"Can you believe it?" Tawnypaw purred as she groomed her long ginger fur. "I'm next in line to become a warrior!"
Starlingpaw bristled at the remark and felt Birchpaw, who was sitting beside her in the apprentices' den, do the same. Tawnypaw glanced at them for a moment but she showed no sign that she noticed their reaction. Starlingpaw didn't think the she-cat knew much about Birchpaw, and probably didn't understand his situation.
"I know! It's so exciting, isn't it?" Larkpaw meowed in response, always eager to please Tawnypaw. "Once you make the trip to the Moonfalls, you'll receive your name for sure! What do you think it will be?"
Tawnypaw shrugged. "I don't know. I hope it isn't anything stupid like Tawnypelt or Tawnyfur, that would be so basic. My name should symbolize my strength in battle, not the color of my fur."
Starlingpaw growled audibly, and Tawnypaw whipped around to face her at the sound. "What, Starlingpaw? Do you have something to say about that?"
Trying to remain calm, Starlingpaw meowed, "It's just that you aren't next in line to become a warrior, Tawnypaw. Birchpaw has been training much longer than you have."
Starlingpaw, don't. It's not a problem, really," Birchpaw mewed quietly, trying to avoid confrontation.
"It is! She can't just prance around expecting to receive her full name when you deserve it infinitely more!"
"Then why hasn't he been named already?" Tawnypaw asked, rising to her paws. "Ravenwing became a warrior a quarter moon ago, and as far as I can tell, Blizzardstar isn't making any preparations to complete Birchpaw's training." As she spoke, Larkpaw was visibly upset, his eyes flashing between Tawnypaw and his own sister, unsure of which side to take. "All I'm saying is that Birchpaw hasn't been made a warrior yet and the trend will probably continue, so I'll be first."
Starlingpaw lunged at Tawnypaw, but the ginger tabby dodged her expertly.
"Don't you see what I'm talking about? Neither of you can lay a paw on me. I'm just being realistic. My training will end much sooner before-"
Starlingpaw didn't let her finish, instead pushing off from the ground while Tawnypaw was speaking. She used more force than she perceived was needed like she had been taught. She lashed out at Tawnypaw with claws unsheathed, but she didn't judge the distance quite right, and instead her momentum made her body smash into Tawnypaw's, knocking them both to the ground. The she-cats tussled for a few more moments before Larkpaw stepped in and grabbed Starlingpaw's scruff with his teeth, dragging her off of Tawnypaw.
Despite her yowls of protest, Larkpaw pulled his sister out of the den, dropping her on the ground. He whacked her over the head with his claws sheathed, and the impact made Starlingpaw dizzy.
"Oww," she grumbled, covering her face with her paws. "What was that for?"
"For letting your pride get you into a stupid fight with Tawynpaw, bird-brain!" Larkpaw hissed, his hackles raised. "You just can't let others be happy for themselves, can you? I know it's hard for you to train and everything, but that doesn't mean you need to bring everyone else down with you! Tawnypaw was just being excited about becoming a warrior, and-"
"Oh, StarClan help me," Starlingpaw interjected. "All you ever do is go on about Tawnypaw! She's not nearly as perfect as she seems!"
"Well, neither are you! No cat is!" Larkpaw's tail lashed back and forth. "Don't expect everyone to be perfect and to never accidentally trod on your friend's paws, okay? She didn't mean to insult Birchpaw. Why do you care about him anyway? He never speaks to anyone."
Hatred bubbled up inside of Starlingpaw, directed at her brother. It was so jarring that she felt her eyes water and her skin burned with rage. "He doesn't talk because other cats treat him like dirt, exactly like you and Tawnypaw," She got up from the ground and shook the dust out of her fur, turning back to the apprentices' den. "Go find some other poor cats to bully, Larkpaw, and don't make excuses for yourself next time."
She padded swiftly through the tall grasses to retrieve Birchpaw, leaving Larkpaw shocked and bewildered. Starlingpaw couldn't believe how rude he had been! If he only looked up from his little world where Tawnypaw was too pure to kill a butterfly, he would see the harm he caused other cats.
Birchpaw sat awkwardly, staring at his paws, and looked up only when she reached him. "You didn't have to do that. Tawnypaw probably didn't mean what she said."
Starlingpaw scoffed. "Clearly not. It came out of her mouth, so she meant it. Did you hear an apology?" Birchpaw shook his head. "Come on, then. Let's go." Starlingpaw pressed her muzzle into Birchpaw's side, comforted at his familiar scent, and left the den worrying that she had broken the precious bond with her brother like she always worried she would. Shaking her head, she tried to ignore the thoughts and went with Birchpaw to find Honeypool so they could travel together to the river for a swimming session. Honeypool figured that it wouldn't do Birchpaw any harm to join Starlingpaw, and having a friend present would help both cats with their afflictions.
