Clearing the Mind.

[Ghostkit]

Ghostkit, like usual, had slipped out of camp, hopefully unnoticed, to clear his head down by the river. He sat, right at the edge, his paws almost in the water. It was rushing fast, distorting his image. The bright sunlight's glare blinded him, so he looked away and on the other side if the river. This was the ThunderClan and RiverClan border. Ghost secretly longed to lay on the Sunningrocks across the way, but he dismissed the thought. He'd be torn to shreds by patrol.

Ghost thought for a second. The water was low, and might mask his scent. He could swim easily, he was RiverClan after all. He'd only be there for a little bit, and who would harm a kit? Ghostkit lookedto his left, then to his right. he sniffed the air. he was alone, not even the scent of prey in the air near him. Ghost let out a slight laugh. "Just becauses it's theirs doesn't give them any right to hog it. It's more or less contested." Ghost said alloud to himself.

He put one paw in the water, then the other. He walked in as far as he could, which for his size was a ways, then kicked as hard as he could, he made it about halfway across the river when a large branch slammed into the side of his head, the sharp twigs that protruded from it sank deep under his skin, yanking him under the water with the help of the rushing current. He momentarily felt several sharp pangs all over his body, then world went black.

[[s].x.[p].x.[e].x.[l].x.[l]]

Spellstar watched the kit calmly at a distance. Sunningrocks had always been an inviting spot to lay, but most cats had half of the brain necessary to know not to go across the border, particularly the river. He wondered for a moment whether or not he would cross. He glanced quietly over his shoulder to Shockwave, who lay peacefully in the shadows not too far away. His heart practically skipped a beat when he looked back and saw Ghostkit wading through the water. This slender tom stood, ready to bolt.

When Ghostkit went under, leaving a small trail of blood, Spellstar stopped dead. He tried to force himself to move, but he couldn't. The tom stood there, fur on end, staring in horror. "Gogglepaw..." he uttered.

Shockwave yawned, opening his yellow eyes slowly. He smiled, and looked up at Spellstar. His smile faded as he saw a white blob dip below the surface of the water. Almost immediately, he sprang to his paws, practically falling over on his twisted one, and dashed towards the river. He plunged head-first into the water. The tom didn't see Ghostkit immediately, and pulled back out of the water. He looked a bit downstream, where the water was deeper. Shockwave knew he would have to swim, but he would have to. He swam easily at first in the deeper water, frequently letting his head down to see if Ghostkit was to be found. The tom sunk under the water as pain shot through his leg. At that moment, he saw the white, knocked-out kit sinking to the bottom of the water, the current pushing them both downstream. He clamped his teeth around Ghostkit's scruff, and pulled him to the surface.

The golden warrior pulled himself onto the bank, setting the kit gently down. He couldn't have his plan being washed down the river, literally. Shockwave sank down to a laying position, pain coming from his leg in waves.

Seeing Shockwave break the surface seemed to shake Spellstar back into reality. The black tom darted after the two, coming up to them as Shockwave, possibly his most respected warrior, fell. He knew perfectly well what was wrong, there was no need to ask. Ghostkit, however, was a different story. He examined the wounds from the branch on the kit's head. It was nothing life threatening at the moment, but if he was left as he was, the cold and injuries would kill the kit. Taking the obviously solution, Spellstar began to lick Ghostkit's soft, white fur, trying to dry him, lest he become ill.

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[Ghostkit]

Ghost's head was pounding. He didn't know where he was, hhe opened his eyes, his vision was blurry and he was cold. Several sharp pains shot through him, originating from all around him. Ghost closed his eyes momentarily, then opened them again. He let out a mew, sounding pathetic and helpless. Ghost cried out again, the pain washed over him.

Ghost shook his head, and finally realized where he was and what was going on. He looked at Shockwave, then at Spellstar whom was licking him furiously. Ghost lightly pushed his head away and stood up, walking a few steps back towards camp, only to collapse in a heap. He growled, then tried again, but he was too weak. He grunted. "I'm sorry Spellstar...I just wanted to lay on the rocks, I figured Thunderclan wouldn't mind, I'm just a kit..." Ghost let his body relax, laying on the rocks near the water.

