Guess who's back from the dead? :D This gal right here! Eyup, I've been a poor author and not updating, but I've had major writers block and it sucks. But I've decided to continue the story in third person because I'm more suited to write in third person. Now An I going to revise the last two chapters? Maybe, but probably not. I'm gonna try and be more diligent in updating this story I promise! Read and review please :3
Shadowpaw growled at the adder that sat in front of him. No way was he going to let it kill the beautiful blue-grey she-cat that stood behind him. He would have to run.
There was no question about it. There was no way they were going to accept him now. He scrunched up his face trying to remember what Rainbow taught him about adders.
Wings out, check! Shadowpaw began to run a checklist through his head.
Loud noises? Check! He continued, letting out an earsplitting screech.
The snake shrunk back slightly, hissing and spitting just like he was.
Oh what was the last thing Rainbow? Shadowpaw pleaded silently to the slightly cloudy sky.
Suddenly a breeze ruffled his feather and he let off a small grin. He began to shake his wings rapidly, edging closer to the adder.
The adder turned to slither away and he pounced quickly, his wings helping glide easily across the ground as he caught the snake in his jaws, killing his prey.
Shadowpaw quickly folded his wings back into the hidden position and dropped the snake at Greycloud and Snowflower's paws, dipping his head.
"Thank you for giving me a chance... I suppose I should go now" Shadowpaw mumbled sadly, turning to take his leave. He pushed lightly past Mallowpaw and spread his wings to take flight.
"Wait Shadowpaw! Come back, Leafstar will definitely want to hear about this. You will definitely be a great asset to the clan!" Snowflower began to explain, but her words went right through his ears as Mallowpaw brushed her pelt against his.
Shadowpaw looked at her in shock and she beamed a shy smile towards him and looked away again. "Please come home" she whispered, almost inaudibly.
Shadowpaw realized his body had been tensed up and he let it relax, his wings unfurling slightly.
"So when you helped me up earlier am I to assume you used your wing to help me up?" Mallowpaw asked him.
Shadowpaw pressed his ears against his head and nodded sheepishly. "Y-Yeah, I was gonna try and hide it for at least a moon, but it seems I couldn't help myself" Shadowpaw half joked to Mallowpaw.
Mallowpaw let out a soft chuckle and he felt her pelt brush against his once more, she was shivering violently.
Shadowpaw extended his right wing and draped it around the smaller she-cat, hoping to comfort her. He felt Mallowpaw stiffen, but relaxed as he soft feathers tickled her fur.
Mallowpaw's purple eyes peeked up at him and quickly went back to the ground.
Shadowpaw began to think back when he was deciding on what to do. Save Mallowpaw or keep his wings a secret.
Shadowpaw let out a rather loud purr and Mallowpaw looked to him.
"What are you so happy about?" Mallowpaw asked snapped.
"I was just thinking that your eyes could be a weapon to any tom that liked you" he meowed, spreading his left wing.
"If you asked me to soar up into the skies and bring you back a fluff of cloud I would do it." Shadowpaw admitted.
Mallowpaw let out a mrrow of amusement and looked at him impishly. "So you like me then?" she asked teasingly.
Shadowpaw felt his face heat up and he pinned his ears to his head. "O-Only as a f-friend though!" he stuttered nervously.
Shadowpaw watched as Mallowpaw's eagerness began to fade. He let out a sigh and mentally scratched himself.
I"m such an idiot! Of course I like her a little more than friends!
Shadowpaw spotted the entrance to the camp and quickly folded his wings, his right one reluctantly folded back into place. He watched as a white tom with bright ginger paws pad out of the entrance with Talonpaw following him more slowly, looking utterly upset.
"Gingerfoot! Could you wait for a couple seconds? We're gonna tell Leafstar something and she's for sure going to hold a clan meeting. Every warrior needs to be present." Snowflower meowed, draping her tail over the new mentor.
"W-What about my apprentice?" Gingerfoot stammered, flicking his tail nervously.
"Don't worry you can get right back out there once the meeting is over" Snowflower cooed, oddly attached to the tom.
Shadowpaw looked to Mallowpaw as they entered the camp and noticed she no longer noticed he was there. He followed her gaze and spotted a golden tom, with sparkling sapphire blue eyes. His tail lifted in greeting and Mallowpaw trotted over to him happily.
The russet colored kit beside him looked appalled and stood up angrily and stomped off towards the nursery.
Snowflower stiffened beside him and ran off towards the kit.
