Chapter 27: Big Bad Feline

I couldn't stop thinking about that stupid little dream. And my eyes. Opin started hating me because of my eyes. They were unique. She hated that. She wanted both her kits to be just like the other killers in the forest. Cold-blooded and not a freak with different colored eyes. And what was with the wolf?

"Did you somehow pick up how to speak wolf on your crazy adventures?"

I suddenly remembered what Nettlepaw said to me a couple nights ago. When I had realized that the warmth from another living thing could be comforting. Apparently I talk in the language of the wolves when I'm seriously unmanageably pissed. Which made me wonder if that dream was actually a vision. Would that actually happen? Is StarClan actually trying to kill me? When I first met Nightpaw, she said there was a prophecy about me. Yeah, it could've been good or bad, but from what I've heard about mystical prophecies...StarClan doesn't get too involved. The most they do is lead you in the right direction. Not try to kill the enemy for you. It's bad leadership.

"Darkpaw!" Hollystar snapped, "Focus, you've scared off two good looking squirrels already!"

I shook my head of the strange thoughts about me being a dangerous wolf, and tried focusing like Hollystar said. During that focusing period of time, I caught five frogs, three squirrels, and two birds. When we got back to camp, the cats who saw my catch stared at me and Hollystar. Probably wondering if we caught it together. It was a pretty big haul. Plus, Hollystar had caught two plump rabbits along with my catch. She was extremely impressed.

"H-how?" The black and white apprentice I talked to earlier asked, "T-that's the most prey anyone's ever caught!"

I dropped the prey at the fresh kill pile and stared at him, "Hollystar caught the rabbits."

His eyes widened even more, "And you caught everything else? You probably killed off the whole forest!"

"We passed...10 good frogs...5 rabbits...3 squirrels...and 5 birds on our way back." I replied, still looking at him with oblivious eyes. And yes, I counted the prey we missed, "I made sure we didn't kill off the whole forest. I left enough so the population could reproduce. Though, we only hunted in the area next to that twoleg nest. It's infested with tons of prey."

He just stared right back at me, probably at a loss of words. It was understandable. I mean, who else do you know would catch this much in just one area of the forest?

"Can you teach me how to hunt like that?" He asked, "I really want to serve our Clan better."

"This is the second time you've asked me to help you..." I stated coldly, "Are you really that desperate?"

He flinched at my cold tone, but nodded. I looked in his eyes again. The fear of Hollystar's vision of punishment was fading, but not completely gone. I was almost proud of his courage to try to forget his fear. Though I was sure it would still haunt him forever.

"We'll go to the twoleg nest...tomorrow." I mewed, "Only come when your mentor gives you some free time, I;m not going to start breaking too many rules."

His eyes instantly brightened. He ran off, getting the attention of a tom with black fur and a missing leg, and...Nettlepaw. I guess he liked bragging.

"Darkpaw?" Hmmmm...Familiar voice from a certain she-cat that I know...guess who it is! I'll give you a hint. Ginger fur. Got a bit high on catnip and attacked me once, remember her? I bet you do. It's Sunwind! And here we were thinking she was somehow dead. YAY. She approached me with a sort of reddish face, "I'm so sorry that I tried to...to...you know..." She gulped, "That weird...situation. I was...you know...a bit...drunkish...and I thought you were someone else..." Her face just kept getting redder and redder. Was she angry? Was she holding her breath? What was that face?

"It's fine Sunwind." I reassured her. Her eyes widened. Like...really wide, "I understand that you were just frustrated with something, thought I was someone you absolutely hated, and tried to attack me. It's perfectly fine."

Her jaws gapped and her eyes widened even more, "Y-you...d-d-didn't..." Then she shook her head, "I should've know you weren't a...romantic type." She added quietly.

I tilted my head in confusion. Romantic? I know I have a strange choice of words sometimes, but at least I don't make up random words! Romantic...if that even was a real word, what could it possibly mean? Like cute? Was it something like cute? Nettlepaw might know...Then again, I should just ask Sunwind while she's right here...wait. Wait...she left. Walked away. Went to talk to Hollystar by the hazel branch.

