SLAVES
CHAPTER 6
Smoketalon stood outside the nursery, slightly to the right of the entrance. It was early morning. The sun was only just breaking over the pine trees of ShadowClan's territory, but despite this, most of the cats in the camp were already awake. The tomcat didn't blame them. Ravenstar had promised them something special would be announced in the morning.
Aspenpaw was crouched down beside him, shivering a little. His ears were flattened against the sides of his head, and his fur was damp and bedraggled; it had rained last night, and some of the water had soaked through the roof of their den and onto his pelt. It was a shame, really. Smoketalon had hoped that Aspenpaw would get a full night's sleep, since he hadn't in a long while. The apprentice usually slept in phases, often waking up in the middle of night only to fall asleep again a few moments later. He didn't have any nightmares, but the poor conditions of the slaves' den, and the constant hard work they were put through during the day, weren't agreeing with him. Or Smoketalon, for that matter.
He glanced down at the apprentice, studying for a moment the messy pelt, the kinked tail, and the shivering of his muscles. No, Smoketalon thought, he certainly doesn't look great. He tried to remember what Aspenpaw had looked like back in ThunderClan. As a warrior, he hadn't spent very much time around him. He wasn't his mentor, so there was no need, but he had vague recollections of his bouncy, excited attitude, and how he'd groomed his pelt every day to make sure it looked neat and tidy. It suddenly occurred to him that the apprentice's nose was runny as well. Smoketalon hoped that it didn't catch into anything. Even something as innocent as a runny nose could develop into whitecough in the harshness of leafbare.
Suddenly, Aspenpaw glanced up, noticing that Smoketalon was looking at him. Quickly, as though he was embarrassed that he'd been caught looking so low, he straightened up and licked his chest self-consciously. 'What is it?' he asked nervously.
The smallest hint of a smirk appeared at the corners of Smoketalon's mouth. 'Nothing,' he mewed innocently, before turning away from the apprentice and looking over to the other side of the clearing.
Almost all of ShadowClan had gathered around the leader's den for the announcement. Smoketalon had never seen the camp look so full before. He shifted uncomfortably as he glanced around at the dozens of cats. Their excited chatter rang out through the air, echoing out of the camp and into the forest. Smoketalon had always felt uncomfortable around large groups of cats – they made him feel uneasy, especially when they were ones he didn't feel any kinship with. But Ravenstar had ordered that the whole of ShadowClan appear for the announcement, and unfortunately for him and Aspenpaw, that also included them. His gaze flickered over his shoulder. Bonefur, a brutish ShadowClan tomcat, stood there, watching him through narrowed eyes. Just to make sure I don't try anything, I suppose, Smoketalon thought.
Bonefur growled when he saw Smoketalon looking at him. The slave made sure to flash his claws threateningly in return, before forcing his gaze away.
Aspenpaw nudged him lightly on the shoulder, trying to catch his attention. 'Hey,' he hissed under his breath. 'Did anyone tell you what this announcement was going to be about? No one told me.'
Smoketalon shook his head. 'No,' he replied. 'You know just about as much as I do.'
He looked over to the leader's den, where he knew Ravenstar would emerge from soon. The ShadowClan leader spent most his time out of sight, leaving Emberheart to do all the main leadership jobs. He'd never seen Ravenstar lead a patrol or show any interest in his own Clan's personal affairs, like many other leaders did, and yet despite this, his power over the Clan was indisputable. Smoketalon had only met him once, but he'd seen enough cruelty and lack of remorse in that time to never want to see him again.
So what was so important that Ravenstar had to make an appearance? The tomcat glanced sideways toward the nursery. He could hear muffled voices coming from inside. I think I can guess, he thought.
As if on cue, one of the nursery queens stepped out through the lichen entrance. There was a small ginger tom by her side. A kit. Smoketalon knew the queen's name – it was Poppycloud. She had been raising her single kit ever since he and Aspenpaw had arrived in ShadowClan, and now, there was no doubt in his mind about what Ravenstar's announcement was about. It seemed it was time for that kit to be apprenticed.
Aspenpaw realized what was happening a moment later than Smoketalon did. He let out a short gasp of excitement. 'An apprentice ceremony!' he exclaimed. 'I haven't seen one of those since... well, since I became one!'
