Brokenstar's Bitterness

Chapter Five

Cedarstar climbed up the Clanrock, yowling a summons. "Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey join here beneath the Clanrock for a meeting!"
Every cat padded up to the Clanrock and sat down, listening apprehensively to what their Clan leader had to report.
"Today, three kits are ready to become apprentices," he began. "Deerkit, Tanglekit and Brokenkit step forward."
The three kits padded up to the Clanrock, gazing up at their Clan leader, excitement clear in their eyes. I've been waiting for this long enough. I already know who my mentor will be. Brokenkit thought as he gazed at his father, Raggedpelt who was sitting at the base of the Clanrock, a spark of pride shone in his amber eyes as he looked down at his son. Brokenkit turned his gaze away from the Clan deputy as Cedarstar spoke once again. "Deerkit, from this moment on, you shall be known as Deerpaw. Cloudpelt, you received great mentoring from Raggedpelt. I expect you to pass on your knowledge to this apprentice."
"I will, Cedarstar," the white tom meowed, dipping his head. Deerpaw sat next to his mentor and touched noses with him.
The Clan welcomed the new apprentice with loud cheers. "Deerpaw! Deerpaw!" 
"Tanglekit, from this moment on, you will be known as Tanglepaw," Cedarstar announced. "Wolfstep, you're a loyal and brave warrior having received excellent training from Brightflower, I expect you to pass on these qualities to this young she-cat."
"I promise," Wolfstep mewed briskly, touching noses with his apprentice.
"Tanglepaw! Tanglepaw!"
"Brokenkit, from this time on, you shall be known as Brokenpaw," Cedarstar went on. "Nightpelt, you are an intelligent and dedicated warrior, I know you will do your best to pass on these qualities to Brokenpaw."
Nightpelt politely dipped his head to the Clan leader, "I promise I'll do my best, Cedarstar."
Pride shone in his yellow eyes, and he had hardly coughed during the apprentice ceremony.
The Clan broke in the usual cheering once more. "Brokenpaw! Brokenpaw!"
Brokenpaw hesitated before padding over to his mentor. Unlike the other two apprentices, Brokenpaw's eyes looked troubled and he had a shocked expression on his face as Cedarstar named his mentor. He slowly padded over to Nightpelt, reluctantly touching noses with him and sat down next to the black tom.
"How come I got the sick cat? That's not fair!" he muttered to Deerpaw, who was sitting a few tail-lengths away. Brokenpaw stood glowering at his paws. Coughing old fool! 
Runningkit looked excited as he gazed at his Clan leader.
"Come forward," Cedarstar called to Yellowfang, beckoning her with his tail. "The last two moons were hard without Sagewhisker," Cedarstar went on, grief clear in his voice. "I know that within ShadowClan, our former medicine cat will be mourned for all of the seasons to come."
A murmur of agreement rose from the Clan, a pang of grief still clear in their eyes.
"But the line of ShadowClan's medicine cats will continue," Cedarstar announced. "with a new apprentice, Runningkit. Yellowfang, you have proven yourself to be a loyal and skilled medicine cat. I expect you to pass on these qualities to Runningkit."
"I promise, Cedarstar," the dark gray she-cat dipped her head to her Clan leader.
"Runningkit," Cedarstar meowed. "do you accept the post of apprentice to Yellowfang?"
"Yes, Cedarstar," Runningkit's voice squeaked with excitement and he gazed down at his paws in embarrassment.
"Then from this moment on, you will be known as Runningpaw," the Clan leader announced. "May the good wishes of ShadowClan go with you," he finished.
"Runningpaw! Runningpaw!"
As his Clan cheered his name, Runningpaw padded over to his mentor and touched noses with her. While the cats were separating, mentors took their apprentices out of the camp for their first tour of the territory. Brokenpaw wasn't looking too excited as he and his mentor exited the camp and started exploring ShadowClan's territory.
"Touring the territory isn't that boring as you might think, Brokenpaw," Nightpelt assured him. "You'll be surprised at how far ShadowClan territory stretches."
