Okay, I promise I'll try for some… "real" stuff soon. It's already Chapter Twelve and it's kinda boring :(
Emberpaw was lying in the sun. Crowpaw's mouth filled with distaste. Was he a lazy RiverClan cat? He was bathing in the sun as if…
Gritting his teeth, he shook his pelt, as if to shake off the bad from it.
"Mudclaw!" he called.
Mudclaw whipped around from talking to Runningbrook. "Yes?" he meowed sharply.
Runningbrook waved her tail rather cheerfully, and padded away.
"When's training?"
"That manner will not get you training," hissed Mudclaw, rolling his eyes.
"But if you want to get rid of me, you should train me," Crowpaw retorted.
"You're so difficult, but I don't want to get rid of you," Mudclaw answered. "And I will not give you the pleasure of giving you training. So go. If your behavior is fine today, I shall consider tomorrow."
Crowpaw scowled. He was better at training than Emberpaw or anyone else! Nightcloud was boasting again, and he slunk away to avoid from her taunts. Nobody likes you, he snarled silently.
He hated WindClan. Nothing was right.
"But, however!" Mudclaw called, "You may go to the Gathering tonight!"
Crowpaw rolled his eyes. He'd trained his best for the last moon; his only reward was a Gathering? Hissing angrily, he stalked into the warriors' den. He'd never let anyone comfort him this time.
"Don't go, then!" Mudclaw yowled angrily, and Crowpaw hissed again.
He prepared to hiss at anyone who came to comfort him. Strangely, though, no one came. This was sort of disappointing.
Crowpaw had not seen the brighter side of things. He continued to slump, which had upset Ashfoot and Whitetail, caused the others to stay away from him (This caused more reasons for Crowpaw to sulk, unfortunately), and Mudclaw to snarl every day at training session, for Crowpaw didn't really concentrate or try.
Thanks to Whitetail, Crowpaw had been given the chance to go to the Gathering. Mudclaw insisted Crowpaw had turned down the offer himself, but kinder cats (Whitetail and Onewhisker, for instance) had persuaded the brown deputy that meeting cats would lighten his mood a bit, which Mudclaw reluctantly agreed with adding that that had been his original intention.
"Cheer up," Whitetail whispered. She was staying behind today, and Gorsetail had decided to stay and comfort her brother, Thistlepaw, who was going to miss Gatherings for at least two more times. Barkface had assured her that he was going to be fine, eventually, but not now.
"Yeah, sure!" grumped Crowpaw loudly, but Whitetail had already gone away.
Morningflower licked his ear. "Be gentle," she murmured.
Strangely, Crowpaw could not stay mad at Morningflower; she was just too kind and… well, had an aura that made Crowpaw feel that she was too feeble to stand his temper.
He was wondering if he would be exiled if he kept up this. He remembered when he was just a very young kit, about two moons old or so. Were there any interesting thing in his kithood? Oh! There was, when Onewhisker's patrol, containing Webfoot and Runningbrook, dashed into camp, with a couple of ThunderClan warriors.
Crowkit had slunk to the shadows, feeling shy, only hearing bits like: "We want to see Tallstar."
"Tallstar!"
"Why have you…"
Moments later, Whitetail had entered his hiding place with Robinwing, and mewed, "They say BloodClan has returned to the forest."
Crowkit jumped up. "What?" he snarled. Those mangy… They had caused so much trouble to the Clans! How dare they?
"This time, I hope ThunderClan will sort this out," Gorsetail meowed grimly.
Whitetail sighed. "BloodClan, back? The idea is preposterous, really… they say they have a new leader… well, of course, since Scourge is dead now. Why did they return?"
At the next Gathering, Crowkit had heard, Firestar was back and BloodClan had retreated. Crowpaw sighed.
"Crowpaw!" barked Mudclaw.
Crowpaw didn't bother to sit up. "Yes?" he snapped grumpily.
"Get the elders' moss. Rushtail says–"
Crowpaw didn't pay any more attention. Who cared what Rushtail said? He rose to his paws lazily, and set out grudgingly.
The dark gray apprentice looked at the gathering cats. Why didn't I just… not come? he wondered.
"Ouch!" he snarled.
A small cat had bumped into him.
"What are you doing?" Crowpaw snapped.
The small brown tabby flinched. She had white in her pelt, and her tail was flicking anxiously. "Hi," she mumbled, "have you seen the medicine cats?" She licked her chest fur as if embarrassed. "I… I've not quite memorized where they are." More confidently, she went on, "Who are you?"
"And you?" snarled Crowpaw.
The she-cat winced. "I'm Leafpaw. I'm training to be a medicine cat! Cinderpelt's my mentor, and she's brilliant." Her eyes sparkled with pride.
Crowpaw snorted. "That's so boring."
Leafpaw looked away. "It's not!" she protested in a small voice. "It's great."
"Well, I don't know where the medicine cats are," Crowpaw snapped gruffly, although he had spotted where Barkface was.
Leafpaw's face fell, and Crowpaw felt small remorse sprouting in his mind. "I really am sorry to bother you," she whispered. "I'll go now."
She scurried back into the crowd, though Crowpaw could still see her. Leafpaw had paused to ask a ginger she-cat with a white forepaw. The ginger cat narrowed her eyes to glare at Crowpaw, and he flinched. The brown tabby must have told on him! A growl was rising in his throat.
But Leafpaw glanced around nervously and quieted her. Was the ginger her mentor? But they looked like equals.
"Shush, Squirrelpaw!" Leafpaw warned. "It's rude."
"What? If that thing did that…" Squirrelpaw bared her teeth.
"Squirrelpaw," groaned Leafpaw. "Anyway, have you seen where Cinderpelt went?"
Squirrelpaw flicked her bushy tail towards her right. "She went that way," she informed. "I think she was talking with Littlefeather or something."
"Thanks! It's Littlecloud, by the way." Leafpaw licked Squirrelpaw's ear affectionately, and bounded away.
A small pain rose in Crowpaw's heart.
Why did my littermates have to die? he thought miserably. I wish I had that kind of bond with someone.
He looked after Leafpaw, sighing wistfully. The sisterly bond. Why couldn't he have a brotherly bond with his brother, like they had?
Someone who could back him up. Not just his fellow apprentices, but someone related by blood.
Leafpaw had joined the medicine cats in their ledge. Clumsily, she was finding her way to a gray she-cat with blue eyes, who was listening to a brown tabby. She looked at her sheepishly, and Crowpaw guessed the gray she-cat was Leafpaw's mentor, Cinderpelt.
Cinderpelt nodded gently, and the brown tabby tom began to resume his talk with her. He was quite small, and thin, and had a light brown tail. He wrinkled his brown nose, as if he was irritated, and Cinderpelt replied, with Leafpaw interestedly looking at them. Leafpaw, he noted, had amber eyes, while Cinderpelt and the brown tabby cat had blue ones. Small and thin, he must be ShadowClan. ShadowClan was never well fed!
"You!"
A sharp, fierce voice startled him. He regained his composure and replied coldly, "Yes?"
It was the ginger she-cat with a gigantic, bushy tail and an unusual white paw. Squirrelpaw. Her green eyes were blazing, and she snarled, "How dare you talk to my sister in that rude way!"
"What rude way?" snapped Crowpaw. "I wasn't rude."
"I saw and heard it all!" hissed Squirrelpaw.
Crowpaw hissed. "It's none of your business."
"Well, it is, 'cause that was my sister you were talking to! Leafpaw said don't go to you, but yeah, I don't care."
"Then you musn't love her, huh?" Crowpaw snapped.
Squirrelpaw blinked. Then she sneered, "You must have no idea what love is! Love isn't obeying everything. I'm facing you because you're a jerk and I'm going to protect her, whatever happens! Okay, foxheart?"
Crowpaw hissed. Foxheart?
The ginger apprentice put a smug expression on her petty face, and strode away, lashing her bushy tail as she went.
Crowpaw spotted Leafpaw glancing down at her sister anxiously. He felt proud that somebody was on his side. At least, not on his opposing side.
Feeling brighter than he had been in the last moon, he headed towards Whitetail and Onewhisker. "I'm sorry."
Whitetail and Onewhisker looked at him, looking startled. After a few seconds of regarding him and making him uncomfortable, Whitetail purred, "I'm glad you're back, Crowpaw."
