Shadowpaw let out a sigh. As usual, her parents were mooning over her sister, Nightpaw. She curled her lip. Just once I'd like them to pay attention to me.
She didn't see what was so great about Nightpaw. Sure, she was a better hunter. And fighter. And swimmer. And...a better everything.
"Shadowpaw! C'mon, the bedding won't change itself!"
Shadowpaw sighed. "Coming, Icefern!"
Her white-furred mentor was standing with her mate, Lionfang, and his apprentice, Tigerpaw. Shadowpaw glared at him. He smiled back. Why does he have to be so obnoxious? Shadowpaw thought, letting out a hiss of annoyance.
"Quit that," Icefern snapped. "Get along, will you? Nightpaw never fights with anyone!"
Shadowpaw huffed. "Comparing me to my sister is so unfair."
"Well, deal with it!" Icefern snarled. She stalked off to the training stream, and Shadowpaw followed guiltily.
"If you want to be a good warrior of WaveClan, you have to be a good apprentice too," Icefern meowed. "And that involves respecting your Clanmates."
Shadowpaw hung her head. "I'm sorry, Icefern."
"You should be!"
Nightpaw smirked. "Failed again, sister?" It was after training, and as usual Shadowpaw's sister was tormenting her.
"Shut up!"
Nightpaw stared at her, faking offense. "Is wittle baby Shadowpaw cross?"
"I said, SHUT UP!" Shadowpaw shouted.
"What's all this noise?"
Shadowpaw looked up, cringing. "Sorry, Splashstar."
Nightpaw turned on she-did-it-I'm-a-poor-little-victim-mode. "She...she attacked me!"
Shadowpaw's mouth fell open in shock. "But-"
"Shadowpaw, you should be ashamed! Should I get your mother and father!?"
Nightpaw nodded as she started licking the "wound" on her shoulder. Once Splashstar had gone, Shadowpaw whirled around. "YOU FOX-HEARTED LIAR!" she screeched.
Nightpaw just smiled her terrible smile.
"I'm your sister," Shadowpaw hissed. "Why do you do this to me?"
Before Nightpaw could answer, Splashstar padded back, a black she-cat and a dark gray tabby tom following.
Splashstar slipped away. Nightpaw smirked and followed the WaveClan leader.
"You should be ashamed!" the black she-cat snarled once they had left.
"But, Blackflower-"
The gray tabby tom narrowed his eyes. "Attacking your own sister! Shadowpaw, we taught you better than that!"
"Wolfstreak, I-"
But her parents weren't listening. Shadowpaw hung her head, trying to ignore the scolding that she didn't deserve.
"Go. Now. Stay in the apprentices' den until sun-high," Wolfstreak ordered.
"But...but..."
"No buts. Go," Blackflower hissed.
Shadowpaw trudged wearily to the den. She let out a hiss when she saw who was inside.
"What are you doing here, Tigerpaw?" she hissed.
The brown tabby apprentice turned around. To her surprise, he looked as if he was grieving.
"I...why do you care, anyway? I thought you hated me!"
"Yeah, but...that doesn't mean your problems aren't worth solving."
Tigerpaw shrugged. "I guess. Well, there's this...she-cat I like." Tigerpaw glanced away. "But she doesn't like me."
Shadowpaw let out a growl. "Is it Nightpaw?"
"Uhmmm...sure?" Tigerpaw confirmed, but it didn't seem like he was telling the truth.
"That low down liar! I'm here because of her too. She claimed that I attacked her."
Tigerpaw blinked. "Did you?"
Shadowpaw shook her head. "Nope! I can't believe she's my...sister." Shadowpaw spat out the word 'sister' like it tasted like crow-food.
She blinked. Why am I telling all this to Tigerpaw?