Nine Lives |
---|
Author: Leopardclaw
|
Status: Started
|
Series: Leopardclaw's Short Stories
|
Allegiances: None
|
Preceding: None
|
Succeeding: None
|
Spellcheckers: None
|
Nine lives of a leader. Nine chances to live. Nine chances to die.
The thing Webstar least expected in his life was to be deputy, let alone leader. He never aspired to be powerful. He just wanted to be like his idol and lookeed up to his mentor. Then StarClan told only him a prophecy. Nine lives are nine chances to live and die. Nine lives you will need to endure the nine pains of your destiny... Webstar is epic enough to get a super edition. Yesh. Now we return to the past, where Webstar is but a dream... |
Prologue
A pink-grey she-cat raced over the moors over StarClan, to reach where a grey and black tabby she-cat sat in wait.
"Greetings, my friend. I sense you wait in anticipation, yet trepidation. What is wrong?" The grey and black tabby raised her head, and had an almost humorous look in her eyes.
"Why, Heatherstar, can you not sense it? Can't you feel it? WindClan is about to have a great cat born. I know it in my bones." Heatherstar gasped in realisation, happy realisation.
"Yes, Larkwing, I sense it! But, however I see great pain and suffering aroung this kit. He will need the strength of nine lives to face the pain I see ahead." Larkwing nodded, briskly. As a pool formed, images of cats formed and faded. Nine cats formed, and nine faded. An unspoken thought was in the air.
An Omen! Nine deaths!
As the two WindClan cats turned and walked away, a small, grey tabby kit rippled and wavered in the pool. He looked up, then the image shattered into thousands of tiny raindrops, like tears falling on StarClan's moors.
Chapter 1
"Webkit? Webkit, are you awake? Webkit? Oh, look!" A small, squaking voice whispered in Webkit's ear before breaking off into high pitched giggles.
"Heartkit? Why are you chasing that feather? Wouldn't you rather be out on the moors and catch a rabbit, or bird?" Webkit was curious as to how his sister could want to play with feathers, when they could be learning about the world.
"Webkit, don't be silly! When you're a warrior you can't play with feathers and you have to hunt! Being a warrior sounds boring! I'd rather stay a kit!" Heartkit tumbled back into random giggles, batting and biting the feather.
"Maybe, Webkit, when you become an apprentice, you will see that being a warrior is great responsibility. Have fun while you are still a kit." Heartkit squaled again, and raced into the cat who was standing in the nursery.
"Father! Father!" The great cat meowed a deep meow of laughter.
"Greetings, my daughter. And greetings, also Webkit." Webkit nodded his tiny head respectfully to his father.
"Greetings, father. How are you? And, I was wondering, what are we going to do about the lack of prey? I, well, I heard that we might all be moving to another place, far, far away! How could we ever make such a journey?" Shatteredheart just smiled.
"There will be no journey, nor will I ever let anything harm my precious kits," He raised his voice slightly as his mate, and Webkit's mother, Whisperweb cam into sight. "Nor my mate. No food shortage will harm this Clan, and especially not my family." He smiled, but Whisperweb had a worried, panicked look on her face.
"I'm sorry, love, but the journey will take place. We set out next half moon. Tallstar has confirmed it."
Webkit thought hard about this matter. I wonder if we will become apprentices before we leave?"
Chapter 2
Great, stone hills rose above the horizon. Webpaw's thin legs ached. The had been travelling for the last week, and, now he was an apprentice, he had to learn what Tallstar had to teach, as well as trek on every day. It was tiring, but Webpaw enjoyed having the leader as his mentor. He remembered what Tallstar had said to him during his first training session,.
"Webpaw, you are inquisitive! You don't seem like the other apprentices, you don't aspire to be leader or great. You merely seem to want to learn all you can to be the best and most loyal warrior you can be. I sense a great destiny in you, Webpaw. Your willingness to learn will make you a greater warrior some day. I can sense it"
Webpaw did only want to learn and be a great warrior. If I am ever leader, I will be the most loyal leader ever!
"Webpaw?" Heartpaw padded over. She seemed a lot more serious now she was an apprentice. Her mentor was the cat Webpaw looked up to most wthin the Clan, other than Tallstar, of course.
"Heartpaw! How are you? How is your training with Iceslash?" She purred at her brother.
"Why bother about training now? We're on a journey to somewhere no cat has ever been before! Let's play with the other apprentices!" Webpaw was relieved that she sounded like her old self again. Reluctantly, he agreed to go and play, less because he wanted to, but because he loved his sister and wanted her to be happy. And, just for that time, she was, they were.
For it was after the journey that the real journey would start.
The journey to survive.
Chapter 3
Crossing the mountains was hard going, and it would be even if it had only been a few cats travelling. Only one cat had perished so far, Smokepaw of ShadowClan. Another ShadowClan kit, one Webpaw did not know the name of, had almost been taken away by an eagle.
How many more cats will die before we reach our new home?"