"Poor Vixenkit, it's obvious she really like Lionpaw, but it seems he only has eyes for Mallowpaw." Greycloud whispered.
Shadowpaw lashed his tail in fury and glared at the golden tom. He watched as the two cats twine tails and began to laugh together.
Keep acting like that towards her and I'll kill you for sure!
Shadowpaw snapped out of his thoughts and watched Greycloud leap the highrocks towards Leafstar's den.
Shadowpaw watched as Leafstar hobbled to the top of the high rocks. "All cats old enough to catch their own prey gather beneath the highrocks for a clan meeting." she called out gracefully.
Sunstreak, Cinderflame, Spottedwing, Kinkfur, and Flametalon were the first to gather beneath her, waiting to hear their mother's words.
Shadowpaw noticed that Flametalon and Cinderflame acted oddly towards each other and shyly sat next to each other.
Soon the rest of the clan flooded into the clearing.
Surely after this event Mallowpaw will be all mine!
As the rest of the cats sat down to listen to Leafstar, Greycloud flicked her tail signaling Shadowpaw to get into the middle of the clearing.
As he pushed his way past the warriors he sat in the middle of the clearing warriors whispered doubts about him, and he was ready to stretch out his wings to their full size to make them shut up.
"Greycloud tells me that Mallowpaw came face to face with an adder" Leafstar began.
Shadowpaw turned to see Lionpaw slobbering all over Mallowpaw's face with his tongue. He lashed his tail, too deep in thought to hear Leafstar call out his name.
"Shadowpaw! Please show us how you fended off the adder if you may" Leafstar meowed, irritation radiating in her voice.
Shadowpaw looked up to ThunderClan's leader and arched his back, baring his fangs.
They didn't believe him.
Shadowpaw felt his muscles ripple in his back as his wings spread to their full length.
The cats of ThunderClan all gasped and there were two sighs of awe.
Shadowpaw swiveled his head and spotted both Rosekit and Mallowpaw looking at him with a mixture of awe and maybe love? He sneaked a smug look at Lionpaw, who was fuming at him.
"Oh my StarClan, Shadowpaw how long have you had them?" the one they called Cinderflame asked, sniffing at the feathers.
"Ever since I was little and they're getting bigger just about everyday. They grow just like my body does." Shadowpaw explained, fidgeting nervously.
"Oh I know I can go get the adder I killed!" Shadowpaw meowed quickly, stretching his wings and taking off from the ground. He heard yowls of surprise as he began to soar through the sky towards snakerocks.
Shadowpaw flapped his wings a couple of times and reached the clouds, touching it with his paws.
The cloud split into two at his touch and he sighed, diving down to where the smell of adder came from.
As Shadowpaw landed he noticed that the adder was gone, as if a cat had dragged it away. He began to sniff around and scented a trail.
The tom wrinkled his nose in disgust and began to follow the trail, winding through the forest. For what felt like moons he finally reached a black path.
Oh what did the no-furs call these? Roads?
Shadowpaw shook his head and tentatively put his two front paws on the "road" and lifted his front paw to move forward when teeth met his scruff.
As Shadowpaw was dragged over the black pavement a monster roared past, spitting gravel at him.
"Are you a mouse-brain?" a deep voice growled. Shadowpaw spun around and looked into a pair of sapphire blue eyes.
An image of Rosekit floated through his mind and he tilted his head.
"You remind me of Rosekit..." Shadowpaw mumbled, assessing the tom in case he had to fight him.
"What about my daughter?" the tom hissed.
Shadowpaw took a step back and gawked up at the tom. "I don't know you" he whined, feeling his wings quiver against his side.
The flame pelted tom raised his paw with claws unsheathed when a black she-cat stuck her head out from behind the tom.
"Wait Brackenflame isn't that the tom Leafstar welcomed into the clan?" the she-cat meowed curiously.
Brackenflame lowered his paws, his eyes shining with embarrassment as he leaned forward and sniffed at him.
"He does have Snowflower's and Greycloud's scent on him." Brackenflame admitted.
Shadowpaw felt a wave of relief, his wings falling from his side.
"Whoa that's cool" the black she-cay murmured.
"Let's go quickly and on the way back to camp you can tell me why you were about to cross the thunderpath." Brackenflame growled, turning around and leading the way back to the camp.
"Well I went back to go find the snake that I killed and it was gone! I found a scent trail and well that's where you found me about to cross that thunder...path?" Shadowpaw replied, trying the string the last word together.
