Next challenge: More to Me. This challenge is to take canon characters who haven't gotten their own novel or novella and develop a backstory for them. You may know or not know Archeye, a ShadowClan warrior, but this occurs when he's an apprentice. To da reviews:
Ember grieves for Aspen: Thank you! I'm glad that you felt that eery feeling- wasn't sure what I was going for in the poem, but that is definitely there! Thank you for reviewing!
succulentsofa: Ooh, so many questions! Moonclaw and Batwing were characters for a fic I thought of developing, but I'm not sure if it will turn into a fic or not. I'm glad it left you curious! I hope I can write about them again- they were very fun to write. Thank you so much!
Enjoy and thanks for reading!
"Watch out, frog toes!" Hollypaw teased, sliding right into Archpaw. Archpaw fought to keep his balance in the slippery mud, paws squelching in the mud like croaking frogs. Ultimately he failed, losing his balance and splashing in the marsh, Hollypaw crashing on top of him. She wriggled off of him, squealing as she fell backwards, getting her back covered in mud.
"Great! Now I'm absolutely drenched!" Hollypaw growled, shaking herself in vain to clear her pelt of the mud. Instead it gave her pelt the appearance of being spiked, making her resemble a shrew.
"We were bound to get muddy anyway," Archpaw noted, clamouring to his feet with some difficulty, "and it might be better this way. Provide some camouflage."
"Whatever, lizard breath." Hollypaw replied good-naturedly. "I just hope we can find Crowpaw soon. If Cedarpelt finds out we lost her then he'd have my pelt!" Archpaw nodded sympathetically. Hollypaw had the burden of being the deputy's apprentice, which made her feel like she had a lot to live up to. Archpaw, on the other hand, was always hard at work to be unnoticed, unremarkable. He'd been treated as different for so long, he was determined to put that all behind him. Maybe the clan would too. He had a big thick stripe over his eye, giving him an eternal inquiring expression, as if he was questioning everything. His fur had always been patchy, like an elder's, earning the nicknames Baldykit, Patchykit, etc.
Only Hollypaw seemed to be using nicknames with endearment for Archpaw. Once she told him that he looked like a "badger that had wrestled with ninety bramble bushes." But for some reason it had sounded like a compliment.
"Her scent trail is fairly fresh, so he must be close." Archpaw mewed, sniffing a scraggly bunch of reeds poking out of the marsh. Crowpaw's pelt must have brushed it.
"Mmhmm." Hollypaw acknowledged. "Not so good at hiding her scent, is he?"
Archpaw shook his head, frowning. "No, it's a little concerning, actually."
"Argh, you are so serious Archpaw!" Hollypaw griped, bumping Archpaw's side. For her sake, Archpaw gave her a small smile.
"Is that really the best you can do?" Hollypaw asked with a snort. Archpaw in response playfully swiped at her ear with a mock growl. The dark gray and white she-cat nipped at his paw, and without any battle tactic whatsoever, flailed at him with her paws, claws sheathed. Archpaw could barely fend off the blows, he was purring so hard.
"H-Hollypaw…" He wailed. "Stop it! You are terrible!"
"What in the name of StarClan are you doing?" Exclaimed a new voice, and immediately Archpaw and Hollypaw fell apart, laughter dissolving. Brackenpaw stood at the edge of the marsh, only his dark ginger forelegs muddied. The long fluffy fur on his legs was plastered to them, making his legs look thin.
"Haha! Lizard legs!" Hollypaw called, and fell into the marsh howling with laughter. She evidently had noticed as well.
"Shut up!" Brackenpaw fumed, pacing along the edge of the marsh. "Have you even found Crowpaw?"
"No…" Archpaw replied guilty, wading over to him. Brackenpaw leaned away from him, wrinkling his nose at Archpaw's dirty pelt. Hollypaw followed, and made sure to shake herself right next to Brackenpaw, who closed his eyes, letting out a soft sigh of defeat.
"We found her scent though!" Hollypaw piped up after finishing splattering Brackenpaw's luxurious ginger pelt with mud. Archpaw was quite jealous of his pelt. "How about you?"
"Yes, actually." Brackenpaw said snootily, tail in air. "This way." With Brackenpaw in the lead, Archpaw and Hollypaw followed him to a patch of pine trees, coming to newly fallen pine, still seeping sap. Brackenpaw was very careful to give the tree a wide berth, until he sat on a patch of pine needles. "She's in there."
Archpaw stared at where Brackenpaw's tail was pointing. Curiously, he padded over to the log, Hollypaw right behind him. "Oh, it's hollow."
"Of course it's hollow, frogbrain!" Hissed an irritated voice from within. Crowpaw. Furious green eyes glowed from within, belonging to the black tabby she-cat.
Hollypaw chuckled. "What are you doing in there, Crowpaw, pretending to be a mouse?"
