Brokenstar's Bitterness

Chapter Eight

Brokenpaw and Tanglepaw were sitting at the edge of the clearing, watching the cats around them. "What's your favorite piece of prey?" meowed Tanglepaw.
"Frogs and mice." Brokenpaw replied, "Why?"
"Oh, nothing, I wanted to fetch your favorite piece of prey for you," she meowed shyly, "I hope you don't mind..."
Brokenpaw shook his head. "No, I don't. Should we go together?"
"No, no I can do it by myself. Wait here," Tanglepaw mewed, striding over to the fresh-kill pile. She looked down on the prey pile, but there wasn't much left, only a few skinny voles, a sparrow and a toad. She snatched the sparrow and the toad with her teeth and came back to Brokenpaw whose tabby pelt was shining in the warm sunlight. Brokenpaw twitched an ear in acknowledgement but said nothing. He grabbed the toad with his teeth and started eating, wondering why Tanglepaw was being so nice to him. The brown-and-gray she-cat's green eyes were shining like two glorious emeralds and she had a gentle yet shy smile spread across her face whenever she looked at Brokenpaw. The brown tabby met her gaze, his orange eyes appearing somewhat unfocused. He had so many questions he wanted to ask her but he forced himself not to. Maybe she's just playing around. But it's still weird... I wonder what's going on. Perhaps I'll ask her anyways.
As he was about to open his jaws to speak, Tanglepaw interrupted him, muttering through sloppy mouthfuls as she ate the sparrow, "I heard you caught a lot of fresh-kill this morning. On your first hunting?"
"Yeah, why?" Brokenpaw asked, his eyes widened with surprise.
"Deerpaw's jealous," the brown-and-gray she-cat responded, "he heard you caught plenty of prey for the Clan and he didn't seem very happy about it. He's still better than me though, I'm so clumsy while hunting," she chuckled.
Brokenpaw's bright orange eyes were filled with confusion. "That's pretty weird. I'm not very fond of Deerpaw," he meowed, his tone appearing somewhat hostile. "But you know, today was very eventful," he added, in a more friendly tone, "you might have heard."
Tanglepaw was listening apprehensively while eating the sparrow, replying through small mouthfuls, worry dancing in her green eyes. "No, not really. What happened?"
"Well, Raggedpelt took me for a battle session and when we were about to return, a fox attacked us and I gathered a patrol to fight it off." he meowed, his posture confident, "We won and he's safe now, but I didn't do anything to save him. I was just standing there, frozen to the spot..." he finished, his voice trailing off, feeling the same guilt he'd felt a while back when his patrol was fighting off the cruel fox.
Tanglepaw had great sympathy for her denmate, brushing her tail against his cheek. "But you did save him," she reassured him, "if you hadn't gathered the patrol on time, he would've been dead."
"I guess you're right," the tabby admitted, "it's the Gathering tonight, anyways. There's no reason for me to be distressed."
Tanglepaw smiled at him, gently placing her paw on his. "Exactly!" she exclaimed happily. "Are you excited about the Gathering?"
"Yeah, I'd say so. What about you?"
"Me too!" she paused. "Anyway, I wanted to let you know," she purred shyly. "I admire you."
Brokenpaw was too shocked to reply, his eyes wide open as if he had just seen a huge pack of dogs behind Tanglepaw. "What... why?" he replied at last.
"You really need a reason for everything, don't you?" the she-cat mocked him, "Just accept the compliment."
"T-thanks, I guess," he stammered, his eyes still wide with shock, looking down on his half-eaten piece of prey, he noticed Tanglepaw's paw was set on his, and with her recent words in mind, he finally put two and two together.
This whole time she's been trying to say she had been admiring me. I never thought I'd hear that from her. I guess she changed...
A voice from behind snapped Brokenpaw out of his thoughts, looking over his shoulder, he recognized a familiar snow-white shape, his jet-black paws shining in the sunlight.
Blackfoot? 
A wave of fear overwhelmed the tabby apprentice, fearing for the worst news. Without hesitation, he quickly ran over to the white warrior, his muscles tensed and his flat face filled with a troubled expression."Is Raggedpelt..?!"
But to Brokenpaw's surprise, he fortunately didn't hear what he was fearing for. "He's alright, Brokenpaw. There's no need for worry," the young warrior comforted him. "Nightpelt told me you've done excellent hunting this morning. So I've decided to take you on a hunting patrol with the other warriors."
With having someone who admires him and now even being able to go on a patrol with other warriors, Brokenpaw suddenly felt more relaxed, as if a burden of stress and other heavy emotions fell off his shoulders.
"Rowanberry, Nutwhisker and Foxheart are waiting for us at the entrance, come," the snow-white tom nudged him, rising his tail up for the apprentice to follow him. Brokenpaw looked over his shoulder to see Tanglepaw padding up to him. "What's going on?"
