Lightstar's Life by Crystal Chen (beach books TXT) 📕

“Stings a little, does it?” she meowed, “There, you should be fine now.”

“Thanks.” I gave my shoulder a few quick licks and padded out of the medicine cat’s den. “Swiftpaw?” I called across the clearing.

“Here!” he bounded out from behind a bush, “Let’s begin training!” I laughed and escorted him to the sandy hollow.

“First,” I meowed, “you must learn how to stalk a mouse.”

“I know how to!” Pepperpaw squeaked, bouncing up, Sparrowpath just behind her, “Sparrowpath taught me how to!”

"Ok, Pepperpaw.” I mewed, “Show us.” Swiftpaw sat back on his heels and watched impatiently as his younger sister demonstrated the move. She dropped into the hunter's crouch and stalked forward, her tail a whisker above the ground. She placed each pawstep carefully, not making a single thump of paws on grass. "Good, good!" I mewed, "Now, Swiftpaw, you try." The apprentice narrowed his eyes and crouched, belly to the ground. His tail swished back and forth over the grass. “Don’t let our tail touch the ground!” I called. Swiftpaw lifted his tail, taking a silent step forward.

“Perfect.” I purred, “Well done.” His eyes shone at my praise. “Now can we learn to fight?” Swiftpaw mewed impatiently after I’d taught him how to stalk all different kinds of prey.

“Ok.” I meowed, “Let’s see your skills.” The apprentice’s eyes glowed with ambition as he crouched, tensing to leap. 

“Alright.” I meowed. “Attack me.” He shot forward faster than the wind, bowling me over. Instinct took over my surprise when I felt that his claws were unsheathed. With a yowl, I shoved him off and aimed a swipe at him muzzle. “Ow!” Swiftpaw cried, stumbling backward.

My heart lurched, “Great StarClan!” I meowed in alarm, “I didn’t mean to hurt you!” The apprentice shook himself off, recovering quickly, “Wow!” he mewed, “That was awesome! Teach me how to do that!” I sighed with relief. Don’t let that happen again. I told myself sternly before going on with Swiftpaw’s lesson.

The next full moon, the Gathering took place, just as usual. I wondered anxiously if Frostfur or I was going.

“Lightfoot, I want you and Frostfur to accompany me and the other warriors to the Gathering.” Flamestar meowed to me the day before the Gathering. I shivered. Snow was already falling, and the fresh-kill pile was growing painfully small. The journey to Twinstones would be cold and harsh.

New kits were born only last dawn; Rosekit and Lionkit. Both dead. Leaf bare conditions were crueler then a tiger. The Clan mourned for the lost kits, and Whispergaze, their mother, mourned the longest of all.

Dusk was approaching, and that was when the Gathering would take place this moon. I bushed up my fur and followed the patrol out, Frostfur trotting by my side. Flamestar’s tiger pelt seemed to glow in the blizzard, so he was easy to follow. My whiskers twitched as we neared the Twinstones, and SunClan’s foul scent reached my tongue. I wrinkled my nose just as we broke into the clearing, all the cats shaking snow from their pelts. SunClan pretty much arrived at the same time as we did, and I was glad of it, because then the Gathering could be over sooner.

“Hi…” I turned to see Swallowpaw.

“Hi, Swallow—” I hesitated, “You’re a warrior now, right?”

She laughed, “Yeah, I’m Swallowflight now. That's why I hesitated at first too. You’re also a warrior, right?”

“Yeah.” I puffed out my chest, “I’m Lightfoot.”

“Well, hello, Lightfoot.” The striped brown warrior mewed formally. I smiled and opened my jaws to reply, but then Flamestar’s yowl rang across the clearing:

“Cats of all Clans, let us begin the Gathering!"

Swallowpaw crouched close to me, heat clouding around me. I leaned in, enjoying her warmth. Frostfur sat beside us and gazed at the SunClan warrior. Then she caught my eyes and her expression read, that’s our half sister? I nodded grimly, suddenly feeling angry at Shadeblaze all over again. But I forced myself to push the resentment to the back of my mind and listen to the leaders speaking on the Twinstones.

"Prey is running well in MoonClan territory. We have four new warriors!” Flamestar meowed, “Lightfoot, Frostfur, Darkcliff, and Lightningstrike!”

“Lightfoot, Frostfur, Darkcliff, Lightningstrike!” the Clan cats chanted.

“We also have three new apprentices!” Flamestar yowled, “Mintpaw, Swiftpaw, and Pepperpaw!”

“Mintpaw, Swiftpaw, Pepperpaw!" The tiger tom turned to Shimmerstar and nodded, stepping backwards.“SunClan also has welcomed two new warriors!” Shimmerstar yowled, “Swallowflight, and Magicstorm!”

We chanted the new warriors’ names:“Swallowflight, Magicstorm!”

“We have two new apprentices also!” Shimmerstar yowled, "Rosepaw and Lilypaw!"

"Rosepaw, Lilypaw!"

I dozed off sometime during the middle; it was quite boring.

