The wind rushed through Bramblepaw's pelt as he turned sharply on his heel, avoiding a sharp blow from Adderpaw's paw. Bramblepaw crouched down, grinning as Adderpaw's face fell when the apprentice realized he had hit nothing but thin air. Bramblepaw spun around Adderpaw and nipped at his heels. Adderpaw grunted, his knees buckling underneath him, and a thud echoed through the training clearing as the tabby apprentice hit the ground.
"And that's it!" called out Petalspring, who sat at the edge of the training clearing, with Thrushwing sitting next to her. "Bramblepaw wins!"
Bramblepaw shook the dust off his fur and reached out a paw to help Adderpaw get up. He helped the ginger-and-white tabby tom pull himself up, and when the apprentice started to lick his stained fur, saying nothing, Bramblepaw wondered if he was mad at him. He gauged Adderpaw's expression, trying to see if there was anything that could indicate any possible anger.
"Good fight," Adderpaw said when he had finished grooming his fur. "You always head for my back paws, don't you?"
Bramblepaw let out a sigh of relief at the nonchalant conversation Adderpaw was starting. He's not mad. "Petalspring taught me that it's the best spot to hit when you want to incapacitate your opponent," the tabby apprentice told his friend.
"Well, that's definitely a way of doing it," Adderpaw meowed, shaking out his fur. "I'm still a better fighter than you."
Bramblepaw's whiskers twitched in amusement. "If you say so."
Adderpaw stretched his front paws and glanced over at Thrushwing. Thrushwing padded over to him, his black ears twitching. He looked Adderpaw up and down, and then gave him a nod. "There are some things you need to work on. You're too confident, Adderpaw. That can be a strength or a weakness. In this case, you were so sure that Bramblepaw was going to be in the spot where you planned to hit him that you didn't follow him with your eyes."
"Okay," Adderpaw said. "I'll work on that next time." He gave his mentor a nod of his head, and Bramblepaw couldn't help but realize that he had said that multiple times during their previous training sessions, yet it had still been something the tabby struggled with. We can't all be perfect.
"Petalspring and I are going on a border patrol," Thrushwing went on, casting a glance in the distance. "To ThunderClan. Do you two want to come, or would you prefer hunting?"
Bramblepaw glanced at Adderpaw, waiting for him to respond. Adderpaw nodded his broad head. "I'd rather hunt. ThunderClan hasn't been interesting ever since Russetkit got caught there. I'll see you two back at camp!" Without saying anything else, the tabby shot off from the training clearing, kicking up dirt and grass behind him. Bramblepaw watched him go, awestruck.
Thrushwing blinked in shock, clearly taken aback. Bramblepaw padded over to Petalspring, dipping his head respectfully. "Can I hunt with Adderpaw?" he asked his gray-and-white mentor.
"Well, considering you two are closer than brothers, I don't see why not," Petalspring told him, flicking his tail. "Just make sure he gets back in one piece, all right?" Love glittered in the she-cat's eyes, and Bramblepaw knew she was fiercely protective of her only son. The pale tabby nodded to his mentor, and took off in the same direction Adderpaw had gone.
The whipping wind rushed against Bramblepaw's pelt, bringing with it the scent of newleaf. The moor was no longer frozen, and the last of the snow from the fierce leaf-bare had melted. It was time for new life to grow, for the rabbits to return to the moor, for the plants to grow, and for another season in the life of the Clans. Bramblepaw stewed upon these thoughts until he finally caught up to Adderpaw. The tabby's fur stuck out against the pale hues of the moorland, and he was sitting down, fixing his gaze in the distance.
"Adderpaw!" Bramblepaw called out, bounding over to him. The tom did not move to acknowledge him, still fixing his gaze on the horizon. "What are you looking at?"
"Do you know my father was from Twolegplace?" Adderpaw asked.
Bramblepaw's eyes widened. Swiftstar was from the Twolegplace? How had he not heard of this? Shock made the pale tabby freeze in his tracks. "No, I didn't know that."
"He was born a rogue," Adderpaw explained. A chuckle escaped the tabby's lips. "A lowly upstart. He never told me the story, but from what my mother told me, he lived life as a rogue in Twolegplace until he was about the age of a new warrior. He came to WindClan after hearing about the life of the warriors, and impressed the leader before him so much with his fighting skills that he allowed him in."
Bramblepaw sat down, furrowing his eye whiskers. Something had always bothered him about Swiftstar. Swiftstar was his Clan leader, and he respected him immensely, hearing tales of his victories against rogues, ThunderClan, and RiverClan. But there was one thing Bramblepaw always wanted to know. It was a taboo subject to talk about, but he felt as if it was safe to talk about it with Adderpaw. After all, Adderpaw would know the answer. "Can I ask you something, Adderpaw?"
