Warriors: Uprising (Book 1)

Chapter 14

        Shredpaw was still hiding in the corner. He only slept for a little while before he woke up to the sun in his eyes. All that was going through his head was how Blacksting nearly drowned him multiple times and called that "training". Tears fell down his cheeks as he remembered the painful experience. Why did Blacksting do that to me? I could have died and I would never see Dustshine again... The poor apprentice thought and slowly got up from the corner of the Apprentices' den and then slowly padded out. It surprised him he didn't see that cat he called his father anywhere around. Eventually, he would appear out of nowhere.

Shredpaw then felt sick. He felt like he would throw up.

Maybe it was the rotten piece of prey that I ate yesterday... He thought and headed towards the medicine den. He was feeling dizzy as he got closer to it. His vision blurred, and he lost track of where to put his paw next.

"Shredpaw, are you alright?" The apprentice heard a meow that only echoed in his ears. He couldn't tell who's meow it was.

Why do I feel like this...? Shredpaw thought and then fell onto his side, blacking out.

*

"Are you sure he's alright?"

"I-I think he's waking up now!"

Shredpaw slowly opened his eyes. He recognized the voices of the medicine cat, Nova, and his mother, Dustshine.

"N-Nova? Dustshine?" He questioned as he sat up a little in the nest he was in.

"Oh, I'm so glad you're okay!" Dustshine nuzzled up against her kit, tears nearly coming out of her eyes.

"What happened?" Shredpaw asked, then nuzzled with his mother, too.

"Well, Dustshine found you close to my den passed out." Nova replied, while examining Shredpaw.

"I-I just felt a little sick, that's all..." Shredpaw mewed, looking away from both Dustshine and Nova.

Nova nudged Dustshine away from Shredpaw for a bit. "Does this have anything to do with Blacksting? You can tell me Shredpaw." she urged for Shredpaw to tell her something.

Shredpaw didn't respond.

"Why would Blacksting have anything to do with this?" Dustshine meowed. "He would never hurt our kit!" she exclaimed.

"He caused him to feel sick!" Nova meowed back, anger rising in her.

"I-I'm fine..." Shredpaw tried to speak up a bit.

There was another cat who stepped into the medicine den: It was Blacksting.

Shredpaw looked away once again, and Nova and Dustshine looked at the tom.

"I'll be taking my apprentice now. He needs to continue his training." he meowed.

"I think he should stay here-"

Blacksting hissed at Nova, "I'm his mentor, and I say he's fine. Come on Shredpaw, we're going now." he flicked his tail and Shredpaw got up quickly, not minding his lightheadedness.

"You can't do that! I'm the medicine cat and I say he should stay here until he feels better!" She hissed back at him, unsheathing her claws again.

Blacksting went over to Nova and pushed her back a little. "Don't forget who you're talking to, you Galaxyclan cat!" His words made Nova freeze up.

"Let's go, Shredpaw." Blacksting left the medicine den with Shredpaw behind him.

Nova glared at Dustshine. "And you're just okay with this?!"

Dustshine didn't respond and left the medicine den.

"Ugh!" Nova clawed at the ground, leaving marks on it.

*

   Blacksting and Shredpaw were back at the Ocean Side. Shredpaw was shaking most of the time they were heading here. He didn't want to "swim" again. The two toms were just sitting on the sand for a while before Blacksting finally said something, "Sit right here," He meowed and went close to the water again, but not too close and used his forepaws to dig up some sand and push it behind him.

Shredpaw could only wonder what his father was planning.

Blacksting had finished digging up the sand. What he left was a hole that was deep.

"Come here and look inside." He stepped away from the hole a bit.

"Uh... O-Okay.." Shredpaw went towards it and looked in it, fearing that something would jump out at him.

Blacksting unsheathed his claws and cut into Shredpaw's back right leg. Shredpaw screeched in pain and nearly fell into the hole. Until Blacksting knocked his son into the hole, he dug himself.

Shredpaw was just writhing in the hole, his back leg bleeding out slowly.

Blacksting quickly pushed the sand he dug up back with his paws. The sand was heavy overall because of the water soaking into it.

Blacksting kept the sand nice and flat over Shredpaw when he finished, so he sat and waited.

I can't move! And I'm losing air in here! Shredpaw thought as he attempted to open his eyes, but couldn't. Shredpaw tried to move, but he couldn't do that either. He was starting to not be able to breathe, just like when he was getting drowned by Blacksting.

Blacksting waited a little longer before he dug up poor Shredpaw. Once he did, Shredpaw took a gasp of air and cried. His tears were hitting and drying up into the sand.

"Blacksting! Wh-why are you doing this to me!?" the apprentice exclaimed as he continued crying.

Blacksting gave him a dark stare. "If you continue to question me, I will kill Dustshine, you hear? You're as worthless as Dustshine herself. Now get back in the hole, we'll be doing this for a while." He snarled at Shredpaw.

Shredpaw sobbed silently.

*

   Shredpaw was sitting in the corner of the Apprentices' den again. Nova wrapped up his hind leg with cobwebs to stop the bleeding from it. While she did it, she held herself back from attacking Blacksting as he left the medicine den without care.

Shredpaw wasn't crying at all, he just had his head under his paws and was looking towards the corner.

He then heard pawsteps coming into the den. "There will be a gathering tomorrow. We're going." It was the meow of Blacksting.

Shredpaw heard his pawsteps go away when he didn't respond to him.

Everything will be fine, my friend! The voice Shredpaw heard before came back.