Reviews:
Pandean – Wrenkit is… different from your average protagonist. Wrenkit does keep blacking out, but why it happens will be revealed….later on. And, yes, what is with the StarClan cat?
Cynical Britton – No, why would you even think that? They're just fwiends :D
Chapter Eight:
Wrenkit sat there, chest puffed out and a smirk on her face as the whole clan stared at her.
"ThunderClan, today I get to do my favourite thing, apprenticing."
Wrenkit and Falconkit both took a step forward, smiling widely.
"Falconkit, step forward." Darkstar beckoned for Falconkit, who trotted forward, "Falconkit, you have reached the age of six moons, and it is time for you to be apprenticed. From this day on, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Falconpaw. Your mentor will be Mossfeather. I hope Mossfeather will pass down all he knows on to you." Most cats gasped at the young warrior being made a mentor, but Falconkit, no Falconpaw, was happy with his mentor.
Mossfeather had to be shoved out from the crowd as he padded up to look up at Darkstar.
"Mossfeather, you have shown yourself to be a strategic cat and also, you are able to keep other's in line. I hope you will pass these two qualities down to Falconpaw."
The two toms touched noses and turned for the crowd.
"Wrenkit, step forward," She excitedly bounced forward, her tail bushed up in delight, "Wrenkit, you have reached the age of six moons and it is time for you to be apprenticed. From this day on, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Wrenpaw. Your mentor will be Flamefoot. I hope Flamefoot will pass down all he knows on to you." Wrenpaw felt her fur begin to bristle and Flamefoot had to be shoved twice to get out of the crowd.
"Flamefoot, you have shown yourself to be an excellent mentor and a fantastic hunter, I hope you pass these skills down to Wrenpaw," Flamefoot reluctantly reached down and touched noses with Wrenpaw.
"Do not think that being my apprentice means I like you." Wrenpaw bared her teeth as Flamefoot growled into her ear.
Wrenpaw's fur bristled and she padded to the side of the crowd, shoulders hunched and head bent as she glared at Flamefoot.
"Wrenpaw, Falconpaw, Wrenpaw, Falconpaw!"
Despite this being one of the best days of her life, Wrenpaw could only give weak smiles and nods to friends and family who congratulated on meeting this milestone.
"Wrenpaw! Enough lazing around, you're getting a tour of the territory, and if you really are lucky, I might even teach you the hunting crouch!" Flamefoot called out for her, Wrenpaw turning and bounding over to her mentor.
Wrenpaw glared at her mentor angrily, sticking her muzzle in the air as she was led away out of camp.
"Now, what clans border ThunderClan?" Flamefoot asked as mentor and apprentice strolled through the forest.
"ShadowClan and WindClan," Wrenpaw answered, murmuring, "A kit would know that,".
"What was that?" Flamefoot spat at her, eyes narrowed at her warningly.
"Nothing." Wrenpaw muttered and turned away, "Now are you going to give me a tour of the territory, or sit there asking me kit questions?"
"Don't talk to me like that," Flamefoot growled at her, "Now come on, Falconpaw and Mossfeather are waiting for us."
Wrenpaw grumbled as she followed Flamefoot through the forest and to the lake, where Mossfeather was telling Falconpaw about the direction of ShadowClan and WindClan.
"WindClan is to the east, and ShadowClan to the west." Mossfeather was telling the mottled grey tom, "WindClan's territory is mostly hills and fields, while ShadowClan has pine forests that stretch on for seasons."
"Wrenpaw!" Falconpaw cocked his head around as he spotted his sister and bounced up to her, "We're going to go see the territories."
Mossfeather smiled at the two and Flamefoot, "Are we ready, then?"
Flamefoot nodded and flicked her tail as she began to trot ahead of everyone else.
"Bad mood?" Falconpaw whispered his question to his sister, who nodded.
"You couldn't imagine," Wrenpaw hissed bitterly, shoulders tight and head lowered slightly.
Silence.
"Oh, sweet silence." Wrenpaw sighed in her mind as she trekked on, dry leaves crunching under her paws.
Falconpaw hung his head, golden eyes clouded over in thought.
The four cats stalked along, Flamefoot leading them, and Wrenpaw bringing up the rear.
Mossfeather, misunderstanding this, caught up with Flamefoot, "You and Wrenpaw are so compatible, battle formation wise! Wrenpaw is keeping everyone in check at the back, while you take the leader, and make sure we all stay in line!"
"I am not compatible with Wrenpaw!" Flamefoot snapped at him, eyes narrowed, shoulders raised in warning and fur bristling, "She is a stuck-up little brat!"
"S-Sorry," Mossfeather stammered, backing away from Flamefoot in fright as he aligned himself with Falconpaw, "What's wrong with her?" He whispered into the grey mottled tom's ear. The two toms glanced over their shoulders to stare at Wrenpaw who bared her teeth and glared at them.
