Once, not many sunrises ago, Tanglepaw found her mentor and ShadowClan deputy - dead.
He had just retreated from a battle with ThunderClan, and so he had fresh wounds. The medicine cat, Spiritbloom, hadn't bothered with treating him yet, said he should wait until morning. But that was a fatal mistake on his part. Somebody had dripped Deathberry juice into Brokenshadow's wounds, then silently bit his neck, strangling him and finishing the job.
Tanglepaw didn't understand why everyone thought she did it. Just because Brokenshadow backed out of her ceremony at the last second didn't mean she held a grudge. Honestly, what was she, a murderer?
No - that's exactly what they thought.
"Tanglepaw, is it your wish to become a warrior?" Fallenstar had asked her.
She had nodded.
"Brokenshadow, do you think she is ready to tackle the life of a warrior, serving her warrior ancestors?"
Brokenshadow hesitated, and Tanglepaw's heart began to race. What is he going to say? she had thought.
"I...frankly - and, I'm sorry, Tanglepaw - but no. She's just...too young. No, not even that. Just...not ready."
Many cats in the Clan had gasped. Tanglepaw was older than some other warriors, yet he was telling her to wait?
"Is...is this really what you believe, Brokenshadow?" Fallenstar's tail lashed back and forth.
Brokenshadow nodded gravely. "I'm sorry, Fallenstar, and I'm sorry, Tanglepaw. But you're just not ready."
Just not ready. Just not ready.
She wasn't good enough.
She abruptly turned away from Fallenstar and Brokenshadow. With that, she dashed out of the camp, barely hearing the calls for her to come back.
That creep took away what Tanglepaw had always wanted. She tried so hard on every assignment, but she was never good enough for that piece of fox dung. She could never match up to him. She could never be the apprentice he'd always wanted.
On the outside, cats who didn't know him very well thought he was angelic, perfect. But Tanglepaw knew otherwise. She realized that nearly everything Brokenshadow did was caused by his desire to get a reaction out of those around him.
She knew, her best friend Dawnpaw knew, Brokenshadow's ex-mate Frozenleaf knew, and most of all, his brother, Falconflight, knew - but nobody else.
To most, Brokenshadow was the epitome of perfection. And that's exactly what Tanglepaw hated.