Smoketalon snorted disdainfully. 'I wouldn't get too excited about it,' he muttered. 'We're not really involved.'
Aspenpaw tilted his head to one side. 'Why not?' he asked. 'We're part of ShadowClan, aren't we?'
For some reason, what the apprentice said made him furiously angry. He spun around to face him, the fur along his back bristling. 'No, we're not part of ShadowClan!' he snapped. 'Have you forgotten where you were born?'
Aspenpaw recoiled in shock at Smoketalon's anger. He shuffled his paws awkwardly, his eyes fixed on the ground. 'I'm sorry,' he mumbled. 'It's just that ThunderClan isn't here anymore.'
Smoketalon stared at him for a moment, breathing in and out heavily. Regret tugged at him like a thorn in his side. He wanted to tell the apprentice he hadn't meant to snap, but he was too proud to say he didn't mean it.
In the end, he just snorted. 'Whatever.'
Suddenly, he heard the ShadowClan cats' voices increase in volume. His ears pricked up, listening in on what they were saying.
'There he is!' one of the cats nearby him said. 'What took him so long?'
'I know, right? It's well past morning.'
Smoketalon turned his head, following the ShadowClan cats' gaze. When he saw what they were looking at, he froze on the spot. Standing just outside his den, with his icy blue eyes scanning over the crowd of cats, was Ravenstar. The leader stood still for a while, motionless, before finally raising his tail.
The effect of the gesture was immediate. Every cat in the camp went quiet. That was all it took for him to silence the crowd. It was a show of complete and absolute control. Smoketalon glanced around at the cats surrounding him. Some of them had their heads bowed with respect, whereas others just stared straight forward. A few of them looked almost scared.
The ShadowClan leader stepped forward, before addressing the Clan with a voice as cold as leafbare. 'We are gathered here today to witness the naming of ShadowClan's newest apprentice,' he mewed calmly. 'Would Tanglekit please step forward.'
The kit looked up as Ravenstar spoke his name. His eyes, although still full of enthusiasm, gave away how nervous he was. He hesitated, just as he was about to step forward. Slowly, Poppycloud leaned down and whispered some words of encouragement into his ear. The young kit nodded, before padding across the clearing toward the leader's den. All the while, Ravenstar watched, his eyes expressionless.
When Tanglekit reached him, Ravenstar bent down so that he was level with the kit. Smoketalon couldn't see his face, but he imagined that the kit was afraid. He could taste fear scent in the air, although he wasn't sure whether it was just from the kit. Isn't an apprentice ceremony meant to be a happy occasion? he thought. Not even Poppycloud looks very pleased about it.
'Tanglekit,' Ravenstar meowed, addressing the whole Clan, 'you have reached the age of six moons, and therefore it is time for you to be apprenticed. From this day on, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Tanglepaw. Your mentor will be Duskwing. I hope Duskwing will pass down everything she has learnt to you.'
He nodded to the russet colored she-cat, calling her forward. She padded over, composed and unsurprised. She'd obviously been informed she was going to be Tanglekit's mentor beforehand.
'Duskwing,' Ravenstar continued, 'you received excellent training from Cedarheart, and you have shown yourself to be both loyal and courageous. You will be the mentor of Tanglepaw, and I expect you to teach all you know to him in turn.'
Duskwing smiled a little at his praise, before touching her muzzle gently against Tanglepaw's. His amber eyes were brimming with eagerness. Slowly, the Clan around them began to chant his new name, and the first glimmers of happiness for the new apprentice started to show. The chant grew louder and louder, with Poppycloud cheering loudest of all.
'Tanglepaw! Tanglepaw! Tanglepaw!'
Aspenpaw opened his mouth to join in, but Smoketalon flicked his tail quickly over the apprentice's muzzle. 'Don't even think about it,' the black tom growled. 'Remember, we're not a part of this.'
Aspenpaw's eyes narrowed, betraying his annoyance, but he didn't say a word.
After the ceremony had finished, the crowd began to disperse. Tanglepaw bounced back over to his mother, who greeted him with a shower of affectionate licks. Now that Ravenstar had finished speaking, the spell of silence appeared to have been broken. The leader watched his Clan carefully for a few moments longer, before padding back into the shadowy confines of his den. Smoketalon wondered when the next time he'd see Ravenstar would be. Something told him it would be a while.
