The Apprentice's Curse (A Shrouded Path book 1) {COMPLETE}

Chapter 24

 Minnowpaw trudged along, feeling angrier with every pawstep. Why was all of this happening to her? She'd never been anything but loyal to RiverClan, but now every one of her Clanmates was convinced she was cursed! She couldn't believe that Shadebelly's and Breezekit's deaths had been anything more than an accident. But somehow she'd caused both of them! Silverheart had no answers from StarClan, and Nightwhisper had shunned her along with over half of RiverClan.

Minnowpaw skidded to a halt on the pebbles, nearly tumbling into the river. She'd been so focused on her thoughts she hadn't realized how far she'd gone already. She stared angrily at the bubbling water. "Why didn't you just kill me?" she screamed at it. But obviously, no answer came. Screeching with fury, Minnowpaw raked her claws at the water, sending droplets flying over herself and the riverbank. That only made her more mad, and she shook water from her whiskers. Her belly was growling irritably; she hadn't eaten since the previous morning, and it wasn't helping her mood.

"Everything would be better if I had just died," she muttered to herself, shocked that she believed her own words. If StarClan had just taken her, then Shadebelly and Breezekit would still be alive, and her Clan wouldn't hate her.

"Who are you talking to?" A voice came from across the river. Minnowpaw's head whipped towards the far bank, where she saw Rainpaw standing on the rocks at the edge of the river.

Minnowpaw growled softly. "Myself."

Rainpaw cocked his head. "You think you should be dead?" His tone was nothing more than friendly and curious. "Why?"

Minnowpaw suddenly remembered seeing him running away from the river two days earlier. "Why do you keep coming here?" she asked, ignoring Rainpaw's question. "I saw you running away the other day; why? Is Copperfoot sending you to spy on RiverClan?" The last question came out more harshly than she'd intended.

Rainpaw's ears drooped. "No," he mewed. "I just like to get away sometimes. And when you saw me the other day, I thought you were going to attack me, so I ran."

Minnowpaw snorted. "I won't cross the border to attack you in your own territory. I'm not Copperfoot," she said bitterly, the memory of the attack resurfacing.

"I don't like him either," Rainpaw admitted, sitting down and curling his tail around his paws. The gray tom looked off into the distance. "He's mean and pushy. He never praises me, even when I do something right. He just wants to be Clan leader."

Though it wasn't news to Minnowpaw, she felt a pang of sympathy for the ThunderClan apprentice. But it didn't last; she couldn't bear to listen to another cat's problems when her own weighed on her so heavily. Plus, it wasn't like she could confide in Rainpaw, of all cats. They were from enemy Clans! "I shouldn't be talking to you," she said quickly, turning to leave. Over her shoulder, she added a soft "Goodbye," and disappeared into the reeds.

She walked slowly back to camp, and by the time she returned it was sunset. Her stomach was yowling with hunger and she wondered if she should catch some fresh-kill for herself; she shouldn't take any off the pile when she hadn't done anything for her Clan. But as she got closer to the camp entrance she heard Ashstar's voice speaking loudly, and she stopped in her tracks. She pricked her ears, picking up on her leader's words. "It is my honor to present these young cats to StarClan as warriors," he was saying.

Minnowpaw gasped. Redpaw, Poppypaw, and Cinderpaw were having their warrior ceremony! She bit back a yowl; she had known deep down they'd get their names before her, and now it was happening! And they'd started the ceremony without her!

Because no one wanted her there.

Minnowpaw crept forward and peered through the entrance to the camp. Sure enough, Ashstar was standing tall and proud on the meeting rock, Birchclaw at his side. Ashstar still looked rough, but his voice was clear as he spoke. In front of him stood the three apprentices, with Flamepelt, Bristlepelt, and Nettlestep behind them. The Clan watched on, looking proud. Minnowpaw saw Flamepelt briefly look around, his gaze concerned. Was he looking for her?

