Chapter 5

I know you all must want to kill me now, since I haven't updated in so long, and I don't blame you. I don't even have an excuse this time. I just didn't feel like writing anything! XD. Now, if you all put away your harpoon guns and pitchforks, I can get on with the replies without any major injuries.

EyeOfTheTiger - How dare you get hooked on a series other than Warriors! No, I'm joking. Maybe I'll check out a Maximum Ride book, since you make it sound so great.

Tigerstar-Demon - Ow! -is whipped- Okay, okay, I'll put in more evilness, as long as I don't get whipped anymore!

Qzil - w00t! You gotta love the evil kitties!

Lightkit - ACK! Don't kill me! I'm too young to die! -stares at chainsaw fearfully-

Niah-Miyoki - Yeah, Squirrelflight annoys me, too. Don't tell Lightkit, but I was glad to kill her off.

Cloudfire - Well, Brambley is happy about Squirrelflight's death because when he went evil, Squirrelflight dumped his furry butt for Ashfur and had kits with him.

Blackpaw stared down at his paws, scrutinizing them carefully. Grief still clouded his eyes, and his entire body was slumped. It was as if his mother's death had destroyed all the excitement and eagerness inside of him.

"Blackpaw, are you even watching me?"

The young tom looked up to see Dustpelt staring at him reprimendingly. Blackpaw shrunk even more, trying to escape his mentor's scalding eyes. The senior warrior had been teaching him how to stalk various types of prey, but his attention had wandered.

"Y-Yes, Dustpelt," he stuttered, not wanting to receive a punishment for not paying attention.

"Then show me how to properly stalk a mouse."

Blackpaw stared back at the dark brown tabby for a few heartbeats before taking a deep breath and dropping down into a hunting crouch. He began to move forward clumsily, his paws pounding loudly on the ground, his pace much too quick. A loud crack sounded in the apprentice's ears, and he winced as he realized he had stepped on a twig.

"That's enough!" Dustpelt called. Blackpaw flattened his ears against his head and padded back to his mentor with a sheepish look on his face. Dustpelt sighed quietly and flicked his tail over the black tom's ear.

"What's gotten into you today? Is there something wrong?"

Blackpaw shook his head vigorously, though he felt a sharp hand clench at his heart. Was his angst really so obvious?

"It's nothing," he muttered quietly. Dustpelt watched him for what seemed like an eternity, seeming to inspect every inch of him. Finally, he stepped back, and the young apprentice thought he saw something flicker in those amber eyes, something he'd thought he would never see in the eyes of one of Bramblestar's supporters - sympathy.

It was a beautiful late newleaf day. The leaves had burst out of their buds, and many of the plants were in full bloom. The air had a fresh taste to it, and most animals were emerging gratefully from their long winter rest. A hedgehog lumbered clumsily nearby as it attempted to avoid the two cats, but Blackpaw was too distracted to notice any of this.

"You're still sad about Squirrelflight, aren't you?" he asked. Blackpaw felt the grief creep up on him again, sending a shiver down his spine. But he continued to shake his head and stare down at his paws.

"No."

Dustpelt sighed quietly, as if he too were suffering from woe. He looked quietly up at his mentor, and confirmed what he had heard.

"Squirrelflight was my apprentice once, just like you are," he meowed, and his eyes clouded over as if he were remembering a time moons ago. He stayed like this for a mere heartbeat before snapping back to his normal self.

"Now, I'm going to show you how to stalk a mouse one more time. If you don't get it right, I'm giving up on you."

The tabby warrior paced forward and dropped into a crouch. He began to stalk across the forest floor, as silent as if he were walking on a cloud. The only movement on his body came from his legs and his eyes as they wavered on a small leaf. He stopped completely as he neared it, tensed his muscles and darted forward. In a flash, his paw had reached out and torn the helpless leaf to shreds. Dustpelt turned back to Blackpaw, his whiskers twitching. "Now you try it."

Blackpaw took a deep breath and stepped forward, though he was much more confident after his brief chat with his mentor. He repeated the movement, if not a little lopsidedly, ripping another leaf into tiny pieces with his claws. Dustpelt's face was expressionless, although his tail tip twitched slightly.

"That was much better," he meowed simply. Blackpaw beamed.

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An uncomfortable churning in Blackpaw's stomach woke him from his sleep that night. It felt as if the claws of some tiny monster had crawled inside of him and torn everything to pieces.

I guess Cinderheart was right about that rabbit, he thought, a little sheepishly. I'd better go see Leafpool.

The moment he tried to stand, his stomach twisted painfully, and he winced, falling back into his nest. He took a deep breath and, his teeth clenched, he managed to upright himself. The young apprentice staggered toward the entrance, manoeuvring awkwardly around the den's other occupants.

He was about to step out into the hollow when he came upon a sight that made him stop dead and stifle a horrified gasp.

Near the medicine cat's den, Bramblestar's bulky form had pinned Leafpool's much smaller one to the ground, and Blackpaw could see his amber eyes glinting maliciously from the other side of camp.

"You will make Kestrelpaw a full medicine cat at the next half moon," Bramblestar hissed. "Unless you want to end up like your poor sister."

Leafpool snarled furiously and began to struggle, but the dark leader held her down.

"You can't fool me, Bramblestar," the medicine cat spat in his face. "This is just like the stories about Yellowfang. Once I've made Kestrelpaw a full medicine cat, you will kill me anyways."

Bramblestar smirked. "You know me too well, Leafpool."

"What did I ever do to you?" she growled. "Why do you want to kill me?"

Blackpaw saw Bramblestar's eyes flash with malice yet again. "You are the last one left to know the truth, Leafpool," he hissed. "I know you will tell someone eventually. And so you must die."

Still watching, Blackpaw felt his stomach clench more painfully than it ever had before. He buckled over and let out a yowl that seemed loud enough for even HawkClan to hear. Before he even knew what was happening, everything around him had turned black and he had fallen unconscious.