"So?" Squirrelpaw began, horribly masking the exhaustion from her voice. "Is this what it's always like in Windclan?"
Crowpaw turned, staring at the molly stonily. "Yes. But normally we haven't been travelling for days on end."
"Hmm." Squirrelpaw was not impressed by his answer. "So, no advice on how to deal with this heat then?"
"No."
The Thunderclan molly groaned, her head dipping down towards the ground again. It was getting too tiring to even hold her head up. It had been a while since they had left the forest bordering the Twolegplace, and they'd been traveling on the open country hills since Sunhigh. Now, it was getting close to moonrise. The blue sky had slowly changed into a burning orange, but the heat of the sun persisted, surely draining every inch of energy out of the group as they continued to walk in the direction of the glistening yellow orb.
Every cat was clearly beginning to tire. They could practically sense the pain in each other's paws and feel the growing heat soaking in their fur. Each walked with low heads and tails, even Brambleclaw was starting to look like he was losing his breath, despite his evident desire to look strong at the lead of the group. Squirrelpaw almost found it admirable, despite his general attitude.
But it wasn't like she could speak. Her mouth was dry and she found herself licking her chapped lips after every fox-length in order to keep a part of herself cool. Starclan, she was thirsty. But there would be no water on these hills; not even a single drop.
Brambleclaw's ear had flickered at her and Crowpaw's conversation and he looked back, eyes narrowed but too dry with fatigue to look remotely fearsome. "There's no use complaining about it." He said gloomily, "We just have to carry on until moonrise."
"And then what?" Stormfur remarked, "Do we even have any idea how far away the sun-drown place is from here?" No cat needed to answer him. The grey warrior sighed, "I can't even smell anything anymore, just the hills. It could be a moon before we even get there."
Out of the tense silence that followed, Brambleclaw bared his teeth at the warrior.
"It won't do you any good to say that!" The brown tom snapped; his head twisted away with a rugged groan. "There's no way we can turn back now!"
Stormfur let out a soft breath, blinking sluggishly, "I wasn't suggesting that."
Brambleclaw scoffed gruffly, "I know you're thinking about it."
Stormfur didn't respond. Of course he was thinking about it. Every cat, no matter how little they wanted to admit it, had thought about the defeat of giving up and turning back. None of them wanted to consider it, but after so much endless, aimless walking the heat and pain was slowly cracking at their resolve which was now as delicate as a freshly laid bird's egg.
Squirrelpaw looked around at the group, apart from Brambleclaw, everyone looked ready to drop where they were in exhaustion. She felt a mixture of respect and irritation for her clanmate. She could understand how much he wanted to believe in Starclan and follow through on their quest, but he just couldn't accept how drained the rest of them were. Squirrelpaw was not going to give up either, but she could see the hunger clouding the cats that would soon lead to further injuries if they weren't careful.
Just behind her brother, Tawnypelt tried to sound supportive. "Brambleclaw, no cat wants to turn back. We're just tired."
"I'm tired too." Brambleclaw said, turning to his sister hotly. "But we can't afford to suspect the worst, or else it'll be over for all of us." His tone hollowed and he looked towards the sun again with a broken pattern of breaths.
The group could tell he was convincing himself more than them.
Squirrelpaw felt Crowpaw nudge her. She flushed absently. "Guess he's starting to realise how hard it is being a leader." The tom mewed softly.
"Mhmm." Squirrelpaw murmured. It was becoming more and more obvious just how stressed Brambleclaw had become; it wasn't just how quick to temper he was. His proud structure had sagged with his neck slanting like a dead branch. His steps had become small, sapping every time his paw hit the hot grass. The confidence he had shown in front of Purdy was gone, now he looked just as hopeless as cats he was trying to lead.
But he was still forcing himself to look strong, which made the weight of his movement so much heavier.
"Still, maybe we should stop to hunt at least." Feathertail asked. The normally soft voice was jaded and dry. Squirrelpaw felt her stomach groan at the mention of hunting. No cat had eaten since that morning and they all smacked their lips at the thought of warm meat and blood.
"I think we should make some more ground before moonhigh." Brambleclaw explained, frowning at the Riverclan cat.
Feathertail shrugged, "What's the difference? We know which way we need to go and we've already said that we don't know how far it will be before we even get close to the sun-drown place."
Brambleclaw looked to his side, "Maybe, but-"
"The path there isn't going away, Brambleclaw." The cats all felt a prickle of surprise. Feathertail wasn't the kind of cat to normally interrupt anyone. "But we all need to eat something soon. You must see that."
