This oneshot is about Ravenpaw, as he is not mentioned. The deputy and tabby is both Tigerclaw, as his name is not mentioned as well.
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He was afraid.
He was afraid of the ThunderClan deputy, with his piercing amber claws and talons that were so ominous they were an insignia of sudden death. That huge tabby tom made up of powerful shoulders and stridently-engraved muscles, with a dark coat slapped on to that muscle bound build.
More likely, he was terrified. Terrified to the bones.
He would shudder every time he drew near the tabby, he would tremble from the tips of his whiskers when those amber eyes scorched his pelt. Only fear would shroud him, spreading through his body like a winter's chill. That same fear enclosed him each and every day, a paralyzing emotion that left him helplessly destroyed.
Sometimes he'd do something wrong before the tabby. In turn, that massive, dark-pelted monster would take to viciously scolding him, allowing sharp words to fling off every last bit of confidence he held. Spits, snarls, growls-they were all the same, even if one was less harsh than another. The tabby would always strip every last bit of light out of him, and leave his heart ensnared by darkness.
He would always dread his days of apprenticeship, when he and that tabby went out to train in the forest. And he always wondered how he returned alive from those training sessions. Whenever he walked beside the prowling deputy, he'd keep his ears flattened and head low. He knew it was better to keep his eyes down and remain in silence. Yet he could sense that darkness, that nefarious aura rising from the tabby. And it always made him wonder-
That mission to Snake Rocks - had it been a trap?
There was no denying that the tabby was murderous. He had already taken care of one of ThunderClan's most finest warriors. He had witnessed that vicious murder, and as hard as he tried to let go of that memory, it remained with him, locked into his mind and thoughts and unable to be broken.
Sometimes it chilled him to remind himself that he held that dark secret of Redtail's death. His head would swirl and storm as he contemplated the position he had been tossed into. Often at times he'd wonder if he should tell Bluestar, tell her that her Clan was home to a cold-blooded killer…But then his gaze would meet the ferocity of the tabby's deep amber orbs-that sadistic stare- and he'd shrink away, shaking away the notion of revealing the secret to his leader.
Then the rumors arose. The deputy began whispering snide and untrue rumors about him to the Clan - that he was on the side of ShadowClan. That he was a traitor, his heart was filled with seething betrayal. He could do nothing to stop the dark tabby, as he was too popular amongst the Clanmates, and seen as the mighty war hero of ThunderClan. While himself was viewed as the skinny, paranoid black apprentice who was not to be trusted.
So he lived in fear, unable to sleep each night, unable to eat, growing more petrified and panicky by each passing day. Rumors flew around him, he was shunned by his own Clanmates and cats who once trusted him pointedly turned his back on him, their hatred fueled by the deputy's lies. Even though his best friends stood by his side, he could not help but feel out of place. It was such a painful though to think that he had become an outcast amongst those he had known his entire life.
He'd curl up in a tight ball at night, darkness and the horrors of his memories flashing through his dreams. He'd shut his eyes tight, his fur remaining apprehensively bristly, his eyes often overcome with tears. And even though the horrifying memories would dominate his once-pleasant and blissful dreams, and those amber eyes refused to leave him when he tried to fall into terrible slumber, he'd immerse himself into the tiniest sanctuary he could find within his thoughts, telling himself quietly that everything would be okay…everything would be okay…
-Fin-