CHAPTER 20! Can I just say how amazing it is that this story has made it this far? I expected the maximum chapters to maybe be ten, and the amount of reviews around 25. We have 20 chapters, and 250 reviews. That is AMAZING!
I loved writing this, and would've kept writing and writing until I realized it was too long and needed to shorten it. Anyway, as previously stated, there is a battle scene and therefore I would caution that it may be T, but it isn't anything Erin Hunter has not written into her stories. Oh, that remind me...DISCLAIMER: I don't own warriors, but I do own this story. Yeah, I forgot to add that at the beginning.
Another thing...A CHALLENGE! So at the end of chapter there is a short quiz. If all the questions are answered correctly then you will be able to create a character, idea, or a scene that will be used in the sequel.
Fact: So far the story has 29 planned chapters before it ends. But there will be a sequel, so I am excited for that.
It wouldn't stop raining. Dapplepaw hid herself in the apprentice's den. It was just too damp to take a step out. Puddles gathered in the middle of camp, and the small stream that ran through was now overflowing. New-leaf was finally there.
Dapplepaw had waited anxiously for the snow to thaw, but even now that it was gone she felt miserable. Not about the weather, but about her life. It sucked. No, forget it, Dapplepaw. It's been a moon, let it go.
It had been a moon since Ashpaw declared he wanted nothing more to do with her. In that moment Dapplepaw's heart broke and any stability she had left was gone. She had tried to hold herself together and forced herself to have hope. Every night for a half moon she waited at the apple tree with the hope he would show up. He never did.
So a half moon later Dapplepaw had given up. Each night that she spent alone another bit of hope left her. It wasn't the lack of hope that made her stop going there, but rather the chance to start over. Blackpelt had apparently been not-so-subtly making advances toward her for the better part of two moons. Now that she wasn't so lovestruck she was able to see it.
He was nice. He tried to do everything to make her happy. He was perfect...right? Not really. He was just not that cat she loved. Dapplepaw wanted him to be. She wanted her heart to fall for him as it had for Ashpaw, but that was impossible. The was no 'replacement' for Ashpaw.
"You just need to forget about that mouse-brained jerk!" Rainpaw kept telling her. Dapplepaw had expected that she would show a bit of enthusiasm that Dapplepaw and Ashpaw were no longer together. Instead, the sister was purely shocked and furious in a sisterly way.
Creampaw was equally surprised, and tried to show her disappointment for her sister. However, Foxstep had shown improvement, which made her extremely excited and happy, so any attempt to act remorseful was difficult for her.
Dapplepaw was just a mess. And odds were that Ashpaw had forgotten her completely by then.
"Blackpelt seems like he really likes you," Rainpaw told her, padding over and poking her head out of the den before pulling it back in. "Yuck! I hate rain...though my name starts with rain."
"He does. But...," Dapplepaw hesitated, shuffling her paws. "When I was with Ashpaw I felt adventurous, like anything was possible. With Blackpelt I feel...like I can't take care of myself. I mean, I know he only tries to make things easier for me, but I can jump over a log without his help!"
Rainpaw gave her a sympathetic glance. "I'm sorry. I know. Maybe it'll get better? I'm sure Blackpelt is only trying to show you how much he cares."
"Yeah, I know." Dapplepaw sighed, turning and walking to her nest. She flopped into the warm feathers and curled up. "It feels like I can never let myself truly love him. I keep feeling like I am just dragging him along. Letting him think I care for him as much as he cares for me when I know that I don't."
Rainpaw plopped in her nest. "That's...too bad," she murmured. Dapplepaw watched her try and comfort her, but even the cat who was hopeless at finding love had some cat, whether she admitted to it or not.
"How's Sparrow?" Dapplepaw asked, eager to change the topic.
Rainpaw ducked her head with embarrassment. "Oh, well. Fine, I guess. He, um, he brought me to this meadow today and tried to hunt dragonflies."
"Tried?"
