Post by LιθΠΗΣαRτεD on Aug 28, 2015 15:59:50 GMT
"Thrushpaw."
"Mphm."
"Thrushpaw."
"Not now..."
"Thrushpaw!" snarled the voice. Thrushpaw felt a paw roughly shaking him, and he woke up, feeling quite rattled. Goldenfox's impatient and frustrated face swam into view. Frostberry stood behind him, looking quite bored. Thrushpaw's stomach almost melted clean away. I'm scared of my own brothers.
"What?" he asked tensely.
"Icestar wants you at the Gathering tonight," drawled Frostberry, cutting across Goldenfox as he opened his mouth.
"I don't want to go," Thrushpaw said automatically. He'd been feeling so lonely without Rosepaw that nothing seemed to be functioning the way he wanted to. He'd missed two mice yesterday out hunting, and had only returned with a pitifully small baby shrew; his brothers had noticed immediately.
"Okay, whatever." they left, and Thrushpaw slumped down into his nest.
"You don't want to go to the Gathering?" exclaimed Cinderpaw from her corner in the den. "Why?"
"Don't feel like it, okay?" Thrushpaw snapped. Cinderpaw looked a bit hurt, and Thrushpaw regretted unleashing his pent-up anger towards her. However, he found himself not able to apologize. "Just leave me alone. Please."
"We're only trying to help," Emberpaw said gently, moving to touch his shoulder with her tail tip. Thrushpaw shrugged it off roughly. "Look, I appreciate all the concern. But just let me think through this, and get over the mountain by myself, all right? Do me a favor, and go to the Gathering."
Silence fell upon the apprentices' den. Closing his eyes, Thrushpaw heaved a sigh, then opened them, staring dully into the space in front of him. I just want to know where you are, Rosepaw. Please come back. It's not the same without you. He heard the shuffling of paws as Cinderpaw and Emberpaw clambered up to leave, passing his peripheral vision briefly. However, Thrushpaw hadn't even blinked when Stonepaw padded inside, throwing a half-interested glance at him.
"What's up?" he said carelessly. Thrushpaw shrugged. "You're boring."
"Thank you, I've noticed."
"Heard you weren't going to the Gathering tonight."
"You heard right," grunted Thrushpaw, getting more and more irritated. "What's your point?"
"Don't have one." Stonepaw settled into his nest next to Thrushpaw. "Just gotta rest for the big Gathering tonight. Icestar's going to be announcing our names, you know. It would be a shame to be absent."
"I'll take it," grumbled Thrushpaw, turning away from the other tom.
"There were so many cats!"
"That SunsetClan apprentice was cute."
"Do you think we'll be able to go to the next Gathering?"
Thrushpaw's eyes were closed, but he could hear Cinderpaw and her siblings padding in, chatting excitedly.
"How was it?" asked Newtpaw, one of the older apprentices.
"It was so fun!" gushed Cinderpaw, her voice laced with excitement. "I can't wait to go again!"
"Eh, it was too loud, in my opinion," muttered Stonepaw. The other she-cats ignored him. Thrushpaw heard the moss nests shift as the other apprentices settled in. His ears twitched in annoyance as continued to Emberpaw and Cinderpaw exchanged quiet whispers.
"Can you two shut up?" snapped Stonepaw from beside Thrushpaw.
Shut up yourself.
"Hey," snarled Blazepaw from the other end of the den, "that's not nice. They're just talking quietly."
"Well, talk in the morning!"
"Sorry," said Emberpaw.
"Whatever."
"Can't you be little nicer?" Cinderpaw asked bitterly.
"I can't if you three are so annoying all the time," retorted Stonepaw.
Thrushpaw's patience snapped. His temper had been rising like a bubble for the whole day, and now they were disturbing his quiet time. "All of you, go stuff your mouths with moss!" Rising out of his own nest, he cast a glare at the apprentices in the den. Skypaw squeaked and jerked out of her light slumber, and the other older apprentices stayed quiet. All eyes were on him, and in the silence, he backed off. "Just try to be quiet, okay? Please. I'm trying to sleep, and so is everyone else. Discuss in the morning. It's not like you'll see any of those cats anytime soon." Thrushpaw sank back into his nest and turned his back.
A tense silence hung in the air of the apprentices' den for the rest of the night.
"Thrushpaw? I'd like you on a patrol with Robincall, Squirrelflame, and Goldenfox, please."
"Fine," muttered Thrushpaw. Moonclaw narrowed her eyes at him, but said nothing more. He passed the WhisperClan deputy awkwardly, and quickly followed behind Goldenfox as the patrol started to leave.
