his head towards the fresh-kill pile.
Crescentpaw nodded before padding over to the pile. She choose out the smallest rabbit from the cluster of plump ones. Crescentpaw padded off a distance away from the other apprentices.
“Hey Crescentpaw!” Charcoalpaw purred dropping a large rabbit down next to her. Crescentpaw looked up at the skinny black apprentice his bright blue eyes flashing with excitement.
“Hi Charcoalpaw you and Creamstripe going hunting?” she asked looking back at her rabbit not caring if he was or not.
“Nope, I'm having battle practice with you and Patchfern, so I hope you've worked on your moves since last time.” he meowed teasing her.
“Oh, yeah, I have a little. Hey do you remember Nightkit and Twilightkit?” Crescentpaw asked after taking a bite out of her rabbit.
“Twilightkit and Nightkit, yea I do, poor Larkfur right? She still hasn't gotten over that yet. Smokefur and Greycloud were pretty upset over it too, they must have scoured all of our territory looking for them and Patchfern,” Crescentpaw sighed and prepared herself for Charcoalpaw's rambling. “he is usually a easy going warrior. I remember when you missed this mouse he nearly bit your head off. And when I twisted my paw after chasing a squirrel that went over to Thunderclan territory it felt like he was going to have my tail for it. I think thats why cause they took them kits, I don't know know why we don't just go over there and fight to get them back. I bet thats why they attacked us too, they wanted our kits, and they got them alright. Hawkstar must be like those cats that our mothers used to tell us about so we wouldn't leave the nursery. And when we get them back I'm personally going to kill the cat that killed Gingerrain” Charcoalpaw growled remembering his mother. He sheathed his claws digging them into the ground his eyes turning to ice. Crescentpaw finishing her rabbit by the time he got to Hawkstar. She stood up stretching out the stiffness in her limbs.
“I don't think we're going to attack Thunderclan, we don't know if they have them. When they become apprentices then maybe we'll know.” Crescentpaw meowed.
“Yea, your right, Wolfstar only brought them up once and didn't even push Thunderclan to tell the truth. He wouldn't go into battle” Charcoalpaw mewed through a mouthful of rabbit.
Crescentpaw snarled at Charcoalpaw, he merely flicked his tail in response. “Here I thought you didn't care about what other said about him” he mumbled.
“Go jump off a cliff you mousebrained idiot.” Crescentpaw snapped giving him a final glare before stalking off towards the nursery. Patchfern was waiting for her like he said he would sharing tongues with Larkfur.
Larkfur was a black and white she-cat with some of the brightest green eyes Crescentpaw had ever seen. She was Patchfern's mate and she had only two litters, the first consisted of Smokefur and Graycloud, some of the strongest warriors in Windclan. Their kin line was almost as well known as her own. Patchfern looked up seeing her he quickly licked Larkfur's ear before padding over to Crescentpaw.
“Wolfstar has told me he believes that you, Charcoalpaw, and Leafpaw are ready for your warrior ceremony. Only your battle skills haven't been fully examined, so Scoutwhisker and I are going to watch you and Charcoalpaw which brings up something. What were you and him talking about that made you snap at him like that?” Patchfern meowed in his soft and low voice.
“Oh he said something about Wolfstar” Crescentpaw grumbled. Patchfern continued to stare at her wordlessly “So uh, how is Larkfur?” Crescentpaw meowed hoping to change the subject. She looked into the nursery, the queen Rubyshine was trying to deal with her two kits Dashkit and Maplekit.
“Well, she has decided to move back into the warrior den seeing as how Maplekit and Dasjit will be apprentices in a few moons. They seem to have a lot of energy, Larkfur is having a hard time sleeping.” Patchfern purred his whiskers twithcing.
Crescentpaw stopped listening her mind buzzed, the ground felt unsteady beneath her paws. A searing pain ripped through her shoulder. She yowled in pain collapsing to the ground. Patchfern rushed to her side.
“Whats wrong Crescentpaw?” he meowed urgently, Larkfur had come out of the nursery curious what the noise was about.
“Somethings wrong, theres a border fight with Thunderclan, its Smokefur and Graycloud, and they're outnumbered” Crescentpaw gasped desperately trying to stand back up with the aid of Patchfern.
“Smokefur and Graycloud!” Larkfur yowled “Why does Starclan punish me!?” she wailed before taking off toward the Windclan and Thunderclan border.
“Larkfur!” Patchfern called after her, he nudged Crescentpaw back on her paws before he chased after the queen. Crescentpaw took off after her mentor. As the moorland began to gain trees, the cries of battling cats were heard. Larkfur was already out of sight. The buzz in Crescentpaw's head began to grow stronger. Patchfern had jumped over a fallen tree, Crescentpaw jumped a few moments after him. All at once the smell of blood, anger, and fear hit her. Larfur was ripping the fur off of a light gray she-cat Frostfreeze. Patchfern was with Graycloud handling a ginger tom and deputy of Thunderclan, Kindlestripe. Crescentpaw looked around for the gray tom Smokefur, his scent lingered in the air, along with his blood.
She followed his smell over to a old badger set. She found Smokefur, the motionless heap of gray fur. “Smokefur?” she mewed pressing her nose into his flank. Crescentpaw felt a heart beat, slow and weak. “Help! Someone please!” she cried her voice so small compared to the battle cries of her clanmates.
“You can help him” Fogpaw's voice brushing her ear.
“Fogpaw?” she meowed looking to her side where she swore was where she heard him. There was nothing beside her.
“You can help him” Fogpaw repeated “Just lie next to him and concentrate on making him better.”
Crescentpaw looked around again, before she laid next to Smokefur feeling his warm blood underneath her seep into her fur. She closed her eyes focusing on Smokefur, how he was just moments ago. Crescentpaw felt nothing at first, thinking nothing was going to happen when a spasm of pain erupted in her shoulder like before then spread through the rest of her body. Crescentpaw heard a yowl of pure pain and agony and it was before she passed out that she realized it was her.
When Crescentpaw opened her eyes she found that she was back in the cave. Fogpaw stood in front of her, the tip of his tail twitching.
“Am I dead?” Crescentpaw meowed bluntly. Fogpaw let of a mrroww of laughter.
“No, and not even close to it, and thanks to you neither is Smokefur.” Fogpaw meowed. Crescentpaw looked at her paws, there was still a throb of pain in her shoulder.
“But there was so much pain.” Crescentpaw mewed shaking her head in disbelief.
Fogpaw dipped his head “I told you before that you could help other cats but at the cost of yourself. You took Smokefur's pain, so uh, well your going have to explain your shoulder somehow...” he meowed stuttering slightly.
“What do you mean?” Crescentpaw mewed, she looked at her shoulder to see a gash, blood was welling up and seeped out in a few places. “How did I get that? I wasn't fighting”
Fogpaw looked over at her injury “Smokefur already had a lot more injuries, but the one on his shoulder is what caused the majority of the damage, and you took that from him saving his life”
Crescentpaw felt the dream slip from her “Wait I don't want to wake up yet” she meowed. Fogpaw's gray eyes grew softer as the cave went black.
Im not exactly sure if I want this chapter to end this way until then this is Tigerstar signing out <--sorry how I end chapters usually
