I don't even know what to say anymore... Every time, I promise myself that I'll update quicker, and every time I update even slower... Well, that's partly why I put up a new poll on my profile. I think that, if I were to write two stories at a time, I could write whichever I feel like writing, rather than trying to force it out, which doesn't result in my best work. Non-members, seeing as you can't vote on my poll, if you go and view it and want to have a say, tell me in your review!
Anyways, here is a new chapter for all you guys who have waited so patiently! Thank you so much! I promise, I will try to update sooner; I am working on it!
And, seeing as you've probably forgotten what happened in the last chapter, you might want to go and re-read it...
Reviews:
Storm-Eyes-Osprey – Thanks! I do try my best, you know, but it's just so hard to fit in, what with school and homework and netball and hockey matches, and training and all that stuff! And I have an original story idea that I'm working on; I'm thinking of publishing it on FictionPress.
Spiderweave – You'll find out about Hazelpaw and Ravenpaw in this chapter. I thought I had mentioned them in Chapter 8, but I checked and I hadn't! So, sorry about that. And I'm glad you think Waspstripe and Cloverheart are good matches with their apprentices! I think I put in about as much effort as a Clan leader into that decision, haha! I just felt that Flamepaw needed someone who could keep her fiery attitude in check, and she needs someone who is a calming influence on her. Stonepaw, on the other paw, needed someone who could understand his moodiness and be a tough mentor, but a good one all the same. And don't worry about the rambling; I love long reviews! You get long replies too!
Willowfall – I will try to fit it in somewhere! I love the name! And yeah, Hazelpaw is one of my favourites! Or maybe Ravenpaw... Or Stonepaw... Or Flamepaw... GAH, I can't choose; I love them all!
Amberstorm233 – Yeah, feel free to hate on Lakepaw! He can be so infuriating, but I think he's really adorable! And I've already sorted out the love matches, but I'm not giving any spoilers! You may be right, you may be wrong... You'll just have to wait a book or two! ;-)
So, now that you are all prepared, I will babble on no more. Without further ado, let me present, Chapter 10!
Wincing, Ravenpaw took a few steps up the hill that led towards camp, moss clamped between her teeth and beneath her chin. Her claws ached. Shadestep had forced her to scramble all over the territory for so that the queens and elders had fresh bedding, and she was worn down to the bone. While Shadestep had said that this was a good way to get to know the territory, Ravenpaw couldn't help but feel a twinge of resentment that Flamepaw and Stonepaw had got to see the territory as well, only without the aching paws and claws.
She and her mentor had set out shortly after dawn, allowing Ravenpaw very little time to eat. In fact, Ravenpaw had only got to eat half a mouse before Shadestep yowled for her to hurry up, and she'd given Hazelpaw the rest. Now, it was well past sunhigh, and they were at the other end of WindClan territory, at the lake's edge next to the marshy area, which bordered RiverClan territory. The result of her labours was now in her mouth and under her chin, small pieces of moss falling from her jaws as she struggled to catch up with Shadestep's longer strides.
However, though very much disgruntled at only touring half the territory, and stretching her claws as far as they would go, Ravenpaw couldn't help but feel pleased. She was doing her first job for the Clan and it was an important one. After all, the Warrior Code said that elders, kits and queens must be fed first, so they should, surely, need to be cared for first. In addition, Shadestep had cheered her up immensely during the long, tedious task.
"Though you may not know it," he told Ravenpaw, as they sat at the point where the river bordering ThunderClan territory met the lake, "you are practising very important skills for a warrior to have. While you are gathering moss, you need to keep your claw movements short and precise, like this." He extended his claws fully and made a series of neat cuts in the moss, so that a square of the soft, springy material came away from the riverbank when he plucked it in his teeth.
"These claw movements are necessary for hunting prey, where as little movement needs to be made as possible, otherwise other creatures will hear you. One of the first lessons a WindClan cat learns in hunting is how to be silent until you spot your prey, as rabbits in particular have excellent hearing."
"So what about when we then chase the rabbit?" questioned Ravenpaw. "They'll hear any cat running after them, so they'll flee, won't they?"
