Chapter Twelve

Fear wormed it's way into Otterpaw's heart. She had never expected anything like this to happen. Back in her Clan she had always enjoyed spending time with her Clanmates. Out here she would never see them again. All because they were afraid of her.

"Are you okay?" She blinked in surprise when Nightpaw approached her cautiously. They had started wandering away from the Twoleg farm. If they stayed any longer, it was likely the Clans would find them there. Otterpaw knew full well it wasn't safe for her there.

"I've been better," Otterpaw mewed. She almost wished they didn't have to wander so far. If Hazelpaw had the power to teleport them anywhere, why couldn't she do that now? Otterpaw looked over her shoulder in time to see that Hazelpaw looked exhausted.

Using that much power must drain her energy, she realized. It made sense. Considering from what Hazelpaw had told them, it was the first time she had used her powers like that. Otterpaw was more surprised that Hazelpaw hadn't passed out yet.

"We should stop when it gets dark out," Blazepaw meowed. "I'm sure only ShadowClan would be able to see at night." The disdain in his voice was obvious. Otterpaw only rolled her eyes when Nightpaw visibly flinched.

"Who died and made you leader?" Breezepaw snapped. "Maybe I'd make a better leader than you!" All at once the tension from earlier returned. Blazepaw rounded on the smaller cat, and Breezepaw met his glare head on. "I'm not afraid of you," he added in a growl.

"Shut up, both of you!" Poppypaw spat. "No one is leading anyone. You're arguing isn't going to get us anywhere." She did have a good point there. Otterpaw could sense her unease though as she glared at both Breezepaw and Blazepaw.

The two toms continued glaring at each other before finally breaking their stance. Relief washed over Otterpaw's shoulders once they had stopped fighting. The tension was still there, but it wasn't as intense as it had been.

She suddenly wondered if Hailpaw was facing the same predicament. Being on her own did give her an advantage. Not only had Hailpaw always been a better fighter, but she also had an ability like the other apprentices. Otterpaw had always known what Hailpaw could do. Though she would never say it out loud. Hailpaw was already irritable enough.

"I wish I was back home," mewed Fadepaw. Her voice was distant, and Otterpaw suddenly understood why she was so upset. "Mother and father always knew what to do…." She stopped herself when Nightpaw pressed against her comfortingly.

You're lucky to have your brother, she thought bitterly. She had to admit, she missed her littermates. Dunepaw and Mangopaw were probably in complete shock over what happened. They hadn't gone to the Gathering, but they would soon learn what had happened.

The small group had finally reached what looked like an abandoned badger set. Otterpaw's nose wrinkled at the stink that filled the air. She had scented badgers before, but had never seen any. From what she had gathered, badgers were extremely dangerous creatures to deal with.

Otterpaw dragged herself forward as exhaustion crept over her. She hadn't realized until now just how tired she was. As she curled up between Nightpaw and Fadepaw, wariness settled upon her shoulders.

Everything that had happened was because of their strange abilities. Why had they been born with such abilities? What were they supposed to do with these powers? And most importantly, why did the Clans fear them so much? She wasn't sure. But one thing was certain, she would find out sooner or later.

...

Hailpaw stumbled over a boulder for the third time in one day. She cursed under her breath and stopped to lick her bleeding pad. She had chosen a bad place to travel. This rocky field wasn't making her journey any easier as she had just realized. And of course she was all alone.

I left them behind to find a better future, she reminded herself. But was that really what she had wanted?

"Those look pretty nasty." Hailpaw stopped mid-lick at the voice. She looked up in time to see a smoky black tom with green eyes staring at her from across the field. "What are you doing, traveling in this quarry?" he added, tilting his head to one side.

"I was trying to get away from the lake," she hissed, ignoring the stinging pain in her paws. "This seemed like the fastest way out." The tom simply chuckled in response before bounding forward. Hailpaw stiffened when she realized what he was doing. "Don't get any closer!" she nearly yowled.

"Those Clan cats spooked you, didn't they?" he asked when he came to a halt. He was only a few fox-lengths away, and Hailpaw found her fur bristling with unease and anger. "It's okay, I won't hurt you. I know a remedy for those cuts."

For a moment, Hailpaw was tempted to listen. She glanced down at the boulders she had previously stood on. Blood now stained them, and if the Clans were following, they had an easy trail to approach.

"Thanks, but no thanks," she muttered. "I can take care of myself."

"Are you sure of that?" the tom asked when she stumbled over yet another boulder. Hailpaw hissed in frustration before turning to glare at him. She wasn't ready to admit that she needed help. Especially from a tom.

"Go away, before I decide whether or not you're a threat," she snapped. The tom simply looked at her in amusement.

"Oh, I can see that you're quite the fighter," he purred. Hailpaw rolled her eyes and took a threatening step forward, ignoring the pain that gripped her paws. If this cat wasn't going to back down, she would make him by force.

