Flamefoot's Discovery

Chapter 3

(Cat above is Cocoapaw before the incident...)
"Well?" Snakestar hissed. "Stop!" Deerpaw cried out. Snakestar narrowed his eyes and whispered something to Buffalocharge. Flamepaw's ears flattened against his head as he stood in front of Deerpaw. But then he saw who Buffalocharge was after. Not Deerpaw, but her sister. "He must have thought it was Cocoapaw!" Flamepaw whispered to Deerpaw. She nodded. "Wait!" Flamepaw meowed, "I did it!" Snakestar looked at him, "No, I know who did it. You can't fool me! Cocoapaw doesn't think I could ever lead this clan, but I will show her I can. Buffalocharge, take her to my den, I'll deal with her after," Buffalocharge nodded and pushed Cocoapaw into Snakestar's den and stood in the entry way. Deerpaw was about to say something, but Flamepaw covered her mouth with his tail. "I'm not going to lose you," Flamepaw whispered. Deerpaw looked at him with sad eyes. "I love you," Flamepaw whispered. "Now," Snakestar meowed glancing at Sheepfur, "What to do with you? Eclipsepaw!" Snakestar yowled and his apprentice stepped forward, "Kill him," Snakestar meowed to his apprentice. Eclipsepaw didn't hesitate, he nodded and lunged at the elder's throat. The elder tried to dodge out of the way, but Eclipsepaw brought down the death blow on the elder's neck. "Well," Snakestar meowed, "That's over with," then he padded away to his den.

"We need to rescue Cocoapaw!" Flamepaw whispered to Deerpaw. She glanced at the entrance, "But Cometfall, Buffalocharge, and Eclipsepaw are guarding and then Snakestar is in there," she meowed.

Flamepaw woke with a start to Cocoapaw's wailing. Deerpaw heard the wailing and woke up too. "We need to get her out!" Deerpaw whispered to Flamepaw, "No! The den has been guarded all day, and if we were to get her out, she can't just go back to being an apprentice, and I we hide her, Snakestar will know it's us!" Flamepaw responded, "We just need to wait," Deerpaw nodded and tried to cover her ears with her paws.

   Flamepaw woke up again as the sun was rising. He listened to the rain fall on the roof of the den. Then he saw a cat stumble out of Snakestar's den. "Deerpaw!" He whispered, shaking the calico she-cat. "Meh..?" She yawned. "Cocoapaw is out!" He meowed. She bolted to her feet. Buffalocharge pushed Cocoapaw into the apprentice den, "I hope you've leaned your lesson!" Buffalocharge spat, then he turned and padded away. Cocoapaw shuddered as he walked away. "Cocoapaw!" Deerpaw meowed. "Deerpaw?" Cocoapaw meowed, "Is that you?" Then Flamepaw noticed that Cocoapaw's eyes has been clawed out, then Deerpaw realized it as well. "Cocoapaw!" Deerpaw wailed, waking all of the apprentices. "Who said it?" Cocoapaw asked. Deerpaw hesitated, "It doesn't matter, all that matters is your-"
"Who. Said. It?"Cocoapaw hissed. "Deerpaw said it and let you take the blame!" Beepaw interrupted. Cocoapaw's jaw hung open, "I thought you were my sister... But I guess I was wrong," she meowed, "Beepaw, get me out of this den please, I can't see a thing," Beepaw nodded and smiled at Flamepaw with a large grin, she leaned over and whispered to him, "Now she won't be bothering you for a while," Beepaw whispered, then lead Cocoapaw outside. That low-lifed, mouse-brained, fox-hearted, Beepaw!

   Over the corse of the next few days, Cocoapaw refused to talk to Deerpaw and sucked up to Snakestar. Flamepaw watched as Cocoapaw sat with Snakestar as they shared a squirrel. "You have got to be kidding me!" Deerpaw hissed to Flamepaw, "One second she hates Snakestar, the next, they're sharing prey, soon, she'll be expecting his kits!" Flamepaw nodded slowly.