"That is true," conceded Shadestep. "But that is why WindClan cats practise running. We need to be fast enough to outpace any rabbit, but teamwork is also essential. If one cat bars off a rabbit's escape route, it makes it easier for that cat's hunting partner to catch it."
He glanced at Ravenpaw with his shrewd blue eyes. "But enough of that," he told her. "You would do well to focus on what you are doing, and not get distracted." He paused from a moment, giving Ravenpaw a disapproving glance. "There's enough time for that when you learn how to hunt. For now, let's focus on collecting moss."
"However, there is another reason for keeping your claw movements concise. It is especially important in fighting. There's absolutely no point in blindly lashing out at an opponent, particularly if there isn't much space, like in the tunnels. And unless you want to injure your paws on the tunnel walls, I suggest you do what I tell you."
They had then proceeded to scraping half of the moss from the edge of the stream, and Ravenpaw found it oddly satisfying to feel her claws rip through the delicate moss. She was just getting the hang of cutting the moss when she felt the earth beneath her paws crumble, and she fell head-first into the stream. Luckily, it wasn't very deep and, when she managed to get back to her paws, spitting as she did so, the water level only came up a little past her belly fur.
"Well!" she spat, clambering onto the bank a little way away from her mentor and shaking her pelt vigorously, "I'm certainly no RiverClan cat!" Shadestep looked her up and down, to ensure that she wasn't hurt, then frowned and went back to cutting his moss. However, in that moment, Ravenpaw saw an odd look in his eyes, half scornful, half an expression she had never seen before. Shivering slightly from the water that had seeped through her fur onto her skin, Ravenpaw joined him and they clawed pieces of moss from the bank in silence, the black-furred apprentice making sure not to stand too close to the water's edge. Her pieces were all very ragged and uneven, and most of the time she had to shake off any earth that had attached itself to the bottom of the springy material.
Shadestep paused in his own moss-collecting, lifting his smoky-grey head and observing Ravenpaw as she worked. Ravenpaw stopped too, meeting his gaze. "Am I doing it wrong?" she asked hesitantly.
"No, you're doing fine," replied her mentor shortly, inspecting her growing pile of moss.
They had then set off towards the direction of the WindClan camp, where a few trees stood, their branches swaying in the wind, at the bottom of a hill. They were not nearly as dense as those in ThunderClan territory, on the opposite side of the stream, but there were enough for there to be shelter from the wind. Other than this, Ravenpaw knew there were no trees in WindClan territory, and only a few wind-beaten bushes, so the best place, as Shadestep told Ravenpaw, was in the shade of the trees, where moss would grow best.
Now that she wasn't half preoccupied with trying not to fall into a stream, Ravenpaw managed to focus on her task much better, and was soon cutting neater pieces much quicker. She looked up to see Shadestep watching her again. What is this? she thought irritably. An assessment? Before she could say anything, though, he had already turned his attention back to his work.
The two of them worked in silence, neither feeling the need to say anything. When they had collected almost more than they could carry, Shadestep signalled her to stop with a flick of his tail. "We'd better head back to camp," he meowed, pressing down his pile of moss with his paws, before rolling it up into a ball. "We'll take this load of moss with us, then go to the horseplace to collect more."
Copying her mentor, Ravenpaw squashed her moss down, kneading it a little with her paws, and rolled it up. She tried to pick it up in her mouth, only to find it too big. Lashing her tail a little, the black she-cat split it into two, and grabbed one in her teeth and the other beneath her chin, like Shadestep had done.
Without another word, Shadestep looked at his apprentice, who nodded to show that she was ready, before speeding towards camp, gathering speed. Ravenpaw followed, though she found it difficult to run and not drop her moss. For every long stride that Shadestep too, she took two or three, and she struggled to keep up on her shorter legs.
Even when they started climbing the steep slope of the hill, Shadestep didn't slow his pace. Ravenpaw, however, was having a little more trouble and she panted a little in an attempt to keep up with her mentor, whose smoky pelt was clearly visible among the brown, barren earth.