Brambleclaw looked determined to argue further, then his mouth closed as he noticed the cat's begin to mutter between themselves in agreement. His eyes narrowed, but his gaze dropped away. Squirrelpaw hoped that, outside of his pride, he was able to admit to himself that he was as starved as the rest of them.
She could hope. But he would never show it.
He huffed, but he kept his words calm. "Okay, yeah, you're right." He admitted with what could be assumed as self-righteous graciousness. "We need our strength, I'm sorry Feathertail." He seemed genuine but it was hard for Squirrelpaw to tell by how Brambleclaw's tail waved crossly across the grass.
"You don't have to apologise." Feathertail mewed, either too tired or too kind to create an argument. Brambleclaw nodded, a sheepish look in his eyes.
"I suppose we should split up then?" Stormfur asked, already walking over to where his sister was, hope shining in his eyes. "Hunt for ourselves?"
Feathertail smiled at her brother but found herself looking over where Squirrelpaw and Crowpaw stood. Squirrelpaw tittered, waving her white paw at the Warrior. "Go on! Me and Crowpaw will be fine."
Wait…
Her and Crowpaw… alone. Had that thought always made her insides scurry like a dormouse?
She shook her pelt. It was just hunting with her friend, they'd done it before, it wasn't any different this time.
Feathertail glanced up at Crowpaw, as if waiting for his confirmation. Maybe hoping that he wanted her to come along, Squirrelpaw wondered. She internally screamed at herself. Oh, Fox-Dung, so that had returned!
Crowpaw's tail swung in thought, softly meeting Feathertail's gaze and opening his mouth to say something. Then he glanced over at Stormfur's stony expression and his mouth closed. He thought again. The apprentice smirked. "Yeah, go ahead. It wouldn't hurt Stormfur to see how a Warrior can catch prey bigger than a kit's claw."
"Go chew on your tail, frog-brain!" Stormfur snapped, his fur prickling with fury. His head dropped when Feathertail giggled at the apprentice's joke.
The Riverclan molly seemed to think it over a moment longer, then she smiled at her two friends and turned to her brother with a comforting purr. "Come on, Stormfur. Don't lose your whiskers over that."
The grey tom growled once more, but he soon calmed down as he followed his sister. "We'll go over this way."
"See you later!" Squirrelpaw called, watching as the white and grey pelts shrank in the grassland.
"You'll be off with him then, I suppose." A bitter voice hissed.
Squirrelpaw could feel Crowpaw's fur rise even before she faced Brambleclaw. She'd really hoped she wouldn't have to argue with him anymore today. The Tom's frown was stiff and discomforting, amber eyes gawking sharply into her.
"Brambleclaw." Tawnypelt warned, padding up to him cautiously.
"Is there a problem with that?" Squirrelpaw goaded, her tail curling as she challenged the tom's stare.
Brambleclaw's lip curled, "Oh no, of course not." Brambleclaw gibed, looking away half-heartedly. One eye travelled to meet her, glowing inside an ominous slint. "It's just good to see where your loyalties lie, that's all."
Squirrelpaw's gaze iced.
'Especially a loud mouthed one.'
'She didn't help herself, after all, shaking like a leaf.'
'I don't need to explain myself to you, you're an apprentice.'
Anger tightened Squirrelpaw's stomach. Despite everything he had said to her, she had tried her best to be nice to him. And he had rejected every kindness she'd offered.
Yet somehow, he found a way to blame her.
"What did you say?!" Crowpaw started forward, his face full of bloodlust. The apprentice's claws unsheathed and Squirrelpaw could sense he was determined to rake his claws across the Warrior's throat. As much as she wanted to see her clanmate pay for his words, it would do no good for Crowpaw to spill blood when he was clearly exhausted.
She stepped ahead of the apprentice, ushering him back with her tail. She could feel Crowpaw's muscles tense, but he kept still. She stared on at her clanmate, as cold and bitter as saltwater. "You don't have the right to say that to me." She hissed, already beginning to turn away. She didn't have to waste her time on him. She prodded Crowpaw with her tail, beckoning him to follow. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Brambleclaw notice this with a hiss of hurt and disgust.
"I'm your clanmate and a Warrior; I think I do!" The tom snarled.
"And I told you before," Squirrelpaw meowed tonelessly, "I'd treat you like that when you acted like it. Until then, I don't give a mouse-tail what you think." She gave him a passive glimpse. "Besides, we're in the moors. Crowpaw will be more use here than you've ever been."
Momentarily, Squirrelpaw questioned if she'd gone too far after a clear upset sting panged across her clanmate's face. But the vicious snarl he created within seconds made her throw away that idea into the dirtplace.
