Chapter Twelve
"Why should I accept you into my Clan?" Lionstar meows regally, his golden pelt glowing in the sunlight. The rouge looks unfazed; his reddish-orange eyes steady and unwavering as he tilts his head back, looking up at the leader.
"Because I am a fighter. I can help you protect your territory." The rouge offers up, his smoky grey pelt rippling for a moment, the red and orange hints gleaming in the sunlight. He looks like a living ember, smoldering strongly as it refuses to go out. There are scars on his back, showing his desire to live. Fiercepaw struggles to not tilt her head back to see her leader. The curiosity is burning in her chest and she can hardly keep herself from kittenish acts of wiggling or squeaking impatiently.
Talonstrike smiles, running his tail gently down her spine and soothing her instantly. Fiercepaw leans into her father's side, her silver eyes intent upon the rouge in the center of the clearing. Nightstream feels a flash of jealousy that her daughter is so much closer to her father. Shame replaces that burst of envy in her chest as she comes to the realization that her daughter would be just as close to her if only she hadn't retreated into grief and Boulderpaw.
Her apprentice is at the other end of the defending line, looking a little startled and confused as Honeypaw whispers in his ear.
Nightstream rolls her eyes. Honeypaw is a bad influence on her 'paw. Nightstream can see the desire to be the best burning in the young apprentice but it is unchecked by her parents. It could grow big enough to burn the young she-cat if she isn't careful.
"I must consult with my senior warriors." Lionstar meows and confusion and derision flit across the young tom's face. "This is a matter for the entire Clan. I will not dictate what my Clan must or must not do. That is not how the Clan's work. I am leader because the previous leader chose me but I stay leader because my Clan trust me to lead them safely and carefully through uncertain time such as this one." Lionstar meows, a strong and wise air to him as he leaps from the Leader's Perch in one bound. He lands in crouch in front of the rouge before straightening.
The rouge crouches down, orange-red eyes widening as Lionstar rises to his full height. The majestic golden tom's pelt ripples with muscles, a thick, ropy scar winding down his right shoulder that he earned in a two-day battle against BreezeClan. His pale green eyes radiate warmth and strength, his gleaming fangs peeking out from his muzzle, curved against his jaw. Lionstar is two heads larger than the rouge and fear flashes across his striking eyes.
"Have no fear, young one. I will not harm you unless you pose a threat to my Clan." Lionstar meows, flicking his tail commandingly. Talonstrike pads across the clearing, his lean, white and grey patched pelt smooth and sleek against his muscles. He comes to a stop at Lionstar's right, crimson eyes respectful as he looks at his leader.
Thistletail rises, padded over to the left side, his spiky cream pelt making him look larger than he actually is. His golden eyes gleam mischievously as he halts, dipping his head respectfully. Skyfang stepped forward with Rowanstrike, Cloudfeather and Nightstream flanking him. They all stopped just behind Lionstar.
Lionstar held the rouge's gaze for a moment before turning and gathering in front of the nursery. As they began meowing, Fiercepaw shifted, searching for Lightningpaw. Blueflame padded over and opened his mouth to meow something but Fiercepaw rose up, shooting him an icy glare and striding past him. Spotting the large white and silver tom, Fiercepaw and Goldenpaw trotted over to him, settling on either side of their friend.
"What do Lionstar is going to do?" Fiercepaw meows, tilting her head back to look up at her large friend. Lightningpaw blinked amber eyes, shrugging his large, shaggy shoulders.
"I think he will let the rouge in." Goldenpaw meows and Fiercepaw leans forward, gently poking her nose at her friends small wound. Goldenpaw winced and Fiercepaw shrugged apologetically.
"Sorry but I think you should have Mintleaf take a look at that." Fiercepaw meows and Goldenpaw shuffles her paws, looking sheepish.
"Yeah but I kind of want to do that later." Goldenpaw meows and Fiercepaw purrs with amusement. "What do you think? Do think we keep the rouge or run him out of our territory?" Goldenpaw meows and Fiercepaw pauses, turning her silver gaze to the rouge in the clearing. Just then, he turns his head and meets her gaze. Fiercepaw tenses but he doesn't do anything other than sweep his gaze over her and turn his head away.
