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A chilly, leaffall breeze sweeps through the forest. The naked branches overhead creak and moan. Cinderpaw pads into camp with a scrawny mouse in her jaws. Fireheart had praised her when she caught it but she brushed it off. She knows that, in leaffall and leafbare, any catch is a good one.
“Go rest,” Fireheart meows as they drop their prey on the fresh-kill. “You did well today.”
“Thanks,” Cinderpaw meows, blinking at her mentor. She’s glad to be back in camp, no longer chilled by the weather outside. From the look of the sky, it’s going to rain today. Cinderpaw’s pelt fluffed up, not excited for it. When she was a kit, she loved jumping in puddles and getting soaked. Now, getting her pelt wet made for an uncomfortable patrol or training session.
“Cinderpaw!” Thornpaw calls from the elders’ den. Cinderpaw lifts her head, tilting her head at her brother. “Whitesky’s telling a story! C’mon!”
“Coming!” Cinderpaw meows, excitement making her pelt fluff instead of the cold air. She bounded over to the elders’ den. The den is warm, unlike the camp outside.
Whitesky purrs when she sees Cinderpaw. Swiftpaw sits beside Brackenpaw and Brightpaw, whispering to Brightpaw. She purrs and nudges her cousin. “Are Sandpaw and Dustpaw here?” Cinderpaw asks.
“No,” Brackenpaw meows. “They’re out training with Darkstripe and Whitestorm.”
Cinderpaw doesn’t envy them. They’re probably going to get soaked on their way home. Cinderpaw bundles in with her siblings and Swiftpaw, looking up at Whitesky. She tucks her paws under her chest to warm them. “Are you ready?” Whitesky purrs. They all nod. “I must warn you, this story isn’t for the faint of heart. I sent away the kits for a reason.”
Cinderpaw shares a glance with Brackenpaw. “Is it a scary story?” she asks, tilting her head.
“Very scary,” Whitesky meows, a smile on her face. “This is a story about the Graveyard.”
“Whitesky.” Dappletail’s voice makes the kits jump in surprise. Brightpaw shouts before quickly covering her mouth with her paws. Swiftpaw laughs. “Aren’t they a little too young for a scary story?”
“Nonsense,” Whitesky meows, sniffing. “Larksong told me this story when I was an apprentice and I was fine.”
Dappletail snorts. “You slept in my nest for a moon straight cause of the nightmares it gave you,” she meows. She settles down beside her sister.
Cinderpaw giggles as Whitesky glares at Dappletail. “Shush,” she meows, flicking her ear. “Anyway, I was younger than these ‘paws when I heard it.”
“That doesn’t mean they’re ready for it-”
“We wanna hear it!” Swiftpaw meows. “Please, Dappletail?” Swiftpaw pouts, his tail swishing.
Dappletail sighs, rolling her eyes. There’s a sparkle in her eye Cinderpaw doesn’t miss. “Very well,” she hesitates. “Go ahead, Whitesky.”
Whitesky smiles, blinking at her. “Deep in ShadowClan marsh lies the Graveyard,” she meows, her voice low. “ShadowClan cats are very different from the other Clans. While we have bigger paws built for digging and burying, ShadowClan’s ancestors consist of many kittypets, passing down their petite paws. ShadowClan cats can’t dig well enough to make graves like we do.
“For a while, they tried their best to dig out graves, though they were always shallow and messy. It didn’t take long for the decomposing bodies of their Clanmates to resurface, sickening their Clanmates. They tried to rebury their fallen warriors, but it was no use. An epidemic swept through ShadowClan. They had no idea where to put their dead bodies, eventually leaving them just behind their camp.”
Cinderpaw wrinkles her nose. “Why would they do that?” she asks. The thought of the smell almost makes her gag.
“Their paws were tied,” Whitesky meows, shrugging. “They knew it was disgusting, but there was nothing they could do. Some cats believe that’s where ShadowClan territory got its nasty smell from.” Cinderpaw shudders.
“After moons of this, their medicine cat, Mistcreek, began going mad. She’d always been deathly afraid of crows. The large birds took up most of the territory, being one of ShadowClan’s main sources of prey. Mistcreek never tasted crow. Even as a kit, she refused to eat it. Her Clanmates had no idea what to do with her, especially since crows were almost all they had during leafbare.