As she fell further and further behind, she tried to call out to her mentor, forgetting that she had moss in her mouth. The result was that half of the moss fell out of her jaws and went tumbling a little way down the slope, while her mew was muffled and barely audible. Shadestep, however, seemed to have heard, as he paused at the summit of the hill, turning back to look at her.
Though Ravenpaw couldn't make out his expression, she could guess that he was rolling his eyes. She gave her mentor an apologetic flick with her tail as she scrambled down the slope to recollect her moss.
Once it was all tucked safely in her jaws, she hurried back up the hill, making sure to keep her mouth firmly shut. In the meantime, Shadestep had settled down in a little dip in the ground, waiting patiently for Ravenpaw to reach him.
Scrambling to the top, clutching the springy moss, she gave her mentor and awkward nod with her head. Without a word, Shadestep got to his paws and padded off in the direction of the camp, speeding up a little as the ground sloped downwards. Ravenpaw, too, quickened her pace, paws skimming over the bare earth, pulling to a halt three tail-lengths from the camp barrier.
The black she-cat stepped backwards, allowing Shadestep to pass. He slid through the thorny entrance, his smoky pelt disappearing into the shadows, and Ravenpaw followed, ignoring the pricking of the gorse as she pushed her way through.
She spotted her mentor outside the elders' den, the collected moss in a pile at his paws. She joined him and dropped the bundle under her chin onto his pile of moss, before opening her jaws and dropping that load onto the pile too. She looked enquiringly at her mentor, unsure what she was now supposed to do.
But she didn't have to wonder for long as, just at that moment, Shadestep spoke. "Put this inside the elders' den and give it to Lakepaw; I need to bring Amberleaf some for her supplies." And, with that, he grasped a bundle of moss and headed away to the shelter of the medicine cat den.
Plucking up the moss from the ground with her teeth, Ravenpaw entered the sheltered elders' den, where she saw the unwelcome sight of pale grey tabby fur that belonged to Lakepaw. Just my luck, she thought dismally, placing the moss on the ground and dipping her head at the two elders, before retreating outside to fetch the rest of the moss.
Ever since their standoff three moons ago, Ravenpaw had ignored Lakepaw, and he seemed to have been doing the same thing. Though they did not exchange words, Lakepaw glared at her every time she passed, occasionally flicking his tail over her nose as she passed. She had stifled her rage and carried on walking, though a little stiffly, but she felt uneasy. She did not want to quarrel with any Clanmate, but she couldn't get the picture of him and Bluepaw cornering Ashpaw and Bramblepaw out of her head. It was clear, too, that Lakepaw was in no hurry to forgive her for getting him into trouble, and she knew it was only a matter of time until he got revenge.
Re-entering the elders' den, she added the last of the moss to the pile. Lakepaw appeared to have heard her, and he turned around. When he saw who it was, his light blue eyes turned ice-cold, and Ravenpaw braced herself for an onslaught of harsh words.
To her surprise, however, Lakepaw said and did nothing, but turned back to clawing the old bedding out of Foxpelt's nest. He was, Ravenpaw realised, too smart to pick a fight in front of some of the Clan's most respected members. No, Ravenpaw knew he would wait until the two of them were alone.
"Greetings, Foxpelt," she meowed, dipping her head politely to the old she-cat. "How are you?"
"I'm fine, young one," she answered, a little irritably, but Ravenpaw couldn't help noticing that her voice sounded scratchy.
"Are you sure?" she enquired, tipping her head to one side to look at the flame-coloured elder.
"I told you, I'm fine," insisted Foxpelt. "It's Stormsky you should be worried about; he's been keeping me up all night with his snoring."
"Well," started Ravenpaw hesitantly, not wanting to offend the respected elder, "if you feel unwell, see Amberleaf, will you?" Foxpelt jut rolled her pale golden eyes.
Not knowing what to say, Ravenpaw dipped her head awkwardly again and backed out of the den. She felt the fur on her neck prickle, and whipped around to see Lakepaw still glaring at her, eyes narrowed. She turned again and saw Shadestep reappearing from Amberleaf's den, and she hurried over to join him, glad to be away from Lakepaw's intense look of hatred.