Brokenpaw twitched his whiskers but said nothing. Nightpelt led him further into the Clan's territory, in a north-western direction. There was a putrid scent coming from a few fox-lengths away. Brokenpaw had a disgusted expression on his face, "What is that?"
"That's the Carrionplace. Twolegs dump their crow-food there hence the awful scent," Nightpelt explained. "it's filled with rats, and they're extremely dangerous, stay away from them," he meowed, warning clear in his voice. "we never go there unless we have to," he went on. "during leaf-bare, if our prey resources are low, the Carrionplace is the only place left for us to hunt."
"l don't want to stay here any longer," Brokenpaw growled. "where is our border with ThunderClan and WindClan?"
Nightpelt twitched his ears. "This way," he ordered, leading his apprentice southeast into ShadowClan territory. Brokenpaw halted, shocked as they reached the Thunderpath. "What are those? They're so fast."
"Those are monsters," Nightpelt explained. "They never leave the Thunderpath."
"Are they dangerous?" Brokenpaw asked, relaxing his muscles, the shock in his eyes gone.
"Only if you try to cross the Thunderpath."
"But we have to cross it to get to the Fourtress, don't we?" Brokenpaw meowed curiously.
Nightpelt shook his head. "There's a tunnel that goes undeneath it, leading to a part of ShadowClan territory that borders ThunderClan and WindClan."
"So we could go visit ThunderClan territory?" Brokenpaw meowed with excitement.
"We could, but we aren't going to since we have no good reason to cross other Clan territories. There's another tunnel, too, that leads us directly onto WindClan territory, over there," he waved his tail towards the marshes beyond the Thunderpath.
"Rabbit-eaters!" Brokenpaw muttered under his breath.
The young tom's bitter words worried Nightpelt, "They might be rabbit-eaters but they're still cats like us," he murmured, but the words didn't seem to stay in Brokenpaw's mind for quite long. The black tom rose his tail up for the tabby to follow him. "That's all for today, let's get back to camp."
Brokenpaw said nothing, following his mentor with reluctant, heavy steps.
Dusk was falling by the time Nightpelt and Brokenpaw returned to camp. Brokenpaw gazed up at the black tom, "Can I learn battle moves?"
"No, you can't. Go rest."
"But I want to! Why can't I?" Brokenpaw glared at his mentor, his orange eyes shone.
"Because we've done enough for today, touring the whole territory," Nightpelt explained. "We—" He had to break off to cough, a sign showing he was under stress yet his voice was calm and patient.
"I want to learn battle moves!" Brokenpaw insisted.
"Training will begin tomorrow. We'll start off with hunting practice. Don't you want to catch your own prey?"
"I want to fight," hissed Brokenpaw, tearing a clump of ferns with claws unsheathed. "I'm stronger than the other apprentices. They can do the boring stuff around the camp. Let me battle with other warriors!"
"There are no battles to fight at the moment, Brokenpaw. You'll have a chance to learn everything but you have to go at the right pace. Don't be impatient!"
Brokenpaw glared at his mentor for a while longer, then spun around and walked away from him. "Coughing old fool!" he muttered under his breath. Brokenpaw stomped to the fresh-kill pile and snatched a toad before angrily storming to the edge of the clearing. When he saw Tanglepaw and Deerpaw, Brokenpaw thought of their constant gibes they threw at him. Why are they all so mean to me?  he wondered to himself. Why do they insist on making me feel outcast when I've done nothing to them?
"Poor you," Tanglepaw mocked him, as if reading his mind. "you've got a sick cat to mentor you."
"Yeah," Deerpaw added. "perhaps fighting our enemies with leaves is the only thing he'll ever know" 
Their words echoed in Brokenpaw's mind, driving him mad.
Mouse-brains. Brokenpaw ignored them, and continued to eat his piece of fresh-kill.
"What's wrong, kittypet? Too scared to say anything?" Deerpaw sneered.
Brokenpaw said nothing, his orange eyes gleaming with anger as he gazed at the black-and-brown tom. Deerpaw padded up to him, being face-to-face to Brokenpaw.
"What do you want?" Brokenpaw growled.
