Chapter14: Hawk

"You messed up my kill!"

"So what if I did? You were being lazy. That kill wouldn't earn you the right of a member; she was too scrawny and weak."

"That's not for you to decide."

Hawk sighed. They were back at their camp, and Frost and Smokey were arguing about the battle. They were ready to tear out each other's throats and claim that as their kill.

"That's enough, you two." Stone growled when he came up with Moss and Dove, a light gray she-cat with blue eyes. "Smokey is right, though. If it was just a scrawny Clan apprentice, then it would be a more worthy kill for when it became a warrior."

Frost growled at this, but knew to hold her tongue.

"If by what Jumper tells me is true, they the attack was a success?" Stone asked.

The three calico brothers, Jumper, Spike, and Hoot, led the patrol. Jumper was the leader, a ginger calico tom, while Spike was the biggest, a white calico tom, and Hoot their little brother, a black calico tom. This was their first time leading a patrol; they had only recently made their first kill. And although he didn't show it, Hawk knew from past experience that Hoot was still slightly shaken. The two were great friends when they were kits, and were still close.

Ice nodded, she had been watching the argument with her sister and hadn't spoken since she got back.

Moss stepped in. "The next will be a battle patrol on the other side of the lake. The target is the Clan called ThunderClan. Dove will lead the patrol along with Streak, Spark, and Cloud." Streak was a muscular orange tom with yellow eyes and white paws. He was the father of Eagle, a dark brown tom with lighter patches and white paws and yellow eyes, and Tree, a light brown tom with white tabby stripes and light green eyes. Spark was a fast black she-cat with one ginger paw and amber eyes. While Cloud was a big white tom with light gray eyes. "The trainees going will be Eagle, Tree, Frost, Sparrow, and Ice. Hawk and Smokey are on hunting duty. The patrol will attack in four days. You are all required to hunt for the group, as usual, until then. Dismissed."

The trainees went off to do their separate duties. Hawk went up to Smokey.

"Okay, why did you really save that scrawny apprentice? I though you hated the Clan cats." Hawk questioned.

"I do, it would just be more fun when they're older. Besides what if I wanted to kill her?" Smokey replied bitterly.

"That's not true, and you know it." Hawk pressed.

"I have to help Sparrow train to balance in the trees." Smokey snarled. Hawk backed off. He wasn't a tree climber, he was a moor runner.

"Okay, well, I'm going to go hunting." Hawk said as he padded off. Smokey didn't reply.

Hawk sighed. He knew there was more to why he had let that Clan cat go; it was because he saw himself in the cat's eyes. That cat knows of the past, just as I do. He though as he padded out to the moor.

Hawk soon found himself chasing as fat rabbit across the moor. He was sure that he was in Clan territory and kept his guard up. None of The Black Hearted Rogues obtained any injuries that Crow, Hawk's sister who had the pelt inverse of Hawk's, hadn't been able to treat and they were all on their paws. He easily caught the rabbit. Hawk's few scratches had closed, and they wouldn't leave scars, he was surprised at how easy the fighting was.

Hawk buried the rabbit by one of the moor's few trees to get later. He swore that he scented Clan cat, but the scent of Clan cat was everywhere. Hawk continued to look for prey, but was shoved to the ground by a strong force.

Hawk struggled to get loose, but the cat had a strong grip and held on with unsheathed paws that sent pain shooting through Hawk every time he moved. Hawk soon gave up and went limp. He closed his eyes waiting for the killing bite.

But the cat never delivered it. The cat only tightened its grip on Hawk's shoulders. "I don't think so, Hawk." The cat snarled in his ear.

Hawk's eyes snapped open. That was the same voice of the Clan apprentice that he let go at the battle. "W-what…? What are you…?"

"What am I doing?" The apprentice mocked. "I want answers. You let me go, I know you did. I also know that you must kill a cat to become a full member of your group."

Hawk tried to turn his head to look at the apprentice, but he had a firm grip. "How did you know that?"

The cat leaned closer. "I know more than I should. And so do you, Hawk."

Hawk snarled that the cat. "Who are you?"

"My name is Harepaw." Harepaw hissed. "Now, why did you let me go? And why did you friend rescue Fernpaw?"