"I think Lionstar will keep him. We have to. It's part of the code." Fiercepaw mews, a ripple running through her spiky, inky coat. The two cats nod in agreement just as the group breaks up. The senior warriors pad back into place in the line, seeming more relaxed than before. "Are we keeping him?" Fiercepaw meows to her father and he purrs with amusement, ushering her back in line.
"That is for our leader to say, Fiercepaw." Talonstrike meows, crimson eyes gleaming with amusement. Sighing exaggeratedly, Fiercepaw settles in line beside him and looks anxiously to Lionstar. The large golden tom has bounded up onto the Leader's Perch again, his ears twitching before he stills.
"The Clan has spoken. Welcome to StormClan." Lionstar meows and the rouge relaxes a little. "We have a rule in our Clan. Because StormClan was begun by two rouges, we accept rogues into our clan but on one condition-" The tom tenses up again, a wary look in his startling orange-red eyes. "You must prove yourself worthy to join our Clan within a moon. Once your moon is up, I shall have the Clan cast their vote to see if you stay or leave. Am I understood?" Lionstar meows commandingly and the tom nods curtly. "Good, then we must talk about your name-"
"I have a name!" The tom spat, rising to his paws and bristling angrily. Lionstar nodded, looking down at him. Suddenly shamed by his outburst, the tom sat back down and ducked his head.
"You may have a name but it is not like ours. As a kit, your name has the kit on the end. You though, are not young enough to be a kit, or old enough to be a warrior. Your name will end with 'paw, to signify the path you have placed your paws upon. You may tell me your name and we can add 'paw to it or we can choose an entirely new name to signify the clean start you have chosen. What do you chose?" Lionstar meowed and the rouge seemed stunned he was even being given a choice.
Lionstar waited patiently so Fiercepaw turned her gaze on the rouge, wondering at his choice. The tom fidgeted, seeing so many eyes upon him.
"I choose a new name." He meowed strongly but Fiercepaw could hear the slightest waver in his voice.
"Then we have a new 'paw. He has come to StormClan choosing to leave his old life behind. This tom stands before us and I grant him a new name in the eyes of StormClan and StarClan. From this day forward, you shall be known as Smolderpaw, in honor of the smoldering embers your pelt and eyes remind me of." Lionstar meowed. "As a member of StormClan, you will need a mentor. Talonstrike, you are now ready to take on an apprentice. You will mentor Smolderpaw. Talonstrike, you have shown yourself to be passionate and loyal. I now ask that you pass down all you know to this apprentice." Talonstrike pads forward, reaching out to the newly-named Smolderpaw with his nose.
The other tom shrunk back for a moment but Talonstrike waited, his crimson eyes warm and welcoming. After a moment of hesitation, Smolderpaw reached forward and carefully touched his nose before backing away quickly. There was a moment of pause and then Lionstar led the chant to welcome the new apprentice.
"Smolderpaw! Smolderpaw! Smolderpaw!" The clan began chanting and the tom flattened his ears against his head, bristling with shock. Talonstrike laughed a little before meowing something to the edgy tom. He narrowed orange-red eyes before nodding and straightening. Flashing a charming smile, the smoky grey apprentice raised his head in a gesture of arrogance, the red and orange flickers on his pelt gleaming in the sunlight.
Bounding over, Fiercepaw squirreled between the two, looking up at her father with pride. Talonstrike looked back at her, love and pride and peace gleaming in his crimson eyes. Dipping his head down, he nuzzled her head, a low purr rumbling through him. Feeling loved and cherished, Fiercepaw purred right back before Goldenpaw and Lightningpaw trotted up.
"Now that everyone is back, can we go hunting now?" Lightningpaw asked curiously, his amber eyes gleaming with excitement.
"Please, father?" Fiercepaw meowed eagerly, bouncing on her paws. Talonstrike hesitated before flicking a glance over at Lionstar.
"Let me ask our leader then I will let you know." Talonstrike meowed, a purr rumbling in his throat as he nuzzled Fiercepaw's black silver-trimmed fringe. She purred back at him, ducking her head down and knocking into Goldenpaw's side.
