Brambleberry's Path

Chapter 7:

Bramblepaw poked his head into the medicine cats' den and stared at Hawkpaw as she spoke to Birdpaw. He was about to open his mouth to say something to her, but stopped himself when he heard her words.

"What could this fish-brain possibly be thinking?!" Hawkpaw asked as she stared at the dark ginger and white tom who was sleeping in a nest made of reeds. He was twitching and muttering in his sleep. Birdpaw shook her head and sniffed at him delicately.

"Well, my guess is that he was trying to find shelter and went too high up in that tree. Whatever it is, he's extremely lucky that you saw him and dragged him here. Who knows what would've happened to him had you not found him?" She mewed, looking at her friend with gleaming amber eyes. Hawkpaw snorted and flicked her tail.

"Not everyone thinks that though." She mewed bitterly. Birdpaw sighed and rested her tail on the brown she-cat's shoulder gently.

"Forget about him. If he's going to treat you like this, don't bother giving him the satisfaction of grabbing your attention." She mewed. Hawkpaw sighed and nodded her head. The dark ginger and white blotched tom stirred and his eyes opened, revealing shimmering emerald orbs. He twitched and stared at Hawkpaw with wide eyes.

"W-where am I?!" He asked, his neck snapping to the side as his eye twitched. Hawkpaw stared at him with wide emerald eyes and opened her mouth to reply when Bramblepaw burst into the den.

"You're in Waterclan territory. Why were you climbing that tree?!" He demanded, eyes glaring at the tom angrily. Hawkpaw glared at him and flicked her tail at him before turning towards the dark ginger and white blotched tom.

"Don't pay any attention to Bramblepaw. He's just trying to act tough. What's your name?" She asked, head tilting to the side with curiosity shining in her eyes. The tom twitched and stood up.

"I-I'm Charlie. I-I was looking for my b-brother, Ivel. H-have you seen any other cats besides me?" He asked, staring at Hawkpaw hopefully. She exchanged a glance with Birdpaw and shook her head.

"I'm sorry. The only one I found was you when you were climbing that tree." She mewed. Charlie seemed disappointed before he looked back up at the three apprentices before him.

"I-I was looking for him in that tree. A-and then I saw some cat a-and they yelled something at me and I got hit by something and f-fell out of the tree. D-do you know who that cat was?" He asked, glancing between the three. Bramblepaw glared at Hawkpaw and Birdpaw turned towards her friend with a smile on her face.

"Hawkpaw is the one who saw you in the tree and went to go get you out of it. She's also the one who had to drag you here all by herself through the rain." Birdpaw mewed.

"She saved your life."

Hawkpaw ducked her head when Charlie turned his gaze on her and his eyes lit up.

"T-thank you. I-if you didn't find me when you did.... I-I might not be alive right now!" He said, giggling. Bramblepaw rolled his amber eyes when Hawkpaw sat up straighter and smiled at the dark ginger and white blotched tom.

"Oh please, you still have to face Wetstar. There's no way he'll let a kittypet like you into the clan." He sneered at Charlie. The other tom turned towards him and cocked his head at the dark tabby tom.

"K-kittypet? What's that?" He asked Birdpaw. She sighed and stared at Bramblepaw disapprovingly.

"It's what you are." Bramblepaw answered before the white and ginger medicine cat apprentice. Hawkpaw growled and rounded on Bramblepaw, her fur fluffing up.

"I'm sick and tired of your attitude with everyone! If you don't have anything good to say, then keep your mouth shut!" She hissed at him. He took a couple steps back and stared at the furious she-cat with wide amber eyes. Birdpaw and Charlie stared at her with shock. Bramblepaw narrowed his eyes and shoved his face closer to the smaller cat's.

"Well at least I'm not soft like you. If I were you, I would've let him be and let someone else find him!" He hissed back. Hawkpaw narrowed her eyes at him before growling and shoving past him. Charlie stared after her with sympathetic emerald eyes as Birdpaw glared at Bramblepaw.

"You need to fix your problem. Because you are driving a great wedge between you two and I know that if it isn't resolved soon, you won't be able to fix it." She mewed before she chased after Hawkpaw. Bramblepaw watched her go before he turned to Charlie and the other tom just stared at him with narrowed emerald eyes.

"Just what is your problem?!" He mewed. Bramblepaw hissed at him angrily before storming off. Charlie shook his head as he stood in the middle of the medicine cats' den and curled back up to sleep.

He already hated the dark tabby tom and he'd only been awake for a couple minutes.