"Doing well, Thrushpaw?" Robincall asked lightly from the head of the patrol.
Not wanting to seem weak and depressed in front of Goldenfox, Thrushpaw replied with a lame "yeah."
Clearing his throat, Robincall stopped suddenly. "Erm, I think we'd better split up," he said, with a knowing glance at Goldenfox, who looked back expressionlessly. "Uh, I'll go to the Mouse Ridge with Squirrelflame. Goldenfox, you can go with Thrushpaw to the Slopes."
Goldenfox padded away silently, and Thrushpaw trailed away from him. Is there a reason Robincall's doing this?
The two brothers walked side-by-side, heading quietly for the Slopes. Neither of them said a word. Reaching the Slopes, Goldenfox marked the border, and they stood there, looking across the StormClan border. This is awkward. Thrushpaw shuffled his paws. Goldenfox was staring hard at the rival Clan's territory, a dangerous but amused look in his eyes.
There was a pregnant pause in between them. Then-
"So you haven't heard."
"Heard what?" asked Thrushpaw, startled at the sudden speech. "Um-"
"Right. You weren't at the Gathering yesterday."
Don't gloat. I've heard enough about the stupid Gathering.
"I know where your sister is," Goldenfox continued, almost gleefully.
Your sister? I thought she was our sister. "Where?" Thrushpaw blurted out, leaning forward. Goldenfox smirked. "Look across the border."
"What?"
Goldenfox's smirk grew into a scowl. "The little squirrel ran across the border," he snarled, his claws scraping the ground, tearing up grass. He looked dangerous again, and Thrushpaw backed away. "To StormClan. She's Rosetail now. What a coward."
What? She... she ran away to StormClan? And she just abandoned me? "Hey. You and Frostberry are the ones who caused her to do that," he snapped, feeling angry at his brother once more. Who did they think they are? Leaders? "You two neglected her her whole life, and made her feel useless! You never even stopped to consider your sister!"
"We saw her for what she was the moment she was born," snapped Goldenfox, towering over Thrushpaw. He leaned down and thrusted his face into Thrushpaw's, who hastily backed away. Goldenfox's white teeth showed as he growled. "A weakling. She was born weak, and will always be weak. StormClan's a weak Clan for taking in such a runt. And you know what you were? A runt, too. So you better prove yourself better than her. I'm actually going to give you a chance. Because we and WhisperClan have no space or time for weaklings and cowards."
"Mphm."
"Thrushpaw."
"Not now..."
"Thrushpaw!" snarled the voice. Thrushpaw felt a paw roughly shaking him, and he woke up, feeling quite rattled. Goldenfox's impatient and frustrated face swam into view. Frostberry stood behind him, looking quite bored. Thrushpaw's stomach almost melted clean away. I'm scared of my own brothers.
"What?" he asked tensely.
"Icestar wants you at the Gathering tonight," drawled Frostberry, cutting across Goldenfox as he opened his mouth.
"I don't want to go," Thrushpaw said automatically. He'd been feeling so lonely without Rosepaw that nothing seemed to be functioning the way he wanted to. He'd missed two mice yesterday out hunting, and had only returned with a pitifully small baby shrew; his brothers had noticed immediately.
"Okay, whatever." they left, and Thrushpaw slumped down into his nest.
"You don't want to go to the Gathering?" exclaimed Cinderpaw from her corner in the den. "Why?"
"Don't feel like it, okay?" Thrushpaw snapped. Cinderpaw looked a bit hurt, and Thrushpaw regretted unleashing his pent-up anger towards her. However, he found himself not able to apologize. "Just leave me alone. Please."
"We're only trying to help," Emberpaw said gently, moving to touch his shoulder with her tail tip. Thrushpaw shrugged it off roughly. "Look, I appreciate all the concern. But just let me think through this, and get over the mountain by myself, all right? Do me a favor, and go to the Gathering."
Silence fell upon the apprentices' den. Closing his eyes, Thrushpaw heaved a sigh, then opened them, staring dully into the space in front of him. I just want to know where you are, Rosepaw. Please come back. It's not the same without you. He heard the shuffling of paws as Cinderpaw and Emberpaw clambered up to leave, passing his peripheral vision briefly. However, Thrushpaw hadn't even blinked when Stonepaw padded inside, throwing a half-interested glance at him.
"What's up?" he said carelessly. Thrushpaw shrugged. "You're boring."
"Thank you, I've noticed."
"Heard you weren't going to the Gathering tonight."
"You heard right," grunted Thrushpaw, getting more and more irritated. "What's your point?"
"Don't have one." Stonepaw settled into his nest next to Thrushpaw. "Just gotta rest for the big Gathering tonight. Icestar's going to be announcing our names, you know. It would be a shame to be absent."
