Okay, so I'm really depressed today. Mostly because I got 2nd Violin in my Orchestra Class, when I REALLY have an ear for higher-pitched music, and I've been 1st Violin for two years straight. I was hoping to make that three years straight. Sigh. Well, going to the point, I didn't receive ANY reviews last chapter, and though I forgive you guys (I was going to post either way, I feel I should), I was kind of hoping to see reviews on that chapter. No matter, here's the continuation of Newpaw's story!
All these different scents made Newpaw dizzy-headed. She smelled sort of a strong, but not unpleasant smell, combined with the scent of cats. "That's RiverClan." She heard Foxfur say. "That strong fishy smell. RiverClan. Remember it."
Newpaw glanced back at her mentor and nodded wordlessly and stowed the scent in her mind so she would remember it and would know what it was. She took a few more steps and scented the air again, and this time a sort of a rabbity scent entered her nostrils. Instantly she knew what it was. "Littlepaw, take a guess at what this scent is!"
Littlepaw bounded over, leaving Clawface, and sniffed it. "Um, I don't know… WindClan maybe?"
"That's what I think too. Foxfur?" she said, craning her head to see her fox colored mentor scenting the air. "Is that scent WindClan?"
Foxfur pricked her ears and sniffed too. She looked at the two young apprentices, pleased, and nodded. "Well done you two! Come with me, I want to show you ThunderClan scent, because we have a border with them."
Newpaw thought. "But didn't you already show us ThunderClan scent when you showed us the border?"
Foxfur chuckled embarrassedly. "No, I might've forgotten that part. But fortunately, the gathering was last night, and so these scents are fairly fresh."
"Okay," said Newpaw, and allowed Foxfur to usher them to the ThunderClan scent she had found.
Foxfur soon after a few paces swished her head, and meowed, "Here it is, you two."
Newpaw and Littlepaw scented it. As soon as the smell wafted up her nose, Newpaw sighed. It smelled of the forest, of tree bark, dirt, and wildflowers. It was strange if you weren't used to it, like Newpaw was; she could almost say it was yucky, before she realized that cats from other Clans might think the same way of ShadowClan.
Clawface padded over. "Okay," he meowed, "Let's get back to our own territory."
The mentors showed them the Carrion Place, were they said that ShadowClan sometimes hunts rats if there aren't many other sources of food.
Newpaw saw some cats there and yelled, "Hey! Get off ShadowClan territory!" She felt really clever and strong as she said that.
The cats had looked up, frightened, and Newpaw realized that they were elders from her own Clan. Their muzzles were gray, their step slow. It was just the elders hunting. Nothing that interesting. After all, all elders hunt for themselves, right?
The mentors and apprentices had moved on, and soon after that, Newpaw was exhausted. She felt as if she couldn't take another step. "Foxfur…" she panted, "I-I'm tired."
"Don't you dare!" snarled Clawface, and Newpaw flinched. "You are ShadowClan. You are strong. ShadowClan cats do not get tired!"
"Clawface, she is a kit. Both of them are." Foxfur intervened.
"They are not! Didn't Brokenstar announce them as apprentices just this morning?" he growled.
Foxfur's green eyes glowered at Clawface, but she didn't say anything else. Soon though, they were at the camp entrance, and for that Newpaw was grateful.
Foxfur showed them the apprentices' den, and immediately Newpaw and Littlepaw curled up in their new nests and fell asleep, without even telling their mother nor Squirrelpaw or Badgerpaw about their day. They just fell into deep unconsciousness.
Newpaw opened her eyes and jerked awake. This wasn't the nursery! This was… then it came back to her. She was an apprentice now, with her littermates. She looked around and saw Blossompaw, Marshypaw, Mudpaw, Darkpaw, and Reedpaw waking up, and her littermates blinking awake.
"Newpaw? Squirrelpaw? Littlepaw? Badgerpaw?" Foxfur's voice called them out.
After a quick wash, Newpaw bounded out of the den. "Yes, Foxfur?"
"All of you will be coming with us, me, Clawface, Flintfang, and Marshpelt to learn to fight. Now go and eat something quickly."
Newpaw's eyes widened. Real apprentice stuff! She was going to learn to fight! Little did she know at that time that it would be very, very difficult as she went to the fresh-kill pile to get something to share with her friends and littermates.
"Come on!" Clawface growled. "You're fighting like a kit!"
Newpaw watched in dismay as Littlepaw gritted his teeth and tried to pummel Clawface's belly. Clawface was pinning Littlepaw down, snarling and showing his teeth as if he wanted to kill her brother. Clawface huffed in annoyance and pawed Littlepaw away roughly, and Littlepaw stumbled to the side, looking dazed, his amber eyes cloudy.
Newpaw's eyes widened as she saw blood on her brother's shoulder. She didn't know this was a claws out practice! Squirrelpaw and Badgerpaw noticed it, too, and they gasped. "Great StarClan, Littlepaw!" exclaimed Newpaw.
"Are you okay?" asked Squirrelpaw worriedly.
Littlepaw rapidly started to wash his bloodied shoulder, mewing softly, "Yeah, I'm fine."
"Newpaw! Your turn!" growled Clawface, and instantly Newpaw was nervous. Would he injure her like he did Littlepaw? Why was he picking the smallest ones of the litter? Probably to make sure they were strong, thought Newpaw bitterly. Brokenstar had apparently had other plans for Flintfang, Foxfur and Marshpelt. Clawface was teaching them all today, along with Blackfoot, who was watching with narrowed eyes.
Clawface crouched in front of her, tail swishing. "Well?" he asked impatiently when she didn't fly at him, clawing and biting him.
Newpaw glared at him, then attacked, wanting revenge for her brother's injuries. She clawed him, bit at him, and scratched him. But still Clawface too pinned her down, and Newpaw screeched in fury. His claws dug into her forelegs, making her wince with pain, but she snarled a struggled to be free.
Clawface held her stiff. "That all you can do?" he sneered.
No, thought Newpaw, I can do this. And she stretched her neck as far is it could go, and could actually reach Clawface's forelegs with her mouth. Good. I really can do this, she thought, and bit down as hard as she could on his foreleg, until she could taste his disgusting salty blood. He whipped his leg back, stifling a whimper of agony, and glared at her.
"You," he growled, "Can go."
Newpaw didn't care. He could've hurt Littlepaw bad, and herself too. It was satisfying that he felt a little of that pain.
Okay, so I'm kind of in a hurry, so yeah. NOW it's kind of getting dark. Review!
~Coqui's Song