"I'm gonna fail, I'm gonna fail, I'm gonna fail."
You're pacing back and forth. You've been doing that for quite some time. You're nervous. You are very nervous. Today is your assessment. If you pass, you become a warrior. If you fail...
You stop your thoughts. You'd rather not be an apprentice for another moon. This will be your fourth time taking this test. Your littermates have been warriors for a few moons now, and you're still Lil' Brownpaw.
You sigh. Ever since you were a kit, your brothers called you Lil' Brown. You were the oddball, after all. Still are. You were born the bright brown of your mother. Your brothers are the deep grey of your father. You wish that you could turn grey, but that'll never happen.
"Lil' Brown!"
You look up to see your brothers heading towards you. You think that they're going to make fun of you again.
"Hey, good luck on your assessment," says Stormclaw with a smirk.
"Yeah, good luck, little sister," Greyheart pipes up.
"Whatever," you mumble. "I'm the same age as you," you add before your brothers can say anything.
"Of course you are," Stormclaw says. "But until you're a warrior, you get to be the little sister.
You roll your eyes.
"But that won't be for another fifty moons, will it? What with you jinxing yourself all the time."
"Jinxing?" It's a stupid question for a stupid word. You doubt it's even a real word. They're just making fun of you, but you're much too curious to let this pass over.
"Yeah, it's a curse. It gives you bad luck," Greyheart says.
You nod. You don't want to believe it, but it makes sense. You're a great hunter, but during the assessments you always miss the prey or there is no prey. "How do I break a jinx?"
"You can't." Stormclaw purrs. "You'll just be an apprentice until you die."
Until you die... Until you die... Until I die... You shake your head. You can't let that happen. Maybe if you just talk to Cloudstar, she'll understand. You hope so. You start heading towards the leader's den, but Greyheart stops you.
"You can't tell anyone about the jinx, or they'll die," he says.
You widen your eyes. "But-"
"That's not entirely true," interrupts Stormclaw. "Family can know because there's a blood bond. That's just how it works."
"But-"
"Hey, you two!" a voice calls out. A sudden black blur appears, sending dust and dirt flying. You cough loudly, and once the dusty cloud disappears, you see Darkflame. She's smiling at your brothers, more specifically Stormclaw. "Stop harassing your sister, guys. Otterpelt says we're going on a hunting patrol." She sends a glance towards you and smirks, as if she is your savior from StarClan.
"We're just giving Lil' Brown some moral support. She has an assessment today." Stormclaw swipes a paw over your ear and you hiss loudly. "Calm down, 'paw," she says with a chuckle. "With a hiss like that they'll make your warrior name Brownsnake." He laughs loudly.
You're just about to tackle him to the ground when Darkflame clears her throat. "As much as I'd love to see Stormclaw get the snot beat out of him, we should really be going. Otterpelt is waiting."
"Wait, he's coming with us?" Greyheart sounds disappointed, almost scared. He doesn't wait for an answer. "Let's go!"
The three warriors dash away, sending dirt flying into your face. You sneeze and then groan, realizing that your coat is covered in dust. You shake your pelt clean. You watch the warriors leave with Otterpelt, Darkflame and Stormclaw sending echoes of laughter your way. When they're tails disappear, you start heading towards Cloudstar's den. You plan on telling her all about your brothers' stupid prank.
You stop right outside the den, peeking inside. "Cloudstar?"
Your fur bristles as a sudden shriek pierces the air. Your about to run when a shaggy white ball of fur rolls out from the den. When you realized what just happened, you roll your eyes. "Real mature."
Cloudstar unrolls from her tight ball and giggles madly. "You're so gullible! It's quite cute, actually, in that you-look-like-a-kit sort of way."
"Uh huh... Anyways, I'm here on a serious matter."
"Oh boo. That's no fun at all." She's pouting, and you roll your eyes. The leader sees, of course, and tries to act offended. "Just because I'm a leader doesn't mean I have to be serious about everything!"
"I'll never understand why Fernstar chose you as a deputy," you mutter. "Anyways, I'm being super ultra mega serious at this moment of time, so just listen!"
"'Kay, I'm listening." Cloudstar sits, ears perked.
You take a deep breath, and suddenly the words start pouring out. "Okay, well Stormclaw and Greyheart told me about this thing that gives me bad luck or whatever but I don't believe them but they kept trying to convince me because I've failed my assessment so many times even though I'm totally a great hunter and a decent fighter but I always fail so they told me that I was cursed and they don't know why or how and I don't want to believe them but it explains a lot and you have got to help either convince me that's it's not real or that it is real and that you can break it you have to help me Cloudstar I want to be a warrior so badly please help and we can break this thing together if it's real and if it isn't then you can help me with my assessment and-"
"Woah, slow down tiger." In the midst of your jumbled mess of words, Cloudstar's fur became frazzled and her eyes were wide. "Now, tell me about this curse thing."
"Okay, well, it gives me bad luck, and supposedly you can only tell someone of your blood but you're practically my sister and you're my leader so I wanted to tell you. It's called... Oh foxdung what is it called? Jim... Gin... Jean... Uh... Jinx! It's called a jinx!" You smile because you're proud that you remembered, but your smile fades when you see Cloudstar's face. Her eyes are wide. You can tell she's scared. "Cloudstar, you okay?"
"NO!" she screeches. She jumps to her paws. She's shaking and her fur is standing, making her look twice her size. "You can't tell others about jinxes, you idiot!"
"Wait, they're real?" You shake your head in disbelief, but the she-cat is still shaking, so you can tell she's not joking.
"As real as you and me," she hisses. "They told you what happens when you tell someone about a jinx, right?"
