A/N
Shorty: Thanks for the tips! I went back and edited the previous chapter! (I think I got it all)
I did really like her character development as well! Mothleg still isn't very supportive of her still, but the majority of the clan are glad someone as reliable like Hawkpool (despite being a queen again) is now their new deputy.
I actually did have that idea for Hawkpool's upcoming litter and it will be used! Shorty, did you virtually read my mind?
BrightMind: Yeah, I forgot to write out the battle scene in Bloody Revenge. I'll be sure to let you guys know when (and if) I go back and fix it. Try to remind me?
LongLive234: Sorry to say he's not, but there's a part 3 so I'll clear up as to why yang isn't Pebbletail in that chapter.
SuperBailey: Awww! You have no idea how much that means to me! I've always been afraid people would hate how I perceive cats "kissing" and your review really made my day! I'd be super honored to have Nicky/Wolfpaw join (ThunderClan in my preference, RiverClan's going through a bit of an overpopulation at the moment) the clans! Be sure to PM me for details! Also, in case you were wondering, the reason I do kitty kisses, is because two of my four cats, actually kiss each other. Cute, little pecks! It's the most adorable thing and I thought it would be sweet to put in my story.
Also!: I actually edited Bloody Revenge to add the battle scene. Someone remind me to edit The Yin with more stuff because that chapter was really short.
Jaytalon hung his head into Rainstorm's fur, sighing heavily. Who could have done this to you? Hawkpool looked so devastated! She's lost her only other littermate! One to the battle, and she had to kill her own sister!
"Daddy, why can't mommy come live here, with us?" Nightpaw squeaked, sniffling as she stared at her uncle.
"Hawkpool isn't a ThunderClan cat, Nightpaw." Jaytalon said awkwardly. "She… er, the leader before Cloudstar was a bad cat. And he stole your mom from her home and raised her here. Your mom eventually discovered her home, and left to life there."
Nightpaw nodded in understanding, but she couldn't contain her mourning for Rainstorm as she stared at his lifeless heap, and broke out into shaking sobs. "Wh-who's g-g-gonna train m-m-me now?" She whimpered. "R-Rainstorm w-w-was the only o-one who understood m-m-me like no one e-else c-c-could!"
Jaytalon rasped his tongue over his daughter's head repeatedly. He knew Nightpaw was talking about her blindness. Training with a cat who didn't understand it would be harder. He wanted to say something to comfort her, but no words came, only her tears.
"Nightpaw, are you okay?" Scarletpaw asked, poking her friend's shoulder. Nightpaw looked up at the reddish she cat with blurry, wet eyes.
"Noooooo," Nightpaw sobbed. "I'm not." Scarletpaw motioned for Nightpaw to come over to her. The black she cat did as asked.
"Are you going to be okay?" Scarletpaw rephrased her question. Nightpaw sniffled, then nodded slowly.
"Yeah," she mumbled. "I think so."
"Maybe you can share a mentor wish me!" Scarletpaw exclaimed, attempting to put a positive spin on it. Nightpaw shook her head.
"My dad's your mentor, remember?" Nightpaw pointed out. "Cloudstar would never have a parent mentor their child."
Scarlet frowned. "Oh, yeah. Well, I guess we'll find out now!" She said, her eyes lighting up as Cloudstar heaved himself onto the Tallrock.
"Cats of ThunderClan," he began. "I know we need time to mourn Rainstorm, but we suspect he was murdered by a ShadowClan cat. That is why we must appoint a new deputy straightaway."
The small clan murmured softly, casting curious glances amongst themselves. "I say these words before the spirit of Rainstorm so he may hear and approve of my choice. The new deputy of ThunderClan, will be Jaytalon!"
Jaytalon's jaw dropped in surprise. "M-me? Cl-Cloudstar?" He laughed nervously in modesty. The clan seemed to ignore his feeble protests, chorusing his name. Nightbreeze shoved him forward onto the Tallrock.
"Jaytalon! Jaytalon! Jaytalon!" The clan shouted with approval, Nightbreeze and Nightpaw calling out the loudest. He flushed in humility, lowering his ears bashfully.
"Now," Cloudstar interjected as the choruses faded. "We have an apprentice in need of a mentor. Nightpaw, you're training is incomplete. I trust Lightfeather to resume your training. She has shown intelligence and patience, and I trust she will pass all she knows to you."
Nightpaw looked like all the energy has been sucked out of her as she touched noses with her new mentor. Lightfeather looked like she had died; her eyes had lost their shine, but she still smiled politely to her new apprentice.
