A/N: Hello again everybody and welcome back to the second chapter of Armageddon. I am super excited to be continuing this story because I have wanted to do this one for a while now.

If you have any questions about the story (not including spoilers like what's gonna happen next), just pm me or leave it in a review and I will be sure to answer it when I get the chance.

Thanks to Satire47 and Crows of Christmas for adding this story as a favorite.

Reviews

Nightbird1648- Thank you!

Tesla424- Thank you and here is another chapter. Hmm, you may or may not be right, but I can't say so.

Crows of Christmas- Welcome back and thank you, also, sorry for the inactivity, but if you can't tell, I have been trying hard to get back to it.

Thanks to everybody who reviewed on the prologue chapter :D I really appreciate it.

P.S: This whole story is going to be in third-person POV, one of my first stories in this perspective, so sorry if it is rusty.

ON WITH THE CHAPTER

…

Season of Pestilence

The gentle breeze blew by just enough to rustle the long blades of grass. A small sparrow was perched lightly on a thicker blade, the lithe bird barely causing the dark green grass to bend. It returned the call of another nearby sparrow, spreading its wings slightly to bask in the warm rays of the sun above. It hopped down from its perch and to the dryer ground below, pecking at the small seeds left behind by other prey. Like all other prey, it has a predator.

With careful concentration, the silver furred she-cat slunk quietly through the grass, the rustling it caused being disguised by the rustling of the wind. The she-cat's bluish-grey eyes were narrowed at the small, brown bird, watching its every movement. The bird returned another call to a different bird, unaware of the hunter. When the she-cat was about to pounce, a loud rustling sound followed by a noisy thump caused the bird to fly away quickly, sending out a shrill call to all the other prey in warning. The silver cat turned and hissed at the newcomer.

"Oh come on Silverpaw," the intruder spoke, "you can hunt better than that." A familiar black furred tom stepped out of the grass, his white paws plastered with dry mud. The dark green gaze of the tom was lightened with a spark of mischief, a smirk spread across his face. Silverpaw hissed softly in frustration, but rolled her eyes at her friend's antics. "It's prey nonetheless, no matter how big or small it is, it could've fed someone Crowpaw," the she-cat spat in annoyance before sitting down and lifting one of her paws to her muzzle.

"Barely! Besides, it's not Famine yet, so we aren't desperate for prey. I've seen what you have hunted before, and a tiny sparrow isn't one of them," Crowpaw responded and flicked his ear, lifting his head towards the sky when the sounds of geese reached his white-tipped ears. His smirk reappeared and he stood up in excitement. "Come on, to prove my point, follow me to our next meal."

Silverpaw hesitated slightly and scented the air. Geese were one of the more dangerous preys to hunt. They were bigger than the warriors, and they easily fought back. But the excitement in Crowpaw's eyes said to her that he wanted to take the risk. "You're lucky it isn't the Season of Death," the she-cat finally sighed and stood up. Her fellow apprentice let out a purr before turning swiftly and leading the way. Silverpaw let out a small laugh before following her friend at a brisk trot.

Even with just a couple moons of training, Silverpaw's mentor, Falconeye, made sure to teach her everything she needed to know. She was an excellent hunter and decent when it came to battle. As long as she had Crowpaw beside her, the duo could fight any opponent and almost guarantee a win. He was more of a family member to her than her own sister, Fishpaw, who scorned her on everything simply because she was a grey. That was one of her downfalls. Being a grey meant she couldn't attend a gathering yet, and it also meant the possibility of death whenever there was at one. It was no secret that those chosen died. Silverpaw was just counting the days she had left.

"Hello, earth to Silverpaw! Are you listening?" Silverpaw shook her head from her thoughts at Crowpaw's hushed voice. They had arrived by the stream bed, where a flock of geese were feeding and resting before they had to leave again. Like two formidable hunters, the pair of apprentices nodded to each other before splitting up to find a weaker, smaller goose. The blend of white, browns, and blacks obscured their visions, making it difficult to pick just one. Silverpaw diverted her attention from the geese to her friend, blinking at him once he met her gaze and gave a nod. The she-cat quietly went around the flock, her pawsteps silenced by the soft ground.

She saddled up beside him and gave him a side-ways glance. "Stay here and jump when one gets closer to you, I'm going to scare them in your direction so they could fly off," he spoke quietly. With nervousness prickling her pelt, Silverpaw gave a small nod and touched her nose to his shoulder briefly. "Be careful," she murmured, earning another playful smirk. "I should be the one to say that first," he chuckled, "you too." After pressing his nose to her shoulder, he quickly padded around to his location across from her, on the other side of the geese. The bird's cries echoed in her ears as her gaze swept over them once more. Which one was the easiest one to catch? Without warning, Crowpaw leapt out from the grass on the opposite side of the flock, causing them to erupt into chaos.

