As she walked into camp she kept her head down, her eyes stinging. If anyone asked it was hayfever she decided. Even if it didn't make much sense. She was angry with herself now, throwing an accusation like that at her friend, taking out losing on him. She felt immature. She was immature, Silentpaw had always acted like the older one out of the pair of them.
"Gingerpaw? How come you're back so early?" Her mother's head popped out of the nursery. "Lost the race" She told her simply, voice dull and dry. Willowheart emerged and padded over to her daughter, fluffing up her fur against the cold wind.
"better luck next time, as long as you tried your best" Willowheart purred reassuringly, placing her tail on her daughters shoulder. Gingerpaw didn't feel any better. "Ferretwing finally gave birth, three beautiful kits, Furzekit, Icekit and Sootkit. I had to go and drag Cloudfang away from the competition" The positive bubbly energy she was emitting was almost too happy for Gingerpaw to deal with in her current state of mind.
She watched Greywing leave the nursery, going to the fresh kill and pile and taking a trout back, presumably for Ferretwing.
"That's nice. I need to sleep" She responded bluntly, taking a pawstep towards the den. "Oh- Oh okay then, I'll leave you be then" Willowheart smiled, a hint of disappointment in her eyes. Gingerpaw ignored it and trudged towards the apprentice den. She could see Troutfin at the far end of camp perched just outside the elders den, his eyes dull and pallid face.
It didn't look like he'd caught anything in the two days of being ignored and he already wasn't in the best of shape. If he didn't eat soon it would kill him. As she entered the den and slumped down into her nest she wondered when the clan had become so apathetic towards the suffering of another.
Out in the dunes Silentpaw was pacing like a tiger in a cage. "Silentpaw please just sit down, your making me dizzy with all this backwards and forwards" Lilytail sighed, he could imagine her rubbing her temples. He reluctantly did as she said, plopping down where he stood, tail lashing behind him.
He asked her to explain what happened in the river. She sighed loudly. "I honestly don't know, seeing her in that moment I was so scared she was going to die and I felt so useless, and then suddenly I was there and realised I can't swim"
Silentpaw couldn't help but laugh. She could have accidentally 'double died'. He heard Lilytail scoff. "Anyways, that doesn't matter as much. I'm really disappointed in Gingerpaw, her behaviour back there failed to be charming" It was evident in her voice that she wasn't impressed. "Do you think that she thinks that I killed those kits.." Silentpaw asked her gravely.
He began to imagine being publicly accused of being a kit murderer, being exiled, being murdered before a conclusion could be made. It was enough to make his stomach twist with nerves.
"I just wish I could get into cats dreams, I could tell her everything and you wouldn't be a part of the prophecy, therefore not in as much danger. Nightstar is up to something with this competition, I don't know why she feels the need to come and watch" She mewed wistfully.
He remembered tomorrow was the last day of the competition. He wouldn't stand a chance, it was fighting. "If anything it's more evidence that she's up to something. It's not exactly fair if you're a medicine cat apprentice" Lilytail sounded like a conspiracy theorist, but in all fairness she had reason not to trust Nightstar. As did he.
The onshore winds that day were painfully cold as apprentice and warrior alike sat huddled on the beach. The sky overhead was a murky grey. It was nothing compared to the sky out at sea which was a turbulent angry mass of grey clouds, the sea beneath it crashing and foaming like a rabid dog. If Gingerpaw squinted her eyes she could see diagonal shafts of rain out across the water.
A storm that would likely hit the land and camp later on. She sat on the inside of the group, the warriors on the outside acting as a windbreak for the apprentices. Nighstar watched seemingly unfazed by the weather, absorbed by Treepaw fighting Silentpaw (who was losing). Treepaw had managed to win the swimming competition and seemed hell bent on winning the fight as well.
Brambledip sat with gritted teeth, fur fluffed up in an attempt to keep himself warm. He hadn't so much glanced at her direction which was nice.
However Silentpaw had been giving her the cold shoulder. It had made her wonder if this was how Troutfin felt, being ignored by his friends. At least she could eat from the kill pile though.
She could see the winning move coming, Treepaw grappling Silentpaw to the ground as he squirmed to escape. "3, 2, 1! Treepaw wins!" Bluetail, Rabbitpaw's mentor boomed. Treepaw stepped off Silentpaw, dipping his head as a 'good game type gesture'. Anyone who was going against Silentpaw knew that they were probably going to win, so might as well be gracious about it.
