"Snakepaw, you mouse-brain! You let it get away again?" the gray tom meowed irritably, lashing his tail. The brown tabby tom flattened himself to the ground, whimpering.
"I..." Snakepaw mumbled, glancing at the clump of ferns the squirrel had been hiding in. He shook his head, trying to think. Graypaw always bullied him for being different than the other apprentices, like clawing him when their mentors had their backs turned in battle practice, and taunting him for not killing prey.
It wasn't his fault! He didn't want to hurt the mice, birds or squirrels, that was all. But no, that wasn't "helpful for the Clan". He wished he could rescue the tiny mouse Graypaw had pounced on, wincing as he heard its neck bones crunching between the white-pawed cat's fangs.
Suddenly he couldn't breathe. He gagged, collapsing to the ground and putting his paws over his ears. He wanted to blockblockblock out the pain, but it hurt. It HURT him! He let out a wail as tears flowed from his eyes.
His fellow apprentice sneered at him, lip curling as he padded over.
"How about I give you something real to yowl about, fox-dung?" Graypaw growled as he pinned the other down and started clawing his back. Snakepaw struggled to throw him off, but the other tom had a strong grip. He twisted, managing to wriggle away. Graypaw wasn't finished. The gray apprentice leapt again, harder. Snakepaw screeched as he heard cracking sounds coming from his back, then he went limp.
What? the tabby thought, trying to move but feeling like a fish flopping around on the leaves. His back burned with pain, but he couldn't get up, couldn't do anything more than flail. The other tom picked him up by the scruff, and the world went black.
"Please, Groundhog! Please help him! We were hunting, and a fox came out of nowhere and attacked him... I tried my best to fight it... I chased it off to DarkClan land." "Snakepaw's back... I think it's broken. He won't be able to feel anything anymore, Graypaw. And it's your fault." the old medicine cat spat. His eyes blazed with fury as he glared at the young tom. Graypaw shook his head, though there was a flicker of fear in his eyes.
"It was a fox, Groundhog, I swear..." he said, shrinking to the ground. The brown tom lashed his tail.
"Do you think I'm mouse-brained enough not to notice that every time you two go off by yourselves, Snakepaw comes back with bruises and gashes, and doesn't look any cat in the eyes? You've been abusing him, Graypaw. Why?" Groundhog growled. The apprentice shuffled his paws. "He doesn't hunt, all he talks about is that we should leave the prey alone and go eat berries and herbs instead! And he's weak. He doesn't even fight back hard enough to stop me doing what I want to him. But... I don't want him to die. He... I want to stop hurting him, and be his friend, but now he'll hate me forever. I crippled him! It's my fault!" Graypaw wailed, trembling. Groundhog licked his ears, feeling like a queen comforting a kit.
Snakepaw stirred then, lifting his head off the moss, freezing when he saw Graypaw. The other apprentice padded over, and Snakepaw flinched, trying to bury himself deeper into the nest to get away. Graypaw put a white paw on his flank, blue eyes filled with guilt and sorrow. Snakepaw blinked in confusion. What had happened? The gray tom sighed, struggling for words, any words, the right words.
"Snakepaw... I... I'm so sorry. I wasn't thinking-" Graypaw was cut off by a lashing of the tabby's tail, or an attempt at one.
His eyes turned to slits, unforgiving shards of amber ice.
"No, you weren't. You HURT me! I can't move anymore, Graypaw! Because of you, I've lost my hopes of being a ThornClan warrior! I'm useless..." The apprentice let out a mewling wail of despair, tears rolling slowly down to moisten the nest.
He stopped, the young cat dangling between his jaws.
The tabby's eyes were dull, dead orbs. "Here we are. What do you want to eat? There's a squirrel here, I heard Flamepaw bragging about it all the way back from hunting practice today with our mentors- oops, sorry Snakepaw... And there's a juicy-looking mouse..." Graypaw trailed off as he looked at the groups of cats looking at the pair. They were staring at Snakepaw, as usual. It had been one moon since his accident-yes, he'd forgiven Graypaw after a while, and agreed when he called it an accident. They got closer to each other every day, and the gray tomcat would be at Snakepaw's side whenever he could.
The whispers seemed louder than thunder to the disabled apprentice, judging him, hating him. He winced as Thornstar had to pry his gaze away in order to help Polarpelt with organizing the patrols for the next day.
Graypaw sensed tension in his Clanmates's shoulders, and quickly carried him back to the medicine den, his pelt burning and claws twitching.
Snakepaw stared at the floor before speaking.
"Why do they hate me, Graypaw? R-Ratwhisker said she wouldn't ever train another apprentice, and your mentor said i should be..." The tom paused to try to control his shaking voice, but failed. "S-set out into the forest for foxes and b-badgers! I've heard them call me names, too. 'Cripple', 'Useless', 'Noleg'... Make it stop! I want to just make it stop!"
Graypaw trembled in fear for his denmate, but stopped. He had to be strong, to help Snakepaw.
"Come on, let's do your exercises. One leg up first!" he ordered chipperly. Snakepaw struggled to raise his front left leg, his face contorting in effort. It twitched once and was still again, but Graypaw felt the tiniest flickering of hope.
"Come on now, the others and then your back."
The tabby hissed and tried to swipe, but his paw felt like a dead worm. His taunter snickered.
"Weak little kit! We should kick you out into the forest! You're no use to the Clan."
The gray tom swiped at Snakepaw's face, then his left flank.
His blue eyes danced. "Get up! You're about as agile as a kittypet!"
Snakepaw saw the claws flashing in his vision.
"Noooo!" Snakepaw screeched in his sleep. Groundhog heard and rushed over, gently poking the young tabby with his paw.
"Snakepaw, it's okay. You're safe, you're in my den." the brown-furred medicine cat meowed. Snakepaw stared, amber eyes wide in terror. Groundhog sighed, going back to sorting his herbs.
The gray tom emerged from the gap in the Thornwall, followed by his mentor, Embertail and his apprentice Flamepaw, and Whiteshadow. The ThornClan hunting patrol had returned, depositing their catch on the fresh-kill pile: three mice and two fat squirrels. Graypaw and Flamepaw padded into the medicine cat's den and saw Snakepaw huddled in his nest. Flamepaw glimpsed something in Graypaw's eyes that made her go outside.
The gray tomcat murmured, "It's okay, Snakepaw. I'm right here, and I'm not leaving, alright?"
He laid beside his friend, stroking him gently with a white forepaw. The tabby apprentice stopped shaking and looked over at him, wariness lighting his gaze.
"I had a nightmare, Graypaw, about you. But... Now you're here, and I don't feel scared anymore..." Snakepaw said. Graypaw purred.
"Well, it's over now. I.. I love you Snakepaw, and I promise to be next to you every night to keep you safe." the gray tom stated, licking Snakepaw on the head. The other tom shifted closer, resting his head on his mate's flank.
"Love you too. Now let's go, furball, I want some fresh-kill!"