What Are You Doing To Me?

A TaigaClan Challenge

Summary: Slatepaw's training in WindClan was fine until his brother, Smokepaw, and his friends; Flowpaw and Badgerpaw began bullying him and no one noticed. Not even his beloved mentor, Harestep. In the event of his swipe at Flowpaw, Slatepaw runs and ends up falling into the waters of RiverClan, where he is saved by the deputy.

Slatepaw was upset. Upset and hurt. At first everything started out just fine, only two moons into his training and everything hit the wind. His littermate, Smokepaw, had begun teasing and bullying him along with Smokepaw's friends, Flowpaw and Badgerpaw. His mentor, Harestep, didn't see a problem with his apprentice and left everything be. Slatepaw wasn't believed by Harestep when he mentioned the bullying. He was thrown aside.

That hurt greatly.

Harestep and Slatepaw had a bond from the moment they touched noses. Everyone in WindClan could see their friendship bond, but how could Harestep suddenly not believe him? Maybe it was Harestep was having kits with Vixentail, maybe it was because Slatepaw was becoming older, there were a lot of reasons. Smokepaw and his lackeys got away with everything.

There was a short conversation between the bothers, and one question left unanswered. It was from Slatepaw and Smokepaw never answered him.

"What are you doing to me?" Slatepaw had asked.

Smokepaw just padded away with his friends waiting for him.

No one ever noticed Slatepaw's anger as it grew. Slatepaw would constantly keep on marking up trees as he went hunting by himself, he kept splashing the water they shared, he kept getting dirty as his mother had to clean him. But the main thing was he kept biting and clawing up his preys as he caught them. Judging by his actions, how could no one notice this?

Harestep and Smokepaw's mentor had thought it was a good idea to get the apprentices to train together. Which meant Slatepaw was to battle practice with Smokepaw, Flowpaw, and Badgerpaw. The three apprentices looked and began whispering mocking him. Slatepaw didn't react to anything though, his eyes only held dead-like sparkles. Flowpaw's mentor, Sparkfire, quickly took notice about how Slatepaw wasn't doing his best anymore, but went a little over the line about how much power they would allow and called him out for it, Slatepaw snapped and ran.

Harestep didn't move. How could his apprentice snap like that? It was Sparkfire; the kind, beautiful, 21 moon she-cat, who went after him. Baderpaw's mentor shared a look with Smokepaw's. The remaining apprentices gave looks to themselves.

Sparkfire found Slatepaw splashing water and getting mud all over him, and she sat down before starting to groom him after commenting how he shouldn't be getting this dirty. How he would smell like a RiverClan cat, but Slatepaw ignored her.

"Slatepaw," her voice was rich and gentle, yet, held a stern tone, like a mother's. "You need to go back and go on with training today. Harestep is worried."

"Oh," Slatepaw snarled replied, scoffing, "-now he cares about me?" He unleashed his claws and began clawing the ground. Sparkfire caught how sharp his claws were. "He never cared about me before. He's always telling me things don't happen like that."

"Like that?" Sparkfire repeated, unsure about what he meant. "What do you mean by that?"

Slatepaw looked up, "You don't know?" He hissed, flicking his tail. "Of course you don't!" He gazed away from her. He began breathing to stop himself from crying. His emotions finally snapped as well. "Smokepaw... Badgerpaw... Flowpaw... they all bully me."

"What?" Sparkfire echoed, surprised. "But... but you always seem so happy."

"I hide it." Slatepaw shrugged. "No one needs to know."

Even after the talk with Sparkfire, the bullying got worse. His littermate and his friends kept doing it, adding in claws as well. He couldn't even remember how much claw marks he had. It was destroying him and he kept working hard. Harestep barely spoke to him. Saying how he upright got his littermate and two innocent apprentices in trouble for no reason. What had happened to them?

Slatepaw had been so tired one day, he couldn't get up from his nest. Harestep tried and tried to get him up, and finally, the medicine cat had told his mentor he needed rest as he had been overworking himself. Flowpaw had decided he needed to get up, however, and pushed him. Slatepaw swiped at him, before looking away.

He had done that right in the middle of camp.

Everyone had seen him do that, and he ran faster than he thought he could. There was no reason to keep at this anymore, but he had heard pawsteps behind him and gazed to see Harestep and his leader, Darkstar. Slatepaw's heart tightened as he backed away towards the flowing river.

No...

No...!