Brackenflame rolled his eyes in exasperation, flicking his tail to silence Shadowpaw and trotted ahead as the entrance of the camp came into view.
With a sigh Shadowpaw perked his ears and listened to Nightheart pant heavily as they climbed over a log.
Shadowpaw jumped, opening his wings and flapping them until he was above Nightheart. He sunk his teeth into her scruff and helped her down, slowing down her decent so she could land better. He landed next to her and she gave him a nod of thanks.
Shadowpaw watched as Brackenflame disappeared through the entrance. He ran ahead slightly and pushed his right wing through the entrance and pushed the brambles out of the way so Nightheart could get in easier, to his expense.
Nightheart gave him another nod and pushed herself through.
Shadowpaw followed her and noticed that her body became giddy as she spotted a dark grey tom. She quickly padded up to him and touched noses with him.
Shadowpaw watched on awkwardly as she leaned into his ear in whisper something, his face turning from excitement, dismay, then unconditional love.
"Shadowpaw! My dad said he needed to see you!" Rosekit squeaked, breaking his concentration on Nightheart and the dark grey tom.
"W-what was that Rosekit , I was watching those two over there" Shadowpaw meowed, looking at the dark grey tom with amber eyes.
"Oh you mean Stormheart and Nightheart? Mama says that Nightheart is gonna be in the nursery soon" Rosekit mewed, flicking her tail excitedly.
"Hopefully I'll get to play with her kits before I become an apprentice." Rosekit squeaked excitedly.
Shadowpaw let out a purr and nudged Rosekit towards the nursery where Snowflower stuck her head in to check on her and Greycloud's kits.
"Your mother is going to be worried, and I don't want to get in trouble." Shadowpaw meowed sternly.
The pale ginger she-kit puffed out and glared at him. "I'm not some silly kit anymore! I'm about to become an apprentice!" Rosekit whined, her big blue eyes staring up at him.
There was a tiny scoff and a group of kits appeared from behind Rosekit.
A grey tabby tom with darker patches of grey began to stalk her tail.
Before he could even pounce Rosekit glared back at him. "Patchkit leave my tail alone for the hundredth time!" Rosekit spat at the tom.
Patchkit huffed and glared at Shadowpaw. "Ever since you joined the clan she's declared she's "all grown-up". Why don't you two just become mates already?" Patchkit snarled, the light grey tom beside him, fidgeting nervously.
"P=Patchkit cut it out!" he hissed nervously, sneaking a peak at Rosekit.
Shadowpaw sighed and turned his back to the group of kits "I'm not interested in having a mate anytime soon" Shadowpaw meowed snobbishly, sticking his nose in the air.
Shadowpaw heard a cry of hurt and thrumming of one kit coming towards him. He turned and was knocked over by a kit almost as big as him.
The cream colored tom spat in his face and dug his claws into Shadowpaw's skin.
"W-Who are you?" Shadowpaw asked between clenched teeth.
"The name's Sandkit and nobody, I repeat, nobody breaks my sister's heart!" the kit snarled raking his claws across his body, not leaving deep enough scratches to scar.
"Sandkit what are you doing? Get off the tom right this instance!" Brackenflame's growl sounded and the cream colored kit was lifted off him.
"I apologize for my kits behavior Shadowpaw, please come with me to speak with Leafstar. Mallowpaw, Greycloud and Snowflower are already there. "Sandkit me and your mother will discuss your punishment" Brackenflame hissed at his son, picking up his son by the scruff.
Shadowpaw listened to Sandkit's rather loud protests as he padded toward the highrocks until it faded behind the nursery walls. He hooked his claws into the little place where claws had been before and hauled himself up the rocks until he spotted the leaders den.
Shadowpaw stuck his head in there spotted Mallowpaw's purple eye right away. He sat next to her and she stiffened slightly. "Why's your fur wet?" Mallowpaw whispered urgently, her fur brushing against his.
Before Shadowpaw could answer Snowflower sniffed him over and gasped.
"You smell of blood and my kit. What happened?" she asked frantically, her fur bristling.
"Well I was talking to Rosekit..." Shadowpaw began to explain.
"Our Sandkit attacked him Snowflower, we have to discuss punishment for him" Brackenflame meowed sternly, entering the den. Shadowpaw relaxed as Mallowpaw began to wash his cuts, her muttering amusing him. "Stupid kit" she mumbled, pausing from cleaning him.
Leafstar let out a sigh and looked around, her leaf green eyes flashing as she looked at each cat.
"ShadowClan has been stealing our prey for long enough!"