Chapter 13

Buzzardpaw awoke in the dark forest, the scent of soggy moss and musky mushrooms filling his nostrils. Rising to his paws, he winced slightly, lifting his injured food above the ground. Moments later, Eaglepaw appeared next to him, looking exhausted.

"Are you alright?" Buzzardpaw asked, blinking at the tom. His eyes were dark with fatigue, and clumps of dust and mud riddled his thick pelt. He definitely seemed out of it, and Buzzardpaw was afraid he wouldn't answer him like the previous night.

To Buzzardpaw's surprise, the ShadowClan apprentice lifted his head, his eyes thoughtful. "I'm fine, just a busy day that's all." He paused for a moment, his whiskers twitching. "Silkyspark passed while kitting."

"I'm sorry for your loss." Buzzardpaw mewed, tilting his head sympathetic. He could tell that Eaglepaw was trying to keep up a brave face and was truly affected by the death of his clanmate, though he wouldn't show it. He wanted to comfort the tom, but didnt feel that it was appropriate.

Eaglepaw shook his head. "It's fine. I'm actually glad I was sent here tonight. I needed something- anything to keep my mind occupied."

Buzzarpaw dipped his head in understanding. Moments later, Darkendstreak materialized in front of them, black sparks whizzing around her pelt. She looked at the apprentices, her pelt ruffled slightly. Something flashed in her eyes as she looked at Buzzardpaw's foot. She glared for a second then shook her head, as if something told her to snap out of it. Blinking a few times, she lifted her gaze to Buzzardpaw's, her voice low.

"I've… decided that we will be doing a less rigorous training regimen tonight." The she-cat sounded unconvinced and almost, fearful as she said this. BUzzardpaw tilted his head, then glanced at Eaglepaw, who looked equally confused. Why is she acting so strangely? She cleared her throat and continued speaking. "We'll do water training tonight."

"Water training?" Buzzardpaw wondered aloud. "Like swimming/"

"Yes." Darkendstreak hissed, her usual irritated voice slowly coming out. "I can't have you just sitting around all night, now can I?" Before Buzzardpaw could reply, she headed off, her tail lashing behind her. "Come on now."

Buzzardpaw hobbled after the she-cat, and Eaglepaw padded next to him, keeping pace with his limping. Buzzardpaw felt his chest fill with gratitude at the gesture. Though Eaglepaw can seem distant and cocky, he's a pretty nice cat.

After a while, the three cats emerged in a small clearing, dark trees and bushes aligning the space. Ahead, an odd squishing sound could be heard. Peering through the trees, Buzzardpaw saw a few cats training along the edge of a river, though the thick black liquid could barely be described as water. Buzzardpaw wrinkled his nose at the foul smell coming from the thick sludge. The three burst through the undergrowth, the smell becoming stronger.

"Ugh, that smell is horrendous." Eaglepaw whispered beside him, earning a small nod from Buzzardpaw. The stench was almost unbearable, and Buzzardpaw felt like he would throw up from the smell alone. Padding up to the "river's" edge, he hissed as a bubble of sludge splashed onto his paw, coating his foot in the disgusting odor. He heard a loud snickering behind him.

"Aww, is the kit afraid of the water?" The voice sneered, malice dripping through each word. Buzzardpaw whipped his head around to come face to face with a sturdy brown and white tom. Spottedpaw! The RiverClan tom sneered at him, his pupils narrowed to slits. Buzzardpaw scoffed, trying to move past him. Spottedpaw blocked his way, pointing to his paw. "What happened there?"

"None of your business." Buzzardpaw grunted, pushing his way past the tom. Spottedpaw smacked his injured foot as he passed, making BUzzardpaw hiss in pain. He opened his mouth to say something, but Spottedpaw was called away by a tom standing a few tail lengths away. Buzzardpaw turned his attention towards Eaglepaw, who was watching Spottedpaw intensely.

"Alright you two," Darkenedstreak was saying, "Tonight we'll be working on swimming. The water here is much thicker than the water in the waking world, so it provides a much greater challenge." She padded to the edge of the bank, dipping her paw into the thick sludge. Her paw came back out black and slimy, making Buzzardpaw scrunch up his nose. "Buzzardpaw, you shouldn't have to worry about your paw. The water is so thick, it should take all of the pressure off of your injury." She beckoned with her tail for the two to join her at the edge, which the toms reluctantly did. Eaglepaw slid in first, barely keeping his head above the thick muck. Buzzardpaw jumped in afterwards, regretting his decision immediately.

Thick black sludge shot into the air as he crashed into the slimy surface, coating the cats standing by the bank. Buzzardpaw could barely hear their hisses of annoyance as he sunk into the muck, the water oozing into his ears and nostrils. Coughing, Buzzardpaw flailed his paws around, finally managing to bring his head to the surface. Darkendstreak was looking at him with an annoyed expression, and Eaglepaw had floated a bit further down the river to get away from his splash. Buzzardpaw felt his ears grow hot with embarrassment as he stared at his mentor, who was covered in the black sludge. Oops!

Darkenedstreak made the toms swim through the sludge for a while, instructing them on how to stay afloat and avoid getting the goop in their noses. Buzzardpaw began to grow tired, his muscles overworked from pushing through the thick liquid. The sludge burbled around him, making him groan inwardly. It's like trying to swim through a group of cats. And ugh, it'll take forever for me to get rid of this smell!

