THE STOLEN || OLD - being rewritten

Chapter 1 - { Building Up }

"A  darkness stirs in the forest below
A broken crown must soon bestow."

The apprentice furrowed her brow, gazing deep into the forest as her dark pelt hid her among the shadows. She forced her tail to still behind her as she clung close to the ground, trying hard not to unsheath her claws as she watched for any signs of movement in the bracken. Her paws itched. This was the first of her many assessments and she wanted to get everything perfect. She knew that Mosspelt would be watching closely. She knew that Shadowpaw and Brightfur were watching as well.

It was hard to keep focused as her stomach gnawed, tossing and turning with the anxiety surrounding the thought of failing. She didn't want to disappoint.

Her head snapped right as she saw the bracken move and she lunged, bolting forward and landing on nothing but dead ferns. She stood tall, eyes wild with bewilderment before she was suddenly struck from behind and thrown down.

The foliage flew up around her as the tortoiseshell's scrawny body collided heavily with the earth, a thud echoing in her wake. Losing all her breath she flailed her paws and sruggled for a grip on her opponent with her back legs, kicking up into Specklepaw's stomach with her hind legs in a pathetic attempt to throw her off.

"Enough." Mosspelt's authoritative tone bellowed throughout the undergrowth as Darkpaw staggered to her paws. "I've seen enough."

Great.. Darkpaw's head hung low, ears flattened as Specklepaw sauntered past, her chest puffed out with the glory of a victorious surprise attack upon an unknowing opponent.

The spotted she-cat padded forward, Shadowpaw and Brightfur landing elegantly down from the same tree as her mother and brother sat beside Mosspelt, their gazes attentive, ears pricked forward.

Mosspelt exhaled deeply, her pale amber eyes resting on Specklepaw first. "Specklepaw, your attack was calculated and well timed. Your trickery was clever and cunning. You did well." She nodded to the spotted golden apprentice beside her.

Darkpaw looked away, the expression that contorted her features a thunderous frown. Her tail lashed back and forth from where she sat. Her yellow green gaze fixed on the dappled light that filtered down onto the forest floor; refusing to meet the gaze of her mentor for the fear of seeing her own frustration reflected in her eyes.

"Darkpaw everything you did was way below the standard I know you can perform at. That final attack was a mess. where did you learn that leaping blindly at an opponent you couldn't locate was intelligible? You should have scented the air to try and pinpoint Specklepaw's location before you made an attack, better yet, not fallen for her trick and circled around and used her confidence to your own advantage." Mosspelt's voice was firm and sharp as she spoke from experience.

"I cant surprise attack an opponent when I'm upwind and they're downwind!" She mewed in a sharp, defensive response.

Mosspelt remained calm, sitting down and curling her tail over her vitiligo paws. She lifted her cranium and narrowed her eyes at Darkpaw. "In a real battle you can't complain about being upwind. Work with what you have. Your clan may depend on it some day."

Darkpaw snorted. "You're my mentor because you're meant to teach me how to be a warrior. Not so that I have to train myself." She snapped back.

"Darkpaw!" Brightfur echoed in a disapproving tone, her amber eyes glinting in the sunlight.

Mosspelt waved her tail. "I think you should head back to camp and have something to eat. Perhaps you'll be more decently mannered once you've eaten and rested." The anger in her mentors eyes was enough to tell Darkpaw that she had really done it this time.

She rose to her paws, tail lashing. "Thanks but I'm not hungry, so take your half-hearted catches and give them to one of the snake-hearts in our clan." She growled back before whipping around and stalking into the forest, her tortoiseshell pelt vanishing in the undergrowth.

So many expectations. So many unsaid frustrations and disappointments. It was driving her mad. Did any cat in this bloody clan just say it outright? She was frustrated with herself. She had trained for two whole moons and that was her outcome. Perhaps it was the pressure to perform? She wasn't angry with anyone but herself and despite the frustration that still hung like a dark cloud around her, she regretted how she had lost her temper a little with Mosspelt. It was embarrassing to have behaved in such an infantile manner, especially in front of Specklepaw.

What hurt even more was that her father hadn't come to see her assessment. Maybe that was why she failed. Her whole family wasn't there to support her. Smallpaw's mother never did anything with her and she still seemed to excel in everything she did. But Bluemoon seemed like a very paws on mentor in the first place.

"Darkpaw! Wait up!"

The skinny tortoiseshell apprentice didn't wait as her brother's voice echoed from behind her, the sound of his pawsteps thrumming on the ground.

"Did mother tell you to come after me?" She mewed in a bitter tone, her ears pinned flat against her head. The same thing happened every single time she was upset. Brightfur sent Shadowpaw off to follow her and comfort her because she believed that Darkpaw was closer to him than her. It wasn't true, despite the strong bond between her and her brother.

"Yes and no. I would have come on my own anyways." He mewed, falling in pace beside her, his dark pelt shading the corner of her vision. Shadowpaw's warm amber gaze rested on her face as they came to the waters edge.

Darkpaw paused to look at her reflection for a few moments before she huffed, tail lashing as she flicked an ear. Her breath came out in a small cloud in front of her, the crimson and amber leaves scattered over the ground and running down the wide river. The grey pebbles seemed an off, diluted shade of silver yellow among all the leaf-fall colours. Her tortoiseshell pelt seemed nothing but a blurred part of the forest. Her pale yellow green eyes followed the river as the forest melted away around them. Sitting down on the smooth pebbles by the riverbank; Shadowpaw settled beside her, curling his tail around her comfortingly as he pressed against her side.

"Don't work yourself up over failing your first assessment. It's completely normal and there are plenty of apprentices before you and who will come after you that will do the exact same thing." Shadowpaw mewed, his gaze resting on her as he breathed in the cool air.

The sound of the running water around Darkpaw made her feel ready to sleep. The peaceful crispness of the forest in autumn with all its brilliant dance of colour. Biting white frost, icy water and warm golden sunlight. She almost didn't hear her brother above the cold warmth of the scenery around her but still was able to process what he had said and reply.

"Easy for you to say. You passed so easily; and Beechtwist was there to see you! He even asked Mosspelt and Flamestar if he could ditch his patrol to see your assessment." Darkpaw frowned. "He didn't do mouse-dung for me."

Shadowpaw looked at her, his bright golden eyes wide as he flattened his black ears to his skull. He looked thoughtful, staring at the ground but it seemed as though he didn't know how to reply. Darkpaw could tell he had something he wanted to say but he didn't. He only breathed in the icy air before sighing softly.

"The gathering in a few days. Do you think that Flamestar will let you go?" He asked.

Darkpaw snorted. "With how I performed today? No way."

Shadowpaw frowned, looking out before looking back at her. "Stop feeling sorry for yourself." He mewed sternly.

The tortoiseshell she-cat whipped her head around to face him, her gaze narrowed before she looked down at her paws, breaking away from her brothers touch as she started walking down the shoreline.

She spoke loudly without looking back over her shoulder at her brother. "I'm going back to camp. See you tomorrow."