RainClan “StarClan, not again!” Stormshadow cried. She was back in the glowing blue forests of StarClan. “Stormshadow! Wha- you just left! How do you keep getting into situations like these!?” Stripefur cried. “Whatever. I need to go!” Stormshadow hissed. “No. I’m not letting you leave. In endangering yourself, you endanger your Clan. I’ll let you go soon, when your body is safe.” “What- Stripefur, no! I’m not staying defenseless near rogues and a ShoreClan cat, which is arguably worse than a rogue.” “He’ll protect you, but for now, I can’t let you go.” Stripefur hissed. Ok, I need about five seconds staying still with my eyes closed to return my spirit to the real world. The moment I try to do that, Stripefur will be all over me. It can’t hurt to try, though. Stormshadow thought. She closed her eyes for a second. Then two. On the third, she was flipped over by Stripefur. “You never won when we fought as kits.” He whispered. “No, I was a kit, you were an apprentice. Everything has changed since then. Everything!” Stormshadow cried. “You left us, and so did Aspenstar!” It was rude to speak out against an older Warrior, but Stormshadow couldn’t suppress her pain, sadness and anger. “It’s unfair! You act like you need to keep me safe when you don't care about Aspenstar!” Stormshadow shouted. “Don’t you dare say that.” He leapt at her. Stormshadow rolled sideways, striking Stripefur in the side. He seemed almost happy to be fighting. This is all a distraction. I’ll return to the real world as soon as possible. Stormshadow raised her chin defiantly. “What are you going to do, unalive me?” She asked. “I thought you didn’t want that.” “Well, yes, but if seriously injuring you means you stay alive then oh well.” He wasn’t actually injuring Stormshadow, of course. She was already seriously injured, and Stripefur was still one of her best friends. “You fight just like you did when we were younger.” Stormshadow hissed. “As do you.” Stripefur responded, eyes narrowed. “Like a kit.” “I don’t fight like a kit!” Stormshadow growled. “No, but you’re behaving like one.” Stripefur yowled. Something broke inside Stormshadow. Like a cage shattering to reveal an enraged animal. Stormshadow gave up on swiping with sheathed claws. She leapt, teeth bared, claws extended, aiming for the throat. “Hey, calm down, stay with me.” Stripefur whispered, after pinning her against a tree. Stormshadow thrashed furiously. “Let me go!” She roared. “Stay with me, Stormshadow.” As if his words reached straight into her heart, Stormshadow’s eyes dilated. She fell down, her world going dark. “Woah, Stormshadow! Hey, don’t leave me! I know you aren’t tricking me, stop! No, don’t leave! Come back to me.” He pleaded, licking her head. Stormshadow blinked misty eyes up at him. “How can I lead my Clan when I can't protect the cats I love? When I can’t even protect or control myself?” Stormshadow cried. Stripefur rubbed his head against hers. “Hey, calm down. We’ll always be here for you. You’re going to lead your Clan, and they’ll love you and you’ll do amazing, ok?” He said. “If I need to stay here, can I see Aspenstar?” Stormshadow asked. “I think that can be arranged. Now just try to stand up again. Don’t blame yourself, you’re going through things no cat should.” And Stripefur left her. I could leave StarClan right now. I should leave StarClan right now. But I won’t. I can’t. Not when Aspenstar is the closest he’s been since before his unalivement. And Stormshadow waited. She could barely hear what Stripefur was saying as he returned, and just followed him numbly. Some slightly translucent cats paused and stared as Stormshadow followed Stripefur, yet paid no attention to them. And there he was, repeating a scene that was all too familiar. Under a faint blue tree, he sat, petals falling like snow. He was staring far off into the distance. “Aspenstar…” Stormshadow whispered. He was really there. He wasn’t alive, and things would never be the same as they were, but maybe, just for now, this would be enough. And if this was her last time seeing Aspenstar… She had to make every second count. “Stormshadow.” He whispered. Stormshadow tried to speak, yet she choked on every word. She gave up and ran up to him, rubbing her head against him, trying not to sob. “Stormshadow, I’ve missed you.” “Why?” She managed. “Why’d you have to fight him?” “Um…” “Tell her. She should know.” Stripefur whispered. “I saw him. He was sneaking up behind you. He was going to unalive you! I had to do something!” “I would’ve waited for you in StarClan!” “If you care about me so much, do you really wish the pain you feel right now on me?” “I…” “You’re the strongest and bravest cat I know. You need to be tough, for the both of us. Only you could handle this, ok? I’ll always be beside you, alright?” Aspenstar whispered. And the two twined tails, like they did when everything was simple, and blue petals fell upon them like the tree was weeping.
“Ok. I’ll return with Stripefur, I think he’s getting more teary-eyed than us.” Stormshadow said. “Am not!” Stripefur howled. Aspenstar nodded and licked Stormshadow on the cheek. Stormshadow felt the pain in that area fade. As Stormshadow followed Stripefur, yet he froze in place. “A storm is coming. And if the Clans don’t come together, everyone will be swept away in the relentless downpour. To save the Clans, the Eye of the Storm must be found and conquered.” Stripefur droned in a robotic voice. ShoreClan The whole way there, Foxpaw couldn’t help but side-eye all of them. Did they want to eat him and Stormshadow? Did they need new recruits? Were they hostages? Did they just want to unalive them for the fun of it? When they got to the rogue camp, Foxpaw’s feet felt like they were burning off, and he was hungry, but tried to remember where the rogues were taking them. Past the large oak tree. Into the sand path. A few fox-tails left away from the sand path. A hidden bramble bush… His thoughts were quickly interrupted by Max. “Dragonfly, we have brought back some crow-food. Hopefully they won’t take up too much space.” Foxpaw opened his eyes without knowing he closed them and was bombarded with new scenery. A very skinny cat was sitting on a giant rock. He had yellowish fur with white spots and a heart pattern on his chest. His giant mane of fur surrounded his neck which made it look like he didn’t have one. The cat growled in a low, threatening voice. “You know where to take them.” Foxpaw stole a glance at Stormshadow to see if she was awake again. She wasn't. “Mindy! Titan! Redfang!” Max barked. “With me!” Mindy and two others, followed after Max as he pushed Foxpaw and Stormshadow towards a small den. Foxpaw noticed that one more cat followed him even though she didn’t need to. Once all seven cats, including Stormshadow, were in the den, Redfang tackled him. Foxpaw tried struggling from under his grip, but out of the corner of his eye, he saw Mindy and the cat named Titan with vines in their mouths and paws. Meanwhile, on the other side of the den, the smaller she-cat was on top of Stormshadow, putting the gray she-cats’ legs together and tucking her tail in. Max also took a few vines. Foxpaw watched in horror as Max untangled the vines and wove them around Stormshadow, first tying her forelegs and hind legs together, followed by her tail. Titan dropped his vines next to Mindy and leapt on top of Foxpaw too. The breath was knocked out of him and only given to him for a short amount of time as both of them looked away to ease their grip. He wheezed again, and both of them looked at him and each other like Foxpaw had announced he had three tails. I officially cannot move a muscle. You win, rogues. Max and Mindy took the untangled vine and wrapped it first around Foxpaw’s forelegs, then his backlegs, and then took his tail and wrapped it around his whole body. After he was firmly tied up, Max whispered in his ear. “Better not warn your friend when you see what we’re about to do, or else. We don't care about you.” Max taunted. He slunk into the shadows. As if on que, Stormshadow blinked her eyes open hazily. Next: None so far Previous: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/1252587938/ First: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/1245156083/ Cover by @lilqfoxii980