Adderpaw finally dragged his head away and gazed at Bramblepaw. "Sure. We're best friends, you can ask me anything. What is it?"
"You are the half-brother of Scorchkit and Russetkit," Bramblepaw said, hoping that Adderpaw wouldn't be offended by this question. "Your mother is Petalspring, yet their mother is Sunleaf. Why isn't Swiftstar still Petalspring's mate? Why did he become Sunleaf's mate?"
Adderpaw looked faintly surprised, and Bramblepaw hoped that he wasn't crossing a line by asking it. But Adderpaw didn't seem offended, and his voice was strong as he replied. "My father fell out of love with Petalspring. It happens. He's very strict on who should be mates with who. It all matters on who the heir is, after all." He leaned closer to Bramblepaw. "He's already arranged future mates for Scorchkit and Russetkit."
"What?" Bramblepaw's eyes widened in shock. How was that acceptable? Russetkit and Scorchkit weren't even apprenticed yet. Mates were cats who were in love – how could Swiftstar arrange mates for his kits if he didn't know who they loved? "He can't do that! They're only kits!"
"Oh, yes he can." Adderpaw chuckled wryly. "He's promised Scorchkit to Hollypaw. And you, Bramblepaw…"
"What about me…?" Bramblepaw stepped back, fearing Adderpaw's response. Oh, no. Did Swiftstar arrange a mate for me too?
"Well, Swiftstar promised Oakcloud that he'd give Russetkit to you," Adderpaw explained, tensing his muscles as Bramblepaw reared back in panic.
What?! Bramblepaw stared at Adderpaw, his jaw open as he tried to fathom what Adderpaw had just said. An organized mate? For Bramblepaw? For some cat he didn't even know? How did I not know of this? Swiftstar had organized a mate for him?
"You see, Swiftstar wanted to be mates with Petalspring," Adderpaw explained, changing the subject. "Then they had me. But…" The brown tabby tom paused, and a shadow fell over his amber eyes. The forlorn, solemn expression that the tabby had made Bramblepaw's blood chill.
"But what?" Bramblepaw asked, all the thoughts about his arranged mate completely forgotten. He could deal with that later. Now, he needed to hear the truth from Adderpaw.
"There are rumors," Adderpaw rasped, seeming to drag the words out of his mouth.
"Rumors?" Bramblepaw asked. The buffeting breeze brought the fresh scent of rabbit to Bramblepaw's nose, but the only thing he was interested in was Adderpaw's story.
"I don't know how true it is," Adderpaw began, his amber eyes darting to his paws and then to Bramblepaw, "but… some of the cats say Swiftstar isn't my father."
"What?" Bramblepaw exclaimed, leaping to his paws. "That's outrageous! Who could possibly be your father if it's not Swiftstar?"
Adderpaw shifted his ginger-and-white paws. "They say my father is Rabbitfur," he whispered.
"And… what do you think?" Bramblepaw inquired, noticing the confusion and hesitation in Adderpaw's eyes.
The WindClan apprentice lifted his head and fixated his burning gaze on Bramblepaw. "One time, he said that he depended on me like I was his own son."
That one statement, delivered so flippantly without a hint of emotion, told Bramblepaw what Adderpaw thought. So, he thinks it's true. He doesn't think Swiftstar is his real father. "Are you sure?" Bramblepaw finally found the strength in him to ask.
Adderpaw nodded solemnly. Bramblepaw didn't press any further. He wasn't sure he wanted to. If he pried deeper, what information would he find? "After Petalspring had me, and the rumors happened, Swiftstar became mates with Sunleaf and had Scorchkit and Russetkit. I'm the son they knocked aside. Technically, I'm Swiftstar's heir, but I don't know what the future holds for me, if they see me as an illegitimate child and they see Scorchkit as the legitimate heir."
"Well…" Bramblepaw's voice trailed off. Adderpaw's amber eyes were clouded with sorrow, and he hung his head in shame. The conflicting emotions on Adderpaw's face, and above it all, the pain that he finally showed to another cat, touched Bramblepaw's heart. "Adderpaw, you're my best friend. I'll always be by your side. So, if you ever think you're alone, remember that you always have me."
Adderpaw lifted his head. "Rabbitfur once told me that he relied on me. I want to live up to his expectations. So, that's what I'll do. To uphold the Clan. I hope you'll lend me your strength, Bramblepaw. I want you to rule the Clan with me."