Ashstar raised his head. "I, Ashstar, leader of RiverClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on these three apprentices. They have trained hard to learn the ways of your noble code, and I commend them to you as warriors in their turn." Jumping down, he faced Redpaw. "Redpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code, and to protect and defend this Clan, even at the cost of your life?"

Redpaw said clearly, "I do."

"Then by the power of StarClan I give you your warrior name. Redpaw, from this moment you will be known as Redblaze. StarClan honors your wisdom and your heart, and we welcome you as a full warrior of RiverClan."

Minnowpaw watched and listened as Cinderpaw and Poppypaw both pledged themselves fully to their Clan. Ashstar said to Cinderpaw, "Cinderpaw, from this moment you will be known as Cinderfrost. StarClan honors your honesty and your hunting skill, and we welcome you as a full warrior of RiverClan."

Lastly, Ashstar turned to Poppypaw. "Poppypaw, from this moment you will be known as Poppywhisker. StarClan honors your bravery and your determination, and we welcome you as a full warrior of RiverClan."

"Redblaze! Cinderfrost! Poppywhisker!" The Clan cheered loudly for the three new warriors. Minnowpaw wanted to join them, but she could hardly think through the seething anger that filled her. Had her Clanmates really been so quick to cast her aside?

As the Clan broke up and the newly-named warrior prepared to sit their silent vigil, Minnowpaw pushed her way into camp, heading straight for the apprentice's den. Redblaze watched her pass, looking apologetic, but his littermates' faces held nothing but contempt. Minnowpaw stopped outside of the den; she was the only apprentice again, but even the thought of having the den to herself didn't make Minnowpaw feel better. Did she even belong there? Deciding against it, Minnowpaw flopped onto the ground just outside the den, where she'd slept for the past two nights.

She laid there with her eyes closed, listening to the sounds of the camp. Nightwhisper and Silverheart were speaking about their herb stores. From the nursery came the squeaking voices of Ripplekit, Sootkit, and Amberkit; Minnowpaw longed to see them. Twigtail and Nettlestep exchanged a few words as they retired to the warriors' den. Louder than everything else was Minnowpaw's growling belly.

"Here," came Flamepelt's soft voice, and Minnowpaw opened her eyes to see the ginger warrior placing a fish in front of her. The smell was tantalizing, but although Minnowpaw was starving, she had little appetite. "I thought we could eat together," Flamepelt said, laying down beside her.

"I'm not hungry," she lied, but her belly growled again, giving her away. Flamepelt watched her expectantly, waiting for her to take the first bite. Finally, she did, and the rich fatty flavor was almost the best she'd ever tasted.

Satisfied, Flamepelt took a bite, watching the three warriors sitting vigil as he chewed. His gaze was thoughtful and uncertain, so Minnowpaw said at last, "It's okay if you tell me how proud you are of him."

Guilt washed over her friend's face. "I just didn't expect it to happen like this," he admitted. "You should have been sleeping in the warriors' den far before them."

Minnowpaw sighed. "Well, I'm not going to be a warrior now. Maybe it's for the best."

"How could you say that?" Flamepelt gasped. "You deserve to be a warrior as much as any cat in the Clan!"

Minnowpaw choked on a sob. "No, I don't! I killed Shadebelly and Breezekit, and everyone knows it! It doesn't matter if their deaths were accidents; they were still my fault!"

Shaking his head determinedly, Flamepelt objected, "No. I refuse to believe it, Minnowpaw. I believe that, in time, StarClan will set things right."

"I'm not even sure StarClan cares about me at this point," Minnowpaw blurted out.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Everyone's given up on me. No cat cares about me anymore."

Flamepelt looked hurt, and Minnowpaw winced. "I care about you, Minnowpaw," he whispered. "And I always will."

Minnowpaw touched her nose to Flamepelt's. "I'm sorry," she said.

"It's okay," Flamepelt replied, resting his head on top of hers. "RiverClan will get through this, I'm sure of it."

Minnowpaw fell asleep shortly after, and with the warmth of Flamepelt's body as he stayed with her in the clearing, she did not dream.