Also, it did feel wonderful when she saw Crowpaw grin at her remark.
"Oh yes, you'll make a fine warrior with that attitude! We'll see how much those flowers mean when we get back!" Brambleclaw yowled after her. Squirrelpaw held her tongue, ignoring the Warrior. Though she could make out the frantic scolding of Tawnypelt as she sauntered away.
"You're one to talk about attitude!" Crowpaw spat back heatedly, baring his fangs at the Warrior one last time before following Squirrelpaw. "Rabbit-brain." He muttered under his breath.
"Don't waste your breath." Squirrelpaw advised, though her tail curled in appreciation at how quick Crowpaw was to defend her. "With this sun, you'll need it for hunting."
The dark grey cat grumbled, "He acts like he's a mentor! I can't stand it!" Crowpaw whipped his tail violently behind him, "He thinks he's so special, ordering us all around as if he's a Deputy!"
Squirrelpaw wouldn't ever disagree with the cat. Brambleclaw had just been getting worse as the days went on. She didn't understand why the others weren't as bothered about it as her or Crowpaw. "You don't need to tell me twice. Be thankful he's not your clanmate."
Squirrelpaw felt her face heat up when Crowpaw looked back up at her again. His brow furrowed, creased with protective conviction. "I swear to Starclan, if he treats you like that when we get back to the forest, you make sure you tear his fur off. It'd be my pleasure to help you do it!"
Squirrelpaw laughed, flashing a brash grin. "Thanks, but I'm on it. When I become a Warrior, I'll make sure he knows he can't treat me like a kit anymore!" She wasn't afraid of the tom anymore, the only reason she hadn't clawed his ears already was that she wouldn't allow herself to cause divisions in the group over his sake.
Crowpaw made a sound that seemed close to that all to wonderful laugh. "Good! I'd rake through the dirtplace if it meant I could see that fool get a mark or two on his pelt!"
"Well, when you find a rabbit, you can pretend it's him!" Squirrelpaw quipped, rubbing his pelt against his playfully.
Crowpaw gave a mock gasp of horror, "Are you hare-brained?! That would be too cruel to the rabbit."
They both laughed with each other. It was becoming more normal.
They padded away, both internally promising to not go too far for fear of losing the scent of the group. That turned out to be easier than expected. Stormfur had been right; the sun had seemed to dry out the air around them, making the scents faint and difficult to cling to. Squirrelpaw let out a soft breath, it was going to be hard to hunt when they couldn't find prey scents to begin with.
"Anything?" She whispered hopefully. Low to the ground, Crowpaw shook his head but didn't relax in the slightest. His pelt was on edge, prepared, waiting for something.
"Just wait a moment." Crowpaw murmured, his whiskers directed high to the air.
Squirrelpaw watched transfixed, trusting. The grey cat's whiskers drifted with the light breeze of the wind, imitating the swaying grass, then as if turned by the shifting tide, the wind changed, dragging Crowpaw's whiskers with them. His tail twitched and he crouched down; his whiskers brushing along the grass.
Straightening up, eyes fixed, Crowpaw faced Squirrelpaw again. "This way." He concluded, nudging her with his tail to follow him. Squirrelpaw's eyes narrowed in confusion.
"How do you know?" She sniffed the air again and couldn't find anything.
Crowpaw smirked, cocky but not incredibly condescending. "In the moors, the scents go across the grass with the wind. All you need to do is be facing the right direction and you can find prey that are tree-lengths away."
Squirrelpaw blinked, "You're pulling my tail. I've never heard of that."
"You don't need to. This land isn't your home."
True, but Squirrelpaw still wasn't convinced. She must have looked it too, as Crowpaw stopped walking.
"Give it a try." He said, too composed to be lying.
Squirrelpaw tried her best to imitate what she saw, waiting for the wind to stroke her whiskers before pressing them near to the grass. She didn't need to wait a moment before her nose twitched at a faint trace of prey.
"Fox-dung." She was relieved, but she still whined.
"You were saying?" Came the good-natured jeer.
Squirrelpaw rose brashly, now stuck on the same trail Crowpaw had found. "If you need the wind to hunt properly, it's no wonder you're so skinny." She said, sticking out her tongue at the apprentice, before walking ahead, taking the lead.
"Yeah, that's real mature." He followed her, strides short and comfortable.
But even though Squirrelpaw was trying to look disinterested, she had to praise Crowpaw's technique when it had granted them with a large rabbit, caught and dispatched within minutes.
