Starpaw flicked her ears. Outside camp, the gentle breeze was picking up, and on the wind came the scent of rain. She wrinkled her nose at the scent. Great, now Mousefur will nag me for dry bedding.
Firestar padded up, laying a tail across Starpaw's back. "The gathering is tonight. Do you think you could make the journey, or would it do you better to stay home?"
Starpaw bit her tongue, holding back a harsh retort. "I'm not made of dewdrops, y'know."
Firestar shot her a look, and she dipped her head with embarrassment. He sighed and stood up. "If you think that you can make the journey in the cold, then I'll take you tonight." He shook out his fur, joints popping quietly. He padded off to find Graystripe, probably to ask his advice on who to bring to the gathering.
Starpaw stared at her paws for a minute, flexing her claws. I need to be stronger! She hissed in irritation and exited the camp, nodding a quiet goodbye to Sorreltail, who was guarding the camp.
In the forest, she relaxed, letting her anxiety wash out of her pelt. She caught the scent of a mouse on the breeze, but her aim wasn't hunting tonight. She padded off towards the Shadowclan border, hoping to catch sight of Tawnypelt again.
She was about halfway to the border when she heard a rustling in the bushes behind her. She stiffened and dropped to the ground, belly brushing against the grass. An enemy? She prowled towards the noise, trying to catch the scent.
Just as she was about to pounce, out stepped Chillfang, the flame point's tail twitching absently. Starpaw let out a silent sigh of relief at the sight of the familiar queen. "Hey, Chillfang!" she purred, emerging from her hiding place.
Chillfang chirped a greeting. "Hello, little apprentice. How fares the hunting?"
Starpaw sighed. "Well, my sister became a warrior two moons ago, but I'm still stuck as an apprentice."
Chillfang hummed sympathetically, flicking her tail. "Y'know, I bet a little battle practice just might be what you need to help you get an edge in the fight," she commented, standing up.
Starpaw nodded, looping around the queen. "C'mon! Show me, I can take it!" Suddenly, the world flipped, and Starpaw went with it. She fell to the ground with an 'oomph', but before she could get up, the queen bit at her scruff, shaking roughly. Starpaw shrieked and struggled against the hold, but then she remembered how she would shake her prey to kill it, and of a particularly stubborn robin that had managed to escape her.
Starpaw waited until Chillfang pulled the apprentice towards herself. Then, her paw quickly darted out and latched onto Chillfang's fur sticking out from her neck. She used her newfound traction to swivel out of the queen's jaws and push herself onto the ground, forcing Chillfang to move with her if she didn't want to snap her neck.
The queen grunted as she fell onto her shoulder, the apprentice standing above her triumphantly. "Did you see that?"
Chillfang nodded, flicking her ears. "See? You can do a lot of things warriors twice your size couldn't possibly hope for." She purred and flicked a tail over Starpaw's back. "So stop thinking like a dog, and start thinking like a fox, alright?"
Starpaw chuckled, ducking out of the way. "Yeah, alright. I guess that makes sense." She turned her attention to the wind, bringing on it the scent of prey. "Best of luck with your kits, Chillfang!" she called behind her as she rushed off, flicking her tail.
Now that she was alone again, Starpaw could focus on the scent of the prey around her. Even though her goal in the beginning wasn't concerned with prey, now her belly rumbled from lack of food. If I catch a bit of prey, then Firestar will know I'm supposed to be a warrior.
She was closer to the border with Shadowclan now, the scent markers a foul stench in the cool air. She wrinkled her nose at the smell and moved further north, hoping to avoid being downwind of it.
Suddenly, a shriek shattered the silence of the forest, which was quickly cut off. Starpaw whipped around, heart thumping wildly in her chest. "Hold on!" she called, dashing towards the source of the scream. "I'm coming! Stay put!"
Starpaw burst into a small copse, and was immediately overwhelmed with the scent of blood. A gray she-cat, not much older than herself, stood over a second cat with a horrified expression painted on her face. The shadowclan warrior was panicking, digging her claws into the ground and tearing up soil. "Russetfur! Please, don't die! I don't know what to do!" she wailed.
