Le media is Venomeye XD Sorreh I haven't updated in so long X3

~Gingerr

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Lionpaw laid in the medicine den, barely holding up his head against the numbing lecture of Camofur about herbs that cure a bellyache.

"Rogues!" a loud yowl sounded from a tunnel, sending Lionpaw jumping up to his paws.

"We have to help." Lionpaw declared to Camofur.

"No, Lionpaw. Our job is to stay safe and keep others healthy. Not to fight." Camofur shook his head.

"I don't care." Lionpaw shook his head and raced off towards the sound of the yowl.

"Lionpaw!" Swiftpaw called after him. She stood outside the apprentice's den, a bewildered look on her face.

Lionpaw didn't answer. He simply continued running. As he skidded to a halt in a large cavern, he heard another yowl from above. He realized that whatever was happening must be happening above him, above ground.

That would explain why the yowl carried so far, he thought as he ran towards the tunnels that led to the surface. The minute he emerged he was smacked aside by a rogue.

"Stay out of this, runt." the rogue growled. Lionpaw hissed, his hackles raising in defiance.

He threw himself at the rogue, bowling him over. The rogue swiped at Lionpaw's face and they rolled around on the ground grappling with each other for a few swift moments. As soon as he saw the chance, Lionpaw went for the throat. He didn't hesitate, not a single second, as his teeth ripped through flesh.

The rogue wailed, alerting its comrades to Lionpaw's presence. They all hissed and spat at him as they came after him, leaving the torn up clan cat's body. It was too late for him, the torn up cat was already dead.

Lionpaw knew he couldn't handle them all on his own, but figured he should take down all that he could. He didn't have anything to lose really, so his death would not bother him.

"Come here, runt!" one yowled, nipping at Lionpaw's tail. Lionpaw hissed in reply and swiped at the rogue's muzzle. Another jumped on his back and raked her claws down his spine carelessly. Lionpaw staggered a moment, pain clouding his thoughts, but quickly regained composure and lashed out, rolling over to squish her.

As he did so, another rogue jumped up onto him and tried clawing his belly. Lionpaw tore his throat viscously since the rogue wasn't paying attention to Lionpaw's head.

"We'll be back..." one hissed. As if they'd seen a monster, the rogues raced off. When Lionpaw rose to his paws his eyes rested on Tigerstar. In front of Tigerstar stood Swiftpaw.

"I scared them off?" she asked in confusion. Tigerstar smirked behind her for a moment, and then his image dissolved.

"I guess." Lionpaw lied, shrugging.

"It's good to know I'm that scary." She grinned and pawed at his face. He wrinkled his nose but smiled a little.

"That way I'll never have to fight. I'll just throw you in front of me." Lionpaw said teasingly, pawing back at her.

"Of course. I wouldn't want you hurt." Swiftpaw nuzzled him lightly, making Lionpaw's fur heat in surprise but happiness. Suddenly she jumped away from him, just as warriors streamed from the same hole Lionpaw had exited from.

"What happened?" Vemoneye hissed at them. He was a senior warrior, and had his eye on deputy.

"Rogues. They ran away when we got here." Lionpaw answered, his tail held high.

"Get out of the way, herb brain. I was talking to my apprentice." Venomeye's scathing gaze moved to Swiftpaw.

"What Lionpaw said. We got here and they ran off." she said plainly, casting an apologetic glance at Lionpaw. Lionpaw simply flattened his ears and stalked away, his tail lowering until it almost dragged the ground.

Herb brain? Is that what my medicine cat name will be? Lionpaw thought to himself bitterly. He already hated working with herbs, the warriors taunting him only made it worse. He was also sure that with Venomeye's ambition he'd probably be leader after the current one died anyway, condemning him to nine lives of nasty insults constantly thrown at him. That is, if Lionpaw didn't die first.

"Lionpaw, wait." Swiftpaw sprinted to catch up with him.

"Why?" Lionpaw glared at her. "I'm not important anyway." He shook his head and kept walking.

"Are you going to let him get to you?" Swiftpaw hissed in reply. "Are you really going to act like it's his fault? He's a warrior, I'm his apprentice. Of course he'll want to hear my side of the story first." she snapped.

"Of course you would say that. He's brainwashed you!" Lionpaw snapped back, hurt etched all over his face. "You stupid warriors think you're better than everyone else. Well, you're not!" he yelled. "You're just a bunch of self-absorbed, egotistical, boneheads!"

His words silenced Swiftpaw for a moment. "Fine. I see how you feel about me. You should've told me before I started to like you, before I started to care." She growled lowly. "I never should've followed you here. You were never worth my time." she added quietly, a deeply hurt expression on her face as she padded off away from him.

Lionpaw felt tears coming, and let them drip placidly over his cheeks. He stalked off by himself, off to somewhere dark and cold where he could forget everything. He could forget Swiftpaw, forget what he'd done, forget his dark future. He crammed himself into the small crevice of a wall, head first so he plunged himself into darkness, then he let it all out.

His tears soaked his paws and chest, his guilt sinking through his bones. It always seemed everything was his fault, and that everyone seemed to blame him even when it wasn't his fault. He didn't know the difference though, so he usually blamed himself for things that weren't even his fault.

The more he thought about the rogues, the more he felt responsible for the torn up cat's death. It was his fault he hadn't gotten there soon enough, his fault he didn't distract the rogues, his fault that Swiftpaw hated him, his fault his brothers ignored him, his fault the clan leader didn't trust him. All his fault.

He suddenly felt hatred swell in him. He hated them for what they'd done to him. He hated Swiftpaw for becoming brainwashed and for abandoning him most of all. She was the best thing that had ever happened to him, and now he'd turned her against him.

Kill her, a voice hissed inside his head.