“Her Clanmates always worried for her. They knew there was something different in her head. As Mistcreek got older, her fear of crows only became worse. Cats would come across her whispering to the crows, who would caw back. She mumbled under her breath about them, unable to even sleep. She tried to tell her Clanmates that the crows were angry with them. ‘If you don’t bow to us, we’ll wreak havoc on ShadowClan,’” Whitesky croaks. Shivers run down Cinderpaw’s spine. Whitesky always liked to put on voices. “‘We’ll send a plague, watch every Shadow cat die, one by one.’”
“Did Mistcreek listen to them?” Brackenpaw breathes.
“She did,” Whitesky meows, “but her leader didn’t. Tansystar was stubborn. And with leafbare around the corner, she knew her Clan would starve without the crows. Mistcreek approached her, ‘Please!’ she said. ‘The crows have spoken to me. If we eat them they’ll kill us!’ Tansystar only snorted. ‘Prey-’”
“‘-is prey,’” Dappletail interrupts, putting on a snooty voice for Tansystar. Whitesky rolls her eyes as her sister continues. Cinderpaw giggles. “‘Even if the crows are threatening us, we should kill them all off. Why should we listen to birds ?’.”
“So, ShadowClan continued eating the crows. Mistcreek knew if she stayed, she might die from the crows’ curse,” Whitesky goes on. “But she also knew she had a duty to protect her Clan and to train her apprentice, Mossypaw. And so, she stayed.”
“Did the curse come true?” Brightpaw asks. She shakes with fear, her blue eyes wide. Swiftpaw presses against her to comfort her.
“It did,” Whitesky meows. “A disease swept through ShadowClan. Too fatal for the medicine cats to cure. They coughed up and vomited blood. Cats dropped like flies left and right. Even Mossypaw died from the crows’ sickness. Mistcreek told Tansystar she warmed them. Tansystar tried their best to quarantine the Clan, telling the other leaders that ShadowClan couldn’t go to Gatherings until the sickness was under control.
“The medicine den was full. Many ShadowClan cats tried to tell Tansystar they had to stop eating the crows. But prey was scarce, the snow driving it all but the crows away. And starvation only made the cats die faster and faster. They were desperate. The queens had to eat. That is until Tansystar caught the sickness. Mistcreek could only watch as Tansystar’s lives were stripped away one by one. Not even StarClan could cure this sickness. It was a sickness from the deepest pits of the ground, far away from our ancestors’ light.
“Mistcreek never ate the crows. But she still caught the sickness from Tansystar. The dwindling Clan tried their best to keep her alive, but she eventually joined StarClan. As she died, she uttered her last words: ‘The crows will not stop until they’ve had their revenge.’.” Whitesky’s voice shakes as she speaks. “‘We must give back after taking from them for so long.’ And so she died.
“That same day, Tansystar lost their last life. The deputy, Pepperclaw, and her Clan took the leader and medicine cat near the edge of Clan territory, where all the crows flocked. Crows circled them, glaring at the deputy with beady eyes.” Whitesky looked at Dappletail.
“‘Look what you’ve done to us!’,” Dappletail screeches as if she lost her own leader. “‘Look what you took from us!’.”
“The crows tilted their heads. ‘You did the same to us,’ the leader of the crows croaked. ‘You took friends, parents, children from us all. Why shouldn’t we have done the same to you?’ The grief inside Pepperclaw lessened slightly at that. But she still sobbed.”
“‘I’m sorry,’ she croaked,” Dappletail meows. “‘We didn’t know.’.”
“‘You did!’ the leader crow cried. The rest of the crows screamed along with them. ‘Your healer warned you and you chose to ignore her. You chose this.’.”
“Pepperclaw raised her head,” Dappletail continued. “‘Please, take this as a token of apology.’ She pushed her dead medicine cat and leader toward the crows. ‘Any cat that eats a crow in my Clan will be considered dead.’.”
“The crow stared at Pepperclaw. It hopped toward Mistcreek and Tansystar. ‘Very well. Thank you, young leader. For your sacrifice, we will remove the plague.’ It nudged Mistcreek’s body. ‘The cat who will take the place of this one will share our names.’ The crows swarmed the dead cats, ripping and tearing at their bodies, eating them like the Clan cats ate them .
