Hi readers! I didn't introduce myself first chapter, but I am Ember. I apologize for spelling mistakes or wrong words, I take full blame. Especially in the first chapter. I wrote 'Changing' instead of 'Training'? Pssh. I was stupid not to warn you first chapter. There is even more swearing this chapter. That's why it's rated 'T'. I suppose teenagers could take simple swearing? If you can't… $%^! #&$#!% %^(# $*% you *^$$#
Rheapaw awoke beneath a tree. Across from her, Ravenpaw kept slitted eyes on Rheapaw. Rheapaw shivered, and reluctantly closed her eyes in an uneasy sleep. Before she started to rest, Rheapaw saw sunlight filter faintly through her eye lids. But it was blocked out by a shadow towering over her.
Rheapaw woke from blackness caressing her. Opening her silver eyes, the first thing Rheapaw saw was green masses of herbs. She looked over slowly to see Freshwillow with her eyes closed, front facing Rheapaw. "Two birds. One cloaked in red, another white." Her eyes opened. "Rheapaw. Tell me the damn truth. What. Do you know?" She demanded.
Rheapaw shook her head violently. "I don't know! I don't know! I don't know!" Questions randomly rushed through Rheapaw's mind. Glazing over her eyes. What was scaring her so? What's wrong with Ravenpaw?
Freshwillow sighed. "I don't know what to tell you. You're sister... Her aura. Rheapaw. Take it easy. You have to stay here for a couple days. Rheapaw titled her head in question. What?
She was about the scream when she looked over to her shoulder. She could see hundreds of cobwebs. She could suddenly feel her shoulder throbbing in agony, and pain piercing her flesh. She cringed and put a paw below the wound.
She widened her eyes and wailed.
Ravenpaw smiled evilly to herself why she laid happily in the den. Her sister had no Idea. The clans will bow to her. Ravenpaw instantly smiled visibly when she heard her sister's wail from the Medicine cat's den. Ravenpaw flashed her smile gone when she heard Venomsong's paw steps outside the apprentice's den.
Freshwillow hissed to herself as she stumbled with the herbs, surprised by Rheapaw's outburst. Rheapaw's eyes rolled to the back of her head, showing pure whites. Her wails were caught off and she slumped to the floor.
Freshwillow sighed guiltily. She expected blood to pour out of her back, with a shadow snickering behind her. Freshwillow shook her head and resumed taking herbs out of her storage. She thought miserably as she pawed through the stalks. Rheasong was so young. Freshwillow was struck with pain as she remembered her deceased sister.
Rheapaw woke with a gasp from the blackness that shrouded her. She woke to only the scent of herbs, and no sight of life. Not even Freshwillow, she must have set out to find herbs. She remembered her words, to not work her leg at all.
She told Rheapaw that the wound in her shoulder actually hit a sensitive nerve that controlled her leg. The nerve could snap, and she could lose all feeling in her leg. If she was lucky. Freshwillow told her she could live with pain in her leg for all her life, until they cut it off.
Rheapaw shivered, her eyes dried of tears. She had no tears left in her.
She staggered up to her paws, limping out of the den, her wound in a cast.
Rheapaw didn't even know how she got her wound, it might have been an accident, or…
No, it's not true. Rheapaw decided. It's not true.
Rheapaw limped to the Prey Pile, taking a Blue Jay from the pile and retreating to her Sapling, when she tripped. The prey tumbled to the other side of the clearing. Rheapaw made a noise like a whine and tried her best to get to her paws. She smelt a warm scent next to her, who helped her to her paws.
"Thank you, Firpaw." Rheapaw looked gratefully into the tom's eyes. "No problem, Rheapaw." Firpaw smiled. Firpaw then looked down to her bandages and changed his expression to concern. "Is it any better? It would suck if you had to skip training."
Rheapaw smiled sadly and shook her head. "This damned thing doesn't bother to heal." Rheapaw decided to experiment by flexing her arm. She shrieked as agony pierced her.
Firpaw looked as if he wanted to bolt closer to Rheapaw in alarm. Rheapaw gave him a weak, reassuring smile. "You fucking scared me!" Firpaw said in a high voice. Rheapaw's smile widened just the tiniest bit. "You damn pussy." She joked. Firpaw laughed and rolled his eyes.
Rheapaw scrambled over to retrieve her lost prey that lay outspread on the grass. Beads of cold blood barley speckled its feathers. It had scrapes from the dirt, but Rheapaw picked it up anyway and awkwardly padded to the Medicine Cats den.
