BIG BIG NEWS GO TO THE BOTTOM TO READ PLEASE VERY IMPORTANT!
OK, in apology for how insanely stupid I am, I will be rewarding you, my AMAZING readers, with as many updates as I can possibly manage for the next few days. That means basically one a day through Friday or maybe even Sunday.
So yeah. I'm sorry. But at least I'm giving you something this time, right? We good? I hope we're good XD
HUGE SHOUTOUT TO GOLDSKIES5 FOR REVIEWING LIKE ALL OF MY CHAPTERS! YOU'RE AMAZING OMG!
Lastly, I'm not going to do any RR's for this chapter because I'm going to instead use the time to start writing the next chapter so that I can post that as soon as possible. That's like an extra hour to work on the chapter, you guys XD
Ok enjoy the chapter (that I should've written and posted a month ago)!
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"He was like the ever-changing weather; clear one day, to the point and viewable, then dark and stormy in the next moment, unable to be deciphered by even the most capable of individuals. He was ever changing, never constant or reliable in the slightest."
~Screechpaw, thinking
. . . ... . . .
The warm greenleaf rays, which were soon to turn into those of leaffall, fell onto the forest floor, dappling the ThunderClan cats' pelts as they padded across them. The scent of pine danced at their noses as they drew closer and closer to the other clan's territory, the large shadows and gloomy lights already showing from up ahead. The feel of the morning hung sullenly in the air, as if nothing good was to come from the day. It wasn't the right way to start out any day, with such a pessimistic and hostile view of the world.
Glancing up, Screechpaw saw Skyheart give her a disdainful look before turning to walk after Cardinaltail and Shimmersoar. She sighed, her shoulders slumping as she went to catch up with them. She'd had Skyheart as a substitute mentor for only a few days now, but it was becoming so unbearable that Screechpaw was praying for the end of the torture.
I'm praying for the end of your pathetic life.
And, of course, there was always Poolkit, the ray of sunshine. Ever since Skyheart had started training her, Poolkit had been showing up more and more in Screechpaw's head. The deceased kit knew that Skyheart was making Screechpaw's life hard, so she'd decided to make her presence known even more than it had been before so that Screechpaw went through as many hardships and turmoil as possible.
Thanks, Poolkit. It means a lot to me.
Well, I hope it doesn't.
You're right. It doesn't.
Good.
As the small patrol reached the border and began to freshen the scent markers, Screechpaw found her mind slipping into random thoughts while she went about the monotonous and repetitive actions. She thought about her siblings, Whiskerpaw and Shinepaw, and their progress with training. She thought of Batpaw and how well he'd been doing ever since the death of his sister. She thought of Spikepaw, one of her best friends, and how she wished she could see more of him.
But mostly, she thought of Wolfpaw and Ruffleslash, her two favorite toms in the world. They were always there for her, through thick and thin, through the hard times and the easy times, as few of those as there were. She didn't know what she'd do without them.
But they were also the two most confusing toms that she knew. Well, Ruffleslash was more so than Wolfpaw, but they both had their confusing qualities about them. Screechpaw knew that Wolfpaw liked her, and she liked him, too, but Ruffleslash was harder to figure out. Screechpaw had no idea as to whether or not he liked her as anything more than just an apprentice; he didn't seem to be giving her any clear signs. Some days, she was sure that he liked her, but then it would be less obvious the next day. He was like the ever-changing weather; clear one day, to the point and viewable, then dark and stormy in the next moment, unable to be deciphered by even the most capable of individuals. He was ever changing, never constant or reliable in the slightest.
And Screechpaw wasn't sure what she wanted him to be or what she wanted him to think. Whenever she caught herself thinking of him, she slapped herself and said that she was being silly. He didn't like her, not in that way, at least. Why get her hopes up when they'd just come plummeting down like Skyheart had said? If Ruffleslash didn't like her, then having any sort of feelings for him would only end up with Screechpaw getting hurt in the long run.
