Brambleberry's Path

Chapter 4:

Bramblepaw prodded at the squirrel that Hawkpaw dropped in front of him and glared up at her.

"Why would I want to eat with you?!" He hissed, fur bristling. Hawkpaw froze and stared at him with wide eyes. She opened her mouth to say something but shut it when Brightpaw called her over to eat with her and Birdpaw. She looked down at her paws and padded away, shoulders drooping and tail trailing in the dust. Bramblepaw watched her leave with narrowed amber eyes and huffed when he stared at the squirrel the golden-brown apprentice gave him.

"Why are you treating my sister like fox-dung?" Rockpaw's voice sounded next to him and Bramblepaw looked up with dull amber eyes at the dark grey tom. He was glaring at the tabby tom with angry amber orbs as Bramblepaw flicked his tail at him.

"It's not my fault she's annoying." He mewed. Rockpaw growled at him and opened his mouth to say something but stopped himself and padded away towards Pebblepaw. The tom was staring at them warily and started talking to Rockpaw as soon as the dark grey apprentice reached him. Bramblepaw flicked his ear and sighed, licking the fur on his chest to flatten it down.

"Bramblepaw, you do realize the way you're treating Hawkpaw is unfair, right?" Leafpaw mewed as he sat beside his brother and stared at the said she-cat as she sat beside her friends sullenly. Brightpaw and Birdpaw were constantly glancing at her with sad eyes and tried to get her to cheer up, but to no avail. Bramblepaw snorted and flicked his tail at her.

"Serves her right. She shouldn't be poking her nose in my business anyways." He said haughtily. Leafpaw stared at his brother and shook his head.

"I can't believe you." He mewed, standing up. He started padding away, making Bramblepaw look at him with confusion.

"Where are you going?" He mewed after his brother. Leafpaw craned his head to glare at Bramblepaw and lashed his tail.

"To go hang out with the others. I can't believe you would say that about your friends. Because one day, I'm pretty sure you'll need them, and they won't be there for you because you keep pushing them away!" He hissed angrily, storming off towards Rockpaw and Pebblepaw. Bramblepaw stared after him with angry amber eyes and muttered to himself angrily.

He glanced over at Hawkpaw, who was staring at him with sympathetic eyes and glared at her again. He was sick and tired of her giving him that look. He got up and padded away from the untouched squirrel and out of the camp. Hawkpaw glanced away from the entrance of the camp and stared down at her paws sadly.

"Things used to be so different. What changed?" She mewed to herself, unaware that Brightpaw and Birdpaw heard her. They exchanged a look and Birdpaw padded off to the medicine cats' den while Brightpaw headed off towards the direction where Bramblepaw went.

He is in a big heap of otter dung when I find him, she thought crossly as she searched for him.