Apprentice and Pregnant 2
Chapter 15: Ashes
a/n: Very disturbing chapter. Read at own risk
Everywhere I go, you go along with me
Everything you get, is all because of me
Everything I do, you do along with me
No matter where you run, you cannot hide from me
"You can call me Old Gray."
When Laurelpaw heard these words, it felt as though time had slowed down, and she was looking at the scene from above. She stared at the cat, wondering how such evil could ever be born. Behind her Ivypaw and Pinepaw were whimpering, scared and confused. Laurelpaw took a step forward, guarding them.
"Bring me," Old Gray hissed, spitting his words. "My son."
Laurelpaw thought of Whitepaw, and how Old Gray had killed his mother and sister. She knew if she brought him here, he would be tormented forever, never safe in his father's sick grasp. It felt like a million thoughts were spinning in her head, flashbacks and words spinning around in a vortex of terror.
She thought of her mother, cruelly raped by Old Grays brother.
She thought of her clan, who fought for her survival.
But more than anything, she thought of what would happen to herself if she didn't do what Old Gray was asking.
He's gonna kill me; kill us, Laurelpaw thought to herself. But he won't if I bring him Whitepaw. But I just… I just…
I just can't.
I will not send that young cat to his death
"No," Laurelpaw said at last, voice hoarse. "No, I will not."
"Oh?" Old Gray sneered, black lips twisting into a sickly smile. "Are you sure?"
"Did I stutter," Laurelpaw growled.
"Laurelpaw," Ivypaw whispered, voice pleading. "Laurelpaw please-"
"He's gonna kill us!" Pinepaw cried, sounding very frightened.
Laurelpaw stood rigid as Old Gray advanced on her, taking a few steps forward.
"Get away from us," Laurelpaw hissed, flattening her ears. But she had lost her confidence, and she started to shake from fear. Old Gray noticed this, and he chuckled evilly.
"I am going to kill you first," Old Gray whispered, staring Laurelpaw dead in the eye. "And your friends can watch! Oh, won't that be fun? Afterwards I'll kill them and then," he took another step forward, Laurelpaw could smell dead things on his breath.
"After I'm done with you three," Old Gray continued. "I'm going to go find your mother."
Laurelpaws legs went weak and her mouth went dry.
She felt dizzy, as if the world was spinning too fast.
"You think I don't know who you are," Old Gray laughed meanly. "Oh, I knew who you were the second I laid eyes on you. Longtail told me who your mother was and well, you're kind of a spitting image of her."
"Run," Laurelpaw whispered behind her. "Run, please-"
Old Gray suddenly leaped forward, knocking into Laurelpaw with a powerful force. She screamed and tried to roll away, but Old Gray pinned her down by the neck with an iron grip.
"Get off her!" Ivypaw screamed, clawing at Old Grays side. But her small size was no match for Old Grays brute strength. He knocked her away with one paw, sending her tumbling to the ground.
"DO YOU WANT TO TRY TOO?" Old Gray yelled at Pinepaw, who was crying and shrinking away. "COME ON, FIGHT!"
"Leave us alone!" Pinepaw cried, running at him. Laurelpaw couldn't move as Old Gray pinned her down, and she wanted to scream as Old Gray shoved her too. Pinepaw fell backwards at once, hitting her head against a rock.
"G-get-" Laurelpaws voice gurgled as he choked her, spit drooling out of her mouth. She flailed her arms pitifully, all traces of strength dissolving.
"What was that?" Old Gray hissed in her face, pinning her down harder. "Speak up little girl, I can't hear you."
Laurelpaws head pounded and she knew she was running out of breath. She noticed dimly that Ivypaw had gotten up, but Pinepaw was still lying on the ground.
IVYPAW! GET HELP! "I-Ivyp-pa-"
"THINK YOU CAN CONTROL ME?" Old Gray screamed. Laurelpaw looked at his dull eyes, knowing that if she looked over at Ivypaw Old Gray would know she had gotten away.
"THINK YOU CAN KEEP MY SON FROM ME?" Old Gray was laughing now, a demonic cackling that seemed to echo off every tree in the forest.
And then he let go.