"No!" Crowpaw spat. "I chased a shrew in here and now I'm stuck in the pine sap!"
Hollypaw gaped at her, and burst into laughter. Archpaw tried to hold his amusement in out of respect for Crowpaw, but he did let out a small purr. It was pretty funny.
"It's NOT funny, Hollypaw." Came Crowpaw's echoey voice. "Especially since you LEFT me, Brackenpaw."
Brackenpaw merely smirked, and returned to grooming his ginger fur.
"So… how are we going to get her out?" Archpaw asked, once Hollypaw's laughter had died down.
"I'm not going in there." Brackenpaw stated.
"Don't worry, Crowpaw. I'm coming." Hollypaw mewed between puffs of air, recovering from her laughter. She lowered her body to the ground, and slowly crawled into the log. Thunder rumbled in the distance, and Archpaw looked up, concerned.
"Do you think that storm will be here soon?" He asked. It had clouded up very suddenly, the bright blue sky being replaced by rolling dark clouds.
Brackenpaw grimaced. "I hope not."
"Uh, guys? I might need someone to push from behind." Hollypaw meowed from within the log. There was a vicious hiss from Crowpaw. "Sorry, if you move the pine sap obviously is going to tug on your fur. Deal with it."
"I'll help." Archpaw volunteered. He crawled into the log, and blinked as Crowpaw's tail flicked his nose. He placed his paws on Crowpaw's haunches, murmuring a quiet apology to the she-cat, who growled softly in response. "Ready?"
"Ready!" Hollypaw replied. "One, Two...Three!" They both pushed and tugged at the same time, all the while Crowpaw was yowling as if she were being set on fire. Finally, Archpaw felt Crowpaw shift slightly, and he pushed harder. Then, as if that final movement had finally freed Crowpaw, all three apprentices tumbled out of the log. Archpaw continued lying on the ground for a moment, dazed.
"Well, that was interesting." Brackenpaw remarked from his spot.
"What do you mean? You didn't even help, you lazy toad." Hollypaw replied, staggering to her feet.
Brackenpaw made an offended noise, and rolled his eyes. "Are you okay, Crowpaw?"
"Yeah, no thanks to you." Crowpaw replied curtly, giving herself a few quick licks. "It feels like you ripped half my fur out."
"You don't look any worse than Archpaw." Hollypaw mewed cheekily, earning a swipe from Archpaw. Suddenly, thunder boomed again, much closer this time. The ground even shook a little. All four apprentices stared at one another, wide-eyed.
"We should probably head back…" Archpaw suggested, and Crowpaw and Hollypaw mewed in agreement. However, Brackenpaw was distracted, staring at something in the distance with a horrified expression.
"Great StarClan…" He whispered, mortified. Archpaw turned around to follow his gaze and saw something he'd never seen and hoped to never see again. A sheet of rain, looking like a giant waterfall, was heading straight towards them. There was a distant noise of heavy rainfall, accompanied after a moment by another round of thunder, and a few flashes of lighting.
"Everyone back into the log!" Hollypaw screeched, and all four apprentices frantically scrambled into the log, pushing and shoving.
"Oof, get off, clumsy paws!"
"That's my tail, Hollypaw…"
"Oh no! I think I stepped in pine sap…"
"Ha."
"It's NOT funny!"
Finally they settled into their places, and like a surprise ambush, the rain was upon them, drumming the outside of the fallen tree like a thousand warriors pounding the earth as they ran.
You know, this is actually kind of peaceful. Archpaw thought. Even Hollypaw was quiet, eyes wide as she listened to rain only a few whisker lengths away.
The four apprentices sat there in silence, huddling together, trying to stay away from the edges of the log. They would probably be in huge trouble when they returned to camp. Four missing apprentices, who'd wind up checking the elders for ticks for moons, and forced to hunt in the marsh for even longer, where no cat wanted to go.
Oh well. Archpaw sighed with the winds blowing outside the log. Thunder crashed. Lightning flashed. Wind howled, and rain fell.
It was the perfect storm. Archpaw glanced at Hollypaw, who was directly in front of him. She noticed his gaze.
"Some day, huh?" She whispered, giving him a grin. "Cedarpelt is going to be furious."
"Yeah, I imagine my mentor isn't going to be too happy either." Archpaw whispered back.
"Shush! Both of you!" Crowpaw hissed from behind Hollypaw. Hollypaw tried to give the black tabby a kick, but it was so cramped in the log she nearly lost her balance doing so.
"Why?" Hollypaw challenged after her failure to create violence. "The rain is way louder than we are."
"Exactly." Crowpaw snapped, putting paws over her ears, making herself smaller in the tight space. "It's giving me a headache."