Flamefoot tossed a glance over her shoulder, and snorted at Wrenpaw.
The two didn't even seem like mentor and apprentice, more like enemy and rival.
"StarClan, I really need guider to guide me…" Wrenpaw thought to herself as she shouldered past the two toms and trotted up to stroll alongside Flamefoot, "Flamefoot, I-I-"
"What? Come to tell me I look stupid?!" Flamefoot hissed at Wrenpaw, glaring at the brown she-cat, her blue eyes gleaming with hate.
"N-No, I-I just wanted to know i-if there was anything that you'd like to talk about." Wrenpaw almost face-pawed at how stupid she sounded.
Flamefoot sighed and turned away, "No, actually. So now," The orange she-cat pulled to halt, "Tell me what you smell." She flicked her tail to the pine forest.
Wrenpaw had her face pushed into the grass as she was forced to smell the pine needles.
"Pines, more pines and an occasional squirrel." Wrenpaw grunted at Flamefoot, sitting up.
She heard Falconpaw chortle in amusement and Mossfeather stifle laughter. She went cross-eyed as she searched along her body, and spotted a single pine needle sticking up from her muzzle. Well, maybe more than one.
Wrenpaw raised her paw to her face and began to rub her muzzle in an effort to get the pine needles off.
Flamefoot was rolling her eyes at Wrenpaw, "Could you not embarrass me?"
Wrenpaw snapped her jaws at Flamefoot, "Why are you so cruel?" She retorted, tossing her muzzle into the air.
"Why are you so spoiled?" Flamefoot countered the insult, scoffing at the light brown tabby, turning away, and groaning as each cat spotted a ShadowClan patrol coming along, "ShadowClan cats."
Wrenpaw felt delight hit her like a pair of claws as she spotted Gingerpaw. Surely he could make an excuse? The two were friends, sure, he may as well try and stop a fight against her.
The ShadowClan patrol stopped, and Wrenpaw flinched as she recognized Stonesong, the dark blue-grey she-cat had been the one to bring her back to her clan.
"Oh, who let the little kit out of camp again?" Wrenpaw flinched at the insult from one of the cats she recognized.
"Don't talk to Wrenpaw like that!" Falconpaw hissed at the cat, fur bristling.
"Oh, do we have a little couple?" The cat chortled.
"You realize they're brother and sister, you creep?" Mossfeather held back laughter at the stupidity of the cat.
The cat flushed and dipped their head, falling back to the back of the group.
Gingerpaw was biting his bottom lip as he flicked the cat over the ears with his tail, rolling his eyes.
"Well, who let you two apprentices? Mossfeather, you're barely a warrior, Flamefoot you're so immature!" A dark brown tom laughed at Flamefoot.
"And you can say much, Foxclaw. You have the mind of a kit!" Flamefoot countered the dark tom, sneering at him.
Foxclaw unsheathed his claws, and a dark red-brown she-cat placed her tail on his shoulder, "Don't attack, Rockstar will freak." She whispered the warning to him.
Foxclaw snapped his jaws at her and Flamefoot, angry and bitter.
"That's right Foxclaw, let precious little Waspwhisker tell you what to do." Waspwhisker glared at Flamefoot, fur bristling and claws slowly unsheathing.
"Don't you dare talk about a ShadowClan senior warrior that way!" Foxclaw growled at Flamefoot, his dark fur beginning to rise.
"I'll talk to you and your precious Waspwhisker any way I want." Flamefoot turned to Waspwhisker, "You should really hear with Foxclaw whispers when he's alone in the forest. All he talks about is you, and your beautiful coat."
Foxclaw blushed, but refused to let Waspwhisker see.
The senior warrior had a face of disgust on, as if she had put on a mask, she growled, "Foxclaw would never think of me in such a way. We were apprentice and mentor!"
Foxclaw frowned, taking a paw-step forward so that Waspwhisker could not see the disappointment.
"Whatever you say, Waspwhisker. But trust me," Flamefoot sneered at the two cats, "Foxclaw would love to-"
"SHUT UP!" Foxclaw shrieked as he lunged on top of Flamefoot, claws unsheathed.
"Mossfeather, what do we do?! We have no battle training!" Falconpaw panicked as a warrior began to splash through the small, narrow and shallow waters that separated ThunderClan and ShadowClan territory.
"Falconpaw, you're fast, go fetch help! Wrenpaw, let instincts take over! I don't care if you draw blood, or even drastically injure one of the warriors, just do something!" Mossfeather ordered, before he leaped onto Waspwhisker, tussling with her on the ground.
Falconpaw nodded to his mentor, not caring that the grey and white tom could probably not see, and dashed off, tail flailing behind him.