Instead, Starlingpaw was met with the stern face of Ashscar, her snout marred by an old claw wound that never fully healed. Her black fur was dappled with white, and the loud pattern mostly hid her other battle scars, but some were still prominent. Multiple areas on her ears were torn, and she was missing a patch of fur on her underbelly. Despite this, she radiated strength and power, and both cats were immediately intimidated. Her cold green eyes scared the apprentices into total silence.
"Starlingpaw," she meowed, her voice calm and level. "Blizzardstar wants to see you."
Birchpaw's tail fluffed out at the name, and Starlingpaw was struck with a similar fear and anger. After hearing about Birchpaw's past, Starlingpaw held a grudge against her leader, and deeply disliked the thought of being alone with him. She no longer trusted the great white cat like she had as a kit.
"Go speak with him," Ashscar ordered, and Starlingpaw scurried away from her, tripping over her paws in her haste. She paused for a second and took a deep breath, settling her head tremors, and walked carefully to the tallest tree, suppressing her kit-gait as well as she could.
Blizzardstar was waiting at the base of the tree next to two other cats who Starlingpaw quickly identified. She groaned at the prospect of being in close proximity to Larkpaw and Tawnypaw after what had just happened and steeled herself for a confrontation as she approached the leader.
"Starlingpaw," Blizzardstar meowed, dipping his head in greeting. "Good. Now we can begin." The sable she-cat sat tentatively next to her brother, staying a tail-length away and trying not to look at him.
"As you surely know, you three apprentices are all over or at six moons into your training. All apprentices must make the journey to the Moonfalls before they become warriors, and I am headed there to converse with StarClan."
Starlingpaw wondered why the leader wished to speak with his ancestors. As far as she knew, cats in the Clans generally needed a good reason to speak with StarClan, and the apprentice couldn't think of any issue that Blizzardstar would need advice on. He probably wouldn't care enough about it to go to StarClan, anyway, Starlingpaw thought, narrowing her eyes.
She noticed Tawnypaw sit taller, raising her nose to the sky with a haughty tilt. At that moment she looked uncannily like Russetstorm, and it dawned on Starlingpaw that the two cats were related; Tawnypaw was Fireblossom's daughter, and Fireblossom was siblings with Russetstorm. Of course! No other cats could be so arrogant.
"W-when do we leave?" Larkpaw asked, his voice optimistic, but he clearly realized the same things the other apprentices had; all three of them would have to spend an extended amount of time together, be on their best behavior, and act friendly with each other. It seemed impossible.
"Immediately," Blizzardstar responded. "Traveling herbs won't be a problem, so we'll just go now. It isn't terribly far."
Starlingpaw's stomach growled at the thought of the journey to the edge of their territory. The Moonfalls sat at the mouth of the river that separated DawnClan and DuskClan and was about half a day's travel from camp. It would have been more manageable if Starlingpaw had been able to eat first, but she supposed that complaining wouldn't help her chances of becoming a warrior, and decided to ignore the angry sounds of her stomach.
As the four cats began to walk toward the thicket tunnel, Tawnypaw held back to pad along beside Starlingpaw.
"Look, I'm sorry I was so... inconsiderate back in the den. I really should have thought about Birchpaw's feelings before I spoke," Tawnypaw meowed, her words kind enough but her tone dripping with sarcasm.
Starlingpaw spat in disgust and turned on the ginger she-cat, stopping in her tracks. "Try again, you pile of dirt. This time, actually apologize, or my claws will have something to say about it."
Tawnypaw's fur stood on end, and she started to hiss, but she calmed herself before she spoke. "Fine. I apologize for speaking the truth. I should have lied to Birchpaw's face because that would have made you happy."
Every hair on Starlingpaw's pelt was screaming with the desire to leap at Tawnypaw and tear off her pretentious face, but she knew that Blizzardstar was watching, so she turned around with a hiss and took off after her leader.
It was going to be a very long day.
"Blizzardstar, are you sure we can't stop to hunt?" Starlingpaw mewed, breaking the silence of the traveling party. "It would help us keep up our strength, and you could get a chance to see us use our skills." Starlingpaw had given up on her previous resolution to keep quiet about her hunger. The growling in her stomach had become unbearable and her head was spinning with hunger as she walked. Her legs were even more unstable than usual, and with each step her legs came closer to buckling under her. They had traveled past the stump-filled clearing and even the mushroom tree and the trees were starting to thin out as they approached the river. The sable apprentice wasn't sure if she could make it to the Moonfalls without passing out, let alone the return trip. Surprisingly, Larkpaw and Tawnypaw didn't seem to be affected so much by the journey, so Starlingpaw was slightly embarrassed to ask for a break.
