Unwanted-Part 10

(Note: This chapter takes place at the same time as the last two. Again, it is a different point of view.)

Shinepaw followed her mentor as he led her away from her brother and Snakefang. Her head was bowed and her tail trailed on the ground. Her shoulders sagged miserably as she forced herself to pad after Pricklefur. So many warriors in the Clan, and she had to have the angriest one for a mentor?

"Snakefang's bound to show that scrap the ThunderClan border first." Pricklefur muttered crossly, more to himself than to Shinepaw.

"That 'scrap' happens to be my brother." Shinepaw hissed defensively.

Pricklefur didn't seem to hear her and grumbled something about heading to the RiverClan border.

Shinepaw bit her tongue to keep from spitting insults at the warrior. Her brow furrowed in anger, she continued to follow Pricklefur. A cold leaf-bare wind raced through her pelt, making her shiver. She hid her face, pressing her muzzle to her chest to protect her features from the cold.

An especially sharp gust of wind brought with it an overwhelming scent. It lodged itself inside Shinepaw's nose, making it hard for her to smell anything else.

"What's that smell?" She asked, wrinkling her nose in disgust.

Pricklefur ignored her, flicking his ear as if he was trying to get rid of a bothersome fly.

Shinepaw huffed, muttering under her breath. How would she learn anything if Pricklefur refused to talk to her?

Finally, the tom came to a stop. Shinepaw came to his side, her eyes wide as she took in the sight. Tall, wooden things rose from the ground before her. Something that looked like ice covered several openings of the structures.

"What are those?" She asked.

"Twoleg nests." Pricklefur answered, seeming annoyed. "Don't tell me Comettail never told you about twolegs. It would be just like him to forget something like that, though."

Shinepaw puffed out her chest, angered once more by her mentor's offensive remarks. She did remember Comettail telling her off twolegs. He hadn't said much, but he'd described them as pink-skinned creatures that walked on their hind legs and did strange things. "He didn't forget. He did tell Wolfpaw, Lightningpaw and I about twolegs. The only reason I asked about the nests was that I had never seen them before."

Pricklefur snorted, not seeming to care about her answer. "Past this group of nests is RiverClan territory. The strong smell is that of fish, which has become a part of their scent. Their leader is Reedstar. She believes WindClan is weak and has tried many times to take some of our territory. We've proved them wrong over and over." His sharp amber gaze fixed on Shinepaw, burning into her pelt. "I expect my apprentice to become a strong warrior and to continue winning against RiverClan, like the generations before."

Shinepaw nodded timidly, flinching at his harsh tone. With a lash of his tail, Pricklefur turned around and padded away. Shinepaw followed, head down once more.


                                                                 *****
Shinepaw's gaze was fixed on her paws. She felt another cold wind ruffle her fur. Glancing up, she saw the plump, dark clouds moving in. Shinepaw whined inwardly, wondering if Pricklefur would be cruel enough to keep her out of camp during the first snow of the season.

Lost in thought, she crashed into Pricklefur, who had stopped abruptly.

"Watch where you're going." The warrior hissed, throwing her a death glare over his shoulder. Shinepaw shrank back in fear. Pricklefur continued to glare at her before turning away. "WindClan's main food source is rabbits and hares that we catch in the moorland. We are capable of hunting them because of our speed. I frankly doubt your speed can match a true WindClan cat's speed, and having only one eye may affect your perception of depth, but I don't care. I expect you to catch food for the Clan, nonetheless."

Shinepaw flinched inwardly at being reminded of her features. She didn't think of herself as having only one eye. She saw well and didn't have trouble judging how far an object was. However, she fearfully wondered if Pricklefur could be right.

The long-haired gray warrior turned to face his apprentice once more. His eyes were colder than Shinepaw had ever seen them and he began in an eerie voice. It sounded almost gentle, but coming from Pricklefur it became a twisted sound that scared Shinepaw more than any growl or hateful hiss.

"I pride myself in being the best hunting teacher. Hareleap, Whiteheart, and Meadowstep are all known for their hunting skills and I mentored each and every one of them. I expect you to be just as good as them." Pricklefur paused, his amber gaze burning into Shinepaw's one eye. "Each day, you are expected to bring something back to the Clan. If you don't…you won't eat for that day."