Squirrelpaw licked the blood from her fangs, quivering as the tasted gave her a sudden burst of energy. "That's better."
Crowpaw looked over the prey, glancing around with a stiff expression. He faced the air again, but his whiskers barely swayed at all. "The wind's dying down, it's going to be harder to catch another if that sun gets any worse." His relaxed look didn't match his next words at all. "You want to share this one?"
Smiling, laughing, sharing. Squirrelpaw was finding it harder to believe this was Crowpaw but it didn't stop her from taking up his offer within the first beat of her pacing heart.
With every bite, Squirrelpaw felt her tiredness ease, and her muscles begin to stiffen comfortably. Hopefully, the others had been just as successful with their hunts; it was going to be a long night otherwise. In the, admittedly too often, glances she'd snuck at Crowpaw, she found that he was gulping his share down as quickly as he could. Already he'd stripped one leg down to the bone.
"You going to chew any of that, Crowpaw?"
After gulping down half a foot, he answered. "Sorry." He didn't sound sorry, more far off than anything. "You take your time, I'm in no rush to see your clanmate again."
She felt like she was meant to laugh. She didn't. "What's up?" From the dim gaze to the twitching whiskers, Squirrelpaw was able to catch onto when something had Crowpaw riled. She still didn't know if she entirely knew what to do to cheer him up.
He didn't answer straight away, only after a stoic pause with a bite and a tear and a swallow. "How long is it going to take now?"
Squirrelpaw bit softly on the inside of her cheek. Of course. "I wish I knew." She took another bite, hoping the flavours would sate the uneasiness creeping on her back. "It's like they said earlier, it could be days, it could be moons in fact."
"Well that's comforting."
"You asked."
Crowpaw swallowed less forcefully, "I just wonder what's going on back at home."
Squirrelpaw stared at the floor, trying to imagine what it was like back in Thunderclan; what was it like for her parents or for Leafpaw? She could only hope for the best. She couldn't think that Starclan was going to send them on this journey only for it to mean nothing in the end.
Well, she hoped not at least.
Hoping. There was a lot of it these days.
"I know how you feel." Squirrelpaw purred, "But we can't just lose faith in Starclan. We've got to get there, no matter how long it takes, even if that does mean spending moons with your grumpy face."
"Hey!" Cropaw scolded, though his voice was soft. "I haven't lost faith in Starclan. I'm just sick of going nowhere."
"Well, there's a somewhere at the end of nowhere, Rabbit-brain." Squirrelpaw chirped. She was as sick of everything as he was, but she had to stay positive about it, especially when confronted with a cat as moody as her friend.
Crowpaw frowned, tilting his head at her. "Doesn't do us much good until then, though, does it?"
"Well it's all we've got for now." Squirrelpaw said, swallowing her words like a bone. It was aggravating, but it would do no good to lie. "Just try to relax and you might be able to sleep for once."
Crowpaw sniffed but he also laughed. Squirrelpaw counted that as a win. He pulled away from the bones now littered in front of him. "I'm done. Don't rush for me, I can wait."
"Oh, you're such a gentletom." Squirrelpaw said with a mocking reverence, ignoring that she actually meant it. Crowpaw stuck his tongue back out at her, but his eyes were warm and inviting. Squirrelpaw felt her heart stutter again.
What was going on with her? It was becoming way too frequent now that this tom could cause her brazen attitude, that she had perfected over moons and seasons, to crack even a little. It had never been something that hit her even once before, never to this degree at least.
But as he looked, not stared, just a the few glances he struck her with, as she ate, Squirrelpaw's face felt like water boiling under the sun of Crowpaw's grin.
It maybe shouldn't have been a surprise to her. This cat hadn't been the Crowpaw she'd known before in any way or whisker. That Crowpaw had been an enemy. This cat was one she would maybe even call one of her best friends.
Maybe that was why she didn't want this journey to end so soon.
It was nice that the flower would be there to remind her of her friends, but Squirrelpaw knew it would never be the same. Not really anyway. Even if they met through patrols or gatherings, it would be under a thousand watching eyes, all judging and making sure they never went to far against their loyalty to the clan.
It's just good to see where your loyalties lie.
Her hunger suddenly faded underneath, perhaps motioned on by the clouds drifting above them, minutes from blocking the sun. More likely perturbed by reality.
She wanted to tell herself that being a warrior was her greatest duty, and that completing this journey was all that she was ever meant to focus on. That was clearly why Starclan favoured Bramblelclaw over her, anyway. She had the chance to prove to her clan how she could and would live up to the name of her father. She could be his reflection rather than his shadow.
