This is my 2nd Challenge for ImagineClan.
Summary: Briarpaw thinks that there's no hope left. But can a special tom turn that thought around?
Genres: Romance and Hurt/Comfort
Disclaimer: I don't own Warriors.
The jeers. The taunts. She should've know eventually that would happen.
A gray tabby pads back to camp, carrying a mouse, the best prey she had ever caught.
The other cats are amazed at that she could catch it at all. They dash off, whispering to one another and laughing, until a warrior scolds them.
She drops it on the pile and starts to walk to the apprentice den. A pure white she-cat giggles, thinking she wouldn't notice. But she does. The tabby frowns and growls.
"I didn't know you could make any noise at all," the she taunted.
Though she cannot hear her words, the tabby growls again, deeper this time, and unsheathes her claws.
"Please, you couldn't fight me if you tried," the she-cat jeers again.
The white she-cat was wrong though. The tabby caught her by surprise, pouncing on her immediately. The white cat growled and pushed the tabby off. She scratched her back fiercely and pinned her down.
"Face it runt. I knew you couldn't beat me and I was right. I'm going to make you sorry you ever messed with me. And no one will know because no one is here to see it!" the white she-cat growls.
The tabby looks frantically around, for some help.
Luckily for her, a white she-cat patched with ginger and brown and a brown striped tom chose that moment to walk into camp. The she-cat is shocked by the sight before her.
"Stormpaw, what happened?" she asked, dashing over to her. The dark tom follows. She knocks the white cat off her sister and props her up. "What did you do to her?" she growls at the other she-cat.
"It was just some battle practice," she says innocently.
"This looks like more than just 'some battle practice'," the tom says, his eyes narrowing to slits as he puts his tail on the patched she-cat's back, stroking to calm her down.
"I'm going to report you!" the she-cat says, her brown eyes flashing.
"Go ahead. It just proves that you're too scared to handle me yourself," the white she-cat retorts defiantly.
The gray she-cat pushes in for the first time and looks her sister in the eye, brown eyes locking with green ones. That one look said everything.
"Fine. We won't report you. It's only to protect Stormpaw's honor," the multi-colored she-cat says. She, the tom, and her sister pad off into the apprentice's den, but not before she shoots the pure white apprentice one last warning look.
She was woken up by the light of the full moon shining on her. She got up and stretched, her eyes scanning the apprentice den. Everyone was safe as can be in their nest, everyone except her sister.
"Stormpaw? Stormpaw?" she asked frantically, running out of the apprentice den. She didn't even bother to conceal herself when she ran past Goldenfoot, who was sitting vigil.
"Stormpaw?" she picked up her scent and dashed off, her paws skimming the ground. It got closer and closer to the border. She ran faster and faster.
"Stormpaw, where are you?" she stopped short at the border. A river ran around that edge of the territory, prohibiting cats from crossing. The water lapped against her paws roughly, threatening to pull her in. The water level was higher today.
She backed up a little. "Stormpaw? Stormpaw?" the scent stopped at the river. She looked around, her nose in the air, fearing the worst.
Suddenly, the she-cat heard furiously splashing. She looked to the source of the noise to find her beloved sister, splashing her paws, her head barely above the water.
"Stormpaw! Stormpaw!" the she-cat choked. But her sister splashed further and further.
"Stormpaw!" she yowled again.
Her sister was already on the bank, shaking herself off. She didn't even notice the patched cat. She looked into the forest ahead and dashed off.
"Stormpaw!" her sister cried, alarmed.
But of course, being deaf, Stormpaw didn't hear her.
Briarpaw sat upright in her nest, still heavily breathing. She was still haunted by memories of her loner sister. She should've come with her. Anything was better than the aching pain that she got when she thought about her.
Stormpaw was as good an apprentice as any, but that didn't stop cats from teasing her. So finally, she ran away.
Briarpaw should've been quicker. She should've came with her! Warriors assured her that it was not her fault., but the guilt still weighed her down.
Maybe if I were a better sister... she thought longingly. She sighed and padded out of the den.
The full moon shown above. Just as it had two moons ago when her sister had gone forever. Briarpaw's heart sank. She walked out of camp silently. She needed to clear her mind.
She absent mindedly wandered around till she found herself at the bank of the river, the same river that Stormpaw crossed. The same place where she had seen her last. She fought back a sob.
She remembered what happened next. After Stormpaw disappeared into the woods, a bunch of warriors came. Goldenfoot alerted them when he saw Briarpaw dashing out of camp. They kept her from following Stormpaw. She came home to lots of taunting. Snowpaw, and most other apprentices, teased her about not protecting her sister.
