To RandomWarriorsFan228: I'm not sure what makes Smoothpelt an unbelievable name, as it was not designed purely to say he had a sleek pelt. RiverClan warriors are usually very glossy with a thick pelt due to eating fish, so it's not far-fetched for them to name a kit Smoothkit. His name could have just as easily ended up as Smoothstone or Smoothbranch. If you could explain what's wrong with the name, that would be helpful. As for Maplepaw, well, I'll do my best to make her a little bit more, er, normal... but I'm not very experienced. This, as with all my fanfiction stories (to come), is purely practice for novels. Any constructive criticism is welcomed, and I'd appreciate it if you could keep it up!
Maplepaw lapped at her thick pelt wearily. Her most recent training session with Breezestar had not gone well for her – the black tom had been far more energetic than he usually was, and Maplepaw hadn't been able to compete with his speed. Her mentor had gotten even harder on her after the battle with RiverClan, even though Maplepaw privately thought that she had done well.
Breezestar halted next to her, looking down with an amused expression. "I suppose you're tired?"
She nodded. Please, StarClan, don't let him make me run through the forest hunting all night.
"All right. Tomorrow, I'm going to take you to the border of Twolegplace. We may meet a kittypet or two, but remember that they're not usually hostile. Besides, with your fighting abilities I'm not sure you could take one down even if they were attacking." His long tail waved lazily around his haunches.
I'm not that bad! Maplepaw wanted to yowl at him. Maybe if you didn't make me work nonstop from sunrise to moonhigh, I wouldn't be so sore.
But Breezestar had already padded away to the fresh-kill pile, mewing a greeting to Emberfoot. Maplepaw glared after him, tail lashing angrily. I should have known he'd make a fun adventure into an insult.
Willowpaw padded up stiffly, blinking at Maplepaw. "Hi. Are you going to eat?"
"Hmm?" Maplepaw muttered, looking up at her sister. "What?"
"I said, 'are you going to eat'? You're just lying here. Aren't you hungry after Breezestar's training?"
"Oh. Right." In truth, Maplepaw didn't feel much like eating. She had worked all day and mostly just wanted to sleep. "I guess not."
Willowpaw frowned. "You're going to starve if you don't eat enough. You're skinny."
Maplepaw looked disbelievingly at her. "You're telling me I'm skinny?" She snorted. "This coming from the cat made out of sticks and furballs?"
Her sister took a step back, matted pelt bristling. "What's that supposed to mean?" she protested, blue eyes wide.
Great StarClan. She doesn't even know what I mean! Maplepaw curled her lip. "You know what I mean. No matter how much prey you stuff yourself with, you're always just fur and bones. What's wrong with you, anyway?"
"What are you talking about?" Willowpaw growled, flattening her ears. "Don't be so mean, Maplepaw. Are you in a bad mood?"
"Don't be dumb," Maplepaw grumbled. "It's true, isn't it? You're so skinny that you can't even do anything for the Clan. You can't hunt or fight. How are you ever going to be a warrior?"
Willowpaw's eyes widened in shock. "You – you –"
Maplepaw got to her paws and padded forward, thrusting her muzzle into Willowpaw's face and forcing her to back up more. "Look at you. You're scared of me, and I've had the same training as you. You haven't fought any battles, and you don't even want to. What use are you to ThunderClan?"
Her sister's eyes glimmered miserably. "W-what do you mean? I can hunt. And so what if I don't want to fight a battle. Not every warrior wants to get hurt or hurt other cats."
"But they're not afraid to fight," Maplepaw pointed out. "You are. You don't hunt. You don't fight. All you do is eat prey. You're nothing but a burden to the Clan. You're useless."
Willowpaw lowered her head. "I am not," she protested.
"Yes, you are!" Maplepaw growled. "You eat the prey other cats need! What do you even do? Collect moss? Like you're just out of the nursery, you collect moss all day. Why didn't you just move to the elders' den?"
"You're just mad because Breezestar doesn't like you," Willowpaw shot back.
That stung. Maplepaw jerked back, hissing. "No, I'm not! I'm mad because you're useless!" She snarled at her sister. "Useless! You're useless!"
"Maplepaw!"
The sharp growl came from behind her. Maplepaw turned, still bristling, and saw Breezestar looming over her. He leaned down and glared at her. "Follow me. Now."