“Once Pepperclaw returned home, she named an apprentice, Crowpaw, the new medicine cat apprentice. Crowpaw happily took on the job, trained by a ThunderClan medicine cat. Pepperclaw became Pepperstar and Crowpaw became Crowcall. Pepperstar made a new rule for ShadowClan. ‘No cat shall eat crows on ShadowClan territory, and all their dead will be given to them as a peace offering.’ The ShadowClan cats got rid of the dead bodies from behind their camp and gave them to the crows. Every cat who defied Pepperstar’s law seemed to disappear from ShadowClan entirely, but some swear they find bits of their Clanmate’s fur in the Graveyard.”
“It’s said that to this day, Mistcreek and Tansystar guard the Graveyard,” Dappletail continues. “Ghosts among the skeletons of their Clanmates. Mistcreek’s gray fur turned night black, gifted wings by the crows. Meanwhile, Tansystar’s fur turned whiter than snow, with black crow feathers covering her body, growing painfully from under her pelt, her paws stained with blood. She still coughs up blood, the curse of the crows continuing to plague her.”
Cinderpaw stared at the two elders as they finished their story. “Is that all true?” she whispers.
“Maybe,” Whitesky purrs, winking at her. “Some cats say that the story is a myth to keep kits from eating crows, who may carry disease. But the Graveyard is very real.”
Cinderpaw screams when something pounces on her, landing square on her tail. Brightpaw squeaks, leaping backward. Cinderpaw whips her head around to see Graystripe. She glares at her brother’s mentor. “Graystripe!” she hisses. Swiftpaw cackles, rolling on his back. Whitesky and Dappletail purr in amusement.
“I can’t believe you’re telling that story again,” Graystripe meows, ignoring Cinderpaw’s annoyance. “I mean, please, ShadowClan cats feeding their dead to crows. Isn’t that a bit morbid?”
Whitesky sniffs. “It’s a true story, Gray. Why do you think they don’t allow anyone near the edge of their territory?”
Graystripe huffs, but he’s still smiling. “Probably cuz they don’t like cats from other Clans on their territory. Don’t listen to them, ‘paws. That’s nothing but an old queen’s tale.” Whitesky lifts her nose in the air but Graystripe doesn’t say any more to her. “Come on, it’s late. You guys have training in the morning. Go to your nests.”
Cinderpaw sighs and stands, stretching. She was right earlier. The rain has already started. “Race you to the den!” Swiftpaw meows, running toward the apprentices’ den.
“Hey no fair!” Cinderpaw meows, running after him. He sprints toward the den, already a few foxlengths ahead of the other apprentices. “Stars, no wonder you were named Swift.”
Swiftpaw purrs, puffing his chest up. “Come on, let’s get inside,” Thornpaw meows as he slips into the den. “I don’t want to get more soaked than I already am.”
Cinderpaw follows him in. She looks at Brackenpaw. “Do you think that story was actually true?” she asks.
“Probably not,” Brackenpaw meows. “It was probably just some tall tale to keep other Clan cats from going into ShadowClan territory.”
Cinderpaw nods slowly. Her head perks when an idea enters her mind. “What if we went to find out?” she whispers, making sure no one can hear her.
“What do you mean?” Brightpaw asks as she settles in her nest.
“What if we sneak into ShadowClan and try to find it?” Cinderpaw meows, her eyes bright.
“That’s probably not the best idea,” Thornpaw meows. “If Nightstar smells ThunderClan scent on his land, he might go nuts. He’s not really happy with Bluestar at the moment.”
“The rain will disguise our scents!” Cinderpaw meows. “C’mon, don’t be mousehearts! No one will catch us.”
“What if it’s true?” Brightpaw whispers, her eyes wide with fear.
“Then we’ll get to tell a cool story!” Cinderpaw meows.
“I think Cinder’s got the right idea,” Swiftpaw purrs, his eyes sparkling. “C’mon, it’ll be fun!”
“I think you’re a couple of mousebrains,” Thornpaw sniffs. “No one’s even gonna believe you if they are real.”
Cinderpaw sticks her tongue out at her brother and he does it back. “I agree with Thornpaw,” Brackenpaw meows. “But . . . if Brightpaw goes, I will.”
