Misted Over by Skystarxx3 (first ebook reader TXT) 📖

Clans to resume being ThunderClan warriors."

His words met silence. Then a yowl of outrage sliced through the night air. "So they're coming back as warriors?" shouted Dustpelt, lashing his tail. "Don't you think they might go back to their little kittypet mother for food for leaf-bare?"

Berrynose snarled at the older warrior, all the fur on his neck bristling. "Don't you talk about my mother that way," he warned. Dustpelt snorted.

Mousefur glared at Firestar. "Firestar, this isn't a wise choice," she rasped. "Dustpelt is right- these loners can't be trusted. As Dustpelt said, they might go back to their mother for food and come back, while we are starving and hunting through the forest." Firestar blinked.

"Mousefur, I respect your opinion," he replied. "But you are wrong. If they wanted to stay as loners, they would've stayed with their mother. Leaf-bare is coming soon, yet they came back." The dusky brown elder snorted with anger at being told off, and looked away.
I grinned. "The meeting is over." Firestar lashed his tail and padded into his den. My Clanmates returned to their dens.

Honeypaw was waiting at the bottom of the rock, rocking on her paws. When she caught sight of Berrynose, her gaze brightened and she bounded over and brushed her muzzle over his snout.
"Yay!" she meowed. "You came back! Poppypaw wouldn't stop talking about you."
Her sister shoved her, and Berrynose gave Poppypaw a look full of amusement and warmth. Honeypaw followed his gaze and frowned at Poppypaw. Once again, she's jealous, I mused, smiling to myself.

I grunted as I felt a nose shove into my back. I spun around to see Hollypaw looking at me with eyes full of thrill. "Jaypaw said that we're leaving tomorrow at dawn. Rock told him so," she told me. "And we're taking one cat from each of the other Clans."
The fur on my spine prickled with horror. "Is Jaypaw out of his mind?" I hissed. "Why would he want to bring-"

"Shh!" Hollypaw growled as Poppypaw padded up. "Hi, Leopardpaw and Hollpaw," she mewed, dipping her head to me and Hollypaw. "I'm glad that Hazeltail and the others are back." She purred with amusement. "I almost missed the smell of horses and hay."

I shrugged lightly, my interest slowly fading away. "Sorry to interrupt, Poppypaw," Hollypaw mewed, cutting off the tortoishell and white apprentice. "But Leopardpaw and I have been busy all day, and it would be nice to get some sleep."

Poppypaw nodded, dissapointment swelling in her blue eyes. "Okay, I'll talk to you later then!" She bounded away, heading towards her mentor, Birchfall, who was mewing casually to Whitewing.

I turned and padded to the den, my shoulders sagging and tail dragging in the soft sand beneath my paws. I collapsed in my nest and began to doze off, but a paw clipped my ear. I turned my head, snarling, to see Lionpaw looking at me with amber eyes full of urgency.
"We need to talk about the plan," he insisted, flicking his tail towards Jaypaw, Thornpaw, and Hollypaw, who were all hunched together near the back of the den.

I growled stubbornly. "No! I'm tired. We can discuss it when we're actually on the journey. Do you want to be heading to the mountains with your paws dragging over the ground? I sure don't."

I turned my head around sharply and closed my eyes, ignoring the snort of contempt Lionpaw gave me. If Lionpaw and his little traveling buddies wanted to stay up all night talking about where they're going to go, fine by me!
-m-o-u-s-e
Chapter 6

-r-o-c-k
A paw prodding my side roused me from my dreams. I looked up, blinking sleep from my eyes. I looked into Jaypaw's blue eyes, and he gave a small nod that meant, "It's time." I stepped over the sleeping bodies of Honeypaw and Poppypaw. I sighed and looked at them, mentally whispering to them, "Goodbye, my friends."

I padded into the clearing to see Hollypaw, Lionpaw, and Thornpaw waiting for me. Each of them carried a piece of prey. The pale light of the sun as it rose above the horizion, casting it's pink and red light over the trees.

The air had a light chill to it, and as I breathed, I billowed a tiny cloud. "What a wonderful day to be traveling!" I mewed sarcastically, my paws crunching over the frost covered ground.

"I bet that all the cats have to travel to the first frost of leaf-fall."
Hollypaw rolled her eyes and bounded away, disappearing through the barrier. Jaypaw and Lionpaw padded after her. Jaypaw carried a dark grey sparrow, and Lionpaw was hauling a light brown rabbit in his jaws.

I darted towards the fresh kill pile and grabbed a squirrel. I stumbled towards the barrier, tripping over the squirrel's long, tawny tail.

"Where are you going?" I jumped in surprise, and turned my head to see Squirrelflight padding towards me, her green eyes bright with curiosity. I groned silently.
Squirrelflight was the most nosy cat in the Clan; no wonder she was asking me where I was going. “I... uh...” I looked around, then spotted the hole in the barrier. “I’m going to make dirt,” I lied.

