Swiftstar's Prophecy - Unofficial version

Chapter Eighteen

Redstar led TideClan out of camp. The reddish-brown tabby tom looked more red underneath the moonlight, and his heavy steps made fine paw prints in the wet grass path. Swiftpaw slightly glared at the back of Redstar's head, and a growl came up under her breath. He's not old, but he's so slow! Swiftpaw could easily outrun the leader, but she stayed close to Blizzardtail and Pricklepelt.

They traveled to the Grand River, breaking through the tall grass into the light yellow shore nearest to TideClan. Across from it, the clear Shiny Shore of glittering sand and blazing, silver rocks sat. Swiftpaw wondered if they needed to cross the Grand River and into the moors of DriftClan to get to where the Gathering was held, but the red leader began his march towards the uprooted willows, where Swiftpaw and Blizzardtail hunted.

Now parallel to the river, Redstar led them through the land of the willows, sometimes his paws leading them into those shallow streams of water, sometimes leaping over them and rocks. Snaketail was right beside him, and sometimes the skinny deputy would do the exact opposite of the leader. Swiftpaw followed Snaketail's movements.

Soon, they left the willows and came upon a large bend in the river. Swiftpaw was very unfamiliar with the part of TideClan territory they were in, and her amber eyes looked over at Blizzardtail. He briefly spoke, "We're near the very edge of the whole land. Almost closer to the StarRock,"

"The StarRock?"

"Yes, a beautiful valley with a large, almost clear rock in the middle. It is StarClan's territory, and once the moonlight is at it's full peak, the light will make the rock shine softly. It is also the place where medicine cats and future apprentices go to speak with StarClan," he explained, before Baydawn slid in between the two. "Correction, for warriors, too," he meowed, directly looking at Blizzardtail. The mottled tom averted his gaze for a heartbeat, and Baydawn chuckled. Swiftpaw felt awfully confused, but decided not to push her elderly mentor.

The group of TideClan cats approached the Grand River. Not too far away was some stepping stones, and a pathway of shrubs leading to them. Redstar seemed to hesitate, looking down into the water that reflected himself, before he dove in. The cats followed, even Snaketail, as they suavely entered the water. 

"Ready to swim?" Pricklepelt meowed to Swiftpaw, and the calico apprentice nodded, before she dived into the cold waters of the Grand River. Her head submerged, and her eyes opened to bright blue waters, and the moving legs of her clanmates. It's just like running, she remembered from her lesson as a kit, and Swiftpaw began to move her legs. Easily, her head emerged from the waters, and her eyes blinked away droplets.

Her legs propelled her forward, and in what seemed like heartbeats, she and her clanmates have crossed the more thinner yet deeper part of the Grand River. Her paws touched wet grass, and once she was out of the water, she shook her fur to rid herself of extra water. 

"Hey, watch it!" Mistfur growled from behind her, the gray tom stepping back a bit from her flying droplets. Even though the water was cold, Swiftpaw felt heat rise to the tip of every fur in her body, "Sorry, Mistfur," before she retreated to Blizzardtail's side, away from the young warrior.

Swiftpaw gazed up at the tallest hill she had ever saw. Directly above her was a young, birch tree, its silver bark glimmering white in the moonlight. The hill had tall grass, tall enough to hide Swiftpaw, but she could easily see a clear pathway of flattened grass, leading up the hill. Huh, StarClan thought ahead to make the StarRock much above the waters, in case of flooding. 

"Hold onto my tail, apprentice. Sometimes this pathway can be slippery," Blizzardtail meowed, and his shredded tail lashed in front of her mouth. Swiftpaw gently clasped it between her teeth, and the much larger warrior began the hike up the pathway. The glass was shorter and flattened, with some stones flattened on the way, too. Swiftpaw felt confident to let go of her mentor's tail, but when she almost did, her paws slipped on a wet rock surface, thanks to her wet paws. On instinct, her claws unsheathed and dug them into the grass, and she did slide a bit, tearing some grass up below her. But Blizzardtail remained still, and became an anchor for her to regain her footing and continue up the trail. Her tail lashed a thank-you.