"And succeeded. He caught two and I managed to land in a puddle," Rainpaw meowed, letting out a small laugh. Her eyes lit up when she mentioned Sparrow, making Dapplepaw feel a spark of happiness for her sister. She was going to be okay.
"When are you going to stop avoiding this?" Dapplepaw asked, tilting her head to the side. "It's been long enough. You've mentioned him enough times. You slip out every day to see him. When will you admit that you've developed feelings for Sparrow?"
Rainpaw's eyes widened with disbelief. She almost jumped out of her nest as she answered. "No! No! You've got the wrong idea. He and I...we're just friends." The grey she-cat ducked her head with embarrassment. "It's not...it's not like that at all."
"Mm-hmm. Sure." Dapplepaw rolled her eyes and brought up Sparrow in her mind. The tom was a kittypet, sure, but he seemed to stay trained. He could easily pass for a loner and join the clan to be with Rainpaw. At least then both her sisters could be happy.
Dapplepaw picked herself up. Didn't she deserve happiness? Ashpaw had said it himself. I could be happy. I'm not letting myself. I can't live like this anymore. I need to forget Ashpaw. The thoughts made Dapplepaw wince. She wanted to remember those memories, the love. However, for her own survival she couldn't.
As she resolved a way to live her life, Dapplepaw heard a yell from the camp clearing. She bolted to the entrance to stare out, seeing Nettlepelt and her patrol soaking wet and standing in the rain.
"It's SunClan!" she cried out, lashing her tail. "They've finally decided to take back the patch of territory! Hollowstar has the whole clan waiting at the border for us!"
Brackenstar bounded from his den, clearly disturbed. "I knew they wanted it back, but we've owned it for so many moons." He paused, then nodded. "We will not let them take what is ours. I want every cat able to fight in patrols, now!" He gave his deputy another nod, then meowed, "I will lead a patrol of my own right now. Flowerfall, Mousetail, and Dapplepaw."
Dapplepaw skidded to a halt as she saw the SunClan cats lined up along the border. Their fur was dripping water, yet they barely seemed to notice. Hollowstar was a tail-length in front of them. He got to his paws as Brackenstar and his patrol appeared.
"What is the meaning of this?" Brackenstar snarled, ears flattening. "LeafClan has owned this territory for generations! Why try and take it back now?"
"It belonged to SunClan first." Hollowstar seemed very calm, but he was tense enough to leap into battle at any moment. "It doesn't need to end in a fight. In fact, I would prefer it not to. Still, we are prepared to take back our land by force if we must."
Brackenstar stared at the SunClan leader with malice. "LeafClan will defend what is rightfully theirs."
As if on cue, the rest of the warriors and apprentices of LeafClan appeared behind them. Nettlepelt darted to Brackenstar's side and stood tall, facing the rows of SunClan warriors staring back at her.
Dapplepaw looked behind her and breathed a sigh of relief. There were defiantly an equal amount of LeafClan warriors, maybe even more. She faced the SunClan cats again and surveyed their numbers. They had less cats, and the uncertainty showed in their eyes.
"Very well then," Hollowstar replied. With a flick of his tail the warriors sprang forward. Dapplepaw braced herself as a young tom leapt at her. She ducked aside and tried to ram into him. Agility was her strongest ability, not strength. Luckily for her, though, this cat was very muscular and could only bat paws at her as she dodged.
Dapplepaw sprang at him, jabbing at him with her paw. He made another clumsy swing at her, but she once again jumped aside. "Too slow!" she taunted, raking her claws down his flank.
The tom was tiring very quickly. Dapplepaw waited for her chance to strike and chase him off, but the time never came. Pinepaw, her half-brother, came to her aid. He had barely any experience, but seemed to be a good fighter. As Dapplepaw distracted him, the small apprentice slammed into the enemy and knocked him off his paws. Once the warrior got up her bolted, kicking up mud behind him.
"Thanks," Dapplepaw meowed to him before darting away, eager to fight another cat. Energy pulsed through her veins. She was about to go attack the cat that Rainpaw was battling when Streamskip's voice sounded from behind her. "Help Dustpaw!"
