six
impulse
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    "...It was really strange. Acaciapaw went to cheer up Pecanwhisker, but Pecanwhisker pretended like nothing was wrong and she was perfectly fine. Acaciapaw fell for it, but I could feel the sadness on Pecanwhisker. She was miserable... I can't believe Camphorwind would hurt them like that!" Cottonpaw narrowed his eyes at the last part.

    "That's terrible," Hollydapple murmured. The sleek white apprentice nodded in agreement. The pair stopped as the older she-cat raised her tail, nodding ahead. A lone, white-furred rabbit sat in a small clearing in the starry field, nibbling at some clovers. "Remember what you learned from Camelliaheart's lessons to Acaciapaw in the Below," she whispered. Cottonpaw nodded, his eyes not leaving the rabbit. He dropped low and stalked forward like he had practiced alongside the apprentices so many times before in the Below. Try and get as close as you can. There were several taillengths between him and the rabbit when it's ear twitched and it's black eyes noticed the young tom. It broke out into a frantic dash, and Cottonpaw hared after it. The creature veered left and right trying to shake him off, but the tom was able to keep up thanks to the rigorous training he endured alongside Acaciapaw. He bunched his muscles and pushed all of his strength into his last stride, pushing him close enough to hook the rabbit's hind leg and bring it to a stop. It stopped moving as he bit it's neck, and dragged the creature back to Hollydapple.

    "You kept up really well, Cottonpaw! You're a natural ZephyrClan hunter. I'm not fast enough to catch rabbits, but I can catch any fish I set my eyes on," she admitted. Cottonpaw lit up with a smile, his aura radiating a bit stronger with the happiness in his chest at the compliment.

    "Thanks, Hollydapple...!" The pair settled down to eat the rabbit. Though their stomaches did not rumble in StarClan, many of the residents still enjoyed to eat the tasty meals that were abundant in their land. "Hey, you should teach me to fish some day. I know a lot about ZephyrClan's culture, but I wanna learn about your culture, too!" He chirped as he bit into the flesh. A purr rumbled in Hollydapple's chest, and the faint glow radiating from her now tinged with green.

    "I'll teach you all about BrookClan's fishing techniques, and how to swim while we're at it!" Cottonpaw's tail flicked back and forth with excitement and he nodded brightly. The continued to eat in silence before he piped up again.

    "Oh yeah! I forgot to tell you; I was able to help Acaciapaw in a cool way. She was having a bad dream, and I was able to send her visions of StarClan and then she dreamed she was hunting here!" Hollydapple stopped, her eyes widening with disbelief.

    "Cottonpaw, that's amazing! Not many Guardians can pass visions on like that! Usually they can just leave impressions on cats, to persuade emotions or actions, and even then it's usually only on the cat they're connected to."

     "Wait, but I persuaded Blizzardstream to go save Acaciapaw from the hawk."

     "Yes, that's not a common ability, Cottonpaw," her voice was lilted with excitement. "That's amazing. You're very special," she purred. He looked down with embarrassment, his fur hot.

     "T-Thank you, Hollydapple," he took a bite of rabbit, filling his mouth. She continued to eat as well, her mind turning with thought. He went in for another bite when he jumped, a sharp pain shooting through his shoulder. He let out a yip of pain, and the queen shot up to his side.

    "What's wrong?" She looked him over, but he shook his head.

    "I think it's Acaciapaw-- she hurt her shoulder. I have to go!" Cottonpaw took off to the Pool of the Below. It wasn't far from where they were, and before he knew it he was diving into the  quartz-bottomed pool. Acaciapaw had been tasked with hunting training and a hunting patrol, so he had taken time off to be in StarClan with Hollydapple. I shouldn't have left her! I shouldn't have left her! He knew where she was not by location but by feeling. It was like how the birds knew where to migrate to; he was drawn to Acaciapaw wherever she was. He sprinted across the hill crests, connecting the dots that she was in the Training Bowl. He came upon the location soon, his shoulder still stinging with pain. It was a dip in the ground padded by moss and heather. Acaciapaw, however, didn't look pained at all. He couldn't smell blood at, all, he realized. He slowed, eyebrows knitting together with confusion.