"You mean my brothers? Yeah, they told me that whoever I tell will d-" You stop abruptly. "Oh my StarClan no." You are an idiot. The biggest idiot! Cloudstar is going to die and it's all your fault. You want to do something, anything, to save her. "I'm so sorry, Cloudstar. I thought it was just a joke."
"No, it's not a joke, and I am now screwed." Cloudstar sighs. "I would tell the Clan, but I don't want to risk the Clan's death. Otterpelt is a good warrior, and he'll make an even better leader."
"Don't say that," you beg. "Don't say that. I'll fix this, I promise. I'll figure out how to break the jinx and you'll live and I'll live and-"
"Cloudstar!" Stormclaw burst in suddenly. "Otterpelt is d-dead!"
Your eyes widen. "Did you tell him about the thing?"
"No, of course not! Greyheart did," he says and you sigh.
"Does Darkflame know about the jinx?" you ask. Your brother looks shocked that you even mentioned the jinx. Or maybe he's dumbfounded at the idea that Darkflame would ever know about the jinx and then die. You can't tell. He shakes his head and with sigh with relief. "We need to figure out how to break this thing and fast."
Stormclaw looks at Cloudstar. "Does she-?"
"Yes," you say quickly. "That's why we need to break the jinx. We need to think and plan and Cloudstar needs to choose a new deputy."
The white leader nods and exits the den. You can hear her call to the Clan, her voice echoing loudly in the den. Your brother leads you outside and you gather around Otterpelt's body. You guess that Greyheart and Darkflame brought him back themselves. "As most of you may know, Otterpelt is dead. He was an amazing deputy, and I mourn his loss. However, a new deputy must be picked, as is tradition." Her eyes scan the crowd, stopping on you. If you were a warrior, you would have become warrior at that instant. You can tell. "The new deputy is Stormclaw."
Your brother stiffens next to you, most likely from shock. Even you are shocked. You're brother is deputy now! You're happy for him, but you can't believe that Cloudstar would choose him. You mentally argue with yourself, trying to decide if Stormclaw would make a good leader in the future or not. So lost in your thoughts, you completely miss your brother leaving your side and becoming the new deputy. You cheer for him, the first to make a sound. You try to smile, but your thoughts are soon lost again.
You aren't sure how to break the jinx. Cloudstar doesn't know and your brothers don't know. You're stressing out, but soon you are pulled out of your thoughts. Cloudstar and Stormclaw are looking at you intently. "Brownpaw, did you hear us?"
"Huh?"
"Time for your assessment," Stormclaw says matter-of-factly.
"Oh." At this point, you aren't stressed about the test. Compared to the jinx, it's like the test is nothing. You're still thinking about how to break the jinx and save Cloudstar's life. You let the two cats lead you out of camp and to a clearing. It's time for your hunting test. Usually, you'd be freaking out, but you're so lost in your thoughts that you don't even think about it when you miss a squirrel and then a mouse, then a thrush, then another squirrel. It doesn't matter to you at this point. It's nothing.
You wander away, hoping that you can make up for your losses by fishing. The river is rushing loud, and the clear, sparkling water clears your head. You peek inside, and suddenly a thought comes to you. You know how to break the jinx. Without a second thought, you crouch. You hear a loud scream, but you aren't sure if it's from you or not. Maybe it's you, because you jumped into the river. Maybe it's you, because your lungs are screaming for air. Maybe it's you, because you are sinking fast. Maybe it's you, because your vision has turned black. Maybe it's not you, cause your vision is red and white.
You're awake immediately. You broke the jinx and you smile with glee. You look around eagerly for Cloudstar, ready to tell her that she will live and that you are ready to be a warrior, but she's not there. You look for Stormclaw, but he's not there either. You frown. Maybe they abandoned you because they know that you never pass your assessment. You shrug and begin to wander around.
The scenery is more beautiful than usual. The sun seems brighter, the birdsong seems sweeter, and the grass seems greener. It's amazing, but you wonder why it looks that way.
You're still walking when you hit your head on something soft yet firm. You look up to see a large brown figure. You are in awe, even when you realize who it is. "Dad?" As soon as you utter that one word, you know you died. You know that you drowned yourself to save Cloudstar. You just hope that the leader is still okay.
"You are wanted," he says, leading you towards a bright meadow. There are other cats. You recognize Otterpelt and Ferstar immediately. You are about to greet them when a voice calls your name.
"Cloudstar?" You see the white cat running towards you with a pleased look on her face. You frown. "I- but I... But... No." You thought you saved her. A scream pierces the air and you realize that you weren't the one who yelled, it was her. "I'm so sorry. I thought I saved you but I didn't and I'm so sorry, so very very sorry, and-"
"It's okay, dearie. Just a part of life and what-not." Cloudstar smiles. "Now come on, we're expecting someone. Get into formation!"
Cloudstar leads you to the group of cats, your father right behind you, and fits you into a circle around a patch of flowers. "Now we wait. You're first."
"For what?" you ask, but you already know. Everything enters your mind at once, and suddenly a bright light appears. You don't flinch. You wait calmly for the light to disappear. You smile when you see your brother. You don't listen to the introductions that Skystar makes, but when he steps back, you step forward immediately.
"Lil' Brown..." Stormclaw looks surprised to see you. They must not have found your body. "I didn't know..."
You smile. "Dear brother, with this life I give you love. Use it to keep your Clan together as a family with love forever."
AN- I haven't written in forever oops.
but omFG THIS ONE-SHOT IS OVER 2K WORDS ASUIDGHAUsfhGHSDhsrtg23hgwrtje5GREG5