Brightpaw looks thoughtful, her whiskers twitching. “I guess I’ll go,” she meows. “It would be kind of cool if it was real. Even if it’s scary.”
“Yes!” Swiftpaw purrs. “Thornpaw, you coming?”
Thornpaw huffs. “Only to keep you guys out of any trouble.”
“We’ll wait until moonhigh,” Cinderpaw meows. “So no one can see us sneak out.”
The other apprentices agree with Cinderpaw. They all get into their nests. Cinderpaw can’t bring herself to sleep, excitement making her heart race. Whitestorm comes to make sure the apprentices are all asleep before going to the warriors’ den. Cinderpaw raises her head. “Hey,” she hisses. Swiftpaw lifts his head.
“Is everyone asleep?” he asks.
“I think so,” Cinderpaw meows. She pads up to Brackenpaw to nudge him awake, but his eyes are already open. “C’mon.” She shoves Thornpaw awake and he grumbles, lifting his head. Swiftpaw wakes Brightpaw as well. “Let’s go.”
Cinderpaw pokes her head out of the entrance of the den, making sure none of the warriors were still up. She flicks her tail to the others and leads them toward the dirtplace tunnel to sneak out through there. It’s still drizzling, droplets of rain clinging to her fur. She looks behind her to make sure everyone’s following before beginning to climb out of the ravine.
“How will we even know how to get there?” Thornpaw asks, fruitlessly shaking himself.
“I kind of remember ShadowClan territory,” Brackenpaw meows. “It shouldn’t be too hard anyway. We’ll probably smell death before we even get there.”
“You can lead then,” Cinderpaw meows, falling behind him.
“What!?” Brackenpaw stops. “I don’t want to lead!”
Swiftpaw huffs. “I’ll lead then.” He steps in front of Brackenpaw. “Just tell me where I’m going.” Brackenpaw nods. Swiftpaw begins leading them through the forest. Cinderpaw sticks close behind him, Thornpaw taking up the rear.
The forest is silent. The only sound was the creaking of branches ahead and the small drops of rain hitting the ground. No birdsong, no chattering. Cinderpaw jumps when she hears an owl. She shakes herself when she sees Thornpaw’s whiskers twitch in amusement.
They reach the Thunderpath. Cinderpaw stares across the wide, black ground. “Have any of you crossed the Thunderpath before?” she asks, looking at the others.
“No,” they all meow in unison.
“Well, it can’t be that hard,” Cinderpaw meows. She looks both ways, sticking her head out from the undergrowth. “C’mon, monsters probably don’t come out at night anyway.” The other apprentices follow her across, looking around as they walk slowly. The ground under Cinderpaw rumbles. Her face screws up.
“Look out!” Brackenpaw shouts, racing to the other side. The monster’s bright eyes catch sight of them and it screeches to a halt, swerving away from the apprentices. They all pant when they make it to the other side. The Twoleg in the monster steps out, their eyes wide as they look around to see where they went.
“C’mon,” Thornpaw whispers, leading them into the marshy ShadowClan territory.
Cinderpaw stops as the mud squelches under her paws. “Let’s roll in the mud,” she meows.
“What?” Thornpaw meows. “Why?”
“It’ll hide our scent!”
“The rain is already doing that,” Swiftpaw meows.
Cinderpaw sniffs. “If you want to get caught, go ahead. I’m gonna roll in the mud.” She lays down in the marshy earth and begins rolling in it, covering her gray pelt with the sticky, wet ground. She stands back up, blushing when Swiftpaw snorts.
“You look like a porcupine!” Swiftpaw chortles.
Cinderpaw shoves Swiftpaw into the mud. Swiftpaw shouts as he lands face first into the puddle, his white pelt turning mucky. “Now you look like one, too.”
“C’mon guys, quit it,” Brackenpaw meows. “Let’s get this over with, I wanna go home.”
Cinderpaw glares at her brother. “You’re no fun,” she mumbles.
Swiftpaw stands, shakes himself, and continues leading the small group toward the far back of ShadowClan territory. Brackenpaw tells him where to go, but once they pass ShadowClan camp, they have no idea where they’re going.
Cinderpaw jumps when an owl chatters loudly. She looks around to make sure it’s not nearby before she continues walking, her fur prickling. As they keep walking, a foul smell washes over her scent glands. Her head spins at the scent and she gags. “Do you smell that?” she asks, covering her nose with her paw.
