Post by Deleted on Dec 19, 2018 18:50:49 GMT
RELIGION'S A BREEDING
GROUND WHERE THE DEVIL'S
WORK IS DEEPPLY FOUND
Boggy ground squelched under Sootpaw’s paws as he traversed the densely packed territory that was RavenClan. He ducked beneath the drooping branches of ferns, sprang over the shallow dips filled to the brim with murky water, and skirted the gnarled roots of the pine trees where they jutted up from the ground, waiting for unsuspecting paws to trip over them. As he skirted around the blackened trunk of a pine tree, he paused for a moment to catch his breath and take in his surroundings.
It won’t be long before the new-growth starts coming in, he observed to himself, taking in the green shoots that were beginning to peak their heads through what snow remained. Soon the forest would be alive again, not only with prey but plants as well, and when that time came, he could replenish his stores, and the worst of his problems would be dealt with. Except for one, anyway: FireClan.
Now that the weather was more favorable there was no doubt in his mind they’d be returning to their territory, and once they did and caught wind of the changed scent-markers, well… there was really no telling what they would do once they found out.
He shuffled his paws, grimacing. Perhaps I should speak with them. Aspenstar would listen, I know she would. However, he couldn’t say the same for Cinderstar or Froststar. Both she-cat’s looked at him as if he were a flea in their pelt, a nuisance they’d rather do without, and he doubted either of them would endure his presence for very long without shooing him away or snarling at him, especially Cinderstar. He felt a shiver pass down his spine at the thought of getting on the she-cat’s bad side. After seeing her fight against Willowstar, she was the last cat he wanted as an enemy. And yet here we are, he thought glumly.
His ears drooped, then perked again as he heard the thump of paws not too far away. A voice sounded, followed by a grunt and another thud as paws landed on the earth. What’s that about? Silently, he crept forward, fighting his way through the tightly woven undergrowth to peer into an open clearing. The Grassy Hollow. He remembered it vividly from his training session with Webpaw, but now that the snow was gone it looked entirely different with the sun beaming down on a hollow of dead grass.
He glanced from one end to the other, his gaze resting on two cats towards the opposite end from them. One was a warrior he knew instantly to be Basilbreeze, Burdockpaw’s uncle, while the other took him a little longer to recognize before he could finally put a name to them. Applepaw.
They must be training, he thought, then felt a pang of longing.
Before he’d become Petalflight’ apprentice, he’d desperately wanted to be a warrior. He’d wanted to patrol borders and fight for his clan; the last place he would have expected to end up was in the medicine den, sorting through herbs and treating sick patients. Not that he minded—he was still serving his clan—but that still did not get rid of his urge for a simpler life as a warrior.
Must be nice… He watched Applepaw as the apprentice moved in time with Basilbreeze’s commands. He looked fast and determined—everything Sootpaw would’ve liked to be—and when they finally took a break, Sootpaw found himself walking towards them.
“Excuse me,” he mewed, stopping in front of Basilbreeze. “May I join you?”
Tags: Mal, @rksilvally | Word Count: 585
MADE BY VEL OF GS + ADOX 2.0