"Sounds like you had a good day." Freshwillow stated. But she made the last word higher, making Rheapaw confused if it was a question or not. "Yeah." Rheapaw answered.
Freshwillow raised her eyebrow and looked over her shoulder. "Okay then." She muttered.
Rheapaw settled her chin on her paw. She didn't plan on dreaming, so she let her mind go blank.
Rheapaw's plan turned to failure. She dreamt of Rose petals falling from the step, one by one, and then turning to an ugly brown and vaporizing into dust.
Grey cat eyes were luminous through the shadows behind the rose, as if watching the change with Rheapaw. Rheapaw did unfortunately did not recognize the eyes. She was disappointed and relieved at the same time.
Forsaken Darkness. One by one they all fall down.
Rheapaw widened her eyes with a gasp, back into reality. Darkness filtered through the den, the claw-moon covered with trees. Rheapaw turned her head behind her shoulder to see a paw poking from the stone that separated Freshwillow from herself.
Rheapaw's breathing barley shallowed when she heard a leaf crackle near the den entrance. She snapped her head up, resisting the urge to yell out swears to the enemy. Whispers surrounded Rheapaw, some angry, some calm. All darkness.
Shadows danced around Rheapaw, they seemed cold, yet happy and smirk.
Rheapaw was then filled with warmth as stars surrounded her, lullabying her into a dark, yet comforting her.
Justice means Loyalty.
Justice means good.
Justice Means Light.
Rheapaw was awakened from sunlight invading behind her eyes lids. Rheapaw groaned and opened them. "You're awake."
Rheapaw jumped, startled from Woodeyes.
She zipped around to face her mentor. Woodeyes chuckled softly.
Rheapaw fumed with anger. "Don't sneak up on me like that. You know I'm jumpy."
"I can see that. Freshwillow said you can get back to training today. She didn't let me wake you up; she gives me the evil eye when I try."
Rheapaw smiled slightly. "Okay." She will be training!
Rheapaw was still smiling, when she turned around as Woodeyes heading to the door and said behind his shoulder, "You coming?"
Rheapaw dashed through the woods, exhilarated. She hadn't felt the wind through her fur like this in a moon. Her shoulder still throbbed, but it was numb.
Rheapaw stopped when she entered the clearing that lead to the lake. Woodeyes bashed through the bushes next to her, panting heavily and eyes like the full moon.
"Shit, you're fast."
"I'm going to take that as a compliment." Rheapaw joked.
"You should, it isn't often someone outruns me. Okay, maybe it is often, but not an apprentice."
Rheapaw glanced next to her, and peered at the cream tabby. He was lying in the grass, panting and resting.
Rheapaw grinned and got into a hunting crouch. She spotted a pale sandy Squirrel, searching through the grass for food. Rheapaw made a drastic leap and through the air, twisting and turning noiselessly. She eventually landed gracefully on the Squirrel, snapping its spine.
"Fuck! You're on a fucking roll!" Exclaimed Woodeyes.
Rheapaw made an awkward cat-bow why saying, "Thank you, Thank you. I will be here next sunrise."
Woodeyes rolled his golden eyes and stood to his paws. "You know almost every fighting move. But, you unfortunately did not learn this complex move… The warrior code."
Rheapaw looked at Woodeyes in boredom.
"I didn't say it was going to be fun!" He defended himself. "And plus, Freshwillow demanded I not do anything too physical. She said she'd claw my throat out, you being her niece and all."
Rheapaw rolled her eyes in amusements. "The next time I see Freshwillow I will give her a stern talk about how it isn't fair to cage me up in crappy training."
Woodeyes seemed to go the slightest more serious. "We must learn this. You know some of it, but you must know the rules." He then turned tail and padded to a soft patch of grass, where he lay down and sighed happily. "This seems like a nice place. Come lay down."
Rheapaw shrugged her shoulders lightly.
Rheapaw couldn't sleep that night. Every time her dreams were filled with dreams of shadows and darkness. An echo sounded eerily through the blank room, causing Rheapaw to shiver in fright. When Rheapaw looked over, she swore she could see dark wings spread through the room before her. It was pitch black, but she could see it. Like it was darker than the shadows themselves.
And the blood – it also haunted her dreams.
She was caught in a nightmare.
In the middle of the night, the whole of ThunderClan were asleep. Except Rheapaw. She eventually and accidentally fell asleep. In that dream things were different. She was running through the territory, haunted by screams and singing in the distance. When she was eventually blocked off by the thickness of trees, she spun forward to see blood pouring from the mouth of the trees, spreading over the ground.
