Russetpaw trailed Blackpaw's scent, watching as the black she-cat crouched to let the long grassland cover her. Although she stuck out like a rabbit in the snow, her speed made up for that. The black she-cat tensed her muscles, and then took off like a hare. Her lithe body moved quickly, and just as she disappeared into the thick moorland, Russetpaw heard the apprentice curse.
"Fox-dung!" Blackpaw complained. Russetpaw lifted her head as she saw the rabbit escape Blackpaw's grip. Russetpaw hared off in its direction, edging closer and closer until she found the opportunity to jump on the rabbit and dispatch it with a bite to its neck. The rabbit fell to the ground with a thump, and Russetpaw looked over her shoulder to see Blackpaw bounding over to her.
"Why'd you miss?" Russetpaw asked in confusion. "That was a near perfect catch."
"I'm sorry," Blackpaw sighed, sitting down with a frustrated huff. "I've just been distracted lately."
"Why?" Russetpaw noticed the dismay and sorrow in Blackpaw's green eyes, and a rush of sympathy made her reach out and brush her muzzle against her friend's cheek. "What's the matter?"
Blackpaw turned her head away. "I can't tell you."
Russetpaw frowned. "Why not?" When Blackpaw fell silent, the ginger she-cat stepped closer to her. The distress crackled off Blackpaw's felt, making the tension between the two friends all the more apparent. "Hey. You know you can tell me anything, right? I won't judge you, no matter what it is."
Blackpaw sighed, seeming to finally cave. "Yesterday, I saw Wildpaw and Scorchpaw going out to hunt together."
Although the mere mention of Wildpaw was enough to make the fur on Russetpaw's spine twitch, Russetpaw asked, "So? We're hunting together, too." What was Blackpaw so upset about?
"No." Blackpaw shook her head, her green eyes glittering with an emotion Russetpaw couldn't decode. "It was… different. She was so close to him, whispering things in his ear. And it looked like he enjoyed it."
Oh. It suddenly became clear what Blackpaw was talking about. Did Wildpaw like Scorchpaw? In a way that superseded the normal friendship? No, they're just apprentices. There's no way that's happening. "Blackpaw…" Russetpaw's voice trailed off. "Are you jealous?"
Blackpaw glanced over at Russetpaw, chewing her lip with her teeth. "I don't know," she confessed. "Am I? Because when I saw it, there was this tightening in my heart… I've never felt it before. For a long time now, it's been hard to look at Scorchpaw. I know I'm young, and that I shouldn't be feeling this way for anyone."
"Blackpaw," Russetpaw chided her friend. "Stop it. You don't know that. Just because Wildpaw and Scorchpaw were hanging out means nothing. They're friends, it doesn't mean they're in love. We're not even warriors yet. So you don't need to worry about it. You don't know what they feel." The dark ginger she-cat bumped her head against her friend's shoulder. "Seriously. If you want, I can talk to my brother."
"No." Blackpaw shook her sleek head. "Don't. You're right, Russetpaw, it probably isn't anything to worry about. I don't want you to cause any trouble."
"You really think I would?" Russetpaw asked, arching an eye whisker.
A bitter grin spread on Blackpaw's face. "I mean, I don't want it to look like you've got it out for Wildpaw. I know the competition is still on."
"Don't remind me," Russetpaw hissed through clenched teeth. Training in the clearing with Wildpaw every day was torture enough. There was no way Scorchpaw would fall for that arrogant, self-centered she-cat. Right? Blackpaw was a much better match for him – respectful, kind, quiet, and loyal. Russetpaw was lost in her thoughts as the two apprentices began to make their way back towards camp, with Blackpaw holding the rabbit in her jaws. But we're just apprentices. We're too young to worry about love. We need to become good warriors first. Russetpaw shook aside those thoughts, knowing it was useless to dwell on them.
Just as the WindClan apprentices climbed the descent on the hills that carved the path towards WindClan's camp, a battle cry made both of them stop. Russetpaw swiveled her ears towards the direction of the sound, and as she craned her neck, she saw the sight of the marshes in the distance, where the cry came from. Hisses and yowls followed the cry, and Russetpaw felt her body chill to the bone.
"A fight!" Russetpaw exclaimed. "Come on, Blackpaw, we need to help!" Without waiting for her friend's reaction – she knew Blackpaw would help any cat in danger – Russetpaw darted off, her orange paws skimming over the moorland as if she was flying. Blackpaw was hot on her heels, and the two apprentices carved through the grassland until they approached the marshland, where the metal scent of copper was rancid in the air.