Treepaw padded past her to sit next to Glowpaw, Silentpaw sitting with his brother, a disgruntled look on his face as he began to clean the sand from his pelt. "Gingerpaw, you're against Shadedpaw," Lizardglare told her, gesturing for her to leave the group. She'd fought with Shadedpaw at the start of her apprenticeship, it couldn't be much worse. She beat him last time as well.
Shadedpaw grinned sheepishly at her across the group as he stood to leave it. She matched his pace, separating from the rest of the cats to stand and face her opponent. She watched Shadedpaw assume a fighting stance, not taking his eyes off her. "Remember, no claws-" Lizardglare shot a pointed look at Glowpaw and Treepaw, Glowpaw having a thing cut on his cheek.
"3, 2, 1- go!"
Shadedpaw sprung at her, causing her to bowl over and skid across the sand. There was no time for her to recover, a flash of black and the tom pounced, her head pushed into the sand. Since when had he got this fast!? Her heart was throbbing as she kicked upwards into his stomach, feeling her feet connect with something more solid, probably his intestines. The tom wretched in pain and she had her moment to turn on him.
She pinned him to the sand, only to have the favour returned. She landed a foxstep away wheezing from the kick to her stomach. Since when had he got this strong?! How hard had Brambledip been training him?! By the time Shadedpaw leaped at her, she was prepared. She jumped out the way. He hit into the sand head first, like a strange meteor, sand flying on impact.
She took the moment, running to stand over him and pin his neck to the ground with her jaws. His head lurched up, her teeth clapping together painfully, blood in her mouth from biting her own tongue.
She lurched away from him, spitting blood onto the sand. Bloody spittle flung from her mouth as she was bowled over again, movement restricted as he pinned her to the ground, teeth clamped around her neck. There was a glint in his eyes that scared her.
"3,2,1! Shadedpaw wins!" Bluetail announced. Shadedpaw immediately loosened his grip, looking down on her. "You okay?" He whispered to her. She gently smacked his face with a paw. "Bit my tongue because of you" She said sort of teasingly, sort of angry.
They were interrupted by Nightstar's voice. "Very good match-but I think we should do it again closer to the dunes, the storm out at sea is coming in" The leader said with conviction. Shadedpaw flicked his ear with annoyance. "Oh come on, she'll just throw herself off the dunes at me" He complained. That seemed to pique the black she-cats interest.
Silentpaw sat down again with the rest of the group as they prepared for the unnecessary re-match closer to the dunes. He didn't understand how Cloudfang put up with the leader, her behaviour was becoming increasingly odd with no one objecting to it. He watched the ginger-she cat and black tom prepare to fight again.
Lizardglare called out again, "3, 2, 1, go!"
He could feel Lilytail trying not to cheer, probably an attempt to spare his feelings after Gingerpaw accused him of killing kits and being clingy. He had good reason to keep an eye on her. Part of him believed she was moving on to 'better' friends, friends who could make jokes and talk. "Her fighting style is very jumpy" He told Lilytail as he watched Gingerpaw dodge Shadedpaw as he dived for her.
She practically bounced off the dune, slamming into Shadedpaw's side. "If you put her in rocky or forested terrain she'd be brilliant, it looks strange because there's not much to use as leverage' Lilytail purred, clearly invested in the fight 'It's in her blood after all"
Silentpaw didn't think that was how fighting worked. "I'm not so sure you can inherit a fighting style through genetics" Silentpaw told his friend skeptically.
"Of course you can, you carry your clan and family in your blood' Lilytail said passionately 'Blood can define all sorts of things" Silentpaw smiled and shook his head, Rabbitpaw next to him giving him a confused look. "I doubt that," he said honestly.
He heard Gingerpaw hiss, her head being pushed into the sand by Shadedpaw as he sat on top of her.
"3, 2,1! Shadedpaw wins!"
ReviewerResponses!:
Raindropp14: I have to say your the first person to figure out one of the major plot points and about Lilytail, I was worried it was too obvious but it seems like I've one alright at keeping it a mystery.I'm so glad you like it :)
Mintflight0245: She's a ghost cat with many tricks up her sleeves(?), what can I say lol. I might do a one-shot or challenge at some point because whilst Brambledip is nasty, he isn't just a 'lets get a mean character', he is the way he is for a reason.
ReadingEevee: Gingerpaw and Silentpaw argue time heheh. Brambledips need to be kicked into orbit for his sins.
I'm quite excited for the chapters following this, not giving too much away but the plot gets going. I'm not really sure if theres an obvious question for the chapter, So I'll leave it here. Thank you to everyone who's stuck around and thank you to the readers and reviewers :)