But, when this was all over, what would it be that she'd remember?
She didn't see this journey as an opportunity to prove herself anymore, she now looked back on the past, all that she could focus on were the friends she had made.
Friends that would naturally leave.
Did that thought hurt them as much as it did her? She'd probably never know.
And it would be best not to ask. Just because she had problems left to sort out with her clan didn't mean she had to drag other innocent cats into it. She was strong enough to deal with it on her own.
"Are you finished?"
Squirrelpaw looked up to Crowpaw's patient expression. She examined the prey, there wasn't much left now, besides she was full enough.
"Yeah, let's get back to the others." She stretched her stiff back, sighing from the sudden feeling of her full stomach. "Much better."
Crowpaw stood up as well, leading the way with a shrewd sneer. "So, it looks like you Thunderclan cats actually could learn from us after all, huh?"
Squirrelpaw scoffed, her tail flaring. "Yeah, yeah. What do you want? A stroke on the ears?" She pouted at him. "I'd consider us even after I was the one who taught you how to stalk instead of swallowing muck."
Crowpaw's smile dropped, he groaned to his side. "You're never going to let that go."
Squirrelpaw leapt beside him with a smirk. "Besides, I've been able to catch your prey now. I bet you'd never be able to catch ours."
"What? You mean I'll never have mole breath? Oh, what a shame."
"Try birds, flea-brain." Squirrelpaw snapped back.
Crowpaw shrugged, his tail swaying coolly. "Eh, rabbits make for a better meal."
Oh, he wasn't getting away that easily! "Spoken like a true tail-chaser." Squirrelpaw perked her nose up for effect.
It worked. Crowpaw's right eye twitched and his smile looked much more artificial. "If I wanted to catch one of your little sparrows, I could! But there's no trees for them to roost on near Winclan!" He insisted, making use of the small height he had above Squirrelpaw as he looked down at her.
"Hmm, I've heard better excuses." She winked. "Why don't you show me?"
Crowpaw's brow furrowed, "How am I supposed to show you? There's no trees around here!"
Squirrelpaw walked on as if disinterested, her tail curling under Crowpaw's chin. "Oh, don't worry, Crowpaw. You don't need to make anymore silly excuses for me. I won't judge you." Her voice sounded as if she had drained all the sugar out of a stalk and was now spitting it onto the grey apprentice.
Crowpaw drew a sharp breath, now fully pulled into Squirrelpaw's trick. "Okay then." He drawled; one eye cold on the molly. "Then, most divine robin catcher, please do tell me; how do you such amazing cats catch those birds? I'll catch on, no problem!"
Squirrelpaw's tail flicked in victory. She was going to enjoy this. "Oh, I suppose I could tell you. As long as you don't come stealing our prey that is."
"Same goes to you, vole-brain." Crowpaw shot back, his smirk becoming more genuine.
Squirrelpaw's eyes brightened with delight. "Okay then, watch this!" She took a few paces away from him and got into a stalking position. She slowly crawled, facing imaginary prey. "First, we stalk the bird once we spot in in the tree." She lowered her voice dramatically. "We slooowwwly crawl up to it, making sure it doesn't see us."
"What mystical advice." Crowpaw said dryly, though his mouth snapped shut at Squirrelpaw's thunderous look.
"Anyway as soon as we get close enough," She paused, getting into a pouncing crouch and tensing her legs with all the power she could. Instantly she burst into the air, wrapping her paws around her invisible prey. "We use the bark to give use some more power, grab the bird by it's feathers and drag it down!" She exclaimed, snapping her jaws on her imaginary bird. She pretended to chew viciously for a moment before getting back to her paws with a proud chuckle. "That's how it's done."
Crowpaw rose a brow, thoroughly unamused. "That's it. That's simple."
Squirrelpaw pretended to look offeneded, but internally she was giggling. "Alright then, show me how well you do it."
The Windclan apprentice rolled his eyes, "Sure." He shook his pelt, crouching down to mimic Squirrelpaw's stalking. The Thunderclan cat took the opportunity to go behind him while he was distracted, making sure her own paws were quiet along the grass.
"Ah ah ah," Squirrelpaw tutted, "Stalk it more slowly." She heard Crowpaw groan under his breath and he followed her instructions. All while Squirrelpaw stalked him. The molly grinned darkly from behind, getting her hind muscles ready again.
"Okay, so I've stalked it slowly," He mimicked mockingly, "So now I just-"
"Pounce!"
Crowpaw only had half a moment before Squirrelpaw landed on him, where he was able to twist around to face the grinning beast leaping at him. She collided against his chest, pressing onto it with both her paws. She landed on top of him, holding him down with two paws on his shoulders, but not painfully hard.
Squirrelpaw threw her head back with a triumphant laugh as Crowpaw snarled beneath her. "That was a dirty move!" The tom yowled; his fur ruffled under the cat.
Squirrelpaw craned her head down to give the tom a half-lidded grin. "It's you're fault for not seeing that coming."
Crowpaw growled with clear irritation, but there was no hostility in his gaze, unlike when he had pounced at her when they'd first met. It was clear that Crowpaw wasn't going to fight. That actually made Squirrelpaw feel a little guilty, she'd thought it would do the tom good to have a little excitement. She just wanted to have some fun with him.
The she realised what was going on. That she was above Crowpaw, staring right into his eyes, with the tender pads of her paws buried into the soft fur of his chest. Soft and warm. Her heart stuttered again and her strength on the cat relaxed.
Big mistake.
Immediately, Crowpaw's eyes burst with fire and he twisted upwards, catching the molly by surprise. She yelped as she felt his paws press against her chest, pushing her down onto her back. It didn't hurt when her head hit the soft grass, but she was instantly aware of the slight force now holding her down.
Her eyes opened and she caught his spirited expression directly above her. His blue eyes were furrowed with proud mischief. "And you shouldn't let your guard down so easily." He piped, grinning down at her with satisfaction.
If her heart was stuttering before, it was losing breath now. Her chest heaved as she felt him above her. She took in his soft fur again, the misty calmness inside the ocean blues of his gaze, when it was directly above her his smile gleamed so much more.
He had pinned her, but she didn't feel embarrassed. Not in the way a warrior should.
She even found herself smiling back, laughing along with him. When they looked at each other, there wasn't any animosity, no challenge, just a peace that came between friends.
Her fur was messed up, but it was her that was ruffled.
Squirrelpaw tried to sound playful behind her blush. "Now who's playing dirty."
Crowpaw sank in closer to her with a wink. "I'd call us even, wouldn't you?"
He laughed again. That beautiful laugh that held the same joy she felt.
If only she'd kept a better eye of her surroundings. She may have noticed the heavy paws thundering towards them.
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" Came the thunderous growl.
Crowpaw only had time to flick his ear before the barrage of fur and muscle slammed into his side.
Squirrelpaw swept her eyes in horror as she saw her friend struggle desperately as he thrashed under the strong paws of Brambleclaw. His paws scrambled at the Warrior's underbelly with his hind paws trying to shake him off, but Brambeclaw didn't even flinch, holding down the apprentice with a heavy paw on his neck.
"Why did you attack her?!" The Warrior yowled, slamming Crowpaw's head back down into the grass, causing the flower to dislodge from Crowpaw's fur and flail away from the fight. The apprentice buckled under the force, but he continued struggling, thrashing as wildly as he could.
"Get off me!" The apprentice hissed, trying to rid himself of the paw painfully pressing his face into the dirt.
"You had her pinned down! You attacked her!" Brambleclaw snarled, he looked ready to lodge his teeth into Crowpaw's throat.
Squirrelpaw looked on in horror, straight on her friend hopelessly grunting and writhing for freedom. She scrambled up to her paws, ready to help, when she saw a flash of brown and black dart past her towards the fighting cats.
"Brambleclaw!" Tawnypelt screeched, neck spiked, "Stop it!" She bit down on her brother's scruff, trying her best to drag the furious tom from the smaller cat. Brambleclaw made no effort to quell in his attack, fixing himself down with his claws. They latched onto Crowpaw's chest making him cry out in pain.
Whatever trance Squirrelpaw was in was ripped away as anger stormed inside her chest. She raced to the scene, not noticing Feathertail and Stormfur appear from the area where Tawnypelt had ran from.
"Oh Starclan, Crowpaw!" The Riverclan molly screamed with a newfound urgency.
"What's going on here?!" Stormfur exclaimed, following quickly behind his sister as they both surged to stop the fight as well.
Luckily, Tawnypelt was enough as she finally pulled with enough strength to make Brambleclaw lose grip of his opponent. Crowpaw took the time to give a last furious swipe at Brambleclaw's belly before scrambling away. Squirrelpaw sprinted to him, looking over the panting apprentice, his fur was ruffled badly and there would certainly be some scars left on him by tomorrow.
"Are you okay?" Feathertail squeaked, pressing her nose against her friend's fur.
Crowpaw didn't answer, too busy reclaiming his breath, and glaring with incredible ferocity at the Thunderclan Warrior.