WindClan cats struggled in a battle against RiverClan cats. Russetpaw recognized Troutleap from RiverClan snapping his jaws at Thrushwing, who ducked underneath him and sliced his claws across his belly. An apprentice Russetpaw didn't recognize was in close combat with Gorsepaw, and Spottedwing flailed against a dappled gray she-cat. A gray-and-white cat pinned Hollypaw down, and although Gorsepaw tried to come to her rescue, the tortoiseshell she-cat that was fighting with had him firmly down. The RiverClan patrol outnumbered the WindClan patrol, two to one, and it seemed the RiverClan patrol definitely had the upper hand. Russetpaw's jaw gasped as she recognized Otterfrost – no, surely he was Otterstar now – fighting among the cats in the patrol.
Russetpaw lashed her tail back and forth. She wasn't going to sit here and let RiverClan rip apart her Clanmates. This was what Rabbitfur had trained her for. She glanced over at Blackpaw, who let out a small nod of agreement. Then, together, the two she-cats raced through the marshland and launched themselves into battle. Russetpaw rushed over to Hollypaw and sliced her claws against the attacker of the pale gray she-cat. The RiverClan warrior staggered back, taken aback by the force in Russetpaw's blow.
Hollypaw dragged herself to her paws. "Thanks, Russetpaw," she gasped, clearly out of breath. Blood stained her sleek pelt, and several claw marks had taken chunks of fur out of her sides. Russetpaw frowned at her, but when she heard a hiss, she tossed her head to see the RiverClan warrior, having gained her balance again and was clearly ready to attack again.
"You're not okay!" Russetpaw exclaimed at Hollypaw when the older apprentice tried to square her shoulders but toppled to the side. "Get out of here! I'll take care of her in your stead."
"You?" Hollypaw's blue eyes widened. "You're just an apprentice."
"So are you," Russetpaw retorted, annoyance making her voice sharper. "Go! I don't want you to die!"
Hollypaw stared at her, saying nothing. "I'll get help," she meowed after a few moments of silence, and then turned on her heel, racing through the moorland. Russetpaw watched her go, and then spun around to face the RiverClan warrior. The RiverClan warrior was twice her size, and Russetpaw started to rethink her decision. No. Russetpaw squared her shoulders. I don't regret it. Thinking back to her several sessions with Rabbitfur, Russetpaw realized she was ready to fight.
The RiverClan cat lunged at her, but Russetpaw jumped out of the way in seconds. Using the RiverClan cat's moment of confusion, Russetpaw leaped onto her back and clawed at her spine, taking out chunks of thick fur. Blood stained Russetpaw's white claws, following a pained hiss from the RiverClan warrior.
Her opponent shook her body wildly, but Russetpaw only tightened her grip, clenching her jaw as the RiverClan cat continued to try to shake her off. Suddenly, her claws slipped and the RiverClan cat sent her flying. Russetpaw landed on the marshes with a thud, and she looked up to see the RiverClan cat approaching her.
Thinking quickly, Russetpaw lunged underneath the stomach of the warrior and raked her claws across her underbelly, before appearing on her other side and jabbing her paws in her knees. The warrior collapsed, hitting the ground, and Russetpaw loomed over her, not sure what to do next. She hooked her claws into the warrior's neck and held her down. As she kept the warrior in her place, Russetpaw looked up to see the process of the battle.
Otterstar took on Spottedwing, jabbing at her skillfully and sending her skidding halfway across the moorland. The tortoiseshell apprentice's claws were raking down Gorsepaw's stomach, over and over. Blackpaw was beating back a white tom, but he was twice her size, and she wasn't faring well. Thrushwing looked over his patrol, his amber eyes narrowed. "Retreat, WindClan!" he yowled. "Retreat!"
At his call, Gorsepaw kicked off the tortoiseshell she-cat and raced away, following Thrushwing into the moorland. Otterstar released his grip from Spottedwing, and Spottedwing hauled Blackpaw away from the white tom before retreating after Gorsepaw and Thrushwing. Russetpaw leaped away and let go of the gray-and-white warrior, who immediately got to her paws and rushed to the patrol of cats. Russetpaw backed up, noticing that the WindClan patrol was far away by now. She didn't want to run and get caught by the RiverClan warriors. What if they decided to take her hostage and attack her in revenge for Reedstar? Russetpaw looked behind her, seeing a clump of winterberry, and she ducked inside of it, hoping that it would conceal her from the RiverClan cats.