A single clear claw came from the darkness; it was small but incredibly sharp. In an instant Rheapaw was screaming on the top of her lungs, as the shadow with wings pounced forward to slit her throat.
"Rheapaw! Shut the fuck UP!" Rheapaw gasped in as much air as possible, and sprung forward in her nest. Next to her, a sleep-tired Rhinepaw.
"I swear if your annoying whines and screaming disrupts my assessment tomorrow, you are going to GET IT."
Rheapaw looked up apologetically, lowering her eyes to the ground to see Rhinepaw's brown paws when she saw Rhinepaw's stern and angry gaze.
Rhinepaw eventually spun around and marched to her nest, stuffing her ears in the moss.
Rheapaw looked to the ground, lost in pointless thought before she twitched a shoulder, snuggling into the moss.
Rheapaw stayed awake until dawn came and washed the glimmering moon and stars away. Rheapaw shakily stood in her nest, lichen dropping off her stone grey fur. Breathing soft and shallow, she elegantly stepped out of the den and into the burning sunlight.
She approached the Prey Pile, sniffing for one particular piece of prey.
A Raven.
The raven was a messy catch, Rheapaw could see it. Dry blood crusted around the neck, with dirt caked into the feathers and bite marks where the cat scrambled to get a proficient grip. Rheapaw took it anyway. Taking it to her sapling, she limped the tiniest bit.
As she slept, she tossed and turned. She also landed on her shoulder that had a deep wound.
She landed roughly on her belly as she set to lay down in the shade. She plucked ruffled feathers off of the body, and then ate silently. Once in a while, she would look over her shoulder for the scent of rabbit or the rustle of leaves. Rheapaw felt guilty, she was taking, and not giving. She was determined to catch prey for the nursery.
Rheapaw couldn't pinpoint the guilt source. It was mysterious to her.
When she finished her meal with a swipe of her paw to her mouth, Woodeyes padded to Rheapaw and spoke happily. "Rheapaw, Fadestar told me that you and Ravenpaw can go to tonight's gathering with me and Orchidtail. Isn't that great?"
Rheapaw looked up in glee. "A gathering?" She was going to a Gathering!
Cats lined with others as Fadestar sat patiently in front of the Sacred Rock. A rock that formed when a strange Earthquake passed through the clans killing all elders and even Gorestar, a cat who changed his name when he led ThunderClan for his horrifying nature and unstable temper. Many cats believed his death was a sign from StarClan themselves.
Rheapaw sat stone-like next to Ravenpaw, looking forward with hard, horrified eyes.
Ravenpaw had her back arched high, her jaws parted in a large yawn. Her cocoa colored paw's claws were unsheathed to the max, digging in the soil in anticipation.
"Why can't they get this damn line moving?" She hissed. "I'm going to be in Hell before they get a move on."
Rheapaw glanced sideways at Ravenpaw and sighed, Ravenpaw's mint eyes were open in a slit, looking around rather mischievously. Rheapaw didn't want to know, she never did.
But that won't ever work out, won't it?
Suddenly without warning, Fadestar yowled and dashed forward, beckoning the chosen to enter the Gathering.
Rheapaw and Ravenpaw dashed on the opposite sides of the clan. They were always faster than their clan mates, and they usually sought to stay on the sides of the clan, as if they were protecting the flanks.
Peonyhaze enjoyed 'protecting' the back side of the clan.
Rheapaw was getting quite tired when they finally approached the log that led to the clearing where the gatherings were held. Rheapaw dashed swiftly passed the log, and leaped into the clearing.
Jasminestar was just leaping onto the tree when she arrived. Jasminestar giggled happily the whole time, lightening the mood between WindClan and ShadowClan. Dogstar and Weedstar hissed unhappily at each other, but stopped as Jasminestar leaped on the branch above the two leaders.
Arielstar of SkyClan just puffed her chest and stared sternly, with a hint of depression into the distance.
Rheapaw once heard that SkyClan were actually driven away, but a ginger cat with his mate reunited them. But they eventually had to find the other four clans, and join them with territory just outside of WindClan.
Fadestar gracefully leaped to a strong branch that shaded him into the shadows. As he shifted for a comfortable spot, Jasminestar called out gleefully, "Let the Gathering begin! I will go first!"
Jasminestar jumped up in a tiny hop, a flower hanging from her neck. "RiverClan is doing most excellent! Floralstem had her kits! Grousekit, Teakit, and Swallowkit! They are doing most excellent and I will enjoy picking mentors for them in the future!" Murmurs of congratulations spread throughout the clearing, Rheapaw stayed silent and unresponsive.