Buzzardpaw watched as Spottedpaw slid into the water, his brown belt immediately getting dirtied by the thick sludge. The tom thrashed his paws strongly through the water, though Buzzardpaw saw the apprentice struggle to keep his head above the sticky muck. Even RiverClan cats struggle to swim through this mess! Buzzardpaw lost track of Spottedpaw as he turned his head to Darkendstreak, who was speaking with a black tom. Buzzardpaw sighed inwardly. When can we come out? My paws feel like they're going to fall off! He glanced at Eaglepaw who was swimming a few tail lengths away, looking as annoyed as he was.

"Isn't it fun to be a RiverClan cat?" Buzzardpaw mewed sarcastically.

"Amazing." Eaglepaw responded, rolling his eyes in annoyance. "I feel my paws turning into fish fins already!"

Buzzardpaw's mrrow of laughter was cut off by Darkenedstreak, who had paused her conversation with the black tom to glare at them. Her tail lashed angrily.

"Hey you two!" She growled. "Less chit chat and more swimming! This ain't a Gathering!"

Eaglepaw stuck his tongue out at her after she turned away, crossing his eyes to make a funny face. "lEsS cHiT cHaT aNd MoRe SwImMiNg." The ShadowClan apprentice mocked, trying to imitate her voice.

Buzzardpaw snickered with laughter as he watched the tom. He opened his mouth to say something to him, but was cut off by a heavy weight crashing into him and pushing him beneath the water.

Buzzardpaw coughed as the thick murky sludge rushed into his nose and mouth, the scent and denseness of it confusing his senses. He felt the heavy weight on his back push him down further, his face colliding with the solid bottom of the river. Buzzardpaw tried to lash out against the weight, his chest tightening with fear. More of the muck rushed into his mouth as he tried to scream, choking him and making him feel light headed. The water was too thick to see through, and the sound of the goop roaring around his ears confused his senses. Which way is up? I can't breathe!

Buzzardpaw grew dizzier and dizzier each heartbeat he spent underneath the surface, the disgusting sludge rushing down his throat. His thrashes grew weaker and his mind grew fuzzier, his eyes rolling to the back of his head. This is it… I can't escape… In a last desperate attempt to free himself, Buzzardpaw struck his claws against the weight, momentarily feeling it lift off of him, but shortly crashing back down. A cat was pinning him down intentionally and they were definitely trying to kill him. Buzzardpaw felt his senses grow even fuzzier, Buzzardpaw finally accepted his defeat, his head falling to the sandy ground. I'm sorry everyone. I've failed you.

Suddenly, the weight was lifted off of him and the water churned around him faster. Buzzardpaw weakly tried to find his way to the surface, but a hard paw crashed into his face, sending him back to the river's floor. His body thudded against the sandy bottom, his body falling limp. Miraculously, Buzzardpaw felt teeth clamp around his scruff and drag him upwards. Once he broke the surface Buzzardpaw gasped for air, his breaths coming out in ragged coughs. Weakly opening his eyes, he blinked at Darkendstreak who had placed him onto the ground, thrumming her paws against his chest. The black warrior she was speaking with earlier looked on in shock, his amber eyes flashing with fear. Buzzardpaw's throat burned as he vomited the black sludge, the thick liquid staining chest and paws. Darkendstreak stopped pumping his chest, a relieved expression in her eyes.

Buzzardpaw weakly turned his head back to the water, shocked to see Eaglepaw and Spottedpaw fighting viciously. Spottedpaw had a long gash on his head and his ears were shredded, and Eaglepaw barely looked affected, his eyes blazing with fury. The sludge around the apprentices turned red, the crimson ominously mixing with the black muck. It was obvious that the ShadowClan apprentice was winning the fight, and with a yowl of fear, Spottedpaw leapt onto the river bank and dashed away deeper into the forest, his tail tucked between his legs. Eaglepaw slowly climbed out after him, crouching next to Buzzardpaw with wide eyes.

"I'll never let him hurt you again, ever." The tom mewed, thick clumps of goop falling from his pelt and splashing onto the floor. "I'll always protect you Buzzardpaw, you don't have to worry."

Buzzardpaw gave Eaglepaw a small smile, slowly regaining control over his body. He opened his mouth to thank him, but a torrent of sludge poured out, making him shudder. Darkendstreak looked on, whipping his head towards the black warrior.

"You need to better discipline your apprentice, Toadstalk." She hissed in his face, her tail lashing. The tom modded fearfully, dashing in the direction that spotted paw had run. Darkendstreak grunted, padding closer to the two apprentices. She looked down at Buzzardpaw, her eyes flashing with sympathy and something else. Is that… fear? But what could Darkendstreak of all cats be afraid of? His thoughts were interrupted by the she-cat's voice. "I think it's obvious that tonight's training is over." Her body began to fade, and Buzzardpaw closed his eyes. "StarClan, I'm going to be in so much trouble." He heard her voice mumble right before she had disappeared completely.

Buzzardpaw opened his eyes to the apprentice's den, moonlight streaming in through the entrance. His body ached, and sludge dripped from his pelt into his nest, but he couldn't shake off a nagging question.

Why would Darkenedstreak be in trouble?