Tangled Paths

"Nightpaw. You have shown great stealth and confidence in battle. You will be named Nightwhisper. May you be a whisper in the wind before you strike and have the same faith in your clan you do yourself." Branchstar speaks his words calm, and practiced. My mother's voice was first.

"Nightwhisper!" She shouts. Then the rest of the clan joins in.

"Nightwhisper."

"Nightwhisper!" I look at the sea of cats before me. Many fur coats of different colors. Tails thrashing, voices raising. There was a great sense of loyalty and pride looking down at the clan who raised me. Featherfur & Foxjump are made warriors soon after, and then it's time for my first gathering as a warrior. Cats rise from there dens in the night light shadows. The moon so bright you can't see the stars. We weave our way though canopies of pine branches. The only sounds the animals of the night. An owl screech or crickets. Vineleap is the one to lead us. Branchstar had gotten sick, quickly getting worse. He had already lost one life. One of the three he had left. Owleye doesn't leave his den often anymore. He had been his oldest friend next to my mother of course. I feel bad for them. If Owleye wasn't a medicine cat I would have thought the two of them mates in love. This must be breaking Owleye's heart. Even my collected mother is somber, and unusually quiet. Not knowing what to say I run up to join Snowdrift, Shadowfade, and Shadowfade's father Silverstripe. Owleye's brother. Sliverstipe whispers to Snowdrift. Our leaders most trusted senior warrior, and our toughest; Snowdrift.

"We must not let on to the other clans how vulnerable our leader is. They may mistake that for weakness." Silverstripe was saying. "They must think he'll lose one life to the sickness, and get better."

"And if he doesn't?" Snowdrift says what I'm thinking, and didn't want to voice.

"Then Vinejump will make a strong leader." Silverstripe says. His mate speaks up.

"You should have been chosen as deputy." Coldsnap meows. Her tone clearly indicating she's trying to lighten the mood. A running joke perhaps because Silverstripe counters;

"Well I was a bit busy raising a kit." He rests his tail on Shadefade's back. She's a cat of few words, but the affectionate look she gives him speaks volumes. I smell the lake before I see it. We pad across a fallen log, and leap onto the shore.

"Cats old enough to catch their prey, welcome to the gathering." The sound of the steady laps of water, and the leafy branches knocking into each to each other fills the air. The sent of pine is replaced with leaf litter, and fish. The ThunderClan leader speaks first, but I glance over the sea of cats. The medicine cats sit at the base of the tree, talking to each other I soft voices. Separate from the others. A gold furred RiverClan medicine cat takes her eyes away from the leaders long enough to look over the Clans. Her eyes brighten when she spots me. Still she sits attentively. I make my way over to her. Moving though my clan, and then a group of RiverClan cats. One hisses at me, but I ignore them. I sit near Sunleaf. Giving the medicine, cats enough space to be polite. Not wanting to overstep on their spiritual talk.

"Hi!" Sunleaf says happily. The WindClan medicine cat looks disapprovingly at us, but the others pay us no mind. Used to our friendship, and respecting the clear moon above us.

"How was the half-moon journey to the moon pool?" I ask in a whisper.

"It when well. I spoke to a cat called Half Moon. And you're a warrior now, yes?" She whispers back. Vinejump speaks next.

"Prey is running well in ShadowClan. Obviously Branchstar is not here with us tonight. He is too sick to travel. Owl medicine cat Owleye believes he will make a full recovery. We have named three new warriors. Foxleap, Featherfur, and Nightwhisper." My name among the others is shouted by ShadowClan cats, and then the rest yowl them as well.

"Nightwhisper. Oh! It suits you well." Sunleaf says. Her tail twitches excitedly. We wait for the leaders to give their speeches before continue talking again. "Your leader is sick? Is he alright? I can help if you like. Talk to Owleye." I give her a serious look, trying to covey what I cannot speak loud in the crowd of cats. She nods slightly.

"Owleye could use a friend." I say simply to the healer. A cat without a mean bone in her body. Perhaps that's why I trust her so much. She has a healers heart no matter what clan your from. She one healed a baby birds wing just because she could. Though all the medicine cats have a heart like this. Sunleaf does more than most. My ear twitches.

"I heard that ThunderClan is planning an attack." My mother whispers in the ear of one of our senior warriors. "It wouldn't surprise me. Prey isn't running as well as they claim."

"They look fine to me." The cat says.

"You can't tell there hiding something?" My mother asks as if it's obvious. The end of my tail twitches.

I'm standing at the line of pine at the end of our territory. I lap at one of the puddles from the last rain. I can taste it though I'm not thirsty here. So I must be asleep. So I wonder. Thinking about going to WindClan or ThunderClan for some spying or even general gossip. I knew Swiftraven just had her kits. One had passed, but I wanted to make sure the other two were still alight. More importantly I had been keeping on eye on ThunderClan, and their leader as I worried he would make good on his talk of taking some of our territory. I taste the air and stop. I flick my ears hearing murmurs on the wind. I run towards the familiar sent. My mother. And blood. I run though the trees. I reach her, and she's on her side. Blood on her paws, and stomach. I look for a ThunderClan patrol, but see nothing. I sent the air. All I can smell is Vinejump. My claws un-sheath.

"Mom?" I whisper. Her breathing is unsteady.

"Nightwhisper." She can see me! No one has been able to see me before. More blood seeps from the wound on her stomach. Staining her soft fur. I search for cobweb. I'm still asleep! I have to wake up. Wake up! Then I can feel the ground beneath my paws. "Mom, I'll get Owleye-"

"I love you." She says.

"Mom, I'll be right back."

"Don't trust him, but don't be foolish. Don't seek revenge. The Clan will only turn on you." She coughs. "You will show them all!" She does not speak again. I nudge her with my nose. Her form is still. Her eyes stare at nothing. No, no! I run. I turn sharply. I run straight into a tree. I don't have time to stop. I walk out into the clearing of my camp.

"Owleye! Owleye!" I don't know if I'm screaming. Wailing. All eyes look to me. "Owleye!" He rushes from the leaders den. He looks so old, and frail. His eyes blaze with determination though when he sees me. He looks me over and it's then I realize I have my mother's blood on me. He's asking me something. I don't hear him. "No. No. My mother! Please! My mother. Finchfall. She's been attacked." He rushes out of camp. Silverstripe and Shadowfade go after him. Snowdrift comes up to me. I lean on her, but I say nothing. Frozen. Frozen. My eyes drift over the shapes of cats. Then they land. They land on Vinejump.