The wounds of the past reopen once they are dwelled on - Me

Chapter 8

The rouge cat lashed her tail, and Snowpaw growled.

"Well, Amberflame," Snowpaw hissed, ears flat. "What do you think you're doing on ThunderClan territory?"

The rouge she-cat, Amberflame, just stood there, eyes large, ears pinned against her skull. Her fur was bristled, making the she-cat look massive.

"Just passing through," she hissed back, though doubt flashed in her eyes.

"'Fraid not," Snowpaw growled, rocking her haunches. "No one enters my territory and gets out unharmed." She leaped at the she-cat, who leapt at her as well, and the two were locked in a hissing ball of fur, claws, and teeth. Snowpaw felt teeth wrap around her leg, and she countered by ramming her front left paw, with claws unsheated, into the she-cats neck. Gore splashed on her body, and the two untangled. Amberflame whipped toward her, her blood dripping onto the ground. Snowpaw winched as pain shot up her right front paw, where Amberflames teeth had met. The two cats circled each other, and Snowpaw was about to leap again when Cinderfang burst through the bushes, surprised at finding Snowpaw locked in battle with the rouge she-cat.

"I found her sneaking in the bushes," Snowpaw spat, not letting Cinderfang say anything. She had vented some of her anger out on the rouge, and her injuries showed that, but there was still rage toward Cinderfang. "I attacked her."

Cinderfang said nothing, only bared his teeth at the rouge. Amberflame snarled, and tried to leap into the bushes, but Snowpaw hissed in warning and leaped, cutting off the rouge. Amberflame glared at her, all her hatred she had aimed at her. With Cinderfang on one side, Snowpaw on the other, the two warriors led the rouge into the camp. Snowpaw froze and shuddered when the whispering returned to her.

"Beware all but the flames."

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"Well?" Icestar hissed, seeing the two warriors enter with the rouge. A small crowd had gathered once the captors and the captured entered. Icestar, at the commotion, had emerged from her den, eyes blazing with anger. "Who is this?" She looked first at Cinderfang, then seemed to change her mind and turned toward her den. "Follow me." Her voice was scornful, and she trotted toward her den at a brisk pace.

Snowpaw, followed by Amberflame and then Cinderfang, followed, her paws light as she trailed after her leader. Icestar glanced over her shoulder at Snowpaw, who looked away, pretending not to notice. There was a flicker of knowing in the wise leaders eyes, and she turned back around, going into her den. Snowpaw followed, fuming.

The three cats sat down in front of Icestar, who sat in her nest, gazing at each of the three cats. Amberflame was seething. Cinderfang was distracted. Snowpaw was just fuming. Icestar returned her gaze to Cinderfang, ignoring Amberflame.

"Where did she come from?" she hissed, her gaze now on Amberflame. Cinderfang was silent before he took a long breath.

"Snowpaw found her near Tallpines," he meowed, then shrugged, his eyes distant. "Ask her." Icestar, on impluse, turned her gaze on Snowpaw. For a moment her eyes flashed with a I'll-talk-about-it-later look, but was replaced immediatly by anger. "Well?" she hissed.

Snowpaw felt like lashing out. This wise, caring leader had lied to her all her life. Snowpaw really didn't feel like talking to her, but realized she had to follow the warrior code. She sighed and stared at Icestar, meeting her gaze.

"I was near Tallpines when I heard a rustling behind me. I leaped and landed on this rouge and we fought. Cinderfang then found us. End of story." She seemed to spit the last bit, but Icestar didn't seem to notice. Her gaze was fixed upon the rouge.

"Why are you here?" she growled.

Amberflame glared at the ThunderClan leader, who only bristled slightly, demanding in her silent way to answer. Amberflame remained silent for a moment before answering. "I have come to join a clan." Snowpaw couldn't help but hiss defiently, but was silenced by the glaring look of Icestar.

"And why have you done that?"

"Because...I...It's hard to explain."

Icestar remained quiet. "Fine. Cinderfang, tend to the rouge. Inprison her near the warriors and apprentices den, preferably between them." Cinderfang nodded at his leader and shoved the rouge toward the entrance. Amberflame hissed, but Cinderfang growled and bared his fangs. Amberflame stood there a moment longer before being pushed out by Cinderfang. Snowpaw, without a word, turned and started toward the entrance. Icestar stopped her.

"Snowpaw..." Snowpaw stopped and glanced over her shoulder at her leader. Icestar was looking down. "Come here and let me talk to you." Snowpaw remained frozen in her spot, but after a moment, she turned and plopped down in front of Icestar, not looking at her. There was silence for a few minutes before Icestar gave a small sigh, looking up at the apprentice. "Snowpaw, I know it hurts to learn the truth..." Snowpaw avoided her gaze, eyes on the wall behind Icestar. "He told you, did he not?" Snowpaw acted as if she didn't hear her, but realized Icestar wasn't going to repeat the question, and she nodded.

"Why didn't you tell me?" she seethed, keeping her voice and gaze down. Icestar was silent. She seemed to be thinking of an answer.

"Some things are better left unsaid, Snowpaw," he leader sighed, tail drooping. "But, you needed to know, Snowpaw. I'm sorry that we lied to you. But...it was for your own good..." Snowpaw's eyes lifted and her gaze was icy cold, yet heated with an unknown force. How could her leader do that to her?

Without another word, Snowpaw turned and left the den, leaving Icestar shaking her head.

Snowpaw stalked toward the apprentices den, keeping her eyes glued to her paws. She didn't notice Amberflame watching her with an intense gaze. She suddenly let out a purr that surprised Snowpaw. The apprentice froze and turned to the she-cat, eyes cold.