Besides, she had Wolfpaw, the cat who treasured her despite her thousand flaws. Why would she need anyone else when she had him? He was perfect, amazing, everything she could hope for. Yes, he was the one she wanted.
…But that thought still wasn't enough to banish all thoughts of Ruffleslash from her stubborn and immovable heart. She cursed it for being so resolute and unchanging. Oh, how she wished it wasn't so resolute and unchanging. If only her logical skull could persuade her foolish heart to give up its idiotic ways and see reason.
And when she asked herself the question of which tom she'd pick was she given the option… well, she chose not to think about it. She banished the thought from her mind, not because she was afraid of the answer, but because she couldn't come up with an answer. She just couldn't.
Shaking her head to clear it of the troublesome thoughts, she bounded ahead to catch up with the other ThunderClan cats, coming to pad next to Skyheart. The she-cat growled under her breath in exasperation when she saw her temporary apprentice, rolling her eyes and looking forward in annoyance.
Hey, I don't want to be here, either, Screechpaw thought.
The four cats were minding their own business, freshening up one of the scent markers, when Screechpaw noticed a pair of eyes staring out at them from the other side of the border. When she made eye contact with them, they narrowed threateningly, the owner of the eyes stepping out of the shadows.
It was Rustclaw, the ShadowClan deputy. Screechpaw had met him only once before, while she was on a different border patrol, and it had ended with him storming off in a rage because of what she'd said. Screechpaw swallowed nervously; hopefully the brown tabby wouldn't remember her.
Cardinaltail was the first to notice the deputy. He turned to him, cautiously taking a step forward. "Rustclaw," he meowed in greeting, dipping his head.
"Cut the formalities," the tom snarled. "What are you ThunderClan scum doing?"
"Just checking the borders," Cardinaltail replied, flicking his tail in irritation. "We haven't crossed into your territory or done anything wrong."
"How would I know that?" Rustclaw growled, flexing his claws. "You could have gone across the border a while back, while I wasn't here. I wouldn't put it past you to do something so low."
Shimmersoar stepped forward. "What reason would we have to do that exactly?"
"Oh, you know, what with the rising tensions between you and WindClan, you could've decided to expand your territory on the other side of your land," Rustclaw meowed. "That way you'd still have some extra in case WindClan took some of yours."
"Well, excuse me for saying so oh high and mighty deputy," Skyheart snarled, rolling her eyes as she spat out the sarcastic words. "But that is some of the stupidest reasoning I've ever heard."
Rustclaw smiled, tilting his head to the side. "Oh really?"
Skyheart puffed out an unbelieving breath. "Uh, yeah. 'You'd still have some extra in case blah blah blah blah,'" she mimicked. "Is that the best reasoning you could come up with?"
Rustclaw shrugged. "It made sense to me."
Skyheart laughed. "Ha! Well I don't believe it. That sounds like a load of fox dung to me. Are you really so naïve to think we'd buy that?"
Her words earned her a growl of warning from Cardinaltail, whose eyes shone with cautiousness. Skyheart just waved her tail at him.
Despite her hatred for Skyheart, Screechpaw couldn't help but be impressed with how she was acting. Yes, it was stupid and egotistical of her to take on the deputy of ShadowClan, but there was something inspiring and awing about the way she fearlessly yelled at him.
Skyheart flicked her ears in disgust. "It seems to me like you just want to fight, huh? But you needed a reason so you came up with that pathetic excuse. Well, sorry to burst your bubble, but even if that reason was enough to provoke us, we'd win. It's four on one. Use your brain! That wouldn't even be a fight."
Skyheart smirked, whipping her tail around in contempt and sureness of her position. She glared across at Rustclaw, who sat with a smug grin on his face.
"Well," he mewed smoothly. "You're right about one thing. I do want a fight."
At those words, several ShadowClan warriors bounded from the darkness of the territory, leaping at the ThunderClan warriors head on. The four cats yowled in surprise, falling back slightly as their enemies bombarded them.