Like they had planned, the geese began taking flight, flying in her direction. The closest ones looked like adults, being much bigger than both of the apprentices. As they flew overhead, Silverpaw thought fast before rushing forward and leaping up high, her claws outstretched. She met her target, a fair-sized brown feathered goose. It called out in surprise as it tried to fly away, its wings beating fast and nearly knocking Silverpaw back. With the impact, cat and bird fell ungracefully to the ground, kicking up dirt in their fight. The apprentice had her claws hooked in the feathers of the bird, meeting the skin below. She bit down roughly on the nape at the back of its neck, her back claws scratching its chest.

Just when it seemed that all her energy would drain from the struggle, Crowpaw was there and attacking as well. With a loud hiss, he leapt onto the birds back and bit one of its wings, shaking his head quickly. Silverpaw gave him a grateful grunt before biting down more. Crowpaw moved around slightly to bite the goose on its throat, hoping to quicken the process. The goose flapped its wings roughly, trying to push the two cats away before its fighting gradually weakened. After a few, long moments, Crowpaw and Silverpaw let out sighs of relief when the goose stopped moving.

"Whew," Crowpaw exclaimed breathlessly and smiled victoriously, "we did it!" Silverpaw simply smiled, shaking the dust from her pelt with a few shakes. "Remind me to never do that again," the she-cat chuckled and sat down to groom down her fur.

"Hey Silverpaw."

"What?"

"I'm reminding you to never do that again," Crowpaw smiled impishly and flicked her nose with his tail before hopping backwards to avoid her paw swipe. "Come on, stop playing around and help me haul this back to camp. Falconeye and Snaketail will have our pelts if we aren't back soon," Silverpaw sighed and padded over to the dead goose.

"Or they would be so happy that we successfully caught a goose without getting extremely injured in the process and they would give us the rest of the day off," Crowpaw said quickly, but padded over as well to help. Together, the two cats gripped onto the bird and began pulling as one, managing to pull it across the ground and begin the long trek back home.

…

"Where have you two been? Your mentors are- Wow!" Sparrowpaw, another apprentice, stared at the two with wide eyes when he saw the goose. "I know right," Crowpaw said in amusement, purring at his younger brother. The siblings hardly looked alike; one being black and one being brown, one having white paws and the other having black paws, one having dark green eyes and the other, a light amber. They were even different in size. Sparrowpaw, like his name entailed, was a small and lithe cat, while Crowpaw was bigger and built more for strength instead of speed.

With a gaping mouth, Sparrowpaw nodded and padded over to the goose, his eyes wide. It was rare for someone to be able to catch one, since they always traveled in groups and were a danger to those who weren't careful. Silverpaw arched her back while stretching her legs and shook out her pelt. "Only cost me a sore back," she said, her back hurting slightly from the crash to the ground. The brown furred apprentice shook his head before clearing his throat.

"Anyways, your mentors were looking for you since you've kept them waiting. Let's just say, they aren't very patient," Sparrowpaw said sheepishly, a small look of pity in his amber eyes. "Crowpaw!" the black furred apprentices' mentor, Snaketail, snapped from across the camp. Crowpaw flinched slightly and looked around wildly before his eyes landed on the she-cat. "Uh oh," he quickly murmured and dove behind Silverpaw. Following Snaketail was Falconeye, her piercing amber eyes giving the silver she-cat a stern look.

Silverpaw cleared her throat, steeling her courage, and stayed in her place beside the goose. Crowpaw looked around her, his head poking from the side of her shoulder. "Where have you been? It's past Sunhigh and we sent you two hunting a little past dawn!" Snaketail growled, her long, thin tail lashing. "It's difficult to find prey when the territory is divided as it is; there isn't much prey to find. But, we managed to catch this," Silverpaw motioned to the goose, speaking on behalf of her and the other apprentice.

Sparrowpaw looked between the mentors and apprentices, his paws shuffling uncomfortably and looking indecisive rather to leave or wait until they left. "Sparrowpaw, would you ask Fishpaw to help you bring this to the fresh-kill pile," Falconeye said, her anger disguised with a calm voice but eminent through her narrowed eyes. She would wait until training and show her anger through whatever they had planned.

Silverpaw gave a hasty glance to the smaller tom, watching as he bowed his head and sped off in the direction of the den the apprentices shared. "As for you two," Snaketail spoke up and narrowed her dark green eyes, "let's go train." The mentors led the way out of camp and down the slope, speaking quietly to one another. Silverpaw and Crowpaw followed behind, giving each other a frightened glance. The apprentices gulped inaudibly before they rushed after their mentors to the Training Hollow.

…

The breath was knocked out of Silverpaw when she landed roughly on her back after Falconeye tossed her away. Her mentor hissed at her and crouched once more. The apprentices were training separately, but both of them received advice. "Pay attention to your own battle Crowpaw," Falconeye said after glancing at the black furred apprentice. His green gaze was directed at Silverpaw and only looked away with some reluctance. "Get up Silverpaw," Falconeye spoke, standing up from her crouch.

