Chapter one~
A soft breeze sighed through the colorful forest leaves, as one she-cat made her way through the cold forest. Her ears were perked and alert as she listened to the sound of leaves crunching beneath her paw-pads. The dark brown she-cat swung around quickly as she caught the voice of another. A large silver tabby tom pushed his way towards her. A dead mouse dangling from his grip,
"Here..." He began with a deep, rumble for a voice, "Take this to Foxstar. He needs to build up his strength for tonight." He finshed. Before turning away,
"Okay, Stonefoot." The small apprentice meowed happily. She then quickly darted through the branches. Her small white paws swiftly darting the twigs and branches that laid in her path. Though she was roughly panting. She had finally got to the camp, where she saw her leader sickly making his way out of the den. The she-cat had been told that this could possibly be his last night. Then she'd have to take over. A she-cat believed to be a terrifying dictator. Why would Foxstar dare chose her? She had killed cats for Starclan's sake! The small she-cat, apprentice finally made her way to the orange brown and black leader. His fur looked ragged and dull as if he stopped caring for himself like a helpless elder. Though, the apprentice was deeply stunned by how awful her poor leader looked. She couldn't help but be angry with him for the deputy he had chosen, "Good day, Foxstar." The small she-cat began. Right before running strait into, Thinpelt,
"Why, hello Runningpaw, Foxstar." She purred to the two. No hatred showing in her eyes, yet she somehow knew how the tortoiseshell she-cat felt about her. Instead of responding, Runningpaw looked at her with all the hatred in her heart. Right before turning back to the tom,
"Stonefoot tells me to give this to you." She meowed. Watching as her leader lowered his head to sniff the small creature,
"Yes, tell him that Starclan thanks him for his thoughtfulness." The tom rasped. Somehow Runningpaw couldn't help but not blame him for being sick. Even though they had to eat disgusting rats for about a moon and a half. Foxstar was quite elderly and frail to say the least. So therefor, there was no reason to be surprised or blame it on another. The answer was that he was just simply old.
The sun had already gone down. Causing Silverpelt to glow brighter then ever. The small brown she-cat watched with friendly blue eyes, as each star twinkled. Knowing that one of them would be her best friend. Which she always seemed to believe was the brightest star of them all. In her opinion, she had a very nice reasoning for this. First, the star seemed to stand there alone. Powerful and independent, like her friend always was. Runningpaw began to mourn over the small she-cat. For they both had been through everything together, and the more she thought about her... The more she felt sorry for herself. Her head began to rise to her throat as she remembered the great times they had in the past.
"Sleep tight... and don't let the elders bite!" The small apprentice meowed with a smile. Unaware of the small tear that rolled down her furry cheek. Runningpaw remembered exactly how her friend had died. It was all in the paws of starvation during those dark times. Two-legs had taken over part of their territory. Leaving their two-leg trash to get everywhere. Killing off all the prey that thought of the garbage as food. Perhaps there really wasn't going to ever be a happy time in her life ever again. By this time, she was looking down at her paws. Slightly wishing she had been there to save the lively she-cat from her horrid death.
"Runningpaw?" A light motherly voice caught her attention. The brown she-cat turned to see Thinpelt approaching her slowly,
"What do you want!?" Runningpaw hissed angrily. How dare this, this mouse-brain get into her business?
"Runningpaw, I-I just wanted to know if you were okay." She began. The brown she-cat didn't respond, "Tell me... Whatever is the matter?" The tortoiseshell she-cat added. Pressing her side close to her's. Growing quite angry with the older deputy. She stepped away, teeth gritted into a fierce snarl that she didn't even dare flash at her. Instead the apprentice simply stepped towards the apprentices' den. She had heard Thinpelt try to say something else to her, but she didn't want to hear it. Runningpaw soon came to realize that her paws were taking her elsewhere. But she couldn't bring it to her mind that she should go the other way. They appeared to be taking her to the Frozen Lake, the closet bit of territory too camp.
The scent of the freshwater pond had hit her so quickly. Along with other scents of prey. Realizing how hungry she was, her mouth watered at the scent. She guessed that it wouldn't hurt to get a quick mouse, before heading back to camp. Runningpaw quickly caught the sweet smell of vole. The brown she-cat quickly dropped into a hunter's crouch. Licking her lower jaw and upper jaw. While her yellow eyes held focus,
"Runningpaw!" A squeaky voice called. Almost scaring the fur off her own tail. Yet she knew exactly who it was, Rabbitkit.
"What do you want pipsqueak... Can't you tell that i'm trying to hunt?" The apprentice snapped towards the small kit. The poor gray thing shy'd away a bit. Backing up into the ferns, tail in between his legs.
"Okay... Look, i'm sorry. But you're not supposed to be out in the forest, and you know that!" Runningpaw scolded. Placing her paw in front of Rabbitkit's face. Her ears flattened on her head shamefully as she watched the kit sneak out, still crouched in fear,
"Thinpelt had awoken Stonefoot from his sleep, and told him about what happened." The kit began. Fear quickly made the fur on her spine prickle, for she understood exactly what the deputy had told her mentor.
"That mouse-brained fool." Runningpaw sneered to herself. Directing her harsh words at the deputy, who wasn't here,
"Quickly..." The brown she-cat meowed. Letting the fur lie flat on her back, "Tell me more." Runningpaw meowed calmly. Hoping the apprentice wouldn't bring up the choice of punishment. But that was far from her grasp,
"He said that you need to come back to camp right away, so that he could plan out a punishment for you with Foxstar." Rabbitkit explained, "But he had told me too get a warrior to come with me... I didn't really listen I guess." The small tom meowed as he shamefully looked down at his paws.
"No, you didn't... Did you?" Runningpaw meowed with an amused purr. Perhaps we are alike in a way. The she-cat though before standing to her white paws.
"Well... We better get going," She began, "We both have confessions to make." The brown she-cat added. Grabbing the small kit by the scruff.
As the she-cat was dashing through the forest. She couldn't help but get a strange churn within her stomach. The scent of other cats filled most of this part of the territory, and it was really getting to her. "Hey! Whats that disgusting scent?" Rabbitkit exclaimed. Wrinkling his nose in disgust, while he brought his paws to the top of his muzzle. Runningpaw didn't know how to answer that question correctly nor honestly.
"I honestly don't know..." The brown she-cat added quietly. Perhaps she could ask her mentor? No, no... That was a mouse-brained idea, and she knew it. Thinpelt would just convince Stonefoot that she's playing tricks. She knew that dumb she-cat enough to know. They had been den-mates for Starclan's sake!
"Well... What do you think it is?" The gray kit asked. Still unhappy with the heavy scent.
Just entering camp, Runningpaw set the small kit down to answer his question,
"I don't know-" She began, "-Look, just go back to the nursery, please." The she-cat meowed, right before beginning to speak again,
"Now, if you would leave me be I have some hunting to be getting to." Even though she had just lied through her own teeth. She thought that she had a good enough reason. Therefor, why should she need to ask for forgiveness from Starclan?
"Wait, but I wanna go too," The tom protested, "Mom said that I was an intelligent warrior, fighter even!"
Runningpaw felt annoyance overcome anger and sadness as the kit technically begged for her to break the Warrior Code. If she did, she may never see her friend again,
"Sorry, Rabbitkit... It's not gonna happen." She hissed, right before turning to dash into the dark forest alone. She didn't even thing about what could possibly happen to the small kit.