Night fell over camp and Rowanpaw was shaken awake by someone. Already on edge, he jumped and lashed out at whoever prodded him. His claws narrowly missed Sablepaw's face. The cream-colored she-cat flattened her ears and hissed.
"Watch it! I've only woken you to tell you it's time to go." Sablepaw growled and turned her back on him to leave the den.
After a deep breath, Rowanpaw followed Sablepaw outside the apprentice den. He saw, in amazement, that all the apprentices sat at the center of camp with their mentors: Wolfpaw with Nightfang, Hollowpaw with Birchleap, Sablepaw with Briarfrost, Crowpaw with Darknight, and Wrenpaw with Flameheart. Rowanpaw padded over to where Ravenwing waited.
At the head of the group was Skystar himself. "Tonight we will be playing a war game of sorts. This game is a tradition in HiddenClan and countless generations of apprentices have played this game at least once during their apprenticeship. I will split the apprentices into two groups and their mentors will be in the opposite group as them. The object of the game is to 'claim' the other team's base. If a cat is tagged, they're dead."
Skystar's amber eyes surveyed the crowd of apprentices. "The first team will be Wolfpaw, Sablepaw, and Rowanpaw. The second team will be Hollowpaw, Crowpaw, and Wrenpaw. Mentors join the opposite team in which your apprentice is a part of." Rowanpaw knew this meant they would have Birchleap, Darknight, and Flameheart on their team.
"Wolfpaw's team, your base is the Hollow Tree," Skystar announced and Rowanpaw envisioned the tall, hollow tree near the RainClan border. "Hollowpaw's team, your base is Boulder Hill." This time, Rowanpaw pictured the pile of boulders near the SwiftClan camp. They were on opposite sides of the territory!
"The first team to tag their opponent's base, wins." Skystar announced. "Keep claws sheathed, this is only a game. Take a few seconds to converse with your team and then we'll begin."
Rowanpaw turned to Wolfpaw and Sablepaw, hating that he was partnered with his bully. "So what are we going to do?" Sablepaw meowed softly.
"Well, which of us is the fastest?" Wolfpaw wondered, his eyes turning to his sister. "Probably you, Sablepaw. I'll go and protect the base with Birchleap and Darknight. You go with Flameheart and Rowanpaw. One of you ought to be able to tag Boulder Hill."
Skystar suddenly yowled, the signal for the game to begin. Cats shot off into the night, heading in different directions. Rowanpaw saw Wolfpaw slip away with Birchleap and Darknight on his paws. "Let's go," Sablepaw hissed to him and Flameheart.
The three of them dashed off into the forest towards the SwiftClan border. "Scatter!" Sablepaw ordered. "We'll be harder to catch that way!"
Rowanpaw disappeared into the shadows, doing what he always does best. He became a shadow himself and raced amongst the darkness. Sablepaw and Flameheart disappeared too and he couldn't see the two she-cats anywhere. To his right, Rowanpaw heard someone coming up on his shoulder.
The red-brown spotted tom dodged to the side, completely missing Wrenpaw's reach. He spun around and tagged her himself, meaning she was "dead". Rowanpaw continued onward. The darkness was comforting and allowed him to broaden his senses. All around him, the trees blurred as he zipped past.
He heard Flameheart yowl in the distance, probably caught off guard when she was tagged. Now it was just him and Sablepaw. Rowanpaw ran faster and lengthened his stride. He weaved in and out of the undergrowth, slipping past trees. Nothing could stop him!
"Ow!" Rowanpaw heard Sablepaw growl, probably knocked over after being tagged. He was the last one standing.
Boulder Hill came into view, and Rowanpaw wondered how he could possibly get close enough without being spotted. He needed to be within a good distance so he could strike without being seen until it was too late. Rowanpaw decided to rely on his senses.
He made himself small and slipped quietly from shadow to shadow. The wind blew towards him, carrying his scent in the opposite direction. Rowanpaw spotted Crowpaw, Ravenwing, and Nightfang. Briarnose, Hollowpaw, and Wrenpaw must be heading for Hollow Tree.
He crawled forward completely undetected. Just a little further and he could sprint to Boulder Hill before being tagged. Rowanpaw felt a deep desire to win, to prove to his teammates that he was able of being a worthy clan cat.
Boulder Hill stood tall and bright under the moonlight. It consisted of at least a dozen boulders piled together. Rowanpaw knew that this place was a popular place to hunt for mice and rabbits. Sometimes warriors even sunned here.
Rowanpaw bunched his haunches beneath him, ready to spring... Suddenly, he lunged forward with all his might. Crowpaw, Ravenwing, and Nightfang all scrambled to tag him, but it was too late. Rowanpaw's paw connected with the stone and he felt a glimmer of triumph.
"Good job, Rowanpaw," Ravenwing praised him. It surprised Rowanpaw, but he didn't argue. Ravenwing was the father of Crowpaw and Wrenpaw, and in a small way, he was Rowanpaw's father too. At least he admitted Rowanpaw's existence whereas Olivenose completely ignored him.
Rowanpaw lifted his head proudly. The game was over, and he won it. Maybe now his clanmates would start to accept him?
YOU ARE READING
Warriors || Tainted Blood: Book 1
Fanfiction"Blood will rain from StarClan and darkness will rise. No one will escape it." Rowankit lives a lonely existence among his clan. Many blame him for the death of his mother and sister, but he was only a kit-how could any of it be his fault? Growing u...