She opened her mouth to ask Shadestep what they were doing next, when he cut across her. "Come." He flicked her tail in the direction of the camp entrance, motioning for her to follow. Excitement coursed through Ravenpaw's veins. Maybe we'll go and see the rest of the territory!
Her hopes were raised higher still when they headed a different way from the one they had returned. Suddenly, Shadestep put on a burst of speed and shot off. Not wanting to be left behind, Ravenpaw pelted after him, veering around a weathered bush to catch up with her mentor. She strained her legs and gained on him, the wind buffeting her fur as she did so.
Slowly but surely, she caught up a little to her mentor. Ravenpaw pushed herself on, willing herself to catch up with Shadestep, but her leg muscles were burning. Just when she thought she would have to stop and let her mentor go ahead, he slowed down to a walk. He was only five tail-lengths away from her, but each step was agony to Ravenpaw's legs, which screamed in protest.
Panting for breath, Ravenpaw reached Shadestep and promptly collapsed on the ground. She felt the side of her body scrape a stone but she didn't care. Her breaths came in deep, heavy gasps for air as she felt the pain in her legs subside a little.
When she finally had her breath back, she rolled over and got to her paws. Only now did she realise that they had reached a path made of stone, beyond which were two or three reddish brown constructions. She glanced at her mentor, whose blue eyes were surveying her analytically.
"For a first try," he meowed, "that could have been worse." He strode along the path, away from the lake. Could have been worse? Ravenpaw's mind echoed indignantly, glaring after her mentor. I almost caught up to him! She stalked after her mentor, glaring at his back. Reluctantly, she padded up to him so that they walked side by side.
"What are those?" she asked shortly, gesticulating with her tail towards the constructions to their right. Shadestep's eyes followed the movement of her tail, then to where she had pointed.
"Oh, those?" he replied, nodding. "Those are Twoleg dens. This is the horseplace."
"A horse?" echoed Ravenpaw, confused. "What's that?" A loud noise broke through the stillness, like the sound of thunderous paws. Ravenpaw looked up to see a large, brown creature with four legs trotting out from behind a Twoleg den. A pink, furless creature sat on its back, urging it on.
Shrinking back into a bush, Ravenpaw watched with terrified eyes as the creature flew into a gallop and passed a tree length away, separated from her by flat logs arranged in a neat pattern. She supposed this was some sort of Twoleg hedge.
Fur still bristling, she backed further into the bush, amber eyes wide. Ravenpaw glanced nervously around for Shadestep and saw him looking at her, face expressionless. She felt herself flush with embarrassment and crept back out of her hiding place, trying to put on a calm façade. This was made difficult by the fact that burrs had entangled themselves in her fur but, not forgetting the previous slight, the black she-cat returned Shadestep's cool gaze with an ice-cold one of her own.
Not bothering to say anything about her predicament, the smoky grey tom gave a small flick of his tail. "That four-legged creature was a horse and the pink thing on top was a Twoleg. Come," he meowed, turning away from the horseplace a little and leaving the path to pad along the grass. Ravenpaw followed him, a little reluctantly: she was still annoyed that Shadestep seemed to constantly belittle her, but she was also curious as to what the rest of the territory looked like. She made sure to pad a few tail-lengths behind her mentor, ears alert for the sound of any more horses.
However, all was quiet as a row of hedges came in sight ahead of them. Shadestep slowed his pace and Ravenpaw followed suit, craning her neck to see what lay beyond. Turning his head, he mentor spoke. "We are now approaching the Thunderpath," he meowed, addressing her. "Stay alert and be careful."
Ravenpaw knew what a Thunderpath was; she and Hazelpaw had heard the apprentices talk about it. She knew that huge creatures called monsters raced across it, and that they could crush any cat in their path. Shivering slightly at the thought, she edged towards the hedge, where Shadestep was waiting. As she watched, he crept into the hedge, brushing his way past the thorny branches. Now that leaf-bare was here, there were no leaves to offer any protection from the elements, and Shadestep was clearly visible.
Wondering what her mentor was playing at, Ravenpaw followed, twisting her nimble body through the branches next to the smoky tom, who eyed her as she settled down, mimicking his crouch. "Don't move, and don't make a noise. When you hear a something, press yourself to the ground, as close to it as you can, but watch the Thunderpath," ordered Shadestep, gesturing with his head towards what lay in front of the hedge. It looked, Ravenpaw noticed, similar to the Twoleg path, only much wider.