“This Gathering is dismissed.” Flamestar meowed, jerking me awake. I blinked in surprise, and then shook off a layer of snow from my pelt.

“You fell asleep.” Swallowflight meowed, giving me a playful flick on the cheek. I yawned and stretched.

“See you.” I mewed to the she-cat as we parted.“What’s her name?” Frostfur panted as we raced back to camp.

“Swallowflight.” I meowed in reply, concentrating on keeping warm. Frostfur said nothing in return.

We reached camp quickly, and it had turned dark. The full moon was bright over the black, starless sky. My eyelids started to droop.

“I’ll see you all tomorrow,” Flamestar called to the whole Clan, “for dawn patrol.”

I curled up in my moss bed in the warrior’s den and fell into a peaceful slumber.

Morning came before I knew it.

I meowed into the apprentice den, “Swiftpaw! Flamestar wants us on dawn patrol!”

“Yay!” the apprentice jumped out, “My first patrol!”

“Aw, can I come?” Mintpaw yawned, stretching. “Swiftpaw always gets to do the exciting stuff!”

“That’s because I’m older then you, mouse-brain!” Swiftpaw mewed back teasingly. His littermate mumbled something inaudible and fell back asleep.

“You’ll have to get her up.” I meowed to Frostfur, “I’m going on patrol.”

We set out: Me, Swiftpaw, Thrushthorn, Sunfang, and Flamestar himself.

“Warriors and apprentice,” The MoonClan leader indicated us to follow him. Swiftpaw’s eyes were bright with excitement at the thought of traveling with his own leader. “I must tell you something important,” Flamestar meowed quietly once we were out of the rock-hidden entrance, “because I trust you. Only Sorrelsky and Shadeblaze know of this.” We leaned in, anxious to hear his words.

“My lives,” Flamestar began, and my heart began to thump. “I am on my last.”

The last. I thought. One out of nine. Everyone knew that when a cat became leader, he or she traveled to the Starpool to be granted nine lives from StarClan; the symbol of a true Clan leader. I never saw myself what it was like to lose a life, and I wasn’t sure I wanted to. But this wasn’t good. Flamestar only had one of his lives left. StarClan protect him…

The patrol stood there in a stunned silence. “B-but…” Thorntail was the first to speak, “you can’t leave us—”

Flamestar pressed his fiery tail to the young warrior’s muzzle. “It will happen to every warrior, every leader.” He meowed gravely, “It is called life." With that, the MoonClan leader spun around and padded off into the trees, leaving no other option for us but to follow him silently.

I pondered Flamestar’s words from then on, careful to keep a careful eye on him at all times. The last thing I wanted to happen was for our leader to die and disappear forever. Great StarClan, who would lead us then? Nonetheless, Swiftpaw’s training was coming along very nicely. I was sure he would make a fine warrior someday, which I hoped would be soon. He was almost too heavy for me to fight, which I was proud of. One day I padded to Flamestar’s den and asked if Swiftpaw could be made a warrior. He agreed without protest.

“Let all cats old enough to hunt their own prey gather here beneath Highrock for a Clan meeting.” Swiftpaw’s eyes shone with anticipation. I remembered that same look in Frostfur’s eyes when we were just about become warriors, ourselves.

After the cats had gathered, Flamestar took a breath and began, “We have an apprentice here among us, ready to become a warrior.” The MoonClan cats leaned in with anticipation, pelts bushed up against the chilly leaf bare breeze.

“Swiftpaw, come forth.” Flamestar meowed with authority. The broad apprentice stood, shook his fur, and padded up to his leader. Flamestar raised his muzzle to the sky and meowed, “I call upon StarClan to look down on this apprentice, who has trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I ask you to make him a warrior in his turn.” 

I watched with pride as Flamestar spoke, and how the Clan was dead silent as the ceremony went on: “Swiftpaw, do you swear to uphold the warrior code and serve your Clan always?”

“I do.” His meow was bold and loud.

“Then I proudly proclaim that from this day forth, you shall be known as Swifttail. We welcome you as a full-fledged warrior of MoonClan.”

Swifttail lifted his tail in pleasure as he gently licked Flamestar's shoulder and padded over to join us. I gave him a purr of delight and a friendly flick of the tail, “Congrats, Swifttail.” I meowed. Frostfur came over to congratulate the new warrior, but then Flamestar spoke again: “Shadeblaze, our deputy, is ready to move to the elders’ den.” He meowed loudly. Shadeblaze nodded silently and took his place with the elders. “We will need a new deputy, and I will decide next moon high.” He closed his mouth and sat back.

The cats held their breath, waiting for it. I was the first to open my jaws and take up the chant: “Swifttail, Swifttail!” The dark brown warrior grinned with delight and raised his head with pride. My heart glowed for the new warrior, whom I trained and mentored myself. Frostfur padded over, “He is the best.” She meowed, “You trained him well.” I nuzzled her with gratitude as the cats started to disperse.

“Well,” I sighed, “my duty is done, for now.” We parted, hearts lifted and spirits high.