The cat that had targeted Falconpaw turned to Wrenpaw, and a quick face of horror swept over him. Wrenpaw was taller than most apprentices, but the ShadowClan cat fairly assumed that she was not a great fighter.
Wrenpaw yowled as she was tackled, and she began to claw her way out of the situation, praying she did something that would make the assaulter let go.
Wrenpaw snapped her teeth, feeling fur, tasting blood, feeling her claws slip through skin and the yowls of cats all around her as she fought violentely. By now instincts that were not even learnable had taken over her body, and she fought with only one thing on her mind. "Survival. Survival." Eerie voices droned in her head as she growled and bucked up.
She kicked up with her backlegs and the cat flew off of her, and she launched up, unsure of what to attack.
She was a frenzy, as the forest began to clog up her eyesight. Suddenly all cats who were threats were black, and she knew one thing. All who had black pelts must die.
She lunged her paws a frenzy in front of her as she tore pelts.
Something grabbed her scruff as she sliced open one of the black cat's neck, and she growled snapping around.
There stood Nightslip, glowing brightly.
"Stay back," He growled at her.
Unable to communicated, she snapped at him, wriggling in his grip.
"Wrenpaw, control yourself!" Nightslip dropped her as he spoke, and she raced at the ShadowClan cats.
Suddenly, a long and angry wail came out, as she saw a flash of tawny ginger fur, and she smelt dust as she was tackled.
"Wrenpaw, please, head back to camp!" The she-cat pleaded as Wrenpaw looked up to see Finchwing.
Suddenly the forest fled from her view and all became clear.
A small, almost non-existent, trickle of blood was coming from Finchwing's mouth, as Wrenpaw looked down. There was a gash on her shoulder, and her forepaws were covered in blood.
"Go, Wrenpaw! Help Flamefoot away from the battle!" Finchwing flicked her tail to her sister, who was limping away.
From something as simple as a border-fight, a full scale – but small – battle had begun. Cats were flying at each-other, teeth bared, eyes narrowed to protect their view from blood.
Wrenpaw lent her shoulder to Flamefoot and began to lead her away from the battle.
"Are you okay?" Wrenpaw asked her mentor curiously, checking her back leg.
"F-Fine," Flamefoot grimaced as she tried to walk normally.
Wrenpaw gulped as Flamefoot fell over, and wailed in pain, before she got up again.
"Flamefoot, I'm sorry about being so rude," Wrenpaw apologized to her mentor.
Flamefoot almost smiled, but her eyes flared suddenly as she remembered who she was talking to Wrenpaw, "Do you think I'm going to ever forgive you for the way you treated my sister?!"
"Flamefoot, ple-" Flamefoot turned on her, fur bristling.
"Do not even try! By now, Tigerblaze is nicer!" Flamefoot snarled at her, making Wrenpaw's fur all fluff up in anger.
Flamefoot began to trot off, wincing and flinching.
Wrenpaw followed shortly after her, sighing as she entered camp.
"Wrenpaw!" She heard the honey-sweet voice of Moonpaw as the pale silver she-cat ran fullforce into Wrenpaw, "S-Sorry…"
She nodded at her and Wrenpaw turned her head as a long wail echoed through the forest.
"It must be bad out there…" Moonpaw mused as she lowered her eyes in fright, "Was it?" She turned to me.
"It's now just cats flinging themselves at each-other. It's not even full on fight until someone wins, it's hit and run." Wrenpaw's voice was dull as she thought back and thought of the horrific scenes she could remember.
A ShadowClan tom had been gifted two long scars down both eyes, and his claws were non-existent they were going that fast.
Gingerpaw, had fought off two warrior's of ThunderClan, each blow carefully aimed. She couldn't remember is he had escaped, but she hoped he had.
"Wrenpaw, earth to Wrenpaw?" Moonpaw snapped into her ear, and Wrenpaw snapped out of thought.
"Wha'?" Wrenpaw shook out of thought, staring up at Moonpaw.
"Forget it," Moonpaw grumbled flicking her tail, "Falconpaw was looking for you."
Wrenpaw, feeling confused and dazed, scanned the camp for Falconpaw, but no sign of the grey mottled tom's fur stood out from the few cats.
She stumbled over to the apprentice den and flopped into a nest, not caring whether another apprentice owned it.
She closed her eyes and sighed, curling up perfectly as she began to doze off.
The murmuring of cats could be heard as she blinked open an eye. She saw Ivypaw chatting with Moonpaw, both she-cats snickering.
She grunted and rolled over, and both she-cats froze. "Are they talking about me?" She thought to herself, closing her eyes.
But her body cared little to nothing about opening her eyes.
A cough made her force her eyes open.
"Why are you sleeping in my nest, creep?" She glanced up to see Tigerpaw towering over her.
