Fight or Flight :: warrior cats fanfic ::

» 8. flight «

      Otterpaw tried not to listen to Lilacpaw as she talked on about omens. The League was making their way to MarshClan camp, slowly but surely, and the brown tabby apprentice was ready to beat Lilacpaw up.

      "You know what an omen, is, right? Thymepaw?" The light gray-brown she-cat pretended to be speaking to her brother, when in reality she was making sure Otterpaw overheard.

      "Not really," he mumbled. He caught Otterpaw's eye, and quickly added, "but nobody really cares anyway." Lilacpaw sniffed stubbornly.

      "It's always important to learn about something you don't know...," she purred, casting a glance to the brown tabby.

      "Lilacpaw, just shut-up." Magpiepaw growled, shoving Lilacpaw aside as she padded up.

      "Where were you?" Otterpaw was glad to get her mind off whatever Lilacpaw had been spouting off.

      "Oh I was.. Talking to.. Russetleap..!" She waved her tail as she limped beside her friend. "I asked if otters usually are around the DrizzleClan border, and he said they're pretty rare." Otterpaw looked down at her paws, knowing Lilacpaw had overheard.

"Did you hear that, Thymepaw? Rare. Why else would an otter be there right when we got there? Because it's an omen. I think this omen says that Otterpaw...," Lilacpaw glanced over to the sulking she-cat, "is going to die."

"That's enough Lilacpaw." Thymepaw growled.

"Omens do exist though." Bumblepaw piped up from right behind them. Lilacpaw sidestepped so that he could walk at her other side.

"Really? Enlighten me." She curled her tail tip, walking a bit faster.

"StarClan--"

"--isn't real." Magpiepaw finished, cutting Bumblepaw off. The dark gray tabby tom looked offended that she would dare do such a thing, and the hazel eyed she-cat gave him a glare.

"Fun sucker." Lilacpaw hissed. "I see you got beat up by the otter." She growled. Magpiepaw have the brown-gray she-cat a once over, rolling her eyes.

"Yeah. I see you weren't even there," Otterpaw marveled at Magpiepaw's bravery. Talking back to Lilacpaw...? A shiver passed over the brown tabby. I've already learned my lesson on that.

"If I would've, I wouldn't be bleeding over like you are." She remarked. Magpiepaw shrugged.

"And if you ever do start bleeding all over, you'll probably die right then." Lilacpaw curled her lip, trotting forward to the front of the group without a retort.

"We're almost there!" Russetleap called from the front of the patrol. Otterpaw narrowed her eyes in confusion. Magpiepaw had said that she was talking to Russetleap when she caught up from behind--

"Otterpaw, who are you excited to see most?" Thymepaw purred, moving closer to her. She looked to her paws, sighing. I can't continue to be so petty to him... She stepped around an overgrown fern.

       It had a hot day, a moon prior when it happened. Copperwing had taken the league down to the creek to cool off, and as they were climbing up the hill to leave, Thymepaw tripped over Otterpaw's hind leg. The gray tom instinctively caught himself, though, he didn't catch Otterpaw as the brown tabby apprentice tumbled down into the creek.

      Freezing and wet, she began to climb out, Lilacpaw laughing her tail off, when the yellow-green eyed she-cat felt a sharp pain. A small turtle was latched onto her hind leg. The rest of the apprentices joined in on the laughing as Otterpaw leaped and ran in a circle, letting out sharp cries until Copperwing had rushed down to get the creature off. Otterpaw looked up the hill, her leg throbbing and heart hurting as her eyes locked onto a lightly purring Thymepaw.

       Otterpaw breathed, looking over to the gray tom.

       "My mother, Nightpetal. She doesn't even know that we're coming back to camp for a bit, I'm sure she'll be really excited." Otterpaw finally said. His face lit up, happy that the she-cat finally said something to him that wasn't laced with words of loathing.

"I'm really excited to see my older sister, Wrenstripe. She was expecting kits last time our League was in camp, so I can't wait to see her! I bet she's already had them!" His gold eyes were bright. Otterpaw swished her tail, giving a slight nod.

"I don't have any older siblings--"

"Thymepaw!" The sharp hiss of Lilacpaw cut Otterpaw off. "Get over here..!" Thymepaw gave her a sorry glance before dashing off to his sister's side.

"Ah, we're here!" Otterpaw heard the happy call of Kitepaw from way up ahead. Otterpaw raced ahead, hoping to be one of the first ones in camp. I bet mom and dad will both be there, waiting just for me! She heard the voices of all the cats, and she started to run even faster. She could see the ginger tail of Kitepaw already! As she became closer and closer, the voices became clearer and she could make out what they were saying. It was... A clan meeting?

"Rosestar, we need to start beefing up our patrols. No way they'll be able to handle all that's going on the way that they are right now." She slowed, the entrance in sight. Carefully, the brown tabby crawled through the bramble entrance where warriors from all generations had trodden.

"Shadowgaze is right. We can't just let them think they can bite at our patrols without any punishment" her eyes widened as she pulled through the tunnel. The MarshClan camp was long, with a lengthy bracken den, the shade of a fallen pine den, a large pile of ferns serving as a den, and a tall rock right out of the earth. The ginger tabby that was Rosestar currently stood large and proud on the rock with a good amount of the cats surrounding it. Otterpaw crouched down, listening to the meeting.

      "All of the apprentice Leagues will have to focus on fighting!" A cat remarked, and several murmurs followed.

      "We won't be able to leave camp without the chance of battle!"

      "If we don't start fighting back, our young will be in danger!"

      "Alright, settle down. Based off of the Intel our patrols have gathered, I do think we need to be more cautious." The she-cat mewed. "They are no longer the clan we joined together with to drive out the rogues. It's been generations since any kind of fighting between the clans like this but... DrizzleClan is no longer a clan that we are willing to keep peace with. Any patrol that dares to mess with us will be responded with our claws." There were many cheers, and Otterpaw's eyes widened, her fur starting to prickle with a sudden chill.

      "Otterpaw, what are you doing?" A hiss called her back, and she turned her head to see Copperwing. The pretty tortoiseshell had a mostly unreadable expression, but from she could gather, she seemed... Worried?

      "Are we fighting with DrizzleClan?" Her voice cracked out, higher than she expected,mslinking back towards her League mentor. Copperwing drew the small cat close with her tail, her face dark.

        "I guess so..."

FIGHT  OR  FLIGHT