Um, hello! This update came much earlier than expected, I guess I just wanted to write... But, um, yeah! Here we are with Blackpaw.. Also, what did you think about Mistshade and her friend's warrior names? I hope that they worked.
"Really? You brought an innocent apprentice to camp? Applestar, please. Her ancestors may be here, but she's a Streamclan cat."
Blackpaw's head swam, and her wounds stung more than ever. She squinted open her eyes, and her surroundings swam around her. Where am I? Suddenly the battle flooded back to her, and she remembered what had happened.
No… no no no… I have to get home! She staggered to her paws, and noticed that she was in a small den, the walls feeling enclosing and trapping her. I have to leave. I must be in Poppyclan's camp. Why am I here?
"Actually, she's not exactly innocent. Kestrelvine is in the medicine den because of her, is she not?"
Two cats were outside the den, one of them Applestar, the other one a light blue-gray tom, a look of exasperation on his face. A long wound traced from just below his eye to his chin, and was still trickling blood which dripped onto the ground, staining the earth. Frostlight. The Poppyclan medicine cat. Blackpaw recognized him from Gatherings, but she wondered where he got that wound.
He wasn't fighting… so what happened?
He glanced at her. "Ah, you're awake. I thought Applestar might've killed you by accident."
"Of course I didn't kill her." Applestar snapped back, taking a step towards Blackpaw. Blackpaw hissed defensively, her shadows coming back immediately. "Don't touch me."
Frostlight looked faintly surprised. "There they are. She uses them quite similarly to how Darkstar used to, I mean, before Darkstar got good with them."
"How do you know that?" Applestar gave him a confused glance.
Frostlight shrugged, another drop of blood falling to the ground from the movement. He winced. Why doesn't he go heal it? He's a medicine cat, after all. Applestar took another cautious step towards Blackpaw, and Blackpaw felt herself getting backed into the corner of the den.
You're the more powerful one here, aren't you? No, you're not, because these shadows don't work on stupid Applestar.
"Why did you bring me here?" "Because, this is where you belong." Applestar mewed calmly. "You're Darkstar's descendant, your power is Poppyclan's power."
"This isn't where I belong." Blackpaw spat back. "Streamclan is my home. It might have been Poppyclan's power originally, but somehow it got in Streamclan, so it's Streamclan's now."
Frostlight shrugged again. "She's right."
"Shut up, you." Applestar turned to face him. "When will you learn to keep your mouth shut?"
Frostlight glared back, fury smoldering in his wintry blue eyes, and Blackpaw had a sneaking suspicion where and why he had gotten that wound.
And if I guessed right, that's terrible. I kind of feel bad for him, actually…
Frostlight stalked off towards his den, hissing insults under his breath. Applestar watched him go, her eyes narrowed. "Stupid medicine cat."
"He's your medicine cat." Blackpaw pointed out, surprised. "Shouldn't you listen to him?"
Stormstar always listens to Mintsong and Dustwing… A pang of homesickness hit her as she thought about the sheltered hollow where her home was. They were probably recovering from the battle, cats were getting healed, Copperpaw…
Blackpaw wanted to sob. I miss him so much already. Though they had trained separately often, they were so close, and Blackpaw felt that a piece of her was missing when he wasn't there. I'll see you soon, I promise. I hope that you're a warrior. I hope that you'll be with Thawtail. Please, Copperpaw, just wait for me. I'll be there as soon as I can figure out how to escape.
Applestar padded back to her den, leaving Blackpaw alone in the small den. She padded cautiously up to the entrance and peeked out, surveying the camp. It was quite similar to Streamclan's camp, with a clearing in the center and the dens near the edge of the camp. The leader's den was in a hollow log, and Blackpaw was surprised to see how dark it was in the camp, with the trees casting dark shadows. It is kind of nice, though.
"You go say hi!" A whisper came from nearby, and Blackpaw turned to see two apprentices about her age standing a little ways away, casting cautious glances at her.
"No, you go!" One of the apprentices whispered back. "I don't want to get hurt by those shadows! She nearly killed Kestrelvine, I saw it happen!"
Blackpaw felt a flash of fear. I almost killed a cat? I didn't know that… "I won't hurt you, I promise." She called softly.
"I didn't mean to almost kill anyone, but you guys were attacking my camp."
The two apprentices spun to face her, embarrassment written clearly across both of their faces.
"Oh, sorry about my brother." The brown tabby she-cat mewed. "I'm Fernpaw."
"I'm Sootpaw." The black tom said stiffly, his yellow eyes suspicious.
"I'm Blackpaw." Blackpaw introduced herself.
"We know." Fernpaw mewed. "You're the cat with Darkstar's power, aren't you?"
"Um, yeah." Blackpaw looked at her paws. I kind of wish that I didn't have that power now.
