Warriors- Rise of the Guardians

Chapter 9

Chapter 9

 Thunderpaw's heart thudded furiously against her chest as she tried unsuccessfully to calm her nerves. Of course she failed; she was walking beside Yakon, the giant cat who was not supposed to exist. Thunderpaw wanted to believe that this was just a bedtime story, a simple, meaningless dream, but it was all too real, too important to her. She was almost desperate to wake up, but her desperation faded away to excitement as she realised she was about to meet her brother again.

"Blue," She sighed shakily. She was really going to see him again!

A tree, a tall, giant oak, stood out from the other thin, dark trees. The oak tree was almost glowing, and Thunderpaw's heartbeat quickened. There, slumped on the tree, was a blank-eyed cat, his fur standing up all over the place, his jaws slack.

He looked dead.

He looked familiar.

He looked like her brother.

--

Wolfpaw's eyes were dull as he sank his teeth into his fresh-kill. Amberleaf watched him from his den, her eyes knowing as she shook her head. "Great Starclan, help him out, please," She whispered a soft prayer and retreated into her den. Moonpaw settled down beside him and chose a piece of fresh-kill from the pile.  

"Are you alright? You seem really quiet lately."

Wolfpaw fought the urge to ask Moonpaw to buzz off. She was just trying to be nice. "Thanks for asking, Moonpaw. But I'm fine. I'm just..." Missing Thunderpaw. "Tired," he said instead. They ate in silence. Wolfpaw just wanted to be left alone, but how could he say that to Moonpaw without causing her to feel offended? She was eyeing him with that intense gaze, her mismatched eyes sympathetic. "Thunderpaw's gone. It's no use missing her." 

Wolfpaw's control snapped like a twig. 

"Shut up, Moonpaw! You don't know a thing, so don't walk around poking your nose into other cat's business! Don't stare at me with your hideous multi-colored eyes and pretend to understand because you don't! Thunderpaw is a useless flea-pelt, and I don't miss her one bit! So shove off, Moonpaw!" Wolfpaw's voice grew to a crescendo, his voice sharp and acidic. His words were bitter, his eyes flaming with fury. 

Moonpaw looked miserable, her voice cracking as she said, "I'm sorry, Wolfpaw. I just wanted to help." With her tail trailing on the ground behind her, she padded out of the camp to wander around on her own. Wolfpaw's anger melted as quickly as it had come, guilt washing over him. As he stared after Moonpaw's retreating back, his heart slammed.

What have I done?

--

Moonpaw padded away, out the camp, down to the riverside. The river seemed to be mourning with her. The water seemed to have dulled- or maybe it was because she was feeling so down. She sat there, by the river, wondering why Wolfpaw was so mad at her. Was it something she said? His voice, loud with fury, rang once more in her mind.

Shut up, Moonpaw! You don't know a thing, so don't walk around poking your nose into other cat's business!

Moonpaw buried her head in her paws. Her body sagged in defeat.

Shut up, Moonpaw! You don't know a thing, so don't walk around poking your nose into other cat's business!

Was she really that nosy? Why didn't Wolfpaw talk to her the way he talked to Thunderpaw? Tendrils of jealousy wormed their way into her heart. He had been so carefree with Thunderpaw, even if he did sound rude at times. So why did he dislike her so much? Was it because of her eyes? 

Don't stare at me with your hideous multi-colored eyes and pretend to understand because you don't!

Moonpaw let out a whimper. She looked horrible, didn't she? Such a hideous looking cat. Was it because of her eyes that Wolfpaw treated her differently? His words sounded through her mind again. Her self-esteem dropped ten feet. She would never be able to stare in the river at her reflection with the same smile again. Her eyes had scared Wolfpaw away.

I hate my eyes. My hideous looking eyes.

--

"You stupid mange-pelt! You lied to me!"

Yakon just smirked. "I didn't."

"You-You-Ugh!" Thunderpaw was so furious that she couldn't think properly. Her eyes didn't seem to be able to function, her gaze remaining glued to the cat in front of her. 

The cat's pelt was dark; his fur seemed to have lost its shine. His eyes were closed, his jaws hanging open slightly. His bones were visible against his pelt. Thunderpaw's heart clenched. Yakon had done this. 

He would have to pay.

Angry and hurt, Thunderpaw spun to face the white male. "You!" She snarled fiercely, her lip curled to reveal unnaturally sharp fangs. "It's your entire fault!" She yowled in pain and lashed out at him, slashing his nose. Yakon reared back in surprise. His eyes widened as if he could not believe what had just happened.

 "You clawed me?"

Yakon's surprise slipped away and fury took its place. 

His eyes lit up with cold fury and he snarled at Thunderpaw as he advanced slowly toward her. Thunderpaw was blinded by grief and pain, so much that she remained silent and undaunted. Yakon smirked mirthlessly and growled, "You will regret ever hurting me." 

With that, he brought a huge, white paw down on Thunderpaw's face, and she dodged a second too slow. His paw slammed down with a resounding thud on her face, followed only moments later by sharp snaps. Pain blasted throughout Thunderpaw's entire body as her face burned with excruciating pain. Reeling back in shock, Thunderpaw first experienced numbness in her face.

When the pain came, it hit her hard. Sharp bolts of pain attacked her face, and she thudded to the floor, trying to dodge them, but she couldn't. Thunderpaw yowled in pain, rolling about on the floor. Excruciating would have been the understatement of the century. Her face felt like it was on fire, as if she had fallen headfirst into a river of boiling water.

Her eyes flashed with a blinding gold.

"Accept your fate, little one."

Thunderpaw's face numbed, the pain leaving.

"You were meant to live. Remember that."

Something sparkly swirled above her and descended on her paw.

A symbol. A mark. 

A restriction to her freedom.