Chapter Eight

Water swept past her whiskers as she swam through the inky darkness. Her eyes had adjusted quickly so that she could see where she was going. Here in the water she felt more at home than ever. She dove up and down, spotting fish of all kind along the way.

Amusement surged within Otterpaw as she watched a school of fish swim away from her. A few had even stopped as if they were surprised to see a cat swimming with them. She doubted they knew what cats were, but it was still amusing nonetheless.

There was nothing more reassuring than knowing that the lake was stocked with fish. Otterpaw suddenly kicked her back legs and exploded forward at top speed. Fish were swimming away, and amongst the chaos she managed to catch a few.

It wasn't long before she had a mouthful of fish. Pride surged within her as she popped back to the surface and buried her fish. Her mentor would be more than impressed with her. Since becoming an apprentice life had been great. And she wouldn't change it for the world.

"Good catch, Otterpaw!" Pebblefur's mew made her look up in surprise. Otterpaw resisted the urge to purr as her mentor praised her. "That should be enough to feed the Clan for sure."

"I'm going back in," Otterpaw told her as she made her way down to the bank. Water was still dripping from her fur as Pebblefur looked at her in surprise. RiverClan cats were known for swimming. Otterpaw didn't understand why Pebblefur found her love for the water so strange.

"Your mother wanted you back by dusk," Pebblefur meowed in a warning tone.

Otterpaw only rolled her eyes in response. She was tired of her mother telling her what she could or couldn't do. At this point she was an apprentice, and sleeping in separate dens. The last thing she needed was someone controlling her. Instead she raised her chin and stared back defiantly.

"I'll be back before she misses me," she reassured her mentor. She jumped back into the water before Pebblefur could say anything else. If she was going to get yelled at she might as well make the best of her freedom now.

It seemed as though the deeper Otterpaw went, the more she saw. Long pieces of grass known as seaweed grew at the bottom of the lake. More fish that were darker shades of silver and brown swam here. Then she saw the lithe body of an eel swimming nearby.

I've never seen one alive! she thought gleefully. Back when he was an apprentice, Icestorm had brought back an eel during his training. None of the kits had dared approach it, because it looked so much like a snake. Eventually though Heathershine and Pondripple had reassured them that it was safe.

Otterpaw swam further on until she noticed how dark it was getting around her. All too soon she realized that dusk was approaching. With a sigh of frustration she swam up until she broke the surface. Sure enough a patrol was passing the lake's shore, and she swam towards them.

"Enjoying the water, are we?" Otterpaw held back a purr as Sandrush nuzzled her affectionately the moment she reached the shore. "Why are you spending so much time in the lake, you could be using that time for training."

"But the water is helping me with my training," Otterpaw protested almost immediately. "My back legs have gotten stronger from swimming, and I can run faster now." Her heart swelled with happiness as she thought of how much stronger she had gotten.

"Are you done boasting?" Icestorm grumbled in annoyance. "We've got a patrol to run." Otterpaw resisted the urge to roll her eyes. He did have a good point; she shouldn't be boasting about how much stronger she had gotten. Instead she should be focusing on what lay ahead of her.

"Would you like to join us?" Sandrush's question made Otterpaw nearly burst with happiness. She gave an eager nod and padded after them as Heronflight fell in behind her.

Patrols like this were always more exciting. RiverClan territory was vast, and the only problem with borders they had were ShadowClan and WindClan. Though a few days ago Otterpaw had thought that the Clan would go to war after a border dispute from ShadowClan.

I'm glad Streamstar was able to resolve it, she thought with a shudder. Someone wanted to spark a battle within ShadowClan. Otterpaw had noticed it when she first encountered a patrol. But the odd feeling had passed so quickly that she wasn't sure it even happened. Maybe she was just over thinking things again.

With a shake of her head she bounded after the patrol as she began lagging behind. One of these days she would figure out why ShadowClan was bent on starting war. Maybe she could even put an end to it all. Her heart soared with hope at the thought. Maybe, just maybe things would be alright in the future.

...

