Rising Sun- A Warrior Cats Fanfiction ✔️

Chapter 5

"W-what?" Sunpaw's voice was shakier than he'd hoped and he inwardly winced.

Ashpaw seemed to notice, and flicked him with his tail. "Now's not the time to practise how good your voice sounds." He mewed sharply, ears twitching.

"Come on!" Sunpaw shook himself from his thoughts and leapt to his paws.

He outwardly winced when he heard the sudden yowling of ShadowClan and poked his head out of the den, Ashpaw copying.

Suddenly, the older apprentice took off towards the enemy patrol and leapt at one of the smallest cats.

Sunpaw gaped as the grey tom threw it to the ground and raked his claws down the cat's belly. He shook himself back to his senses as he heard a yowl, and leapt out of the way as a pale grey blur flew his way.

Instantly, he remembered Cherrypaw. This apprentice has been taught the same thing... He thought as she scrambled to her paws. She can't be that strong, but she's smaller and nimbler, making her faster. He nodded to himself. Yes. He agreed silently with himself. I'll have to corner her.

Though the apprentice was clearly older and more experienced than Sunpaw, she was obviously not as strong.

He barged into her, easily sending her stumbling away on impact.

He unsheathed his claws and slashed them down her side, eyes wide as scarlet blood swelled in the wound.

Though he'd believed his blow to be rather powerful, it seemed to do almost nothing to the little strength the she-cat had.

She'd only been dazed for a second by the wound, and darted for him, claws unsheathed, scratching his leg. He winced, and she scratched his face.

"Are you even trying to fight?" The pale grey apprentice hissed, then lashed out again, but Sunpaw was quicker.

He stepped to the side, throwing her off balance. A smirk played upon his face, and he lashed out at her, hitting her square in the face, slicing her nose. She gasped, and Sunpaw felt his blood boil.

His fur fluffed up, making him look twice his size, and making the she-cat look like a kit. Yes. He thought, a cruel, satisfactory smile upon his face. This is fighting. Cower, kit, while you still can! He suddenly charged into the dazed apprentice, knocking her to the ground. He held her down with one paw, and was about to thrust his unsheathed claws down on her throat, when a paw stopped him. He instantly whirled around, and was shocked to find only the faces of ThunderClan staring at him, every single one in a state of shock.

Bumblestar had his paw on Sunpaw's unsheathed claws. "What kind of behaviour is that?" He mewed. "We don't fight to kill!" Sunpaw slowly took the other paw off of the she-cat and she scrambled away, whimpering, tail between paws.

"Sunpaw, I expect more from you! Or I suppose I should say I expected less from you..." The leader tilted his head for a while, but then shook himself quickly out of his thoughts. "That's not the point. Where did you learn those moves?"

It was Sunpaw who tilted his head this time. "Moves? I didn't have any moves. I made them up." All the stares on his pelt were those of disapproval, and a few had widened their eyes in disbelief. They made him cower.

Bumblestar seemed in a state of shock. "Hmm..." He murmured.

He flicked an ear to the cat next to him who happened to be Owlsong, and she nodded, then began gesturing everyone back to their den.

Bumblestar was glaring down at Sunpaw, both amber eyes locked together.

Soon enough, the apprentice glanced away, intimidated.

Bumblestar padded to Sunpaw's side and sat down, curling his tail around the nervous apprentice.

"In our skies," He began, before laying down so his ears were level with Sunpaw's. "There are many places that cats go when they die. Some are good, some are evil. Now, two of these places belong to the clans- StarClan and the Dark Forest. Obviously, we want to get to StarClan, the place where all the good warriors go when they die. But some cats are bad, and they can't go to Starclan. They go to the Dark forest.

"Now, in the Dark Forest, there are two kinds of cats- the cats who just stay solitary and hunt alone, ashamed of what they have become, and the cold, bitter, revenge-seeking cats.

"Sunpaw, some of those cats take living cats in their dreams and train them to become evil. Lots of cats you will have heard of- including Tigerstar, Brokenstar, Thistleclaw, Mapleshade, Snowtuft, Shredtail and many other cats in the elder's tales- went there and trained cats.

"All I'm saying is if you ever find yourself in that place, you must tell them straight away that you don't want to become like them." Bumblestar gave his nephew a lick on the head. "Alright?"

"Yes, Bumblestar." The young apprentice let out a yawn, and got up to go to his den. When he was halfway there, he turned around, suddenly remembering an unanswered question.

"What was my father like?" He scampered back over to the leader, eyes round and hopeful.

Bumblestar simply closed his eyes and shook his head.

When he opened them once more, Sunpaw was surprised to find that they were dark and deeply troubled.

"Another time, Sunpaw, when you are ready for it." He motioned with his tail for Sunpaw to go back to his nest.

Reluctantly, and with one last longing glance over his shoulder, he padded into the shadowed den, where soft, quiet snoring drifted out, and curled up in his nest.

Before closing his eyes, however, he raised his head to see Bumblestar's muzzle tilted up to the starlit sky, his eyes wide and sorrowful. "What have you done, Goldensun?"

He just caught the whisper, before laying his head down and allowing the soft pad of paws send him into a rough, unsettling sleep.