Darkstar's Wrath - A Faith's Journey Super Edition

Chapter 11

Darkpaw stood rooted on the spot. He had broken a rule of apprentice battle training.

"Crimsonclaw I-" 

"It's okay." Crimsonclaw cut him off, as he gave his shoulder a few quick licks. "I know you get into this kind of thing, the way your eyes lit up when I talked about battle training, I just knew you'd get really into it." 

Darkpaw blinked. He was confused. Crimsonclaw was okay with him clawing him? Darkpaw shook his head, his mind was swirling with questions. It did feel kinda good to get into that fight, to just focus on beating his opponent.

Darkpaw! That's your mentor, not an enemy warrior! Darkpaw scolded himself. 

"Come on, let's go back to camp Darkpaw! I think you have the Forepaw Slash move down." Crimsonclaw's voice broke into his thoughts.

"Uh, right, o-okay." He replied, still lost in his thoughts.

Crimsonclaw shouldered his way back into FoxClan's camp, wincing as his shoulder caught on a branch. Darkpaw followed after him, his head down and guilt curling inside of him.

"I'm going to have Swanfeather check this out, we're done with training for today." Crimsonclaw said, rolling his shoulder back and forth.

"Uh, okay..." Darkpaw replied, quietly, staring down at his paws.

Crimsonclaw ducked his head to his apprentice and padded off toward the Medicine cat's burrow. 

Darkpaw stood by the entrance, frozen, lost in his thoughts still. He had clawed his mentor during a training session. Darkpaw took a shaky breath in and closed his eyes. His heart beat fast in his chest. Despite all of the emotions coursing through him at that moment, a very small part of him felt excited that he clawed Crimsonclaw. He had gotten a taste of battle, real battle. He had never manged to claw Scarfur before he got of him. 

No! No, Darkpaw! Don't think about him! He snapped at himself. His heart continued to beat fast.

He took a deep breath and looked around the camp. Cats were padded in and out of their dens, others were out in the clearing, sharing tongues and talking about the day's going-on's, he spotted Wolfpaw talking with his mentor, Nightfire, by the Warrior's burrow.

"Why is Crimsonclaw with Swanfeather? He was with you almost all day. What happened?" A growl broke into Darkpaw's thoughts.

Darkpaw jumped and spun around. Stormhawk was standing behind him, as still as stone and his eyes boring into Darkpaw's. Darkpaw stiffened and his claws dug themselves into the rocky ground.

"Uh- I- um..." Darkpaw couldn't find the words to even form a sentence. He looked down at his paws. 

"Well?" Stormhawk demanded.

"I-" Darkpaw stammered. "I don't have to answer to you, O' Great Deputy." He hissed, glaring up at Stormhawk, confidence flowing through him.

Stormhawk drew his lips back, revealing his sharp fangs that were bared in a snarl.

"Ask Crimsonclaw why. Maybe he just scraped his shoulder on a rock or something." Darkpaw growled.

Stormhawk hissed at him, his claws slid out.

"You're a worthless scrap of fur, offspring of a FernClan cat." Stormhawk shuddered. "You'll never be a true FoxClan cat."

Darkpaw snarled, his tail lashing.

"I thought I told you not to talk about Thornscar and Scarfur to me!" He growled, the fur on his shoulders rising.

"I don't have to listen to you." Stormhawk replied, coldly.

"You're a horrible excuse for a deputy!" Darkpaw snarled, his claws twitching.

Stormhawk's fur bristled.

"When I become leader, the first thing I'll do, is exile you from all clan territory!" He hissed, his nostrils flaring.

"Go ahead and try..." Darkpaw muttered.

Stormhawk growled, his tail fluffing up.

"I'll be sure too, fox-dung!" He replied, his amber eyes burning.

Darkpaw held his gaze for a few moments longer before Stormhawk stalked past him, shoving him in the side with his hard shoulders. Darkpaw glared after him, anger boiling inside of him.

I'll make him pay for everything he's said to me! Darkpaw snarled. His face and body relaxed as he caught sight of Crimsonclaw padding up from the Medicine den, cobwebs pressed on his shoulder. Swanfeather followed after him.

Darkpaw's gaze followed the Medicine cat. Had Crimsonclaw told her what happened? The long-furred white she-cat gazed around the clearing. Her eyes locked on Darkpaw and her mouth fell open in a silent scream. Her eyes went hazy and foggy, like she was seeing something far away. Darkpaw looked down at himself. He looked fine. Swanfeather's eyes flickered back to their original brown color. Her body was tense and she blinked, scared-like at Darkpaw. She stumbled away toward the Prey Pile, looking at the ground below her and muttering something Darkpaw couldn't hear. His eyes still followed the Medicine cat, he was confused. Why was she scared?