Maplepaw lashed her tail furiously and followed him as he padded lightly to his den. She could sense Willowpaw behind her, and was pleased to scent misery coming from her sister.
Breezestar brushed the lichen covering the entrance to his den off to the side, waiting for Maplepaw to enter ahead of him. She did, waiting for her eyes to adjust to the dim cove behind the lichen, then sat down. Her mentor entered the den behind her and crossed to sit in front of his nest, nearly invisible in the gloom.
For several moments, there was silence. Maplepaw didn't know what to say, and Breezestar seemed to be waiting for her to speak. Finally, she opened her jaws, but he spoke first.
"Why do you think I took you on as my apprentice?"
Puzzled, Maplepaw squinted. "W-what?"
"Why do you think you're my apprentice? Why not one of the other available warriors? Why not Ravenwing again?" Breezestar meowed patiently.
She blinked, still confused. "I… don't know."
"I see." Breezestar's mew was perfectly calm. "When you were a new apprentice, Maplepaw, I didn't see anything to make you stand out. You were like any other apprentice – you were eager to learn, and you wanted to become a warrior almost the day after being apprenticed." For another moment he was quiet. Am I supposed to say something now? Maplepaw wondered. But before she could speak, Breezestar continued.
"One thing I did notice, however, was that you didn't have much family ties. While Duckfoot was your mother, even as a kit you preferred to play out in the clearing. You never called her "Mama" after learning her name, while Flowerkit and Daisykit kept calling Thistlefur that even when they were apprentices. Emberfoot was your father and deputy, but the attention you showed him was purely interest in Clan business. You always asked about how the patrols had gone, if they had seen any other cats at the border, if a lot of prey had been caught. You never asked him to play with you, and you never tried to seek his attention. While you were affectionate towards Willowpaw, you never went out of your way to show her love. In fact," Breezestar added, "the only cat you were ever really caring towards was Shredtail."
Maplepaw's ear-tips burned. Is this some weird talk about me and Shredtail? Great StarClan, I hope not.
"And you were determined to become a warrior. I saw it when you trained. And while Ravenwing was teaching you well, he was clearly not the perfect choice to mentor you. He was too friendly, and you had so much potential." Breezestar paused to lick one white paw and draw it over his ears, then continued. "I didn't know how I could ask him to stop mentoring you, and then it was discovered that he was stealing prey. The perfect opportunity."
Maplepaw was speechless. He wanted to change my mentor?
Breezestar sighed heavily. "You are a strong cat, Maplepaw, and you have the qualities a leader needs. You are confident, but you've learned to know your limits. You're determined, and even exhaustion and overworking hasn't caused you to give up. You may be aloof, but I know you care about the Clan and its cats – even if you don't show it outwardly. You're brave – that was shown when you didn't run and hide from the battle on your first day as an apprentice. You are, in short, the leader ThunderClan will someday need."
Her mouth dropped open. "Are you telling me I should become the Clan leader? When? Are you sure? Do you really mean it?"
"Hold on," her mentor meowed sternly. "You need to listen a little bit longer. While all of these traits are important, I have also seen one other that shows up too often. You are too free with your anger." His voice grew gentle, and he leaned forward to lick her ear. "I know I have pushed you hard these past moons, and it angers you. But you take it out on Willowpaw." He gave her a searching look. "I know you don't really think your sister is useless."
"No!" Maplepaw burst out. "I – I love Willowpaw! And I worry about her! That's why I get so mad at her. I wish that she was stronger, because I always expect her to go out on patrol and… well… and not return."
Breezestar nodded. "Of course. You may not be older, but you're the stronger cat. You want to protect Willowpaw. But you can't always keep her safe." He paused. "It can be hard to have a sibling who you can't protect."
A sibling you can't protect? Is he talking about Crowstar? Maplepaw wondered. Breezestar's green eyes had a faraway look, as if he could see through the wall of his den all the way to ShadowClan.
Suddenly the black tom shook himself. "Anyway, Maplepaw, that's all I have to say. You'd best go and apologize to Willowpaw for snapping at her like that, then get some rest."
Maplepaw nodded and got to her paws. Just as she was about to push past the lichen, Breezestar called out, "Oh, and one more thing, Maplepaw." She turned. What now? But the leader's eyes were twinkling. "I know that if you set your mind to it, you could beat any kittypet who was so foolish as to cross your path." His whiskers twitched as he turned away. "Good night, Maplepaw. Sleep well."