"Hey!" She protested, swiping a black paw playfully at the smaller she-cat. Mrowing with laughter, Fiercepaw jumped to the side, ducking the blow.
"Slowpoke!" Fiercepaw meowed teasingly, her silver eyes gleaming with happiness.
"Guys, shouldn't we introduce ourselves?" Lightningpaw meowed, wrapping his tail around his large paws. Fiercepaw and Goldenpaw paused in their playing, turning to him.
"We probably should." Goldenpaw agreed and Fiercepaw grinned toothily, opening her mouth to meow something when Blueflame padded up beside her, the elegant blue tom seeming to be hesitant when he focused his orange eyes on her.
"Fiercepaw-" Blueflame began and Fiercepaw snapped her jaw closed, a frosty look in her eyes. Lightningpaw and Goldenpaw circled Blueflame, flanking their smaller friend protectively while Smolderpaw watched on with blank eyes.
"What do you want?" Fiercepaw meowed acidly, her spiky dark pelt bristling, the silver dapples on her nose, ears, chest, paws and tail gleaming in the sunlight. "Did you want me to go clean the Medicine Cat den next?" Fiercepaw meowed, poisonous sweetness coating her sharp mew.
"That wasn't it, Fiercepaw!" Blueflame meowed sharply. "I just wanted-"
"-time with Swanfang- without me tagging along. I know what you wanted." Fiercepaw meowed, pinning her ears to her head. "You didn't have to go about it that way though." Fiercepaw meowed, sounding hurt. Blueflame winced, lowering his head a little.
"I know but I wanted to see if I could make it up to you by going hunting?" Blueflame meowed. Fiercepaw hesitated but with Goldenpaw and Lightningpaw supporting her on either side, she shook her head.
"No, I'm going hunting with Goldenpaw, Lightningpaw and my father." She meowed. "You should be happy-" Fiercepaw mewed bitterly. "-now you can spend more time with Swanfang." Fiercepaw brushed past Blueflame angrily, meeting her father half way.
"Lionstar agreed, he thinks it will be good for our new apprentice to explore our territory and-" Talonstrike lowered his mew. "-we can evaluate his hunting skills." Talonstrike meowed. Fiercepaw, Goldenpaw and Lightningpaw exchanged an excited look.
"Okay." Goldenpaw meowed and they followed as Talonstrike lead the way over to his new apprentice.
"Smolderpaw, I would like to introduce you to the three apprentices that will be joining us on our hunting trip." Talonstrike meowed warmly and Smolderpaw nodded the slightest bit, his orange-red eyes guarded. "This is Goldenpaw, the eldest daughter of Lionstar and Rowanstrike." Goldenpaw nodded at the tom but he didn't nod back, a clear sign of disrespect. Fiercepaw and Lightningpaw bristled a little, offended on their friends' behalf. "This is Lightningpaw and Fiercepaw, my daughter." Talonstrike waved his white and grey dappled tail in their direction.
Fiercepaw gave the tom a frosty look, not liking that he was rude to Goldenpaw.
Smolderpaw didn't seem bothered though, if anything it seemed to amuse him. Fiercepaw humphed, tossing her head and turning to Goldenpaw.
"Race you to the squirrel tree!" Fiercepaw meowed and then lunged for the camp entrance, mrowing her laughter as Goldenpaw and Lightningpaw scrambled after her, yelling at her back. Bursting through the entrance, Fiercepaw raced around a few trees, leaping easily over a few logs and making it to the squirrel tree (named because it is used for the apprentices so they can learn how to safely climb trees). She made it just before Goldenpaw and Lightningpaw and turned, laughing as her friends skidded into her.
Fiercepaw yowled with shock when she got knocked over and all three of them went down in a flailing pile of limbs and tails.
By the time they untangled themselves; Talonstrike and Smolderpaw had caught up and were sitting by a bush, watching them.
"Excellent job there, daughter." Talonstrike meowed, laughter tingeing his voice. Fiercepaw huffed, shaking her head and stalking past him, determined to ignore the way Goldenpaw and Lightningpaw are still laughing about the tangled mess they fell into.
"Sorry but Lightningpaw tripped and took me down with him." Goldenpaw meowed, causing the white and silver tom to shake his head.
