Stuck with a New Life...

[Deleted]

What if everything you had known and everything you had worked for....

was just gone?

It was like that in one moment, and this apprentice's life had been changed greatly. If the battle had never happened....would he still be training to be a warrior? Could anything have prevented it? No. It was Starclan's plan and in the eyes of this young cat, it was their fault. He didn't ask to have this responsibilty and he didn't want it! Why could they not choose someone else, who actually was willing?

These thoughts raced through the mind of the small apprentice known as Rainpaw as he laid in the clearing, eating his fresh-kill. Well, not his exactly. With each bite, he regretted that he couldn't go out and catch this himself. No, he was stuck in camp to do nothing but see to being the new medicine cat apprentice. This had greatly soured his mood which was already a little snappy at times.

This was not going to be a very pleasant medicine cat. He wouldn't respond to kind little comments, either ignoring them or giving them a hard glare. To him, there was nothing to be happy about now.

[Deleted]

Riddlehawk padded over to Rainpaw silently, crouching down and pouncing on the apprentice lightly, batting at his ears. He laughed, purring as he licked his old apprentice between the ears, the scarred Warrior casting him a smile. "Hello Rainpaw." he said with a chuckle.

[Deleted]

Rainpaw was about to snap at the cat who had just batted at his ears like a grumpy elder would, but when he saw it was Riddlehawk, he bit back the remark. "Oh. Hey Riddlehawk." He still respected his old mentor, actually, he was one of the only cats he respected besides Tanglestar. He couldn't meet his smile though, because the memories of their old training was still fresh in his mind. It just kept hitting him like monster on the thunderpath: painful everytime.

[Deleted]

"Hey. Lets turn that frown upsidedown." Riddlehawk said, going and sitting beside his past apprentice. "Listen. I know its hard. Trust me, I know better than anyone what you're going through. But we can't dwell on what can't be changed, alright?" The big tom said, looking at Rainpaw.

[Deleted]

Rainpaw sighed, ears flattening with unfriendliness. "How do you kknow what I'm going through?" Curiousity actually spiked in his voice as he looked over to his mentor. He grimaced, looking back to his paws in frustration. "I know I can't change it, but I want too! I was so close..."

[Deleted]

Riddlehawk nodded as he spoke. Rainpaw, did I ever tell you about where I came from? What place I came from before Tanglestar accepted me into Thunderclan? he asked, the brown tabby looking at the smaller cat.

[Deleted]

Rainpaw scrunches up his brows, trying to remember. He had heard his former mentor mention it briefly, but never go into detail. He had always wondered..."No...you haven't. You going to tell me..?" He asked quietly, some of the anger leaving his voice to curiousity. He looked to Riddlehawk with bright green eyes, studying him intently.

[Deleted]

From up in the branches of an oak tree, two glittering eyes of ice watched the scene below. The RiverClan tom's focus was on the larger tom, Riddlehawk, the cat who had nearly killed him at the battle of Sunningrocks by mauling him. And the small apprentice had been the reason. His pale tabby fur bristled as he recalled that day. Since then he had been plotting, scheming, outlining ways that he could bring down upon the tom pain and suffering, then finally death after his mission was complete.

For now he was watching. Riddlehawk still seemed to have a bond with the lame apprentice- a token from Froststorm himself- despite the young cat becoming medicine cat's apprentice instead of his. And based on the snipped of conversation he had just overheard, Riddlehawk was not even Clanborn. The information Froststorm was about to hear made his head stretch forward from the shadows of the leaves, just enough so the cats wouldn't see him. Not being a complete mousebrain, either, Froststrom had already rubbed his pelt on their scent markers to disguise the scent of RiverClan from his fur. He smiled at his own cleverness, but remained quiet.

[Deleted]

Riddlehawk nodded. I came from a clan that was constantly at war. Even before I was born, before any of the elders could remember that clan was at war. When I was a kit there was a raid on our camp. All the other kits and all the elders had died that winter from the cold and lack of food. I was their last hope. The last kit they had. He took a deep breath, a sort of sigh. During that raid, before I had ever even become an apprentice, I had to fight for my clan. Our deputy died that night. Our leader had to appoint a new one immeadiatly, not able to go through the proper mourning period that was customary due to our situation. he paused, thinking over his words carefully. I became an Warrior that night after the battle. Our leader skipped the whole process, deeming me able enough to fight. Another raid occured early the next morning. During that fight I was injured and managed to get away and hide while my clan fought. I was younger than you are and scared. I didn't know what it meant to be a Warrior. I was only used to the games my siblings had played. He took another deep breath. I passed out then from my injuries. When I woke up it was dusk, and our medicine cat was out looking for signs of life. Leafpool took me in and taught me what it meant to be a medicine cat. I couldn't exactly complain. I was just glad to have someone from my clan life. But I wanted to be a Warrior. I wanted that so bad but I stuck with what I had been given. Leafpool left for Starclan a while later after the battle and I had to live on my own. I was adopted into another clan and they tought me what it meant to really be a Warrior. He paused. Rainpaw, just because things don't work out exactly how you planned, doesn't mean you should just give up. If you try hard enough you'll be able to work past your obstacles and acheive what you need to be want you want to be. I'm sure if you trained yourself hard enough that your leg will get better and you'll be able to become a Warrior. He looked at Rainpaw, the big scarred Warrior smiling softly. Yes, he himself was at a disadvantage when it came to fighting. A big disadvantage. But he himself had still worked hard to overcome it.

