Chapter Nineteen
Jealousy surged through Breezepaw as he thought of what the others could do. He didn't even know what his powers were. Otterpaw had simply said that he could possibly fly, or control the wind. She wasn't sure what the markings on the cave had indicated. And he wasn't sure if she was telling the entire truth about the cave, or if she was lying about the cave at all.
I shouldn't trust them so willingly, he realized. These are the same cats who are from other Clans. What if their loyalty is still to their Clans?
He growled at the thought and realized just how ignorant he was. If he had just followed his instincts than maybe Hazelpaw wouldn't have tried to hurt herself again. They would be safe, far away from this place where they could grow up together.
Breezepaw couldn't help but beam with happiness at the thought. With them living together, she would finally have a place where she belonged. Maybe then she wouldn't try hurting herself so many times. His shoulders sagged at the thought of how many times he had found her trying to end her life.
Do you know what would happen to me if you suddenly disappeared? he wondered, glancing at his Clanmate warily. Hazelpaw was more than just a sister to him. He cared so much for her that he would give his own life to protect her. Didn't she realize how crushed he would feel if she left him?
"I think we should go back," she suddenly murmured. Her eyes were half closed, and it sounded like she was muttering in her sleep. But Breezepaw knew her better. His head tilted to one side in surprise.
"What do you mean?" he asked. His heart was pounding with anxiety as Hazelpaw suddenly opened her eyes. A look of cold determination gleamed within them, sending chills through Breezepaw. He had never seen that look before.
"I want to confront my father," she growled. "I'm tired of living in shame, and in the shadows. I want him to suffer for everything he has done to me."
He had to admit, her sudden act of bravery did make him admire her even more. There were times when Hazelpaw would catch him completely off guard. And this was one of those moments. But confronting the Clans wasn't what he had in mind. Hazelpaw was in no condition to fight her father. She hardly even knew how to defend herself.
"Hazelpaw, why don't I teach you some fighting moves," he suggested. "You're not ready to face your father, not yet anyways." Hazelpaw's eyes narrowed with annoyance, her anger suddenly turned on him.
"Would you stop treating me like a kit?" she spat. "I'm sick and tired of everyone thinking I'm useless! I can do so much more than anyone would ever think possible!" Her sudden outburst made Breezepaw flinch in surprise and fear.
Before Breezepaw could say anything else, she stalked away and joined Blazepaw in a conversation. Blazepaw blinked in surprise, then suddenly purred in amusement at some kind of joke she must have made. Heartbeats later and they were practicing fighting moves, something Breezepaw had longed to teach her.
His claws sheathed and unsheathed with outrage as he watched. What was she doing? He had given up everything so that she would survive! And now she was turning her back on him! Breezepaw suddenly snorted at the thought and turned away.
"If you want to be with that coward, than fine," he snapped. "I hope your father does end your life."
The words had barely come out in a whisper. But someone had heard him. Breezepaw froze in his tracks when he saw Poppypaw staring at him in disbelief. He rolled his eyes when he saw how wide and hurt her eyes looked.
"How could you say that?" she demanded, her voice full of something other than shock. Breezepaw simply lashed his tail and glared back at her. "I thought you cared about her."
"Not anymore," he snarled. "If she thinks she can take care of herself, than she's on her own."
Poppypaw looked like she was ready to say something else when he suddenly took off in a run. He couldn't stand being stuck in this place anymore. Not if it meant staying with these cats. He would find a new home where he would belong. Where he would be treated with the respect that he deserved.
It wasn't until Breezepaw looked around that he realized just how fast he was running. Finally his paws skidded to a halt, kicking so much dirt up that it flew into his face. Breezepaw staggered forward and almost fell flat on his face, gasping in shock.
"W-What was that?" he demanded to no one in particular. His eyes widened when he realized what just happened. Without a second thought he started charging back towards the others, running so fast that he almost missed them. Everything became a blur once again until finally he skidded to a halt.
Finally Breezepaw stopped running and turned around, hiding a knowing look. His power. That was what he had just discovered. He knew what he could do now, and what he was capable of. He let out a yowl of triumph and suddenly ran towards the others, almost knocking over Blazepaw in the process.
"Hey, what was that for?" Blazepaw demanded after recovering from the surprise. Breezepaw skidded a halt next to Fadepaw, whose eyes were narrowed with suspicion as she watched him.
"That's for trying to convince the others to go back," Breezepaw snapped. "The Clans won't take us back in, and they won't thank us for returning. What do you think they'll do to us the moment we show up?"
"Have us executed on the spot," Fadepaw suggested in a growl.
Breezepaw looked at her in surprise before nodding in agreement. Annoyance gleamed within Blazepaw's eyes, and Breezepaw loved it. He was tired of this arrogant tom trying to put himself on the spotlight. The others were just as good as him, if not better at controlling their powers.
"So you're suggesting we stay hidden here like cowards for the rest of our lives?" Nightpaw hissed. "What sort of life is that? What about getting our warrior names and defending our Clanmates?"
"What Clanmates? In case you haven't noticed, they abandoned us when we needed them the most!" Fadepaw retorted. "Even our own parents wouldn't stand up for us!"
That made Nightpaw flinch. Breezepaw watched as a full-out argument broke out. Poppypaw and Otterpaw stayed in the sidelines, watching with wide eyes. Clearly they wanted nothing to do with this argument. But it looked as though Poppypaw was conflicted on what side to join. Otterpaw didn't bother saying anything at all.
"Would you all just shut up already?" Hazelpaw's yowl made everyone stop in their tracks. Breezepaw stared at her in disbelief as she glared at them. "All of this fighting only makes you look like a bunch of worthless kits! We weren't meant to stay together like this and argue."
