Apprentice and Pregnant 2
Chapter 24: The Assessment, Part 2
A Poem by Swallow Star
I made the rules, it's my game
For them to get warrior names
But I can already tell
This will not go well
At least for one or two
But who, is it you?
Shhh...
Laurelpaw waited in anticipation as Swallow Star stared at the apprentices, looking slightly stressed out. Laurelpaw knew the reason, choosing partners wasn't going to be easy without creating a conflict of interest. She thought of Ivypaw suddenly, and how angry she was at her. Make that a conflict of dislike.
"I've made my decision," Swallow Star said at last, sounding skeptical still. "Silverpaw, you will be partners with Pinepaw."
Laurelpaw looked over and saw her brother smile kindly at Pinepaw, who returned the expression. Laurelpaw also noticed Ivypaws ears perk up, and she looked over at Firepaw excitedly. Firepaw pretended not to notice and stared at the wall.
Please, Swallow Star, Laurelpaw begged inwardly. Don't pair me up with Ivypaw! We'll end up killing each other instead of the prey!
After thinking that over for a second, Laurelpaw wondered just how Swallow Star was going to divide the rest of the apprentices. He won't want to put me with Cracklepaw, She thought. Because he's my brother… but he won't want to put me with Firepaw or Ivypaw either cause of all the drama that's going on!
Ugh, I wish we could just hunt by ourselves.
"Cracklepaw," Swallow Star said slowly, breaking into her thoughts. "You will be partners with Ivypaw."
"Shit," Ivypaw hissed under her breath, stalking over to Cracklepaw. Cracklepaw looked offended at how unimpressed she looked at being partners with him. Laurelpaw didn't blame him. She's so rude.
"I guess that leaves you and me!" Firepaw cried out happily, charging over at once. Laurelpaw had to bite the inside of her cheeks to keep from grinning, she could see Swallow Star fixing them with a hard stare from where he was sitting.
"Given the um, events going on right now with you apprentices," Swallow Star started awkwardly. "It was more than a challenge to divide you accordingly. Firepaw and Laurelpaw, I'm putting a lot of trust in you here."
"I know," Laurelpaw said quickly, realizing that that was Swallow Stars gentle way of warning them not to goof off. "We won't let you down."
"Alright then!" Swallow Star said briskly, standing up and focusing his attention on everyone. "There is no time to waste. You may start planning on how you're going to work together now. I will give you a five minute warning before we start."
"I can't believe Swallow Star put us together," Laurelpaw whispered, walking side by side with Firepaw as they secluded themselves from the others. "I thought for sure I'd be stuck with Ivypaw!"
"Yeah, what a lucky break," Firepaw nodded. "But I guess the choices were a bit limited. There was no chance in hell Swallow Star was gonna pair Ivypaw with me."
"Yep," Laurelpaw said quickly, feeling a wave of anxiety and nerves wash over her. Ugh, maybe this wasn't the greatest idea after all. Firepaw is going to be more of a distraction than anything, and to be completely fair we work terribly together.
"What do you think the others are talking about?" Firepaw asked quietly, looking over at the other groups who were sitting with their heads low together.
"It doesn't matter what they're talking about," Laurelpaw snapped, preparing herself for Firepaw to make a joke like he usually would. "We need to make our own plan and focus!"
To her surprise, he just stared at her.
"I'm gonna set one thing straight here," Firepaw said slowly, his facial expression indicating he realized what Laurelpaw was stressed about. "Yeah, I like to goof around a lot. But this is our warrior assessment. I can put the jokes on hold for a bit, Laurelpaw. Give me some credit here."
"You're right," Laurelpaw said quietly, feeling ashamed at herself for jumping to conclusions so fast. "I'm sorry."
"I guess I can forgive you this time," Firepaw said sarcastically, rolling his eyes quickly. "Now let's figure this out before we aren't allowed to talk anymore."
"Right," Laurelpaw said confidently, thinking hard.
"Any ideas yet?" Firepaw asked after a few minutes. Laurelpaw glanced quickly up at him, feeling embarrassed and terribly nervous as she admitted, "Not one."
"Dammit," Firepaw swore and looked over at Swallow Star, who was sitting in the same spot as before. "I was hoping you'd have one."
"Do you?" Laurelpaw cried, realizing that they might be in more trouble than she thought. Oh no… what if we can't figure this out before times up? We're so screwed…
"I have one idea," Firepaw admitted, looking as though he didn't want to say what his idea was. "But it's not the greatest."
"Let's hear it," Laurelpaw demanded at once. "Even if it sucks, it's not like we have anything else to work with."
"Five minutes before we start," Swallow Star called out loudly. Laurelpaw felt her heart sink painfully. She wasn't aware how much time had already passed.
"Okay well," Firepaw started quietly, looking around to make sure the others weren't eavesdropping. "The other groups, I have a feeling that they will hunt side by side. You know, cause it's the easiest way for them to sort of communicate, right?"
"Uh huh," Laurelpaw said, struggling to understand what Firepaw was getting at. "Yeah, well I thought we'd be hunting side by side too… how else are we supposed to work together if we can't talk or see each other?"
"We don't," Firepaw whispered, his eyes wide and shiny. "Because we don't have to."
Laurelpaw stared at him, her mind racing with what Firepaw had just said.
"It's a bit of a long shot," Firepaw admitted. "But it's the only thing I can think of that might give us an advantage over the other groups."
"It's brilliant," Laurelpaw whispered, wishing that she had thought of the idea herself. "Firepaw, I think you might have just saved us."
"Times up!" Swallow Star called out. "Finish your sentence and then stop talking!"
Laurelpaw shut her mouth, feeling nervous at the thought of not speaking for the remainder of the evening. She padded back over to Swallow Star, analyzing the looks on the other apprentices. Silverpaw looked the most confident, his face cool and emotionless. Pinepaw looked a little more stressed out than him, but only by a notch or two.
Cracklepaw and Ivypaw were a whole different story.
Ivypaw looked angry, nervous and sick all at the same time. Cracklepaw looked as though he had greencough but wasn't telling anybody about it. Laurelpaw felt nervous for them. Why do they look so sick? What are they planning to do?
"I will go over the rules again," Swallow Star announced. "There will be no talking. This obviously does not apply if you are in danger or run into an enemy patrol. If an enemy patrol speaks to you, you may talk back. We don't want them to think we're mute freaks. I will not be assigning a specific area for each group to hunt. That will be up to you. And last but not least," Swallow Star broke off to take a breath. He stared each apprentice in the eye before saying the last rule, indicating it was the most important.
"If you cheat," Swallow Star said very slowly, his tone very off. "And don't think I won't find out because I can assure you," he laughed shortly. "I will find out. It will lead to an automatic disqualification. Your assessment will be over immediately."
The apprentices tittered nervously, and Laurelpaw looked over at the others again. Somehow, Ivypaw and Cracklepaw looked more uneasy than before, as if Swallow Stars words had spooked them.
What's wrong with you two? You weren't actually planning to cheat, were you?
"The assessment begins now," Swallow Star called out suddenly, stepping aside to let them pass. "Good luck to the six of you. I will be watching."
a/n: I know this is a short chapter, but I will be posting the next one later tonight! It will be a special one featuring three different point of views.
See you later!