Chapter Eight:
Snowpaw let out an irritated growl, tearing large clumps of dirt and leaves from in between her claws. She was laying out in a patch of moonlight, the sky above littered with stars and her pelt flecked with a silver-like appearance.
This is ridiculous, thought Snowpaw with a snort of annoyance. I'm as big as Ferretnose yet I'm still not allowed to become a warrior! Coalfire and I are just as fast as one another, and Whitestar knows it!
"Snowpaw!"
The white apprentice raised her head to find none other than Ferretnose standing above her, the brown warrior's ocean blue eyes -much like Shadowfire's- flashing with authority.
Snowpaw blinked at her sister. Then, with a lazy and bored tone in her voice she asked, "Can I help you with something, Ferretnose?"
A paw collided with the side of her head, claws unsheathed and tearing off a clump of white fur from behind Snowpaw's ear.
"That's mentor to you, kit. Now, get up off of your tail and do something useful!" Ferretnose hissed and lashed her tail, and -much to her inner conscience telling her not to comply- Snowpaw obeyed the command and did as she was instructed, rising to her own paws and facing her mentor with a stern gaze.
"What do you suppose I do?" Snowpaw asked. "It's moonhigh -every cats asleep. It's not like I can do much around here at night..."
"Don't talk back to me!" Ferretnose growled sharply. "Just go... Go and fetch some apprentices and go night-hunting!"
"That's what RainClan cats do," Snowpaw pointed out. "We're HailClan cats, Ferretnose..."
Ferretnose closed her eyes and harshly blew air out from her jaws. Snowpaw forced back a purr of how happy she was of the fact that she had gotten on the brown she-cat's nerves already, and the pair hadn't even been apprentice and mentor for a mere sunrise yet. "Then go out into the forest and scout around for any type of suspicious behavior from any cat of any Clan."
"And if I should find any?" Snowpaw inquired, though she already knew the answer.
"Then report it back to me and I'll proceed to tell Whitestar." her mentor stated, then flicked her tail in dismissal.
Snowpaw nodded and took off into the night, her white pelt contrasting with the darkness above and around her.
Snowpaw reached the heart of HailClan's territory within several heartbeats, her long legs making strides and leaps over tree stumps easier.
"Mind if I tag along?"
Snowpaw jumped at the voice, unbeknownst that another cat was with her. She whipped around, facing the tree-line where the voice had come from. "Who's there? Show yourself!" She demanded, her fur fluffing up along her shoulders in an attempt to seem angered.
A purr followed her order. "Snowpaw, it's me!"
Snowpaw blinked as darkness split to reveal a pair of ice-blue eyes. "Swiftwind!" Snowpaw cried, grateful that he hadn't died like in her dream before she had met Shadowfire. She raced forwards, bowling the black and white tom over and burying her muzzle in his chest fur. "I'm so happy you're not dead!"
"So am I," Swiftwind purred, nuzzling Snowpaw affectionately. He lightly shook the she-cat off of him and looked into Snowpaw's amber eyes, an intense fire churning within them. "Why would I be?"
Snowpaw looked down at her paws, shame washing over her pelt like a huge black cloak. "I..."
"Snowpaw," meowed Swiftwind, guiding Snowpaw's amber gaze back to his own with his long tail. His tail held its place under her chin, as if Swiftwind thought she would look away again. "Is something wrong? Did I do something?"
"No, no!" Snowpaw insisted, shaking her head vigorously. "You didn't do anything!"
"Then what's bothering you?" Swiftwind asked, his left ear twitching.
Snowpaw felt imaginary sweat bead down her muzzle, and instinctively dabbed at the fur with her paw, not surprised when she found nothing there. "I... I had a dream where you were dead! You died from whitecough and I couldn't be with you!"
Swfitwind's eyes flashed and he placed his head on top of Snowpaw's, and the white apprentice was grateful for the loving gesture. "I'm not leaving for a long time, Snowpaw..." Swiftwind meowed, and for a moment the words were laced with fear.
"Good," Snowpaw murmured against him, sighing in contempt from the feeling of his pelt against hers again.
Swiftwind purred, but flicked his ears. "Do you hear that?"
Snowpaw listened. "Someone's coming."
As soon as the she cat spoke, two cats emerged.
"Well, well, well..." Ferretnose sneered as she padded from the shadows of two bushes, Coalfire just behind her. Both she-cat's had smirks painted on their faces and amusement gleaming in their eyes.
"Patheticpaw had to actually leave camp in order to talk to Swiftwind!" Coalfire burst into laughter, her cackles being heard probably as far as RainClan.
"Aw, look!" Ferretnose's breath was suddenly tickling Snowpaw's ear, and the white apprentice leapt out of her way, separating herself from Swiftwind. "Thanks, Snowpaw. How did you know I loved this seat?" Ferretnose let out a purr as she settled herself beside Swiftwind, resting her head on the tom's paws and blinking up at him through wide ocean blue eyes.
"Um..." Swiftwind's muzzle flushed a dull rosy color, indicating that the black and white warrior was blushing. Snowpaw felt betrayal and malice burn in the pit of her stomach and she let out a hiss, her white fur fluffing up along her spine.
"Oh, is little Snowpaw getting angry?" Coalfire sarcastically purred, and Snowpaw wildly turned her head to the side to find her black sister sitting down beside her, her long tail wrapped around Snowpaw's frail body. She watched Ferretnose and Swiftwind through admiring eyes.
"Poor scrap," murmured Ferretnose from where she lay beside Swiftwind, nuzzling the black and white tom affectionately with her muzzle from time to time. "I bet you wish you were in my place, don't you? Well, your spot has been taken, I'm afraid."
"Swiftwind..." Snowpaw whispered, her amber eyes clouding with tears. "H-How... Please tell me..."
"Snowpaw," Swiftwind meowed, raising his paw to take a step towards her yet Ferretnose saw the gesture and leapt at him, pinning him down with sharp and agile paws.
"Ah, ah, ah..." chided Ferretnose with a purr. "We don't want you loving another cat other than me, now do we? You love me and only me. Understand?"
"I don't-" Swifwind started, but Ferretnose's claws gliding wistfully across one side of his face made him pause in the rebuttal. He let out a scream as blood pooled out of his eye and his cheek.
"Say you love me, fool!" Ferretnose hissed. "Say it!" Her eyes were mad, burning with a hungry fire Snowpaw had never seen in them.
"I..." Swiftwind swallowed harshly as pain was exploding through his face. "I... I love you, Ferretnose!"
"No!" Snowpaw screeched, tears overflowing her eyes and streaming down her cheeks. "Swiftwind, no!"
"Yes, my sister!" Ferretnose yowled to the night, her voice ringing with victory. She looked back at Snowpaw, her teeth bared. "He loves me, you idiot! Not you!"
"You're a monster," Snowpaw hissed, narrowing her eyes. "A ice-hearted monster."
"That may be," Ferretnose meowed, leaping off of Swiftwind and helping the tom to his paws before trotting over to Snowpaw. She hooked a long, jagged claw under Snowpaw's chin, so deep Snowpaw was sure she would draw blood. "But I know for a fact that I'm not insane like you."
With that, the brown she-cat trotted back to Swiftwind and led him away, Coalfire following close behind.
Insane... I'm insane. Oh, StarClan, what have I become?