Blackpaw sighed. He longed to see Rain again. The burning inside of him vanished, like a sinking stone. It was sun high in camp, cats gathered beneath highledge for a clan meeting.
"Foxpaw and Gorsepaw, please come forward!" the clan leader called as the apprentices padded forward.
"You both have shown great results in your assessments, which means you have earned your warrior names!" Leafstar gazed upon the apprentices with warmth.
"Foxpaw, from this day you will be known as Foxtail. And Gorsepaw you'll be known as Gorsewind! May you serve your clan with mind and spirit."
"Foxtail! Gorsewind! Foxtail! Gorsewind!" the clan yowled their names to the sky. The new warriors puffed out their pelts and gleamed with pride. The clan parted, and chatted to one another.
Blackpaw watched as Nutspring and Oakblaze went to congratulate their kits on their achievement. He couldn't help but feel envious. Twigpaw padded up to him and sat next to her brother. Their pelts brushed.
"I know what you're thinking." she sighed.
"Don't you ever wish we had parents who cared?" Blackpaw sighed, hanging his head.
"Of course I do, but I don't dwell on it like you do. Try and think about something else."
"So it's wrong to think that our father is a fox-heart?" he hissed.
"Yes and no" Twigpaw reasoned, "Concentrate on something else, don't be like Adderfang and dwell on the past, think about the future and what you have now! Now if you don't mind I'm going on a patrol."
Twigpaw got up and joined Hollystripe, Mistfeather, Pineheart and Tigerleap for the sun high patrol.
Maybe I should just concentrate on the things I have now.
Yellowclaw padded up to Blackpaw, "Hunting patrol, now."
The apprentice heaved himself to his feet, he wasn't in the mood to do anything. The hunting patrol consisted of Skystorm, Wasptooth and Adderfang. The deputy nodded to Yellowclaw, but saw right through Blackpaw.
"Let's move." Adderfang swished his tail.
Skystorm and Wasptooth took the lead as they past the thorn barrier, Yellowclaw beside him and Adderfang at the back. They reached a small clearing by a tall pine tree, where they stopped.
"Spread out and hunt, meet back here when the sun touches the tip of the trees." Skystorm mewed.
Blackpaw found his own spot to hunt. Opening his mouth, he drew in all the scents of the forest. He found a scent of robin. Finally spotting it, he bent down into a hunters crouch. Stalking it quietly, missing every dead leaf and twig, he got ready to pounce. But before he could, a snap of a branch sent the robin away. An annoyed hiss followed.
Following the sound of the hiss, he saw Adderfang.
"You! You chased away my prey! A clumsy kit from the start!" Adderfang hissed.
Anger flared in Blackpaw's eyes, How dare he?
"Wow! So the only time you actually talk to me is when you're cursing me?!" Blackpaw growled.
Adderfang narrowed his eyes into slits,"You don't know how much you've cost me!"
"No, I don't! You know why? Because you never talk to me!" Blackpaw's tail whipped through the air in annoyance.
"You cost me my mate! Acornpelt was my heart and soul, and you took her from me!" Adderfang's eyes flashed with hurt.
"Look," Blackpaw settled himself, and forced his fur to lie flat, "I never meant for my mother to die.... It was her fate. And I never meant to hurt you, I just want a father who cared. Twigpaw told me earlier to not dwell on the past, and she's right. We shouldn't blind ourselves with grudges and hate."
"You should have been born in another clan, you don't belong here." Although Adderfang was a lot more calmer, his words still stung.
"We aren't related and we're not kin, do you understand? Stop trying" Adderfang hissed, he licked his shoulder and padded away.
Blackpaw stood there dumbfounded. Ditching the patrol, he headed for the edge of the territory, the clearing.