With her breathing still ragged, Silverpaw struggled to sit up. The sounds of the grass rustling nearby paused the training. Mudshadow, another mentor, padded in and stopped to bow his head. "Falconeye, Snaketail, is it okay if Fishpaw and I join you?" the dark brown tom spoke, flicking his tail to the she-cat apprentice beside him. Silverpaw froze slightly, her breathing still heavy and body burning from exertion. Crowpaw stood beside her, casting a weary glance at her sister.

Fishpaw rarely spoke to Silverpaw, and when she did, it was to scold her for her mistakes. After their father had died during the Season of Death, the two sisters grew distant. Without ever knowing their real mother, nobody else tried to bring them back together. "We were just about to end training, but if you would like, we could do team fighting," Snaketail spoke up, her ears flicking slightly as she glanced to the gathered apprentices. Mudshadow took in a breath and blew out slowly. "I'll go get Ottertail and Sparrowpaw, just to make it even," the warrior spoke before turning and trotting back to camp.

"You may rest in the meantime," Falconeye said before speaking with Snaketail. Silverpaw sighed and began grooming down her fur, watching as the blades of grass swayed in the gentle breeze. The training hollow was very close to the "mini-border". It separated the ill cats from everyone else, making it one of the easier seasons to handle. Those with the sickness rarely died, so the number of cats who were sick remained the same for the most part. However, the most dangerous time of day for the ill was during the day. Somehow, the sickness inside them reacted badly with the sun's rays. They could only hunt during the night.

"Are we ready to begin?" Silverpaw jumped and turned back to the mentors. Mudshadow had brought another mentor, Ottertail. Sparrowpaw stood beside Crowpaw nervously, but excitement was sparkling in his eyes. "Crowpaw and Fishpaw, you would go first," Falconeye said and nodded to Snaketail and Mudshadow.

Silverpaw glanced at Sparrowpaw. Sure, he was learning as best as he could, but he wasn't much of a fighter either. Between the apprentices, Crowpaw and Fishpaw were the best at battle. But working together, they didn't do so well. "You better not mess this up," Fishpaw mewed scornfully, her ears flat. Crowpaw responded with a roll of his eyes, mimicking her by mouthing her words and took his place a few tail-lengths in front of the two mentors.

"The reason you are working with someone else rather than someone you normally work with is because most of the time, you won't have that one partner. You would need to learn to work with those you aren't comfortable with," Ottertail sighed after seeing the interaction between Crowpaw and Fishpaw. The apprentices glanced at each other before looking away from one another with scowls. One thing was clear to everyone there.

These two would never work well together.

…

The fight was quick between the mentors and apprentices. As the sun slowly descended and the moon began to rise, the mentors had won three of the four rounds. When it was Silverpaw and Crowpaw's turn to work together, they fought flawlessly and with the skills honed by moons of training. They were the only ones to win. "Alright," Snaketail said, slightly breathless, "it's time to go back so the sick can hunt peacefully." The sun was barely visible now and the first stars began to rise.

Silverpaw, Crowpaw, Sparrowpaw, and Fishpaw walked ahead first, leaving their mentors behind to discuss. "I told you they would have our pelts," Silverpaw walked beside her friend, giving him a smirk that said I-told-you-so. Crowpaw snorted slightly before lifting his head and puffing out his chest. "I'm still proud of our catch," he said and gave her a sideways glance, "you did pretty well yourself."

"Hey, I was the one who took the risk and brought it down from the air, all you did was scare it towards me," Silverpaw said teasingly, nudging him with her shoulder and barely causing him to wobble off balance. "If you would've done it, you would've just scared them to death," Crowpaw joked back; his eyes alight with the hint of a challenge. "I'm surprised it didn't do that with you, you are pretty terrifying," Silverpaw retorted, her tail swaying and smile spreading.

"Can't you two be quiet for one second?" Fishpaw spat from behind them, her light brown fur bristling. The duo looked behind at her and then glanced at each other. After her outburst, they sighed and stayed quiet. Silverpaw glanced up towards the sky, looking at the moon instead of the stars. It seemed more interesting than the stars surrounding it, as if it was calling her name.

Silverpaw walked into camp, her gaze still turned towards the sky, and was unaware of the cat in front of her until she ran into it. She shook her head in surprise and raised her eyes to see who it was. Her ears flattened and she lowered her head once more when she saw it was the leader of Marshclan, Swampstar. Crowpaw was immediately beside her, giving the leader a worried glance. The broad-shouldered, black furred tom looked at the apprentices.

