apprentice to warrior

~~~

Venom had a restless night. Her mind was filled with thoughts of the Battle of the Apprentices. Nightmares haunted her dreams, with a particular scene of the sight of Scorpion's dead body, sprawled out and bloody, his lifeless eyes staring up at her.

Don't be ridiculous, she kept telling herself. It's rare that apprentices die during the battle. Yet, it wasn't impossible, and that one thought kept her awake.

Needless to say, Venom was exhausted by the time the sun had risen. She felt as if she'd gotten no sleep. Alas, there was no time to get more: Crow was grooming Hemlock's pelt, giving a long lecture about how they mustn't be late, for reputation and image.

Venom didn't want to go. She didn't want to see her brother fight and get injured. She didn't want to see something bad happen to him. If she complained enough, Crow would probably allow her to remain inside the nursery, but she didn't open her jaws once to do so. Although she didn't want to see her brother hurt, at the same time she wanted to be there. What if something bad truly did happen? She didn't want to just hang back.

So, the black she-kit found herself padding at Crow's side as they made their way to the Hollow of Blood, scouting for Scorpion amongst the crowd.

"Come along," Crow meowed, angling her ears towards a boulder that rose high above the ground. "We'll sit up there."

"Wait." Venom spoke, her voice hurried and anxious. "Where's Scorpion? I want to talk to him before the event begins."

Crow flicked her tail. "Don't be ridiculous, you can talk to him after the battle. You're going to distract him if you talk to him before. You don't see Hemlock complaining, do you? Now, why can't you be more like your brother?" The black she-cat didn't bother waiting for an answer before she barreled on. "Now, let's go."

Sighing, Venom hurried behind her mother and brother as they made their way to the boulder. She hopped on top, shifting uncomfortably, gaze scanning the crowd to try and find Scorpion. Oh, there he was!

Venom leaned forward slightly, trying to catch her brother's attention. He was speaking with Rattlesnake, pelt bristled slightly. Scorpion snapped something, then Rattlesnake hissed back, amber eyes flaring. He was really mad.

The black she-kit scooted back again, tail-tip twitching. What were they talking about? Whatever it was, hopefully Scorpion hadn't made Rattlesnake too mad. Although wishing for such, Venom knew her brother had. Her father was furious. And that glare Rattlesnake was giving Scorpion - well, it was a glare of danger.

The WarClan leader hissed once more, spinning around and stalking away. Venom gulped, waving her tail wildly in some hopeless attempt to catch her brother's attention again, earning herself a disapproving look from Crow.

This time, Scorpion's head lifted, gaze connecting with Venom's. The black she-kit recognized fear, worry, and pain in his eyes; almost instantly, anxiety bubbled through her. She tilted her head, a silent question, asking what he and Rattlesnake were talking about. In reply, Scorpion gave her a tiny smile along with a firm shake of his head: Everything's okay, don't worry about it.

Venom nodded. If her brother said it was alright... Well, she'd trust him. After all, what could she do? Worry? That wouldn't help anything. Plus, Scorpion knew what he was doing. Probably.

"Cats of WarClan!" Rattlesnake's voice echoed throughout the hollow, silencing the chatter. "Thank you all for joining us today for the Battle of the Apprentices." Most cats remained silent, other than a few small, fearful cheers. "Our apprentices have trained very hard for this moment. I trust that everything will run smoothly, and I'll be glad to welcome them as warriors of our Clan after." The tom beckoned the two apprentices forward. 

"Ivy, Scorpion, are you ready?"

~~~

"STORM, ARE YOU READY?"

Venom glanced at the gray she-cat beside her.

Storm had grown greatly in the past moons. Her kit fluff had fallen away, leaving a sleek, gray pelt. She'd developed muscles during her training, creating a lean, slim structure. Her green eyes had sharpened, reminding Venom much of her own gaze. Yet, despite looking the part of a fierce cat, Storm was still kind and trusting. 

Particularly towards Venom.

The gray she-cat viewed Venom as a mother. She believed every word that came out of Venom's mouth, and followed the black she-cat's orders without hesitation. And look what that got her. She'd become a confident, skillful young she-cat.

Venom flicked her tail, satisfied, as she blinked at Storm. She'd done the gray she-cat a huge favor. If it wasn't for her, Storm would've died. She would be nowhere near the state she was today, healthy and strong.

The gray she-cat shuffled her paws. "Mhm. I'm a little nervous, though."

"Don't worry," Venom assured her, "you'll be fine. Just remember the training and what I taught you, okay?" Storm nodded. "Oh, and, of course, do exactly as I'd instructed." 

The black she-cat glanced at the other apprentice, Lion. He should've completed this event moons ago, but she'd decided to hold him back and wait for Storm. Now, it was time for the two of them to take on the challenge.

"Apprentices, are you ready?" When both of them gave her a nod, Venom yowled, "Begin!"

With a flash of gray and orange, the two cats took off into the woods. Yowls from the gathered crowd erupted behind them, cheering them on.

What were the apprentices doing? Well, they were completing a challenge that would make them warriors. Instead of a battle, they'd simply have to bring back prey. Depending on how much prey they'd caught in a certain amount of time, Venom would rank them. A much nicer, friendlier version of the Battle of the Apprentices. This was just another one of Venom's steps to make PeaceClan a lovelier place than WarClan.

The black she-cat ruffled her pelt proudly at that thought. If her PeaceClan cats glimpsed at life in WarClan, she was certain that they'd be extremely grateful that they lived here instead, under her careful structure of a Clan.

Life was good. All of Venom's cats followed her orders without hesitation. Storm had grown into a strong cat, and was now close to becoming a warrior! What could go wrong?

That, apparently, was not a question that one should ask, for as soon as the thought flashed through Venom's mind, a yowl pierced the air.

~~~

hiya! sorry i didn't update in a long while. i hope you liked this chapter!! thoughts on it? i'm really curious as to what you guys think will happen in the future. let me know!

as always, thank you for reading!

~ lily