Warriors: Quailsong's Path [DISCONTINUED]

Chapter 9

⠀⠀"No, do it like this," Troutpelt instructed. The gray tabby tom crouched low to the ground, striking out at Frostfoot who was helping him demonstrate the battle move to the apprentices. Keeping his claws sheathed, he pinned the white she-cat to the ground.
⠀⠀Frostfoot immediately kicked at his belly fur with her hind paws, until he fake yowled and got off her.
⠀⠀Troutpelt turned to the apprentices afterwards. "When you pin your enemy down, make sure you're guarding your underbelly. That's your weakest spot. If Frostfoot had had her claws out, she would've injured me badly."
⠀⠀Quailpaw sat with Otterpaw, Rubblepaw, Eaglepaw, and Pikepaw in the Training Hollow, listening to Troutpelt carefully. She was worn out from the hours of training, and by now, the sun was starting to sink below the horizon. She knew the WindClan patrol would be returning from fixing their camp soon. It had been a quarter moon since they'd arrived, but they still had a lot of work to do.
⠀⠀On the bright side, the WindClan and RiverClan warriors appeared to be getting along a little better. Well, except for Rabbitstar. She was still determined to hate every single warrior of RiverClan, especially Sagestar. That was where the problem played in the most. If the WindClan leader wasn't willing to befriend her neighbors, her cats would still blame RiverClan for Icepaw's death.
⠀⠀"Let's head back to camp," Troutpelt meowed. "You can get something off the fresh-kill pile and then rest."
⠀⠀As they headed out of the hollow, Quailpaw couldn't help but feel relieved to be getting back. Rabbitstar had forbade RiverClan and WindClan apprentices from training together, so going back would mean Quailpaw could see Turtlepaw again. In the last quarter moon that WindClan had been here, she had become good friends with the black she-cat. She had even gotten to know her siblings, Rockpaw and Sweetpaw, a little better.
⠀⠀As they padded through the RiverClan territory, Quailpaw noticed Rubblepaw was walking at her side. "You'll eat with us tonight, won't you?" he asked, blinking his yellow eyes hopefully.
⠀⠀Quailpaw nodded eagerly to her friend. "Of course!" She felt that was a sort of fish-brained question for him to ask. Why wouldn't she eat with him and Otterpaw?
⠀⠀"I mean, without Turtlepaw?" Rubblepaw spoke again, causing Quailpaw's breath to hitch in her throat.
⠀⠀"Why can't Turtlepaw join us?" she asked, feeling hurt. Did he not trust Turtlepaw? Was he determined to hate all WindClan cats just as Rabbitstar hated RiverClan?
⠀⠀"Because you never pay attention to us when Turtlepaw is around!" Rubblepaw told her, his voice growing a little sharp. Then he seemed to feel bad for lashing out like that. He turned his face away from her, staring at the ground.
⠀⠀"Look, Rubblepaw, I'm sorry," Quailpaw mewed. "Turtlepaw is just a good friend. Mistcloud and Brokenwing both told us when Eaglepaw and I were kits that making friends in the other Clans was important. It would keep the peace." She brushed her tail against his shoulder. She suddenly realized how much she hardly saw her mother and father these days. She had been so caught up in her training and spending time with Turtlepaw, that she hadn't stopped to pay them a visit. Even now, Brokenwing was walking with them, since he was the mentor to Rubblepaw. But as she gazed at his dark gray tabby form, limping along on an injured forepaw, she felt she barely knew him.
⠀⠀Maybe I am growing a little distant from my RiverClan friends and family, she thought. She hadn't spent too much time with Eaglepaw either, but he seemed distracted by Pikepaw anyways. The two toms had become best friends and were practically inseparable.
⠀⠀"I know that," Rubblepaw meowed, rousing her from her thoughts. He didn't speak again for a few heartbeats. "That was a little harsh of me to say. I guess it's fine if you invite Turtlepaw, but please, please promise you'll acknowledge our existence this time?"
⠀⠀Before Quailpaw could feel hurt again, she saw amusement dancing in the freckled apprentice's eyes and smiled at him, her whiskers quivering with laughter. "Yeah, I promise," she giggled.