"I was at the battle last night." Sootpaw mewed proudly. "I saw you fight." He turned to face Fernpaw. "It was scary."
"Oh, um, sorry." Blackpaw mewed apologetically.
Sootpaw shrugged. "It's fine. We still won."
"Sootpaw!" Fernpaw hit her brother over the head. "That's not very nice at all! Why did you say that?"
"Sorry." Sootpaw muttered, rubbing his head and glaring at Fernpaw.
"Don't mind him." Fernpaw rolled her eyes. "Doesn't have a filter. He can't tell when something shouldn't be said. Do you have any littermates?"
Blackpaw felt another pang of homesickness. "Um, yes, my brother Copperpaw. We were about to become warriors, actually, before-" her voice broke off. "Well, um, before this. He'll probably become one without me."
Fernpaw and Sootpaw exchanged glances. "I- um…" Sootpaw started. "Maybe I can try to talk to your brother at the next Gathering or something, pass a message."
Blackpaw stared up at him in amazement. We're enemies, and he's offering to do this? "Um, that's really nice of you to offer, but I wouldn't want you to get in trouble."
Sootpaw shrugged. "Okay. I do know your brother, though. He's the one with the red-brown pelt, right?"
Blackpaw nodded.
"Ooh, and the green eyes!" Fernpaw exclaimed. "He's kind of cute…" she blushed, embarrassed. "Sorry."
My goodness, Copperpaw. This is the third she-cat! What the heck? "It's fine." Sootpaw rolled his eyes. "Shut up, Fernpaw. No one wants to hear that."
Fernpaw shoved him. "No one wants to hear you either."
Sootpaw opened his mouth to argue, but then shut it again and shrugged. He glanced at Blackpaw nervously.
"Can you-" his voice trailed off. "Show us the shadows, maybe? I already saw them, but for Fernpaw..."
Blackpaw widened her eyes in surprise. "Sure, I guess."
She focused, and the shadows swirled out gently, winding around her. She opened her eyes and glanced at both of the apprentices, they both looked amazed.
"Woah!" Fernpaw gasped. She reached out a paw and batted at one cautiously, confused when her paw went right through. "Huh."
Sootpaw glanced at the shadows. "No wonder Applestar wanted you."
The shadows flickered, and Blackpaw drew them back in, making them disappear. I shouldn't have done that. I need to focus on getting home. I'm getting distracted.
"Sootpaw!" Fernpaw hit her brother again. "Come on!"
"Sorry." Sootpaw muttered again, rubbing his sore head.
Blackpaw glanced around the camp, and saw the entrance only a few fox-lengths away. Cats were passing in and out of it, but perhaps if she dashed for it… No. Blackpaw, you need to plan your way out of this. You will make it out of here, just be patient.
"Fernpaw, Sootpaw, what are you doing hanging out with HER?"
A small ginger-and-white apprentice trotted over to them, his hazel gaze scathing. "She's the enemy, don't forget."
He held himself as if he was superior to the world, and Blackpaw hated him immediately.
"Oh, lay off, Smallpaw." Sootpaw snapped at him. "We were just giving her some company. Why do you even care?"
"Sootpaw." Fernpaw whispered, laying her paw on his. "Calm down."
"See, Fernpaw knows when to shut her mouth." Smallpaw mocked, glaring at Sootpaw. Fernpaw shot him a calm stare.
"Fernpaw also knows that you're supposed to be training, and that Oakcreek would gladly assign you to the elders instead."
Smallpaw opened his mouth to reply, but shut it again with a snap and stalked off.
"He's unpleasant." Sootpaw grumbled.
So every Clan has apprentices like those. Blackpaw's mind flashed to Lightbriar, in the moon that had passed she had acted like she was superior to literally everyone, especially Blackpaw.
Her crush on Copperpaw, however, was obvious to everyone now, including Copperpaw, who had grown closer to Thawtail because of that, much to Lightbriar's fury. Serves her right.
"Fernpaw, Sootpaw!"
A calico she-cat walked up. Blackpaw noticed with surprise that her eyes were like Blackpaw's, she had one green eye and one blue eye. Nice. She glanced towards Blackpaw.
"Oh, um, hi."
"Hi." Blackpaw mewed nervously, backing back to her "den". "Bye guys."
"Bye!" Fernpaw mewed after her. "See you soon!"
Yeah, I suppose, because I'm not going anywhere. She sat at the entrance to the den, watching the camp until sunset. I want to go home. As soon as I find an opening, I'm getting out of here. She dug her claws into the ground.
My home is Streamclan, and I'll do what I have to to get back there.
Sorry that this one was shorter, I just didn't exactly know what to write... Anyways, two updates in one day! Alright! Next update will be tomorrow, so keep watch for that! Also, REVIEW!
Seriously plz do review
Anyways, have a good day (or night), everyone, and keep writing!
-Mintflight