Sitting absolutely still, she waited. Nothing happened. She cast her eyes towards her mentor, moving her head fractionally. Shadestep stared ahead, almost blankly, and the black she-cat did the same, watching and waiting.
Then, suddenly, a roar like thunder broke through the silence and, following her mentor's instructions, Ravenpaw crouched down as low as she could, so that her belly was pressed against the ground. The noise got louder, and a large, bright red shape hurtled past, leaving dust swirling into the air in its wake.
Fine dust filled her lungs, and she backed out of the hedge, coughing. Shadestep, too, withdrew, his grey pelt covered with brown-coloured flecks. He shook himself and they rose into the air, hanging there. "That," began Shadestep, "was a monster."
"So I gathered," responded Ravenpaw drily, before breaking out into another coughing fit. Either her mentor had not heard her, or simply chose to ignore, as he carried on.
"But that wasn't the reason I brought you here. Look at the trunks of these bushes." Ravenpaw did so and saw a little moss growing at the roots of their former hiding place. "This is a good place to collect moss, though it is far away from camp. In new-leaf, there is plenty of moss here, as the bushes provide a little shade, but rain can easily reach the ground. In leaf-bare, it is one of the only places in our territory, save for the forest, where there is still moss."
Looking at the scattered areas of green, Ravenpaw thought it was barely worth all the effort for such little moss, but she kept quiet. "Normally," added Shadestep, "we leave some moss here, for other cats to collect later, so that there is a store down here, but, as there is so little, we may as well take it all." He scraped at the hedge as he spoke, prising moss from its roots. Letting a small sigh escape her, Ravenpaw set to work.
It did not take long before all the moss lay at their paws and, remembering what she did last time, Ravenpaw rolled it up into a ball, squashing it down to make it smaller. She picked it up, the musky scent of moss filling her mouth. With a flick of his tail, Shadestep bounded away; Ravenpaw ran after, determined to catch up with him this time.
By the time they had reached the horseplace again, just when Ravenpaw had nearly caught up to the grey blur that was her mentor, he put on a burst of speed, and the gap between mentor and apprentice became larger again. Gritting her teeth, Ravenpaw ran even faster, her paws skimming the ground.
And suddenly, she didn't care about winning. She loved the feeling of the wind whipping through her fur, her paws barely coming into contact with the ground, even the sting of the wind in her eyes. Her strides became longer and she focused on Shadestep. She drew closer, first three tail-lengths, then two, then one. Then they were even, running along side by side, both pushing ahead.
It was only at the last moment that the black-furred apprentice noticed that they were almost by the lake. She forced herself to stop, trying to dig her claws into the ground. A mouse-length from the lake's edge, she skidded to a halt.
Shadestep, who had stopped with two tail lengths to spare, simply clawed up some moss from a fallen, weathered tree trunk, which looked as though it had floated to WindClan from across the lake. She let out a small, almost inaudible sigh, before setting to work on the same, now tedious, task.
Now, Ravenpaw dragged one tired paw in front of the other, making sure not to drop any moss; she didn't have the energy to scramble back down the hill if any fell from her jaws. Thankfully, Shadestep was not running, because Ravenpaw didn't think that she would be able to summon the strength to her legs if she tried.
Their progress up the hill was slow and silent but, eventually, they reached the top. Grateful that the ground now sloped downwards slightly towards camp, Ravenpaw took the last few pawsteps to the gorse barrier and stumbled through the entrance after her mentor.
The sandy camp floor had never felt so soothing to her paws before that moment; the rest of WindClan's territory seemed to be rough earth, with the occasional stone to trip on. Following her mentor, Ravenpaw directed her paws towards the elders' den, and was about to enter its thickly-packed walls when Shadestep spoke.
"You've done a lot today," he meowed. "Bring that moss to the nursery and you can get yourself something to eat." Without another word, he disappeared into the elders' den. He certainly doesn't waste words, thought Ravenpaw wryly, as she entered the warm confines of the nursery.
