【 Ｃｈａｐｔｅｒ Ｔｗｅｌｖｅ】
"Wow" Moonpaw mumbled in astonishment, her eyes wide.
"So when you.." She gestured towards the ground, her paw making a flopping motion. "...Pass out, you really see another cat's life?"
Lightpaw nodded.
"Wow," she repeated. "That's crazier than I thought."
She couldn't help but laugh. "What did you think it was?"
"I don't know?" She responded in mock defensiveness, standing up with a smile. "I thought you just had health issues."
Lightpaw shook her head at her friend while laughing. "If I wasn't completely exhausted I wouldn't find this very amusing."
Moonpaw's smile fell abruptly as she cast a glance over her shoulder.
"Can I still trust him?"
Her mentor sat at the other end of the den, his glaze clouded in thought.
Lightpaw sighed. "I'm sorry, I didn't realize how all of this would affect your relationship with him."
Her friend shook her head as if to shake all of the negative thoughts out of her head. "No, no, I'm glad I know. It just makes things a bit more…" she trailed off. "Awkward. As if they weren't already," she added in a quieter tone.
The two had been speaking in hushed voices, hoping that Cloudwhisker hadn't heard anything they were saying, which apparently wasn't quiet enough.
"If you two are done gossiping, then Moonpaw should really be left alone to do her duties." Cloudwhisker butted in an edge to his tone.
Lightpaw stood up hastily, trying to ignore the slightly worried look from her friend.
"Go," Moonpaw assured. "I'll be fine."
She padded out into the hazy camp, a slight fog leftover from the rain.
"Hey!" Stonepaw meowed, jogging over to her. "How was sorting herbs?"
The dappled apprentice tilted her head to the side, confusion in her expression. "Herbs?"
The tom gave her a confused glance. "Um, you know, the ones you were helping Moonpaw with?"
"Oh!" Lightpaw meowed, her eyes widening. "Yeah, it was fine." She responded shakily.
Stonepaw's eyes narrowed, as he opened his mouth to respond, but was cut off by the she-cat darting away.
"Talk to you…Later?"
Lightpaw cursed herself as she dashed out of camp, running into the dew filled forest.
"Wow, if you're going to be lying to people, you might want to become better at it."
She flipped around, her eyes surveying the clearing wildly. "Who the-"
A familiar frame stepped out from behind a clump of foliage, a small smile on her face.
"What are you doing here?" Lightpaw mewed in bewilderment, trying to tell if anyone was nearby.
Lightheart sighed, sitting down and grooming a paw.
"I didn't think you could, I don't know, come here."
The starry cat let out an empty laugh. "Let's just say it wasn't easy getting here."
Lightpaw wrinkled her nose in confusion. "Who's stopping you?"
The she-cat began to respond, but cut herself off, glancing far off into the forest. "I'll tell you later if I get the chance. But right now, there's somewhere you need to be."
"What?"
Lightpaw sat up in a hurry. "Follow the oak tree's towards the training hollow, but take a sharp left turn before you get there."
"Why?"
"Just-Go."
Lightpaw's gaze darted in the direction that the other cat was speaking of, and when she looked back Lightheart was gone.
But that's near the Shadowclan border?
Predicting something bad would happen if she didn't listen to the she-cat's ominous words, Lightpaw began to pad in the direction she was speaking of.
"God," she whispered to herself, casting a glance towards the training hollow, where Bearpaw and Pouncepaw were training. "Why do I listen to her again?"
She followed Lightheart's instructions as she took a sharp left, wedging between several bushes.
"So If I do this, I can come back home with you, right?" A cautious voice mewed, laced with a hint of hope.
A deep, smooth voice responded. "Of course Briarpaw, I also keep my promises, do I not?"
Lightpaw made a squeaking noise as she ducked behind a nearby bush.
Briarpaw? And, her eyes narrowed as she tried to place the tom's face, her green eyes shortly widened as she realized who it was. Slatefur? Why is he everywhere? The tom somehow knew about Lightheart, which made him a huge point of interest for the apprentice.
"Yeah, I know, It's just…" the normally brooding apprentice seemed like an entirely different cat, her usual guarded demeanor seemingly gone, her dark eyes narrowed in confusion. "I don't know why you would want anything to do with them."
Slatefur shook his head, pacing around the clearing. "I told you to never question me."
The apprentice shrunk under his gaze. "Sorry," Briarpaw mumbled.
The tom straightened his spine, flexing his claws. "Lakepaw, Stonepaw and-" he frowned. "What was the other one's name?"
"Lionpaw."
Lightpaw let out a small gasp. What do they have to do with all of this?
"Right. They all play a crucial role in what is about to happen." He padded over to Briarpaw, a cold look in his eyes. "You want things to go according to plan, right?" The dark she-cat stared at the ground. "Yes."
"Remember how much is riding on you." His voice took a silky tone, his eyes glinting. "Our family is counting on this."
Lightpaw couldn't help but be confused. He can't be her-
Briarpaw swallowed, straightening her posture, a determined look in her eyes. "Yes, Dad."
