Broken Code

Chapter 11

The world was a blur.

Trees raced past through his field of vision like monsters on the Thunderpath. Branches and leaves swiped at his face and muzzle like enemy warriors but he shielded his irises and kept running. He could hear as Cinderfoot called his name from behind him but he ignored her. Flattening his ears, he cut in between a cluster of trees and leapt over the river that seperated Streamclan from Grassclan. Blood splattered the grass, a trail of injury from the beaten Grassclan warriors. Ducking his head to hide his white snowy pelt, he crept through the tall reeds and trekked deeper into Grassclan territory.

"Buzz."

He blinked and a bumblebee flew over his muzzle.

He waved a paw at it to make it fly away and then continued on through the grassland.

"How in Starclan does any cat find their way through all of this grass? It all looks the same!" He hissed under his breath as the tail length grasses snaked their way up towards the sky. Their color reminded him of Brackenbristle's stripes on his fur. He opened his jaws to scent the air and tasted Grassclan smell against his throat in a few heartbeats. Blinking, he dove through the wall of tall plants and found himself on an open moor.

"Ah so this is where they get all their speed..." He mumbled and squinted his cerulean eyes to block out the harsh sun.

Suddenly, a piercing set of claws ripped through his soft crystal fur like thorns and blood rose to the surface. He felt as an immense amount of pressure fell through his spine and was suddenly squished, his muzzle in the dirt. A menacing meow whispered in his ear. "Trespasser."

He closed his eyes as if to block out the pain and fear.

"That's enough Reedfur." A she cat's meow echoed through his ears and the cat on top of him got off, allowing his lungs to breath again.

"He is on our territory! And just after a battle!" The tom, Reedfur, hissed and lashed his tail angrily.

"And by the looks of it, he's an apprentice. Give him a chance to speak." The she cat meowed firmly.

"Yes Rabbitfoot..." Reedfur mumbled.

He stood up and shook out his pelt. "I'm sorry for trespassing but I believe you have something that belongs to Streamclan." He meowed, a sharp hiss in his tone, but respect too for these cats, after all he was in their mercy.

Rabbitfoot blinked her gorgeous amber eyes and he realized that she was Grassclan's deputy to Swiftstar. "I am sorry but a mere little apprentice like you should not be so far away from home. I suggest that you-"

"I suggest you give me back my friend." He snarled, all past respect for the deputy gone.

Reedfur hissed and bared his teeth. "Show some respect to a deputy, kit!"

"I am not a kit!"

"Then maybe you should stop acting like -"

"Maybe you should-"

"ENOUGH!" Rabbitfoot hissed, silencing the apprentice and Reedfur. "You," she turned to the Streamclan cat, "will be coming back to camp with us. Now we have two Streamclan apprentices. How marvelous." She flashed a slight grin before nudging him forward. "Hurry it up."

He had no choice but to follow, letting Rabbitfoot and Reedfur take him to Grassclan's camp. They walked for many pawsteps through the open field, not a blink of shade in sight. He could feel the rising sun beat down on his back and for once was glad that his pelt was snowy white instead of jet black like Jayscratch's. Oh no.. he thought. Jayscratch is gonna kill me!

"Perhaps you should've thought before you ran over here." Rabbitfoot meowed, almost as if reading his thoughts.

"I did think." He snapped. "I thought about how wrong it was for you to capture my friend and I reacted to that thought."

Rabbitfoot sighed. "Harsh words and noncooperation won't get you anywhere little apprentice. If that's one thing you learn today, then so be it."

"Taking cats from other clans and holding them hostage won't get you anywhere either." The apprentice hissed, his anger reflected in his piercing blue eyes.

Reedfur scoffed. "Looks like Streamclan raises some sassy apprentices. The other one is like this too."

"I must say, I do agree Reedfur." The deputy nodded.

The apprentice could hardly control his anger. He took a deep breath. Just think, Rainpaw will come after you with Jayscratch and everything will be fine. He told himself as he padded closer and closer towards the Grassclan camp. On the opposite side of the moor from Streamclan, he noticed a thick line of trees. "Is that Pineclan?" He wondered aloud and to his surprise, he got an answer.

"Yes. They live over there." Reedfur acknowledged and kept on walking.

He blinked and found himself looking over his shoulder towards Pineclan as they padded away and deeper into Grassclan territory.

"Are we almost there?..." He mumbled under his muzzle so no cat could hear him but Rabbitfoot pricked her ears. Her brown pelt caught the sunlight at just the right angles to make it seem tan.

The apprentice looked down at his icy paws and sighed, drooping his tail. He might get exiled for being so reckless. He hadn't even been an apprentice for a moon and he was already in deep trouble. He sighed again and hardly had to time to stop when he looked up to find a bush an inch in front of him. He sidestepped around it and kept following the deputy and warrior to camp.

He looked over his shoulder to the open moor behind him. He could run for it. He could make it back to Streamclan. He thought for a split second before shaking his head. He couldn't just leave her here all alone. Not after he was so close.

The blazing heat fell off of his back and he looked up to find that a cloud had covered the fully risen sun. He shook out his fur.

"Welcome to Grassclan camp." Rabbitfoot meowed before shoving the apprentice in before her and after Reedfur.

He blinked, taking in his surroundings. A few dens made of brambles and tall grasses outlined the camp, a fresh kill pile was off to the right and a small tree stump was in the left side of camp. He watched as a tall black and white cat leapt up onto the stump.

"Attention cats of Grassclan, gather around the Tallstump for an announcement." He yowled and cats began pouring out of dens.

That must be Swiftstar. He thought to himself as Rabbitfoot pushed him forward in front of the Grassclan leader.

"Rabbitfoot has told me that a Streamclan apprentice was roaming through our territory to try and get his friend back. Thankfully we found him before he was able to do so and we will keep him in camp along with the other grey one."

His ears flicked. The grey one. So she was here.

"Do not encourage these two apprentices. They are to be treated as prisoners. Do not feed them unless ordered. That is all." Swiftstar waved his tail to dismiss his clan and before the apprentice could even react, a set of teeth were in his scruff, dragging him across camp.

"I can walk myself thank you very mu-" He started.

"Hush up!" The cat hissed before through him into a den and he tumbled down a small pile of dirt and he realized that the den he was in, was underground. The den was like a small burrow and you had to walk up to get to the surface. A perfect cage, he thought, daydreaming about how much trouble he would be in for running away.

Until a voice snapped him out of his daydreams.

"Ashpaw?"

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