Blizzardstar slowed his pace and his tail swished from side to side as he thought. After a moment, he meowed, "Why not? It seems like a good opportunity."
Starlingpaw let out a sigh of relief and turned towards the deeper part of the forest, but she bumped right into Tawnypaw. Starlingpaw could tell that the ginger tabby was biting back a scathing remark, but luckily she stayed silent and Starlingpaw could pass her to go hunting.
"I'll go with Starlingpaw," Larkpaw meowed, catching up with his sister quickly. Starlingpaw blinked in surprise and guessed that he was trying to make up with her.
They padded through a large clump of ferns into a less dense area, and both apprentices lowered themselves to the ground. Starlingpaw's legs trembled with weakness, but the thought of a delicious mouse or vole to sink her teeth into kept her going.
Before long, she scented a squirrel digging around the base of a tree, and she slowly approached it. Starlingpaw waited until she was what seemed to be a tail-length away from the rodent and then launched herself toward it, catching the little creature off guard. She had been slightly off in her judge of distance, but she still managed to grab onto its fur with an outstretched claw and pull it back to finish it off.
The delicious smell filled her nostrils, and Starlingpaw tore into the squirrel, finishing it in a couple of bites. As she ate, she was too distracted to notice Larkpaw settling down beside her with a mouse.
"Are your legs bothering you at all?" Larkpaw meowed as he began to eat. "You've been walking funny."
"No," Starlingpaw replied curtly. "I was just hungry. And my normal walk is pretty uneven anyway."
They were silent as Larkpaw devoured his fresh-kill, and once he finished, Starlingpaw got to her paws and stretched. "Let's head back to Blizzardstar, then," she meowed.
"No, wait!" Larkpaw yowled a touch too loudly. He lowered his tone when he spoke again. "I want to talk with you."
Starlingpaw sighed and turned to face her brother. "What, are you going to give me some fake apology too?"
"What do you mean?" Larkpaw asked, to which Starlingpaw shook her head. He didn't question further. "Well, anyway, I want to acknowledge what you said. You were right. Tawnypaw… well, she's a bit too proud for her own good."
Starlingpaw purred with laughter. "You can say that again."
"Anyway, I think that sometimes she just gets overly offended when cats imply that she isn't as good at something as she thinks she is. Not that she isn't skilled or anything, but…"
"No, I guess I get it," Starlingpaw meowed. "She was dethroned by Birchpaw for a moment when she thought she was the best, and it scared her. Not to say that she should have acted like that, but at least it explains why she did it."
"About that, Starlingpaw. I really don't want to be rude, but you do know that she was right about Birchpaw?" Larkpaw shuffled his paws awkwardly beneath him.
Starlingpaw inhaled sharply and forced herself to be calm. "No. I'm not going to accept that. I will do everything I can to make sure that Birchpaw becomes a warrior before a cat that's moons younger than him. Even if he can't do it now, he will eventually."
Larkpaw blinked, and he stood up so that he could move closer to his sister. "So you really do care about him, then?"
"Don't say it like that, Larkpaw."
"Like what?"
"Like it's so bizarre that I like him. Birchpaw is a perfectly nice cat."
"I didn't-"
"Yes, you did. You know, you should really talk to him when he gets back. I think he could use another friend, and I bet you'd like him too."
Larkpaw purred, dipping his head. "Sure, I will. But I don't think I'll like him quite the way you do."
Starlingpaw swatted at her brother, but he ducked away from her blow as usual. The normality of their conversation calmed her into a happiness she thought she had lost forever.
"No, you've got a prideful little furball for that, don't you?" Starlingpaw mewed, and then it was her turn to dodge a blow as Larkpaw swiped at her.
As they pushed back through the foliage to where Blizzardstar was waiting, she heard Larkpaw murmur beside her, "Yeah, I guess I do."
Starlingpaw bumped his shoulder with her own and purred. Just like with Russetstorm, Starlingpaw had no idea what a cat would see in Tawnypaw, but she supposed that if Larkpaw liked her, something about her personality had to be salvageable.
Larkpaw walked up to Tawnypaw and whispered something into her ear, and Tawnypaw shot an uneasy glance at Starlingpaw in response.
Starlingpaw hoped that whatever her brother had said to Tawnypaw would make the journey ahead much less uncomfortable for the three apprentices. She had to admit that the prospect of becoming a warrior because of her performance on the way was exciting, but rather terrifying, too. She wasn't convinced that Tawnypaw fully forgave her, and she personally hadn't forgiven the ginger apprentice, not to mention the fact that Starlingpaw would have to spend a prolonged amount of time with Blizzardstar, who she recently began to hate. But with Larkpaw by her side, maybe all of it would be manageable.
Maybe.