Dapplepaw heard her other half-brother's name. She searched the crowds of cats for his dark grey pelt when she spotted it. He was trying to defend himself against another apprentice double his size. Dapplepaw rolled her eyes and started forward to help him. Brackenstar should not have let them fight. They are far too young and inexperienced.
Dapplepaw sprang at the tom, slamming into his side. Dustpaw let out a squeak and darted away, clearly scared. Dapplepaw turned to face her enemy and paused, her heart dropping and everything around her seemingly when still.
For roughly a moon she was able to push any thought of that night away from her. Now the memories came back to her as she stood face to face with him on the battle field. The pain, the grief, the devastation. Every horrible feeling returned.
Ashpaw's amber eyes were the same. It made her heart melt for just a moment before she lunged at him, claws sheathed. He grunted as she easily pinned him to the ground, clearly not willing to fight her.
"What's wrong with you?" she snarled among the fierce battle cries all around her. "Fight me! We are enemies now. Isn't that what you wanted? For us to hate each other? Didn't you want me to forget every single moment we spent together?"
Ashpaw's grey tabby flank was covered in mud from the fall, caused by Dapplepaw. He slowly got to his paws. "I just wanted...I knew you could never have a perfect life if you kept meeting with me. But I know you have found another cat, so don't try and deny it. Blackpelt, right? You sat with him at the Gathering."
Dapplepaw dug her claws into the ground. She rolled her eyes and snapped back at him. "Found someone? Maybe. I've found a cat to spend my day with. I don't love him, Ashpaw. I don't want a life with him. I wanted a life with you!"
Ashpaw turned away, saddened. "I know. I don't think you know what is best for you. Give him a chance-"
"I will not."
With that, Dapplepaw whirled around and darted into battle. She searched for either of her sisters, but didn't see either of them. "Ouch!" A sharp pain stabbed her side. She felt her feet slip on the wet ground and landed on her side with a small thud.
A familiar white she-cat stood above her. "Sorry about your little...mmm, how should I say it? Disagreement, I think, with Ashpaw. I guess he never loved you at all." She dug her claws into Dapplepaw's sides.
Dapplepaw let out a hiss and tried to kick her off. She hit Rosepaw's stomach with force, sending the SunClan apprentice reeling. Dapplepaw scrambled to her paws, shaking off the clingy mud. "Is that all you have? I thought you could do better than some weak taunts."
Rosepaw's eyes narrowed into slits. "You have no idea." She launched herself at Dapplepaw, who quickly dodged. She leapt at Rosepaw, who was ready for her attack and quickly flipped her on to her back again. "You see now? I am better than you. I've stepped up my training just for this moment."
"Then kill me," Dapplepaw hissed, searching for her escape while she would attempt to stall the white she-cat. "I mean, you have worked so hard. Why not just end it? Why not just take me out now?"
With a smirk, Rosepaw answered, "Because that is far too easy." She raked her claws across Dapplepaw's flank, making her side sting with agony. "You deserve nothing. And I have been waiting for the day that you finally have it. Ashpaw doesn't love you. Your foolish attempt at making that hopeless new love work was a failure. Now you get to die, and StarClan won't swoop in to save you again. Not anymore."
Dapplepaw felt a spike of anger rush through her. "No!" she snarled, kicking with all her might at Rosepaw belly. It was enough to once again push her off. Dapplepaw scrambled up and pounced on the enemy cat. "You! It's you! You are pathetic, you know that, right? You have spent your whole life pursuing after a tom who will never and has never loved you. Now you try and give yourself purpose by killing me. Guess what? Even after I am dead, you will still hate yourself, and Ashpaw will still hate you."
"I could have had everything!" Rosepaw spat. She attempted to roll away, but Dapplepaw unsheathed her claws and dug them into Rosepaw's side. "Once you die, it'll be over. My life will be the way it needed to be."
"You're delusional! If you killed me, do you really think Ashpaw would just run over to you?" Dapplepaw placed her paws on Rosepaw's neck, ready to dig her claws in. "You tried to take everything away from me. And even now that I don't have Ashpaw, I still have two sisters who love me. You have no cat, and you will die without anyone loving you!"