"Blackfoot's just taking me on a hunting patrol, that's all," he answered confidently.
Worry was now gone in the she-cat's glorious green eyes. "Okay, good luck!" she mewed gently then padded away to the center of the clearing. Brokenpaw followed Blackfoot and when they finally met up with the patrol, the gathered cats went through the bramble entrance, exiting ShadowClan camp. 
Brokenpaw could hear Foxheart, a ginger tabby growl to Nutwhisker. "What's that apprentice doing here? Shouldn't he be with his mentor?"
The brown tom replied in a less hostile manner, "Blackfoot took him with us because he caught lots of prey for the Clan this morning." he explained. "That kit's talented."
Nutwhisker's kind words lifted Brokenpaw's confidence up, even though the tabby hated to admit it to himself. Foxheart let out a chuckle, "Don't overestimate him, he's just become an apprentice. I'm sure he can't even pounce right."
Foxheart's arrogant and cheeky attitude made Brokenpaw's fur rise up with anger. I don't like that she-cat. She's no better than Lizardstripe herself.
The patrol traveled through the forest, reaching a huge hollow, tasting the air for prey. Brokenpaw was the first one to pick up the scent of a starling nearby. He followed the scent, noticing the bird walking along a tree branch, its colorful feathers standing out from the tree's bland colors. He ran towards the pine tree, climbing it up swiftly. He dug his claws deep into the tree's bark to keep his balance, and slowly sneaked up to the colorful bird. He looked down to see the rest of the patrol watching him down below, some of them looking concerned. Brokenpaw walked towards the bird, keeping his paw steps as silent as possible. When he wasn't even a tail-length away from his prey, the starling realized it was being hunted, and tried to fly up but Brokenpaw managed to catch it right on time, putting the bird down with the power of his paws. The bird tried to retaliate, but the tabby sank his teeth deep into its neck, making a rather unpleasant cracking sound. Satisfied with his catch, Brokenpaw grabbed his freshly killed prey and climbed down. The other warriors stared at him with wide eyes. He could see that Rowanberry and Nutwhisker were too impressed to speak, while Blackfoot's amber eyes shone with pride. Foxheart, however, still looked defiant.
"Well done, Brokenpaw." Nutwhisker praised the young apprentice.
"Yeah, good catch!" Rowanberry agreed.
"I didn't see any skill in that." Foxheart scoffed, gazing at Nutwhisker with her narrowed emerald green eyes. The brown tom ignored the she-cat's gaze. Brokenpaw stared at the ginger tabby she-cat with contempt. 
"We're on a patrol, remember?" Blackfoot meowed, his eyes narrowed as he gazed at Foxheart.
Rowanberry twitched her whiskers briskly, "Blackfoot's right. We'd better get going, we don't want to miss the Gathering."
The patrol searched for prey, with Brokenpaw following them behind. Nutwhisker sensed a lizard's moment nearby, noticing the small reptile walking on a clump of ferns, its green scales making it almost invisible to spot. The brown tom leaped at the lizard, dealing the killing bite to the neck. He grabbed the prey with his teeth and walked up to Brokenpaw and sat down beside him.
Blackfoot sensed a squirrel not too far away, its russet colored fur gleaming in the sunlight as it emerged from a tree hollow, walking down the tree bark, searching for for any sort of food on the ground. The white warrior unsheathed his sharp claws, and put himself into a hunter's crouch. Brokenpaw noticed how the massive white tom didn't even move, as if he was waiting for the squirrel to come to him. Eventually, the squirrel sensed the ShadowClan warrior and started running. The massive warrior chased after the squirrel around the hollow until it found an escape route in a tree hollow to hide. But the small rodent's escape plan didn't succeed. Blackfoot's huge jet-black paws caught it before it entered the hollow. He bit down on his prey's throat, and watched as the squirrel's struggles quickly died away.
Panting, Blackfoot took the squirrel in his jaws and joined Nutwhisker and Brokenpaw. 
Brokenpaw watched carefully as Rowanberry stalked up to a sparrow which was pecking at the ground. The cream-and-brown she-cat's amber eyes were wide open and all her senses were focused on the bird. She chased after the small brown bird and as it flew up, she jumped at it and took it down with her paws. She snapped its neck and carried the prey in her mouth as she joined Nutwhisker, Blackfoot and Brokenpaw.
Foxheart picked up a scent of a vole nearby. The ginger tabby's green eyes were set for the small brown rodent and she kept her paw steps as light as possible. She leaped at the vole, snapping its neck with her teeth. She grabbed her catch and walked up to the rest of the patrol. Once everyone had a piece of prey hanging from their jaws, Blackfoot gave the signal to return. As the group was departing, Brokenpaw looked up at the sky and noticed dusk was near. 
We'd better hurry up.