Arielstar leaned forward from her branch and announced, "We have a new apprentice. Here tonight is Leaderpaw." Her voice was slow, and low for she-cats. Below her, a ginger tom with blazing green eyes arched his back in a stretch. Arielstar sighed and scooted backward, her black tail hanging limply from the tree.
Jasminestar always commented on other leaders announcements. With this, she yelled out, "Congratulations Leaderpaw!"
A pure white cat sat out in the crowd, only his nose and eyes contained a golden mask. He sat proudly, his chin high. Leaderpaw was large and bulky, and Ravenpaw eyed him with curiosity. "He looks like a keeper." She mumbled to herself.
Rheapaw wondered if she was even supposed to hear that. Maybe Ravenpaw said it so quietly, only she could hear. If that was the case, Rheapaw didn't dare respond.
But looking at Leaderpaw closely, he was rather handsome in ways. His captivating amber eyes danced like fire, his one golden paw looked strong, and ready for battle. Who knew Tree Climbers had their way with looks?
She looked up as Weedstar started talking. "I may have nothing new going on, because my clan is as strong as it always been," He boasted. Dogstar snorted, his brown hairs flecked with light gray, his eyes rolled in amusement.
Weedstar ignored the old tom, and resumed with his ignorant speech. "But I do have a proposition for all clans. If you give me at least some of your territory, and I won't steal your kits and elders and torture information of your clan from them."
Gasps came from the clearing.
"You have no right you dirty bastard!"
"You can't have our territory! Right, Fadestar?"
"Jasminestar! Don't do it Damn it!"
One voice was clear from all the rest.
"Weedstar you bastard! You can't claim our territory!"
Rheapaw looked back to Asterclaw, who looked at Weedstar with hatred in her eyes, and her lips peeled back to a snarl.
Weedstar snorted. "Shut up, whore. You have no say in this."
Peircecry growled madly. "You do NOT call my mate a whore, you asshole!" He shrieked.
Weedstar parted his jaws in a large laugh. "You have until the next Gathering to give me your answer!"
With a signal to move, Weedstar dashed out of the Gathering with an evil smirk. The rest of the clan followed.
Dogstar growled but still made an announcement. His was short and sweet. "We were attacked by a Badger, Restpaw chased it off. Fadestar, I am done."
Fadestar sighed and stepped gingerly in front of him. "We will have new warriors soon. We have a new warrior, Rhinelake, who has proved her loyalty. Clans! Dispatch!"
The last of the clans dashed out of the clearing, with their leaders leading them swiftly to their Camps.
"Weedstar actually threatened us! Can you believe it? I can't wait until I clamp my teeth around his thin, frail, stupid neck." Shedpaw dazed off into the distance dreamily.
Starkpaw rolled her eyes at her brother. "You can't kill Weedstar, sure, he's a bitch, but that doesn't mean it's right."
Shedpaw sighed. "So? Maybe I can become a rogue, live outside of the clans, bound by no code. Then I can kill who ever I want! Without you there nagging me!"
Starkpaw snickered. "Who says I won't follow you outside the clans? Whenever you do something, I'll fall from the sky and say 'Brother? Do you really want to do that?'"
Rheapaw joined in, officially amused. "That would suck. Even spending a day training with Starkpaw is bad enough."
Starkpaw scoffed. "You're just jealous." She mused sarcastically.
Firpaw joined in. "Is there an 'off' button on you? Or do we have to wait till you run out of batteries?"
Starkpaw answered with a smile. "Sorry, gotta run out of batteries to shut up. I feel so bad for you."
Rheapaw laughed with Firpaw and Shedpaw.
Ravenpaw stayed silent from the corner of the den. Her flanks moved long and shallow. She was asleep, but she did not make noise as she slept.
"Hey Rheapaw, whatcha lookin' at?"
Rheapaw turned her head to peer at Firpaw. "Nothing." She replied. When she looked at the two siblings, Shedpaw looked as if he were going to fall over in exhaustion. Starkpaw was beside him, victoriously smiling.
"That's what you get." She scoffed to her brother. Shedpaw made no noise, just fell into his nest and began snoring heavily.
The next night Rheapaw was restless. Ravenpaw was Night-Training with Streakpelt, and she needed to talk to her sister as soon as possible. She didn't exactly know what she was going to say, she just knew she was going to say something.
Rheapaw gave up waiting. She decided to look for her sister instead.