Starpaw pushed her fear down inside herself and hissed, startling the warrior. "Fetch me cobwebs! Now!" she snarled, pushing the warrior to the side. "Where are the injuries?" she asked, sniffing the injured body. She scanned the cat beneath her paws, fur matted with blood and mud.
"Her neck is ripped up. Are you a medicine cat?" she asked.
Starpaw hissed. "I'm as close as you've got right now! Now go get me some cobwebs!" The warrior scurried off without a word, coming back with a pawful of dirty cobwebs covered in sap. Starpaw sighed and grabbed the bundle from her without a word. "Go fetch your medicine cat." The warrior nodded and ran off towards Shadowclan.
The injured cat began coughing roughly, spitting out chunks of bloody tissue. Starpaw grimaced and set to work on parting the fur so that she could put the webs on the wound. She hissed in fear as the cat's breathing suddenly became weaker. "Come on, come on! If you die, then I would have gotten my paws bloody for nothing. So don't you dare die and leave your clanmates behind!"
Starpaw beat weakly at the cat's stomach, but it was no use. Her breathing got shallower and shallower, until a final sigh passed through the cat's mouth.
No. She shook her head. "I'm sorry."
A yowl of anguish split the forest. "Russetfur!" Starpaw was pushed aside roughly, and Blackstar leaned down, pressing his nose to her pelt. He murmured quiet words to the fur of the she-cat, nudging her gently. Starpaw watched from the side, feeling useless. I'm sorry I failed you, Russetfur.
A brown tom turned to her, his tail drooping with the sorrow of being too late to save his clanmate. "Shrewfoot told me about her injuries, but it was too late. She walks with Starclan now."
Starpaw dipped her head. "I'm sorry. When I heard the scream, I ran as fast as I could but…"
The tomcat nodded. "I need to examine the body and figure out who killed her." He flicked his tail and padded up to Russetfur's body, gently laying a tail on Blackstar's back.
The leader nodded and rubbed a paw at his face. "I'm sorry, Littlecloud. I'll leave you to your work." He moved to the side, muscles rippling under his snowy pelt.
Starpaw stood off to the side, watching the scene unfold. Blackstar glared and snarled at her. "If I find out that you are somehow responsible for this…"
Starpaw's pelt bristled with fear, and she ducked her tail underneath herself. "I only was trying to save her."
He bared his teeth in a thinly-veiled threat. "We will learn soon enough, young apprentice."
Littlecloud flicked his tail. "I doubt that it could be the apprentice, despite what little evidence we have. The little bit of fur I found between Russetfur's claws is grey. She's too young, though, and certainly wouldn't have helped if she were the murderer" He sighed, eyes turning to the horizon. "Other than that, I can't tell who did this. But whoever it was, this was planned. Their scent was hidden with mud, and they must have only exchanged blows for a few seconds."
Blackstar's eyes flared with fury, a flame burning in him. "Who would dare target my deputy?"
The deputy of Shadowclan! Starpaw lowered her gaze to the floor of the forest, trying not to drown in the scent of blood. "Mud…" she thought for a second, flicking her tail. "Could it have been Steel?" she murmured.
Littlecloud cocked his head. "Who's this Steel?"
Starpaw bit the inside of her cheek. Do I tell them? After a moment, she decided that they only needed to know the most important parts for the moment. "He's a rogue, and a dangerous one at that. He tried to steal a litter of kittens two moons ago, and we still haven't caught him." She stood up. "I could help, if you want me to?"
"Do you presume that we need Thunderclan's help for everything?" Blackstar hissed, but a gentle word from Littlecloud silenced him.
"If it really is this cat you're talking about, then Shadowclan will be sure to stop him before he takes another life."
Starpaw nodded. Despite everything, she couldn't help but feel guilty at Russetfur's death. I could have saved her. She watched as Blackstar moved the body onto his back, the tail dragging on the ground. For the first time in a long while, she felt a sense of righteous fury. She had time! She didn't need to die. She turned her gaze to the sky, and watched as the clouds blotted out the faint leaf-fall sun. I'm going to find your killer, Russetfur. And I will avenge your death.
Yeah, this one was really rushed, and kinda dumb, but I swear that this will have an impact later on. Hope you enjoy!