"Did not!" He protested and Fiercepaw burst into laughter, almost tripping over a prickle ball and leaning on Lightningpaw's large shoulder to keep her balance.
"I've never seen you trip before, I thought it was an earthquake!" Fiercepaw teased and Goldenpaw started cracking up, her green eyes gleaming with happiness and laughter.
"You three might want to wait up." Talonstrike called, trotting after them with Smolderpaw easily keeping up. Fiercepaw glanced back, stumbling over her paws and muttering under her breath, annoyance sharp in her silver eyes. "Don't worry about it, Fiercepaw." Talonstrike meowed lowly, licking her ear in a comforting manner.
Fiercepaw perked up, giving him a sunny smile and trotting forward, catching up to Goldenpaw and Lightningpaw, slipping between them as they headed to the Prey Clearing. Once they reached it, they lingered on the outer edges, looking out.
The grass was crisp and a vibrant green, tall enough that it would just barely cover a full grown male- but only if he hunched his head, which wasn't a problem considering any cat would have to hunch to get into their hunting crouch.
"Alright, Smolderpaw, you are going first. Have at it." Talonstrike meowed, nodding at the dark grey tom, small hints of red and orange glimmering in his pelt. Smolderpaw shot Talonstrike a baleful look but turned and walked into the grass, dropping down low and disappearing from their sight after a few moments. Once he was sure that Smolderpaw was gone, Talonstrike turned to the three of them. "The first one to catch him is off of herb gathering duty for the next moon." He meowed.
The three of them exchanged playfully competitive glances, each of them flicking each other's ear before turning and splitting up, disappearing into the grass.
Talonstrike settled back onto his powerful haunches, prepared to wait it out and see who would win.
~Fight-of-the-Fierce~
Fiercepaw crept through the long grass, her inky black silver-tipped ears perked up as she carefully pulled herself forward through the grass, silver eyes wide and the excitement of the hunt stirring in her. She held her spiky tail low to the ground, her muscles loose as she moved as fluidly as possible through the grass, her ears flicking around when she heard any noise.
It wasn't long until she heard something and crept closer, peering through the grass, dropping lower to the ground until her belly fur was brushing the ground. She spotted Goldenpaw in a spot bare of any grass, her emerald eyes trained where the tip of a dark grey, orange and red tail is disappearing.
Fiercepaw turned and silently crept the other way, fighting to keep her pelt from bristling, small quivers running through her small frame. Fiercepaw trained her ears forward as she drew closer to where she suspected Smolderpaw was at.
Taking a slow breath, Fiercepaw smoothly pushed off with her hind paws, launching herself forward and sailing right onto the shoulders of Smolderpaw. He didn't let out a yowl or tense up like any normal cat; he just threw himself forward, rolling onto Fiercepaw and crushing her.
"Uff!" Her muffled mew broke the silence and Smolderpaw snarled, yanking himself away, whirling around and growling dangerously, the sound low and menacing. Fiercepaw's silver eyes widened and she tried to back away but Smolderpaw jumped.
Yowling with surprise and a little bit of fear, Fiercepaw dodged to the side, stumbling over her paws in her effort to get away.
"Fox heart!" Smolderpaw snarled angrily, his gleaming white fangs flashing ominously in the sunlight as he lunged again, his movements lightning quick. Fiercepaw yowled again, her ears flattened against her head as she lashed out desperately, sloppily with a silver paw. Smolderpaw dodged easily and reared up, looming over her dangerously.
"Get away from her!" Fiercepaw stared in astonishment as Blueflame soared over her head and barreled into Smolderpaw, hissing and spitting angrily, his pelt fluffed up and making him look two times larger than he was. His orange eyes gleamed dangerously as he snaked forward, his lean body rippling with muscles as he lunged forward, long fangs bared as he attacked.
Smolderpaw's eyes widened but he threw himself into the fight with an eagerness that disturbed and intrigued Fiercepaw in equal measures. The two toms snarled and growled, colliding, their claws flashing with small droplets of blood as they raked at each other, hissing and spitting angrily.
Fiercepaw cowered on the ground, never having been in a fight before. She has never had any reason to raise her claws threateningly at another cat in a serious manner before.