Screechpaw found herself fighting a black tom with a silver forepaw, Clawpelt. He snarled at her menacingly, swiping a paw at her head. She ducked in the nick of time, dropping her head and thrusting it at him. It hit him squarely in the chest, sending him stumbling backwards slightly. Seizing the opportunity, Screechpaw sprung at him, but Clawpelt dodged, shoving her sideways with his forepaws as she flew past him, causing her to tumble over in the underbrush.
Getting to her paws, Screechpaw faced the tom again, preparing herself to launch forward. But the ShadowClan warrior did it first, jumping at her so quickly that she didn't have time to react. They bowled over, hissing and scratching all the way. As they skidded to a halt, Clawpelt ended up on top, digging his claws into her shoulders and haunches. He scraped them down her back, leaving the apprentice to squirm and yowl in agony.
With a burst of energy, Screechpaw heaved upward, throwing the tom off of her. She ignored the blood running off her pelt, instead turning to see what shape her clanmates were in. From what she could see, they were outnumbered five to four. Cardinaltail and Shimmersoar had their backs pressed up against each other's, striking out at the three cats they were taking on together. Though they were clearly exhausted, it seemed like they were winning. Skyheart fought Rustclaw just a little bit past them. She had a nasty scratch on her left shoulder but other than that, she seemed unscathed. It surprised Screechpaw that she actually seemed to be winning the fight against the ShadowClan deputy.
Screechpaw had run out of time to watch her clanmates. Clawpelt was on his paws again, a snarl plastered on his outraged face. The look he gave Screechpaw sent a shiver down her spine; he looked done with her, as if he'd had enough of the apprentice. He was a warrior and he'd be darned if he lost to anyone younger than him.
With a yowl of anger, he sprang at Screechpaw, flinging out a paw at the last moment and catching her on the side of the head. She shrieked in pain as a wave of blood washed over her eyes, forcing her vision to focus solely on the color of red. She didn't have enough time to blink her eyes clear because in the next moment, she was being thrown against a tree. Her back smashed against the trunk, sending a shot of pain through her body as she fell to the ground.
Wiping the blood from her face with her paw, Screechpaw was able to see the fuming form of Clawpelt as he ran at her yet again. Panicked, the silver and black apprentice was barely able to put up her paws in defense as the tom struck out at her again, bringing down his forepaws with all of his weight. They fell down on her chest, knocking any wind that was left in her from her lungs.
Get up! she urged herself.
Screechpaw tried to get to her paws, but she was only shoved down again by a purring Clawpelt, resentment glinting in his eyes. With the speed of a WindClan cat, he spun on his forepaws and kicked at Screechpaw's face with his hind legs as he balanced expertly. The apprentice let out a squeak of pain as his paws connected with her jaw, sending a jolt of agonizing pain through her face.
As Screechpaw looked up again, just past the form of her adversary, she caught sight of her "mentor." Rustclaw had left her, either having been defeated or gone to fight someone else, but either way, she was alone now. Skyheart saw Screechpaw, saw the desperate pleading in her eyes for help, saw the blood spurting from the wound on her head…
…and all she did was smile. She grinned at the sight of Screechpaw being in such bad shape, up against a much more skilled warrior. She was losing badly, injured terribly, and clearly needed help, but Skyheart wasn't going to help her. Not even a little bit. Instead, she turned away and ran to help Shimmersoar and Cardinaltail.
Leaving Screechpaw to fight alone.
. . . ….. . . .
Screechpaw stumbled into camp, wiping away more blood from her head as she looked around wildly. The three other cats from the patrol had padded into camp ahead of her and had already made their way to the medicine cat's den, now sitting inside and being treated before her even though her injuries were worse.
In the long run, they'd "won" the battle because Rustclaw had ordered his warriors to retreat, but Screechpaw had most definitely lost her fight with Clawpelt. He'd purred as he bounded away from her, thinking her a weak and pathetic ThunderClan cat. Screechpaw couldn't really blame him for thinking that, though. She had done pretty badly.
