A Leap of Faith - Foxleap X Ryefall fanfic

Chapter 11

Foxleap held his breath as he watched Robinpaw sparred with Firestar. Firestar pushed his hardest, but Robinpaw was always a step ahead. It's as if Robinpaw already knew what the assessment was. After a little bit, Firestar stopped. "Congratulations, Robinpaw." The ginger tom beamed.  "From this day on, you will be called Robinfur." He dipped his head. "Now bring me your brother,"

Robinfur dashed off to grab his brother. During those brief moments, Firestar turned to Foxleap. "That's Lucy's blood in him. I can see it," Firestar mewed to his brother. "Hopefully his siblings have it in them, too."

"Yeah," Foxleap flashed a polite smile. However, his smile quickly faded when Firestar turned away. Out of the corner of his eye, Foxleap noticed Lightningtail watching from the medicine den. The medicine cat was tense, not even a whisker twitching. Plumpaw bounded over, a mix of excitement and nervousness on his face.

"I'm rea-"

Firestar swiftly subdued Plumpaw, pinning him to the ground before the apprentice could utter another word. The gray tom desperately kicked at his leader's stomach in a futile attempt to break free, but his feeble efforts barely ruffled Firestar's soft fur. Detecting weakness in the apprentice, Firestar released his hold, unwilling to waste any more effort on the defeated cat.

Struggling to rise, Plumpaw asked uncertainly, "I didn't do well, did I?"

Firestar remained silent momentarily before commanding, "Get your mentor."

Defiant, Plumpaw bristled, "No! Let me try again. I can do better. Hawkclaw is a great mentor, I swear!"

With a snarl, Firestar warned, causing the apprentice to cower in fear, "It's either you or Hawkclaw!"

Plumpaw nervously swallowed, noticing his father clenching his crooked jaw in the periphery. Was it disappointment or anger?

Anticipating the inevitable, Hawkclaw recognized the signs when he saw his battered apprentice approaching with a tail dragging on the ground. "You better not tell me you lost."

Plumpaw trembled as he stammered, "I'm-I..."

"Do you understand I have a mate and kits? Do you know what they mean to me?" Hawkclaw reprimanded his apprentice with a smack on the head, causing Plumpaw to fall over. "They're in another Clan, Plumpaw! And you failed me!"

In tears, Plumpaw pleaded, "I swear I tried!"

Hawkclaw hissed, "You didn't try hard enough..."

"Go on. Scratch him," Firestar commanded. Plumpaw hesitated, then with a wince, he gave a small scratch to his mentor. "That's it? Pathetic." Firestar pushed passed the apprentice and growled towards Hawkclaw, pushing his face close to his. "You failed! You failed at being a strong warrior of my Clan. You're so cowardly. You don't deserve to be in my Clan. Of course, I'm not going to send away a warrior. I need all the warriors I can get. But I can punish you."

In the blink of an eye, Firestar's claw met Hawkclaw's face, a large bleeding claw mark now over his eye. Hawkclaw staggered back, screeching in pain. The ginger leader turned back towards his disowned grandson. "You will be named Plumclaw, after your failure of a mentor," He hissed. "Now go grab your sister."

With a shaken nod, Plumclaw scurried off to find his sister. Foxleap didn't think he could watch anymore, but couldn't find himself able to move. Deerpaw nervously stepped forward, clearly terrified. Gorsefur watched from a distance, just as scared. It only took a few swipes for Deerpaw to be knocked down. Firestar, even more enraged than before, trusted his muzzle into Deerpaw's face. "You dare make a mockery of my daughter's teachings?!" He snarled, his claws unsheathing.

"Father! Please!" Gorsefur stepped in, a pleading look on her face. "It's not her fault, please don't hurt her."

"Gorsefur, you don't understand," Firestar spoke calmly to his daughter. "Deerpaw brought disgrace to our family's name. To Lucy's name. She doesn't deserve to stand on her land." Firestar looked past Gorsefur and towards Deerpaw. "Get in the warrior's den. Now." He commanded. Without any hesitation, Deerpaw dashed into the warrior's den, her tail between her legs.

With a dissatisfied snort, Firestar stalked toward his den. The air hung heavy, everyone knew what would happen next. Firestar was going to kill Deerpaw. The gravity of the situation lingered like a storm cloud. Foxleap exchanged glances with other Clan members, sensing the collective unease that had settled over the camp. The aftermath of Firestar's actions would undoubtedly ripple through the Clan, leaving scars that might never fully heal.