Blueflame fights with expert grace, quick and lethal as he used his larger size to force Smolderpaw into backing up. Smolderpaw on the other hand, fought eagerly with a vicious edge that was lacking in Blueflame. Smolderpaw fought like his life was on the line and he wasn't going to lose it, not for any cost or reason.
Fiercepaw's silver eyes were wide with shock and fear and she was cowering on the ground when Talonstrike burst into the small clearing, flanked by Goldenpaw and Lightningpaw.
"Stop!" Talonstrike yowled, lunging forward and fastening his teeth in Blueflame's neck scruff, yanking him away. Smolderpaw roared angrily, startling them all for a moment; none of them expected that deep and lethal sound to come out of the young cat. Smolderpaw lunged forward, murder in his eyes and his claws reaching for Blueflame's throat.
Still hissing and spitting, Blueflame lashed out at the younger tom while Talonstrike attempted to pull him away.
Smolderpaw lunged forward again and as one, Goldenpaw, Lightningpaw and Fiercepaw lunged forward to meet his advances. Smolderpaw skidded to a stop, knowing better than to believe he could defeat all three of them at once.
His sides were heaving with exertion and his smoldering eyes had anger burning in their depths.
"What is this?" He snarled angrily, puffing his pelt out to make himself seem larger. "This wasn't part of the plan, you fox-hearted, chuffed up, crow droppings!" Smolderpaw hissed, making the three apprentices draw back a little at his excessive swearing.
"Knock it off, Blueflame!" Talonstrike growled through Blueflame's fur. "She wasn't in true danger!" Talonstrike's voice was muffled by the mouthful of fur but they all heard and understood what he was saying.
"What?" Fiercepaw meowed, her eyes wide. Shame was churning in her gut over her failure to rise to the fight in a way that would make her mentor proud.
"It was a game!" Smolderpaw spat out, angrily clawing at the ground, carving deep gouges in the earth. "You lying, crow-food, carrion eating, dung-dropping, vomit inducing, arrogant Clan cats!" Smolderpaw spat out, like the word Clan was dirty and didn't deserve to be spoken aloud by him.
Fiercepaw narrowed her eyes, wondering about the way he said Clan. He said it like he knew about the Clans, knew more than he had said to Lionstar earlier. He said it like he knew the Clans and hated them with a deep and fierce passion. Like they had wronged him before and he would never forgive them for it.
"What does that mean?" Blueflame growled, quitting with struggling against Talonstrike. Fiercepaw's father relaxed his hold on Blueflame but didn't let go of him completely.
"I told Smolderpaw to try and catch one of the apprentices without them knowing then told the other three that they were to try and catch him. None of them knew that Smolderpaw was in on it." Talonstrike meowed.
"Are you yanking my tail?" Fiercepaw exclaimed, her mew indignant and angry. "Why in Starclan's name wouldn't you just tell us instead of giving me a chuffing heart attack?" Fiercepaw spat out, bristling angrily and glaring accusingly at her father.
"Fiercepaw!" Talonstrike sounded exasperated. "It was a test. For the three of you and Smolderpaw. I couldn't tell you what was happening because then it would affect your performance." Talonstrike explained, carefully releasing Blueflame.
The tom shot a glare at Smolderpaw, stalking over to Fiercepaw and worriedly nudging her around in an attempt to see if she was hurt. Fiercepaw growled at him, stumbling around when he pushed her but Blueflame ignored the warning, his orange eyes anxious.
"I'm fine, Blueflame, so knock it off!" Fiercepaw exclaimed, exasperated with her mentor's over-protectiveness.
"I need to make sure!" Blueflame snapped angrily, nosing her fur carefully, inhaling her scent before finally relaxing. "You don't come near my apprentice again unless you have my permission. Understood?" Blueflame raised his head, his lithe body curled around Fiercepaw protectively as he glared at the other tom.
"Fine!" Smolderpaw spat angrily, his orange-red eyes glowing with annoyance.
"I think this has gotten out of hand." Talonstrike meowed calmly, licking his chest in embarrassment. "I'll admit, it wasn't one of my better ideas so I think we should all head back to camp now." Talonstrike said, walking forward and gesturing with his tail for everyone to follow.