"Lightfeather," Nightpaw meowed softly once the ceremony ended. "I get Rainstorm was your mate and all, but you don't have to really do anything. I don't think you'd know how to alter my training to compliment my…. Disadvantage."
Lightfeather looked hurt for a few moments, before she sighed with a light giggle. "Oh, Nightpaw; who do you think taught Rainstorm how to turn his disadvantage, into a normality?"
Nightpaw's eyes grew round with astonishment and awe. "You? Y-you educated Rainstorm like he's been training me?"
Lightfeather purred hoarsely. "Perhaps that's why Cloudstar made me your mentor. Would you like to go over some recent moves you learned?"
Nightpaw nodded. "Can we bring the others with us? I normally train with at least one other apprentice…"
Lightfeather smiled in sympathy. "Of course."
Nightpaw grinned in relief, sprinting off towards Scarletpaw and Specklepaw. "Guys, Lightfeather is going over battle moves with me; come along! And you might as well bring the toms."
Scarletpaw stood, stretching as she stared up at Jaytalon expectantly. Specklepaw followed Nightpaw over to Lightningpaw, Stonepaw and Robinpaw. "We're all going to train with our mentors, wanna come with?" Specklepaw asked, her eyes bright.
Robinpaw swallowed the last bits of a sparrow he was eating. "Where?" He asked keenly.
Specklepaw turned to Nightpaw. "Oh, um, the Thunder Tree!" The black she cat squeaked, refering a to a dead, lightning struck tree that stood in the middle of a clearing, a common place for training and learning to climb trees.
Stonepaw stood, sporting an enthusiastic, fangy grin. "Yeah, imma kick all your butts in practice!"
Lightningpaw burst out laughing. "Dude, your form is horrible! I'm sure even Nightpaw would be even to beat you!" He turned quickly to her. 'Uh, no offence."
"It's fine." Nightpaw sighed.
"Easy for you to say, Lightningpaw," Stonepaw countered. "You're practically invincible!"
Robinpaw squeezed his way through between Stonepaw and Lightningpaw. "Yeah, Lightningpaw, you gotta stop showing off. It's not you really have to impress anyone. It's just us."
The six cats made their way through the chilled forest with Lightfeather, Jaytalon, Lionfang and Brackenfang. A light frost already beginning to collect on the orange and yellow leaves and a light snow was about the height of the apprentices' toes.
Suddenly, a cry of pain shot out from Scarletpaw. She had ran muzzle first into a tree trunk. The other apprentices exploded into fits of laughter, even Nightpaw holding back her giggles.
Robinpaw cackled, teasing his sister. "Man, come on. Nightpaw's half blind and she saw that tree!" He quieted, whipping around to the black she cat. "Erm, no offence."
"It's fine," Nightpaw growled, taking a few calming breaths. She'd prove them wrong! She was just as good as them, right?
"Okay, quiet," Jaytalon cleared his throat to the apprentices. "Why don't we start off simple? Pairs."
Robinpaw raised his paw, but blurted out his question anyways. "Do we get to pick partners?"
Jaytalon furrowed his eyebrows in frustration. Robinpaw certainly took after his mentor, Rabbitleg. "No, it's opposite gender pairing. You're with Specklepaw. Scarletpaw with Lightningpaw. That leaves Nightpaw with Stonepaw."
"Now," Brackenfang had begun saying. "Watch as Lightfeather comes towards me."
The creamy she cat slunk forward, her belly slithering across the snow. Brackenfang suddenly jumped in the air, pinning Lightfeather down holding her with his forepaws. Lightfeather went limp under his grip, and the moment Brackenfang loosened his grasp, Lightfeather sprang up explosively and flung him off.
"Did you apprentices catch that?" Jaytalon asked, eyes eyes specifically locked onto Nightpaw.
"Nightpaw might not have seen, what with her useless one eye!" Robinpaw whispered to Stonepaw a bit too loudly. "Heh, no offence, Nightpaw." Robinpaw rolled his eyes as if it didn't matter.
"It's fine," Nightpaw growled, unsheathing her claws into the soft snow in anger.
"Oh, that should be her warrior name!" Stonepaw breathed. "One-eye!"
Nightpaw looked around, praying one of the warriors heard the toms, but no one seemed to notice. This must be my heightened hearing… Not a blessing like Rainstorm said it would be, more like a curse…
"Practice, begin!" Lionfang declared, sitting back beside the older warriors they observed the sparring.
"So, are you going first or will I?" Stonepaw asked blandly, only paying half attention.