The sight of Ruffleslash hurrying towards her sent a rush of relief flowing through Screechpaw. "Screechpaw!" he exclaimed, emerald eyes widening as he took in her state. "What happened? Are you okay? You look terrible, let's get you to Wingfeather."
"I'm fine, honestly," Screechpaw consoled. "It's just my head, really." Lies.
"I'm sorry," Ruffleslash mewed. "Ugh, I should've been there to help you! I'm going to talk to Blazestar right now so that I can resume being your men—"
"No, Ruffleslash, you need your rest," Screechpaw reasoned. "I'll be fine once Wingfeather puts some bandages on my head. And you need to get better."
His shoulders slumped slightly. "You sure?"
"Yes."
He puffed out a breath. "Alright. Fine. If you're sure."
Screechpaw bit her lip, chewing on it slightly. "I did, er, want to say something else though…."
Ruffleslash's ears perked up. "What?"
Screechpaw looked at the ground. "When I was fighting, I was up against this ShadowClan warrior, right? He was much better than me and was totally winning and I really needed help, anyone could see it. And Skyheart did. But she didn't do anything. She just smiled and walked away."
Ruffleslash frowned. "Really?"
"Yeah."
"You sure you weren't imagining it?"
Screechpaw blinked in surprise. "Y-yeah. She just ignored me. Do you think there's any way I could get a different substitute mentor?"
Ruffleslash sighed. "No, I don't think so. Look, I know you don't like her, but I'm sure even she's reasonable enough to help someone in need. Your eyes were probably playing tricks on you or something."
Screechpaw narrowed her eyes. "Wha—no, Ruffleslash, I know what I saw. I know that she just left me to deal with Clawpelt all by myself, knowing fully that I wasn't going to start doing any better. I really don't want to have to be her apprentice for the next few days—"
"Aspenpaw," Ruffleslash meowed. "You were in the heat of the battle. You couldn't see things clearly – literally. I'm sure you're just imagining things, okay? So just, I don't know, put up with her for the next quarter moon and stop complaining. I'm sure she's not as bad as she seems. So leave it alone, okay? Please."
Screechpaw narrowed her eyes again, angry that her mentor refused to see reason, but she nodded stiffly.
"Good." Ruffleslash sighed, visibly relaxing. "Now let's get you to Wingfeather."
Screechpaw couldn't help but feel frustrated as she followed the dark ginger tom to the medicine cat's den, whipping her tail behind her angrily as she went.
Ugh. He doesn't know what he's talking about.
Yet as she disappeared into the den and was overtaken by the various scents of the herbs, she was able to console herself with a single thought, the thought that steadied her heart and brought peace to her mind:
It'll all be over soon. Soon, Ruffleslash will be my mentor again.
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Author's Note Thing
2676 words. Nice :P
BIG NEWS: I got an Instagram for fan fiction! My username is Whisperblaze_luvs_eikko so PLEASE be sure to go and follow and stuff! Yeah, you guys are the best!
Again, I'll be updating as much as I possibly can for the next few days in apology for how stupid I am. Really, you guys, I am sorry. Don't hate me, I love you!
At the end of my updating streak thing, I AM going to be going back to wanting a lot of reviews for an update, like more than the normal 30-40 amount this time around because of the amount of chapters that will have been posted, so yeah, still be sure to review and stuff.
DON'T FORGET TO GO AND VOTE ON THE POLL ON MY PROFILE PAGE!
QOTDT1) what would be a good warrior name for Screechpaw/Aspenpaw? (I already have the names chosen, but if there is one I like better, I will use that one instead!)
QOTDT2) If you could choose one of these characters to die (Ruffleslash/Wolfpaw/Screechpaw), who would you kill and how? IT HAS TO BE ONE OF THESE CHARACTERS!
QOTDT3) If you could choose one of these characters to turn evil (Ruffleslash/Wolfpaw/Screechpaw) who would it be and what would they do? IT HAS TO BE ONE OF THESE CHARACTERS!
Ok thanks you guys! I'm sorry again! I'll try to update again tomorrow! I love you! Bye!