Dawnpaw
Darkpaw. The name had reached every cat in every Clan. The news of what he had done to Rainpaw spread like forest fire on a windy day. Fear shot up. Some were so scared of the dark gray and brown tom with the handsome icey eyes that they fled in terror when he entered the vicinity. Some of the RiverClan apprentices had arrived to bury Rainpaw's body on a secluded spot on the island. There were two mounds there now. Rabbitpaw's and Rainpaw's. On both the soil still looked freshly turned.
As Rainpaw was lowered into the hole, cats wailed. Cats screamed. Cats shouted at StarClan for forsaking them. Cats begged to nobody, begging to know why this had happened.
Smokepaw could feel the world falling apart around him. His stable world, with his Clan and the other Clans and the forest and everything he knew and loved. He missed his family, he missed his two baby sisters, he missed his warrior friends and he missed his Clan. He wished so desperately he could just make things go back to normal.
He missed Lilypaw, even though she was only back at the ThunderClan camp. He missed seeing the sun shine on her pearly pelt, seeing her huge blue eyes when she looked up at him, hearing her soft voice next to him. He wanted so much to talk to her, to get to know her. And just when it seemed like he had been granted that chance it had been ripped away from him, because he had to live on this treacherous island with a cat from The Dark Forest.
Speculations still surrounded Dawnpaw. Everyone who lived on the island with Cederpaw and his companions all were terrified that she was going to be a sadistic killer also. She spoke to almost no one except for Darkpaw and Cederpaw. She was gorgeous, but none of the toms seemed brave enough to hit on her.
One day, however, Smokepaw was returning from a hunting patrol. In his jaws he carried a mouse and a bird, which he had stumbled across lying wounded on the ground. He had killed it and taken it back to camp.
The days were growing colder and colder. There was hardly any greenery left in the forest. The WindClan hills were dry and brittle.
Smokepaw dropped his kills on the fresh-kill pile and Cederpaw nodded to him.
"Hey," he heard a voice and felt a tail on his shoulder.
He turned around and looked into the big dark eyes of Dawnpaw.
"Uh...hi," he said nervously.
"Mmm. Right," she said, looking him over through mocking amber eyes. "You're a cute one. Anyway, Cederpaw wants you. You're going on a little trip with us."
"Why me?" Smokepaw asked as innocently as he could.
Dawnpaw smirked. "Huh. Come on."
She padded over to the boulders Cederpaw rested atop, her paws crunching on shells and sand.
"Is this him?" Cederpaw asked without smiling. He yawned and stretched, and then padded down the rock. He looked at Smokepaw, all of his confident, happy persona gone. Smokepaw saw that his eyes were tired, his shoulders sagged, and his face was gaunt. However, strength still radiated from him. He gave Smokepaw a sniff. "Good enough. Although I still think that idiot Blackpaw would have been better. Let's go."
Darkpaw grinned at Smokepaw as he passed. Smokepaw shivered and hurried after the ShadowClan threesome.
They bounced easily across the treebridge and into the marshy neautral grounds outside.
"RiverClan territory is so stupid," Dawnpaw hissed, flicking muck off her paws.
"This territory is neautral," Smokepaw said before he could stop himself.
Dawnpaw looked at him. "I didn't ask for you to comment. Darkpaw." For the last word she gave Darkpaw a nod. He grinned and padded over to Smokepaw.
"Listen," he hissed, and Smokepaw, through a pounding, desperate heart, saw his claws unsheathing. "When Dawnpaw wants a comment, she'll ask for it. One more time and I take your head off. Fair enough?"
Smokepaw nodded weakly and stared straight ahead. Darkpaw padded beside him, slashing his claws at trees and bugs in the grass. They were long and curved.
"Can't you walk without having to destroy something?" Dawnpaw snapped at him, althought there was amusement in her tone.
"Shut up, Dawnpaw," Darkpaw told her, scooping a wad of dry grass from the dry dirt.
"Don't tell me to shut up."
"Stop it, you two," Cederpaw sighed. He looked back at Dawnpaw. "This isn't going to help," he muttered, "I want to get there before sunset."
"How do you know this Rock thing even exists?" Darkpaw asked suddenly, snapping at a frog in the grass. Smokepaw began to get confused, what Rock thing? But he didn't dare speak up.
"You know how I know, Darkpaw," Cederpaw said with a pointed glare at Darkpaw.
"Yeah," Darkpaw muttered to himself, "You just know."
Smokepaw wished he knew what was going on.
Dawnpaw dropped back to Smokepaw and looked at him. He looked back at her but made sure not to say anything. Darkpaw was still standing beside him, swishing his tail.
"Listen...wait, what's your name again?" Dawnpaw said coolly.
"Smokepaw," he answered immediately.
"Yeah, Smokepaw," Dawnpaw went on, "You're coming with us because Cederpaw has this stupid obsession with this Rock he knows is in ShadowClan territory. He says, because he knows, that we need some dumb loser, like you, to access it. So when we get there, you'd better do exactly what we say or Darkpaw gets you."
"Yep," Darkpaw growled.
"He has a little trouble controlling his sadistic urges," Dawnpaw whispered to Smokepaw, her dark eyes glinting. She wasn't quiet enough for Cederpaw and Darkpaw to not hear her, though.
Dawnpaw gave Darkpaw a cooing, gentle look that made Smokepaw's heart give weird little flipflops. It was hot. There was no other word for it.
"Yes, Darkpaw may be a deranged sadistic nutjob but we love him anyway," Dawnpaw gave a little sigh, almost sad, and leaned her head against his shoulder. Darkpaw gave a sharp-toothed grin and looked at her like...like he wanted to eat her or something. Smokepaw smothered a gag of fear.
Cederpaw looked clearly angry at Dawnpaw's open show of affection to Darkpaw. His ears swiveled back and he glared at Dawnpaw.
"Don't, Dawnpaw," he snapped.
Darkpaw smirked, icy eyes glinting from dark sockets, "Watch it, Cederpaw."
"Shut up!" Cederpaw snarled, and he brought his claws slashing down on Darkpaw's face. Blood spurted out. Smokepaw winced, expecting Darkpaw to leap on Cederpaw and rip him apart like he had done to Rainpaw, but instead he just glared in hatred and backed up a few paces. Dawnpaw gave both of them disdainful looks.
They're fighting over her, Smokepaw realized, they both like her. Maybe. Maybe they just think they do.
Cederpaw suddenly stopped walking. Smokepaw almost bumped into him, but barely managed to stop himself. He hadn't realized they'd reached ShadowClan territory.
"This is it," Cederpaw muttered, his voice laced with awe.
Smokepaw looked up and gasped.
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Dumb little cliffie for yall, there. Hope you liked. Please review! Thanks!
-Pan
