As Snakepaw had predicted, Rednose sent him on the last hunting patrol of the day.
He was exhausted by the time he returned, and hunger was panging at his stomach.
He had to force himself to walk toward the hollowed oak instead of the fresh-kill pile. He lowered his head and looked inside the leader's den.
Elmstar was laying in his nest, facing toward the wall of the den. "Elmstar?" Snakepaw called. Elmstar turned his head and looked over his shoulder.
The tom's eyes lit up a bit as his gaze rested on the apprentice. He turned and forced himself to sit up, gesturing for Snakepaw to join him in his den by tapping his tail on the ground.
"I mean this with complete respect for you and Silverpaw," Snakepaw began, already regretting his choice of words.
"Do you know why Silverpaw is so brash? He nearly threw himself at me because I scared away a squirrel today."
"Silverpaw?" Elmstar's tail was tapping against the floor. The silence that followed was nearly deafening. Elmstar stayed still other than his tail and a twitch of his whiskers until he finally continued.
"He may feel the need to prove himself. He's always been very determined."
"Why would he need to prove himself?" Snakepaw meowed. "He's already bigger than all the other apprentices, and Twigrush always dotes on him and his capabilities."
"He wants to prove he is no different than the cats who were born in ShadowClan. Something he's never failed to do." Elmstar spoke fondly of Silverpaw, but there was an edge to his tone that made Snakepaw question if they had an unspoken quarrel.
"Cats that were born here? Isn't Silverpaw Shadowborn?" Snakepaw looked at Elmstar with a puzzled expression.
"No. Silverpaw is from RiverClan."
"RiverClan!" Snakepaw yowled. Elmstar shushed him with a stern look that made him realize his outburst.
"Yes. Russetstar and I found him abandoned near the Greenleaf Twolegplace when he was only a few moons old. We never questioned why RiverClan would abandon their young, but we had no doubt he was ours to protect. We raised him as our own."
Elmstar's eyes seemed to flash with grief. Russetstar had passed only moons before Snakepaw was born, and he'd heard Elmstar and him were exceptionally close- much closer than most toms would be.
"You take him to gatherings, did RiverClan never question you? What if they accused you of stealing him?" Snakepaw lowered his voice. He felt like this was something the clan wasn't supposed to know, or atleast, something he wasn't supposed to know.
"Heronstar would never make such an accusation. We have plenty of cats who could've born a cat like him. Any cat who had doubts would've likely thought he was Laurelpaw and Bluepaw's littermate."
This must have been something he planned out, Snakepaw thought, way before he ever considered letting Silverpaw go to a gathering.
Thoughts stirred in his head. Maybe Silverpaw did feel the need to prove himself to any cat who thought he was less capable due to his RiverClan heritage. His hostility toward Snakepaw made him seem more like an enemy warrior, however.
"If Silverpaw continues to bother you, you can always come to me. He might hiss and yowl, but at the end of the day, he knows to listen to me." With a flick of Elmstar's tail, Snakepaw was dismissed from the hollowed oak den.
Snakepaw had a hard time processing what he'd just been told. Silverpaw fit in with the clan so naturally.
His fierce loyalty to the clan was something he never would've doubted. Laurelpaw and Bluepaw interacted with him like he was their littermate, not a cat from a different clan. Snakepaw's confused expression must've caught the attention of Patchpaw, who was coming to greet him.
"Did you learn anything?" She asked, holding a skinny water vole in her maw.
"Elmstar just told me to let him know if Silverpaw bothers me again, that's all."
I don't know if this is something I should share. He so badly wanted to burst out that Silverpaw was of RiverClan origin, and it took every ounce of self control not to.
He didn't know how many cats knew of this truth, nor did he want the clan to treat Silverpaw any differently.
Patchpaw gave a nod to his response, dropping the vole in front of him. "I ate a full crow this morning, but I haven't seen you eat yet. Rednose wanted me to bring you this since you hunted nearly all day."
"Thank you," Snakepaw purred, picking up the vole with his teeth. He didn't have the heart to tell Patchpaw that his appetite was ruined.
He made his way to a secluded part of camp, sitting down and dropping the water vole at his paws.
Before he was able to bend down and begin to eat it, he saw Elmstar in the corner of his eye. The tom exited his den and clawed his way up the hollowed oak, settling on the lowest branch. Snakepaw heard Elmstar's voice boom across the clearing as he called for a clan meeting.
He started to eat the vole, keeping his eyes up to spectate. Elmstar waited for a few moments, allowing any interested cats to gather.
Silverpaw was at the front of them. "Silverpaw has completed his assessment, and his mentor has decided he is fit to become a warrior. Silverpaw, please step forward and make yourself known."
Snakepaw watched as the cats surrounding Silverpaw stepped back, allowing the tom his own space. He stood before Elmstar with his head held high.
"I call upon my warrior ancestors to look down at this apprentice," Elmstar continued. "He has trained hard to uphold your noble code, and I commend him as a warrior in your turn."
