Fading Shadows (A Trail of Shadows book two)

chapter ten

"What was that? You couldn't even manage to speak up for your clanmates against that flea-bitten loner?" Duskheart hissed furiously.

"He's practically an elder, and the warrior code says he deserves respect. And Mistyrain is capable of defending herself." Cinderpaw snapped back, her tail lashing. She ducked as Duskheart swiped one of his massive paws towards her ears, hissing in pain as his claws caught on her ear. She crouched as Duskheart towered over her furiously, his hazel eyes narrowed.

"SkyClan cannot l be led to believe that the clans don't protect their own. Already the new recruits can see the tension. Honeypool and you can't stand to breathe the same air, Rainpaw and Bramblestorm draw back further from the rest, and Stormpaw seems to believe in SkyClan more than his own clan!" His words were harsh and mean, his eyes narrowed.

"No! Stormpaw is loyal, he's just being friendly. And Honeypool, who cares about her opinion? She's just jealous that me and Tigerfrost get along so well." Cinderpaw scoffed.

"You care! If you ever wish to become a warrior, or even leader, you must show your care for your clanmates. Do you think I liked everyone i knew? I did not. But I respected them and kept my thoughts to myself." Duskheart scolded, his tail lashing furiously. "If you don't show better leadership, you'll be passed over in favor of someone else. With your clan, your friends, Tigerfrost."

Cinderpaw hissed as she lunged, her smaller form crashing into Duskheart's body as she clawed at him. "I won't be passed over!" She declared as she continued to attack. The past training bouts had made her progress in fighting advance further and further. Now, she was more lean, her small body packed with muscle.

Duskheart fought back, the two tussling before breaking apart. "That's more like it!" He growled. "Be better than the others, or cats like Honeypool will take what belongs to you. Do you want to watch her and Tigerfrost fall in love? Have kits?"

"Never." Cinderpaw declared, white-hot rage flowing through her at the thought of the smug brown tabby shecat getting so close with the dark tom Cinderpaw found herself thinking about. With a hiss, the silver apprentice knocked the shadowy tom in front of her over, her paw pressing into his throat as she slowly began to unsheathe them, revealing in the power she felt.

"Good. Show me that you are worthy of my training." Duskheart growled as he pushed her off of him, sitting up and shaking his pelt out. "Groom your pelt, I have someone who wishes to meet you."

Cinderpaw perked up, hurriedly grooming herself as she waited for this new visitor to appear.

"Cherryfang, I'm glad to see you arrived. This is my apprentice, Cinderpaw. Cinderpaw, meet Cherryfang and her apprentice." Duskheart meowed, his voice sly as he watched his apprentice turn to face the new cats. 

Cherryfang was one of the largest shecats that Cinderpaw had ever seen, with dark ginger fur, cold blue eyes and so many scars it was hard to see where one ended and the other began. Feeling her heart give a skip in fear, Cinderpaw steeled herself, her chin lifted loftily as she gave a small nod to the shadowy cat.

"Cinderpaw, I'm sure you know Bramblestorm." Cherryfang meowed, her voice so cold and dark that it made an involuntary shiver run down Cinderpaw's back.

"Bramblestorm?" Cinderpaw spoke, her eyes wide as she looked at the cat that trailed a few tail lengths after Cherryfang. It was indeed her clanmate; the brown tom's spiky fur looked even more wild, his pale green eyes wide with shock as he looked at her. She took a small step back at the thought that the already bad tempered tomcat was training with a mentor in his dreams, and judging by the state of his pelt and the scratches scattered across his shoulders, Cinderpaw knew he was trained just as hard if not more so. 'And he spends so much time with Rainpaw..' she thought, her eyes narrowing at the thought of her gentle hearted sister being near the tom.