The patrol pushed their way through the bramble entrance, Blackfoot coming through first, with Brokenpaw hard on his tail. Brokenpaw dropped his fresh-kill onto the fresh-kill pile alongside the rest of the patrol, while some of the cats took some fresh-kill for themselves to eat.
The young tabby saw Raggedpelt curled up in the medicine cats' den, and marched over to him. He still felt guilty for not being able to help his father fight off the fox earlier, but a part of him believed it was for the best. He pressed his fur against the deputy's, gazing at him with worried eyes. "How are your wounds?"
"Yellowfang said they're not too fatal," the ragged-furred warrior replied. "I heard Blackfoot took you on a patrol?"
"Yeah, it went pretty well." Brokenpaw responded, "I caught a starling with ease."
Raggedpelt looked up at his son, his amber eyes shining with pride, "I never doubted you. You'll make a great warrior."
He pressed his nose into the young apprentice's thick fur, grooming his pelt with long licks. Brokenpaw didn't like it in the slightest but he didn't retaliate. He looked down at his father with uncertain eyes as he got a glimpse of the warrior's patchy dark brown pelt covered in herbs and moss. "Will you be able to go to the Gathering?" 
Before he could receive a reply from Raggedpelt, ShadowClan's medicine cat, Yellowfang, entered the den, carrying some herbs and feathers in her jaws. She put her burden down, and looked at the wounded deputy, checking his wounds. The tabby tom's eyes gazed up at her.
"Can I go to the Gathering?" he meowed.
"Most of your wounds have healed," the medicine cat grunted, "some still need some healing but they're not too fatal. You may go."
Brokenpaw felt relieved, the guilt that's been building up inside him suddenly died away, like a tide receding back to the ocean. He exited the medicine cats' den along with Raggedpelt, looking up at the sky. The sky was over all clear, with a tiny puff of cloud, but the moon wasn't visible yet. Brokenpaw could see more cats emerging from their dens, gathering in the middle of the clearing. Deerpaw, Runningpaw and Tanglepaw sat beside their mentors, while Brokenpaw sat alongside the Clan deputy. His mentor, Nightpelt, only looked resigned. Once the cats who were going to the Gathering assembled around Raggedpelt and Cedarstar, the Clan leader gave the signal to depart at last.
The cats traveled through the forest until they reached the Thunderpath. They went through a tunnel below it, which led directly to Fourtrees and into ThunderClan territory. Suddenly, everything went pitch black as the group entered the tunnel. Brokenpaw couldn't see where he was going, relying on his other senses, his tabby pelt brushing the tunnel sides. His fur was all spiked up as a roar sounded from overhead, ringing in his ears, thinking as if his ears would burst.
It's only a monster, he thought to himself. He carried on along with the group, light came into sight as they got closer to the end of the tunnel. They entered a huge open hollow, and Brokenpaw shot away from the rest of his Clanmates, sprinting for the ThunderClan border. Cedarstar halted, lashing his tail, and Raggedpelt yowled, "Brokenpaw! Get back here!"
Brokenpaw paused on the border for a couple of heartbeats, before padding back to the group.
"I was making sure that the ThunderClan scent marks were on the right side of the border," he explained. "this is a vulnerable piece of territory. We can't neglect it, when getting to Fourtrees is so important."
"That's right," Raggedpelt nodded, "but next time ask before you go dashing off."
Several older warriors echoed Raggedpelt's approval.
"Good call," Blackfoot purred.
"Yes," Russetfur added. "I can see you're going to be a good warrior, Brokenpaw."
"You'll be a great warrior." Boulder agreed.
The ShadowClan cats were the first to arrive at Fourtrees. By now, the moon was floating high above, shedding its silvery light over the meeting place. Brokenpaw hurtled down the slope into the hollow and dashed for the Great Rock, bunching his muscles to leap. Nightpelt called him back, "You can't go up there," he scolded. "that's only for the leaders."
For a heartbeat, Brokenpaw looked angry, then he flicked his tail. "One day," he promised. He raced off to explore the rest of the hollow. He picked up a scent of ThunderClan cats, noticing the group padding out of the forest towards the meeting place. Their build seemed similar to ShadowClan cats, only that they had a thick pelt and large paws. The first cat to show up was a reddish-brown tom with green eyes, Guess that's the ThunderClan leader, Brokenpaw assumed. Several cats were following their leader from behind, and were heading off to the hollow down the slope. Brokenpaw rushed back to the hollow and brought the news to his Clanmates. "More cats are coming!"
Not before long, he caught sight of skinny cats with very long legs, a long tail and large ears. A pinkish-gray she-cat with blue eyes was in the lead. Those must be WindClan cats, Brokenpaw wondered, feeling a wave of hatred rush through him from head to tail-tip as he watched the WindClan cats join the others in the hollow.