Thankfully, Larkkit, Sagekit and Brightkit were all asleep in their nest; Ravenpaw was so tired she didn't think she could handle them awake, especially Larkkit. The tom was so obnoxious and acted as though he knew everything. Only StarClan knows what Flamepaw sees in him thought the raven-furredapprentice.
A moment later, however, she realised that the kits being asleep caused a slight problem for her if she wanted to clean out the nests. Goldenspots, too, was asleep, her kits curled up at her belly. Not wanting to wake any of them, Ravenpaw decided that she would clean out the spare nest, and do the other one later.
Dropping the freshly collected moss near the wall, Ravenpaw clawed out the old, dry moss, pushing it towards the nursery entrance. She left the shell of the nest, made from bracken fronds, intact, before lining it with the soft, springy moss which she had collected.
Then, she rolled the old bedding together into a ball, picked it up and exited the nursery, making sure to make no noise. Ravenpaw hurried across the camp, towards the dirtplace. Here, she placed the old bedding at the side, pushing some into the bramble camp walls. Them, she turned and re-entered camp, heading back to the nursery.
As she had only used half the moss, Ravenpaw collected the rest to bring to Amberleaf. Her paws weary, she picked her way through her Clanmates to the other side of the camp, where Amberleaf's bright tortoiseshell fur could be glimpsed as she sorted herbs. "Hello, Amberleaf," Ravenpaw greeted her, trying to sound more lively than she felt.
"Ravenpaw," Amberleaf replied, pausing in her herb sorting to look at the apprentice. "Are you alright?"
"Just a bit tired." Ravenpaw struggled to hold back a yawn as she spoke. "I've got some spare moss for you here; I was meant to be cleaning out Goldenspots' nest, but she and her kits are asleep, and I didn't want to disturb them."
"Right," meowed the medicine cat. "Just put it on that pile over there, with the rest of the moss." She turned back to her herbs. "Hmm," she muttered to herself. "We're a little low on marigold, and I'll have to make sure we collect some more catmint."
Ravenpaw dropped the moss on the almost diminished pile, and was about to leave when she remembered something. "Uh, Amberleaf?"
"Yes?" asked the dappled she-cat, turning around once more.
"I noticed that Foxpelt doesn't sound too well. Her voice is really scratchy, but she just insists that Stormsky keeps her up all night with his snoring, but I don't think she feels very well," Ravenpaw told her, remembering the elder's rasping voice.
"Well, Finchpaw is in the elders' den right now, so he'll be checking up on both of them," Amberleaf informed her. "But thanks for letting me know. I'll make sure that she's alright." Ravenpaw dipped her head to the medicine cat and left, not wanting to distract her from her duties.
Scanning the camp, she spotted Hazelpaw chatting to Ashpaw and Bramblepaw near the fresh-kill pile, and she joined them, a yawn escaping her jaws. "So," she asked, "what have you all been doing, while I've been dragging my paws over the territory for moss?" She meant it half-jokingly, half-seriously, but it came out more resentful than anything else.
"Well, we had battle training," Bramblepaw started excitedly, nodding her head at Ashpaw. "Owlstorm showed me this really cool move! Look!" She sprang to her paws and moved a little way from them. Then, she ran forward a few steps before leaping high into the air, landing on the ground again and swiped a paw at an invisible opponent. Unfortunately, her landing had been awkward, so she was off-balance for the swipe and toppled over, spraying sand into the air.
"Hey!" called an indignant voice. Ravenpaw turned to see Birdpaw glaring at them indignantly. "Can't you go practice your battle moves somewhere else? I don't want sand in my fresh-kill, thank you very much!" The fluffy grey apprentice turned away, talking to Kestrelpaw.
Bramblepaw, who didn't seem embarrassed in the slightest by her fall called back over. "Sorry!" Ravenpaw rolled her eyes.
"Come on," she told her denmates. "I'll get us something to eat. I'm ravenous!" She chose a large hare from the fresh-kill pile, dragging it back over.