Resentment surged through Hailpaw as she watched the other apprentices leave. For the last moon she had been stuck cleaning out the dens under Streamstar's orders. The fact that she had been forced to do this without having done anything was what made her so angry. How was she supposed to get anywhere with her training if everyone continued treating her like this?

She spotted Smokepaw staring at her smugly from the safety of the apprentice's den. Her lips curled in outrage as Smokepaw looked away and whispered something to Mangopaw. If she could she would personally flay her sister.

"Well, it looks like you're all finished here," Tanglethorn meowed when he noticed how exhausted she looked. "I think it's time you got some rest. Tomorrow we can set out for battle training for a change."

Relief washed over Hailpaw's shoulders when the golden brown tabby padded away. Unlike everyone else, Tanglethorn actually seemed to appreciate what she could do. Hailpaw hoped that that appreciation would last. She was desperate to get out and practice some fighting moves.

She skipped happily over to the apprentice's den, ignoring the looks her sister and Mangopaw gave her. They could stare all they wanted. She wasn't going to let them get to her. Not today at least.

"What are you so happy about?" Smokepaw sneered.

"Yeah, I thought you were busy cleaning out the dens," Mangopaw chimed in. Hailpaw rolled her eyes at their failed attempts at getting to her.

"I was, and maybe it's something you should try," she retorted. "Oh wait, I forgot that it's too dirty for your paws." She laughed at Smokepaw's expression as her sister glared at her. Then another idea crossed her mind, and she hid a smirk as she slid her paw across the ground.

Smokepaw watched the entire scene with narrowed eyes until the area she was sitting on had frozen underneath her. She let out a shriek of surprise when she slipped and fell flat on her face. Again Hailpaw had to hide her laughter as Smokepaw struggled to stand up again.

"Smokepaw, what's going on?" Mangopaw demanded with a startled yowl. She was struggling to stand as well on the ice.

Once the two apprentice's had recovered, Hailpaw was already at her nest with her tail wrapped neatly over her paws. Her face held a look of innocence as the two cats glared at her. Hailpaw only shrugged when they realized she had something to do with it.

"I always knew you were a foxhearted coward," Smokepaw hissed as she slipped again on the ice. By now Hailpaw was struggling to hold in her laughter. She hoped Smokepaw learned her lesson. "Why don't you get over here and melt this ice?" Smokepaw demanded when she managed to stay on her paws.

"Because I like watching you struggle," Hailpaw crowed.

Smokepaw narrowed her eyes at once before dropping to a hunter's crouch. Hailpaw was ready for the attack when Mangopaw suddenly lunged forward and pinned her to the ground. Hailpaw let out a hiss of frustration when Smokepaw pummeled her with unsheathed claws.

"What makes you think you can say such a thing?" Smokepaw demanded while Hailpaw kicked her off. Mangopaw let out a squeal of surprise and flinched away. Hailpaw's eyes glowered with hate as she glared at her sister and denmate.

"What's going on?" a new voice suddenly joined in. Hailpaw breathed out a sigh of relief when she saw Otterpaw standing nearby. "Mangopaw, your shoulder has ice on it!" Otterpaw stared at her sister in shock as the young cat stepped back with flattened ears.

"She started it," Smokepaw hissed with her tail flicking at Hailpaw accusingly. "All you ever do is flat out attack someone." Hailpaw resisted the urge to spit something in response. Her shoulders were still bleeding from where Smokepaw had hurt her.

"Mangopaw, you need to see Sweetbriar," Otterpaw mewed as she sniffed her sister's shoulder anxiously. "What if your shoulder freezes completely?" Again Hailpaw rolled her eyes. She doubted that such a thing would happen. Though she was secretly hoping that it would happen.

Smokepaw led Mangopaw over to the medicine cat, leaving the other two apprentices alone. For once Hailpaw could breath a sigh of relief. Otterpaw wasn't nearly as annoying as her sister or Smokepaw. But she did look angry. Hailpaw didn't even flinch when Otterpaw glared at her. But then Otterpaw's eyes softened when she noticed how injured Hailpaw looked.

"They attacked me first," Hailpaw muttered when an awkward silence followed. "I was only just defending myself." That much was true. Smokepaw might have even killed her had she had the chance. It was good Otterpaw showed up when she did.