She suddenly lunged into him, pinning him to the ground. The tom stared at her in utter shock when her claws left a mark on his chest. Soon his face scrunched up in pain as he realized what she was doing. His fur had suddenly become icy cold, and finally Hailpaw released her grip on his shoulders.

"Like I said, I don't need your help," she growled while licking her claws clean. The tom had taken his time to recover, shivering when she was finished hurting him.

"You… what are you?" he managed to choke out.

"I'm what most cats would call a freak," she hissed. "But I can do things that no other cat can. I will make my way through here, without your help."

The tom remained silent, much to her relief. Determination wormed it's way through her heart. Hailpaw continued pressing forward, jumping from boulder to boulder until she had reached the end. When she did, she turned around to see that the tom had disappeared.

Hailpaw only smirked once he was gone. Typical. Toms were always cowards as far as she was concerned. She-cats however always seemed to put up more of a fuss. Hailpaw's ears flattened as she remembered how arrogant her sister had been.

I wish there was a way to forget about her, she thought bitterly. And everyone else.

She hadn't realized until now that she was finally free. Free from the clutches of her sister and the hate she had for her Clanmates. Now she was able to care for herself without having to worry about the Clan. Out here she could easily defend herself. The tom back there had proven it.

Once she had reached the end of the quarry, Hailpaw jumped onto the grass. Her paws still hurt, and the moment she touched the grass her teeth ground together in pain. Luckily for her there was a stream nearby she could wash them in.

Already her mind was forming an idea as she crept forward. This territory was perfect. Not only was there a stream for her to fish in, but there were trees and bushes she could hide in as well. So far she hadn't found any other scent to tell her this territory was already occupied.

Hope filled her heart as she sighed in relief. The stream showed patches of ice when her paws touched it. For a moment her relief was short lived as she pulled them out. Her powers…. She knew just how strong they were. They could easily kill someone if she allowed them to.

Maybe out here she could use that to her advantage. Instead of being that same coward of an apprentice she had been at the Clan, she could make a name for herself here. No cat would stand in her way once she was strong enough. The thought sent thrills of excitement through her.

She spent the rest of the evening hunting. That was harder than she imagined. Being alone meant she had to be careful with what she caught. There were tiny minnows in the stream, but that was hardly enough for one cat. Besides, she wasn't overly fond of fish. It was ironic considering she was a RiverClan cat.

At last Hailpaw managed to catch several mice that were in the field nearby. It was obvious that no cat had hunted here before. The prey was completely caught off guard when she first arrived. Her second time through had required a bit more work. But in the end she managed to catch enough to last for the night.

Once she caught enough prey and had a full belly, Hailpaw searched for a den to sleep in. There weren't too many options as far as she could see. A few narrow passages in the ground looked like they would make good places to sleep in. But Hailpaw was already suspicious of an ambush. She had figured that sleeping above ground would be safer than sleeping in a cave, especially since she was all alone.

Finally Hailpaw had found a small tree she could climb up on. The branches were low enough that her claws could reach them. When she finally reached the top she curled up on the highest branch, getting a full view of the territory she had chosen.

"This territory is mine," she declared after realizing that much was true. "Anyone who tries to take it will feel the wrath of my claws." She let out a purr of satisfaction, something she had not heard from herself in moons.

For the first time in moons she could finally get some decent sleep. Smokepaw wasn't around anymore to tease her. And neither was the rest of the Clan. This was the best sleep she had ever gotten.

...

Otterpaw lay curled up between Nightpaw and Fadepaw. For a moment her mind drifted back to the den she had been in just last night. The apprentice's den. Now she was all alone with cats she barely knew. But at least for now they were safe. Which led her to wondering what Hailpaw was up to.

She knew how distant Hailpaw had been to everyone else. Hailpaw had never gotten along with Smokepaw. Though Otterpaw had always known that the two were constantly fighting, she never expected Hailpaw to flat-out attack her own sister.

I do wish we were together, she thought gloomily. It feels like we're meant to be together. She sighed at the thought, knowing full well that convincing Hailpaw to join them was next to impossible. Hailpaw was almost as stubborn as it got. She was better off trying to convince Breezepaw to climb a tree.

She rested her chin on her paws as sleep drifted over. Tomorrow would be the start of their new lives as outcasts. Whether or not they would survive was up to them. But one thing Otterpaw was certain of, was that they couldn't do this alone.

AN: This chapter was a bit shorter than I wanted, but at least I got it posted :) Is anyone else looking forward to Imagine Dragon's new album? I'm so excited! :D Also, we're experiencing the coldest week of the year. It's only 13 degrees outside where I am, that's cold!

Blue1272000 - XD It's all good, I've done that before ;) And yep, it'll definitely make for an interesting story to say the least. If I can get that far ^^ I have a tendency to take breaks in between my writing...

Silverbird22 - ROTFL I'd like to see that happen! I love messing with my characters, it's what I do best :P

boscyboo - No problem, I really liked the idea :) And thanks, the feedback's always appreciated!