Hollypaw opened her mouth, probably to say something loud, but Archpaw nudged her, and shook his head. Be nice, he mouthed. Hollypaw rolled her eyes, but obeyed. Crowpaw was grumpy, but it didn't mean she deserved to be more miserable than she was. Archpaw craned his neck to check on Brackenpaw, who was shivering behind him.
Brackenpaw returned his gaze, narrowing his eyes. "What do you want?"
"Just checking on you." Archpaw answered. Brackenpaw sniffed, but said nothing else. Archpaw let out another sigh, and stared out at the rain.
It was going to be a long night.
The next morning, all four apprentices climbed out of the log, all suffering from aching muscles and cramped from being cooped up in the fallen tree. All of them were also sticky with pine sap, but Brackenpaw had it the worst. His long ginger fur was matted in clumps, held together by the sap. Seeing his pelt, Brackenpaw let out a small wail of grief.
Hollypaw sneered. "Just imagine what Brightpaw will think."
"Shut up!" Brackenpaw snarled, probably flushing bright red beneath his pelt. Brightpaw had been Brackenpaw's crush since kithood, and every apprentice knew it.
"We should probably get back to camp." Archpaw suggested, waving his tail for the other apprentices to follow. "Before we get in any more trouble."
"Bossy." Crowpaw muttered under her breath, but as there were no more objections, Archpaw made his way back to camp, leading the patrol of apprentices.
"Do you think we should catch some prey, so we aren't in as much trouble?" Crowpaw asked after a while, as they passed the edge of the marsh. After no one answered, Crowpaw shook her head. "Well, I will." She leapt into the marsh, only twitching her whiskers at the mud. Hollypaw stared at her, and splashed in after her.
"Are you serious?" Brackenpaw whined.
"Your fur is already ruined, you might as well." Archpaw told him, feeling gleeful. Finally.
Soon, the apprentices were each carrying a few pieces of prey. Surprisingly, Brackenpaw held three pieces- Archpaw had no idea he was such a proficient hunter. The group arrived at the camp's entrance, hesitating there.
"Together?" Archpaw asked them. The apprentices nodded, and they pushed through the brambles. The clan seemed to be doing its normal routine, Cedarpelt organizing patrols, cats sharing tongues, kits playing beside the nursery. But when the apprentices entered, all the cats looked up, one by one, faces registering shock.
Silverflame was the first to speak up. She was Crowpaw's mentor, after all. "Now just where have you four been?"
"Uhhh… hunting?" Crowpaw mumbled through her prey. She went to the freshkill pile and dropped her prey there, and one by one the rest of the guilty apprentices copied her. Cedarpelt was walking over, his expression unreadable. Then Houndstar peeked out of his den, and Archpaw winced. The leader? This was going to be bad.
"That was a long hunting trip." Cedarpelt remarked, exchanging glances with Silverflame. He examined the freshkill pile. "But I see it has reaped good results."
All four apprentices stared at him, wide-eyed, as Houndstar made his way over to them.
"H-Houndstar?" Brackenpaw stammered. The old leader dipped his head and whispered something in Cedarpelt's ear- the leader had been losing his voice in his old age.
"Houndstar wants you to know that based on the amount of prey you've brought to the clan…" Cedarpelt paused, heightening the suspense. The apprentices stiffened. "...he believes that you all should continue hunting together in the future. You make a great team."
Archpaw and Hollypaw stared at one another in disbelief. No checking the elders for ticks? Not being confined to the nursery to be shamed as kits? It was a blessing from StarClan.
"Th-thank you." Archpaw stuttered, dipping his head respectfully to Houndstar and Cedarpelt like the other apprentices.
"Move along then." Silverflame said sternly, wrinkling her nose. "And get yourselves cleaned up, you are absolutely disgusting."
"Yes Silverflame."
After washing up, Archpaw, Hollypaw, Brackenpaw, and even Crowpaw lingered by the apprentice den, impressed by the morning's events.
"I can't believe we didn't get in trouble!" Brackenpaw meowed happily, also extremely excited about returning to his fluffy self. Archpaw was extremely jealous, but as usual, did not let it show. He'd have to get over it if they were hunting partners now.
"We really are the dream team, huh?" Hollypaw said, strutting around, unable to keep still. "Hunting buddies!"
"Yeah. Hunting buddies." Crowpaw repeated, much less enthusiastically.
"We definitely should try the Carrionplace next," Hollypaw continued, not missing a beat. "Get them rats!"
"Maybe we should avoid the rats." Brackenpaw mewed nervously. "We're not even warriors yet."
"You could impress Brightpaw…" Hollypaw tempted, making Brackenpaw curl his lip at her, but he seemed more interested. "What do you think, Archpaw?"
Archpaw smiled. For the first time, it felt like he had friends, like he was accepted by the clan. "I think that sounds great." He meowed.