"Darkpaw!" The black and white tom called out to me again, "Come over here!"

I sighed, took a small mouse from the fresh kill pile, because I realized I didn't eat, and walked over to the apprentices den. Nettlepaw was bouncing with excitement as always.

"So you're really going to teach Badgerpaw how to hunt like you?" She asked.

I nodded, frowning, "Why do you even want to learn how to hunt anyway? I'm sure your mentor does a good enough job."

The gathered cats exchanged looks of fear. Even Nettlepaw, who never showed fear. But now I could scent it. All the fear that was produced by these half-grown nonsensical cats. They were scared to death of their mentors, but for some reason not me. The one who literally killed one of their Clanmates in front of their poor little innocent eyes.

Nettlepaw was the one that spoke up, "Badgerpaw's mentor, Fogstep, has a...reputation. Sometimes he can be extremely lazy..." She paused and glanced at Badgerpaw. He nodded, "And sometimes he can be the meanest cat you've ever met. It's a wonder why Hollystar even made her a mentor. Everyone knows that if you're under Fogstep's control and opinion, you're just about dead. Most of the time Fogstep doesn't even glance at Badgerpaw like he's real. He simply looks through him. It's causing a sort of lack in his training."

I nodded in understanding. My short kithood under Opin's mothership was like that too. She had always loved Joann more than me. I had always been the one Opin used as a tool. Joann was more of an actual cat to her.

The Badgerpaw unexpectantly growled, "Well...he's a snake-heart who doesn't care about anyone but himself!" My eyes widened at his sudden courage. A timid cat like him...he would make a good warrior if he learned courage. All he needed was a little push in the right direction... "He can go stuff himself down a fox's mouth for all I care. If he wasn't so conceded then maybe he would have more than one stupid idiotic mouse-brained friend!"

A dark gray tabby tom walked up to us. His amber eyes seemed to gaze straight through us, though they were set on Badgerpaw, "And whom might we be talking about, rat?" He growled.

Badgerpaw's little bout of courage faded into nothing, and fear was all that consumed him, "F-Fog-Fogstep!" He stammered.

Fogstep's eyes narrowed, "I hope what I just heard wasn't about me." Badgerpaw shook his head quickly, "It better have been about our new little friend that's joined us for the next moon before he's scared half to death."

"I-it was...of course it was!" Badgerpaw laughed nervously, "Who else would it be about? Certainly not you, Fogstep!" He smiled and glanced at me, his whole face and scent screaming for help. It was all I could do to help my new young trainee.

So I got up from my half finished small mouse and walked the few steps over to them, "So I hear you think that I'm conceded and a stupid...snake-heart?" I asked, putting on my deadliest glare. Fogstep watched me with interest, his eyes finally looking like they're actually seeing, "Let's have a little talk about snakes." I wrapped my claws around his neck. Though I didn't want him to think I was actually going to kill him, I also had to convince Fogstep that I was extremely mad at him. So I stabbed him enough to draw blood.

"P-please...D-Darkpaw." Badgerpaw pleaded, "I-I didn't mean it, I swear!"

I studied him, making it seem like I was judging him. Really, I was simply letting my eyes drift from him to Fogstep. His eyes were non-seeing again. Getting bored, I see. I relaxed my grip on Badgerpaw just a tad, "Did you, though? Did you really not mean all those lies you said about me?" I growled, "Next time you say anything even relatively offensive. I will take this a bit further."

Badgerpaw gulped and looked back at where Fogstep was. He was gone. Treading a path through a sea of cats sharing tongues to the warriors' den. I let Badgerpaw go, then returned to m nest in the apprentices' den. I just lay my head down, not planning to sleep at all. But that stupid warmth returned. The one Nettlepaw had when she lay next to me. And sleep just had to come with it.