Brambleclaw glared back over the pelts of Stormfur and Tawnypelt, both holding the tom back. "Is he okay?! He attacked Squirrelpaw!"
Stormfur looked back at the apprentice icily. "He did what?"
Brambleclaw bared his teeth, "He had her pinned down, I saw it myself!"
Squirrelpaw rose up, her fangs clear as she hissed maliciously. She wasn't going to let him try and turn the group against Crowpaw when he'd done nothing wrong. "No, he didn't! We were just sparring!"
Whatever distrust the cats had of Crowpaw subsided as Squirrelpaw rushed to his defence. Even Stormfur's harsh stare softened as the ginger apprentice questioned her clanmate. Brambleclaw froze, but his eyes still blazed with rage.
"But he was on top of you! He had you pinned!" Brambleclaw's ire set back on the wounded apprentice. "I knew it was stupid to think you wouldn't lose your mind at some point! You've always been looking for trouble!"
Crowpaw looked as if he wanted to become as wild as a tornado, but when he tried to stand he winced from the scratches embedded in his shoulders and his side. Squirrelpaw's heart panged with worry and anger, turning on her clanmate with unsheathed claws.
"He wasn't hurting me, you fox-brain!" Squirrelpaw yowled, keeping her body between the apprentice and Brambleclaw. She would be the one tearing out the Warrior's fur before Crowpaw, that was certain. "Maybe if you'd actually bothered to look you might have noticed!"
"What I saw," Brambleclaw muttered, as cold as frost, "Was a Windclan cat attack my clanmate! I had every reason to get involved!"
Squirrelpaw's snarl was so vicious her gums were visible. Brambleclaw was not going to find a way to justify this. She could deal with whatever stupid comments came out of his trap, but he had attacked her friend! This was enough! "The only one attacking anyone was you!"
Brambleclaw's jaw hung, he stammered, as if searching for a way to reason his anger. But Tawnypelt's angry face burst in front of him. "That's enough! Face it Brambleclaw, why would she be defending him if he had really attacked her? You made a mistake." The Shadowclan Warrior seethed, her mouth contacting in a warning. "An extremely stupid mistake! Have you forgotten your own advice of how we should be working together instead of fighting?"
"A mistake? I was trying to help her!"
"I didn't need your help!" Squirrelpaw growled, once again stung by Brambleclaw's lack of faith in her abilities. "I can fight my own battles, and when I do it won't be for no reason at all!"
Brambleclaw looked between the glares of his sister and his clanmate, the adrenaline of the fight dimming as his ears went flat against his head. He looked towards Stormfur, but the tom only returned a small frown his way. There would be no one to back him up here, not when Squirrelpaw so passionately denied his reasoning.
The Warrior's breaths slowed as his muscles began to relax. Sensing no more fighting would occur, Tawnypelt and Stormfur eased away, but not enough to allow Brambleclaw an easy run at his opponent. The Thunderclan tom glanced at all the furious faces staring him down, and a brief flash of shame oozed from him. But as soon as his eyes settled on Crowpaw again, he darkened again fiercely turning his gaze between the two apprentices'.
"It is my duty as a Warrior, to protect my clanmate when I see them in danger." Brambleclaw drawled with a slow venom. "I saw and I acted to what I thought was right." His eyes narrowed on his clanmate. "Maybe it wouldn't have happened if you weren't wasting your time with kittenish games!"
Squirrelpaw felt her claws tighten against the ground. It was unbelievable. Even when the group was against him, he still found a way to deflect the blame onto her. She moved her tongue to make some dry remark, but all that came out was a growl. "I hate you."
There was nothing else to say.
Her clanmate's brow creased, it was unclear whether it was anguish or malice. Overhead a cloud passed, covering the face of the sun and causing a great shadow to overcome the hills.
Tawnypelt stared at him with a vague disgust. It almost looked like the horror of remembering someone she wouldn't wish to recognise.
Brambleclaw noticed it and his anger began to mix with a strained pain. The Shadowclan Warrior shook her head, almost piteously, turning to give Crowpaw a soft glance. "Crowpaw, can you walk okay?"
The Windclan apprentice shook a little, his teeth grinding as he felt all the eyes fall on him. On his wounds. He hissed as he rose to his feet, shaking off the support Feathertail offered. "Yeah, I'm fine." He muttered, his gaze downcast. Feathertail and Squirrelpaw looked at each other worriedly.
"But you're wounded." Feathertail ushered.