Slatefur let out a purr, before standing up and padding towards the Shadowclan border. "Don't let this opportunity get away."
"I won't."
The tom padded away, leaving a weary Briarpaw alone in the alcove. The she-cat stood up, casting a worried glance over her shoulder. Her eyes widened as she caught a flash of emerald green in the bushes, before dashing back to camp.
Lightpaw's mind was racing at a mile per minute. What are those two planning, and why are my friends involved? She could feel her anxiety getting the best of her, as she ultimately concluded whatever was going on wasn't good.
I have to warn them.
Lightpaw raced back to camp, all the while tripping over various debris around the forest, her only goal being to get to her friends.
She skidded into camp, coincidentally colliding with a nervous Briarpaw by the entrance. The apprentice shot her a nasty look, fear glinting in her eyes.
"Where were you two?" Russetheart eyed the two apprentices.
"Hunting." The two replied simultaneously.
Russetheart's eyes narrowed as she opened her mouth to scold the two, but was cut off by an eager looking Foxtail.
"Relax, Russetheart." He meowed happily, nudging her goodnaturedly. "They're back just in time."
"For what?"
"Your assessments."
The two's eyes widened, Briarpaw's eyes darting to the far side of camp, where Lionpaw, Lakepaw, and Stonepaw padded over to the four, a small grin spreading across her face.
"Now this time," a tom meowed, Blizzardstar joining the group as well. "There's a catch."
Lightpaw immediately avoided eye contact with the Thunderclan leader, anxiously trying to get the siblings' attention.
"You won't be able to communicate with any of your fellow apprentices at all during the assessment."
Briarpaw's face immediately fell, worry settling in her features.
"Wait-" Lightpaw meowed, cut off by Russetheart.
"No exceptions, unless someone's dying, keep it completely silent out there. To help us make sure that not of you are conspiring with each other, Nightpelt, Mossclaw, and Sparrowfeather are already spread out across the forest."
Lightpaw tried to ignore the worried glances from Stonepaw, as she tried to calm her thoughts. Now, she not only had to worry about stopping Briarpaw, but she also had to worry about passing her assessment. Great.
"Alright." Blizzardstar meowed, standing up. "Shall we begin?"
And with that, the cats scattered, Stonepaw and Lakepaw dashing towards the Shadowclan border, Lionpaw heading near the sunningrocks.
"Look, I don't know what you saw, but whatever it is, it isn't what you think, kittypet." Briarpaw hissed in her ear, a small amount of pleading in her tone.
"Yeah, well," Lightpaw's voice wavered, trying to attract anymore attention to the two of them. "I'm not really in the mood to fail my assessment."
Briarpaw rolled her eyes, before dashing after Lionpaw.
Lightpaw tried to distract herself by hunting, missing a few easy catches here and there. If I fail this, I have to stay an apprentice for at least a few more moons, but If I don't try and stop Briarpaw, my friends are at stake.
Yes, it wasn't a simple ultimatum, but either way, she felt like she was choosing the wrong scenario. Maybe one of the senior warriors will catch her, they're stationed all over the territory, right?
She snapped out of her thoughts as she barely caught a mouse, having a sinking feeling that she couldn't rely on her clanmates for help.
Lightpaw began to track Stonepaw's scent, his location being the closest to where she was, as well as Briarpaw's lingering nearby.
"Stonepaw, I need you to come with me." A desperate Briarpaw hissed to a confused looking Stonepaw, who was standing over a dead thrush.
Stonepaw's eyes widened, as he began to try and get away without making a sound.
"Hey-" The she-cat whispered more aggressively. "This is important."
Lightpaw looked around wildly, trying to find a way to distract the two, finally settling on a fallen tree branch. She leaped, forcing all of her weight on the branch, resulting in a loud snap.
Briarpaw's head snapped up wildly before she fled into the forest. Stonepaw glanced around his surroundings before his gaze landed on Lightpaw. Even more worry and confusion in his eyes.
"I'll tell you later." Lightpaw mouthed silently, before darting off into the forest.
"Thank you!" A dejected-looking Stonepaw called out, before shaking his head and padding away.
Great, my time is probably almost up, and I've caught basically nothing.
While running through the forest, she caught a whiff of something she hadn't ever scented before.
What the-
She glanced up to see a large dark brown figure looming above her, its rounded yellow eyes gazing ahead.
An owl?
Immediately she knew she wouldn't be able to catch it. Even if its senses weren't fully utilized in the daylight, the thing would probably fly off before she could get anywhere near her, or it would swoop down and carry her away Snowkit-style.
Wait. A brief memory of Biology class resonated in her mind when learning about owls in fifth grade.
Sclerotic rings. They physically can't look anywhere but straight ahead. If I could manage to sneak up on it, I could probably damage a wing enough to make sure it can't fly away.
Was this a bad plan? Yes. But it was her only option if she wanted to become a warrior.
She inwardly cursed herself, immediately finding fault in her plan. They have super great hearing.
Lightpaw looked around, hoping to find any kind of inspiration, and settled on a tree nearby. The thing looked half-dead, but it was tall enough for her to leap onto the owl from afar.
Alright, let's hope I don't kill myself trying to get this stupid bird.