[Deleted]

A cream-colored she-cat padded up behind Froststorm, her pelt having almost no scent, at least the scent of RiverClan gone. Her eyes stared at him, her tail tip touching his shoulder.

Her voice was hushed in a whisper.

"What'cha doin'?"

Her brown eyes narrowed, only being filled with hatred. She soon looked down at the clearing, where a large tom was sitting down near an apprentice, who seemed to have a hurt leg.

"Plotting?"

She managed to whisper agian, her brown eyes signaling to FrostStorm once more.

[Deleted]

Froststorm nearly jumped out of his fur at the sound of a familiar voice. He had been so focused on the conversation below that he hadn't noticed the she-cat's arrival. The tom swung his head in her direction, his eyes glaring balls of ice. "Perhaps," he hissed. "Now leave, Needleheart, before I knock you off the branch!" He let out a faint growl, then turned back to the scene below. He began to turn things over in his mind, trying to find a way of leverage. How many cats in his Clan knew his history? Did his mate know? Ideas began to form.

[Deleted]

Rainpaw blinked in surprise, never knowing about any of that. He looked thoughtful and was silent as he looked down to his paws, scuffling them lightly in the dirt. "I...I never knew that." He said softly, the edge of bitterness gone from his voice. But it soon came back when Riddlehawk mentioned becoming a warriors again. "But...I'm destined to be a medicine cat, that's what they say! And I can hardly walk, I wouldn't be a use to anybody...." He sighed, gritting his teeth. "It was all Starclan's plan. I never got a choice, did I? All because I couldn't defend myself against that Riverclan fleabag..."

[Deleted]

NeedleHeart's ears prickled at FrostStorm's words. I guess it was expected, but she didn't want to get insulted, yet. She let out a soft purr, even though it was ragged, since she rarely ever purred.

"Come now, you know I could help.. You should know me, and my personality."

Her brown gaze rose up to his face, her tail tip flickering back and forth. She wasn't even paying attention to RiddleHawk nor RainPaw.

[Deleted]

The RiverClan tom chuckled at Rainpaw's little insult. It was going to take a lot more than calling him a flea-bag to shove Froststorm to the back of Rainpaw's mind. It brought cold joy to the pale tabby's heart as he imagined the look on the apprentice's face when he came for him. Then, when Needleheart's words pulled him away from his vision of the future, the tom rolled his eyes and growled. Froststorm craned his neck to face her, an unfriendly look in his narrowed eyes. "Knowing you gives me reason enough to not want you involved in this. Besides, this is... Personal." He angled his ears down to where the two ThunderClan toms resided. "I have plans for ridding this forest of Riddlehawk. He's the one who nearly killed me at Sunningrocks, all because his puny apprentice couldn't defend himself.

[Deleted]

The cream-colored she-cat's tail flickered back and forth. She wanted her claws to be soaked in blood right now, and would be glad to do it to him. She ignored the strain of doing so, her claws unsheathing. Her ears pricked, not getting so keen on how he spoke.

"Are you scared of the little she-cat from hurting you? It might be personal, but I could deal with things Around them, getting you guys alone."

Her eyes narrowed, her tail flicking back and forth. She isn't trustworthy, not at all, she would be glad to betray him any time, depending on the consquences, and the achievement.

-

Her gaze flittered over to RiddleHawk, her tail tip flicking back and forth. The tom didn't seem that tough, since he was injured, but he didn't look tough when he wasn't injured either.

Her gaze moved over to RainPaw, seeing how he acted. He had such pride, so much pride to be a warrior. He could be used, used for something. Maybe a little promise, saying he could be a warrior if he can make RiddleHawk go somewhere alone.

Her shoulders shifted upwards in a shrug, and looked over at Froststorm.

"I think I could arrange something."

Her lips turned into a grin, but then shifted in a soft smile. Her gaze moved to Riddlehawk and Rainpaw, her ears pricked to hear their conversation.