The tortoiseshell-and-white apprentice that had defeated Gorsepaw leaned over the limp body of a RiverClan warrior. As Russetpaw narrowed her eyes, she recognized the ginger-and-black figure of Troutleap. Otterstar hovered behind the apprentice, his blue eyes wide with worry, and the white tom that had fought Blackpaw rested his tail on the apprentice's slight shoulders.
"Father?" the apprentice was asking, desperation tinging her high voice. "Father, wake up." The tortoiseshell cat jabbed at Troutleap's shoulder, and then sank both her paws in his shoulders, pulling him up. But every time she let go, Troutleap fell back to the ground, unmoving.
The white warrior who had his tail on the apprentice's shoulders meowed out, "He's dead." Sorrow glittered in his brilliant blue eyes. "I'm sorry, Dapplepaw."
Troutleap is dead? Russetpaw slapped her tail over her mouth to stop the gasp that escaped her. And he's her father? This Dapplepaw had seen her father die in battle! Her father was just a warrior, which meant he didn't have the nine lives of Russetpaw's father, Swiftstar. What would happen if I saw my father die, and know that he would never get up again? Sympathy for Dapplepaw, despite being an enemy warrior, tugged at Russetpaw's heart.
But the next words Dapplepaw spat out wasn't something Russetpaw expected at all. "Fool!" the she-cat snarled, her voice tinged with hatred and fury. "He let himself get killed! Why? Why did you do that?" The RiverClan apprentice screamed at her dead father, who would have no way of hearing her grief. "Did you not think of me? Of your family? Of your Clanmates?"
The agony in Dapplepaw's voice made Russetpaw stagger back. She had never known loss the way this apprentice was. Her mother, Sunleaf, was still alive, and her father had multiple lives. What would it be like when one of her parents died? Would they fall in battle, and would Russetpaw be forced to see them die, just like Dapplepaw was? And to never rise again? The mere idea of it made Russetpaw's heart race in her chest. Not caring if the RiverClan cats saw her or not, Russetpaw leaped out of the winterberry bush and raced away from the RiverClan patrol, running faster than the wind. She could hear some of the cats warning Otterstar about a WindClan cat, but she was never pursued.
Russetpaw didn't know how long she had been running when the scent of cats became thick and the dip in the moorland was visible. It's home! She could see the trails of blood that the retreating warriors must have left when they entered camp. Russetpaw followed the trail and skidded down the hollow into camp, heaving every step of the way. When she entered the clearing, she was met immediately by Sunleaf's concerned face.
"Where have you been?" her mother demanded, her eyes searching Russetpaw's pelt. "Why is there blood on you? Don't tell me you fought with the patrol! You're too young—"
"Mom!" Russetpaw exclaimed, ducking away from Sunleaf as her tongue rasped around her ears. "I had to! If I see my Clanmates in danger, I'm not going to run away!"
"Yes, Hollypaw told us," Sunleaf meowed, a frown on her face. "Thrushwing's patrol attacked a RiverClan patrol on the border."
"Troutleap died," Russetpaw gasped out.
Sunleaf paused, and over her shoulder Russetpaw saw her father stalking over to her. Swiftstar's ears twitched, and his yellow eyes burned. He had clearly overheard, and as he approached them, Russetpaw didn't know whether she'd get a scolding for participating in the fighting, or maybe some praise. When he stopped right in front of her, and Russetpaw studied his narrow muzzle, all she could think about was Troutleap's dead body, and his daughter mournfully cursing him.
"Why did you join the attack?" Swiftstar asked, his nostrils flaring.
Is he mad at me because I attacked? Russetpaw spun on her paw and glared at her father. "Because I saw my Clanmates getting hurt!" she spat at him. "Do you really think I was going to sit there and twiddle my paws while I saw them get ripped apart by RiverClan cats? No! Even if it kills me, I'm going to go in there and rescue my Clanmates!"
Swiftstar's whiskers twitched, a faint trace of amusement in his eyes. "I wasn't going to scold you, Russetpaw. I was going to praise your bravery."
"Wha…?" Russetpaw stared at her father, feeling her eyes widen. Her father was praising her? Was he okay? Did some cat poison his fresh-kill?
"I won't say it again." Swiftstar cleared his throat. "You say Troutleap is dead?"
Russetpaw nodded, although she was still basking in the praise her father had given her. Finally! After moons of working, she had finally been able to drag praise out of her father's mouth. Is it going to take fighting in battles to earn his praise? "His daughter was grieving him."
"Troutleap has a daughter?" Swiftstar snorted. "Gods, that'll just be another pain in the tail. So?" The WindClan leader turned his head towards Thrushwing, who was licking blood off his stomach wound. "Did you get what you wanted?"
