StarClan isn't real..

Chapter 20

Larkpaw slipped out from the apprentices' den, breathing in a whiff of fresh morning air. She felt unease prickle beneath her pelt. The entire Clan was fighting, showing off their front paw blows and bowling each other over as they pounced. Larkpaw shuddered as she remembered her mentor, Ryepelt's, words.

She had always thought that the adults in her life didn't get scared. Seeing her mentor break down like that sent a pang of terror rising up in chest, like a gang of ants crawling through her fur... or wolves clawing at her fur.

Larchpaw, The same thought she had had every day hit her.

Her sister was dead, and in such an awful way. She missed her so much... whenever Larkpaw was scared of something, Larchpaw would be there for her, nuzzling her, or sharing a rabbit with her... as kits, Larkpaw had been hesitant to leave the nursery and the safety of their mother, but Larchpaw had been excited, and without her, Larkpaw doubted that she would have ever left the nursery.

At the thought of her family, Larkpaw sought out her mother, who was next to the medicine den. Oatflower had once been a medicine cat, but had quit due to her love for Specklebird, Larkpaw's father. She still found it hard to be a warrior, with a disabled front paw, though.

Padding over, Larkpaw lay down at Oatflower's paws. Her mother gave her brown fur soft, rythymatic licks. This normally comforted Larkpaw, but it didn't. She wanted Larchpaw with her. She wished it could have been anyone else, except her kin... maybe even herself. Why did her father let Larchpaw wander off?

As if her thoughts had summoned him, Specklebird padded over, his tail sweeping up dust. "Hello, dear." He mewed to Specklebird. "And Larkpaw."

And Larkpaw. Why did he refer to her like that? Larkpaw felt guilt and terror rattle in her belly. Was she not good enough for her father?

Specklebird sat down next to Oatflower and murmered something into the white she-cat's ear. Larkpaw didn't bother to find out what he had said, but she noticed Oatflower's pelt quivered as the deputy spoke. Curiousity wracked Larkpaw's fur. What had her father said?

As Larkpaw looked around camp, she heaved a sigh. At the nursery, Nettlestem was watching her two kits, Whitekit and Casperkit, as they rolled around in the clearing. Please, don't let what Ryepelt said be true. The kits were so young and innocent- too innocent, like Larchpaw. Innocence got her killed... Larkpaw remembered what Specklebird had said; her sister had been so destroyed that if they tried to pick up her body and carry it back to camp, the tortoiseshell pelt would've crumbled.

In the clearing, Logpaw and Finchpaw restled, their eyes gleaming excitedly. Larkpaw didn't know where Fallowpaw was, though she thought she could scent him by the medicine den. Probably visiting Yellowpaw.

The ginger apprentice had been horribly attacked, most likely by the same wolves that killed Larchpaw. Half of her face had been mauled away, as well as parts of her pelt. Will she fight in the battle? Larkpaw wondered. If Larchpaw had survived, would she? Yes. Her sister wouldn't miss a fight for anything.

As Larkpaw looked around, Yellowpaw emerged from the medicine den. The sun felt warm against her pelt, and she felt a flash of relief that she was out of the cold shade.

Fallowpaw emerged behind her, and Yellowpaw felt the familiar wave of pity. She had thought about it, and was pretty sure he was telling the truth. I guess we'll see, She thought, following her adoptive brother into the clearing.

The black and gray tom skirted past Logpaw and Finchpaw, who wrestled in the clearing. Today was the night of the half-moon, the day of training. The day after, the Dark Forest would supposedly attack, or Ryepelt would get a scolding or possible exile for lying. Yellowpaw still thought he was telling the truth, although it was a dubious message. But it seemed too specific, and with all that had happened, how could it not be true?

"Have you practiced fighting?" Fallowpaw's mew broke Yellowpaw out of her thoughts.

"No." She admitted. She had played moss-ball with Stormcloud a few times while in the medicine den, but hadn't practiced fighting with one eye. She still felt uneasy whenever a cat approached her, like a wolf coming out of the shadows again.

Fallowpaw blinked at her, his eyes dark yet kind. "You'll have to start learning how to, if you want to fight in the battle."

Yellowpaw nodded. "I will," She promised. It wasn't really the 'honor of fighting for her Clan' or whatever, but instead, she just wanted to show some Dark Forest cat how it felt to have their eye ripped out, even if it was a wolf who did it and not a cat. She flexed her claws into the ground, determined. "I'm ready."

***

Ryepelt ran across the moor, his forepaws throwing dirt and earth behind him. With a grunt, he pushed off against the ground and leapt, his forepaws slamming down onto brown fur. With a snap of his teeth, he ended the rabbit's life, blood filling his mouth. Unnerved by the familiar taste, he shuddered and picked up his prey.

Thoughts and terror wracked through his kind as he headed back to camp. He was dreading the day after tommorow, when the Dark Forest would attack. He felt guilty, and wondered if the others felt the same way.

I should never have fallen for the Dark Forests' tricks, Ryepelt conceded, his tail flicking as he squeezed into the gorse tunnel. I should've known from the moment I was invited in that it was a bad idea. Being a single kit of Grassleg and Patchstep, he had been quite small and stout for even a kit. The bullying and constant teasing had sent him into a state of anger, which had made him gullible.

Palemask tricked me, He thought, placing the rabbit on the fresh-kill pile. And Willowmist. Their foolish, though, that they'd think I'd kill my own clanmates for them.

He glanced across the clearing with a sigh. Specklebird was with Fallenthroat, talking in hushed whispers to each other. Finchpaw, one of the other Dark Forest trainees, was wrestling with her brother, Logpaw, on one side of the clearing. Yellowpaw and Fallowpaw battled, with Yellowpaw's single green eye glimmering with excitement.

I can't believe what happened to her. Yellowpaw had been horribly mauled by wolves, which was a secret only the Dark Forest trainees knew about- a cat had put deathberries in Larchpaw's fur, which had caused the wolves' bodies to be inhabitable, due to the fact they weren't completely deceased yet. With this, Palemask and a group of his warriors had intruded the wolves' bodies, and had attacked Yellowpaw with their newfound power.

It was all Specklebird's idea. Yellowpaw had shone her disbelief of StarClan and their "prophecy", and to prove the prophecy was right, Specklebird had devised a plot to attack her, and show the Clan what happened if they "disrespected StarClan".

Larkpaw, too, was suffering. Larchpaw had been her sister, and Ryepelt knew how close they were. He had no littermates- well, he would when Patchstep's kits were born- but he would never know what it would be like to grow up with siblings to support on. He had only ever known his Clan, and that would be the place he'd be loyal to.

Please, StarClan. Ryepelt glanced up at the sky. He shuddered, wondering what was happening up there. Protect my Clan through this battle, and let no more than the blood of a Dark Forest warrior be spilled.