Hawk frowned. "Fernpaw? No one rescued anyone."

Harepaw sunk his claws deeper into Hawk's shoulders. "I'm not stupid." He hissed. "That cat with the darkening tail chased off an apprentices that was about to get killed by the white she-cat with black tabby stripes."

"You mean Smokey and Frost?"

Harepaw hissed at Hawk. He then yowled loudly what seemed like a signal. Hawk flinched. He was calling other Clan cats!

Hawk widened his eyes to see three cats coming over the hill. One was obviously Harepaw's littermate looked a lot like Eagle, except he was light brown and didn't have different colored patches. The other two were a dark tabby tom and a gray tom with two dark paws.

"Who's this?" The dark tabby tom asked. His amber eyes were narrowed in suspicion.

"This is Hawk, Leaftail. I caught him hunting in our territory." Harepaw responded.

"I saw him fighting for the rogues!" Harepaw's littermate snarled.

"Yes, Eaglepaw, he is." Harepaw spat.

Eaglepaw? He even has the same name as Eagle! How strange. Hawk thought.

"I think we should bring him back to camp for questioning." The last one stated. "He could be used to bribe the other rogues."

Hawk snorted. The Clan cats stared at him. Hawk flattened his ears.

Harepaw stepped off of Hawk, but before he could think to run, the four cats had surrounded him. Eaglepaw roughly shoved him to his paws. There was nowhere for Hawk to run.

Once the patrol entered camp, Hawk was even more surrounded than before. The warriors had their claws unsheathed as if the wished to run it through Hawk's pelt.

"Emberfoot, who is this?" A cat who appeared to be their leader asked the dark pawed tom.

"Harepaw found this rogue hunting in our territory, Onestar." Emberfoot replied.

"I know that rogue!" A large pale gray tom who Hawk had seen in the battle snarled. Every cat stared at him. "That rogue fought in the battle." This caused all the Clan cats to bare their teeth and look even more menacing than before. "And what's more," the tom started again, "this cat nearly killed Harepaw! Haw was just about to, when Harepaw shoved him off."

This sent the gathered Clan into an uproar. They started screeching "Kill him!" and "The murderer deserves to die!" Hawk flattened his ears.

"Wait!" Harepaw yowled. "He let me go."

"What do you mean?" The leader, Onestar, asked.

"He let me go. He didn't want to kill me. He looked as if he didn't even want to be in the battle."

This sparked Onestar's interest. "What do you suppose we should do with him?"

Harepaw had an idea. He still needed answers from the rogue. "I say we keep him as a prisoner, he must know something that can help us against the rogues, and they don't seem as if they are leaving soon."

Hawk stared at Harepaw in fear. No! He thought. If the Clan cats killed him, then The Black Hearted Rogues could have thought that the Clan cheated in an unfair fight. As in they ganged up on him. Whereas he was doomed for them to hate him if they discovered that he'd just given up and let them take him prisoner. "What are you doing?" He hissed quietly to Harepaw.

"What? You want to die?" Harepaw smirked.

Hawk was escorted to a spare burrow, and two warriors were placed to guard him. Harepaw soon followed him inside. Hawk saw for the first time the wounds he inflicted on Harepaw. He stared in shock at what he had done.

"What? Only now realizing how much you had beaten me?" Harepaw hissed. He narrowed his eyes. "Alright, Hawk. Now, you should probably give me some answers."

Hawk pretended to look like he didn't know what Harepaw was talking about. This caused Harepaw to swipe at his nose in frustration. Hawk stepped back in time to have his nose prevented from being sliced open.

"I know you're not stupid, Hawk." Harepaw lowered his voice and glanced at the guards. "I've figured out why you let me go. You know that I know more than I should, just as you do."

Hawk gaped at Harepaw. How had the apprentice figured it out so easily?

Harepaw settled down. "Alright, so tell me what you know."

Hawk shook his head and looked at the ground. "I-I can't." He shook his head again. "I just can't."

Harepaw growled in frustration and left then den. The guard gave him some rabbit a little while later. Hawk drifted off into a restless sleep. His usual dreams had returned. They had gone since the journey to the Clans' home started.