Dawnstar's Past

Chapter 1: Sorrow

Dawnpaw walked through the forest, smelling the air and searching for prey, her dark brown fur shimmering. As she searched, Dawnpaw looked around and remembered the fight that Nightshade, Foxtail, and herself had with a pair of angry badgers.

The first badger was young and easy to defeat. Dawnpaw and Foxtail fought the younger one while Nightshade had fought the older one. After Foxtail slashed at the young badger's face, it had run off, out of clan territory.

When Dawnpaw turned around to help her father, she saw that the older badger had attacked him and severely injured him. Dawnpaw screeched in fury and launched herself at the badger, driving her claws into its thick hide.

Eventually, Foxtail had returned and bit the large badger's spine, disabling it.

Foxtail then looked at Dawnpaw and she leaped up and bit the badger's neck a hard as she could. With the problem out of the way, Foxtail looked over at Nightshade and gasped.

Dawnpaw looked around and did the same.

Nightshade was bleeding heavily and his left foreleg was twisted into an odd angle.

Foxtail quickly looked at Dawnpaw.

"I will go fetch Yellowfur, you stay here and comfort him, if you know any treatment that would help, please do so," the red-orange tom meowed quickly and ran off towards camp.

It's all my fault that my father was injured, just like it was my fault that Flintstar died. Yes, Featherstar took over but still, I am responsible for his death... Now, Honeydew only cares about him and never focuses on me. Either she is talking to Snowpaw, or she is comforting Nightshade...

Dawnpaw opened her mouth and tasted the air. Crouching low, she stalked towards the mouse that was foraging in the brush.

Leaping forward, Dawnpaw unsheathed her claws and landed on the mouth, biting its neck and killing it.

Out of nowhere, Dawnpaw felt the wind knocked out of her and she fell to the floor.

"What the?!" Dawnpaw meowed.

Gasping for breath, she raised her gaze and found Thornpaw looking at her, trying to hide her amusement.

"Sorry Dawnpaw, I didn't know that you were going for that mouse as well. You can take it back to camp since you killed it, okay."

Dawnpaw only snorted and walked towards a clearing where she looked up at the evening sky.

Thornpaw followed, holding the mouse in her jaws. Setting it down, she looked at Dawnpaw with worry.

"Are you okay Dawnpaw? You've been quiet since your mother snapped at you for getting too close to Nightshade."

Dawnpaw sighed and looked at Thornpaw, her bright green eyes shining in the twilight.

"I guess I feel like no one cares about me in the clan. Honeydew acts like I'm a burden that she has to deal with, and most of the clan just stares at me. Snowpaw tries to talk to me but when she does, Honeydew just calls for her and Yellowfur. When I do feel accepted, something always finds a way to ruin that feeling..." Dawnstar confessed.

Thornpaw looked over past Dawnpaw and saw Cloudfur and Foxtail walking towards them, mouths full of prey. Cloudfur nodded at the two apprentices and continued towards camp. Foxtail dropped the squirrel and mouse and stared at Dawnpaw.

"Did you catch anything, or did you just socialize?" he snapped.

Dawnpaw shrank back but quickly snapped back at Foxtail.

"I'll have you know that I did catch a mouse. If that is not good enough for you or the clan then I mine as well leave!" Dawnstar yowled, her voice raising slightly.

Foxtail found the dead mouse behind Thornpaw and winced.

"Sorry, I thought that you just wasted your time talking with Thornpaw about nonsense again," Foxtail hissed.

As he passed her, Thornpetal made a weird face at him and looked back at Dawnpaw.

"Who does he think he is?! He can't yell at you like that, he's your mentor for Starclan's sake!"

Dawnpaw only looked at her mouse. She flicked her long tail, picked up the fresh-kill, and headed back to camp.