Blazepaw only looked down at his paws shamefully, while Breezepaw glared back. He'd never expected her to speak up like this. Normally Hazelpaw was so quiet and barely said a word. But now…. Her sudden attitude made him realize just how much she had changed.
"I'm only saying what I think is right." Nightpaw suddenly spoke up again, his eyes gleaming with anger as he looked at Hazelpaw. "My vision told me that we have to return to the Clans; they'll destroy each other if we don't."
Anger surged within Breezepaw when Nightpaw said that. Without warning he suddenly lunged at the black-furred tom and pinned him to the ground. Everyone watched on in disbelief as Breezepaw clawed at Nightpaw's chest, ignoring the look of shock he was giving him.
"You are not my leader!" Breezepaw spat. "You never were and you never will be!" Nightpaw didn't even try to fight back. Breezepaw continued clawing at him until he felt someone try and push him off. He shook with outrage and retaliated on whoever was trying to stop him.
It wasn't until he heard a cry of pain that he realized who was trying to stop him. Breezepaw stopped himself just in time to see Hazelpaw staring at him in disbelief. She had a wound on her head, above her eye where he had struck out at her. His eyes widened in horror when he realized what he had done.
"Breezepaw, I think it's time for you to leave," Blazepaw rasped, his eyes still wide as he looked between Breezepaw and Nightpaw. "It's no longer safe to have you around."
Breezepaw struggled to say something, but he couldn't find the words to say. His mouth opened and closed for a few heartbeats until he finally turned away from the group. Silence followed as he turned to flee, not bothering to look back at them. He'd only just discovered his power. And that had turned him into a monster.
...
Hazelpaw blinked in shock as she felt a searing pain rush through her. She could barely remember what had happened after that. The group was in turmoil, and Breezepaw had fled during the tension that exploded around them.
Her only friend had hurt her and betrayed her. She couldn't believe what he had become over that short amount of time. Breezepaw had never acted that way before. But leaving the Clans had changed him in more was than one.
"Here, let me help you," Poppypaw murmured after Nightpaw had recovered from the shock. He was bleeding heavily from the wounds Breezepaw had inflicted. But that wasn't the worst part of this whole mess. Breezepaw had abandoned them, just like he had turned his back on the Clans.
"Thanks, I didn't know you could heal wounds," Nightpaw gasped when she used her powers on him.
"I didn't either until…." Poppypaw shot Hazelpaw a look, causing the other she-cat to freeze in her tracks. "Well, it doesn't matter. As long as I can help, than at least there's something to be said about our group."
"This whole fighting is so pointless," Otterpaw scoffed. "What are we doing with ourselves?"
Silently Hazelpaw agreed with Otterpaw. She was tired of constantly fighting with the others. All she wanted was to end her miserable life, but no one would let her. Maybe now that Breezepaw was gone, she could succeed in her goals.
"Someone should go and check on the Clans," Blazepaw suddenly suggested. His eyes fell upon Hazelpaw, who stiffened under his piercing gaze. "We need to find out whether or not they actually need us."
Understanding flared within Hazelpaw. She realized that the Clans might need them after all. But it meant risking their exposure to the Clans if she was caught spying on them. She could just teleport away from the Clans if she needed to.
"She shouldn't go there alone," Fadepaw meowed thoughtfully as if she had read Hazelpaw's thoughts. "I could go with her and search the Clans by using my powers."
"I'll go too," Otterpaw chimed in. "I'd like to explore the lake and see if there's anything there I can discover."
Hazelpaw frowned at the thought of bringing two others. She had enough trouble bringing all seven of them with her. At that point she had almost passed out during her first time teleporting with them. But maybe it would be easier bringing three instead of seven.
"Alright, I'll do it," Hazelpaw murmured. "But only if the two of you go with me. I can't bring any others."
Otterpaw blinked and nodded in agreement. Fadepaw simply flicked her tail as if to say that it was a good idea. Hazelpaw wasn't so sure about this. She didn't have any place to hide. The Clans would know she was there. And she wasn't sure how Harefoot would react to seeing his daughter again.
"Be careful out there," Nightpaw murmured, pressing his muzzle against Fadepaw's. He was still in a bit of a shock after what had happened between him and Breezepaw. But at least thanks to Poppypaw his wounds were fully healed.
"I will be," Fadepaw promised.
"We'll be back before the next full moon," Otterpaw added. "I want to see how everyone is doing during the Gathering."
As she watched loneliness suddenly washed over Hazelpaw. She had never had any siblings in her life other than Breezepaw. She didn't know what it was like to have a family. Yet these cats all cared for one another as if they were family.
I wish I knew what it was like, to have someone who cared about me, she thought bitterly. That would never happen though. Her mother had died giving birth to her, and Harefoot blamed her for that death. He would never forgive her for what had happened.
"Come on, it's going to take a lot of energy to get there," Hazelpaw sighed, realizing that she would have to concentrate on the lake once again.
It was the one place she had been trying to avoid for the past moon now. And now she was going to have to face her worst fears alone. She had no idea what would happen to her, Otterpaw or Fadepaw. But one thing was certain; they would need each other in order to survive this mission.
AN: Finally something interesting happens! Sorry the last few chapters have been kind of boring. But I wanted to build up the plot and have some major character development, specifically in Breezepaw and Hazelpaw. Which is kind of why this chapter is so important for them :)
Foreststar of WindClan - She certainly is ;) And yes, Breezepaw is too protective of her. But he has his reasons...
Blue1272000 - Thanks, I'm glad you like them so much :) It is hard to keep track of them, but I have a list that helps me remember which character is which and all of that fun stuff ^^ The last chapter was probably one of the more important ones, but this one was by far my favorite to write. Next one will be even more interesting now that the Clans will be involved :D