'Come on,' he grunted to Aspenpaw, 'let's go back to our den.'
Slowly, he began to pad back in the direction of the slaves' den. Aspenpaw followed suit, albeit reluctantly, but they'd only gotten halfway when a familiar voice called out his name.
'Smoketalon!'
The tomcat stopped dead in his tracks. The familiar voice reignited a fire of pain, hurt and anger in his heart. Stiffly, he turned back around to see Emberheart, the ShadowClan deputy, padding toward him. His pelt was well groomed and glossy in the shallow leafbare light. Murderer, Smoketalon snarled in his mind. Don't think I've forgotten what you did to my brother.
He glared furiously at the deputy as he approached. Emberheart glanced his way for a moment, but when their eyes met, he looked away. Smoketalon couldn't interpret the expression on his face, but he hoped that the deputy was as terrified of him as the whole of ShadowClan was of Ravenstar. Come on, Smoketalon thought, his claws itching inside their sheaths, Look at me, you coward.
But Emberheart didn't spare him a second glance, instead choosing to focus his attention on Aspenpaw. A feeling of triumph, but equal disgust, washed over him. The tom was ashamed to look at him!
'You,' Emberheart murmured, facing Aspenpaw. 'I want you to go and make Tanglepaw's new nest.' A look of annoyance flashed in his eyes. 'I did tell Wolfpaw to go and make it earlier, but it seems he still hasn't done it.'
Aspenpaw's gaze flickered over to Smoketalon. He was wondering why he'd been told to do it instead of his older counterpart, but when the apprentice received no answer, he nodded doubtfully. 'Yes, Emberheart,' he mewed obediently. 'I'll do that right away.'
After Aspenpaw had padded away, Emberheart finally looked up toward Smoketalon. He didn't seem surprised at the undisguised venom in the slave's face. 'And you,' he demanded, 'can go and collect some fresh-kill for Ivynose. Now that Poppycloud has left the nursery, she'll be all alone in there.'
But Smoketalon stayed exactly where he was, unmoving. His eyes were narrowed down to angry slits.
After a moment's pause, Emberheart stepped forward, his teeth bared. They were sharp and pointed. 'You wouldn't dare disobey a direct order, would you?'
'Why not?' Smoketalon retorted. 'It sounded like that apprentice did.'
'Now listen here,' the deputy hissed viciously. 'If you don't do exactly as I say, I'll make sure the punishment is so harsh that you'd never even think of disobeying me again. Understood?'
Smoketalon felt a wave of surprise wash over him. He'd never seen Emberheart get so angry before. The ginger tom was glaring at him, pure ferocity clear on his face. He was panting heavily, like something inside him exploded. Maybe it hadn't been the first time somebody had defied Emberheart so openly; after all, it seemed that Wolfpaw hadn't had much respect for him. What about the rest of the Clan?
Either way, the thought that'd he managed to get under Emberheart's pelt so easily made him smirk.
But only a moment or two later, the deputy began to calm down. His breathing slowed, and he shuffled his paws a little awkwardly. 'Just–' he hesitated. 'Just do it, okay?'
Smoketalon looked deep into Emberheart's eyes, trying to figure out what he was thinking, but their emerald depths betrayed no secrets. He considered refusing to obey him again, but there wasn't much point. It had been so easy to rile him up, so what was the fun in continuing? Smoketalon wanted to play with his prey first, before he enacted his true revenge.
'Fine,' the slave replied sarcastically. 'I will, great deputy Emberheart.'
Emberheart opened his mouth, ready to say something more, but Smoketalon was already padding away. The cruel smile on his face only grew wider as imagined the look on the deputy's face. He's weak, the tom thought, he's weak and I'm strong. One day, I'll show him the price that murderers have to pay.
Ignoring the disapproving, hostile looks he received on the way to the fresh-kill pile (he had grown used to it by now), Smoketalon selected a generously large frog for Ivynose and started to carry it back over to the nursery. It was very nice-looking considering the season – ShadowClan wouldn't be getting anything better than that over the course of leafbare. He glanced up at the sky. Whatever sun had previously been shining had been covered up by a thick layer of clouds.
The nursery was slightly better concealed from the rest of the camp than some of the other dens were. In ThunderClan, it had been the same, just in case of an attack. Smoketalon snorted. Evidently, it hadn't worked very well for them in the end. He leaned forward, trying to see inside the den's shadowy interior. He could smell his and Aspenpaw's scent from earlier, as well as that of many other queens and kits of days past, overlaid most strongly with the comforting aroma of milk. Smoketalon breathed in deeply. The milky smell soothed his raging emotions, reminding him of the days he'd spent at his mother's belly. And, consequently, of Beechfoot.
The tom exhaled. No. Don't think about him now, he thought, before padding into the den.
It took his eyes a moment to adjust to the darkness. He blinked rapidly, before color returned to his vision as he looked around at the inside of the den. It felt strangely empty, as if it were missing something. There was a space where one of the nests had been cleared out; he assumed it had belonged to Poppycloud.
'Nightwhisper?' a voice called out. 'Is that you?'
Smoketalon turned his head in the direction the voice had come from. Sitting in the corner, curled up in another one of the nests, was the figure of a she-cat. Her pelt, a dark color that seemed to have been absorbed into the gloom, must've been either brown or grey. She was peering at him, confused. Nightwhisper? he thought. The ShadowClan warrior?
It took him a moment to realize that the she-cat had mistaken him for another cat. He rolled his eyes, guessing that she would be moving in with the elders soon if she couldn't tell his scent apart from one of her own Clanmates.
'No,' he grunted coldly. 'It's not Nightwhisper.'
She tilted her head back, surprised. 'Really?' she mewed, chuckling a little. 'Oh, well then it must be you, Ravenstar. You and your brother always did look so alike.'
Smoketalon scoffed. StarClan, she must have bees in her brain.
He was just about to tell her that he wasn't either of the cats she'd mentioned, but the she-cat ploughed on before he could. 'I must say, I wasn't expecting you to come and visit me, Ravenstar.' She laughed again, although a little bitterly this time. 'Sometimes, it feels like you've forgotten that I'm your mother.'
Instantly, Smoketalon's ear twitched with interest. So this is Ravenstar and Nightwhisper's mother? he thought. I knew they were brothers, but... He looked her up and down, finding it a little hard to believe that a cat who looked so frail could have given birth to a leader like Ravenstar. I'm guessing this is Ivynose.
Smoketalon stepped forward, feeling a little more wary. 'I'm sorry,' he meowed, 'but I'm not Ravenstar, or Nightwhisper. Emberheart sent me to give you some prey.'
The she-cat went silent. Smoketalon could see the disappointed glint in her eyes. 'Oh,' she murmured. 'I'm sorry.'
For a moment, Smoketalon went quiet too. There was an unmistakable loneliness in Ivynose's hunched over posture, and her raspy old voice. He didn't feel sorry for her, but he couldn't help but feel a small sense of respect. Even if she was from ShadowClan.
Eventually, the she-cat shook her head and straightened up, breaking the silence. 'So who are you, then?' she asked, exasperated. 'I don't think I've seen you before.'
At the question, Smoketalon felt his shoulders stiffen. 'I'm new here,' he replied.
'New here?'
'Yes.'
'What do you mean by new?' she pressed, a little suspiciously. 'Ravenstar doesn't take in strays.'
Smoketalon felt a glimmer of annoyance at her failure to take up the hint. 'No, but I'm not a stray. I'm from another one of the Clans.'
At this, Ivynose nodded in understanding. 'I see,' she mewed. 'And you say Emberheart sent you?'
Smoketalon was surprised at how easily she passed off the fact that he was a slave. There was no prejudice, hostility or spite in her voice. Just a calm acceptance.
'Yes,' Smoketalon muttered. He padded forward and dropped the frog at her paws. 'He ordered me to collect you some prey.'
'You don't sound very pleased about it.'
'Would you be if your – if your masters – were the cats who destroyed your Clan?' he spat challengingly.
Ivynose's eyes narrowed. 'No,' she answered. 'I guess not.'
The she-cat looked down at her paws, where Smoketalon had dropped the frog. She picked at it half-heartedly. 'This is for me?'
'Yes,' Smoketalon grumbled, equally as unenthusiastic. He stared at it for a moment, realizing suddenly just how hungry he was. He licked his chops slowly.
'I don't want it,' Ivynose muttered, pushing it away. 'I'm not hungry.'
Smoketalon looked at her, thoroughly unconvinced. Ungrateful she-cat, he thought. Some cats have the decency not to refuse prey when it's offered to them in leafbare.
But somehow, the tom got the feeling that Emberheart wouldn't take "she wasn't hungry" as an excuse. He rolled the frog back toward her. 'I'm sorry,' he mewed, not sounding in the least apologetic. 'Emberheart sounded worried.'
'Well, you can tell Emberheart that I may be old, but I haven't retired to the elders' den just yet,' she snapped. 'I'm perfectly capable of fetching my own prey.'
The smallest of grins appeared at the corners of Smoketalon's mouth. 'Clearly,' he remarked, tossing the frog to one side. 'I'll tell him that.'
Ivynose snorted. 'Oh, you should.'
The jet-black tom was just about to turn around and leave, feeling unusually satisfied, when Ivynose's voice echoed out once more. 'Even if I'm not hungry, StarClan wouldn't approve if such an appetizing frog went to waste,' she uttered mildly. 'Perhaps you'd like it.'
Smoketalon stopped, a wave of shock passing over him. He turned around to face her again. 'Did you just offer me food?'
'Indeed I did,' Ivynose replied. She was looking at him curiously. '...Unless you don't want it.'
'No,' he meowed quickly. He glanced over where the body of the frog lay. 'It's just that it's not normal a slave is offered food.'
Ivynose didn't reply for a moment, until she finally opened her mouth. 'Look, I wouldn't take it for heartfelt sentiment,' she rasped. 'Just a token of appreciation for giving me an interesting conversation. Something like that doesn't come around too often anymore.'
Smoketalon nodded immediately. She doesn't want me to go because she wants someone to talk to, he realized. She really must be lonely.
But either way, he wasn't going to pass on an invitation to eat when it came along. Quickly, the tomcat bent over and took the frog in his mouth, chewing it rapidly. It tasted somewhat sour in his mouth and felt strangely rubbery. He wasn't used to frogs after a lifetime of eating forest prey back in ThunderClan, but it was prey nonetheless. Within more moments, he'd eaten the whole thing.
He thought he heard a hint of a purr from Ivynose as the frog's webbed foot disappeared down his gullet. 'There you go,' she mewed. 'ShadowClan prey isn't too bad, is it?'
'I guess not,' Smoketalon replied. He wiped his mouth with his paw, enjoying the taste of the prey on his tongue. 'Thank you.'
She shook her head. 'It's no problem.'
Smoketalon twitched his tail, before getting to his paws and padding over to the entrance of the den. He twisted his head around to look at her when he reached it. 'You know, I guess that wasn't the worst job I've ever had to do,' he admitted, although grudgingly.
Ivynose chuckled. 'I bet you it wasn't,' she meowed. 'If I ever need anything done, I'll make sure to ask for you.'
The slave shrugged. He started to pad out into the camp, but Ivynose stopped him for the third time.
'You know, I'm not surprised I mistook you for Ravenstar and Nightwhisper,' she stated matter-of-factly. 'You do look an awful lot like them.'
Smoketalon raised an eyebrow. He wasn't sure whether what she'd said was a compliment or not. He tapped the tip of one of his claws against the ground. There was something in her face which told him she was thinking about something deep. Something personal. Something that had happened long ago.
'Whatever,' he grumbled, before ducking away from Ivynose's uncomfortable gaze.
The camp wasn't as full as before. Hardly any of the warriors were present, so Smoketalon assumed they were all out on patrols. Aspenpaw should have finished making Tanglepaw's nest by now, he thought. I should go and find him.
Slowly, he made his way over to the apprentices' den, where he knew Aspenpaw had gone to after he'd left him and Emberheart. There was a hint of the grey tom's scent in the air. Faded, but unmistakably his. Smoketalon wondered whether Aspenpaw had already gone back to the slaves' den. It seemed likely. After all, it didn't take that long to make someone's nest.