“Yeah,” Thornpaw meows, shuddering. “I think we’re almost there.”
They keep walking through the marshland. Something crackles beneath Cinderpaw’s paws. She lifts her paws to reveal a cracked cat skull. She squeaks and jumps back, her fur bristling. “I think we’re here,” she quavers.
The other apprentices look around, spotting more and more dead cats here and there. Some even still have some flesh left on them, their bones showing under their fur where the crows picked. Cinderpaw spotted a horrific sight: a cat with half a face, the other half eaten, its skin stripped from its bones. Brightpaw shrieks when a crow calls.
“Shut up!” Cinderpaw hisses. “If we’re caught here, Nightstar will shred us.”
Brackenpaw’s ear twitches. “Do you hear that?” he whispers, whipping his head around frantically.
“No,” Cinderpaw mews, pricking her ears.
“I hear whispering.” Brackenpaw crouches down, flattening his ears.
“C- c’mon, Bracken, quit trying to scare us,” Thornpaw meows, his tail bushing up.
“I’m not!” Brackenpaw whispers. “I really hear something.”
A silhouette catches Cinderpaw’s eye. Her paws shake but she puffs her chest up, trying to hide her fear. “Hello?” she calls, stepping toward the shadow. “W- we’re sorry for trespassing. We just-”
The cat’s yellow eyes flash and Cinderpaw sees its unnaturally white pelt, black spots here and there. Its pelt shines in the dark. “YOU SHOULDN’T BE HERE!” the cat howls, its eyes blazing.
Cinderpaw screams as the black cat rushes toward them. Blood drips from its jaws, eyes wild. Just before the cat is about to pounce, a familiar one leaps in front of Cinderpaw. “Go!” the cat hisses, shoving Cinderpaw. “Run, get out of here!”
Cinderpaw pants and runs toward the Thunderpath, her fellow apprentices on her tail. As she races toward it, another cat catches her eye. A beautiful, black cat, with wings like a bird on its back. Its green eyes shine as it watches them run, not even bothering to stop them as if it knew they meant no harm. They reach the Thunderpath and bound across it back to safety, glad that no monsters are crossing. Howls echo from ShadowClan territory. Cinderpaw stares across it. The five of them jump when their savior bursts out of the bushes and runs across the Thunderpath.
Cinderpaw lets out a sigh of relief when she recognizes the cat. “What in StarClan’s name were you doing?” Yellowfang hisses, her eyes narrow. “Not only did you trespass, you trampled over ShadowClan’s sacred Graveyard!”
“W- we’re- we’re sorry miss Yellowfang,” Brightpaw stammers, her blue eyes wide. “We just wanted to see.”
Yellowfang snorts, pacing in front of them. She opens her jaws as if to say something before she stops and grits her teeth. “I understand your curiosity,” she meows slowly. “But you’re all toadbrains for thinking this was a good idea.” Cinderpaw flinches at her harsh tone.
“You’re not gonna tell our mentors about this, are you?” Swiftpaw asks, dismayed.
Yellowfang huffs, her whiskers twitching thoughtfully. “No,” she meows, making them sigh in relief. “But, I will be telling them you snuck out in the middle of the night without permission.”
Cinderpaw’s shoulders slump. “Yeah, we deserve that,” Thornpaw mumbles. “We’re sorry, Yellowfang.”
The other apprentices murmur apologies as well. Cinderpaw can’t look Yellowfang in the eye, instead looking at her paws. “Good,” Yellowfang meows. “Let’s get you home, then.”
Yellowfang begins leading the apprentices home, making sure no one is left behind. Cinderpaw walks alongside her. She looks up at the medicine cat. “Have you ever been to the Graveyard?”
Yellowfang looks down at her and chuckles. “Yes,” she meows. “Many times, unfortunately. It never gets easier.”
“So . . . Tansystar and Mistcreek really do guard it?”
Yellowfang’s eyes sparkle. “You know what you saw,” she meows, winking at her.
Cinderpaw looks over her shoulder. She shivers as Tansystar’s rabid look flashes behind her eyes, eyes like fire, paws bloody. She knows no one will believe the apprentices, they can’t even tell the story without getting in trouble. But I know what I saw.