They all ate, and Ravenpaw savoured the juicy flesh. After a few bites, she asked Hazelpaw, "What did you do today? I know Flamepaw and Stonepaw toured the territories, but Shadestep made me leave before I found out what you were going to do." The tabby apprentice swallowed a mouthful of hare before replying.
"I had to wait for ages, but then Thornflower took me for my first hunting lesson," he meowed. "We went to this wooded area near the river - " Ravenpaw nodded; she knew where he meant, " – and she showed me the hunter's crouch."
"Alright then, show me," commanded Ravenpaw, not wanting to get left behind. Hazelpaw got into a low crouch, belly almost touching the ground, his tail lashing. Slowly, he placed one paw in front of the other, as silently as possible. Then, without warning, he leapt forward.
"Nice," praised Ashpaw, watching him closely. "Just remember to keep your tail still; if you were hunting in the forest, you might brush against some ferns of leaves or something, and your prey would hear you." Hazelpaw's tail drooped a little.
"That's what Thornflower said," he sighed. "Still," he added, brightening up a little, "I caught a thrush!" his voice was filled with pride, and Ravenpaw found it hard not to be jealous. Her brother had clearly learnt so much, when all she had done on her first day as an apprentice was trek around the territory for moss. I'm going to be left behind, and Hazelpaw and the others will become warriors before me! Her tail drooped at the thought.
Seeming to sense her low mood, Hazelpaw laid his tail on her shoulders. "Cheer up," he told her. "You'll probably do some hunting, or even fighting tomorrow, and you'll catch up to me. Besides," he added, "you must have learned something while you were collecting moss." The jet-black she-cat nodded.
"I'll tell you about it later," she promised. "But right now, I need to make dirt." It was partly true; she did need to make dirt, but she also wanted some space. She just didn't want to be around too many cats. She was simply too exhausted.
Slipping though the dirtplace tunnel entrance, she felt a cool breeze ruffle her fur. She watched the horizon, where the sun was steadily sinking lower in the sky, giving the clouds a slight pink tinge. Ravenpaw sighed contentedly, leaving behind her worries about not becoming a warrior behind as she breathed in the refreshing, musky scent of the moors; of her home.
She took a few steps towards the summit of the hill, when her ears picked up the faintest rustling noise, almost inaudible, but loud enough for Ravenpaw's sharp ears to pick up. Spinning around, her gaze fell upon Lakepaw, who had evidently just squeezed through the dirtplace tunnel. For the briefest moment, surprise flickered in his eyes, before they returned to their usual, icy state, and Ravenpaw guessed that he hadn't expected her to hear him.
The thought, however, was a fleeting one, driven out of her mind as Lakepaw took a threatening step forward. "I bet you loved that, didn't you?" he hissed scathingly, careful to keep his voice down so that no cat inside camp would hear him. "Bet you loved giving me moss to put in the elders' stinky nests."
Ravenpaw sensed it was pointless to do anything, so she did not move or speak, but stood motionless. "Well," continued Lakepaw, a hint of malice entering his voice, "I heard that you fell into the river today. First day as an apprentice and you already made a nuisance of yourself. And you weren't even doing anything important for the Clan!" His voice had turned gloating, and it took a lot of willpower of behalf of Ravenpaw to stay silent.
Lowering his voice even more, Lakepaw still did not stop. "I bet you loved the river, didn't you? Just like your traitorous RiverClan father." Ravenpaw could no longer ignore him; she had to speak.
"I don't see how you can call my father a traitor," she spat out the word, barely containing her rage, "when he has never betrayed WindClan. He was the one who alerted the Clan to the fox, was he not?" Ravenpaw tried to speak calmly, but rage shook her voice. "Or are you questioning Duststar's judgement?" She too, took a step forwards, towards her enemy. "Do you possibly think that you know how to run a Clan better than Duststar, who was leader when you were mewling in the nursery?"
Lakepaw looked a little taken aback, just like he had when she had retaliated to his teasing of Ashpaw and Bramblepaw. Then, his face contorted a little as he snarled, "He still betrayed RiverClan! So he's still a traitor! How are we to know that you won't be the same, half-Clan scum!" With that, he leapt forward and Ravenpaw, taken by surprise, allowed herself to be bowled over.