"Rabbit-eaters," Brokenpaw muttered under his breath. In a moment, he observed as thick-furred cats with small ears and short muscular legs arrived to Fourtrees right after WindClan. Brokenpaw couldn't exactly tell who the leader of RiverClan was, guessing it might be the thick-pelted gray tom with yellow eyes.
The meeting place was now crowded with cats, the hollow was filled with lots of noise as each cat shared news with each other. The Clan leaders sat on the Great Rock, observing their Clans from above. Brokenpaw didn't bother to talk to the apprentices from other Clans. Instead, he sat all by himself, spotting WindClan apprentices talk to his denmates. Brokenpaw hoped that his denmates were being careful enough, as no one in ShadowClan would want their rival, WindClan, to know everything about them. He watched the WindClan apprentices with a glint of hatred in his eyes. He lifted his chin up and gazed at the four leaders, whose pelts shone brightly in the moonlight. They looked ready to start the Gathering and the noise from the crowd died down.
The ShadowClan leader, Cedarstar, stepped forward. "Cats of all Clans, welcome," he mewed, his voice brimming with confidence and dignity, "I have good news to report tonight. ShadowClan have made four new apprentices. Deerpaw, Tanglepaw and Brokenpaw will train as warriors, while Runningpaw is apprenticed to Yellowfang and will become a medicine cat." he paused, as the all present Clans—especially ShadowClan cats cheered out the apprentices' names proudly. Deerpaw and Tanglepaw stood confident, their eyes glistening with pride. Brokenpaw wasn't with them in the throng. The tabby tom sat close to the WindClan apprentices. His eyes were burning with hostility, his claws unsheathed and his muscles rippling like waves beneath his fur as he were ready for battle, yet he hesitated to lunge at them.
"The Clan has been strengthening its borders," Cedarstar went on as the noise died down. "We look forward to good hunting throughout greenleaf." He gave a meaningful glance around at the other Clans, then stepped back to give his place to Pinestar, who was followed by Hailstar of RiverClan and Heatherstar of WindClan.
While the Clan leaders were reporting good news, Brokenpaw stared down at a brown WindClan tom, growling, "Prey-stealers!" he spat. "You went through the tunnel below the Thunderpath to steal our prey!"
The WindClan apprentices looked astonished. A gray tom spoke up, "What? We didn't do such thing!"
Once Hailstar had finished his speech, he gave his place to the WindClan leader, Heatherstar. She looked down at the gathered cats below, her pinkish-gray pelt turning almost beige from the moonlight. "WindClan have made a new apprentice, Barkpaw who's apprenticed to Hawkheart and will train as a medicine cat."
The cats yowled Barkpaw's name, too. As the noise died down, she continued, "After a hard leaf-bare, we have plentiful rabbits in our territory. Some of our young fleet-flooted cats are excellent moor-runners—"
A commotion break out drowned what the WindClan leader was trying to say. Brokenpaw was wrestling with the two WindClan apprentices. He tried to rake down the brown tom's flank with his claws, while the gray tom jumped at Brokenpaw, pushing him off of his denmate. Brokenpaw lunged again, batting at the gray cat's face. There was no end for this fight, not until one of the WindClan apprentices admitted stealing prey. 
From his place on top of the Great Rock, Cedarstar leaped to his paws. His voice rang out above the turmoil. "Brokenpaw! Stop fighting at once!"
Turning to Heatherstar, he dipped his head and added, "I am sorry, Heatherstar. He is a young apprentice, and it's his first time at a Gathering. I will deal with him afterward."
Heatherstar dipped her head. "No cat blames you, Cedarstar," she meowed with dignity. "but be sure to remind your apprentices of the importance of keeping the truce at full-moon. I shall speak to my own apprentices, too."
The cats in the hollow were shifting around, whispering. As Heatherstar had finished her interrupted speech, the four leaders sprang from the Great Rock. The cats below relaxed and started to share news with friends in other Clans. But Cedarstar gathered the ShadowClan cats around him with a flick of his tail. "We're leaving," he growled.
"What?" Clawface protested. "Already?"
Nightpelt was padding up with Brokenpaw at his side. The black warrior was clearly furious, while Brokenpaw only looked defiant.
"One of our apprentices doesn't deserve to stay and meet others." Cedarstar glared at Brokenpaw, then turned and led the way out of the hollow.
As the group was departing, Raggedpelt pushed his way through the crowd, falling in beside Cedarstar. "You didn't have to single out Brokenpaw in front of all the Clans like that!" he challenged his leader angrily. "Or scold him like that. There were two other apprentices involved! Brokenpaw was only defending ShadowClan honor!"
"Your son broke the rules of the truce." Cedarstar's anger was colder and more controlled. "I cannot let that happen."
Raggedpelt snorted. "Loyalty and courage mean more than rules," he growled.
Brokenpaw followed the group back home, while not being able to understand what he'd done wrong.