Hey guys! Sorry I didn't update earlier; school has been pretty crazy recently, especially with our finals drawing closer!
Review replies:
PerfectlyClearly: Haha, yeah xD Thank you! I should probably practice writing transitions more, and the rain had mostly stopped by the time they finished talking!
Willowdream of ForestClan: Thank you so much! c:
Twinkle Legacy: Thank you for both your compliment and the feedback on the characters!
Dewmist: Me too, actually xD I definitely will!
guest: Wow, thank you so much! :o That means a lot to me, both your thoughtful comment and your feedback on the chatracters!
(I feel like I use exclamation marks waaaay too much xD - also this emoticon. /shrug/ oh well!)
"No, no, no! You're doing it all wrong!" Yellowstripe gnashed his teeth in frustration as his apprentice failed to dodge his blow in time. "Again!" he demanded, lashing his tail. "And faster this time!"
Stormpaw hissed as her mentor sprang at her again, and she scrabbled back, panting. Yellowstripe's paw still managed to clout her over the ear, however.
"You have to be faster," Yellowstripe growled. "Do it again! And after this, you're running around the camp twice!" He jumped, catching Stormpaw by surprise as he bowled her over into one of the trees of the Training Hollow, hind legs pummeling her stomach.
"Y-Yellowstripe," Stormpaw gasped. "It's almost sundown. We've been training for almost the entire-"
"Did I hear you complaining?" Yellowstripe narrowed his eyes at her. "You know what happens when my apprentice complains."
Stormpaw winced as she remembered a day where she'd whined about hunting from sunrise until sunhigh. Yellowstripe had her running around the camp over and over until she'd gotten so exhausted that she passed out, right in the middle of camp. "No, Yellowstripe."
And if she'd said just that, that would've been it. If she'd just kept her temper in check, she would have been safe.
But she couldn't help it. "I think you need to get your ears checked. After all, you're clearly mishearing me," she added.
The golden-and-white tom glared at her, ears pressed flat against his head. "Alright, I've had enough of you!" he hissed. "You're going on the border patrol this evening, and we're having extra training practice tomorrow! Is that understood?"
"Whatever you say." Stormpaw rolled her eyes, though she was inwardly groaning at the prospect of patrols and more training.
The evening was hot and humid. Stormpaw lifted her muzzle to the air, sighing.
"Rain's coming soon," Twigwhisker murmured, stealing a glance at the apprentice. "Are you sure you have to go out on patrol tonight? I could talk to Yellowstripe, convince him to put you on patrol tomorrow."
"I'm fine," Stormpaw said stiffly. She watched as her mentor organized the evening patrols, all while shooting her an icy glare. "Now, if you could talk to Mallowstar and convince him to change my mentor-"
"Stormpaw!" Twigwhisker gasped, affronted. "Yellowstripe is a good mentor! He's taught you so many skills, and besides, he's the clan deputy. Isn't it an honor to have him for a mentor?"
"...I guess." The gray she-cat stared moodily out at the camp, her muscles tense. "I should go. Yellowstripe needs me on the patrol."
"Stormpaw-"
But she'd already left the medicine cat den. Twigwhisker sighed, shaking her head as she watched Stormpaw stalk over to where the deputy was organizing his patrols.
"Glad to see you could join us, Stormpaw," Yellowstripe said coldly. "You're on the evening patrol with Tansyfrost, Blackfeather, and me."
"You're on the patrol too?" Stormpaw asked, feeling her heart drop. She was hoping to spend some time away from her mentor to cool down from their argument earlier. "But-"
"Let's go." Yellowstripe lifted his tail up, and Stormpaw and the other warriors chosen for the patrol followed him as he left the camp.
The earth underfoot was moist, soft, and squishy, and Stormpaw shuddered each time she took a step. It felt like she was walking on a pile of worms or maybe even fresh-kill. All the birds were silent, and Stormpaw didn't even hear the grasshoppers that were always chirping away, especially on a warm evening like this. It placed a strange, uneasy doubt in her chest. One might even call it fear. A terrible premonition that something bad was going to happen.
