"Hey, Blurrypaw, you ready for the dawn patrol?" A prod in my chest sent stinging pains straight to my hardly-healed belly wound from practice the day before. I let out a hiss, opening my eyes and realizing by the color of his pelt that it was Shredpaw, and by the looks of it he was smiling down at me. I flashed a grin back, trying to cover up for my outburst, but he seemed not to notice.
I padded outside, but Shredpaw was already talking to Scarpaw and Snowpaw, who were partnering along with Clawtail and Shellsplash.
Oh no. Clawtail was my brother. He, in fact, was not my older-litter brother. We were the same age, though due to my delayed training, everyone thinks he's a lot wiser than I am.
He usually never talks to me, but I'm always uncomfortable around him. I do fear him. I fear him a lot, and he knows it. In fact, I think he enjoys it. Shellsplash was some goonie of his that was always following him around. Soon to-be mate most likely. Something about Clawtail irks me.
Maybe his eyes. His glare. I don't know. Moonblossom and Dustfur, our parents, try to bring us together all the time, but I have to politely remind them we aren't kits.
"Hey, there's ol' Blur," Snowpaw called welcomingly. Shredpaw glanced at me and nodded his head, signaling I could come over.
Just go over there, I told myself, clearly avoiding my brother's glare. One step, two steps, three steps, four steps, five steps, six steps…
I blinked. Shredpaw smiled at me. My brother was talking to Shellsplash. She was falling over him head over paws! What a ridiculous scene, folding her ears down and batting her tail.
Makes me sick.
"Ready to go?" Shellsplash chirped, flipping her long white fur, her blue eyes glinting dramatically as she looked at Clawtail. I rolled my eyes, and Shredpaw obviously saw my reaction and let out a snort as we started walking. Clawtail, though, was clearly into Shellsplash, padding after her quickly and pressing his pelt against hers.
Shredpaw padded alongside Snowpaw. I was sort of in the back, but anyway, due to my eyesight, I'd be the last one to recognize the horrific scene that lay outside camp.
Crowfoot – one of our own warriors – dead. Just dead, on the ground, right outside of camp, where someone could have seen him! There were no signs of struggle, but everycat just seemed to stand there.
"W-What happened?" Shellsplash managed to stammer out. Shredpaw looked grim, padding over to the fallen warrior. Wait – Crowfoot… He was Ravenpaw's older-litter brother!
"StarClan bless us," I murmured under my breath.
"There are two perfect holes in his neck," Shredpaw mewed solemnly, pulling back the fur that covered the neck wound. No blood, no nothing…
Clawtail glanced at me. I could feel his eyes burning into me, but I refused to return his glare. Eventually, he looked toward Shellsplash, who was letting out squeals of anguish.
"I-I'll go get.. I'll go get someone!" She mewed, looking around frantically before scampering off toward the not-too far-off camp.
Crowfoot was dead alright. Ravenpaw refused to talk to anyone. His parents had died moons before in a dual battle of black cough, which ended up killing off multiple cats in the Clan.
I saw Shellsplash and Clawtail yammering it off, talking excitedly (mostly Shellsplash) and not seeming to care that there was a vigil going on right before their eyes.
"Crowfoot was a g-good tom, he was a good brother, and a good friend," Ravenpaw managed to choke out. It was raining now.
No one seemed to mention that there were signs of murder, not even the medicine cat, Tangerinesun, who was sitting somberly beside the dead body of her good friend. The two remaining elders and Crowfoot's good friends, as well as Ravenpaw, buried the fallen tom where we had found him to begin with – right outside the camp. The Clan was silent. No one had known Crowfoot was out. No one had any idea what happened. Everyone was quiet, the thought of his quick death ringing in their minds.
Well, mostly mine.
No cat had mentioned the signs of murder! I couldn't believe it. Maybe they were just too shocked to even react.
After what seemed like hours of tossing and turning in my nest, I got up, fixated on a walk. I padded toward the entrance.
Snap! A twig broke in half on my pawstep. Instant, glaring eyes shot into my pelt. Someone was awake now. I glanced back.
"What are you doing?" Scarpaw hissed at me, dragging his claws over the sandy den floor.
"Going for a walk. I-I can't sleep," I stammered like an idiot, glancing at the long scar on his forehead that gave him his name.
"Hmm. I'm a light sleeper, and you woke me up," he began, and I waited for him to finish, "I might as well go along, too. It's not like I can go straight back to sleep."
I guess I must've looked surprised at his response, because he snorted and leaped up faster than I thought he could, being drowsy, and slipped out of the den. I rushed forward to keep up with his long pawsteps.
"So, you and Shredpaw are really somethin', ain't ya?" He snickered, looking at me.
"W-What?" I mewed, in question. We had hardly talked! What was he thinking?
"He likes you, you know," he snorted again, with a small yawn.
"Not possible. He likes Snowpaw, right?" I mewed. I had no attraction to Shredpaw whatsoever! What was wrong with toms these days?
"Hmm. Not sure. Because Snowpaw is kinda.. His sister, so…" He trailed off with a sly grin, "and I'm kinda his brother."
"Oh. Right," I looked away in my embarrassment. We reached the forest quickly, weaving in and out of the trees.
"Well, he does like her, but in a different way, you get me?" Scarpaw mewed, flicking his tail. He began to slow down. I didn't reply, I just looked out, enjoying the scenery. It wasn't raining anymore, but the thin trees barely provided protection from stray raindrops. I shook my head every time water sank into my fur, and Scarpaw seemed to laugh at my reaction.
"So, what's your opinion on Shredpaw anyway…?" He trailed on. He seemed awful curious about my opinion on his brother, but I politely answered, "He shows promise," with a somewhat sarcastic tone.
"All right, I'll have to tell him that," he mewed mischievously, scampering back off in the direction of camp.
"Wait!" I called after him, rolling my eyes. The sun was beginning to peak over the mountains. Better get back, I thought to myself, following Scarpaw's messy pawsteps back to camp.
