The Rogue Traitor #1 - Beginning of the Curse

Chapter Three

The medicine cat den was dim and only a few rays of sunlight weaved through the ivy dangling at the entrance. There was a strong smell of herbs coming from holes in one of the side walls and it made Birdpaw sneeze. The apprentice squinted her eyes, trying to make out shapes in the almost-darkness, tripping over some sticks in the process. As her eyes slowly adjusted to the darkness, the apprentice made out the shapes of the two medicine cats and her new mentor.

"Hello Birdpaw," said the younger medicine cat, who was light brown with white splashes and kind green eyes.

"Hi Flowerstem," replied the apprentice, looking around the den. Her eyes met the older medicine cat, Chiveleaf and the pale yellow she-cat nodded at the apprentice, her green eyes betraying no emotion.

"So Birdpaw," said Maplestar, his voice low, "do you know why I called you in here?"

"No," replied the apprentice, her pelt prickling with anxiousness, she hoped she had not done anything wrong already!

"Are you sure?" asked Chiveleaf, cocking her head her head. The apprentice nodded, her tongue not wanting to work. She was just praying that she had not done something wrong, and that they were going to be kicked out of the Clan when she had just become an apprentice.

"Have you had any strange dreams lately?" asked Maplestar, amber eyes glowing in the dark.

"No," said the apprentice, her voice so quiet that she could barely hear it. The two medicine cats nodded but Maplestar looked unconvinced.

"Are you telling the truth?" he asked, leaning in close to her. Birdpaw took a step back and nodded, her throat too tight with fear that she couldn't speak.

"Leave her Maplestar," said Chiveleaf, walking forward to the leader, "if she is telling the truth, we will not be able to force anything else out of her." The apprentice looked over at Flowerstem, who gave her a look of sympathy. Maplestar grunted and nodded towards the entrance of the den, signalling for her to leave. Birdpaw didn't need to be told twice and left the den quickly, grateful to be out of the air that was steaming with tension.

She breathed out, sitting down away from the entrance of the den, licking one of her white paw. She stood up again and heading towards the prey pile, grabbed a mouse from the top and settling down in one corner of the camp. She tried to shut out her thoughts about what had happened in the medicine den, but it was very difficult. She took a bite out of the mouse and looked up as her mentor, Maplestar, came storming out of the medicine cat den with his ears pinned against his head and dark ginger fur bristling. The scent of rage was pulsing off him and Birdpaw scrambled back into the shadows of the camp to escape his furious gaze as it swept around the camp. She prayed that he wouldn't see her otherwise she would have to face his anger, which she certainly didn't want to do. Luckily, the dark ginger leader walked out of the camp and into the forest while the whole clan held their breath. A few heartbeats after the leader disappeared into the forest, the clan continued what they had been doing.

Birdpaw took another bite of mouse but she had lost her appetite and buried the remains of it, looking around the camp. She saw Dewpaw pushing through the crowd of cats towards her, and the apprentice slowly walked out of the shadows, making her way to the cream tabby tom.

"See?" he said, "Your apprentice ceremony was not that bad!"

"Yeah," huffed Birdpaw, looking at the camp exit where her mentor had stormed out moments ago "but now my mentor is angry at me for some reason,"

"What is it with you being negative?" Dewpaw asked, huffing as he rolled his eyes.

"I am not being negative," retorted Birdpaw, laying back down on the campground, still looking at the camp exit "I am just telling the truth."

"Whatever," said Dewpaw, sitting down next toher and licking a tough piece of grit between his paws. Birdpaw laid her headon her paws and gazed of into the distance as the midday sun beat down on thecamp.

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Edited Thursday 11th of November 2021

Hey there! What do you think of Chapter Three? Isn't the unspoken relationship between Birdpaw and Dewpaw so exciting? 

Please keep commenting, reading and voting! Thing are only just starting to get exciting. 

- SkyandStarlight