Withered Peace- Book one in the Within The Shadows Series [On Hold]

Chapter one [Springpaw]

A young yellow-brown tom sprang to his paws as he woke up from his sleep.

Nothing happened in his sleep.

Nothing ever did for this young tom.

Just how it was supposed to be.

He yawned, stretching his paws out to aid him. He wanted to wake up fully.

Today he and his mentor were going to hone his battling skills. Battling was not his thing.

So far, he's been in only two battles and he can already feel his legs fall off.

The first one was against ThunderClan and the second was against RiverClan. He hated what his life had become.

He heard of all the bravery within those battles.

All his life he has heard about the fights between the clans.

They used to be so peaceful, but now that peace has shattered, withering away to nothing within one moon.

Almost every gathering—he had heard—had ended in fights.

Halfspeckle had told him it has been like this since he had been a kit.

There had been a time where there was peace, but now it was all brutal bloodshed to see which clan would have the least amount of cats after each and every battle.

Springpaw hated every minute.

Why couldn't they solve things without getting blood on their paws?

In the nest next to him, an older and much more mature gray-brown tom with yellow eyes blinked his eyes open.

"Oh shoot! I forgot about the hunting assessment I was supposed to take! Oh no! Oh no! The clan's going to think I'm a failure! I'm going to be sent to the Elder's—"

Their eyes met.

"Oh! You're still here too, huh? Springpaw?" The brown-gray apprentice meowed.

His gaze was still a panicked one.

"Yeah. I have battle practice later, though." Springpaw responded.

He was so thankful he had a sort of laid back mentor. His mentor, a red tom by the name of Blitzwing, always let him sleep a little later than most mentors.

He was thankful, yet questionable about his mentors constant actions.

Toepaw, the apprentice who was still here with him, had a more strict mentor. Not to mentor he was the kit of the deputy. The only one of his litter. The only child of the deputy.

Everyone was expecting great things coming from this kit.

Some say he will be the next leader after Hollowstar, but Toepaw freaked out so much. He had severe anxiety whenever he did anything he considered wrong.

Springpaw didn't believe he had what it takes.

Plus, the apprentice was heard half the time saying he wish he wasn't the deputy's kit, and how he wished he had a normal father instead of one who looked down on him ever chance he got.

There was a point in his apprenticeship where his mentor had her kits, but then they grew to be apprentices and now Brairbranch was grouchy. She was grouchy at Toepaw every second she could muster.

Maybe it was separation from her kits, or the personality of her apprentice, but she was just always moody with him.

Speaking of his mentor, she poked her head in, anger clear on her face.