Legacy Rising: Dark Secrets

2

Rewritten ✔
Edited ✘

Pebblepaw's dream had taken a hold of her mind. She couldn't concentrate during her training at all, even if it was just the rest of the territory and basic ways to defend herself.

"No, Pebblepaw, hold your paw up higher! It looks like you're trying to take a step, not take a swipe at Sparrowpaw!" she heard Troutfrost exclaim. She held her paw up higher, making her back end crouch lower to the ground.

"That's better," Beesting offered, though Pebblepaw could tell he was just trying to make her feel better.

"Now that you know a few defensive strategies, you can try them out on us. Use your instincts for the offensive moves," Troutfrost said. "Pebblepaw, you first." Sparrowpaw stepped away from the grassy clearing, getting distracted by a bug.

Suddenly, she was face down on the ground with Troutfrost on top of her.

"Never let your guard down during a battle!" he announced, hopping off his apprentice. Pebblepaw sighed.

"I'll never get it!" she said sadly, flattening her ears. Beesting walked over and draped his tail across her shoulders.

"That has happened to literally every apprentice in existence," he laughed.

Pebblepaw perked up. "Seriously?"

Beesting nodded. "Happened to me even after a few moons of training. Happened to Troutfrost, I'm sure." Troutfrost nodded as well.

"Get back up on your paws, Warrior. You still have many moons of training yet to come!" Troutfrost meowed excitedly. Pebblepaw nodded, and they both got back to their places. This time, Pebblepaw calculated where Troutfrost's eyes were and when he leaped, she scooted to one side. He landed to her left and turned to face her, tail lashing.

She raised a paw and tried to swipe at his face, but he dodged and faster than she could've thought possible, bowled her over. Being as light as she was, Pebblepaw dropped to the ground immediately after being hit and her mentor tumbled over her, letting out a surprised gasp.

"Troutfrost? Are you okay?" Beesting asked, jumping up to help the deputy.

"I- I'm fine," Troutfrost grunted. He was obviously favoring one foreleg, a little more than that small of a fall could've hurt. At least, that's what Pebblepaw thought, and she was no medicine cat.

"You're obviously not," Beesting observed. "We can go back to camp."

Troutfrost sighed. "You continue training with Pebblepaw and Sparrowpaw. I'll go by myself," he meowed, starting to heavily limp away.

"Wait, Troutfrost! At least take Pebblepaw with you. What if you run into a fox or badger? You can't even run away! Pebblepaw is pretty fast, so if you bring her, you'll be able to-" Beesting rambled, his tail twitching annoyedly.

"I'll be fine," Troutfrost hissed, turning and limping away again. Beesting tried to follow, but was sent back in fear the apprentices might get hurt.

They trained for a few more minutes, but the time felt like seasons to Pebblepaw.

What if he got eaten by a badger? What if he ran in to rogues? What if he fell into a ravine and died? Pebblepaw's mind filled with terrible thoughts on what could've happened to her mentor and deputy. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Beesting spoke up.

"Hey, Pebblepaw? Why don't you go back to camp and see if Troutfrost got there okay? It's been a while," he murmured. Sparrowpaw nodded enthusiastically, offering his opinion.

"Yeah! He might've been kidnapped by green twolegs or eaten by giant, cat-stomping trees!"

Pebblepaw laughed at her brother's antics. She nodded, turning to go through a clearing in the silvery trees around her. Pebblepaw hissed as a burr got stuck to her pelt.

"StarClan! How do the other Clans stand this?" she cursed under her breath. The tabby apprentice continued onward, letting out small hisses as thistles, burrs, and thorns got stuck to her. The snap of a branch sent Pebblepaw up a tree, her claws snagging in the soft bark of a beech. She sniffed the air for badgers or a fox, but all she could smell was RiverClan.

Footsteps were heard, soft and light. A cat was walking, maybe two. Her eyes widened and she got ready to leap.

"You said Pebblepaw got hurt?" a she-cat's voice sounded. Right after, a dark cream cat walked out from behind a bush, Troutfrost following. Pebblepaw's head cocked in confusion.

But... I'm not hurt... Troutfrost is! She thought, thoroughly confused. As the two cats passed under the tree she was in, Troutfrost responded.

"Yeah, we were training in the Beech Copse and she fell and hurt her leg. Can't walk, said it hurt to carry her, so I brought you with me back to her," he meowed. The two cats went out of Pebblepaw's line of sight, so she climbed down the tree and started following them.

Why would Troutfrost lie to Goldenglow? she thought, carefully making sure she didn't step on any branches. Suddenly, she hears the footsteps stop.

"Troutfrost? What's wrong?" Goldenglow asked, her voice laced with concern.

"Thought I heard something..." Pebblepaw heard footsteps getting closer to her and in a moment of panic, she dove behind a tree. Troutfrost's eyes reflected in the sunlight, making him look like he had no pupils. She ducked behind the tree as his head swiftly turned to look at the tree. He slowly started stepping toward Pebblepaw.

"Troutfrost? I don't smell anything. If Pebblepaw can't walk, we have to get there quickly before a fox finds her!" Goldenglow yelled to the deputy. Pebblepaw had to stifle a sigh of relief as she heard Troutfrost leave.

Why am I afraid of them catching me? Pebblepaw thought with a sigh. She wasn't supposed to be scared of her Clan deputy. She was abruptly brought out of her thoughts as a scream echoed through the territory. Pebblepaw's eyes widened, and she crouched low to the ground and continued forward. She reached a clearing and stuck her head out of a bush. The scene in front of her sent the taste of bile up her throat. She took deep breaths and tried to make as little noise as possible, but that's pretty hard when your deputy is standing over the dead body of your only medicine cat, blood covering his maw.

A/N :

Word Count: 1013
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