    "C'mon, Poplarpaw, I've been hit harder by Honeywing's kits! Auburnkit packs a heavy swipe than you," she goaded. Cottonpaw neared, noticing she was completely void of injuries, let alone injuries to the shoulder. Maybe I hurt myself hunting? Or maybe she fell and hit her shoulder? Poplarpaw curled his lip as the younger she-cat goaded him on, her eyes sharp as she egged him on.

     Catalpapaw sparred with Peonypaw not far from the pair, though the older gray and cream she-cat had him pinned. Camelliaheart sat at the edge of the hollow, looking up at the clouds with his half-hearted gaze. Poplarpaw's mentor sat off the side as well, though it seemed as if he was trying to distance himself. Cottonpaw cringed as he remembered who Poplarpaw's mentor was: Camphorwind. No wonder she's trying to Poplarpaw so much; not only have they never gotten along, but his mentor is... him.

    "Whatever," Poplarpaw growled. He lunged at her again, as if this wasn't his first time trying the move. His jaws went to snap at her as a feign, while his large, gray tabby paw swiped at her shoulder. There was a hiss of pain, and Cottonpaw gasped as a sharp pang shot through his shoulder, this time feeling more real and painful than before. The scent of blood wafted to his nose and he stepped forward. Poplarpaw jumped back, yellow eyes wide. "I-I didn't mean to--!" Cottonpaw could feel the sharp anger from the chocolate point she-cat as she processed the pain. Blood welled up from a scratch on her shoulder, rolling down her foreleg.

    "A-Acaciapaw, it's okay, it was an accident!" Cottonpaw tried to say, but it didn't seem to affect her. She barreled forward into the larger tabby. The force and suddenness of the attack was enough to knock him right over, and she raised her claws to strike him. Cottonpaw darted in front, as if he could take the blow but knew it would go right through him. "Acaciapaw, stop! This is wrong!" His yellow-green eyes looked right up into her, challenging her sapphire gaze which never seemed to waver. She paused, blinking a few times. She lowered her claws, and stumbled backward. Poplarpaw sat up, narrowing his eyes and spitting.

    "You're crazy, Acaciapaw. You've got thorns for a brain!" He stood and went to his mentor's side. Camphorwind's icy gaze rolled over his daughter, and she stared him down. An uneasiness settled in the air as Catalpapaw and Peonypaw had also stopped their sparring to watch with wide eyes. Cottonpaw ducked his head nervously.

    "Alright, alright, that's enough," Camelliaheart strolled forward, lightly shoving past Camphorwind as he passed, shaking the gray tabby point tom out of the stare-down. "Acaciapaw, come with me. I've got some special training for just you."

    "You're just going to let her attack Poplarpaw like that?" Camphorwind's voice was even, but the challenge was sharp in his eyes. Camelliaheart cast a look over his ginger tabby shoulder, shrugging.

     "I've got better things to do right now than fight with you...," the ginger and white tom paused, and Camphorwind continued to glare. "Let's be honest, Camphor, we both know who'd win." Cottonpaw gasped at the blasé nature of the comment. And he didn't even use Camphorwind's full name; how informal! He strode out of the Training Bowl, Acaciapaw at his tail. Cottonpaw bounded after them after taking a moment to notice Camphorwind's expression: his nose crinkled with annoyance and eyes on the ground.

    "Thank you...," Acaciapaw murmured as they crossed the fields. Camelliaheart looked down at the sepia she-cat and shrugged.

    "You're going to be runnings laps through the copse as punishment."

    "--Yeah, I figured." They were quiet for a moment. Cottonpaw felt something new coming from Acaciapaw: guilt. The white tom sighed as he decided not to cheer her up, rather letting her deal with the guilt as she faced her punishment.

    Cottonpaw sat by Camelliaheart's side as they watched her run through the copse, twisting and pivoting skillfully around roots and saplings. She had gotten much faster at navigating the terrain, and was able to pelt around the copse at almost her full stride. Acaciapaw is headstrong and confident, but I think she's starting to realize that maybe she's not always in the right....

//
an

I might be a minute before updating again. Next week is the last week of class and then finals and I'm bit behind in classes. I'll try and update next week (I've already started the next chapter) but it might be a second before I can update again. Life, y'know??