Yes! I finally have another reviewer! Let's paaaaartaaaaaaaay!
I curled up in the last avalible nest in the apprentices' den. I was between Firepaw and a pretty ginger she-cat. She was a tough, tomboyish cat by day, but she looked so inoccent sleeping with her paws over one eye and her tail covering her nose. She almost reminded me of Winry.
Ravenpaw was whimpering in his dreams, and I had half a mind to wake him. Dreams or no dreams, though, he needed his sleep. Funny, I almost felt responsible for his health and safety. I dunno why. I guess it's because he's so...kit-like. Young and naive. He always seemed frightened and scared. Both his parents, I'd learned, were dead. He still had two sisters, Brindleface and Frostfur, but they were usually busy. Then there was his brother, Dustpaw, and his half-brother, Longtail, but they never get along.
I yawned, and finally let sleep overtake me.
"Ah, Metalpaw, you're here."
I looked up to see an eeriely familiar cat. A fluffy, sandy brown tom with pale stripes. And light, green eyes...
"You!" I growled.
"You did this to me!"
The tabby tom blinked calmly.
"Yes, you could say that. But I-"
"I don't need your excuses!" I snapped.
"Metalpaw, you must listen to me. I have recieved an urgent warni-"
"Shut up!" I snarled.
"My name is Edward Elric!"
The tabby just shook his head, and then faded into darkness.
"Metalpaw! Hey Metalpaw! Wake up!"
I felt a paw whack me across the face and I opened my eyes to see Ravenpaw's excited face.
"What's up, Raven'?" I asked.
"The gathering's tonight!" he replied in a cheerful tone. It was nice to see him happy, seeing how he's almost always scared and misrible.
"Oh, yeah," he added.
"That, and, Lionheart wants us on a hunting patrol."
It had been almost a moon since Redtail died and Lionheart took his place as deputy. Dustpaw's still clearly upset about the loss of his mentor; and I've heard Redtail was a brave and loyal warrior. But Graypaw seems happy to be the deputy's apprentice, and so far things are working out.
"Alright, I'm up." I said, dragging myself to my paws.
We padded out of camp, Whitestorm and Longtail leading and Sandpaw behind us.
"Sandpaw," Whitestorm said once we got outside.
"You'll hunt with me. Longtail, you're a strong hunter. You go alone. Ravenpaw, Metalpaw, you two hunt that way." he finished, indicating a spot with his tail.
I nodded, and headed off with Ravenpaw, pausing to taste the air.
"Squirrel." I informed him, wanting to give him a chance. He nodded and bounded away happily.
"Don't scare it away..." I muttered.
Sighing and shaking my head, I returned to hunting almost atonce scenting rabbit. I dropped into a crouch, making sure my metal limbs had less weight on them than my normal ones. Last thing I needed was my auto-mail alerting prey or enemies, or, worse, breaking.
I crept foreward, but I immediately noticed something wasn't right. There was another cat here.
Firepaw.
Forgetting the rabbit, I padded silently through the trees. A rank stench hit my nose, and I froze, recognizing the scent ShadowClan from when I'd been by the border.
I slipped quietly foreward, and my heart skipped a beat at what I saw.
Firepaw was crouched down next to an elderly gray she-cat, and the two were sharing a rabbit.
The rabbit I was going to catch.
I growled softly, and Firepaw looked up in alarm. I ducked out of sight, glad I was downwind. He shrugged, then continued eating.
"Hey Metalp-"
I slapped my tail over Ravenpaw's mouth. I could tell from the look on his face and the dirt on his muzzle that he'd failed to catch the squirrel. I shrugged off, gently removing my tail from Ravenpaw's face.
"What's going on?" he hissed softly.
I beconed him over, flicking my tail towards Firepaw and the ShadowClan cat.
"That." I replied, ears flattened.
"Wh-what do we do?" Ravenpaw stammered.
"They're breaking the warrior code." I replied angrily, my tail swishing back and forth.
"So we do-" I snarled, jumping out from behind the bush we were hidden behind.
"This!" I yowled, pinning down the ShadowClan cat. Ravenpaw reluctantly followed, placing a paw on Firepaw's chest to hold him down.
"ShadowClan filth!" I growled down at her. She had a ragged gray pelt and a squashy face. I unintentionally unsheathed my claws, and blood trickled from her shoulders. She just sagged down and went limp under my paws.
It's a trick, Metalpaw! She's playing dead! I thought. But to my surprise, she didn't resist.
"Ravenpaw!" I heard Firepaw gasp beside me.
"Let me go!"
"No." came Ravenpaw's firm reply. I was glad he'd chosen now to toughen up; if he let Firepaw escape, who knows what could happen?
"What's going on here?" came Lionheart's soft growl. I whipped my head around to see him, Whitestorm, and Longtail towering over us. Lionheart padded over to each of us in turn, thrusting his muzzle into each of our faces. He looked down at Firepaw and the cat from ShadowClan, amusement in his eyes.
"Well, well, it appears you two have eaten a generous amount."
He turned to Longtail.
"Take Ravenpaw back to camp."
Longtail nodded, then glared at his smaller, weaker brother and the two padded away.
"Whitestorm," he ordered.
"I trust you to get these two back to camp and see to it that Bluestar hears of this?"
Whitestorm nodded.
"Yes, Lionheart." he meowed respectfully, glaring at Firepaw and the she-cat.
Lionheart then turned to me and dipped his head respectfully.
"Good work, Metalpaw."
And with that he padded off into the trees and left me standing there, shocked.