Heyaz!! I'm back! Sorry, SORRY I haven't updated in a while, but I was waiting for more reviewers. But I only got 8, since I'm not counting the horrible flame I got. Yeah. I was sad after that one. -.- SO ANYWAYS!!! I've had to limit the plushie-winner to the Number 5 reviewer!
And the winner is.... XStormcloudX!!! YAAAAY! *tosses a Pepper plushie out the window and hopes that it lands on Stormy's head.* And a hug for Mistfur, because she wanted a Pepper plushie and asked nicely, but sadly wasn't number five. HUGZ!!! *huggles Mistfur* Hehe. So now, on with the story!!! ^o^
A Raven's Peppered Wing
Warm sunlight filtered in through the open doors of the barn. Pepper stirred in her nest of sweet hay and blinked in the light. All the events of the past day came rushing back to her like a wave in a storm, and she sighed in relief and thanked the sky above that she was no longer with her human.
A dark shape spun around the corner of a hayloft close to her. Pepper's heart lifted and her fur tingled as she recognized Ravenpaw, the black cat who had rescued her.
Ravenpaw smiled at her and dropped the mouse he was carrying. "Good, you're awake." Picking it up again, he leapt onto the hayloft and nudged it toward her. "This is for you."
Pepper blinked gratefully. "Thanks," she mewed and tore into the mouse. Pausing, she added, "Don't you want any?"
Ravenpaw settled down beside her and shook his head. "No, thanks. I've already eaten. Besides, I've got to keep my mouth open for talking." When Pepper cocked her head, confused, he laughed and explained, "I wanted to tell you the story about my name, and the cats I lived with before I came here. I was hoping we could share stories, but if you don't what to, then--"
"Oh, no," Pepper interrupted. She was interested in what he would have to say. "It's okay. I'd love to hear about that."
Ravenpaw smiled. "All right then. But, I'll warn you, some parts a little..." He narrowed his eyes, as if searching for a word. "...Unnerving." he finished. When Pepper nodded, he began.
"Well, to start, I'd better tell you about the Clans. Beyond this barn, to the south, is a giant forest with moorland, marsh, rivers, and trees. This forest is split evenly between four clans: RiverClan where the water is, ShadowClan in the marsh, WindClan on the sweeping moorland, and ThunderClan in the deepest forest." Ravenpaw paused. "I was in ThunderClan, but something-- someone," he corrected himself. "Threatened my safety there. My own mentor. A mentor is someone who teaches a younger cat to fight and hunt for themselves." Pepper recalled that it was her father who had done that.
"So, my mentor's name was Tigerclaw. He was an amazing warrior, a true fighter and loyal to the warrior code, the rules we had to live by. But he was constantly criticizing me, and hardly taught me anything. I felt like a lost cause all the time. At first it was because he didn't like me, but after our deputy, Redtail, died, it was because I knew something I shouldn't have." He took a deep breath. "Tigerclaw killed him." He glanced at Pepper, who was staring at him with disbelief. "Someone from his own Clan?" she asked timidly. He nodded.
Pepper shivered. "Wow. That's horrible." Ravenpaw nodded. "Yeah," he continued. "And I saw it happen. And Tigerclaw knew. I knew that if I told anybody, Tigerclaw would kill me. So I kept silent for a long time. I was jumpy and nervous and afraid of everything, when I finally told somebody." "Who?" Pepper inquired. Ravenpaw smiled before he answered, like bitter memories were sweeping over him. "One of my best friends. His name was Firepaw then, because he was an apprentice learning under a warrior with me. I told him everything, because once the words came, they couldn't stop. He understood, and agreed to only tell our other best friend, Graypaw."
Anyways, Tigerclaw started hinting to the clan that I was a traitor, when I wasn't. He was trying to get rid of me so his secret would be hidden forever. But he didn't know that Firepaw knew also. If he had known that..." he shuddered. "He would have skinned us both. He'd always hated Firepaw." He continued. "So, as the hints got more frequent, they began to travel about the clan, becoming bigger, forming suspicions, like a spider spinning a web. Firepaw knew it wasn't safe for me anymore, so he quickly told Graypaw and they snuck me out of the camp to this barn. We'd met Barley before, so we weren't strangers to him. Firepaw told me I had to stay here, and that Tigerclaw wouldn't find me here. I believed him. We said goodbye, the three of us, and then they had to run back to the forest before they were completely missed. It was still pouring rain when I got to the barn, and Barley accepted me without hesitation. But I kept thinking about my friends. I realized how much they went through to save me. I still think about that sometimes." Ravenpaw sighed. "They were really great friends." Pepper felt her eyes soften with sympathy and she touched her tail-tip to his shoulder. "I'm sorry." she whispered. "You must miss them." Ravenpaw nodded. "I do."
They sat together in silence for a bit, and then Ravenpaw turned to her. "So that concludes my sob story," Pepper laughed. He smiled and continued, "What's yours?"
Pepper paused. "Well, I lived my family from when I was a kitten to about 4 moons ago," she began. "It was me, my mother, my father, and my older sister, Pixie." Pepper hesitated, and then, to her horror, words came tumbling out of her mouth that weren't true. "We lived in a small forest of our own, and we grew up knowing every nook and cranny of it. My father hunted all animals, even badgers and foxes, and conquered any predator that dared threaten his family." This was a lie. Her father always taught her not to mess with animals like badgers and foxes. "My mother knew everything there was to know about plants and the earth. She even knew how to grow them herself." Not true. Her mother had only known enough basic remedies to save someone from dying. "And Pixie and I were the bravest little cats in the tiny forest of ours. We'd fight beavers in the morning and finish off the day with a snake or two." Pepper stopped herself, determined not to tell any more lies. "Then, one day, when I was older, I..." she paused. "...Wandered off. I was lost in the woods for a long time and... and I got stuck in the trap. And then you found me." She looked up at Ravenpaw. He was staring at her.
"Wow," he meowed. "That's really rough. You must miss your family."
Pepper nodded, shame weighing her heart down into her paws. "Y-yeah. I bet they're looking for me."
Ravenpaw brightened. "Well, we can keep an eye out for them!"
Pepper's head snapped up, her eyes wide. "No, no!" Ravenpaw jumped, his face puzzled. Pepper calmed herself. "Um... the little forest was a long ways from here. I strayed really far. It's probably even farther than your forest."
Ravenpaw nodded thoughtfully. "Yeah, that makes sense, since you've been away from the little forest since four moons ago." Pepper winced. She knew it was a lie, but hearing him repeat it made things worse. It confirmed that he believed her.
He shrugged. "I'm sorry, Pepper. I guess we're both far away from the cats closest to us."
Swallowing her guilt, Pepper nodded. She couldn't forget what she had just done. She wanted more than anything else to blurt out that it wasn't true, but she was afraid that Ravenpaw would strike out at her, call her a liar. Pepper would never, ever want that. But still, she had just lied to the one she loved. Whoa, wait! Loved?! Pepper froze. Don't be ridiculous. You've known him for a day and a half. He's your friend. But she still got that horrible sinking feeling when she remembered that she lied to her lo--no. Her friend.
*gasp* PEPPER'S A MEANIE! PEPPER'S A MEANIE! LIAR, LIAR, FARM ATTIRE!!! Yeah, yeah, I know that's not the real words. Lol XD So thank you so much for reviewing! The number 10 reviewer this time, gets a Pepper AND a Ravenpaw plushie! =D And I'm really excited for Halloween! *does happy dance* I'm going to be a Venetian masquerade. ^o^ R&R PLEEZ!! KTHANXBYE XD
