Here comes the next installment in the collaborative story Scorching Lies, written by the forum ImagineClan!
So, let's delve back into the world of Specklepaw.
Also, please review the story! We adore reviews. You have no idea how much.
Disclaimer: We do not own Warriors, but we own our story, the idea for this method of doing a collaborative story, etc, etc.
Chapter 4 written by ExplosionsAreFun
Specklepaw looked around at the green scenery. She heard a noise in the forest and spun around. She saw a ginger pelt moving towards her. "Flame?" she called out, then instantly regretted it, in case it wasn't him. The cat pricked up its ears and looked around. She saw now that it was Flame. She ran over. "Flame!"
The tom turned to look at her. "Oh. Hey, Speckle."
"Specklepaw now," she said smugly. "I joined the Clan."
Flame suddenly looked interested. "You did? Wonderful. I need to ask you something."
"Okay, what is it?" Specklepaw said.
Flame opened his mouth to talk, but suddenly disappeared.
"Huh? Flame!" Specklepaw said, looking around. Everything was disappearing. "Flame?!"
Specklepaw blinked awake and saw Nightstep shaking her. "It's time to train, you lazy apprentice!" he growled.
Specklepaw blinked her eyes open and saw that most of the apprentices were still asleep, except for Featherpaw, who wasn't there. "But everyone else is still asleep," she said, still groggy.
"You aren't most apprentices! You're a lazy good-for-nothing outsider! We're going hunting. Come, or you'll have to clean the nursery!" he hissed, and walked out of the den. Specklepaw ran out after him, terrified, but hungry.
"Can I have some food?" she asked, hoping he would let her eat a mouse.
"NO!" he growled so loudly that Briarpaw stuck her head out of the apprentices' den.
"Huh?" she said.
"Okay, fine," Specklepaw sighed, following Nightstep into the forest.
She looked around the clearing she was lead to. The morning sunlight flitted through the leaves. A butterfly flew around the clearing. Specklepaw took a deep breath. Maybe if she did well enough, he wouldn't be rude to her.
Specklepaw sniffed around, closing her eyes and pricking her ears. She heard a small noise. She quickly opened her eyes and looked around. A thrush was picking at the ground nearby. Specklepaw fell into a hunting crouch and moved towards it. She leapt forward with outstretched claws. The bird let out a loud shriek as it died.
Mouse dung, she thought, picking up the animal and burying it, hoping fervently that some prey was still there near her. She glanced around the clearing and heard a small scuffle. I can catch that mouse! she thought, walking slowly over to the bush she heard it in and pouncing on the creature. She killed it with a swift bite.
She dug up the bird and brought the freshkill over to Nightstep. "I'm done; I caught some prey," she said, looking proudly at her rather large thrush and average size mouse.
Nightstep took one look at the freshkill and grew angry.
"What is this?" he hissed. "Take it back to camp, and then clean the elder's den," he growled. Specklepaw felt a surge of anger and stomped out of the clearing, muttering. She padded into camp, dumped her fresh-kill onto the pile, and sullenly slid into the elder's den.
She looked at the two cats, a light brown she-cat and a ragged gray tom. "I'm here to clean the elder's den," she announced.
The she-cat got up. Specklepaw took out the moss and dragged it out of camp. She then got more fresh moss. She brought it into the elder's den and set it down where the other was. She repeated this with the other nest. Then she walked into the medicine cat's den.
"I need some mouse bile." She got some from Mouseleap and went back into the elder's den. She got the ticks off and went out of camp, needing some fresh air. She took a deep breath and arrived at a small stream. She swallowed. Water was her worst fear, but she really needed to clean her paws. She splashed them in, forcing herself not to scream, and shook them until they were dry once the bile was gone. She looked at the water and shuddered, walking back to camp.
Maplepaw ran up to her as she arrived. "Hey! Want to come hunting with me, Featherpaw, and Skypaw?" she asked, bursting with excitement.
Specklepaw blinked. "Sure," she said.
"Awesome!" Maplepaw said and went over to the fresh-kill pile. "She'll come! Let's go!"
The other apprentices got up, and Specklepaw walked over.
"Where are we hunting?" Skypaw asked.
"How about near the stream?" Featherpaw suggested, casting a cold look at Specklepaw.
Maplepaw looked from Featherpaw to Specklepaw.
Skypaw blinked. "How about a clearing? I know one," she said.
Maplepaw nodded in agreement, and Specklepaw felt a wave of relief.
"Let's go!" Skypaw said, dashing out of camp. The others followed.
When the apprentices arrived, Specklepaw realized that this was the same clearing she had hunted at in the morning.
Featherpaw went to hunting immediately.
Skypaw walked over to Specklepaw. "Hi!"
"Hi," Specklepaw responded.
"Ah! You scared the prey away!" Featherpaw sighed.
"Well, let's just talk then," Maplepaw suggested.
"Okay," Featherpaw agreed.
"Let's talk about mentors!" Maplepaw said.
"Okay!" Skypaw said. "My mentor took me battle training today; it was so fun!"
"Fun?! You should've been with me and Bluestep on border patrol! A baby fox was in the territory!" Maplepaw exclaimed. "I had to go back to camp and get Honeyshine, Briarpaw, Sandfire, and Silverfur! Sandfire whipped that fox's tail!" she said excitedly.
Specklepaw watched as Featherpaw told of how she learned to climb. She felt a surge of jealousy. Why didn't Nightstep treat her nicely? Her emotions were a mix of sadness and anger as Featherpaw finished her story.
So, what do you think of that chapter?
Stay tuned for the next one!