"Oh StarClan!" Wrenpaw panicked as she realized what she was doing. She was sleeping in Tigerpaw's nest.
Tigerpaw stood there, shaking with anger, and he was almost ginger-faced with embarrassment.
"I-I, d-didn't realize!" Wrenpaw stammered, getting up and dipping her head continuously until she reached an empty nest.
Ivypaw stuck her tongue out at Wrenpaw, "Wrenpaw likes Tigerpaw! Wrenpaw likes Tigerpaw!"
"I do not like Tigerpaw!" Wrenpaw hissed at Ivypaw, fur sticking up in pure anger, "He is the most obnoxious, ignorant, mouse-brained tom I have ever met!" She turned to Tigerpaw, "He's worse than Tigerblaze!"
Wrenpaw suddenly lunged, eyes narrowed and chest burning with anger as she tackeld Moonpaw, growling and snarling.
Moonpaw hissed in surprise, kicking up against the tall tabby who was thrown backwards.
Wrenpaw growled as she flopped down into her nest, all eyes on her.
"Wrenpaw!"
"This day just keeps getting better and better, doesn't it?"
"Why did you attack Moonpaw?!" She turned and spotted Aspenstripe standing there, his eyes narrowed.
"She and Ivypaw said I liked Tigerpaw!" Wrenpaw started to defend herself, but Aspenstripe glared at her, silencing her.
"Do you think a simple insult is enough to start a fullscale assault on your fellow apprentice?" Aspenstripe spat at her, "Now, before you decided to assault Moonpaw, I was sent here to send you to the medicine cat den. But now, before you do that, you can offer to go fetch tansy by the abandoned two-leg place."
Wrenpaw glared at him, hatred flaring in her brown eyes before she turned and left the den.
Wrenpaw marched into the medicine cat's den, "Hi, Poppyfrost."
"Wrenpaw," Poppyfrost turned to talk to the furious she-cat but was cut off. Wrenpaw stood at the entrance to the den as she spoke. "Shall I go fetch tansy for you?"
"Wrenpaw, who told you to ask me this?" Poppyfrost had guess easily, a smile stretching across her face.
"Aspenstripe…" Wrenpaw replied, head hanging.
"Is Aspenstripe your mentor?"
"No."
"Then why are you doing what he asks?"
"B-Because he's a warrior."
"Since when would that stop you?"
Wrenpaw smiled at her cheekily and let her gash and scratches be checked by the medicine cat.
"Well, nothing serious." Poppyfrost mewed as she sniffed the gash again, "Just stinks of sour blood, along with ShadowClan. Just don't jump into another fight, okay?"
Wrenpaw nodded as Poppyfrost flicked her tail to show that Wrenpaw was dismissed.
"Going to go fetch that tansy?" Flamefoot sneered as Wrenpaw walked headfirst into her.
"No, actually." Wrenpaw flicked her tail in pride, "Poppyfrost told me that Aspenstripe isn't my mentor, so I should not do what he says."
"That ignorant mouse-brain! She's not a warrior, Wrenpaw! She thinks the only way to solve a fight is to say, 'Sorry'."
Wrenpaw flinched as the scolding continued on, feeling each word slash through her heart.
Did she not deserve any approval? She had fought off at least two ShadowClan cats with no training!
Then something hit her personality. It switched.
Suddenly her heart felt weak, her knees trembled and her eyes began to fog over in tears. She was worthless wasn't she? That's why everyone hated her and gave out to her no matter what she did. She was a worthless piece of crow-food.
"I'm sorry, Flamefoot. I-I'll run around the whole territory." Wrenpaw hung her head, blinking away tears.
Something had changed in her that day. From the cheeky, spoiled, stuck-up kit, a weak-kneed, scared and disgraced apprentice had arose.
"You will do that. Run the whole territory, and don't even think about stopping, understand?" Flamefoot smirked as she noticed that Wrenpaw had obviously broken down.
"Wrenpaw…are you the almighty Wrenpaw going to let this lowlife she-cat stop you?" She heard Guider's voice as she bounded out of camp.
"S-She's my mentor."
"So? You have powers that she will never have…" Guider growled into her ear.
"I don't have powers! I have some mental disorder that causes me to lose all control."
"Darkstar and Poppyfrost told you this. I am a StarClan cat! I know whether or not you have power. And you do have a power." Guider snapped at her, "Now, are we going to let Flamefoot defeat you? No. We are not. Now run the territory, and come back, not panting at all! You will rehearse each smell of the territories."
Wrenpaw nodded as if Guider was standing there. In front of her.
"I am your mentor. Not Flamefoot."
Wow. That was definitely not my best. It was sort of filler, I guess.
BUT ANYWAY.
QOTD: Guider? Flamefoot? ANYTHING?!
