𝑺𝒊𝒏𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝑭𝒆𝒆𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒔: 𝑨 𝒘𝒂𝒓𝒓𝒊𝒐𝒓 𝒄𝒂𝒕 𝑭𝒂𝒏𝒇𝒊𝒄

CHAPTER 18

Maplethorn sat outside of camp, along the edge of the crater, watching the sun slowly making its way to its highest point in the sky. She stood up and stretched her limbs, trying to shake the numbness out of her hindlegs, which she had been sitting on for such a long time that they had practically gone to sleep and it took her a couple of minutes of pacing to get the feeling back into them.

"Hey, you," Shadepool spat.

Maplethorn didn't turn her head, only a flick of her ear announced her attention towards her former brother.

"You don't deserve your warrior name. You were lucky Cinderstar was so generous towards you," Shadepool snarled softly at Maplethorn, abandoning his position to guard the camp.

"Oh, is that so, my dear, deluded, arrogant, spoiled, ignorant brother?" Maplethorn meowed, tone pitiful; she didn't want to deal with her brother's petty arguments today.

"Don't talk to me like that! If anyone deserves pity, it's you, not me. I will be and currently am the greatest warrior in the four clans. I even survived the second half of the assessment completely unscathed," Shadepool boasted, puffing out his chest.

Do not battle him, daughter. You shouldn't reveal your skills until the time comes. For now, let him believe he is a strong, capable warrior, and let him believe you are nothing but a weak kit, Scorchflame whispered in her ear, just before Maplethorn launched at Shadepool.

"Alrighty, that's good to hear. But, what do you want me to do now? Grovel at your paws for repentance that I've been such an unskilled sister?" Maplethorn snorted at Shadepool.

"Shut up! You're nothing. I am everything you've always wanted to be, so why not grovel at my paws? In fact, it sounds like a marvellous idea, Maplepaw," Shadepool meowed.

Maplethorn grinned. Clearly Shadepool needed to dig a little deeper to find her weaknesses. In her kithood, when she was called nothing, Maplethorn would cry the entire night, but after the usage of that word one time too many, it was now as useless as Shadepool himself.

"Thank you for the praise, my beloved brother. In fact, I never thought I'd see this day becoming a reality," Maplethorn beamed brightly at Shadepool. "And by the way, I am Maplethorn now, Shadepaw."

"You cannot possibly address someone like me so disrespectfully," Shadepool roared, unsheathing his claws, to which Maplethorn replied with a yawn, eyeroll and unsheathing of her own claws.

"Keep it down. Just to let you know, Cinderstar is not as biased as Waspsting and I'm sure she'd be willing to revoke your warrior name after seeing how much you behave like a three moon old kitten," Maplethorn stretched. "If it were up to me, I'd suggest that you shut up and go back to your station."

She saw her brother seethe with anger as he stomped away to his guard station.

Well done, daughter. You've come a long way from the first time I saw you, Maplethorn heard her mother purr.

Thank you, mother. In fact, I have a question for you, Maplethorn meowed.

Of course, Scorchflame purred. Ask away, daughter.

Well, mother, do you love Shadepool and Silentpaw? Maplepaw asked, tentatively.

She heard complete silence from her mind for a couple of seconds before her mother spoke,

Of course I love them. They're my kits after all, a mother's love always exists. But I love you more, Maplethorn. You see, the reason I chose you to join our ranks is because you have that spark of tenacity, ferocity and that sheer feral beast inside you that if I chose anyone else, it would be a complete waste of your skill. But that's not all. You see, Silentpaw, I don't think I need to comment much on, for her nature is so demure, soft and quiet that if I invited her here, the first step she'd take would be more than enough to permanently scar her for the rest of her life. Shadepool is much too arrogant and ignorant for his own good. If I were alive, I would've had a couple of lessons to teach him myself. Additionally, Waspsting favours him already and has already elevated his sense of self-esteem so high that it is far, far past the point of no return. Thus, if he came here and faced any apprentice with a skill higher than his, which is practically all of them, he would refuse to believe it and would protest that the opponent had cheated and so on.

[TIMESKIP]

The sun was setting, through the cracks in the canopy and Maplthorn sighed in relief, looking forward to the time when her vigil would be over.

SNAP!

She twisted her head towards the sound, both Shadepool and Cloudheart alert as well. A silver tabby emerged from the undergrowth, face to face with Maplethorn, pale blue eyes connecting with hers.

For a moment, Maplethorn couldn't believe her eyes as she blinked multiple times to check that this indeed was true and she wasn't dreaming.

"Hello Maplepaw," the tabby smiled, blue eyes flooding with happiness. "I'm home."