"I'm sorry," Otterpaw murmured sympathetically. "I know my sister can be rash but…. Why would Smokepaw hurt you?" Otterpaw tilted her head curiously to one side. Hailpaw let out a sigh as she looked away uneasily.

"I think that she's… jealous," she admitted.

Otterpaw nodded in understanding, but her eyes were still dark with confusion. At least she understood where Hailpaw was getting at. Smokepaw had always been this way. Otterpaw was the only other cat to have noticed it. And for that, Hailpaw was thankful.

Maybe Otterpaw can stand up for me, she thought hopefully. Though she doubted that would happen. Otterpaw was much more likable than she. If anything cats would think that she was crazy for standing up for someone like Hailpaw.

"Maybe you should visit Sweetbriar too," Otterpaw suggested. "You look like you could use some herbs."

Hailpaw's fur flushed with resentment. She wasn't in any hurry to see the medicine cat. Sweetbriar would just see it as an excuse to back down on her training. And she was desperate to get out and stretch her muscles.

"Fine, but I'm not going to like it," Hailpaw muttered under her breath when Otterpaw looked at her anxiously. Otterpaw only grinned in response as she limped towards the medicine cat's den. By now the stinging on her shoulder had gotten worse.

Her teeth ground together as she tried not to think about it. Already cats were giving her questioning looks as she passed by them. Her ears flattened once again when she spotted Pondripple sharing tongues with Rushcloud. The two of them seemed completely oblivious to the fact that she had been injured.

"That should do it," Sweetbriar's voice echoed from her den when Hailpaw approached it. She heard a small sigh of relief escape from the curtain of lichen that shielded Sweetbriar's den. "Just make sure you rest and come back if you feel any pain."

Hailpaw ducked underneath a patch of ferns when Smokepaw and Mangopaw emerged heartbeats later. She could hear the two grumbling under their breaths, but didn't make out their conversation. She suspected that they were complaining about her again.

With a roll of her eyes, she stood up straighter and limped into the den, brushing aside the lichen with her tail. The bitter taste of herbs hit her nose almost at once. Hailpaw recoiled at the scent, but urged herself forward.

"Hailpaw, what are you doing here?" Dunepaw stared at her in surprise when she nearly bumped into him. Otterpaw's brother had chosen to take the path of a medicine cat. Hailpaw still didn't understand why he had chosen such a path. She couldn't imagine spending so much time in a den like this.

"I have an injury that needs tending to," Hailpaw explained, showing off the fresh wounds on her shoulder. Dunepaw's eyes widened before he looked at Sweetbriar hopefully. The medicine cat sighed and turned to look at Hailpaw's wounds.

"Just how did this happen?" Sweetbriar asked.

"I'd rather not say," Hailpaw replied, flattening her ears as Sweetbriar pulled what looked like golden flowers.

"This will sting a little," Dunepaw warned her when Sweetbriar applied a poultice. Hailpaw braced herself just as he said that, wincing at the slight pain that followed. The herbs were meant to soothe a wound, not make it worse!

Finally she let out a sigh of relief when the stinging dulled to a throbbing. Once Sweetbriar was finished applying the poultice, she wrapped cobwebs around Hailpaw's shoulder.

"That should do it," she meowed. "For now get some rest. If it starts hurting again, be sure to check with me immediately."

Hailpaw nodded in agreement at her warning before heading out of the den. At least her wound had stopped hurting. She just hoped that she could continue her training tomorrow.

AN: A bit of a boring chapter, I know... but they tend to happen, unfortunately. Also, I'm actually updating this quickly now! Glad I found my writing mojo again ^^

QOTD: So, who likes Smokepaw yet? Just curious again ;)

tawnyclaw - Hazelpaw does need to stop thinking about that. And yeah, I do like Breezepaw a lot :D

Blue1272000 - I'm glad you liked it! I never would've either; boscyboo was the one who recommended it. And yeah, that situation does tend to be way overdone, especially on this site. But it does build up drama!

Wyldclaw - Me too! Oh, wait... XD

Nightfrost-of-Shadowclan - Sorry, it has to happen! D: