Author's Note: My first Warriors fic. I've always wondered why some of the warriors (Tigerstar, Darkstripe, Mudclaw, etc.) became evil. The one that intrigued me the most was Hawkfrost. After reading the manga books about Sasha, I couldn't believe that such a cute kitten could become so evil. So, this is my theory as to why some cats think darker thoughts than others.
Disclaimer: I do not own Warriors. The series was written by a few writers known collectively as Erin Hunter.
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Bloodlust
"Hawkpaw!"
I groaned. Why would someone bother me now? It's not like I have anything to do.
"Hawkpaw, come on! Get up!"
My ears twitched in annoyance. I swatted my paw at whoever was bugging me. Then I rolled over, facing away from the nuisance. I tried to focus on darkness as I attempted to fall back asleep.
"Hawkpaw!" The voice started sounding genuinely annoyed. I felt something shaking me. "Please, get up! I know you're playing dead. And besides, you're making us late for our first day of training! Remember? We're apprentices now!"
Warrior training? Great StarClan! We are apprentices!
"Really?!" I screeched as I rocketed out of my nest. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a golden lump of fur fall backward.
"Ow!" protested the lump.
I tilted my head in confusion and glanced to my right. My sister, Mothpaw, was lying on the ground with her paws splayed awkwardly around her.
"You look like a rabbit," I blurted out with a fit of giggles.
"Shut up, mouse-brain!" she snapped back.
While she dragged herself off the ground, I looked around anxiously for my mentor. I saw Mothpaw's mentor, Blackclaw, waiting at the camp entrance, looking unamused. I was disappointed to notice that my mentor wasn't with him. I let my ears fall to their normal place, and my tail drooped.
"Looking for me?"
I whirled around. Standing behind me was Leopardstar, our leader; and my mentor.
"Y-Yes," I stammered. I was too excited and startled to form an actual sentence.
Leopardstar's ears twitched in amusement. She trotted past me and flicked her tail, giving me an order to follow. I joyfully skipped after her with my tail held high, but my happiness quickly dissolved as I noticed she was heading towards her den.
This isn't a good sign, I thought. My tail drooped again, and my pace slowed. When I reached the entrance to her den, I hesitated. I wasn't looking forward to getting lectured. I didn't even know what I did wrong! I looked backward, as if I was about to turn around.
What am I thinking! She's Clan leader! If I disobey, she'd rip my pelt off and feed me to the crows! Although, I think she's going to do that anyway...
I weighed my chances for a moment, and then I reluctantly pushed my way through the dense forest of reeds. It was very hard to breath; every time I tried, a reed would get stuck to my nose and I would begin to cough. The reeds seemed to go on for forever. I was starting to panic.
Great, my first day as an apprentice and I get lost in some reeds?
I dashed forward as I felt my fur begin to rise along my spine. The fear of getting lost was creeping in on my mind like a fox sneaking up to a kit. I began to meow in terror.
My paw got tangled on a reed. I tripped and felt myself fly through the air. Before I had more time to panic, I hit the ground with a thump. I quickly sat up and spat dirt out of my mouth. I looked around, but my fall had caused me to be disoriented, so all I saw was a blur of reeds.
"That was interesting," someone said through their laughter.
I felt my face getting hot with embarrassment. I turned around and noticed Leopardstar was sitting behind me, again. She was laughing so hard that she was bent over. I was able to get a good glimpse at her glossy white fangs.
Leopardstar finally sighed and regained her composure. She sat up straight and looked me dead in the eyes. Her face no longer showed any emotion.
"I'd like to speak with you, Hawkpaw," she began, "I see a lot of potential in you. That's why I chose to mentor you myself. You see, I have a special mission for you. I was thinking of assigning it to a more experienced apprentice, but I'm sure you'll do fine. Do you accept?"
I thought about this for a moment. There were two sides to consider about this question, a positive one and a negative one. For the positive side, I was thrilled; I haven't even had a single training lesson and Leopardstar was already asking me to go on a solo mission. On the other hand, that means I wouldn't get to train with Mothpaw today.
"Well? Are you going to answer? Maybe I should offer this to a more experienced apprentice..."
"No!" I blurted out, "I-I'll come."
"Very well," she said, "follow me."
Leopardstar darted past me, back through the reeds. I rushed after her, trying to keep up. I couldn't see her, but I could definitely smell her. I focused on her scent until my eyes crossed; there was no way I was going to get lost a second time.
After a dozen fox lengths of running, I caught a whiff of fresh air. My heart leaped. I burst out of the reeds at top speed, only to crash into Leopardstar. I skidded backwards, but I hurried back to my paws. I didn't want Leopardstar to scoff at me again. But when I looked at her, she seemed unfazed. She was staring at something with her ears pricked. I padded to her side to see what she was looking at. What I saw made me gasp.
I never thought such a sight could be seen by a living cat. Leopardstar and I were standing on the edge of a deep gorge that looked as if all of LionClan had carved it out. To our left, a cascading wall of water fell into a fast, frothing river. The gorge seemed to be hundreds of tail lengths deep. My legs began to tremble.
"We're not swimming in that, are we?" I murmured.
"No," Leopardstar answered with a chuckle, "Not even I would attempt to swim in that."
I began to relax; my fur was once again flat and I felt my heartbeat start to slow. "Then, what are we doing here?"