"I'll take it," grumbled Thrushpaw, turning away from the other tom.
"There were so many cats!"
"That SunsetClan apprentice was cute."
"Do you think we'll be able to go to the next Gathering?"
Thrushpaw's eyes were closed, but he could hear Cinderpaw and her siblings padding in, chatting excitedly.
"How was it?" asked Newtpaw, one of the older apprentices.
"It was so fun!" gushed Cinderpaw, her voice laced with excitement. "I can't wait to go again!"
"Eh, it was too loud, in my opinion," muttered Stonepaw. The other she-cats ignored him. Thrushpaw heard the moss nests shift as the other apprentices settled in. His ears twitched in annoyance as continued to Emberpaw and Cinderpaw exchanged quiet whispers.
"Can you two shut up?" snapped Stonepaw from beside Thrushpaw.
Shut up yourself.
"Hey," snarled Blazepaw from the other end of the den, "that's not nice. They're just talking quietly."
"Well, talk in the morning!"
"Sorry," said Emberpaw.
"Whatever."
"Can't you be little nicer?" Cinderpaw asked bitterly.
"I can't if you three are so annoying all the time," retorted Stonepaw.
Thrushpaw's patience snapped. His temper had been rising like a bubble for the whole day, and now they were disturbing his quiet time. "All of you, go stuff your mouths with moss!" Rising out of his own nest, he cast a glare at the apprentices in the den. Skypaw squeaked and jerked out of her light slumber, and the other older apprentices stayed quiet. All eyes were on him, and in the silence, he backed off. "Just try to be quiet, okay? Please. I'm trying to sleep, and so is everyone else. Discuss in the morning. It's not like you'll see any of those cats anytime soon." Thrushpaw sank back into his nest and turned his back.
A tense silence hung in the air of the apprentices' den for the rest of the night.
"Thrushpaw? I'd like you on a patrol with Robincall, Squirrelflame, and Goldenfox, please."
"Fine," muttered Thrushpaw. Moonclaw narrowed her eyes at him, but said nothing more. He passed the WhisperClan deputy awkwardly, and quickly followed behind Goldenfox as the patrol started to leave.
"Doing well, Thrushpaw?" Robincall asked lightly from the head of the patrol.
Not wanting to seem weak and depressed in front of Goldenfox, Thrushpaw replied with a lame "yeah."
Clearing his throat, Robincall stopped suddenly. "Erm, I think we'd better split up," he said, with a knowing glance at Goldenfox, who looked back expressionlessly. "Uh, I'll go to the Mouse Ridge with Squirrelflame. Goldenfox, you can go with Thrushpaw to the Slopes."
Goldenfox padded away silently, and Thrushpaw trailed away from him. Is there a reason Robincall's doing this?
The two brothers walked side-by-side, heading quietly for the Slopes. Neither of them said a word. Reaching the Slopes, Goldenfox marked the border, and they stood there, looking across the StormClan border. This is awkward. Thrushpaw shuffled his paws. Goldenfox was staring hard at the rival Clan's territory, a dangerous but amused look in his eyes.
There was a pregnant pause in between them. Then-
"So you haven't heard."
"Heard what?" asked Thrushpaw, startled at the sudden speech. "Um-"
"Right. You weren't at the Gathering yesterday."
Don't gloat. I've heard enough about the stupid Gathering.
"I know where your sister is," Goldenfox continued, almost gleefully.
Your sister? I thought she was our sister. "Where?" Thrushpaw blurted out, leaning forward. Goldenfox smirked. "Look across the border."
"What?"
Goldenfox's smirk grew into a scowl. "The little squirrel ran across the border," he snarled, his claws scraping the ground, tearing up grass. He looked dangerous again, and Thrushpaw backed away. "To StormClan. She's Rosetail now. What a coward."
What? She... she ran away to StormClan? And she just abandoned me? "Hey. You and Frostberry are the ones who caused her to do that," he snapped, feeling angry at his brother once more. Who did they think they are? Leaders? "You two neglected her her whole life, and made her feel useless! You never even stopped to consider your sister!"
"We saw her for what she was the moment she was born," snapped Goldenfox, towering over Thrushpaw. He leaned down and thrusted his face into Thrushpaw's, who hastily backed away. Goldenfox's white teeth showed as he growled. "A weakling. She was born weak, and will always be weak. StormClan's a weak Clan for taking in such a runt. And you know what you were? A runt, too. So you better prove yourself better than her. I'm actually going to give you a chance. Because we and WhisperClan have no space or time for weaklings and cowards."