Squirrelflight tilted her head. “With a squirrel?” I quickly nodded. “Yeah! I’m going to make sure nobody... takes it..” The ginger she-cat purred.

“Apprentices! Go on, nobody is stopping you.” She turned and trotted back to the warriors den, her fluffy tail lashing a little.

I quickly turned and ran out of the thorn barrier. By the time I caught up to my Clanmates, my chest was heaving and my paws were sore from trampling over the frozen grass. They took no notice of my approach, and I padded silently behind them.

We walked around the lake. The shore was frozen. When we reached the edge of the lake, we lay down and waited. I eyed my squirrel hungrily.

“Don’t eat it!” Jaypaw snapped as I leaned down to take a bite. “We have to wait for the other cats to get here.”


I tilted my head. “Who is coming?” Hollypaw had already told me, but I wanted to be sure.
Jaypaw took a deep breath before meowing, “Breezepaw of WindClan, Tigerpaw of ShadowClan, and Pebblepaw of RiverClan.”

I bristled at the mention of the mottled grey apprentice. “Breezepaw..” I muttered. “He sounds familiar. Who is he?”

“A hot-headed apprentice who is the most mouse-brained cat that every lived,” Jaypaw spat, then kneaded his paws on the ground anxiously. “I wish Rock would’ve been more clear who to pick..”

I shrugged, then my eyelids felt heavy and I curled up and fell asleep. “Don’t be long,” I heard Jaypaw’s voice echo lazily in my ears.


-l-e-o-p-a-r-d


Snarling filled my ears, and I immedialty jumped to my paws, forgetting about my dream. The sky was a light blue, there were no clouds, and the sun shone brightly.


“Four!” a voice spat. “Four ThunderClan cats!” I turned my head to see a smoky grey tom with amber eyes flashing with anger. Breezepaw! Beside him was a light brown tabby she-cat with blue eyes.

She glanced at Lionpaw, who looked away. Lionpaw glared at Hollypaw, who shrugged, casting a angry glare at the apprentice.

“I can’t believe I agreed to go on this stupid journey,” he grumbled. “For all I know, these stupid cats might try to take us somewhere else.” Jaypaw snarled, “You weren’t even kitted when your father and the others made the Great Journey, so keep your mouth shut!”
Breezepaw said nothing, just snorted and scraped at the ground. “Fine. Lets just start this journey.”

He glared a cat behind me, and I turned to see Pebblepaw standing there, his eyes bright. He dropped a silver fish at his paws. “But don’t think I’ll be thrilled to be walking beside Fishpelt,” he snarled.

Pebblepaw’s gaze flicked over me, and his eyes twitched with as he recognized me. I looked away, and instead I looked curiously at a large brown tabby who shuffled his paws against the soil.
“Can we go?” he muttered, looking at the cats around him.


Lionpaw was already padding away, pausing near a large rock. “Are you cats going to just stand there until your paws take root?” he called, ears flattened with impatience.
Hollypaw trotted over, her green eyes bright with excitement. “I can’t wait!” she mewed, flexing her claws. “The feel of wind in my fur, the smooth rock underpaw...”

I ignored her blabbing and gulped down the rabbit in a few hungry bites. I licked my whiskers and began to groom my pelt, and I glanced up to see Breezepaw looking at me through slitted eyes.


I met his gaze, lifting my chin. He curled his lip and glanced away, muttering under his breath. I could only sigh and pad after my Clanmates, who were already trotting away, their tails flicking back and forth.


As I trotted along, I felt a pelt brush mine and turned my head to see Breezepaw. His gaze was fixed straight ahead.

“So, you’re Leopardpaw?” he asked without looking at me.
“Yes,” I replied.
“What’s it like in ThunderClan?”

“What do you think?” I retorted. Breezepaw shrugged. “I just wanted to know!”
I grumbled and padded ahead, ignoring his snort. I turned my head to see Pebblepaw and the ShadowClan apprentice... what’s his name... oh, yes, Tigerpaw, walking beside each other quietly.

I sighed as Breezepaw shoved past me and nudged Lionpaw sharply. "How is life afer the tunnels?" he sneered, looking at the light brown tabby beside him, who only grunted and dropped back.

Lionpaw said nothing, just padding past Hollypaw and keeping a pace beside Jaypaw.
Breezepaw kept yowling insults and snide remarks at Lionpaw.

I was surprised at Lionpaw's patience; I would've clawed off Breezepaw's ears and shoved them down his throat.
I sighed. This would be a long journey.

-h-e-a-t-h-e-r

Imprint

Publication Date: 12-21-2012

All Rights Reserved

Dedication:
I dedicate