⠀⠀As the patrol reached the camp entrance, a yowling split across the clearing. All previous thoughts drained from Quailpaw's mind as she gazed at the scene happening in front of them. Ambersky, Sedgeclaw, Yarrowbranch, Owlwhisker, and Briarpaw had returned from the WindClan camp, but not too far from them stood Rabbitstar as she flashed an accusing glare at a familiar long-furred tom. He was not a Clan cat.
⠀⠀Thinking hard, Quailpaw realized that was Lucius, the strange rogue tom that had appeared on their territory a while back. He had been the suspect of Icepaw's death, but had been let off by Sagestar when they realized there was no way it was him.
⠀⠀Rabbitstar's shoulder fur bristled and her amber eyes were a raging fire. "It was you, wasn't it?" she snarled. Her claws unsheathed, digging into the grass below.
⠀⠀Sagestar stood atop the Clanrock, his eyes glaring down at Lucius. For once, he seemed to be on Rabbitstar's side.
⠀⠀"No, of course not!" Lucius hissed, arching his back. "I just want a break from this! You fish-smelling rabbit-brains have already tried to accuse me of killing this cat named 'Icepaw' or whatever! Can't you understand that it wasn't me?"
⠀⠀Quailpaw took a few paces closer, Otterpaw and Rubblepaw at her side.
⠀⠀Rabbitstar thrust her muzzle into the pale cream tom's face. "Then why were you hanging around WindClan territory today, huh? Waiting for another one of my warriors to kill? Fox dung to that! You'll never lay a claw on any of their pelts!"
⠀⠀Lucius backed up from the WindClan leader. "And I wasn't planning to," he growled out. "Like I told Sagestar before, I am merely a loner minding his own business. Yes, I stay relatively close to the Clans' territories, but I have no intent to harm."
⠀⠀Sagestar leapt down from the Clanrock and faced the long-furred tomcat. He slumped his shoulders as he sighed, looking defeated. "Rabbitstar, he's right," he meowed. "I don't know why I was ready to blame Lucius again. Last time he gave me plenty of evidence that he had nothing to do with Icepaw's death."
⠀⠀Rabbitstar whirled around to stare intensely at the RiverClan leader. "Well you have bees in your brain! You're a new leader! Of course you'll trust a loner as soon as he gets down and begs for mercy! You're an idiot! I wish Aspenstar was still alive! At least he had some sense."
⠀⠀Hurt blossomed in Sagestar's eyes and he backed up from the white feline. "Fine, Rabbitstar," he meowed. "You can blame Lucius. But if you decide to do anything to him, you will do it on WindClan territory. Not here. I will not have murder on my land."
⠀⠀"Mouse dung to that!" she spat at him.
⠀⠀Quailpaw felt rage boiling in her veins as Rabbitstar carelessly bullied her leader. She respected Sagestar more than she could put into words. She wanted to stand up for him, but she didn't know what to say.
⠀⠀"RiverClan was okay with killing Icepaw! But you can't stand to have this rogue killed on your territory?" Rabbitstar taunted.
⠀⠀"Are you even listening to yourself?" That was Alliumspark that spoke up. The freckled white she-cat stood in the center of camp, glaring at Rabbitstar through slitted eyes. "You literally just said that Lucius killed Icepaw. Now you're saying that RiverClan did? Make up your mind, old flea-bag, before we chase you and your pathetic Clan out of our territory! You should be grateful you have somewhere to stay after your camp was destroyed!"
⠀⠀Sagestar nodded fiercely at his warrior's words. "Who do you really blame, Rabbitstar?" he asked.
⠀⠀Rabbitstar glared at the tom. "I blame RiverClan. I was a mouse-brain to turn my accusations to this random loner. You can leave, Lucius." The white-blond tom didn't need telling twice. He turned tail and fled out of the camp, never to be seen again.
⠀⠀Rabbitstar thrust her face into Sagestar's, her lips peeled back into the most ferocious snarl Quailpaw had ever seen. "WINDCLAN, ATTACK!"