Fine. You wore me down. Here is the next chapter. However, I feel that you should know that I still have two chapters hostage. You may have the next chapter when I get fifteen reviews. It's only seven more. You can do it. Crookedstar will love you forEVER and almost as much as Willowbreeze, I swear!
She kidnapped me from Starclan. However, she does not own me!
Lizardtail watched, with slitted pale green eyes. The arrival of the new cats had created quite a stir. More so than when Oliveleaf had arrived. Of course, at the time he had only been a kit. He was probably even quite adorable, back then, Lizardtail was. The yellow tabby stretched and arose, padding to the warriors den.
"You had better not be taking a nap, Lizardtail! I need you on my hunting patrol," ordered Applenose, her new apprentice beside her. He sighed and turned.
"Very well," he meowed in a rather high voice. One of the new apprentices looked at him strangely, and he sighed. Were the half-muffled snickers and curious glances that had so recently died down only to start up again, in the form of these new cats?
I wish that they would stop judging me for something I have no power to control, Lizardtail thought grouchily. The worst time was when a passing Thunderclan patrol had mistaken him a she-cat. Oh, they regretted that when they discovered the sharpness of his tongue. Slowly, he padded towards the entrance, following Applenose and the others. Lizardtail allowed his thoughts to drift away in contemplation of Shadowclan's pine forest, a location he considered perfect. Each tree, young and old alike, lived in perfect harmony with the creatures that took shelter and life from them. The trees even gave soft pine needles to walk on and to provide resting places.
If I didn't love sunlight so much, decided Lizardtail, I'd have to say the trees are my favorite thing about our territory.
"Hello. I don't believe we've been introduced. I'm Poppypaw; what's your name?"
"Lizardtail."
The yellow tabby tensed, ready to retaliate if she made some foolish jibe about his voice.
Abruptly, he slipped off the path, noticing the slightest disturbance in the underbrush. To her credit, the splotchy apprentice did not call after him. Lizardtail had trained himself in the forest for moons, in order to be closely linked with the pines and able to at once sense the smallest change.
A rare rabbit nibbled grass innocently, totally unaware of its danger. Just a few steps more... a spring of wiry muscles, and the long-eared little animal was his. Smugness was certainly clear on his face, but there was a bitter tang of sadness as well. The reason he fought for the rank of best hunter was partly to make up for his fighting skills, which were admittedly only average. But what of the other half of the reason, the one whom he spent most time watching?
She's never noticed you, he reminded himself. She never will, either. Not when you were the best hunter, not ever. Why can't you just forget the memory of that beautiful summer night?
Absentmindedly, Lizardtail scratched dirt over his kill, remembering again the one she-cat who had once seemed to understand him. Orchidheart. Well, best not to dwell on her, I suppose.
With that final thought, the yellow tabby bounded back to the patrol, shutting off more complicated, painful thoughts and allowing his keen instincts to reign over his actions. However, once he had caught up with the others, Poppypaw invaded his peace once again.
"You're a really good hunter, huh? Applenose told me you spend a lot of time by yourself. Is that why I never saw you before, do you think?"
"Probably."
The black and white she-cat had a tiny feather in her fur, telling him that she too had made a catch. Slightly irritated, he wondered why she chattered so much. She didn't talk so much to anyone else, did she?
She's nervous, he realized. She doesn't know what to say, but she wants to make friends. Now that he noticed it, her faint fear scent was quite obvious. He flicked his tail toward the little yellow feather still caught in her fur.
"Good catch?"
Relieved, the friendly apprentice plunged into a description of her kill. Lizardtail had to work not to roll his eyes. She's that desperate to make friends here?
Suddenly, Poppypaw ceased meowing, her posture alert. She flicked her tail and slipped into the undergrowth. Curious, Lizardtail followed, though he knew it was not his place. He watched, creeping after the apprentice with the silence only he could have.
With surprising ease, the new apprentice caught two mice and a squirrel before turning back. Lizardtail remained, hoping to catch something else. He was not disappointed. The faintest crunch of the green pine needles informed him where the vole was hiding. A smile gracing his features, he stalked closer to the tree.
Poppypaw felt like banging her head against a tree. Why had she babbled so much? Even now, Lizardtail was probably in the underbrush, laughing with his high voice about her silliness.
"How is your hunting going, Poppypaw?" meowed Applenose. Poppypaw blinked in surprise. Smokefoot, Owlpaw, and Ebonystreak had fanned out in order to cover the largest amount of ground. She had thought her mentor had done the same.
"Fine. I've gotten a finch, two mice and a squirrel already. Have you caught anything?"
The brown tabby seemed pleased.
"That's very good. I've caught three birds, myself. If everyone has had this much luck we could head back to camp. Can you keep up?"
Poppypaw played indignant.
"Of course I can! The question is, can you?" she meowed slyly, darting off to follow Smokefoot and Owlpaw's respective scents. Applenose purred and leapt after her apprentice. Soon Poppypaw slowed down, sniffing the air where Owlpaw had veered off the same path as his mentor. She swiveled one ear behind her to better hear Applenose's approach.