Shinepaw's eye widened and she gulped. She wanted to argue; she wanted to yowl of the unfairness he was imposing on her, but knew it was better for her to keep quiet. Instead, she bowed her head, and quietly mewed. "Yes, Pricklefur."

"That is the way I have trained all my apprentices and you won't be an exception." Pricklefur growled. "This condition begins today."

"W-what?" Shinepaw yelped, not being able to contain her remark. "But I've never hunted before."

"You will learn today. You will learn, catch something, and eat in camp, or you will fail, catch nothing, and go to sleep hungry tonight." Pricklefur mewed simply.

"But leaf-bare's started." Shinepaw protested, frustrated. "Even if I learn the technique, I may not be able to find anything."

"A good hunter is also a good tracker." Pricklefur replied. With that, he padded away, lashing his tail.

Shinepaw felt close to tears. She imagined herself trekking through deep snow banks, harsh winds blowing the white powder into her face as she searched for the smallest sign of prey. She could almost feel the hunger gnawing at her belly and the cold eating away at her body.

                                                               *****
Shinepaw dragged her paws into camp, tired and miserable. Pricklefur was muttering about how useless she was as he pushed past her into the dip in the ground.

Pricklefur had taught her how to stalk a rabbit. She was sure her technique was good, but Pricklefur had been able to pick out a mistake every time.

"Your tail is too high." He had growled. "Your steps are too hard."

She had been able to find a rabbit nibbling on some grass. She had started out well, but Pricklefur's intense gaze had made her nervous; Shinepaw had kicked a stone just as she had been about to dart off. He had scolded her angrily, his amber eyes blazing. After that, Shinepaw hadn't found anymore prey, regardless of how hard she had tried.

"Clean out the nursery." Pricklefur's order brought her back to the present. "Then, you will go to your den and wake up early tomorrow morning to continue your training." The long-haired tom padded away without another word.

Shinepaw stared after him for a moment before making her way over to the nursery.

Cherrypaw padded over to her. "Congratulations on becoming an apprentice, Shinepaw." She smiled.

Shinepaw offered a weak grin in return. "Thanks, Cherrypaw." Suddenly wondering where her brothers were, she looked around camp. "Are Lightningpaw and Wolfpaw back yet?" She asked.
Cherrypaw shook her head. "I haven't seen Lightningpaw since the ceremony and Wolfpaw left to go to the MoonPool with Sunfeather."

Shinepaw glanced up at the sky. The gray clouds threatened to burst at any moment. She looked back at Cherrypaw, mewing. "Well, I have to clean out the nursery."

"I'll help you." Cherrypaw offered.

"Thanks." Shinepaw replied gratefully. She dragged her tired paws into the nursery, Cherrypaw padding in after her.

"Hi, Shinepaw!" Swallowkit exclaimed as she saw the apprentices. "Hi, Cherrypaw!"

"Hey, Swallowkit."  Cherrypaw purred. Shinepaw echoed the greeting in a polite meow.

Cherrypaw turned to Shinepaw. "Why don't you start gathering up the old bedding and I'll go get some fresh moss?"

Shinepaw nodded as Cherrypaw padded out of the den. The peach she-cat made her way to Streamfoot's nest first.

"Hello, Streamfoot." She greeted the queen.

"Hello, Shinepaw." Streamfoot replied kindly. She sat up from her nest and padded out of it. Butterflykit and Stemkit were curled up sleeping on it. Gently, Streamfoot picked her tomkit by the scruff and lay him down at her paws. Then, she did the same with Butterflykit.

"I want to sleep." The she-cat protested, her eyes still closed.

"Shinepaw will clean our nest and then you can sleep on it."

"Tell her to come back later." Butterflykit wailed. Streamfoot ignored her as she placed her beside her brother and curled her tail around them. Swallowkit waddled over to join her family.

Shinepaw quickly gathered the old moss, rolling it into a ball and pushing it away. Cherrypaw padded back into the den, her mouth stuffed with fresh bedding.

