All he could see was chaos. The strip of empty land that separated the black trail and the forest was filled with pandemonium of battle. Clumps of fur flew through the air. Blood splattered everywhere. Angry howls and pained screeches shattered the silence. Cats scrambled about, swiftly weaving and bobbing as they tried to gain the upper hand against their foes.
Watching briefly from the sidelines, the young apprentice felt his heart beat begin to speed up. A nervous excitement beginning to course wildly through his veins. His claws dug deep into the soft soil, his lips curled back to reveal his teeth. He wanted to fight. He wanted to rake his claws against his foes. To draw blood and hear them squeal in pain… He froze mid thought, slightly baffled by the ferocious urge to destroy. Were these thoughts all thanks to Moon? Had she influenced him enough for him to forget his morals? "I can't believe I'm worrying about this in the middle of a fight," he hissed crossly to himself, lashing his tail. He needed to get his priorities straight.
Refusing to let his wandering mind distract him any longer, he rushed into the chaos. Leaping at the nearest CityClan cat he could find, his claws raked across the foes ears, drawing blood. Letting out a startled yelp, the enemy jumped back a couple of mouse lengths. Their gazes met. Firepaw froze, shocked to see just how gaunt this warrior looked. Sure CityClan cats were usually skinny, but not this skinny. They must be suffering more than what Swiftpaw's been telling him.
"To think FlameClan is so desperate to allow such an inexperienced apprentice fight in this battle," the skinny black furred warrior scowled in disapproval, tail tip starting to twitch. "Go home kit! Hesitation in battle means death!"
"Silence you mangy old rat! You have no idea what I've experienced," outrage bubbled inside of him, his tail beginning to bristle with fury. There was no way this scrawny excuse of a cat would know the pain he'd suffered through. With a roar, he rushed forward. He barreled to CityClan cat to the ground, his paw pushing down into the warrior's chest, claws digging deep. And softly, menacingly, he whispered into the warriors ear. "If I felt like it, I could easily rip you to shreds… Now go home, before I decide to do just that!"
With great reluctance, he released his hold and watched coldly as the warrior scrambled to his paws. Hastily the unknown CityClan cat made his way for the black trail, and when he disappeared from sight, Firepaw softly let out a shaken breath. He almost lost control. He almost… "I need to stay calm, stay calm," he whispered repeatedly to himself while surveying the fight.
That's when he spotted her. Even in all of this mayhem, he could easily recognize that pale reddish fur anywhere. He wanted to go to her, to make sure that she was okay. And against better judgment, he complied to this urge. Stealthily slipping through the battle raging around him, the ginger tabby made his way to her side. And that's when she finally noticed him. Freezing mid step, her green eyes growing wide, she silently mouthed his name.
Stopping beside her, he silently looked her over. She didn't look too injured. A few scratches here and there, but besides that… He resisted the sigh of relief that tried to force itself out. She was okay. "Swiftpaw, you shouldn't be here. This isn't a fight for apprentices."
"Says the FlameClan apprentice," she snorted, her eyes narrowing. "Maybe you should listen to your own advice."
He glanced away, there was no way he could tell her that he received special training. That he had far more experience than the average apprentice. Yes, he could never tell her the truth. For if she found out that he had been training under the guidance of a Dark Forest cat, even though he had stopped, he'd lose her forever. It's best that he'd carry this secret to the grave than share it with anyone. He'd learned that the hard way.
"Hey Firepaw, you listening?" her voice snapped him out of his thoughts, a slight frown on her face. He shrugged sheepishly back, which earned him an annoyed sigh. "As I was saying, since we're currently in the middle of a serious battle between our two Clans we probably shouldn't be seen together. And no, before you ask, I am not leaving. My Clan needs me to fight for them, just like how your Clan needs you. But if you can, meet me tomorrow."
Why does she have to be so stubborn about this… It would be so much easier if she just left the fight, then he wouldn't have to worry about her being seriously hurt. Like she'd listen to that. She'd just get angry if he suggested it. "Fine, just be careful."
"Don't worry, I'll be okay," she puffed out her chest, clearly confident in her skills. "See you later," she turned away but he quickly stopped her.
"Swiftpaw, your shoulder," on the shoulder she had kept facing away from him was a set of deep gashes. They were bleeding profusely and it looked like she couldn't put much weight on the wounded leg.
"Oh this," she briefly glanced at the injury, forcing on a casual grin. "It's nothing, just a couple of scratches."
"Like it'd believe that," while he wasn't a medicine cat, he had seen enough injuries to know when they were serious or not. Stepping closer, blatantly ignoring her protests, he leaned in to gently clean the wound. "You shouldn't fight with an injury like this one, it's too dangerous."
"Firepaw, I can take care of myself just fine," she glared back at him, ignoring the concern in his deep blue eyes. Why was she so stubborn? Never listening to his suggestions, she always had to have things her way. It frustrated him greatly, and left him perplexed over why he cared so much for someone so headstrong.
"I know you can take care of yourself, I just worry about you," he stared back at her, silently willing her to try to understand him. It was a soundless battle of will, both sides unwavering, until finally Swiftpaw let out a heavy sigh.
"Fine, I'll head back to camp."
"Thanks," his relief was short lived. An outraged snarl, one that he had heard way too many times, filled his ears.
"Firepaw, what are you doing!?" he risked a glance away from Swiftpaw, who now stood frozen with eyes wide, to stare at him. His brown tabby fur was fluffed out in a mixture of outrage and fury, his pine green eyes blazing with an unbridled anger.
"Um… well… I…" the ginger apprentice slowly inched in front of Swiftpaw, trying to keep her away from his livid mentor. Normally he'd be able to handle Tailfur's bursts of ire quite well, but today was a bit different. Today he actually felt fear. It probably didn't help that the usually well groomed deputy now had ruffled fur covered in the blood of his enemies and his eyes, underneath the anger, gleamed with the light of battle.
"I'm going to go now, good luck Firepaw," she whispered softly into my ear clearly not wanting to be anywhere near Tailfur, not that he could blame her. "Although if you can, I still would like to see you tomorrow."
"Don't be too surprised if I can't come," and without a glance over her shoulder, she hurriedly made her get away.
"Go back to camp, now!" he spat, tail lashing wildly about.
"Yes Tailfur…" if he was going to get chewed out today, it was definitely not going to be in the middle of a battle. Slipping away from the chaos, he was once again surrounded by the silent forest that was FlameClan's. And despite how much he longed to return and continue to fight, it'd be best to just head back now. With a heavy sigh, he began to slowly walk towards camp.