Leopardstar gazed ahead silently. I thought she was ignoring me, or she might have not heard me. I took a breath, ready to repeat the question, when she suddenly turned her back on the gorge. She sauntered away in the opposite direction, and I quickly trotted behind her.
"Stay close to me," she said, "It's time for your assessment."
Assessment? Did I hear her right?
"...But Leopardstar," I protested quietly, " I've never even trained once for an assessment! I don't know what to do!" I began to wail like a lost kit.
Leopardstar spun around swiftly, her eyes ablaze. "You're a cat, aren't you?"
I nodded, too speechless to do anything else.
"Then use your instinct, Hawkpaw! The best, most honorable warriors never train a day in their lives! They know how to hunt and fight from the second their eyes open! Now, you are allowed to hunt just around this gorge. Do not go on the farmland, and do NOT run back to camp; I will tell you when you're finished. Do I make myself clear?"
I nodded again.
"Good. Now remember, I'll be watching you." And with that, Leopardstar bounded away through the reeds.
I stood where Leopardstar left me for several long minutes. I was dumbfounded. My instinct? I'd never heard of such a thing. I glanced around desperately, searching for an answer. What'll happen to me if I fail? Will Leopardstar refuse to mentor me? Will I be stuck with the kits for the rest of my life? Will all of RiverClan disown me?! I frantically tried to push these dark thoughts out of my mind.
I looked around again, searching still. A flash of gray fur caught my attention. A water vole was scurrying around near the edge of the terrifying gorge. It was completely unaware of the danger that was so close by. I crouched down awkwardly, trying to remember the crouch that the older apprentices constantly practice. When I thought I had it correct, I began to inch forward. I got close enough to smell the damp smell of it's fur. My mouth began to water, and my heart started to race. I took another eager step forward.
SNAP!
I froze and looked down at my paws. I had stepped on a twig. I glimpsed back at the vole, but it was already too late; it was already bolting to safety. I swore under my breath and stood up straight, with my head bent in disappointment. I looked around once more. Maybe there's another creature nearby. I noticed as I inspected the reeds that a gentle breeze was rustling them. This could be to my advantage; little noises like the snap of a twig wouldn't be as startling as before.
In between a couple of reed stalks, I spotted the brown pelt of a mouse. Finally, a chance at redemption! I crouched again, but this time I was more careful as to where I set my paws. I slowly crawled towards the unsuspecting mouse. My heartbeat quickened. Everything seemed to set in slow motion. When the mouse turned its back to me, I leaped.
It felt like I'd been in the air for an entire lifetime, but the kill ended quickly. I landed with my paw smashed down on the mouse's back. It began to shriek. I didn't know what to do, I just stared dumbly at the tiny creature struggling beneath me. Then Leopardstar's voice rang through my mind; use instinct. I gazed down at the mouse. The fur along the back of its neck and spine seemed warmer than the rest of it. Without another thought, I bit down sharply on its spine.
It immediately ceased its struggling. Happiness surged through my mind. I'd just caught my first prey! Maybe Leopardstar will allow me to stay in RiverClan!
"Well done!" Leopardstar emerged from behind a thick clump of ferns about a fox length away. A grin as wide as the river was on her face.
I picked up my kill and followed Leopardstar back to camp. After a couple paw steps, however, I noticed something odd. A warm, sticky liquid was seeping out of the mouse. I'd never eaten prey as fresh as this, but I instantly knew what it was.
Blood, I commented silently.
Some of it dripped on my tongue. I froze. The blood was like nothing I'd ever tasted! I dropped the mouse on the ground and eagerly licked off the blood, unable to control my craving.
"Hawkpaw!"
I snapped out of my trance. How long had I been here? I picked up the mouse again, trying not to taste the blood, and ran towards Leopardstar.
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"So then, Blackclaw showed me the ThunderClan border! Can you believe that they took Sunningrocks away from RiverClan?! They're nothing but a bunch of stupid bird-eaters!"
Mothpaw had been jumping around me for hours, blabbing about her adventurous first day as an apprentice. She was beginning to bore me. I cared far more about my experience as an apprentice than about hers.
No matter how great you make it seem, Mothpaw, it will never compare to my day, I thought. I got the true feeling of what being a warrior is all about, not you.
Throughout the evening, my mind constantly wandered back to my strange craving. At first, it bothered me. Loving the taste of blood is the most un-warrior like habit, according to the warrior code. I was revolted at the thought that I actually enjoyed that. But then my mind would protest by drawing my thoughts to my father, Tigerstar. He was never scared of a little blood. Sometimes, blood had to be spilt to save a Clan. And besides, my mother always admired him, why shouldn't I?
I noticed Mothpaw had become unusually silent. I looked up and saw that every cat was moving towards their dens. A few senior warriors glanced in our direction and encouraged us to copy the others. Mothpaw and I obeyed without question and hurried to the apprentice den.
The second that I reached my nest, I knew I would have a hard time sleeping. The moss felt coarse, as if it were filled with thorns. I sighed and moved towards the entrance of the den. I slumped to the ground with my head sticking out of the den. I gazed at the darkening sky, wondering if Tigerstar was watching over me. As thoughts of blood swirled through my mind, I fell asleep. The last sight I remember seeing was a blood-red moon.
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I think I did a pretty good job on this one, considering it's my first Warriors fic. =) Let me know what you think.