Whisper: A Warrior Cat Fan Fiction

Chapter Eight

Willowpaw spat, raking her paws along the rough bark of the tree. Tail fluffed up, back arched she slammed her shoulder into its massive truck, felt the thud of pain, and bounced to the ground, hissing.

She hated battle training.

Even when Featherpaw and Reedpaw weren't there and it was just her and Brokenwing, she hated it. She hated it, she hated it, she hated it. Why was she so bad at it? The kits in the nursery could fight better than her. She was no mousebrain, she knew that she couldn't become a warrior if she didn't pass her final assessment, in which battle training was sure to be covered.

She flopped to the ground, breathing hard. She found her mind wondering to Oakpaw, that Sunclan apprentice whose wits had already gone to Starclan. She bet he could fight well, stupid tom.

That didn't matter though. He might have been charming and... a little weird, but she had to stop thinking about him. She knew that friendships between members of different clans had to be professional. So far though, the only strengthening of their friendship came from Willowpaw's mind. She was very proud of herself for that, as least. Even though she often smell Oakpaw's scent near the border, she never went looking for him. If only she could put that kind of willpower into her training.

She groaned and slowly rose to her paws, deciding to hunt before going back to camp. Maybe sinking her claws into some little squeaking ball of fur would make her feel better. Before she could take two strides from her resting place, however, there came a crackling from deeper in the forest, the sound of twigs snapping and leaves being pushed aside.

Willowpaw lifted her nose in the air, hoping it was some incredibly stupid squirrel, but caught the scent of her brother. Merlinpaw shot out of the woods. His fur was ruffled and his eyes gleamed with a wild light, mouth opened just the smallest bit, panting.

"Merlinpaw?" She asked.

Her brother shook his head violently. Strangely, Willowpaw could smell a slight bit of fear-scent coming off of him.

"Starclan, I wish I never became a medicine cat."

"What?"

"I don't know. I don't know. Oh, Starclan, help me, I don't know" he sank to the ground, paws covering his eyes.

"Merlinpaw?"

"We need to go back to camp right now. Scarletstar says so. Only, I don't want to go back to camp."

"What happened?" She lashed her tail now. "just tell me and stop being so dramatic!"

His head shot up, and his claws slid out, "Reedpaw died."

Willowpaw cringed back, the pit of her stomach dropping.

Merlinpaw stood up, "We need to go."

With a flick of his orange and white tail, he sprinted off in the direction of camp.

"Wait!" Willowpaw yowled, chasing after him, "How did he die? What happened?"

Her brother just streaked ahead of her, his ears pressed to his head, back arching as he jumped over a fallen log. As soon as Willowpaw closed in on him, he shot forward again, tiny paws flashing.

By the time they reached to entrance to camp, Willowpaw with heaving for air, and shaking. Merlinpaw, however, panced for a few stirdes infront of the entrance, and then slipped down the hill into the clearing, leaving his sister to scramble clumsily after him.

The clan seemed to be in the same mood as Merlinpaw. Gathered in a half-circle around the bone tree, all that Willowpaw could see was a wall of bristling hackles and lashing tails, the wasp-like hum of whispers vibrating in her ears. Scarletstar, from atop the bone tree, seemed slightly calmer, but ever from the distance where she stood, Willowpaw could detect the tension in her shoulders.