"I'll go," Nightpaw hissed, glaring at the dark grey tom with rage. He sneered at her.
"Bring it, One-eye," Stonepaw quipped back with a mocking smile.
Nightpaw crept forward, slinking towards him with slitted eyes. Stonepaw clumsy pounced on her, Nightpaw cringing at his lame form. Nightpaw bounced up with more force than the mentors instructed them to do so, hoping he'd at least get badly bruised, but instead, Stonepaw unsheathed his claws into her shoulders and hung on to her back when she jumped, the two rolling over each other and Nightpaw rebounded into a thorn bush.
The other apprentices stopped their training to turn and point and laugh at Nightpaw, who was curled up and stuck in the brambles.
"She probably couldn't do it right, cause of her eye. I mean, no offence, but really. How does she expect to become a warrior of she'd half blind? Ha, One-eye!" Robinpaw jeered, throwing his head back in laughter.
"It's NOT fine!" Nightpaw snapped, parading painfully out from the bush and straight up to Robinpaw and Stonepaw. "I'm just as good an apprentice as you! My senses make up for my eye! I can hear and smell better than you, or any of the other warriors! So, stop calling me One-eye! That's not my name and you know it!" Nightpaw screeched, baring her teeth at him as tears rolled down her cheeks and Specklepaw and Scarletpaw held her back by the scruff from the two toms.
"Some one's got issues!" Robinpaw taunted over his shoulder, casting a glance back at Lightningpaw.
"Guess that's what comes from not having a mom." Stonepaw shrugged. Nightpaw froze in fury and sensitivity.
The silence that met Stonepaw's words was deafening. You could have heard Mallowtail complaining about Frostkit and Kestrelkit stepping on his tail from all the way at camp.
Scarletpaw exchanged an uneasy look with Specklepaw. Nightpaw stared over her shoulder to her two friends. "Lemme at 'em." She snarled.
They released Nightpaw with no argument against her, the black she cat flying at the two toms with boiling rage and unsheathed claws.
Nightpaw zipped towards Stonepaw first, biting down on his ears and scratching his shoulders with no mercy. He screeched in objection, but his cries seemed to have no effect on Nightpaw.
Robinpaw tackled Nightpaw, yanking her off his friend and pinning her to the ground. She fell limp under his claws, and he loosed up. She groaned inwardly. They had just had a lesson on this move!
Nightpaw sprang up powerfully, Robinpaw rolling into the base of the Thunder Tree and in the direction of the mentors. The four warriors looked up, Jaytalon struggling to pry Nightpaw from the two tom cats.
"Nightpaw, stop it!" Jaytalon scolded his daughter, but as she calmed down, the flame of fury and wrath still burned in her eyes.
"Whatever provoked you to attack Robinpaw and Stonepaw?!" Her father hissed, but he sounded more disappointed than angry.
"They kept calling me One-eye,." Nightpaw mumbled. "And they said I have issues because I don't have a mom like they do!" She yelled, whipping around to the two toms.
Stonepaw had a few shallow cuts and bites, the tom pitifully licking them. The top of Stonepaw's ear was bleeding, the edges bitten off jaggedly by Nightpaw. Robinpaw had one of his eyes forcefully shut, blood gushing down from his forehead and over the eyelid. Splinters were sticking out in his fur from his collision with the tree, and he had faint scratches down his flank and back from Nightpaw as well.
Brackenfang stood, looking irritated. "That is no reason to physically attack your fellow peers!" The tortoiseshell frowned at Nightpaw.
"Well at least all of you grew up with a mom!" Nightpaw sobbed, turning to Brackenfang. "And I know your mother died birthing you, but you had Redbreeze, and your littermates!"
Brackenfang recoiled, looking like she'd clawed him. Nightpaw pulled back, realizing her words. Brackenfang's littermates were all dead. "J-Jaytalon, deal with your daughter."
Jaytalon sighed heavily. "Maybe we should take a break, sweetheart."
Nightpaw bristled with frustration and rage. "No! I can do this!" She insisted, her eyes wide with pleading.
Jaytalon narrowed his eyes. "I know you can. In fact, maybe you do it too well. I think you're just being a little over-sensitive."
Nightpaw took a step back, frowning slightly. "Over-sensitive?!" She echoed, furrowing her eyebrows. "Maybe you're too hung up on mom leaving!" She yelled.
Jaytalon gritted his teeth and rubbed his temple with a paw. "No, Nightpaw, I'm not. You are. You let Robinpaw and Stonepaw get in your head."
Nightpaw frantically shook her head, tears pricking her eyes. "No! They're the ones who were making fun of me!"
