the strength of a lion

[tenacious]

ooc: Remind me to never write before bed. xD

bic:

Sleep. It didn’t often come easy for Stagpaw, no matter how exhausted he was; contrary to popular opinion, Stagpaw did have fears. Okay, cats probably figured this out since he checked the shadows every night, without fail, and he never took the time to make sure other cats were asleep but, come on, an intruder could be lurking in the dark for all the apprentice knew! He was only taking proper precautions; someday, he’d save their life. The tom lay curled up in his nest for some time, tail over his nose, eyes closed, but his breathing did not even and the apprentice did not sink into a land of slumber, free of shadows. He shifted before standing and letting out an irritated huff.

For StarClan’s sake! It wasn’t even dark! The tom lashed his tail before he made his way out of camp, figuring he may as well do something if he couldn’t fall asleep. Far better then lingering on the fact that he had been excluded from the battle patrol. Well, every apprentice had, but still. He made his way to the heart of ShadowClan territory, letting out a small purr as he parted his jaws to scent the air. Frog, lizards, rats…a shudder ran down his spine. What were rats doing all the way out here?

Stagpaw steered away from their scents. His aimless wandering took him to a thicker part of the swamp. As he moved, a stick cracked somewhere. The tom froze, immediately alert, his eyes widening and his claws sliding into the hard earth. “Who’s there?” he demanded immediately, trying desperately to scent a cat…but all he could smell was ShadowClan.

Suddenly, a figure padded out of the dead trees up ahead. The cat moved slowly and with great purpose, as if it measured each and every step. The cat’s pelt also shimmered with stars and Stagpaw’s eyes widened; he had never seen the she-cat, but he knew of her. “Russetstar!” he gasped and the she-cat grinned lightly.

“Stagpaw. You must be wondering why I have come to you, no?” she murmured quietly, sitting down a few paces from the young tom, “Sit.” She added and he did so immediately, “Young Stagpaw, the forest is filled with tension and the threat of battle. I cannot see everything, no cat can, but I can see that my old Clan needs a strong warrior more then anything. I have watched you since birth and I have studied the path StarClan has set for you; Stagpaw, you are the warrior I have been watching for,” she added, standing and padding closer until Stagpaw could see every fine scar on her face, “You are loyal to ShadowClan and you must remain so. I grant you the strength of the lion, Stagpaw, so that you may rise, mighty and noble as the golden maned warriors of old times, and bring honor to ShadowClan once more. You are a young cat and do not become arrogant with this gift and do not test your strength. Use it only in battle, never against a cat that brings no harm. Abuse of this gift will bring about your death,” she added, her voice dropping into a whisper.

Stagpaw’s eyes widened as she touched her muzzle to his forehead and a heat ran through his body. He felt like…like he could run to the nearest enemy and rip fur from their shoulders effortlessly. He felt like he was a lion from the old Clans, golden pelt matching the sun as it set behind him. The tom widened his eyes before looking up at Russetstar as she continued. She seemed to be speaking carefully, not wanting to give much away, and her eyes became distant for a moment; was there trouble within StarClan? Could she see something that threatened the peace of all the Clans? Stagpaw figured she did, but the cat delivered no prophecy, merely the strange cat. Russetstar suddenly blinked and murmured a goodbye before turning and padding off, fading back to StarClan, like the mist faded into the night.