Laurelpaw gasped for breath, panting to save her life. She couldn't move her neck; it was too bruised and sore to even lift up. She lay weak on the ground, knowing that Ivypaw finding help was her only hope.
"You're next, you two," Old Gray hissed, turning around. "And when I'm done- HEY! WHERE'D THE OTHER ONE GO?"
He got off Laurelpaw at once, and stalked over to where Pinepaw was lying on the ground. He kicked her cruelly, making Laurelpaw want to throw up.
Don't touch her. Please, please don't touch her…
"WHERE IS SHE?" Old Gray screamed at Pinepaw. He kicked her again, and Pinepaw whimpered. Despite Laurelpaws inability to move, a sudden rage kicked in like thunder as she watched Old Gray hurt her friend.
"GET THE FUCK OFF OF HER!" Laurelpaw cried out, nearly blacking out from pain from talking with her bruised neck. "YOU WORTHLESS PIECE OF SHIT!"
At once Old Gray turned and walked back over, shaking his head in disbelief.
"You fool," he growled, eyes spitting fire. "I was gonna make this easy on you, but now you've gone and made me mad."
At least I saved Ivypaw and Pinepaw
Starclan, is this the end?
Hollyshine felt very uneasy, anxiety rippling through her pelt. She looked around, wondering what was causing it. Everything seemed normal; cats were talking quietly amongst themselves and sharing fresh kill. It's a normal evening, Hollyshine thought. So why do I feel like something's very off?
She spotted Silverpaw and Cracklepaw stepping out of the apprentices den, and she walked quickly over to them.
"Hey, mom," Cracklepaw said kindly. "What's up?"
"Oh, nothing," Hollyshine shrugged, not wanting to worry her sons for nothing. And then it hit her.
She hadn't seen Laurelpaw all day.
"Where's your sister?" Hollyshine asked curiously. "Out with Firepaw somewhere?"
"Nah," Silverpaw shook his head. "I think Firepaws sick; he's been sitting in the den colder than heck all day."
"I thought Laurelpaw and the other girls were with you," Cracklepaw said slowly, looking at his brother with a worried expression. "We haven't seen any of them all day."
"No," Hollyshine was starting to feel very stressed. "I was out hunting with Leaftail and Tigerstripe."
"Huh," Silverpaw said in a puzzled expression. "Well, they've got to be around here somewhere. Maybe Swallow Star took them for a training session or something."
Hollyshine noticed Swallow Star coming out of his den behind Silverpaw and Cracklepaw, and she shook her head no. "No, that doesn't add up. He's over there."
"Weird," Silverpaw shrugged, and then chuckled. "Who knows, maybe they went out by themselves."
"We're laying low until our mentors decide to take us out," Leafpaw giggled. "We were gonna go for an adventure in the forest. Want to join?"
The flashback hit Hollyshine like lightning. She shivered as she remembered her sister's voice, so many moons ago before they had gone on the dreaded trip into Shadowclan. She was starting to get very scared, wondering why she remembered it so vividly now.
"I need to find her," Hollyshine said, terror growing at an alarming rate. "Something's wrong."
"Want us to help?" Cracklepaw offered, looking concerned as he saw his mother's scared expression. "Mom, what's going on-"
"I don't know," Hollyshine whispered. "I just got a flashback of something terrible… I have a feeling that something bad is happening to her."
"If you must know," Hollypaw hissed. "I'm pregnant. Yes, you heard me right. And the cat got me pregnant raped me."
The flashback made Hollyshine gasp with horror. At once, she knew what was heppening.
"It's a warning," Hollyshine whispered with wide, terrified eyes. She turned and bolted for the camp entrance. "LAURELPAW, WHERE ARE YOU?"
Laurelpaw could only lie there.
The tearing sound was louder than anything she ever heard.
She waited for it to be over.
It seemed to take a thousand moons.
He told her to fight back.
She scratched pointlessly with sheathed claws.
She tried to block it out.
The image burned into her mind forever on repeat.
She tried to imagine she was somewhere else.
She tried to imagine she was lying in roses.
The rose petals turned to ashes.
Ashes
Ashes