Blueflame and Fiercepaw hung back for a few moments until his racing heart slowed down and his protective instincts slowly calmed.
"Can we go now?" Fiercepaw meowed crossly, attempting to crawl out of the circle Blueflame had created with his body.
"Not yet." He growled, tugging her back in. Fiercepaw huffed and rolled her eyes when he began to rasp his tongue down her back, smoothing her ruffled fur. Fiercepaw submitted to the tongue-washing, settling into the warm circle of his body, purring a little towards the end.
"Better?" Fiercepaw meowed when he finally finished washing her. Blueflame huffed and climbed to his paws, his fur heating up with embarrassment at his overreaction.
"Yes." He meowed curtly and she rolled her eyes, padding beside him while he led the way out of the clearing and back to camp.
"What happened?" Swanfang bounded forward the moment she saw them, her amber eyes wide and anxious as she scanned Blueflame, spotting the blood on his pelt.
"Nothing, it was just a misunderstanding- where are you going?" Blueflame growled, spotting Fiercepaw padding away. Startled at him noticing anything other than the beautiful white she-cat, Fiercepaw stared at him.
"I- was going to check on Goldenpaw and Lightningpaw." She meowed slowly, a little bewildered.
"No you don't." Blueflame hurried forward, curving around her and herding her towards the medicine cat den. "If they are smart, they will come to Mintleaf to get checked out, which is what you are going to do." Blueflame ordered, ignoring Fiercepaw's protests.
"You are the one that got hurt!" Fiercepaw exclaimed and Blueflame shot her an amused look.
"All the more reason you should be there." He meowed and she narrowed her eyes crossly as they got closer.
"Why?" She protested.
"So you can see how annoying it can be to get fussed over by a Medicine cat while you are injured. This will teach you to not get into fights you can't handle." Blueflame scolded her and Fiercepaw rolled her eyes, sighing loudly while he nudged her into the den.
~Fight-of-the-Fierce~
"He acts like an over-protective mate." Rowanstrike observed, watching later on as Blueflame fussed over Fiercepaw, talking her into eating a mouse. Blueflame was hovering protectively over Fiercepaw, bristling every time he caught a glimpse of another male. Lightningpaw was shooting covert looks at Fiercepaw but didn't dare move any closer to her, not with how Blueflame is acting at the moment.
"I don't know, I think that is just how Blueflame and Fiercepaw are." Lionstar meowed, taking a bite of his dove. While they watched, Fiercepaw coaxed Blueflame into laying down beside her and sharing the fat mouse. Fiercepaw purred, shaking her head at her mentor.
"Maybe but I don't think Swanfang likes it." Rowanstrike pointed out, prompting him to look over at the sullen white she-cat.
"Well, she has gotten used to a certain level of attention from Blueflame but she needs to realize things are going to change. Especially now that he has an apprentice." Lionstar muttered through his mouthful, earning an amused glance from his mate.
"She's jealous and maybe with good reason." Rowanstrike meowed. "It wouldn't be the first time a mentor has fallen for his apprentice." Rowanstrike teased gently, shooting him a pointed look. Lionstar's pelt heated up and he rolled his eyes, remembering that was how he and Rowanstrike (Rowanpaw at the time) had grown close enough to decide to become mates after she became a full warrior of StormClan.
"Yes but it doesn't always work out like that." Lionstar gently rebuffed, nudging Rowanstrike's ear with his nose.
"We shall see." Rowanstrike meowed, polishing off the rest of her shrew in a few bits and swiping her tongue around her jaw to catch any last prey-blood.
~Fight-of-the-Fierce~
"Again." Blueflame meowed, circling Fiercepaw. She pinned her ears to her head, lashing her tail behind her and slowly creeping forward before lunging forward. Blueflame smoothly dodged and whirled around, batting her side and knocking her over. "That was too slow, again." Blueflame ordered, padding back to his starting position.
Grumbling under her breath, Fiercepaw hauled herself to her paws, resisting the urge to yawn. Ever since she froze in that fight with Smolderpaw seven sunrises ago, Blueflame has been almost non-stop battle training.