He was just about to head back to the slaves' den, when suddenly, he heard voices from inside the apprentices' den. One of them he didn't recognize, but it was clearly a young voice, possibly that of Tanglepaw. The other he knew instantly was Aspenpaw. Smoketalon listened in, trying to make out what they were saying. It sounded shrill, high and oddly lively. He tilted his head back when he realized what they were doing. They were laughing!
Quickly, he ducked into the den. His eyes widened in shock at what he saw.
Aspenpaw was sitting down, his paws tucked neatly underneath his flank. Tanglepaw stood just above him, his head held back in laughter. Aspenpaw was chuckling too. There was a twinkle in the two apprentices' eyes when they looked at each other, as though they were friends who had known each other all their lives.
They froze instinctively when Smoketalon walked in. Aspenpaw stared at his fellow slave for a moment, before he stood up awkwardly, his tail between his legs.
'Hey, Smoketalon,' he stammered. 'I-I didn't see you there.'
Smoketalon looked from him, to Tanglepaw, and then back again. The ShadowClan apprentice's dark ginger fur was ruffled and untidy. There was a lazy smile on his face, but he too looked uncomfortable now.
A hot wave of anger filled him from head to toe. Smoketalon felt like he had been betrayed. Tanglepaw is one of them! he thought angrily. How can Aspenpaw act like a friend to him?
He glared at Aspenpaw, before gesturing toward the exit of the apprentices' den. 'Come on,' he growled. 'We're leaving.'
The grey apprentice nodded without hesitation. The tom padded forward to follow Smoketalon out, but just before he did, he turned back to Tanglepaw and smiled. 'That was really fun, Tanglepaw,' he mewed softly. 'We can chat again sometime, right?'
Tanglepaw grinned happily. 'Anytime!'
The hair along Smoketalon's back crawled in disgust. 'Get moving,' he hissed.
Aspenpaw's body seemed to shrink. He dashed out of the den without another word. Smoketalon stared at the apprentice icily, but he didn't speak, not with some of the ShadowClan cats watching. Instead, he led him swiftly back to the slaves' den. Aspenpaw's shoulders were hunched over, like a kit preparing himself for a telling-off.
As soon as they got inside, Smoketalon rounded on him, eyes full of fury. 'What in StarClan's name was that?' he snarled.
Aspenpaw shrunk down even lower. 'I'm sorry!' he exclaimed pitifully. 'Tanglepaw and I were just talking!'
'Yeah, talking like you were best friends,' Smoketalon snarled coldly. He remembered what he'd told the apprentice earlier, about not being part of ShadowClan. Clearly, he either hadn't understood him, or just hadn't bothered to listen.
'What did I say at the ceremony this morning?' he asked, trying desperately to keep his voice calm and level. 'What did I say about us and ShadowClan? Don't you remember where we were born? Don't you remember your old Clan?'
'Yes,' Aspenpaw moaned, rocking on his tail guiltily.
'Then why were you acting like that?' Smoketalon growled, throwing his paws back in exasperation. 'You're not Tanglepaw's Clanmate.'
'I know,' Aspenpaw replied. 'But even if I'm a slave, why does that mean I can't be friends with anyone? I miss having friends. I miss talking to cats.'
'You have me,' Smoketalon retorted. 'Isn't that enough?'
'Of course!' Aspenpaw mewed sincerely. 'You're... you're more than a friend, Smoketalon. You protected me on the night of the attack. You protected me when we first became slaves. But I'm still lonely, Smoketalon! I miss feeling that kinship to everyone, that bond that linked us all together. Don't you?'
Smoketalon felt pity fill his heart. 'Of course I do,' he whispered, lowering himself down to Aspenpaw's height. 'But don't you see that ShadowClan is the reason why we lost everything? How can you possibly be friends with the cats who destroyed everything you had?'
Aspenpaw didn't answer that one. His eyes were watery.
The black tom dipped his head. 'Can you at least say that you're not part of ShadowClan?' he asked quietly. 'Can you at least promise me you haven't forgotten what they did to us?'
When Aspenpaw didn't answer again, Smoketalon raised his voice a little. 'Come on, Aspenpaw,' he meowed. 'I'm not asking for much.'
The apprentice muttered something under his breath.
'What?'
Finally, Aspenpaw raised his head. 'I promise.'
[chapter originally written by Claudaujay]
