A/N um, hello? I posted this (finally) and NOBODY REVIEWED! Except myself of course. Well, fine, be that way, maybe I just won't update my warriors stories for a while oh, yeah, I forgot to add this in the previous chapter. Silverstorm's still in it, too.
-1
"Nice catch," came a ringing mew, and Starpaw looked up at her sister, Moonpaw.
"What'd you expect? A new apprentice miss?" the black she-cat snorted, tossing her head indignantly. Seeing her sister's disappointed face, she softened her brittle form and put her tail around Moonpaw's shoulders. "Thanks, Moonpaw, though, but I'm not as great a hunter as you are."
"I know, and I'm not as great a fighter," Moonpaw sighed, the sisters simultaneously falling into step on their way back to where their mentors were meeting them. "Quote Mother one more time and your fur will turn snowy white!"
Starpaw cuffed her sister lightly around the ears and growled. She lowered her voice, "hey, look, it's Riverstorm." Her voice was scoffing, she had not yet forgiven her close/hateful friend for rubbing it in their faces about becoming a warrior. His sister, Ravenmist, was much more graceful about it.
"We're not going in that direction anyways," Moonpaw suggested helpfully, turning her wide green eyes to look skeptically at Riverstorm, who was about to pounce on a thrush. Starpaw coughed loudly, causing the bird to screech in alarm and launch away. Riverstorm shot her a murderous glare and she smirked evilly.
"Oops, sorry!" Starpaw called to him sarcastically, leading Moonpaw away. "Oh, quit it, he's fine!" she snapped, catching her sister throwing an apologetic glance back towards Riverstorm.
"So have you decided to give up on that play?" Moonpaw asked, looking embarrassed and indignant.
"Yeah, we can't have Riverstorm messing it up," Starpaw complained, picking her mentor, Silverstorm, out from the gorse and racing over to her.
"Nice catch!" Silverstorm complemented her. Starpaw could feel Moonpaw seethe behind her as she dipped her head respectfully. "Thank you, mentor." Silverstorm eyed her appreciatively and turned around in confusion. "Uh, Graystripe was just here…."
"It's okay, Silverstorm. He probably just went hunting or something," came Moonpaw's predictably patient reply.
"Or maybe up a tree," Silverstorm joked. At that moment, a mound of fur leapt gracefully from a tree a little ways away and drifted towards them.
"What?" Graystripe asked in confusion at Silverstorm and Moonpaw's laughter, and at Starpaw's malicious smirk.
X—X---X---X---X
Moonpaw sighed as her sister stalked away, indignant at Riverstorm's presence, as always.
"She's just jealous, you know," she murmured to a bristling Riverstorm apologetically. "Don't take it personally."
"She seems to think that I'm rubbing it in her nose or something!" he ranted, storming in the opposite direction. Moonpaw followed, picking an angry Riverstorm or an angry Starpaw wasn't a difficult choice. Riverstorm could never stay angry for as long as Starpaw. "She's so arrogant about her stupid name. 'My name's Starpaw, what would happen if I became leader'… nobody as repugnant as her would be accepted as leader."
"Starclan granted the name for her and me," Moonpaw muttered, a hint of reproach entering her voice. "She must be destined to be great. I don't know why she's so moody all the time, maybe she's just bored…." But Moonpaw knew exactly why her sister was angry all the time. Of course she wouldn't reveal this highly personal information to Riverstorm unless Starpaw told him herself.
Riverstorm snorted before straightening his slumped shoulders. "Hey, you want to go hunting with me and Ravenmist? She's meeting me by the Windclan border, if you see Starpaw and she's over herself, she can come too."
"I believe I'm over myself now," came a sharp voice from behind them, and Moonpaw sighed. Her sister always was in everybody else's business. Starpaw's voice was unnaturally friendly and bright. "I came to apologize, but I think I'll decide to stop being arrogant and repugnant and get over myself instead." Riverstorm looked uncomfortable as Starpaw stalked off towards the Windclan border, hissing ferociously at a kit who nipped playfully at her paws.
"I can't stand it when she does that…" Riverstorm growled, shooting the black cat a glowering stare.
Moonpaw wanted to tell Starpaw to get back to camp, she had been looking forward to walking with Riverstorm all the way to the Windclan border. She shot him a shy glance and pressed on, brimming with sweetness on the outside and fuming on the inside.
"Hey sister," Starpaw called thoughtlessly, shouldering Riverstorm out of the way and walking alongside her sister. "I-"
"Starpaw," Moonpaw began. "Don't you think it may be better for everyone if you and Riverstorm don't hang out today any more?" she asked tentatively.
"Hah. I wouldn't let that moron alone with you!" Starpaw laughed in a stage whisper, causing Riverstorm to attempt to trip her. "Jerk!" Starpaw retorted, rearing on her hind paws and throwing him across the clearing easily. He hit a tree and Starpaw returned her attention to her sister. "Go on."
"Um, well… I don't… mind… going with him alone…" Moonpaw muttered very very quietly.
"But I don't-" Starpaw's green eyes suddenly widened as realization dawned on her. "Ohh, okay, I get you now!" she meowed slyly, winking obviously. "You know what?" she called to Riverstorm, who had just caught up to them. "I'm tired of hanging out with a jerk like you. I'll hunt on my own and catch twice as much as you!" she flounced away, and Moonpaw purred on the inside. Starpaw may have been brittle and irritable on the outside, but on the inside she was very sympathetic.
"That was odd, even for her." Riverstorm grunted, falling into step beside a pleased Moonpaw.
"Yeah… weird…"
XX---X---X----X
"Moonpaw, come quickly!" Jaypaw raced out of the forest, nearly cannoning into Moonpaw, who nearly shrieked in surprise.
"For Starclan's sake, Jaypaw! What?"
Riverstorm and Ravenmist pelted out of the dense undergrowth.
"Hey, lil' bro!" Ravenmist purred, nudging her little friend affectionately. Jaypaw shook his head impatiently. "I need help getting Starpaw back to camp. She and I ran into each other while I was fetching Hollypaw from down by the lake and she just-just collapsed!" his blue eyes were wide with shock. "I knew you three were the closest to me, so I came to get you- she's too heavy for me to carry back to camp by myself."
Jaypaw was only seven moons old, not nearly capable enough to lift the oldest apprentice in the clan. Riverstorm and Ravenmist were already hurtling away and Moonpaw cursed her slow reflexes. She and Jaypaw tore after them, Moonpaw not bothering to slow her pace for the young apprentice. They soon came across Starpaw, who was laying on her side, her sides heaving.
"Let's get her back to camp!" Riverstorm meowed, his voice gruff from worry. He grabbed Starpaw by the scruff of her neck and began to drag her back to camp. Jaypaw, Moonpaw, and Ravenmist crowded around Starpaw's body and lifted the other half of her off the ground so that she was not injured by any thorns or pine needles ladening the ground.
With the four of them, it was easy to get Starpaw, who appeared to get more and more fragile and small as her panting increased in ratio, back to camp.
"Leafpool!" they chorused, and Leafpool padded out, hastening her pace when she saw Starpaw.
"Bring her back to my den, and explain everything. This may be urgent," Leafpool mewed hurriedly.
A/N- poor ol' Starry. Oh well.