Snakepaw couldn't believe how silent the clan was. Every single cat had their eyes on Silverpaw, including Patchpaw, who was sitting just at the edge of the gathered cats.
"Silverpaw, you will now be known as Silvercloud. You will sit vigil tonight and guard the camp."
Before Elmstar even finished talking, the clan erupted in yowls. "Silvercloud! Silvercloud!" The cats chanted. Silvercloud turned to face the gathered clan, his chest swelling in pride as he took in the praise and attention.
Becoming an apprentice with Patchpaw was already overwhelming, Snakepaw couldn't imagine what that would've felt like if he was the only cat that the ceremony was for.
Silvercloud seemed to enjoy the spotlight, though, and only sat down once the rest of the clan had settled. Elmstar straightened his posture.
"One last thing as well. Mistfall has given birth to three healthy kits, Dawnkit, Fogkit and Rustkit. She is accepting visitors in the nursery if any of you want to meet our new clan members."
Elmstar hopped down off the tree, signaling the end of the meeting. The gathered cats slowly dispersed except Patchpaw, Laurelpaw and Bluepaw who had made their way to Silvercloud to give their congratulations.
Snakepaw eventually got up on his paws and padded over. When he approached the group, Silvercloud gave him a friendly smile. His demeanor was much different than it was earlier.
It unsettled Snakepaw, but he returned his glance and gave him a forced smile.
"You're going to be a great warrior, and we both know ShadowClan needs as many as it can get."
Silvercloud nodded in agreement. "Thank you. I was just telling Laurelpaw and Bluepaw they'll be made warriors here soon, and you and Patchpaw will come after that. ShadowClan will never see another empty fresh-kill pile with us as warriors."
Snakepaw gave a nervous chuckle before realizing Silvercloud was being sincere. His ambition hadn't been left behind when he was made a warrior.
If anything, his ambition was now being fueled by the praise of the cats around him.
The next few sunrises were rather uneventful. Snakepaw had spent the majority of his time hunting.
The clan was waiting for the fresh kill to increase, but there were still no signs of the influx of prey newleaf usually brings. The last of the snow had finally melted, leaving the earth muddy and the air humid.
The water in the air clung to Snakepaw's pelt uncomfortably. He was sat in the camp clearing, grooming his now damp pelt. It was early morning and Rednose was getting ready to call for the dawn patrol.
Snakepaw noticed Bluepaw and Laurepaw emerge from the apprentice's den. Bluepaw's short pelt was sleek, but Laurelpaw's long pelt looked unkempt. Bluepaw made his way over to Snakepaw while Laurelpaw went over to the fresh-kill pile.
"Did you drag Laurelpaw out of her nest by her whiskers?" Snakepaw chortled, his whiskers twitching in amusement. Bluepaw smiled in response, taking a moment to respond. "Pretty much," Bluepaw answered, stifling a chuckle.
"Gather for patrols!" Rednose called from across the camp. Snakepaw stood, giving his pelt a light shake and padding over to the deputy. Bluepaw followed close behind.
Twigrush, Crowwatcher, Gingersnap and Patchpaw had already gathered around Rednose. Adderthorn and Silvercloud emerged from the warriors' den side by side.
Once the two warriors found their way to the rest of the cats, Rednose straightened his posture and began to speak.
"For the dawn patrol, I want Adderthorn to lead Bluepaw, Gingersnap and Snakepaw. Give extra attention to the stream border and report anything that seems out of place."
Bluepaw gave Snakepaw an excited glance. It was rare that the two got to patrol together, and Bluepaw seemed rather happy to be given the opportunity.
"Crowwatcher, take Patchpaw, Laurelpaw and Silvercloud for the dusk patrol, and I want you to hunt after you've renewed the scent markers. You can decide whether or not to split up once you get a good idea of how the prey is running. Any cats not assigned to a patrol, find something to occupy yourself with in camp until the next hunting patrol is sent out."
Rednose dismissed the gathered cats with an ear flick, standing and making his way toward the hollowed oak.
Bluepaw bounded over to the clamp exit. Adderthorn gave him a stern look as he padded past him.
Snakepaw hopped up onto his paws and followed, spotting Gingersnap out of the corner of his eye as the group made their way out of camp. Adderthorn led the patrol toward the stream border, his long fur picking up bits of mud.
Snakepaw tried to keep his fur as far away from the ground as possible, flicking the mud off of his paws with every step. Sludge was soiling Bluepaw's light pelt.
Snakepaw could tell that Bluepaw was trying not to show that it bothered him, but the rapid flicking of the tip of his tail was giving him away.
Gingersnap let out a disgruntled mrow as they approached the border. Without asking, Snakepaw was able to figure out why.
The humid warm air was carrying a putrid scent. Snakepaw pushed ahead to the front of the patrol where Adderthorn had stopped. The large tom's fur was standing on end.
Snakepaw raised his head and spotted what the two had been looking at. Under the flowing water, a dead frog was caught between the small pebbles that lined the stream bed.