Dapplepaw raised her paws to strike. Rosepaw's eyes widened with pure fear when a voice broke the brief silence. "Dapplepaw! Don't do this!"
Ashpaw stood a few tail-lengths away. His golden eyes were locked on her, but slowly drifted to her extended paw. "This isn't you. I have known you at your best, and at your worst. So I know that you are not her. You don't have the heart to kill. You are not a killer."
As Ashpaw's words touched her ears, Dapplepaw started trembling. She glanced down at the petrified she-cat beneath her, then back at Ashpaw. "How would you know? You abandoned me!"
"Because I thought I was doing what was best for you!" Ashpaw replied weakly, taking a careful step forward. "I wanted you to have the chance to have a family. To be in love with a cat from your own clan!"
"That was not your choice to make!" Dapplepaw could feel her anger fade. She released her grip on Rosepaw, who promptly scrambled back. Dapplepaw met Ashpaw's eyes, and a surge of hope and affection rose within her. "That wasn't your choice," she whispered before another wave of agony was delivered to her by a new attacker.
"No!" Ashpaw shot forward, lunging at her attacker. Rosepaw casually but swiftly stepped in front of him and threw him aside, pinning him to the ground.
"Thanks for the save, love, she might've kill me." she sneered at Ashpaw, turning to the tom that had Dapplepaw pinned. "Kill her, Spruce."
Spruce looked down at her, eyes wide. Dapplepaw studied him quickly. He seemed nervous. Scared, even. He wasn't a battle ready cat. He was the kittypet trained to be a warrior, but clearly not cut out for it. "K-kill her?" he asked Rosepaw, turning to face her.
That was Dapplepaw's chance. She ducked out from under him and shot away. Spruce staggered back, clearly confused as to what was happening. Rosepaw's ears flattened and she sprung at Spruce, knocking him over. "You mouse-brained cat! I said kill her!"
Spruce slipped away, eyes very wide. "I'm sorry. I...well, I just didn't feel like it was right."
"Right? It was perfectly fine! I thought I told you not to hesitate! Show no mercy!" Rosepaw seemed livid. She whirled away from the kittypet and eyed Dapplepaw herself. "I guess if you want things done right then you have to do them yourself!"
Dapplepaw braced herself, watching the white furred cat leap at her. A red colored cat intercepted her, blocking her attack. Dapplepaw let out a gasp as the scene unfolding before her happened so quickly.
Rosepaw dug her claws into the red colored cat's flank, causing blood to gush up around her paws. She bent down and snapped his neck, letting him collapse on to the ground. She stepped back, blood covering her white pelt.
"No!" Dapplepaw shrieked, darting to the lifeless body. "No! Please, StarClan, no! Pinepaw!" She shook his limp body. Anger filled her as Rosepaw appeared in the corner of her vision. "How far will you go?" she spat, standing up. "That was my brother! You killed him!"
After her loud yell, cats began to glance over at them, gasping as they saw Pinepaw's dead carcass. "What? No!" Daisynose's cry rose above the fighting cats. "Pinepaw! No!" She was instantly by his side, nudging him and burying her nose into his fur.
The battle died off. All cats gathered around the scene, eyes wide. Dapplepaw hung her head with guilt and sorrow. He saved my life. All I have ever been to him was rude, just because his mother wasn't the same as mine. He actually cared for me and my sisters.
"P-Pinepaw...?"
Dustpaw slid out of the crowd, eyes round. He crept forward until the reality sunk in. "He's...is he dead?" he whispered, grief clouding his vision. The young apprentice went rigid from the thought. Rainpaw appeared and wrapped her tail around him to comfort him.
"Who killed him?" Brackenstar's voice called out, ringing with authority. He emerged from the group, eyes dark. Hollowstar followed him close behind, also troubled by the loss of such a young life.