There was only one cat she knew who seemed genuinely sorry, besides her own family.
Rowanpaw. He was a great friend. He actually understood her. His littermate died as a kit. And he was always with her and Stormpaw, even when he was teased. Through and through, he never abandoned her. That earned some quiet remarks from the elders.
Maybe I should stay, Briarpaw pondered. She imagined herself, growing up, falling in love, having kits, retiring to an elder, dying after she had served her clan well.
Dying. Dying alone. As in, without Stormpaw.
She was back where she started. She still was weighing out the pros and cons. They were equal as of now. Until one of the scales tipped-
If Stormpaw can't be in this clan, then I shouldn't either, Briarpaw thought as she padded to the edge of the river.
She didn't belong here. Stormpaw was the best friend she ever had and now she was gone.
She looked at the edge of the river and she suddenly wasn't so sure about herself. Maybe she would go later, so she could say goodbye.
"No." She said aloud. If she didn't do it now, she would never do it.
She glanced at the river again. It wasn't too bad today, maybe she could make it. She took a deep breath. This is for you Stormpaw. I'm coming, she thought, leaping into the river.
The current tugged at Briarpaw's fur, pulling her this way and that. She tossed and turned submerging and coming back up, gasping for breath. Her paws flailed wildly, splashing water everywhere, but she needed to make it to the other side. She felt herself being dragged under. She propelled herself upwards, breaking to the surface. She took a deep breath, before she was pulled under again. The water pushed her down further and further. There was no getting out now.
So this is it, she thought. I wish I stayed to say goodbye... But there were only so many things she had to look forward to. She barely had any friends. She would be alone as a warrior.
Briarpaw only had so many breaths left. The air was leaving her lungs. But still, she was strangely calm. She stared up at the surface. At the stars. They weren't that far away. She would die staring up at the stars. The beautiful stars...
Something interrupted her view. A ripple above. A paw reached down and prodded her.
I must be dreaming. I must be in StarClan. But there was no denying that the face above her was the face of Rowanpaw. His black and brown muzzle reached down and yanked at her scruff, bringing her back up.
Briarpaw sighed as her nose reached the surface. She took a deep breath and air-filled her lungs. She was vaguely aware of Rowanpaw dragging her back to land
It was only when she crawled back to dry land, did she realize she was on the wrong side. The forest loomed on the other side of the river almost teasingly.
"Rowanpaw! I was going to go to Stormpaw! You shouldn't have stopped me!" Briarpaw exclaimed.
Rowanpaw let out a low growl. "I just saved your life! You could be a little grateful."
"But why? How did you even know I was here?" Briarpaw's anger gave way to curiosity.
Rowanpaw licked his fur, embarrassed. "I sorta followed you," he admitted.
"You followed me?" Briarpaw asked. She laughed, halfheartedly.
"It's a good thing too!" Rowanpaw protested.
"I guess," Briarpaw said, grinning.
After the awkward silence that followed, a flash of light streaked across the sky. Briarpaw almost jumped when she saw it. Rowanpaw whirled around and sighed.
Stars flew across the sky. A trail of light followed then, filling up the night with its glow. Briarpaw felt tingly inside. She inched closer to Rowanpaw.
Rowanpaw curled his tail around her. They both sighed simultaneously.
"Thank you for saving me," Briarpaw purred.
"I had to. If not, you wouldn't be able to see this beautiful sight," Rowanpaw stared up at the sky.
The stars blazed, leaving their mark in the sky. Briarpaw tilted her head. "I feel like anything could happen. Like"
"Your deepest wishes could come true," Rowanpaw finished. Briarpaw looked at him in surprise.
"How did you know what I was going to say?"
"It's what I was thinking," Rowanpaw smiled. "Great minds think alike." He paused for moment. "What would you wish for?"
Images of Stormpaw flashed in her mind. "I wish... I wish... I wish I could make things right with Stormpaw. She's gone now, and... and I didn't even get a chance to tell her I loved her." Briarpaw choked, resting her head on Rowanpaw's shoulder sadly.
They rested there in silence, watching the stars streak across the night sky when Rowanpaw finally spoke again. "You know what I would wish?"
"What?" Briarpaw murmured.
"I wish that we could stay here, together." He turned towards her, "Forever."
Even in her sad state, Briarpaw managed a smile, snuggling closer to Rowanpaw. "Together forever," she agreed, resuming her place looking up at the sky.
She didn't even notice the sight across the river, the gleam of green eyes, slipping away into the shadows with a smile.
It's amazing how little time I spent on the actual challenge part of the story.