Chapter 9: The Wildcard

It was a shame that the day ended so quickly. There was still so much I wanted to do, but they'd have to be put on hold, the big one being Ravenpaw's secret. Now that some time had passed, he'd likely clam up, fearful of the secret he holds. I'd have liked to collect the secret while his panic still left him scrambled, but now I'd need to play a longer game with the senior apprentice.

After Graypaw gave Firepaw and I our first taste of 'fresh kill,' which was probably at least a day old, we were sent to bed, sorry our nests. You'd think moss would be a terrible bedding given it thrives on moisture and turns brown and crusty when dry, but the sheer quantity Thunderclan had access to seemed to counter the problem. The nests in the apprentices' den were made of sheets of the stuff. The average nest seemed to be at least two inches thick of moss. What was shocking was that there were spare nests in the den. They weren't well formed, likely some apprentice's way of skipping collecting moss later, but they were functional for Firepaw and I. Where Firepaw just balled his up to make something akin to a pillow, I made a hollow in the center of mine. Regardless, Firepaw, Graypaw, and I pulled our nests close together by the far edge of the den. It was then that I made my first enemy. Well, enemy isn't the right word, but I had a very poor opinion of her.

"Ugh! It stinks of kittypet in here!" Hissed the pale ginger shecat.

My eyes narrowed in her direction as she continued, "why don't you run home to your twolegs? You aren't wanted here."

I rose to my paws, stamping my way over to the cat. She could probably best me in a fight, but I don't let any cat insult Firepaw without consequence. Despite her being older, I did have size on her. My fur stood on end and an angry rumble emanated from my being. Firepaw's eyes shone in fear as he tried to intervene before I did anything rash.

"Smudge! Calm down, please. It's not worth it. Leave her alone for me." Firepaw hurriedly mewed.

There was that phrase that could stop me in my tracks when it came to Firepaw. "For me." Several times my wrath had been subverted by that phrase, and those few that Firepaw saved with it thanked their lucky stars I hadn't been alone. You see I don't hurt cats the normal way. I dissect their personality, drawing out all their flaws and secrets, then I viciously mock them. It only got worse if I had a smudge on them. I've broken full grown cats in my fury. The worst I've ever done was to a cat named Mr. Tinkles. He was a show cat who I proceeded to mar his looks, lead rogues to harass, and drive away from our old homes. That cat did deserve it, but it set a precedent in why cats don't mess with Smudge.

I had to throw in some words before Firepaw led me away from the cat I'd been so close to mentally eviscerating. "You'd be wise to not make an enemy of me. It wouldn't take much to shatter your illusions of power."

I felt Firepaw shove me away, but I still sent her one hateful glance before turning.

"Please don't pick a fight with Smudgepaw," Firepaw requested back at the sand-colored cat. "Regardless of how tough you are, Smudgepaw has a way of finding your greatest secrets. Frankly, he scares the fur off me when he's like that."

Sandpaw still had that disgusted look, but now she looked more guarded. At least she was smart enough to take Firepaw's warning with a grain of salt.

When I finally closed my eyes, I began to dream. I found myself in a field filled with stars. As I began to wander, I recognized one of the denizens. It was that cat who died the day before. I believe Redtail was his name. He noticed me quickly and came padding over. Who accompanied him was a dark reddish-brown tom who seemed to have a swimmer's build.

"Greetings Smudgepaw," mewed the pair.

"I'm surprised you know my name Redtail, given how you died before I even met you," I responded.

"You really don't mince words, do you kit?" Responded the swimmer cat.

"I find pointlessly dancing around what you want to become somewhat irksome. Not that it matters. This is just a dream."

The red one responded again, "this isn't just some dream Smudgepaw. My name is Oakheart. We've come here to meet you and see if you can help us."

I tilted my head at the pesky pair who prevented me from having a normal dream.

"I'll hear you out, but I promise nothing. My first priority is Firepaw. Any cat beyond that is an asset or obstacle, and I don't mind pushing some obstacles around."

The pair stared at me, trying to divine if that was a threat or not before finally replying.

"We've come at least with a warning. Stories have a way of warping when the teller has an agenda."

I instantly thought of Tigerclaw and how he seemed to act instead of let his reactions come naturally. Had these ghosts just hinted at a lie. That made Ravenpaw's secret all the more valuable. I licked my lips in anticipation and the ghosts noted my feral grin.

"You don't need to worry about Tigerclaw manipulating me. Soon I'll have something on him that he'll fear to let out, then I'll become his confidant, then I'll have him eating right out of my paw. If he proves a threat, I'll ruin him. That is what you want, right?"

I actually saw a measure of fear on these ghosts. Where as Tigerclaw was a cat who was physically threatening, I was something else entirely. Possibly something worse than who they wanted to sic me on.

Redtail stuttered out a response, "you-you do that. Just… Remember the clan comes first."

I responded in a tone that made my priorities clear. "Firepaw comes first. I defend what is mine and currently Thunderclan is just secondary. I'll follow the rules like you want, but if there is a choice between him and the clan, I'll choose him. Make of that what you will."

Just like that, the pair let me drift off into my regular dreams, unnerved by the apprentice who wished to puppet a killer. They departed to their council to make the news known, knowing I was the wild card in this convoluted prophecy. Their greatest asset was knowing Firepaw would be their champion of light and that I favored him over all.