It is getting harder for Fiercepaw to keep up with all the work being thrown at her and still be able to help out Goldenpaw at night and then meet up with Silverpaw at night with only a few snatched pawfuls of sleep.
"Fiercepaw!" Yowling, Fiercepaw dodges Blueflame at the last moment, too tired to anything more than stumble to the side. "What is going on with you?" Blueflame meowed crossly, padding over to her. Fiercepaw looked down, shame and guilt mixing in her heart.
"Sorry Blueflame." She muttered, staring at the ground. After a moment of observing Fiercepaw and seeing the exhaustion written in every line of her pelt, Blueflame sighed and shook his head.
"Come on, Fiercepaw, back to camp. You can have the rest of the day off." Blueflame meowed and touched his nose comfortingly to her ear. "Just try to sleep some more so you aren't so exhausted during the day, okay?" He meowed and she nodded avoiding his eyes shamefully.
There was nothing wrong with helping out a fellow apprentice but Fiercepaw didn't think Blueflame would appreciate her exhausting herself every night with her drive to someday be able to get her revenge on MoonClan.
She reflexively snarled, unsheathing her claws.
"Maybe if you got more sleep, huh?" Smolderpaw meowed lowly and Fiercepaw muffled a yelp, jumping and tumbling to the side.
"What do you want?" She spat, rising to her paws and bristling angrily. Smolderpaw was unfazed, his still ragged dark grey, orange and red fur unruffled.
"If only your mentor knew what you were really doing at night." Smolderpaw meowed, circling her. Fiercepaw whirled around and hissed at him but her heart was pounding and she could scent her own fear in the air, which meant he definitely could too.
"Leave me alone!" Fiercepaw hissed at him and whirled around, prepared to stalk off.
"Now why would I want to do that? Such a pretty little apprentice." Smolderpaw meowed, a distinctly teasing edge to his mew. Fiercepaw stared at him, shocked. Was…he…flirting…with her? Smolderpaw sat down and wrapped his tail around his paws, the one white leg gleaming in the sunlight. "Run along and nap now, like a good little kit." Smolderpaw meowed, his orange eyes gleaming with amusement.
"Smolderpaw!" Talonstrike called, turning away from where he was supervising Honeypaw and Lightningpaw's mock fight. "You are supposed to be watching, not talking to my daughter." Talonstrike meowed, his crimson red eyes narrowed with distrust.
Smolderpaw rolled his eyes, the gesture so…un-Smolderpaw that Fiercepaw had to muffle her laughter behind a silver paw. Smolderpaw paused, gazing intensely at her before shaking his head and padding over to her father, settling down a good distance away from him.
Fiercepaw stared after Smolderpaw before shaking her head and hurrying away.
Oddball tom.
Hurrying back to camp, Fiercepaw slipped in and glanced around, padding into the apprentice den. Walking carefully, Fiercepaw winced when she still managed to snag her claw on a bramble. Shaking her paw off and hopping on three legs, Fiercepaw stumbled into her nest and curled up, rasping her tongue over her paw and soothing the sting.
Resting her head on the edge of her nest, Fiercepaw stared sightless into the dim den, thinking about what her and Goldenpaw can do tonight. Her eyes slowly began drifting shut. Maybe they could review the Twisting Lunge Strike?
Fiercepaw still has a hard time with that. For some reason, it is harder for her to pick up battle moves but Goldenpaw is a natural at them. It only takes a few tries for her to perfect a battle move, versus Fiercepaw's several sunrises.
Fiercepaw stifled a yawn, her eyes feeling gritty when she closes the.
She hasn't been hunting in a little while, maybe she can ask Blueflame if she can when she gets up? Fiercepaw yawns again, wider that time and curls tighter in her nest. She should see if she can spend some time with Aspenkit tomorrow. The little kit has been feeling lonely without any other kits in the nursing den.
Maybe Fiercepaw can gather some herbs-
Fiercepaw finally gave into the fight and darkness claimed her, leading her into the first true sleep she has had in a long time.
Hello everyone and thank you so much for sticking to my story! I would like to thank all of my new followers and favers and my reviewers! Shout out to Warriorcatgirl125 and her awesome story Raven's Path. It is a good story with about 9 chapters so I would advise you go and check it out!