Would this be his end as an apprentice? Would he be caring for the elders? A million things ran through Slatepaw's mind at this, and before he knew it, he felt water splash his fur. Oh no! This was even more bad than the last! Was he going to drown like this? Slatepaw felt tears start to curl up to his eyes, though he was under water.

His world went black, but the last thing he remembered seeing was a shape of a RiverClan warrior coming his way.

When he awoke, he found himself in RiverClan's medicine cat den, he coughed loudly as more water splashed to his mouth and out. He shook his head before his vision focused on the medicine cat of RiverClan. Her face was showing worried but relief. Did she care for him?

RiverClan's leader appeared a moment later.

"Is he awake?" the leader's soft voice asked.

The medicine cat's head dipped. "Yes." She backed away so the leader could come forward to Slatepaw.

"I'm glad you're okay," He whispered. "You had everyone scared, Slatepaw."

"You know my name?" Slatepaw asked, his throat a bit dry, but he didn't dare ask for more water. "How?"

The leader chuckled. "I know you're name because I've seen you at gatherings." Slatepaw's fur heated up in embarrassment. "That was quite the fall," he went on saying. "My deputy got to you just in time. She said a moment later, and you would've drowned. What were you doing anyways?"

"Running away," Slatepaw choked. "Smokepaw and his friends... they kept bullying me and I lashed at Flowpaw in the middle of camp, and ran." His ears lowered. "I was so upset, and kept working hard to the point where I over did it." His voice shook. "Darkstar and Harestep followed... I fell into the water without realizing how close I was."

The two RiverClan cats shared a look. Slatepaw went on.

"I can't go back," he pleaded. "Please don't make me." He shakily stood up, despite the medicine cat's words. "I'll... I'll learn how to swim! Please!"

"You.. you wish to join RiverClan?" The leader whispered in awe. "No WindClan cat has done that!" He cleared his throat. "However, what happens if Darkstar comes looking for you?"

"I'll tell him it was my choice!" Slatepaw said back. A familiar sparkle returning. "Please! I'll do anything." He looked at the medicine cat before at the leader. "I... I'll even be an medicine apprentice if you need one."

The medicine cat shifted. "I could use an extra set of paws while he's recovering."

With a heavy sigh, the leader allowed it.

At the next gathering, Ripplestar had began his words with the arrival of an new apprentice, Slatepaw. WindClan froze up and Darkstar exclaimed how they were missing their apprentice named Slatepaw. In a few moments Slatepaw stepped into the clearing when cats began moving to see if the apprentice was around, and Darkstar's eyes widen at him.

He looked more fit. More strong, and his eyes' sparkle was clear again. He saw Slatepaw's new mentor, the deputy of RiverClan; Brightpelt step up to be with her apprentice. Harestep bite back a yowl of how Slatepaw was his apprentice first and will always be his's. Smokepaw and his friends just stared, and Slatepaw's eyes moved towards his brother.

"I'm not going back." He declared, looking right at Darkstar. "Smokepaw, Flowpaw, and Badgerpaw had been bullying me since moon two of my training in WindClan!" He looked at his brother and his friends. "Care to explain about what you were doing to me?"

Smokepaw shifted on his smokey-gray paws. "I was... was training to make you stronger." He admitted. "I thought it would be a good..." he gulped, "-way."

"We never meant it." Flowpaw added, thankful Sparkfire wasn't here. "Really!"

Badgerpaw stayed silent.

"It's decided," Ripplestar flicked his tail, narrowing his eyes. "Slatepaw doesn't wish to return to WindClan, and will remain in RiverClan. He far better likes it." His eyes shined. "I couldn't have wished for a better apprentice.." and son, he added silently.

Slatepaw had trained twice as hard to catch up with the other RiverClan apprentices and finally had done so with passing his warrior assessment with ease, and Brightpelt licked his ear with a love of an mentor and went to tell Ripplestar.

His ceremony was held along with another apprentice, Ivypaw.

"You will be known as Ivyclaw." Ripplestar's voice boomed as the Clan chanted her name and his eyes moved towards Slatepaw, his eyes shined with warmth. "Slatepaw, you will be known as Slatethorn, for your bravery and for your fighting skills."

Even after that, Slatethorn had grown close to Ivyclaw and very soon he was visiting the nursery with a prey hanging form his mouth as his two kits, a tom and a she-kit, attacked him playfully. He and Ivyclaw had named them Brightkit for the she-kit(after Brightstar) and Ripplekit(after Ripplestar). The two cats in his life who showed him there was more to him, then a something to beat down on.

That he was worth something in RiverClan.