As they began to approach the ShadowClan border, however, Stormpaw dismissed it as something silly. Don't be such a kit, she scolded herself. All the animals are hiding from the rain. We're the only ones fish-brained enough to be out here right before a storm!
Her thoughts were interrupted as Yellowstripe held up his tail and halted. Stormpaw stumbled at the sudden stop and crashed into Blackfeather, who turned around and let out an annoyed hiss.
"Quiet," Yellowstripe murmured, his eyes alert. "There's somebody... over there! ShadowClan cats!" The tom flattened himself against the ground and slid forward, barely making a sound. The rest of the patrol followed suite, sliding along the dirt towards the other cats.
Stormpaw blinked as the scent of ShadowClan momentarily overwhelmed her. She made a face and held her breath against the strong, pines-and-earth smell of the other clan.
There were two of them. Both toms. One was a brown tabby who looked to be slightly older than Stormpaw, and the other was gray with patchy fur and scarred shoulders. Both were over the border, stalking a pair of mice.
Anger welled up within Stormpaw. "They're hunting over the border!" she whispered fiercely. Yellowstripe covered her mouth with his tail, staring intently at the two warriors.
The gray one pounced and caught both of the mice at the same time, his paws slamming down and breaking their backs. There was a faint squeak of pain and then nothing, as the warrior let out a satisfied purr.
At this, Tansyfrost sprang forward. "What are you doing?" she snarled, . The two warriors froze, caught in the act with guilty expressions. "That's our prey!"
"Well, it shouldn't be," the gray tomcat sniffed. "This area of land should belong to ShadowClan."
Blackfeather stepped in. "But as of right now, it's RiverClan territory." She shot a look back over her shoulder at Yellowstripe, who nodded at her to go on. "You need to get out of here," she continued. "And leave your prey here, too."
"What a joke," the gray tom snickered. "Come on, Bramblepelt. Care to put your opinion in and dumb down the whole conversation for this she-cat?"
"Of course I would!" The brown tabby, Bramblepelt puffed out his scrawny chest and took a step forward. "RiverClan patrol! We were hunting on your territory, yes, but... but!"
The gray tom rolled his eyes. "Yes?"
"But! We... deserve to!"
"Go on." The gray tom seemed to be amused.
"ShadowClan-"
"Alright, cut it out," Yellowstripe snarled, his fur bushed out. "Enough funny stuff. You were hunting across the border, and that's that. Either leave peacefully, or leave by force."
Bramblepelt started to respond, but then light suddenly seemed to illuminate the entire clearing. Stormpaw gasped and stepped back, squeezing her eyes together against the harsh brightness.
"W-what's going on?" Blackfeather asked, a tremor in her voice. "Did-"
"Twolegs!" It was the gray tom's voice this time, filled with horror and fear. "Run!"
Stormpaw opened one eye. Indeed, there was a twoleg standing there, holding a thin stick that somehow seemed to be the source of all the light. It meowed as it saw all of the cats, and lurched forward towards Yellowstripe.
The deputy hissed and backed away. The twoleg kneeled down and swiped at him. Yellowstripe growled and lashed out, leaving a thin pink scratch down the twoleg's arms. It yowled in pain and dropped the stick.
However, it continued on. The twoleg walked forward, towards Bramblepelt, who was quivering in fear.
"D-don't hurt me!" he yowled. "I know you don't want to! I'm... you don't want to! Please..." His whimpers died away as the twoleg picked him up.
"N-no! Please! No!"
The twoleg was taking out something long and thin, with a sharp, claw-like point at the edge. It appeared to be filled with a clear fluid. Bramblepelt was still begging for mercy as the twoleg jammed the point into him.
Bramblepelt yelped in pain, and instantly his frantic, scared movements slowed. His head dropped to the side, and within moments he was unconscious.
All the cats had watched on in horror up until this point, too terrified to move. But it was like Bramblepelt's unconsciousness triggered some invisible switch inside them. All the cats fled, running into the bushes and the trees.