Bramblepaw felt a warm glow in his chest as he met the determined gaze of his closest friend. Rule the Clan with my closest friend? Of course he would! He would be one of the most loyal warriors to WindClan, and if it was by his best friend's side, then that was even better. "Yes, Adderpaw. I told you, and I mean it – I'll be by your side, until the very end."
"I'm holding you to that," Adderpaw meowed, brushing his muzzle against Bramblepaw's cheek. Bramblepaw felt his tail twitch, knowing he was making the right decision. Adderpaw was his best friend. They had grown up and trained as apprentices together. In every battle, they had each other's backs, and there was no one Bramblepaw trusted more than Adderpaw. He would be loyal to him, always.
The two toms started their hunt, and when they had amassed two rabbits, caught together, they looked up at the sky. The day had gone by quickly, and Bramblepaw had been so caught up in their conversation and their hunt that he hadn't even kept track of time. The sun was beginning to set, casting vivid orange and red rays across the moorland. It was time for them to be heading back. Adderpaw picked up one of the rabbits in his jaws, and Bramblepaw grabbed the other. The two apprentices began the trek back to the hollow that made the WindClan camp.
Just as the two toms bounded through the moorland with the wind in their fur, they came across the slope that made the entrance to the camp. Adderpaw bounded down, and Bramblepaw was right on his heels as the two cats nearly skidded into Heathercloud, who was keeping guard. Heathercloud gave the two toms a nod of her head, and Bramblepaw returned it. Adderpaw walked past her and dropped the rabbit on the fresh-kill pile. Bramblepaw followed him and placed his own rabbit on the pile.
"Well, well, if it isn't Adderpaw." Bramblepaw looked up to see Rabbitfur padding over to Adderpaw. The tom's thick gray fur fluffed up against the new-leaf wind, and he was notable for his bobtail, which made him stand out from every other warrior. As Bramblepaw studied his bobtail, he wondered how he could possibly be Adderpaw's father. After all, Adderpaw didn't have a bobtail. But neither does Petalspring.
"Rabbitfur," Adderpaw meowed, lowering his head in respect. Bramblepaw followed suit.
"Good hunt," Rabbitfur remarked, his green eyes taking stock of the two rabbits. "You've done well."
"Thank you," Adderpaw said. "It wasn't just me, though. It was Bramblepaw, too." The tabby tom nodded to Bramblepaw, who ducked his head shyly.
"Bramblepaw." Rabbitfur's gaze rested on the pale tabby, and Bramblepaw felt his fur burn hot underneath his penetrating stare. "Is he trustworthy, Adderpaw?"
"And then some," Adderpaw replied. "I trust him with my life." The glance that the two toms shared made Bramblepaw shiver. What did it mean? Why was Rabbitfur asking Adderpaw if he was trustworthy? Hadn't Bramblepaw proved his loyalty before?
"Good, good," Rabbitfur meowed. "That is promising." With that, the gray tom headed into the warriors' den, disappearing into the darkness. Bramblepaw watched him go, bewildered.
"What was that about?" Bramblepaw asked Adderpaw.
Adderpaw padded over to Bramblepaw. "Don't worry about it," he replied, the hint of a warning in his voice. Bramblepaw nodded, not wanting to start any trouble with Adderpaw or Rabbitfur. Adderpaw gave him a swift nod before trotting over to the fox hole that made the apprentices' den. Bramblepaw watched him go.
As day turned into night, WindClan cats poured back into camp. Hollypaw and Wasppaw bounded into camp, wrestling with each other until they bumped into the entrance to the apprentices' den. Behind them, Lilypaw and Songpaw walked more slowly. Lilypaw's eyes glowed with amusement, but Songpaw's expression was flat. Bramblepaw wondered what Songpaw's problem was. He had trained with her for moons, but she was a cat who lacked words and emotions. Bramblepaw had never tried to get close to her, in fear of what he would find.
Thrushwing and Petalspring had returned from their patrol, with Spottedwing and Grayflight behind them. Spottedwing headed towards the fresh-kill pile, while Grayflight trotted straight towards the nursery. Thrushwing padded towards Swiftstar's den, while Petalspring halted. Her blue eyes focused on Swiftstar's den, and she stalled for a moment, before finally turning away. Bramblepaw winced. That's got to be awkward.
Bramblepaw caught a glimpse of Scorchkit exiting the nursery, and as the ginger-and-white tom plopped down, Bramblepaw studied him intently, wondering if Adderpaw was right. Was Scorchkit really the heir of Swiftstar? Cats had been whispering for ages that Swiftstar's deputy would be one of his kits, and it would only make sense that it was Adderpaw, Swiftstar's oldest. But if the rumors were true that Adderpaw was an illegitimate child, that put Scorchkit first in line.
Would Adderpaw accept that?