"Should we split up, or will you come with me to check on Owlpaw?"
Hopefully, the quaver of uncertainty in her voice didn't show. I can only hope. She knew her mentor would understand—the brief time she had known her had taught her that—but there was a part of her that was too proud to admit her fear. Applenose didn't seem to notice, though.
"You can go get him by yourself, and if he's done as well as you, you two can get your prey and head back to camp. Newleaf is one of my favorite seasons, when it's easiest to find prey for Shadowclan," meowed Applenose with a friendly flick of her tail. Poppypaw nodded and padded in the direction Owlpaw's scent told her he must be. The gray apprentice hadn't gone far, but when she caught sight of him he was stalking a huge frog. Respectfully, she sat down behind a bush to wait for him to make his kill. In the meantime, she watched him curiously. He's really good... How long has he been training?
Owlpaw pounced on the frog, killing it quickly with a bite to the neck. He glanced to where Poppypaw had hidden, his eyes showing not even a flicker of surprise.
"Hullo. Why are you watching me?"
"I'm sorry. Applenose wanted to see how everyone was doing...If you've done well she said we could go back to camp together," offered Poppypaw. She was rather hoping the other apprentice would come with her, to be honest. Owlpaw seemed to consider it for a moment before he shook his head.
"I should check with Smokefoot first. You can go on without me."
"That's too bad. I'll stick with you then. It would be kind of weird if I was the only one coming back, y'know? Although...if you'd rather be by yourself, I can go catch up with Applenose alone, too."
Owlpaw narrowed his eyes slightly. Darn! He's more observant than Applenose.
"Alright," he finally meowed, flicking his tail and turning in their mentors' general direction. "We may as well...they're in the same place and all."
Poppypaw awkwardly padded next to her clanmate. She never caught him glancing at her, nor did he catch her, but they both knew there was glancing going on.
"Poppypaw," meowed Owlpaw suddenly. Said she-cat almost jumped, but she managed to restrain herself.
"Yes?"
"Applenose is a very kind cat...very optimistic...very happy...However, she can sometimes be more...obvious about her feelings and more oblivious to others' feelings than a Shadowclan should be. That isn't bad, but...at the gathering tomorrow night, the other clans will expect to see a certain persona. Most of us don't like it, but if you are chosen to go, you are expected not to embarrass Shadowclan. That's the way Blackstar runs things...it's also why he is so estranged from his daughter."
Throughout the other apprentice's speech, Poppypaw had not looked at him. She felt like Kathy again; had she still been human, her cheeks would've burned. However, when he mentioned Blackstar's daughter, she looked at him again. She was surprised to realize that he was not rebuking her, merely warning her. The unmasked sympathy in his eyes told her that.
"Blackstar has a daughter?" she asked, wondering who it could be, as well as somehow knowing. Now he seemed surprised.
"You didn't notice? They are very similar. Swanpaw is Blackstar's daughter."
"Oh, there you two are. We'd probably head back to camp. Everyone else has caught plenty," meowed Applenose. Indeed, the rest of their patrol were standing behind her, Lizardtail's jaws already practically dripping with prey. Applenose was right. He is really good.
"Let's go, before my bones get so stiff I can't move. I'm not getting any younger, you know," meowed Ebonystreak dryly. A corner of Poppypaw's mouth twitched. Ebonystreak was quite the oldest in their patrol. Applenose signaled for them to turned back and collect prey.
"No, not any younger, Mother, but always older!" replied Lizardtail, his tail twitching.
Why am I always so surprised? First Blackstar has a daughter, and now Ebonystreak with a son.
"Perhaps Starclan has made you age before your time, hoping you would join them sooner," suggested Smokefoot. The laughter was no longer hidden.
"She's extraordinarily well-preserved, for someone with a bag of bones like me for a son," pointed out Lizardtail. Poppypaw had no time to laugh, as she recognized a spot where she had made a kill. The older cats continued to joke for the duration of the return trip, and it seemed to take very little time. Poppypaw was proud to be able to stride into camp with so much prey. After depositing it on the fresh-kill pile, she spotted Amberpaw and bounced over to him.
"Look what I've caught! And think, I've only been a c—been hunting for a few days!" She meowed excitedly. The orange tabby easily looked past her to the fresh-kill. Why is he so much bigger anyway?
"Not bad, for you, though they're probably the laziest prey in the forest," he replied teasingly.
"Oh, you just don't want to admit that I'm as good as you are at hunting."
"Who said you were as good as me?"
Meanwhile, Lizardtail watched.
I'm always just a part of the scenery, aren't I? No one needs me. Even Poppypaw has a friend. And she—she doesn't even notice me anymore.
With a sigh, the yellow tabby retreated to the warriors den to take a nap, wishing he could find oblivion instead of the cat dreams that haunted him. But there was no sleep without dreams. Everyone knew that.
Don't you just love Lizardtail? Remember to review! *is evil. But then, we already knew that.*