"It seems as if the apprentice is upset about something," Amberflame's purr was mocking. Snowpaw glared at the rouge.

"Like I would tell you anything," she hissed, turning and walking away. Amberflame's gaze hardened and she turned her back on the she-cat. Snowpaw disappeared into the apprentices den. She curled up as tight as she could in the back nest, eyes narrowed with anger. The Clan had lied to her for many years.

She couldn't just forgive them like that.

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Just as she figured, the next morning, Icestar called her into her den. Snowpaw expected a lecture on her origins, her past. But to her surprise, and also to her dismay, Icestar only called her to tell her she was to take care of Amberflame.

Snowpaw agreed reluncticly and hurried on to care for the rouge. Though why, she did not know. The once carefree, easygoing, sometimes hardheaded Snowpaw was gone, replaced by the tempermental, uncaring shadow of Snowpaw.

As she exited Icestar's den, Snowpaw paused, looking toward the nest where the rouge stayed, near the warriors and apprentices den. She growled disapprovingly at the rouge, who was awake. Snowpaw dragged herself toward the rouge, paws kicking up dust. Amberflame's ear flicked as the apprentice neared her, and she turned her head, eyes narrowing.

"Oh, it's you again," she hissed, baring her fangs. Snowpaw resisted the urge to swip at the rouge, to attack and drive her out of camp.

"Yes, it's me again," she hissed back, voice low. "And you'll be seeing alot of me, for I am to take care of you." Amberflame said nothing, which surprised Snowpaw, but she didn't reveal it. Amberflame growled lowly.

"Fine then. Get me some fresh kill. I've not eaten in forever." She sat down and started to groom her matted fur. A bit of curiousity filled Snowpaw as she saw a long scar leading from the rouges shoulder to the base of her tail. But, she didn't show it either. She huffed defiently, and turned toward the fresh kill pile, tail streight in the air.

As she neared the pile and bent over to find a reasonable meal, Snowpaw noticed Spiceleaf and Icestar talking in low, urgent voices. Snowpaw pricked her ears, trying to understand what they were saying. She only caught bits and pieces.

"..trust the flames...remember it can also melt...snow be wary...StarClan..."

Deciding it was a lost cause, Snowpaw picked up a small starling and padded toward the rouge, eyes narrowed angerily. She spat the fresh kill down in front of her paws. "Will that be all?" she forced herself to ask as polietly as she could.

Amberflame hastily finished grooming herself and layed down, eyeing the starling. "Yes, that will be all..." Her gaze rested on Snowpaw a moment, and Snowpaw burst out in frustration.

"What!" she yowled, bristling.

"It's just that...I never knew there was a cat so much like me," she purred, blinking slowly, her gaze steady. "What is your name, apprentice?"

Her vocabulary shocked Snowpaw a moment. No rouges even knew what apprentices were, let alone be able to tell one apart from a warrior.

"I am Snowpaw of ThunderClan," she meowed calmly, the first honestly polite thing she had said to the rouge. Amberflame purred, eyes closing before she nodded.

"Ahh, yes...We had a Snowpaw..." she meowed, softly, almost to herself. Snowpaw tried to fight off the question she so desperatly wanted to ask, but it came anyway.

"Were you in a clan?" she meowed, sitting down in front of the rouge. Amberflame opened her eyes, and nodded. Snowpaw could see the depths of sadness entering her eyes.

"I come from far away," she meowed, eyes distant. "Over the place you call Highstones, we call Star Peak. Anyway, we lived just beyond those stones, about a three day travel from here. My clan was known as StoneClan, considering we lived near the stones. I was an apprentice whenever the attacked began to happen." Snowpaw blinked as she saw Amberflame's face switch from hiding emotions, to expressing them. "Dogs attacked us almost every day, and we couldn't move our camp away. I watched my mother be carried off by one, my sister killed. Pretty soon, as I came close to my warriors ceremony, they stopped coming. We thought we were safe, but how wrong we were.

"I had been a warrior about 5 moons when it happened again, except this time with huge dogs. They were snarling, more vicious than the other ones. And there were four of them. My leader, Slidestar, was killed this time, and the deputy, Sunningbrook, was too. The rest of the clan tried to flee, but it was impossible. I raced toward the entrance of the camp, but a dog bowled me over. That's where this scar came from." She motioned toward the long scar on her shoulder with her tail. "I thought my life was over. But, just as she dogs teeth wrapped around my head, my remaining two brothers, Venomsoul and Darkdance, bowled him over, and I watched them die before I fled. My Clan is gone..." Her eyes were endless pools of sorrow, pain, and horror. Snowpaw imagined the vicious dogs, tearing into cat flesh. She shuddered, closing her eyes a moment before opening them again.

"I...I'm sorry about..." Snowpaw tried to say. How can you put your sympathy into words? She sighed. "I have had a troubling past too. My mother betrayed my clan when I was only a day old. My best friend died not too long ago. My mentor was killed. I was lied to all my life. My best friend's mother is missing..." She collasped, sighing with the heavy burden of pain. Amberflame touched her shoulder with her tail, sympathy in her eyes. At once, Snowpaw wondered if this former warrior was as bad as she thought.

"Snowpaw!" came the yowl of Icestar. Snowpaw sighed, narrowing her eyes again and looked over her shoulder at her leader before getting to her paws. She nodded at Amberflame, backing away and rushing toward Icestar.

"I want you on a hunting patrol with Wolfwind, Cinderfang, and Pantherblaze," Icestar demanded, eyes hard, yet Snowpaw could see the sadness and even wonder and worry behind them. She nodded, eyes glinting, and padded toward the gathered warriors for the hunting patrol.

What was going on?

---End of Chapter---