Warriors: Loyalty Dwindles (COMPLETE)

Chapter 4

 A strong paw jabbed at Adderpaw's side, startling him awake. When he'd blinked away the fogginess of sleep his gaze met a pair of blue-purple eyes that belonged to a long haired tom around his own age. 

 "Get up, rogue..." the tom growled disapprovingly at him. 

Adderpaw stretched up into a sitting position and tilted his head to the side at his denmate's hostile behavior. 

 The best thing I can do is just brush it off. Don't want to deal with any arguments this early. 

"What is it? Why are you waking me up...whoever you are?" 

The young tom puffed his chest out, as if he was offended that Adderpaw didn't know who he was. High and mighty already. Adderpaw wondered what he might turn out to be like when he was an older warrior. Would he still possess the same amount of pride? 

"My name is Robinpaw, and you're the rogue that joined the Clan yesterday. Not that we needed you, we have plenty of strong warriors!" 

Robinpaw. Right. Jaytuft told me both of the other apprentice's names yesterday. Maybe I should've paid closer attention. 

Robinpaw's words stung, making him shift his paws against the moss of his nest meekly. Not that what he said was completely true, Heronstar had mentioned the greater number of deaths in Windclan. 

Cats around here just seem to be prejudice against the simple fact I wasn't born on the moor with them. What a mouse-brained thought. I can hunt and fight just as well as them!

"Palespeck wants you and Jaytuft on dawn patrol, so get your tail up out of your nest and leave" Robinpaw sneered and flopped down in his own nest, flexing his claws against a clump of feathers. 

Adderpaw stayed silent, still ignoring Robinpaw's sharp tone, and he padded out of the apprentice den to join his mentor at the entrance of camp. He let out a yawn and looked up at the gray tom questioningly. 

The older warrior's green eyes met with Adderpaw's blankly for a moment before he mrowed in embarassment. 

"Oh, I didn't quite tell you about patrols did I Adderpaw?" 

Adderpaw shook his head and replied tiredly, "Not that I can remember" 

"Well you see Adderpaw, there's four Clans around here and we need to make patrols to check our borders and hunt--" 

Jaytuft stopped his explanation and turned his head when a brown tabby tom and a reddish tabby tom started walking out of camp. The brown tabby tom turned his head and rolled his pale yellow eyes at the tortoiseshell tom. 

"Jaytuft, hurry up before we leave you and the rogue here" 

Jaytuft's tail bristled slightly as he padded closer to the two other warriors with Adderpaw following right behind. 

"You should be more welcoming to my apprentice Pineblaze" Jaytuft warned.

"I don't see the point in welcoming him until he makes a noticeable difference in our Clan. For now he's just another mouth to feed" Pineblaze meowed and narrowed his eyes. He leaped onto a large pile of rocks, looking out over the moor. 

Jaytuft glanced back at Adderpaw apologetically before leaping onto one of the rocks himself. 

He's not arguing anymore because he knows Pineblaze is right. I'm a burden to the Clan until I prove I can care for it.  Maybe I'll catch some prey on this patrol and bring it back. That would be a start to show them I'm not worthless!