Deerpaw ignored his question, hitting Brokenpaw's nose with claws sheathed. Brokenpaw bared his teeth in anger and struck a blow at the tom's face in return.
"What's wrong with you?" Deerpaw yowled. Brokenpaw ignored him and gave him a cold stare.
He then grabbed his uneaten piece of prey and stalked off to the den's entrance where he could finally eat in peace. As he was eating, he could recognize Raggedpelt standing above him, his amber eyes shining. He looked up, his gaze unreadable as he glared at the ragged dark brown warrior. "Would you mind teaching me some battle moves?" Brokenpaw demanded. The ShadowClan deputy looked puzzled but agreed anyways. Raggedpelt raised his dominant paw, instructing Brokenpaw. "Raise your paw in the air and strike with full force at your enemy," he swiped a paw in one direction, beckoning Brokenpaw with his tail to come closer. "Now you do it, just like I showed you."
Brokenpaw rose his right paw, striking at his father with all strength he could manage. He didn't even flinch? Am I so weak?
"You're not weak," Raggedpelt meowed, as if he was reading his son's mind. "You'll get better with practice," he touched his son's cheek affectionately, then proceeded to walk off. "That's it?" Brokenpaw yowled. "Can't you teach me more?"
Raggedpelt glanced over his shoulder. "Not now, Brokenpaw. We'll continue tomorrow." 
Brokenpaw opened his jaws to protest but was halted by his mentor, Nightpelt, "Did you feed the elders and queens before eating, Brokenpaw?"
"No," he sneered. "Why should I? They can do it themselves." Brokenpaw lifted himself up and started to walk away from the black tom.
Nightpelt ran in front of his apprentice, his yellow eyes shining, his voice clear and calm. "Then here's your punishment, go take care of the elders' ticks. Go to the medicine cats' den, Yellowfang will give you some mouse bile."
Brokenpaw's eyes were wide with shock. He opened his jaws to protest but he knew it wasn't worth it. Instead, he gave his mentor one last cold stare and then stomped off to the medicine cats' den. As he reached the entrance, he could recognize Yellowfang's dark gray pelt and he saw that there was another cat sitting next to her. Runningpaw? he narrowed his eyes at the mention of the gray-and-white tom's name, since Runningpaw and his littermates had constantly bullied Brokenpaw during his kithood. What kind of a medicine cat can't cure his own cold? Surely Yellowfang will teach him that. His hostile expression had vanished, and turned into something wicked, his lips pulled into a mocking sneer. He stepped forward, his paw-steps unheard as he quietly sat down next to Yellowfang's side. Runningpaw looked at his foster brother with fear in his wide, amber eyes. Brokenpaw noticed this and the sight of his ex-bully so scared made him feel nothing other than satisfaction.
Yellowfang noticed Brokenpaw at last, her orange eyes glistening. "Brokenpaw, do you need something?" she murmured.
"Some mouse bile for the elders' ticks. Do you have it?" 
Yellowfang grabbed a stick, and then put some mouse bile on it. "Here, dab it into their pelt, the ticks should get out." 
Brokenpaw stared in disgust and grabbed the stick reluctantly. He marched out of the den towards the ferns behind the boulder where the elders' den was. Littlebird, a small ginger tabby she-cat with green eyes, welcomed him warmly, "You must be the new apprentice," she meowed, her voice unusually gentle for an old cat. Hollyflower, a dark gray and white she-cat was half asleep, and she uttered a sound of confusion when Archeye, a gray tabby tom, nudged her awake. "What is it?" she meowed, letting out a loud yawn.
"This is the new apprentice," Lizardfang, a light brown tabby tom with a hooked tooth, gently poked her, whispering into the old she-cat's ear. But she couldn't hear his words. "What did you say, Lizardfang?" she demanded. The she-cat's old age has taken the best of her senses away, for once she was ShadowClan's greatest hunter; could hear a squirrel many fox-lengths away.
"You were the greatest hunter for all the seasons to come Hollyflower, and now you can't hear a whisper!" Archeye and the other elders mrrowed in laughter, and Lizardfang added. "We'd better leave her until she loses her both ears." 
