CHAPTER NINETEEN
Reedpaw winced at the pain in his shoulders as Scarletpaw applied a poultice to his latest injuries. A thin cut on his shoulder was the telltale sign that he had gotten himself in another scrap with Willowpaw. Days like today made him wish he could shut her up and keep it that way. All she ever did was mock and ridicule him. She along with his three sisters acted as if he was nothing, like he never belonged in RiverClan.
"You've got to start standing up for yourself," Scarletpaw muttered crossly. "Why do you let them get to you?"
"I don't," he grumbled, picturing Willowpaw's smug face as Hollypaw held him down while Larchpaw jumped in. He hardly had enough time to react when they pinned him down. "They're bullies and don't deserve to become warriors."
Scarletpaw just shook her head in annoyance before returning to her den. Once she was gone, Reedpaw's shoulders sagged in exhaustion. If his mentor wasn't so busy formulating patrols with the deputy, this wouldn't have happened. Reedpaw was sure of that.
That was when a thought crossed Reedpaw's mind. He was determined to prove himself, especially to his sisters. If he could bring home a fish bigger than anything they had ever caught, they wouldn't need to keep teasing him. Reedpaw glanced at his mentor one last time before slipping through the camp entrance. He wasn't planning on coming back until he caught something.
With that thought in mind, Reedpaw bounded ahead once he was free of watchful eyes. The pain in his shoulder had subsided, luckily. That made his goal much easier. Catching fish wasn't nearly as difficult as Minnowstar had said it would be. After watching her catch a few fish during their training session, he had a good idea of how to catch them.
Reedpaw stayed on the side of the lake as he observed the rolling waves. With newleaf in full swing, the snow had started melting, and the lake was bigger than he remembered. But that also meant fishing would be easier. He just needed to be careful, otherwise he might fall in.
I can swim, he reminded himself as the thought of falling in crept through him. I'm a RiverClan warrior!
As he studied the rippling water, Reedpaw noticed something strange about his reflection. He looked nothing like his sisters. They all had gray or gray and white fur. His had almost a silver sheen to it, and was longer than theirs. And unlike them, he had pale blue eyes. Ashfang had always said that he had Ripplecloud's eyes. But he wondered where he had gotten his fur, and powerful looking muscles.
Eventually, Reedpaw relaxed his tense muscles and kept still. Fishing was all about patience - that was what Minnowstar had told him. He would wait until he saw the shadow of a fish before lashing out. Once he had one fish, he was sure to find more.
"And that's why you shouldn't wander off on your own." Reedpaw almost leaped out of his fur at the sound of Watertail's voice. He peered over his shoulder to see the gray-blue she-cat standing in front of Hollypaw, looking more than annoyed. "If you would just listen for once, maybe I wouldn't scold you so much. I saw the way you were acting with your sisters, especially around Reedpaw. You need to start showing him some more respect."
Reedpaw blinked in surprise at the tone in her voice. Watertail really did sound angry. And she sounded angry with Hollypaw. This was the first time anyone had scolded his siblings over the fact that they were bullying him.
"He never stands up for himself," Hollypaw muttered in a whiny voice. "It's fun seeing how annoyed he gets."
His fur started bristling with outrage at the arrogance in her tone. Hollypaw really had no idea just how much pain she had caused him. If it wasn't for her, he would be out right now training alongside his mentor. Instead he was breaking the rules himself by sneaking out and trying to catch his own prey.
"Hollypaw, when are you and your sisters going to learn that family is everything?" Watertail sighed in frustration. "Despite what you think, Reedpaw is just as important as the rest of you. If you keep this up, I'll have to tell Minnowstar that you are not ready for your assessment."
Hollypaw's face fell at the mention of not becoming a warrior. Almost at once, Reedpaw felt a thrill of happiness. For once, someone was actually standing up for him. And seeing the look on Hollypaw's face was priceless.
Reedpaw looked back down at the lake and noticed one shadow flickering in the ripples. Without a second thought, his paw suddenly lashed out and caught the scales of a fish. In seconds, the fish landed on the ground and Reedpaw wasted no time in killing it. He let out a purr of satisfaction until seeing just how small the fish was. It was no bigger than a minnow, barely enough to feed even a kit.
Great... just when I think things are looking up, he thought bitterly.
Holding back a sigh of frustration, Reedpaw decided it was better to return back home before anyone noticed he was missing. Knowing Minnowstar, she would find some way to punish him for what he had done.
...
Luckily Minnowstar hadn't punished Reedpaw like he was bracing himself for. Instead she had hardly noticed he was gone. She was busy sharing a few words with Mintwhisker when he arrived. The gray tom looked at Reedpaw in surprise before flicking his tail casually, acting as if nothing had happened.
"Reedpaw, you might as well get some rest for today," Minnowstar meowed after noticing the cobwebs wrapped around his shoulder. "It looks as if you've had a rough day already."
Reedpaw only gaped at Minnowstar in disbelief. It sounded as if she was bored with him.
Glancing over at the apprentice's den, he saw Willowpaw, Hollypaw and Larchpaw tussling. The last thing he wanted right now was to spend time with them. Even if Watertail had shared a few harsh words with her apprentice, that didn't mean Hollypaw would actually stop.
I'm going to prove to them all that I'm capable of so much more, Reedpaw vowed as he heard them laughing at him. One way or another, I will get the best of them.
