Warriors: Rising Tide

Chapter 11: Mapleclaw

"This patrol is going swimmingly..." I mumble to Mothpaw in a hall joking manner. She laughed a little at smiled. So far Petalclaw had slipped into the creek and got scarred by a bird. Darkcloud kept stopping to check every little plant so what shouldn't have taken about an hour is now taking more than that

"Hey, at least Petalclaw hasn't said anything mean yet"

"I heard that apprentice" the golden cat emphasized apprentice and glared at Mothpaw sharply. Mothpaw glared back challenging.

"Don't treat my apprentice like that" I growled.

"Can we please go five minutes without growling?" Darkcloud complained.

"Then tell Petalclaw here to stop acting like a throwing badger" I grumble.

"Then control your apprentice!" Petalclaw hissed.

"Can you please stop! Everyone!" Darkcloud stopped and turned around quickly. "We haven't even passed the Windclan patrol yet!"

"Sorry Darkcloud" Mothpaw said quickly. Darkcloud looked at my apprentice with appreciation and then continued along the side of the creek. As we walked along I heard the thumping of paw steps from the moor and looked over to see a racing rabbit with an apprentice chasing after it. The apprentice was a younger one, a brown tabby tom. He didn't even notice he was heading to the border. The rest of the patrol realized what could happen if the apprentice didn't slow down. I noticed the rest of the hunting patrol was behind, yelling at the apprentice to stop but he didn't.

Great! The rabbit had seen our patrol and tried to go around us as it crossed the border, but Petalclaw was faster and caught with leap and a large chomp. The rabbit was still alive though and was kicking like crazy.

"Petalclaw!" Darkcloud protested.

"Wh-" she didn't get to finish as the Windclan apprentice came barreling into her, unable to stop at the speed he was going at. Petalclaw out of instinct scratched at the apprentice while the rabbit scratched her badly. The rabbit escaped but the apprentice quickly crossed over the border with whimper.

"Hey, are you okay?" Mothpaw asked the Windclan apprentice as his hunting patrol arrived. The tom has a bad scratch from Petalclaw on his shoulder.

"I'm so so sorry!" He apologized as he licked wound.

"What in Starclan name Thunderclan!" Growled another tabby that I despise so much. Ferretflight was a short but long legged tom with dark green eyes. Another much darker brown tabby tom with bright aquamarine eyes, one of Puddlesplash's friends, Mudstripe, quickly got between Ferretflight and my patrol.

"It was an accident Ferretflight" Mudstripe advised.

"What do you mean an accident! He scratched my eye!" None of us took the time to see if she was alright, and I think she lost an eye. Her right eye had a scratch going from one end to the other, covering part of her face in blood.

"That was the rabbit" Ferretflight hissed. Mudstripe glared at him quickly.

"I am sorry, do you need assistance or-"

"No! I don't need assistance from Windclan scum!" Petalclaw screeched before running into the woods. Mudstripe sighed and sniffed the Windclan apprentices wound.

"Heronpaw do you need help?"

"No I just feel really, really bad..." he looked at his paws nervously. Ferretflight snarled at us.

"Shouldn't you have told him to stop?"

"We thought he had seen us" Ferretflight glared at me and flicked my tail, trying to hold my snarky comments. A burning hatred filled me as I watched Ferretflight. Mouse heart... couldn't even be bother to see Mothpaw and Cardinalpaw... or actually take responsibility... don't know why Orchidfrost protects the dead beat...

"Go and check on Petalclaw, me and Mothpaw will finish the patrol" Darkcloud ordered me,

"I am not leaving her" I grumble. His stern glare didn't flinch and I felt pressured. "Alright fine..." I stalked off but I felt worried. I hope Mothpaw doesn't figure it out. Her and Ferretflight look so physically similar that she might put two and two together. Orchidfrost told me when she got pregnant who the father was, and hate Ferretflight for it. First I have to take care of Petalclaw. I followed her scent slowly and soon realized Petalclaw didn't head to camp in the right direction. Perfect... I followed her scent to the training hollow where she sat licking her paw and rubbing her head frantically, trying to get rid of the blood soaking half her face. The golden she-cat quickly realized I was there and hissed.

"What do you want Mapleclaw?" She hissed. I sighed at the hostility.

"Look we need to get you back to camp so Moonwater and Coldheart can check your eye"

"What's the point!? I can't see anything out of it!" She cried out. "What are my clan mates gonna think of me? I am useless with just one eye!"

"No you are not, you can still see out of the other one can't you" I tried to sound caring. She shot me a blazing glare.

"Why didn't you defend me!? Attack the apprentice!? Argue back!? I am blind because of that stupid furball!"

"Petal-"

"The next time I see that lowlife Windclan murdering scum I am gonna tear both his eyes out and feed them to him!" She growled so lowly and threateningly it made me jump a bit. I stared right into her hatred filled hazel eyes and something in me churned. It was the same look that Pineclaw gave when Pinestripe had that accident by the border and died. And Pineclaw actually kept his word and  killed the Windclan cat he blamed, sending us back into war with Yellowstar

She... she is gonna cause another war just like... just like... all I could think of us all the death. Mom, Dad, Gingerpaw... I lost so many... we all lost so many... I-I can't let it happen again.

"Mapleclaw?" Petalclaw leaned back as she watched me. She was suspicious of my panic stare and eire quiet. Something in me snapped.

"Your dad said the same thing once, and look where that got him" I said slowly as I eyed her. "It took us seasons to end the war between Thunderclan and Windclan. Everyone lost someone..." I stopped and looked away from her.

"What are you getting at?" Petalclaw hissed again.

"I lost most of my family because your dad killed another cat out of vengeance, your father caused an entire war between all the clans and got no penance! None because he was Wishstar's grandson" I spat, looking at her with fiery anger that the she-cat flinched. "An eye for an eye..." I smirked. Petalclaws one eye was confused, than she put two and two together. Her one hazel eye went wide with fear and fury.

"You... you killed Pineclaw!" She cried.

"He died because he caused that war!" I launched myself at her before she could react, biting down hard onto her neck. She quickly began squirming under my body, but soon her movement became slower and slower. The flood of her blood on my mouth made my eyes go wide with delight. Her blood poured down off her neck and onto the training grounds sand, staining it red. Petalclaw went limp in my mouth a few moments later and I let her body dropped onto the sand. I licked my bloody mouth and looked her in the eyes. Petalclaws hazel eyes were already glazing over with death as she stared solemnly past me. "And now you won't hurt anyone you fox-heart" I said smoothly. I felt horrible inside but I shoved the guilt deep down and walked off towards the lake. Once my paws hit water I dunk my muzzle into the water and washed it off. Petalclaws blood drifted in the water for a few seconds before fading away into the lake water. The only evidence left of my actions was her golden, lifeless body. My scent will also drift away in the wind, like her blood in the lake. "You can't hurt anyone..." I mumbled into the waves. Realization kicked in and I began to choke up at what I had done. Petalclaw might have been awful but she was my kin. She was so young... why did she have to be so much like Pineclaw?! Why?! I started to cry softly.