The two of them tussled for a while but, in the end, Lakepaw's greater weight and size won and Ravenpaw lay on her back, glaring up at her captor. He pressed down on her shoulders with his paws and, trying the same tactic she had used against Stonepaw. She allowed herself to go limp, hoping for the weight on her shoulders to lessen.
Unfortunately, Lakepaw was by far the more experienced cat than Stonepaw, and was not fooled. Ravenpaw racked her brain, but she came up with nothing; there was no getting out of this one, except possibly be talking. "How do you know that I will?" she challenged. "Have I ever betrayed the Clan? No. But you, you have betrayed your Clan by attacking your Clanmates."
The pale striped tom raised a white paw threateningly. "Don't try and weasel your way out of this one, Ravenkit," he warned. "You're so useless that you can't even fight me. Just give up." Ravenpaw said nothing, but tried to stare Lakepaw down, the only defiance she could show.
Seeming to sense her resignation, Lakepaw's weight lifted off her and she sprang to her paws, not even bothering to shake her fur. As Ravenpaw stalked past the tabby apprentice, he hissed in her ear, "Oh, and don't even think of telling anyone about this; you'll be sorry if you do." Resisting the urge to claw the smug apprentice's ears off, Ravenpaw kept walking ahead, though her ears felt like they were burning. If there was anything Ravenpaw hated, it was injustice.
Creeping back through the dirtplace tunnel, she saw that Hazelpaw was still sitting with Ashpaw and Bramblepaw. Hazelpaw and Ashpaw were sitting close to each other, grooming each other. For some reason which Ravenpaw could not fathom, this sight annoyed her even more. But even as she watched, Ashpaw said something and she and Bramblepaw disappeared into the apprentices' den.
At that moment, Hazelpaw spotted her and gestured for her to come over. Almost reluctantly, Ravenpaw sat beside him, feeling something close to jealousy at the obvious closeness between her brother and Ashpaw. "Here," meowed the light brown tom, pushing the remains of the hare towards her. "You have this. You barely had anything."
Only noticing just how hungry she was, Ravenpaw gratefully started to gulp down the rest of the meal. Pausing to swallow, she started to tell Hazelpaw about what had happened, despite Lakepaw's warning. Though a little shocked at the extremities, the tabby tom seemed unsurprised. "I did wonder why he went to make dirt so soon after you," he mewed lightly. "But you can't be surprised after you standing up to him."
"I guess not," replied the black she-cat, getting heavily to her paws. "But it would be nice if cats didn't look at us as though we have greencough or something. Even Shadestep seems to give me strange looks, and it's not our fault that we're half-Clan!"
"I know," sighed Hazelpaw, also standing. "But there's nothing we can do about it. We just have to work as hard as we can to become the best apprentices ever."
With that, he followed the two sisters' pawsteps into the apprentices' den. Ravenpaw turned to follow him, when she saw Lakepaw staring at her from across the clearing, a slight smug look on his face, though there was also an element of suspicion. Something about him kept her gaze on him for a few heartbeats, before he looked away and started to resume his conversation with Bluepaw.
As she, too, entered the gradually darkening apprentices' den, Ravenpaw's last thought was of Lakepaw's voice chanting 'Traitor, traitor' over and over. Gradually, the voices of the rest of the Clan joined in, Shadestep's particularly loudly. Then, sleep overcame her, and she remembered no more.
Done! Finally! I've been having to do this in bits and pieces, so I'm sorry if it didn't flow that well.
And, I have also decided to let you know that there will be 6 books in this series, just like in the real 'Warriors' world. Here are the titles:
1. The Four of the Sky
2. Paths of Hope
3. Scattered Sunlight
4. Chasing Clouds
5. Misty Horizons
You will notice I have only listed 5, and here's the reason. I had the title of book six all sorted out when I found out on Monday that it shared the title with the last of the Twilight books. Yes, folks! I had, inadvertently, called book 6 'Breaking Dawn'.
Now, I need your opinions. Should I keep the title as it is, or should I change it? If so, what should I change it to? Tell me in a PM, or in your review!
(The accidentally rhyming) Snowfeather, over and out.