"I did." Thrushwing lifted his head, pride glimmering in his pale blue eyes.
"Then we're all happy." Swiftstar stretched out his long limbs. "RiverClan has lost another strong warrior. The more we chip away at them, the faster they'll fall. Then, we'll hold RiverClan in our paws."
"We'll be the strongest Clan by the lake," Grayflight meowed, padding over to Swiftstar and giving Russetpaw a nod.
"You say that like we aren't," Swiftstar told Grayflight. Grayflight flinched but nodded his head in agreement.
"Sorry, Swiftstar." Grayflight shifted his paws. "You're right. We are."
Russetpaw watched the exchange between her father and the senior warrior. She had no doubt that WindClan was the strongest Clan by the lake, but why did it take killing strong cats to make that true? Why did cats have to die for Clans to be strong? The vivid memory of Dapplepaw grieving her father replayed in Russetpaw's mind. What if that had been Sunleaf? Or Swiftstar? Would it really have been worth it for her parents to die so another Clan could be strong? Doesn't that breed more hatred? The warm glow Swiftstar's praise had given her died slowly as she thought about the possible loss of her parents.
"Russetpaw." Russetpaw looked over her shoulder to see Hollypaw limping over to her. Russetpaw tilted her head, and Hollypaw let out a sigh. "Thanks for saving me." A small smile spread on Hollypaw's face, and in that smile, Russetpaw saw a newfound respect.
"Well, don't let me make a habit of it," Russetpaw joked, touching the tip of her tail to Hollypaw's shoulders. The gray-and-white she-cat was covered head-to-toe in poultice, and Russetpaw began to feel bad for her. I hope she gets better soon, she thought. She fought well in battle.
Russetpaw's thoughts seemed to coincide with Swiftstar's, as the WindClan leader leapt on top of the Tall Branch and called out, "Cats of WindClan! As you know, there was a heinous battle today, one that proved the might of WindClan to those mangy RiverClan warriors. But there was one apprentice who fought like LionClan and brought the news back to camp. Hollypaw, step forward."
Hollypaw looked over at Swiftstar, her blue eyes wide with shock. Russetpaw nudged the she-cat forward, and the gray-and-white cat limped towards the Tall Branch. Swiftstar studied Hollypaw's round blue stare for a couple of moments, and then cleared his throat. "Hawkfeather, is Hollypaw ready to be a warrior?"
"From what I heard, she fought like one of the gods," Hawkfeather replied, his warm amber gaze focused on his apprentice. The other older apprentices watched their denmate, their tails twitching. Jealousy was written on Adderpaw and Songpaw's faces, while Lilypaw, Wasppaw, and Bramblepaw had nothing but pride and joy on their faces for their fellow denmate.
"I, Swiftstar, leader of WindClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice. She has trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend her to you as a warrior in her turn." Swiftstar's intense orange eyes burned into Hollypaw's battered pelt. "Hollypaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?"
Hollypaw nodded, the strength of her conviction shining in her pale blue eyes. "I do."
"Then, by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Hollypaw, from this moment you will be known as Hollyfrost. StarClan honors your bravery and selflessness, and we welcome you as a full warrior of WindClan." Swiftstar leaped down from the Tall Branch and touched his nose to Hollyfrost's, and Hollyfrost licked Swiftstar's battle-scarred shoulder in return. Hollyfrost turned on her heel as cheers of her name erupted through the crowd.
"Hollyfrost! Hollyfrost!" The chant of the new warrior's name was loud and threatened to break the earth itself as it rippled through the crowd. Russetpaw joined along, knowing that Hollyfrost would have fought to the death in the battle against RiverClan if she had to. When the cheering died down, Hollyfrost lowered her head to Swiftstar. Her mouth was shut, and Russetpaw realized that was because her unspoken vigil had already begun.
"You will guard the camp all night," Swiftstar told her. "Use that time to understand what being a warrior means. It isn't about fun and games. There may be a day where you have to give your life to guarantee the safety of your Clans." Emotion glittered in Swiftstar's eyes.
Hollyfrost nodded.
Swiftstar flicked his tail, and immediately the Clan dispersed into separate groups. Russetpaw watched as Hollyfrost walked away and took up a spot in the middle of camp. She was glad that Hollyfrost was all right, and she still didn't forget the fact that Swiftstar had praised her for fighting in the battle. She would continue to work hard in her training to make Swiftstar happy, and then, one day, she would have a ceremony, just like Hollyfrost's – and before Wildpaw.
But how many lives would come at that expense?