Dapplepaw turned and whirled around to face Rosepaw, who's eyes were very large with fear. She met Dapplepaw's gaze, then spoke up. "I know who killed him!" she called out, letting her head droop. "It was my fault. I am responsible."
Dapplepaw drew in a sharp breath of surprise. Never in millions of moons did she expect Rosepaw to confess, but maybe the guilt had finally gotten to the annoying white furball.
"You killed my son?" Daisynose whispered, glancing up to face the apprentice. "You killed him?"
Rosepaw swallowed hard and shut her eyes. "Of course not. I am not a murderer. But I could have stopped it. It just happened so fast. It's my fault he's gone."
Dapplepaw's surprise was instantly replaced with hatred. How dare she! How dare she lie about this! Pinepaw was just apprenticed! He was barely older than a kit! He had a full life ahead of him.
"I saw him. I saw him rip the life away from such an innocent cat," Rosepaw continued as Dapplepaw stared awestruck. Rosepaw turned and faced a cowering Spruce, who had made himself very small by crouching to the ground. The poor, manipulated cat froze at the accusation. "Him! I don't know where he is from, but he is a killer! He purposely slaughtered Pinepaw!"
Daisynose was at Spruce in a moment, knocking him over and clawing at his exposed throat. "You cruel cat!" she snarled.
Brackenstar was at he side, pulling the recent queen away from the kittypet. "No, stop, Daisynose. Go to your son. Know that I will deal with this cat. The punishment will fit the crime."
Spruce shrank away, terrified. "But I didn't...I didn't kill him. It was R..." He paused as he cast his gaze to Rosepaw. Dapplepaw turned to the she-cat, who had mouthed the words 'I love you' and 'I'm sorry' to the gullible cat. "It was a mistake."
Dapplepaw narrowed her eyes. Rosepaw was worse than imagined. She tricked Spruce. She must have told him she loved him, and now was doing so again so he would take the blame. The problem was that he really did care for her, and Rosepaw just abused the power she had over him.
"A confession?" Hollowstar spoke up. "I think it is only fair to banish him. If any cat every sees you again then they are under orders to kill you." He met Spruce's horrified stare evenly. "Now get out."
Spruce got to his paws and darted into the shrubbery. Brackenstar sighed and faced Hollowstar. "This fight made an innocent lose a life. If it means so much to SunClan, then the territory is yours."
"No, we were wrong. It was not worth a life. SunClan will back off." With a flick of his tail, Hollowstar padded off with his warriors following him.
Dapplepaw watched Rosepaw leave, almost ready to expose the lying cat. Still, no cat would believe her. It was pointless.
Ashpaw came over to her. "I think we need to talk," he whispered in her ear. "Can we meet at the tree in two nights?"
Eek! I liked writing this chapter. I'm thinking...270 for a new chapter. I am pretty proud of the way this turned out, so I hope everyone likes it. So then, let's get on with it. But first:
Next chapter: Creampaw is thrilled that Foxstep is showing improvements, but little does she know that one, or both, of her sisters is making a massive change to their life, one that might once again pit SunClan and LeafClan against each other.
Question: DID YOU LIKE IT? And what do you think Ashpaw wants to discuss? What do you hope he'll say?
CHALLENGE: Okay, so there are ten questions. If you answer all of the correctly then an idea, character, or place of your own creation will be used in the sequel. If there are incorrect answers, then I will maybe give you the point anyway if I can see how you got it wrong. I will put a star by the ones I recommend that you fact check. Star = *
What is the first thing Ashpaw said to Dapplepaw?
At first did Rainpaw support Dapplepaw and Ashpaw?*
Who first had suspicions about why Dapplepaw was so tired?
What was the reason Foxstep was protective of Dapplepaw?
Which cat causes the battle between SunClan and DuskClan (which LeafClan also fights in)?
How does Sweetpaw die?
When StarClan brings Dapplepaw back to life, what are the consequences?
Why does Spruce go along with Rosepaw's training?
What does Rosepaw have a fear of?*
And lastly…has this story gotten better since it started? The same or worse?
Yay! Okay! Bye now!