"I don't care right now, Nightpaw," Jaytalon meowed, frustrated. "You need better control of your emotions. You're on elder duty for a quarter-moon."
Nightpaw's eyes went round in disbelief. "What?! Dad, no! How is that fair?"
Jaytalon looked extremely cross with her. "It's not. You lashed out, and that is not the way to deal with anger, especially with another clanmate." He turned, stalking away from her.
Nightpaw chased after him desperately. "B-but, what about Stonepaw and Robinpaw? Aren't you going to punish them too? You're the deputy!"
"I'm talking about you, Nightpaw. What they did was wrong, and they know that. You, though, took wrong to other extreme," Jaytalon growled, shaking his head. "I'm disappointed in you."
Nightpaw stood where she was, frozen to the ground. Robinpaw and Stonepaw trotted up to her, identical sneers on their faces. "Guess even daddy doesn't love his kit, just like dear ol' mom." Stonepaw jeered.
"One-eye!" Robinpaw sniggered, sticking out his tongue as he followed Stonepaw away and into the dense forestry.
Lightningpaw laid his tail briefly on Nightpaw's shoulder. "Sorry about them." He said quickly, dashing after them. "Wait up!" He called out, squeezing between the two cats.
Nightpaw fell to the ground. She felt inferior. Pathetic. Nightpaw sniffled, sobbing quietly into the grass and dirt. Why can't I be a normal cat?! Why did mom have to leave? I wonder how my brothers and sister are doing? Do they get teased for not having a father?
Nightpaw suddenly recalled the grey tabby, who was sitting affectionately close to Hawkpool at the Gathering. She shook her head. No, of course they don't! That tom must be mom's new mate! They have two parents! I wish there was someone who knew what it felt like to be me… To have no mother… To me teased for simply being different…
…
"Jaytalon, I need you to organize a hunting patrol," Cloudstar meowed as the white tom emerged through the camp entrance. "We're low on food and Aspenheart is showing signs of being ill."
Jaytalon scanned the clearing, spewing out names of the few cats he saw. "Blizzardshade, Shyleaf, Pepperpaw, and Mouseclaw. You're on a hunting patrol with me." He ordered, nodding his head to signal they were leaving instantly.
"It's freezing out here!" Pepperpaw whined, shivering. Shyleaf, her mentor, chortled in amusement.
"You get used to it, Pepperpaw," Huntshadow assured her, puffing out his coat. Pepperpaw pursed her lips in jealousy.
"Let's split up," Mouseclaw suggested, branching off towards the Flat Lands. Blizzardshade, Shyleaf and Pepperpaw all trotted off from Jaytalon, leaving to hunt by the border by the rural Two-leg place.
Jaytalon huffed to himself. Being a new deputy was hard, especially trying to gain respect, but he knew Mouseclaw was older than him, therefore most likely more knowledgeable.
Jaytalon's ears perked up, alert to the sound of nibbling. He slunk down into the snow, his light blue eyes spotting a fat hare. He crept forward, but something crunched underpaw, and the rabbit heard him, speeding off.
Jaytalon cursed under his breath, chasing it only a few fox-lengths behind. The rabbit dashed across the Thunderpath, Jaytalon crossing the border without hesitance. His clan needed food, and they'd get it, even if it meant hunting in the Two-leg place.
Jaytalon sharply turned a corner, losing sight of the hare as he ran head first into another cat. He groaned in pain, and stood to hiss at the rogue, but he found himself unable to speak.
The rogue was a beautiful creamy-white she cat with semi long fur, flowing and trim. She had dark, chocolate stockings, ears and face. Stunning sea-green eyes popped from her dark colored face and a thick tail flicked back and forth gently.
"How nice to run into you, stranger." The alluring she cat purred sweetly. She showed no signs of hostility. Jaytalon found himself staring at her with his jaw dropped, shutting his mouth quickly in embarrassment.
"H-how nice, indeed," Jaytalon chuckled nervously, the blood roaring in his ears with attaraction. "I'm, uh, Jaytalon." He introduced himself with a quirky grin, heat warming his ears and cheeks.
The she cat giggled, sitting down in front of him and grooming a paw. "I'm Lijep, but you can call me Lily."
A/N
What a mysterious little rogue! If you're wondering, Lijep/Lily is a cross between a ragdoll and a Siamese. Poor Nightpaw, so alone! (But not for long, heheheheh) I hope this wasn't too short. Sorry if it was. I'm officially out of school, so expect more frequent updates, if I get enough reviews. (And expect a part 3)