"Son," Swampstar said, his eyes on Crowpaw, "teach your friend not to walk while looking at the sky." A spark of amusement was in the leader's dark green eyes, so familiar to Crowpaw's. "I-I'm sorry," Silverpaw stuttered, shuffling the weight on her paws, "I should've been paying attention." Swampstar simply shook his head, a small smile on his face.

"No need Silverpaw, it is also partially my fault," the leaders green gaze clouded slightly and he cleared his throat before adding, "how is your training coming along?" Silverpaw glanced at Crowpaw before flicking her ears uncomfortably. The leader of Marshclan rarely spoke to the apprentices, and the only reason he would be talking to her was because she was a grey. Even from where she was standing, Silverpaw could just make out the figures of the other greys in a secluded den near the warriors den. There were only three other ones there at the moment, and Silverpaw would join them very soon.

"Good, excellent actually… can we go eat now dad? It's been a pretty long day for the both of us and I'm starving," Crowpaw mewed, stepping slightly closer to Silverpaw and raising his head slightly, his eyes narrowing as well at his father. Crowpaw always told Silverpaw how it was unfair that the greys were always given up like a piece of prey to the Four. He disliked the idea and treated everyone equally, not like some of the warriors that completely ignored them.

Swampstar flicked his ear and tilted his head slightly, his gaze never leaving the silver furred apprentice. Under the leaders gaze, Silverpaw bowed her head. "You've reached three moons of training now, haven't you?" the leader pressed, his tail curling around his paws. A spark of fear caused Silverpaw's fur to bristle with unease. Reluctantly, Silverpaw lifted her head and nodded once.

"Hmm, I must go speak with Duckflight. Have a nice meal," Swampstar simply said, though the two apprentices knew what he meant by asking that question. Silverpaw would receive her warrior name and be offered to the Four at the next gathering. With a low growl, Crowpaw stood in front of her. "Don't worry about it too much, come on, let's get some fresh-kill," the light in his eyes seemed to grow back, but it was dimmer than before, "maybe we could have some of that goose now."

With her mind and body numb, Silverpaw followed her fellow apprentice to the fresh-kill pile, deciding to each get a rabbit and head to the den. One simple, dreaded thought turned to a chant in her head. I am going to be chosen. I am going to die. I am going to be chosen. I am going to die. Even with Crowpaw making jokes and trying to help her, she couldn't shake the feeling from herself.

"When's the next gathering?" Silverpaw finally asked after they ate their fill, resting her head on her paws. "Silverpaw," Crowpaw sighed and lowered his head slightly, speaking hesitantly, "if you must know, it's in four days." Silverpaw simply blinked and stared at him. "I guess my ways of ignoring it in hopes it'll go away isn't working huh?" she gave him a small smile.

Crowpaw stepped over to her, pressing his forehead gently against her shoulder and letting out a sigh of defeat. "I'm so sorry Silverpaw," he murmured quietly, his dark green eyes closed, "I wished this had happened to anybody else but you, you're my best friend." His words choked up slightly and Silverpaw pressed her forehead against his shoulder, sighing softly. She realized something she had overlooked before. She needed to be strong, not just for herself but for her best friend as well. "You're my best friend too Crowpaw, but you're going to be okay," she said and gave him a smile, "I don't want you to be upset. Can you do that for me?"

Crowpaw gave her a weak smile before lifting his head and closing his eyes. "Alright, but do me a favor… and never forget about me," he said and she nodded quickly. They touched noses, just like they always did whenever they made a deal or a promise to one another. Of course I won't, it would take more than death to make me forget about you.

They broke apart and went to their own nests when they heard the pawsteps of the other apprentices. Sure enough, Sparrowpaw and Fishpaw entered the den, padding to their assigned nests quickly. Silverpaw let out a small huff as she laid down, sharing a knowing look with Crowpaw before he too curled up and closed his eyes.

…

Silverpaw stayed awake longer than the others, staring up through the cracks in the woven den and up at the moon above. It looked brighter than ever, its light casting shadows all across the territories looking up at it like Silverpaw was. She soon shifted her gaze to Crowpaw, who nearly blended in with the shadows at the back of the den. She smiled to herself and sighed before closing her eyes. No matter what happened, Crowpaw would be her friend.

Her best friend.

And that was more than she could ask for.

…

A/N: How was that? This chapter is basically an introduction to the life of the apprentices and how everything works out in the clans.

QOTD: (Heehee, I used to do this in every chapter for one of my other stories, so why not do it here as well) Right now, which characters are your favorites? Which one is your least favorite?

If you see any mistakes I can change or improvements I can make, just pm me or leave it in a review and I will make sure to take it into consideration. Also, bear with me for a while; this is my first story in third-person on here, so it may not be the best as some of the other stories here.

If you have time: it would mean a lot to me if you can check out my other stories as well.

Stolen: s/10699119/1/Stolen

Thank you and peace out.

~Wolfcreations16

#TheAlpha