It was clear the frog hadn't drowned. The water around the frog was tainted red with blood which was coming from a slash at the base of the frog's back.
Gingersnap broke away from the rest of the patrol, stepping into the stream and picking up the frog with his teeth.
He dropped the scaly prey down on the edge of the stream, spitting the ThunderClan scent out of his maw from between his teeth. "Prey stealers!" Gingersnap growled.
Adderthorn stepped forward and gave the frog a sniff. They don't even know how to kill a frog right, Snakepaw thought.
ShadowClan cats were taught to kill frogs and other small prey with a simple nip to the back to prevent bleeding. ThunderClan cats would have no reason to learn how to kill a frog. The cat that caught the frog must've panicked.
Bluepaw stepped forward, giving a wary glance toward the prey that was now no better than crow food.
"Do you think they dropped it while traveling across the stream?" The light silver tom asked, his whiskers twitching inquisitively.
"They have no reason to leave prey like that, not even to make a statement. Not when their clan is starving."
Adderthorn gave a grunt. "It's likely. The only reason they would've dropped it is if they were carrying more prey than just the frog." Adderthorn's tail lashed as he spoke.
Snakepaw could feel the tension in the tom's voice. His pelt prickled with anxiety.
A fight was the last thing ShadowClan needed while struggling to feed its warriors.
"Gingersnap, bury this frog and report back to Elmstar. The rest of us will finish the patrol." Gingersnap gave a nod to Adderthorn, picking up the frog by its leg and padding back into the pine forest.
Snakepaw watched the ginger tabby until he could no longer see him through the dense trees.
Bluepaw gave Snakepaw a nudge, reminding him to follow Adderthorn for the rest of the patrol.
The ThunderClan odor started to fade as the remaining three cats continued to the next border.
Bluepaw, Adderthorn and Snakepaw marked the remaining borders without much chatter.
All of them seemed unsettled by their findings, and Snakepaw couldn't stop wondering how Elmstar reacted once Gingersnap made it back to camp.
After what felt like forever, Bluepaw and Snakepaw made it back to the camp entrance. Adderthorn had decided to stay out of camp and hunt while the apprentices rested.
Heavy on his paws, Snakepaw padded into camp and spotted Patchpaw.
She was sharing tongues with Tawnyflower, sitting with their pelts pressed against each other. Snakepaw went to the fresh-kill pile first and checked for any prey the three of them could share.
The pile consisted of two mice, a slim squirrel and a small blackbird.
It's only sunhigh. More prey will be caught. Snakepaw picked up the blackbird by its neck feathers, taking it to where Patchpaw and Tawnyflower were resting.
"Snakepaw!" Tawnyflower purred, sitting up. Patchpaw's gaze softened as Snakepaw approached with the bird.
He dropped it in front of the two she-cats. "Give me whatever you two don't finish," he said with a purr.
He settled next to Patchpaw and lay down, tucking his paws under his frame.
A purr rumbled in his throat as his pelt pressed against Patchpaw's and the comforting scent of his mother washed over him. He closed his eyes briefly, decompressing from the events of the dawn patrol.
Snakepaw's eyes opened when he felt a paw prodding at his side. I fell asleep! Patchpaw gave an audible snort.
"Tawnyflower went to check on Mistfall in the nursery. That blackbird has been sitting in front of you for a while."
"Sorry," Snakepaw replied groggily. He lowered his head and nipped the blackbird, pulling it closer to him before biting into the rest of what Tawnyflower and Patchpaw had left.
He licked the meat off of the bird's hollow bones, savoring every last bit of the prey. He then drew a paw over his face, his maw parting in a yawn.
Snakepaw shifted a bit when he felt Patchpaw tense up beside him. All traces of tiredness left Snakepaw's body the moment he heard a distressed wail from across camp.
Twigrush limped into camp, Rednose hunched over and leaning against her shoulder for support. The deputy looked up once they entered, his pupils dilating.
Once he realized he was safe, he slumped down and hit the ground with a sickening thud. Twigrush let out an alarmed squeal and crouched down at his side.
Almost instantly, cats ran to surround the two injured warriors. Snakepaw bolted, nearly tripping over his paws when he saw his mentor collapse.
Pure adrenaline flooded through him as he pushed his way through other cats to get to Rednose.
He let out a wail, crouching down in front of the injured tom. His white fur was stained red and he had a nasty gash on his shoulder. His pelt was battered with multiple scratches.
Twigrush was hurt, too, with scratches and scarce bite marks along her body. She was shaking under her pelt.
"Get out of the way!" A cat called from behind. Mintpaws shoved her way to the front of the group, cobwebs falling from her maw. She bunched up the webs and pressed them deep into the gash on Rednose's shoulder, then quickly wrapped the excess around his arm to secure the makeshift bandaging.
"What happened?" Mintpaws turned to Twigrush, winded. "Rednose and I went to hunt, and there were a group of ThunderClan apprentices crossing the stream. We didn't expect them to fight back, and Rednose went right after them. They were small and scrawny, but we were outnumbered.."