Orchidfrost's Trials

Chapter 11

    Orchidpaw's paws felt rooted to the ground as Bearpaw whipped his head around and smiled. 

    "You made it!" He cried, leaping to his paws, "I... I thought for a moment you weren't coming."

    "Why-why wouldn't I-I?" Orchidpaw replied, dawning a smile of her own. 

    Bearpaw walked up so he was stood next to her, continuing to smile down at her, "Come on, I have someplace to show you."

    It took a few heartbeats before her legs responded but Orchidpaw finally began following him. Despite what everyone else would say, this somehow felt so right. The forest was peacefully quiet, and despite the chill in the air, she felt all warm inside. 

    She and Bearpaw trekked all the way up their shared border until they reached the edge of the clan territories. Once Orchidpaw noticed the very faint scent markers, she stopped.

    "What's wrong?" Bearpaw asked, noticing she wasn't following him anymore.

    "I-I-I don't know..." She replied, running a claw through the dirt, "i-it just sorta fee-feels wrong some-somehow."

    "Don't worry! I've been up here loads of times, and there's this thing I really want to show you!"

    Orchidpaw couldn't help but smile at the tom's enthusiasm. He was so energetic and outgoing, it was beginning to become infectious. 

    It couldn't be that bad, could it? Orchidpaw shook herself, and stepped across the faded scent markers. Happiness glowed in Bearpaw's green gaze as he watched her. He didn't say much as he followed a very faint path farther, and farther from the territories. It would have made her uncomfortable, if Bearpaw's presence wasn't so sturdy. She'd never felt this comfortable around any cat, except maybe Twilightpaw and Tumblepaw. 

    Orchidpaw was beginning to wonder if they should turn back, when an old, old twoleg nest came into view. She stopped in front of it and took a good look at the whole thing. 

    The cobblestone walls had crumbled away on one side, and the roof dipped in slightly. Tendrils of vine crept up the remaining three walls, and a thick moss was growing on the tops of the stones. It looked impossibly old, much older than even Pinefoot.

    "Do-do you th-think thi-this was here be-before th-the clans set-settled here?" Orchidpaw asked curiously. 

    Everyone had heard the stories, about how the original four clans-ThunderClan, ShadowClan, WindClan, and RiverClan-had traveled here led by one warrior from each, Crowfeather of WindClan, Squirrelflight of ThunderClan, Tawnypelt of ShadowClan, and Stormfur of Riverclan. Their old home had been destroyed  by twolegs, and they needed to find a new one. They'd traveled through the mountains, aided by a strange group of cats called the Tribe of Rushing Water, and finally made it here, by the lake. 

    This was all a very long time ago, no cat alive today knew anybody who knew the cats from the Journey. Orchidpaw knew, she'd asked Pinefoot more than once.

    "I'm not sure, but it looks like it, doesn't it?" 

    "How-how'd you f-find this pl-lace?" Orchidpaw asked, looking at him quizzically.

    "Chased some prey a bit too far, got an earful from Sagestripe," he chuckled a little and explained, "they're my mentor, the small black tabby with green eyes, you probably saw them at the gathering."

    Orchidpaw had no clue who this cat was, and didn't recognize their description either, but she just smiled and nodded. Then she got an idea. 

    "W-wanna pl-play hide a-and seek?" It was most kits' favorite game. Orchidpaw supposed it had something to do with how well ShadowClan cats concealed themselves in the shadows. She'd always been chosen as seeker, since her bright white pelt stood out no matter where she hid; however, she wondered if a ThunderClan cat wouldn't be able to find her as easily as someone who's trained their whole life in stealth.

    "Sure, I can be the seeker!" Bearpaw immediately crouched down and placed his paws over his eyes, counting. 

    Orchidpaw looked around for a panicked moment, the landscape was quite barren. A few small shrubs here and there, but they weren't good hiding spots. The only place with promise was the old twoleg nest. She crept up, swiftly but silently, picking her way over rocks. There were more hiding spots here, but not too many. 

    Bearpaw's steady counting continued behind her and she realized she didn't have much time. Then she saw it.

    A relatively small thorn bush was growing beside the pile of mossy stones. She sniffed around it and found that there was a small hallow behind it, and between two rocks. They shone a dull silver in the moonlight, and it would blend in a little with her pelt. She was just settling down when she heard Bearpaw announce his coming.

    He came right for the twoleg nest, as Orchidpaw had figured. She heard him sending stones clattering and twigs snapping wherever he went. Great StarClan, were all ThunderClan cats this blustering? How did they ever catch any prey?

    He strode confidently into view, but she recognized immediately that he didn't see her. He started sniffing around the larger shrubs around and when he discovered that she wasn't hiding there, his confidence began to wane. He started sniffing the air, and wandering around blindly. He looked absolutely ridiculous, and Orchidpaw's whiskers twitched in amusement. Then it started to look like he was following a trail. He got closer, and closer to her hiding spot, then stopped in front of it. 

    Before Bearpaw had the chance to say "found you" Orchidpaw leapt out from the little hallow and tackled him. He let out a squeal and started batting at her face. The she-cat quickly retreated, arching her back playfully while grinning.

    "Typical ShadowClan cat," He teased, "clinging to the dark."

    His tone was light and pleasant, but something he said didn't sit well with Orchidpaw. The thought of what his statement left a bad taste in her mouth. Was she really that much like her clanmates? She should like the idea, but did she really like being similar to cats who despised her? She always wanted to fit in, so why did someone saying it make her chest tighten?

    She sat down and avoided his gaze. 

    "Hey.. did i say something wrong?" Bearpaw asked gently, coming to sit down next to her. 

    "N-no it-it's not you i-it's just-" Orchidpaw sighed, how could she put it into words? Her feelings were so conflicting, and she wasn't exactly great at words, either.

    "You don't have to tell me, but you can if you want to," He nudged her shoulder lightly, "that's what friends are for."

    Something about what he said spurred Orchidpaw to at least try to explain, "W-well, be-being like my clan-clanmates is s-supposed to be a com-compliment, b-but, I-I don't know.. I-I guess may-maybe it hurt a-a little to be ca-called the same a-as cats wh-who hate me."

    "Hate you?" Bearpaw sounded confused, and slightly outraged, "why?"

    "Because I-I'm a freak! D-don't you s-see? I-I'm nothing a ShadowClan-Clan cat should be! N-not even my eyes a-and claws are r-right."

    "Your eyes are unique, I've never seen anything like them, and I don't even know what could be wrong with your claws," Bearpaw tried to reassure her, but nothing was getting through to the distressed she-cat.

    Orchidpaw realized she'd mentioned her freakish claws, after trying so hard to hide him. She scuffed the ground in front of her with a forepaw. If she kept talking, she might accidentally mentioned what happened with Whiteflower, and she couldn't imagine what Bearpaw would think of her if he knew she was responsible for the death of a cat.

    "Th-thanks f-for meeting w-with me, but I-I have to go home now. I'm getting tired," Orchidpaw mumbled and started making her way back to ShadowClan territory.

A/N: Another long overdue chapter, so my apologies! Life is hectic and i hardly have any time to write productively. Not to mention a lot of crap happened in this chapter and I didn't want to rush it too much. I'll try to be more consistent in the future but uh, no promises <3