She began to make her way up the tree, trying not to look down towards the ground. Once she was at the top she felt the tree rock beneath her, the skinny trunk below her trembling under her weight.
Shoot.
Before the tree could fall, she sprung in a leap of faith, already preparing for the worst as time began to slow down.
Hey, the worst that can happen is that I break a leg like Cinderheart, or get squashed like Briarlight.
Or you know,
Die.
She let out a scream as she managed to barely land on the opposing tree branch, narrowly snagging the giant owl's wing in the process.
The bird let out an ear-bleeding screech, as it began to squirm wildly.
The apprentice held on for dear life, managing to slit the bird's throat in the struggle. She felt her claw snag on the tree bark as she slid down the trunk, desperately grabbing for a hold as the bird dragged her down.
She landed with a hard thud on the forest floor, the only thing catching her fall being a few bits of loose shrubbery.
"Well, I hope the owl survived all of that." A cat meowed from behind her, amusement in his tone.
Lightpaw scrambled to her feet, wincing as she put pressure on her wrenched foot.
"Great catch though, although your means were a bit…unconventional." Blizzardstar meowed, padding up to inspect the bird at his feet.
Maybe it was because she was still in shock, or maybe she had just snapped in general, but she turned to face the leader. "Oh so now you want to be friendly."
Blizzardstar's expression turned to shock before he let out a sigh.
"You have every right to be angry-"
"I sure as hell do." She hissed, not fully aware where her newfound confidence came from.
"One minute your acting like I don't exist, and like everything's fine, the next you're having a mental breakdown with your medicine cat! I mean," she laughed bitterly, "I'm starting to understand why Lightheart was so angry before."
The spotted tom turned away from her, his tone shifting. "How did you know about that?"
Lightpaw sat up. "I'm not giving you answers until you give me some."
He let out a hollow laugh, shaking his head bitterly. "You sound just like her you know."
"Yeah, I get that a lot."
Before he could say anything else, she limped towards her catch, stubbornly trying to drag it out of the clearing, her adrenaline rush from her anger wearing off.
"Do you need help with that?"
"I'm fine." She retorted, tears forming in her eyes, half out of all of the anger and loneliness that had accumulated every since she had arrived in the clan, half out of pain.
Lightpaw felt the dead weight from the bird being lifted, as she nearly collapsed.
"Lightpaw!" she heard a voice call out, as several cats flooded into the area, Lakepaw shooting a quick glance at the fallen tree.
"Are you alright?" A concerned Lionpaw meowed.
"I'm fine." she breathed, trying to mask her wavering tone.
"Did you catch that?" Russetheart meowed, a hint of awe in her tone.
"Yeah, I guess."
"I guess?! That's a giant-"
"Lionpaw" Russetheart scolded, taking the bird from Blizzardstar and flopping it near the golden apprentice. "Help me carry this back to camp."
Mentor and Apprentice began to lift the massive bird, Lakepaw running over to Lightpaw. "Are you okay? Do we need to get help?"
She shook her head feebly as her friend tried to provide support.
"Lakepaw, Stonepaw, head back to camp with the others, I need to speak to Lightpaw in private."
Her friends shot her a concerned look, before padding after the other cats.
"So, you want answers?"
Lightpaw kept her head bent as she limped in the direction of her friends out of embarrassment.
"I loved her."
She stopped in her tracks. "What?"
"But I also was the one responsible for her death."
She turned to face the tom. "How-"
"I should've listened to her when she wanted me to help, I should have done something."
Sorrow laced his expression. "But I wasn't there for her when she needed me the most. I had no clue what she was going through and still don't," he whispered quietly.
"I don't understand."
He sighed. "I'll try to get Cloudwhisker to ease up on you-although he probably won't listen," he added quietly.
Lightpaw rolled her eyes, wiping away a stray tear. "Yeah, thanks, that would kind of help." She glanced down at her paw, which was slowly swelling. "Considering that I'll probably be spending a lot of time with him."
He sighed, standing up. "Lightpaw, just please, don't go looking for answers to everything. I know what it's like to still want to know-"
"No!" She whispered in exasperation. "You don't! You may have lost your mate-or whatever she was, but I lost something too, and I've never even met her in the flesh! All of those cats back at the clan, they only see me as a dead cat walking. So as long as I still have her name hanging over me, I'm going to be seeking answers for whatever you all are trying to cover up for the rest of my life. And you know what, I think she wants me to. I think she needs me to do whatever she couldn't, so If you ever loved her or whatever, you'll either help me or not stand in my way."
"This isn't your problem!" He retorted angrily.
"You made it my problem when you named me after her!" She yelled back.
Lightpaw shouldered her way past the bewildered tom angrily, trying to block out the pain from her injured foot.
She left Blizzardstar in shocked silence, his mind trying to process the information he had just learned, as well as a new fear arising.
"She isn't going to stop until she knows everything about us, is she?"
Blizzardstar turned to the Thunderclan medicine cat, a wad of comfrey at the long-haired tom's feet.
The Thunderclan leader swallowed.
"What have we done Cloudwhisker?"