"I heard that, Lizardfang," Hollyflower murmured.
Brokenpaw let out a sigh. Do they even know I'm here? 
"Do any of you need to get the ticks out?" he snapped, a flash of anger clear in his bright orange eyes. 
"I'd say Hollyflower does," Littlebird meowed, her ginger pelt brushed against the aformentioned she-cat. Brokenpaw came up to meet her, dabbing the mouse bile in her pelt, ticks falling off one by one. Brokenpaw continued doing so until every tick had fallen off.
"Thank you-" Hollyflower paused, as if trying to remember his name.
"It's Brokenpaw," Brokenpaw meowed, twitching his whiskers, he added. "does anyone else need to get their ticks out?"
The remaining elders shook their heads. Finally, it's over. I hope I won't have to do this again.
 As he was about to walk away, Lizardfang called after him. "Brokenpaw, I'm sure you'll make a good warrior for your Clan."
The other elders murmured agreement. At one last glance, he grabbed the stick with his teeth, and stormed out of the den, looking for Yellowfang. Once he had reached the clearing, Yellowfang suddenly bumped into him, dropping her herbs. "Sorry, Brokenpaw," she meowed gently. "I didn't see you there."
Brokenpaw dropped the stick in front of her, his eyes filled with disgust as he stared down at it. "What should I do with this?" 
"Don't worry," she meowed as she collected the herbs. "I'll take care of it. Go to Nightpelt and see if you need something else to do."
He rolled his eyes. Right, go to Nightpelt. That old fool isn't teaching me anything at all! He looked around for Nightpelt, but there was no sign of him.Where could he go?
He turned around at the sound of ferns rustling. Frogtail, Nutwhisker, Scorchwind and Nightpelt came back from the sundown patrol. 
"There he is," Brokenpaw muttered under his breath. He walked over to the night-furred tom, his eyes narrowed. "Do I have to do anything else?"
Nightpelt shook his head. "No, you've done enough for today. See you at dawn tomorrow." Brokenpaw watched his mentor go and let out a sigh of relief. Great, I can finally go get some rest now. 
 As he was about to head off to the apprentices' den, he heard Cedarstar yowling a summons. Brokenpaw strode over to the center of the clearing, seeing Cedarstar sitting on the Clanrock with his deputy, Raggedpelt, sitting on the base. The bright moon glowered on the Clan leader's black pelt, his amber eyes fixed on his Clan. Brokenpaw gazed at his father, then turned his gaze over to Cedarstar as the leader spoke.
"Cats of ShadowClan, as some of you know, tomorrow is the Gathering," he began. "I urge you not to break the truce, especially the newly appointed apprentices.  The Gathering is a time where all four Clans share news with each other every full moon and StarClan will send clouds over the moon if they're displeased with the cats' behavior. The cats departing with me tomorrow are: Raggedpelt, Nightpelt, Cloudpelt, Foxheart, Wolfstep, Yellowfang, Nutwhisker, Rowanberry, Brackenfoot, Clawface, Blackfoot, Deerpaw, Tanglepaw, Runningpaw and Brokenpaw. The rest of our warriors will guard the nursery and the elders while we're away. We depart at sundown tomorrow," Cedarstar beckoned his tail to dismiss the meeting. Since the meeting was over, Brokenpaw stalked off to the apprentices' den with the other two apprentices. Tanglepaw let out a loud yawn. "Great StarClan, l'm so exhausted. Today was rough."
Deerpaw was too exhausted to speak, nodding his head lightly. Brokenpaw was padding up behind them, his paw-steps silent. Once they reached the bramble bush, Brokenpaw watched as his littermates collapsed on their bedding and fell asleep in a blink of an eye. He narrowed his eyes and sat outside the den. The cold wind howled, rustling the branches and ruffling his long, ragged fur. He looked up at the night sky, his orange eyes shining like the brightest flame in the night. The stars shone as bright as ever.
I wonder if our warrior ancestors are truly watching over us. Then he noticed a shooting star flying across the beautiful dark sky. He shut his eyes tightly. lf I ever become leader, I will bring greatness with me, and ShadowClan will rule supreme.