"It's just a couple scratches!" Crowpaw insisted, his voice raspy behind his teeth, as he began to clean his ruffled fur. Squirrelpaw wanted to interject; it wouldn't be wise to just leave Crowpaw unchecked. But there was an intensity, a shame, in Crowpaw's scowl that silenced her.
Tawnypelt looked as unconvinced as the rest of them, but she didn't say anything more about it. "Alright, then we should try to make more ground. It'll be dark soon after all."
Stormfur muttered in agreement, displaying a weariness for how sour things had turned within minutes. He looked over at his sister, then to Crowpaw, offering a polite nod.
Squirrelpaw sensed Crowpaw stiffen.
"Come on." Tawnypelt said, padding back in the direction of the setting sun. Out of the corner of her eye, she glared at her brother. "It'll be over for us otherwise, right?"
She didn't wait for an answer, Stormfur followed her. Brambleclaw stared into the space, his mouth thin, for a while before he offered another glance at the furious trio. Squirrelpaw knew he could feel her hatred for him. Good. A war seemed to go inside of him as while his eyes were still cold and unapologetic, his frown was rigid and weak. Something was breaking. It didn't amount to anything though, as the Warrior finally just scoffed and turned on his tail, slowly making his way to the others.
Squirrelpaw sent another growl his way, loud enough to be heard, before she turned back to her friends. Feathertail was close by, the still ruffled, Crowpaw checking him over for wounds.
"Really, I'm fine." Crowpaw stated, stepping away from the Riverclan molly. "Stop worrying about it, already." He sounded dry with anger. Feathertail flinched, but she knew that he wasn't trying to be hurtful, so he relented calmly.
"Okay."
Squirrelpaw felt a stormy guilt rile in her gut. It has been her who had started the sparring after all. Her eye glinted at something white nearby, her breath caught, and she padded over to the flower, picking it up with her teeth.
"Here, let me." She said through her fangs. Crowpaw's eyes flickered at the image of the plant, but he kept his face stony. Still, he remained still, silently accepting.
Squirrelpaw tried to look calm as she wrapped the flower back into his now messy fur but ignoring the beating of her heart was nothing compared to Crowpaw's expression. He forced his eyes away from hers, as if ashamed to meet her gaze. The fight had seemed to suck all his energy away.
Usually, Squirrelpaw would have found wounded pride something trivial and unimportant. But when she saw the stiff, humiliated expression on his face, her heart ached.
"Did you guys catch anything?" Crowpaw mumbled, talking to Feathertail despite his attempt to stare at his paws.
"Oh, um, yes. We did. When we'd finished, we met up with the others and then… went to look for you. two" Bless her heart, she was careful enough.
Crowpaw made a small sound of recognition, and Squirrelpaw finished getting the flower settled into his head again. She wiped away dust from the petals, trying her best to give her friend a smile.
"Don't worry." Squirrelpaw purred. Her heart stopped for a moment as she considered then decided on her next action. Smoothly, she licked Crowpaw's cheek, cleaning away the dust of the fight. "They know it wasn't your fault."
She had hoped that that was what was bothering Crowpaw and that what she'd said would get him to return to the smiling face she loved so much to see.
But neither were true.
Instead Crowpaw met her eyes, still hot and upset with embarrassment and defeat. "Thanks." He mumbled lethargically, breaking away from her to walk to where the others had gone. "Let's go."
He walked slowly, still waiting for them, but the mollies knew it was different. His tail was tucked despite his desperation to look unaffected.
But it was clear that he was exhausted.
Squirrelpaw swallowed as if she'd been chewing on nettles. How? How had everything go so badly that quickly? She just about managed to look appreciative when Feathertail gave her a comforting nudge and a small promise that it would get better. But Feathertail couldn't hide the clear pain of seeing her friend look so wounded.
But it was the image of Crowpaw's face that hung in Squirrelpaw's mind. Even when he had broken down to her about his father, she'd never seen him look as ashamed as he had in those few seconds.
Squirrelpaw wanted him to get better. She wanted him to become friends with the others, and that did look more possible now they'd seen he wasn't at fault. But, most of all, she wanted to see him smile again.
She just wanted him to be happy.
So she rushed over to where Crowpaw was, determined to not leave his side, not caring if it took the whole way to the Sun-drown place, because he was her friend. She would stick by him.
That was the only loyalty she could care about right now.
...
Well I hope you guys liked this chapter but I hated writing it. I rethought so many ideas while doing it.
Still, gotta stick with this story cause' there is a lot left to tell.
Hope you guys enjoyed, please leave a review if you did or didn't! I love hearing your comments.
Anyway, until next time guys!