(✓) Warriors ▸ Shadows of the Domestic [1]

Chapter 10

Days later, Harepaw was nestled in sleep when Firepaw approached and nudged her awake. "Come on out, we need to go and train our recruits. Yellowfang is done," he said.

Harepaw nodded, lifted herself up, and vigorously shook the dirt from her fur which had gotten slightly muddy from the damp that had started to creep into the den after the rain had pelted down on the roof that night. "I'm ready. Who will join us?" she asked, her voice clear with the crispness of a new day.

Firepaw shrugged. "The other apprentices, I suppose. Graypaw and Ravenpaw, perhaps. I just hope that Sandpaw and Dustpaw don't come along," he shook his head. "They don't particularly like me."

Harepaw snorted and bumped against him reassuringly as they made their way out. "They don't like anyone," she whispered, her voice a low thrum of camaraderie that bound them together against the trials of Clan life.

Firepaw hummed lowly, and then they both bounded toward the sandy hollow where Ravenpaw, Graypaw, and Tigerclaw awaited. The dark tabby stared intently at them as they emerged through the tall grass. "You're late," he growled, and Firepaw exchanged a glance with Graypaw, who simply shook his head.

Harepaw said nothing, pressing her paws into the earth, feeling her claws unsheath slightly. She had begun to garner some respect for Tigerclaw now and then, but each time he reprimanded them, a seed of defiance grew within her. Tigerclaw locked his gaze on them. "You will each hunt different areas. Ravenpaw, you take Snakerocks because of your adept skills. Graypaw, you follow the stream to Thunderpath, and Firepaw, you at Tallpines and the Twoleg Place." He turned to Harepaw and nodded with his amber eyes. "You, Harepaw, are with me."

Harepaw bristled. "Why?" she asked, her voice edged with frost. Graypaw twitched, as did Ravenpaw, but Firepaw gazed at her curiously. He had never heard her speak up against a warrior before. Lionheart, though he was strict, was a fine mentor, and Harepaw clearly did not relish the idea of not training under his watchful eye.

Tigerclaw's eyes narrowed as he lifted a paw, hovering it before her as if to strike. "You do as I command, young one. Understood?" he hissed. Harepaw simply stared at his unsheathed claws, which were longer than those of an average cat, and she sniffed contemptuously before she bowed her head. "As you command, great warrior," she said, her voice dripping with a razor edge of sarcasm. That elicited a suppressed snicker from Firepaw, but he quickly bit it back as Tigerclaw's glower shifted to him. "Off with you three. You've dawdled here long enough," Tigerclaw ordered.

The three toms nodded and departed, leaving Harepaw alone with the grim warrior veteran. "Come," Tigerclaw said coldly, rising and dashing toward another destination. The other three sighed yet quickly followed him. Harepaw's paws thudded against the ground as they ran, and eventually, they came to a halt by the river's edge.

"Why are we here? It's just the river---" Harepaw started, but Tigerclaw silenced her with his tail over her mouth as a familiar striped, mottled she-cat emerged from the reeds. It was Leopardfur, the deputy of RiverClan. "Tigerclaw, I thought you'd stopped coming here," she murmured, and Harepaw pricked up her ears. What business did ThunderClan's formidable warrior have with RiverClan's deputy?

"Be quiet, Leopardfur. I'm here for Shadowclaw," he growled, and Leopardfur narrowed her amber eyes. "Why do you seek him?" she whispered, and Tigerclaw leaned in close, his striped tail unwinding. "That's my concern now. Just be a good little deputy and fetch your warrior for me. I need him to meet me at Fourtrees before sunrise tomorrow," he spoke, his voice lowering. "Alone."

Leopardfur huffed, but nodded, and slipped back into the tall reeds. Harepaw bristled with concern. "Why on earth does a ThunderClan warrior need a RiverClan warrior?" she whispered urgently, but Tigerclaw wheeled around and struck her across the face with a paw so forcefully it sent her reeling backward.

"SILENCE!" he hissed, as Harepaw shook her head, vision swimming. "You're nothing but a mere apprentice, Harepaw. Don't forget, I care not that you train under our deputy. You are of no consequence to me, understand?" he sneered, lowering his head to meet her gaze through the daze of her blue eyes.

"And you will keep quiet about this. It never happened, and if you so much as whisper a word of this to Firepaw, Graypaw, or even StarClan, by my restless spirit, I will ensure you meet a slow and painful end." His threat hung between them, heavy and fraught with danger. Harepaw's instincts screamed at her to bolt, but she was rooted to the spot by a mix of shock and fear. The enormity of what she'd witnessed and Tigerclaw's violent outburst severed her from action, leaving her crouched shakily by the river, grappling with the reality of her situation.

"Yes, yes, Tigerclaw," she meowed, her voice low, and Tigerclaw snapped at her one last time. "Good, now run off. I don't want you as an apprentice anymore. Nor does your mentor," he said before he turned and left her trembling by the riverbank.

Harepaw was left to grapple with the weight of Tigerclaw's rejection and threat looming over her like the darkening sky. The tremor in her limbs betrayed the storm of emotions within: fear, bewilderment, and a growing ember of anger. Tigerclaw's shadow had passed, but his dark presence lingered in the air, chilling and unwavering.

Taking a deep breath to steady herself, Harepaw felt the solid earth beneath her pads and the cool touch of the river's breeze against her fur – she would not let this moment define her. With resolve sharpening her gaze, she made a silent vow to tread carefully in the days to come, for she knew that in the clans' tangled webs, a single whisper could change everything.