"I'm back." She mewed, her voice muffled.

Shinepaw beckoned her over, taking some of the moss and laying it flat on the ground. "Your nest is ready." She mewed, turning to look at Streamfoot and her kits.

"Thank you, Shinepaw." The queen mewed as she settled down once more.

"Thank you, Shinepaw!" Swallowkit piped up, her eyes shining.

"Thanks." Stemkit mewed, fighting to keep his eyes open as he curled up at his mother's belly once more.

Shinepaw smiled in return, some of her weariness fading away. Then, Butterflykit shouldered past her, huffing. "You could have been faster." Shinepaw glared at her, wanting to shred the kit's ears. She held back, knowing how much trouble she would be in if she hurt Butterflykit, even if she was a spoiled, little brat.

Dipping her head, she padded over to Meadowstep's nest. The queen was grooming her kit. Shinekit greeted Meadowstep and Moorkit before quickly removing the old bedding. Cherrypaw spread the fresh moss over the ground. Then, the two she-cats headed to the last nest.

Ravenflight's four kits were chasing each other. Patchkit and Cottonkit had Cloverkit pinned down between them, while Lavenderkit was pawing at Cottonkit's ears, trying to free her brother. Ravenflight watched them, amusement glittering in her amber eyes. The black queen turned to them.

"Hello, Shinepaw, Cherrypaw." She mewed.

"Hi, Ravenflight." Cherrypaw replied as she and Shinepaw dipped their heads. Ravenflight sat up and padded over to her kits, leaving the apprentices to change the bedding. Once more, they completed the process. Then they rolled all the old bedding from the three nests into one ball.

"I'll take this to the DirtPlace." Cherrypaw mewed as she pushed the ball out of the den. "You get something to eat and then go to sleep. You look really tired."

Shinepaw's belly growled at the mention of food, but she gave a smile and nodded her head. She was about to follow the orange-red she-cat when a voice called her back.

"Shinepaw, wait!" Cloverkit ran over to her. Panting, he stood in front of her, eyes shining. "How was your first day as an apprentice?"

"It was…good." Shinepaw mewed.

Cloverkit frowned. "You don't seem so sure. Did something go wrong?"

Shinepaw bit her lip, wondering if she could trust Cloverkit. The worry in his eyes told her how much he cared about her. Her heart fluttered and a sense of happiness coursed through her for the first time since her ceremony. Slowly, she began to tell Cloverkit of her first outing with Pricklefur. She dropped her voice to a low whisper as she began to explain the policy Pricklefur had inflicted on her.

Cloverkit gasped and his eyes became wide. "He can't do that! Shinepaw, you could starve! Leaf-bare's beginning and prey will be so scarce that even full-grown warriors may not be able to bring food back everyday. You have to tell Duskstar."

Shinepaw looked around the nursery frantically, wondering if anyone had heard the kit's outburst. Concluding that no one had been close enough to listen, she didn't meet Cloverkit's gaze as she mewed. "I can't tell Duskstar. If I do, Pricklefur will hate me more than he already does. That's not what worries me, though. He'll probably hate Comettail even more. Pricklefur will blame him and that will hurt Comettail. Knowing I caused that would make me more miserable than having an empty belly." Shinepaw looked straight at Cloverkit once more. "Promise me you won't tell anyone."

Cloverkit looked doubtful for a moment and he opened his mouth as if to argue. With a sigh, he closed it. He pressed his muzzle to Shinepaw's cheek, whispering, "I promise."

Shinepaw licked his ear gratefully. "I'm going to go sleep now." She mewed as she reluctantly pulled away from his touch. Cloverkit nodded.

"Good night." He mewed.

"Good night." Shinepaw whispered in return before padding out of the den. She looked over her shoulder as she walked, watching as Cloverkit waved his tail in farewell before padding back to his mother's nest. As she turned to face forward again, she crashed into another cat.

"I'm sorry!" She gasped as Shadestripe turned to look at her.

"It's fine." The tom answered coolly, turning his gaze away as he got to his paws and padded towards the warriors' den.

Embarrassed, Shinepaw hurried to the apprentices' den, wanting to curl up in a nest and never wake up again.