The twoleg yowled and moved forward. Stormpaw gasped and ran, her paws throwing up bits of dirt and grass as she headed into RiverClan territory. Her heart thumped against her chest and her lungs suddenly constricted, her body telling her to slow down, to stop and take a break.
But she couldn't. She couldn't just stop and let the twoleg take her and... and... Pain shot through her body and Stormpaw stumbled, gasping for breath.
"N-no..." she mumbled.
"Stormpaw!"
The apprentice's head shot up. "Yellowstripe?"
"Stormpaw, run!" Yellowstripe crashed into her, pushing her forward, and the sound of twoleg feet crunching on twigs was near. Too near. "Get up! It's right behind us!"
She wheezed, getting to her paws and attempting a jog. After the mad dash she had just been through, however, her body was worn out. "Can't. Go.. on."
"No! You have to! Get up!" The golden-and-white tom grabbed Stormpaw's scruff, dragging her behind him as he moved in an awkward, slow gait.
"I'm slowing you down," Stormpaw said, her heart still hammering against her chest. "You-"
"No. I'm not leaving you behind; you're my clanmate and my apprentice!" Yellowstripe's voice suddenly hardened. "Now get up and run!"
Stormpaw struggled to her feet and limped forward, but her lungs and heart weren't cooperating and soon she couldn't breathe. "T-Twigwhisker," Stormpaw whispered.
"No herbs, Stormpaw. Go, and that's an order!"
"I can't move, fish-brain!" Stormpaw exploded suddenly. "I can't! I'm slowing you down and you have to go without me, or-"
"Stormpaw, no." Yellowstripe was about to say more, but then the frenzied yowls of the twoleg were heard and he dropped into a defensive stance. "It's here."
"Yellowstripe-"
"I'm staying right here, Stormpaw! I can't leave my clanmate!" Yellowstripe lashed his tail as the twoleg appeared, waving around the light-stick. It spotted the two cats and bent down, arms extended. Yellowstripe snarled and lunged forward.
The tom barreled into the twoleg, pushing it down onto its behind. Yellowstripe hissed and scratched its arm.
The twoleg screamed in pain and grabbed Yellowstripe, who was spitting with rage. The tom landed another blow, this time on the twoleg's face. It fell back and groaned, arms instinctively lashing out. The light-stick hit Yellowstripe's head. Hard. Stormpaw watched in horror as her mentor went limp, blood trickling from where the light-stick had struck him.
"Yellowstripe!" Stormpaw cried, panic welling up in her chest at the sight of her unconscious mentor. "No!"
The twoleg heard her meows and turned, Yellowstripe held roughly against its chest with his head lolling forward. Stormpaw shrunk back at first, but then an image came to her mind: Yellowstripe snarling and swiping at the twoleg defiantly, a twisting golden blur as he fought to protect his clanmate.
Rage bubbled up in Stormpaw's heart, spilling forth in an angry fire. She screeched and jumped, landing on the twoleg's knee. It yowled and tried to shake her off, but Stormpaw held on, claws sinking into skin. She clambered up its side, hissing. Thunder rumbled in the distance and rain began to fall from the skies, distracting the twoleg and further giving the RiverClan apprentice an advantage.
For a moment, Stormpaw felt like she was winning. Her adversary was bleeding, wet, and yelping in pain; she herself was unharmed and ready to roll.
But then the twoleg grabbed her neck and raised its furless paw. The stick with the claw-like point at the end glinted in the moonlight, the liquid inside shaking gently back and forth.
"No!" Stormpaw squirmed around and tried to escape from its grip, but the twoleg was strong. The point was plunged into her body, and Stormpaw screamed in pain as the twoleg yanked it back out, squeezing her neck with a vengeance. There was a hot, fiery flash of pain, and then the world started spinning around, drops of rain splattering onto her fur, before it all condensed into one dark hell-hole of nothingness.
Sorrynotsorry. Really though... As always, thanks for reading! Constructive criticism is always appreciated~ Peace out! - Infinite