Slipping from the apprentices den, she made a sleek dash to the outside of camp. There, she brushed past the leaves, until she found the scent. It was Ravenpaw, no Streakpelt. Rheapaw followed the scent cautiously, sniffing leaves and remnants of the scent. It was leading to ShadowClan border, or at least near it.
Slipping past a leaf, she came to a small clearing that was unknown to Rheapaw. In the clearing was where Ravenpaw's scent was strongest. She smelt another scent that was unmistakably cat.
Rheapaw slunk forward, eyes wide open. The darkness manipulated her eye site, making things hard.
But, as the shadows played evil tricks on her, she knew this one was real.
Rheapaw stood over a limp figure, panting with blood racing down her chin and splattering on her chest fur. Rheapaw gasped, Ravenpaw looked up, smiled, and with one unsheathed claw pierced the figure's fur, and flipped it over slowly. A dark ginger tom lay before her, un-breathing and unmoving.
It was Weedstar, that cat who threatened the clans. The leader of ShadowClan.
Rheapaw woke from her blackout and found she was still in the clearing Ravenpaw killed Weedstar. In panic, Rheapaw dashed blindly through the forest, desperate to get away from the murder scene her sister caused.
Rheapaw dashed into camp, and into the apprentices den. She desperately closed her eyes as she sat there uncomfortably in her nest.
But she couldn't sleep, one was that she had too much energy; running wasn't a good exercise before sleep. Two, things rushed in her head. She verified that Ravenpaw was a killer; Weedstar was dead, so that meant Feralclaw is now Feralstar. A question also came through her head. Why?
Suddenly things came to her. Weedstar demanded territory at the gathering, Ravenpaw may have given no expression, but she was thinking something, Rheapaw knew it.
Maybe Ravenpaw was planning it all along! Maybe the arrogant move from Weedstar gave a reason!
But, as things rushed through Rheapaw's now delirious mind, she realized something crucial to the clans, to all of ThunderClan and even herself, was that she had to do something…
She had to kill Ravenpaw. It was the most basic plan, yet most complicated plan.
But Rheapaw halted her thinking for a second, what if she was just going crazy? Maybe Ravenpaw was innocent, it would be mouse-brain to kill her when she had no hard proof she was even evil at all. Maybe she felt pity for her prey; maybe she never even hurt someone.
Rheapaw stopped her mind completely. Blinking out her confusion, she just stopped thinking, and fell to the moss nest with a soft thud.
Rheapaw woke when she felt a paw prodding her side. She looked up in fear, expecting red eyes and barred teeth, ready to rip her throat.
But it was Woodeyes, smiling warmly with warm eyes. "Time for training, young Rheapaw." He said gleefully. Then he shook his head violently. "Oh, StarClan I'm starting to sound like Jasminestar."
Rheapaw forced a smile, trying her best to hide her agonizing guilt.
Woodeyes seemed to buy it, turning around and beckoning Rheapaw to follow.
Rheapaw followed, her breathing deep.
Rheapaw didn't enjoy going into the forest, especially when Woodeyes turned direction to follow the ShadowClan border. Rheapaw wanted to walk to the WindClan border, and was about to scream until they arrived in a hollow that was padded down with grass from so many paws.
Rheapaw let out her breath. It was Woodeye's personal training hollow.
"To begin training-," But Woodeyes was cut off by a shriek.
Rheapaw whipped around to face the ShadowClan border, where the scream's source was.
Rheapaw dashed through the leaves and thorns to arrive in her Night-Time murder scene.
She looked over to see a ShadowClan she-cat, eyes wide, looking painfully at her dead leader.
Rheapaw gasped in fear, as a voice called through the woods. "Clearspike! Wait! I'm coming!" And with that, a black pelted tom barged through the trees and looked down to Clearspike.
Clearspike was gasping with pain, and the tom looked up to Rheapaw with scorn and disgust. "You know something, ThunderClanner. I will find out, you scum."
Rheapaw took a step back, horrified. Woodeyes bashed through to the opening beside Rheapaw, and his eyes widened at the side of Weedstar. "He… He's dead!" He cried with surprise.
Rheapaw looked to the ground in terror, not even wanting to look at the mourning ShadowClanners. They were Weedstar's children. It made Rheapaw that much guiltier.
Rheapaw looked up at the sound of yelling. "Your Clan will pay! You heartless fuckers! You killer bastards!"
Rheapaw sucked in a breath, the tom still cursed ThunderClan.
Rheapaw couldn't take it anymore. She had to; she had to turn tail and dash back to her nest.