"I know it was stupid." He moaned, the pain was unbearable, and he didn't know where it was comming from. He felt sick, delerious. He forgot where he was again, but shook his head and felt better. "I think I need help back to camp..."

[[s].x.[p].x.[e].x.[l].x.[l]]

Shockwave tried to relax his body for a bit as the pain gradually became less until it was just a small, constant pain down his leg that seemed rather bearable. He struggled to his paws, doing his best to mask the pain with a worried expression. Spellstar probably knew what was best for the kit. After all, he had probably had to fight the current, which would put a lot of strain on the young muscles. On top of that, something had brought the kit under, which had obviously dazed him, and injured him fairly badly. At this point, there was probably nothing life threatening, but, due to the cold air and the injuries, he couldn't be left this way for very long, or the kit might not live to his apprenticeship. There were diseases that were deadly to apprentices and kits that could be caught in his vulnerable stare... Infections... This wasn't good.

Spellstar narrowed his eyes. It probably wasn't safe to move him just yet. He seemed to be in a lot of pain. "Shockwave... go get Seekwi-" he stopped his gaze drifting towards the golden tom's twisted leg, which Shockwave was holding about a mouse length or so off the ground. "I'll go get Seekwing. Stay here, and make Ghostkit comfortable." he ordered with a slightly stern expression. He padded towards Ghostkit and whispered, "It was never your fault... Don't... Be sorry..." With that, the leader took off in the direction of the camp.

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[Ghostkit]

Ghost slipped back into unconsciousness momentarily, but he heard what his leader had said. He was stunned, after the treatment he had given him only a few nights ago in his den, Ghost clawing at him wondering about his past. He was so sensative about it he threatened to kill the black leader just because he thought Spellstar knew something, which Ghost still thinks he does even though Spellstar denies all of it entirely.

Ghost struggled to his paws again, but couldn't move his hind legs too much, the pain was too great from the sharp twigs that protruded from the branch. His muscles were on fire and his mind swirled. He wobbled on his two front paws for a second or two before slamming collapsing again on the pebbles under him, he felt even more sick as the pain washed over him again, comming in long, dreadful waves.

"Shock....wave..." he mewed, just barely above a whisper. "Shock....wave....thank..." Ghost coughed up some of the riverwater he swallowed, it tasted horrible. ".....you." He laid his head on the rocks and relaxed, his vision fuzzy. "Am I.....going to die here? Is this what...." he coughed up more water. "Starclan destined for me? All I wanted...was to lay on the rocks. I......figured Thunderlan wouldn't.....harm a kit." He shifted his weight off of a rock sticking into his side. "I am sorry...It was so....stupid I know. I should have seen the log com-..." Ghost's vision went black and he slipped into unconsciousness once more.

[[s].x.[p].x.[e].x.[l].x.[l]]

Shockwave's gaze softened, watching as Ghostkit voiced everything on his mind. Once the white tom seemed unconscious, he sighed. "You'll live... Or, at least, you'd better... So I can see all of the great things you'll do..." 'If I make it that long...' he added silently. He already had good plans for the kit and himself, and one other cat. Everything was falling into place. All he really needed was to stay in fighting condition long enough to complete his goals. After that, well, it didn't matter. He would have a deputy to follow in his paw steps at that point.

Shockwave let out a sort of wheeze, pain coming in mass amounts from his leg again. The tom shakily lay down next to the kit. To try and take his mind off of it, he carefully moved some of the pebbles away from Ghostkit, careful not to move him. There could have been broken bones or things of that caliber that would just get worst if he was moved. The tom felt a strange feeling... Something he hadn't felt since he had been with his sister. What that feeling was, the golden warrior wasn't sure. Shockwave let out a shaky hiss of pain, and lay his head down close to Ghostkit's. His flanks heaved as he anxiously waited for the pain to fade away again, or at least, for the medicine cat to arrive.

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