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Post by Mosspool on Jul 18, 2017 22:06:11 GMT -5
IntroductionWelcome to my newest fanfiction, Shadowed Heart! This will be a lot different than my other fics because there are no fantasy elements like Raven's Song and Everworld had and it will be rather short, maybe around 15 chapters. For me, this story really comes from the heart and it might be one of my favourite fanfics I've written. I hope you enjoy! SummaryDuckpaw believes that she is broken. Despite her loving family, she sees the other apprentices succeeding in their studies, becoming close friends, and falling in love. To her, her life is empty. She is average. She is alone. But it is not until one fateful night that she realizes who she is meant to be.
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Post by Mosspool on Jul 18, 2017 22:54:04 GMT -5
Characters Important characters will have an asterisk* next to them.
FernClan Leader: Fawnstar- a light brown she-cat with white paws Deputy: Stormclaw- dark grey tabby tom Medicine Cat: Flowerface- bluish-gray she-cat with green eyes. Medicine Cat Apprentice: Lionpaw- yellow tom with golden eyes Warriors: Goosewing- a speckled she-cat Mousepelt- small tan tom *Beestripe- black tom with a yellow stripe down his back Antear- black tom with bright blue eyes Deerstep- brown tabby she-cat Icesong- white she-cat with pathces of brown on her back *Redcloud- reddish she-cat with green eyes *Quailheart- light gray she-cat Tigertail- ginger tom Apprentices: *Duckpaw- a gray tabby she-cat with blue eyes *Twistpaw- gray tabby tom with white tail-tip Rosepaw- reddish she-cat Jaypaw- black tom with blue eyes *Milkpaw- pure white she-cat Queens: Mintytail- white she-cat. Expecting Mousepelt's kits. Elders: Oakthorn- grouchy tabby tom Eaglefeather- brown tabby she-cat Amberpool- orange she-cat
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Post by Mosspool on Jul 18, 2017 22:56:03 GMT -5
Story
Prelude There are five apprentices.
It is an odd number, not an even one, it is not fair. There should not be an odd number of apprentices. Four would be better, or six, perhaps.
When sparring in partners, one will always be left out. Two groups of two, and one cat standing alone near the bushes, quietly watching, tail tip twitching.
Four is the perfect number. Cats have four paws, as do the other creatures of the forest. Mice, rabbits, badgers, foxes. They all have four paws. There are four seasons, four clans, four elements.
FernClan should have four apprentices. They have five. Twistpaw is like the wind, swift, eyes bright, always ready for an adventure. Rosepaw is fire, spunky and fierce. Jaypaw is like the earth, humble and grounded. Milkpaw is water, calm, peaceful, but dangerous when brought to anger. Duckpaw… Duckpaw is just there. She believes she is nothing special. In a world where the apprentices are parts of nature, Duckpaw is an empty void.
Chapter One
Duckpaw is a tiny cat, her light gray tabby fur, rippling over her petite body, her icy blue eyes glaring at Rosepaw as she lashes her tail. She doesn’t say anything, she just stares at the reddish she-cat in anger. Rosepaw doesn’t seem to notice. She is speaking to Twistpaw just a few foxlengths away, completely oblivious to the trembling she-cat skulking by the bushes.
“You’ll do amazing at your assessment, I’m sure of it!” Rosepaw’s voice drifts over to where Duckpaw is hiding. The gray tabby’s fur bristles. Rosepaw is so friendly and confident on the outside, but on the inside Duckpaw is sure she is a cold snake. No cat could seriously be that nice.
“Oh, I’m not sure,” Twistpaw responds, ducking his head.
Rosepaw nudges his shoulder. “Don’t be so modest! You’re one of the fastest cats in FernClan. You’ll ace the rabbit-hunting portion of the assessment no problem.”
Anyone watching would guess that Duckpaw was jealous of their easy, close relationship. They would be wrong. She is the only apprentice not doing her assessment tomorrow. There is no big gaps in age, that’s not the problem, but the gray tabby’s shyness has never done her good. She has always been so nervous, scaring away the prey or worrying that she would hurt her fellow apprentices that she never succeeded the way that they did. Her mother, Quailheart always knew one thing about her only daughter. Her big heart would be her undoing.
Duckpaw would never dare say anything about how she feels to anyone except her mentor, Redcloud. Her level-headed, fiery-furred mentor keeps all of Duckpaw’s secrets. She sees the way the others treat her. When others were looking, like a close friend, when they thought they were alone, like she wasn’t even there. She knows what Duckpaw craves, simple things that any cat would want. Friends, a close family, respect from her clanmates. The chance to be like everyone else.
The little she-cat often sleeps in the medicine cat den. She is almost never sick, but the crushing loneliness of sitting silently, while the other apprentices chat away before bed, is too much for her. Flowerface is a kind old she-cat, sharing prey with the apprentice and sometimes slipping her poppyseeds to ease her slumber. Redcloud feels awful about poor Duckpaw, but there is only so much she can do. As one of the youngest warriors, though talented, the four remaining apprentices won’t listen to a word she says. Jaypaw can occasionally be swayed, but Rosepaw likes to do things her own way, Twistpaw usually goes along with what the other apprentices are doing, and Milkpaw just ignores her, lost in her own world.
Redcoud creeps away from the bush where she has been hiding, and heads to the warrior’s den. As she curls up in her nest on the outside of the den, little snippets of conversation cut into her thoughts.
“She won’t say anything…” That was Rosepaw.
“I feel bad for her though…” Twistpaw’s response came a second later.
Their voice fade into the distance as they go to the apprentice’s den across camp but before they are gone, Redcloud hears one last thing.
“Poor Duckpaw…”
She narrows her eyes, confused. Don’t the other apprentices hate Duckpaw? If they don’t, then why do they treat her so badly?
As she succumbs to sleep, one last thought drifts across her mind. What were they talking about?Chapter Two
Duckpaw’s father is dead. He died when she was a kit, several moons ago. He was never the strongest cat or the fiercest, but he was a good kind tom who loved his only daughter and his mate with all of his heart. A massive bout of greencough struck the clan, killing many including Hareleap. Quailheart was devasted. Duckpaw was then only one moon old and Quailheart could not deal with the loss of her mate and taken care of a young kit so she passed Duckkit off to Goosewing, a speckled she-cat.
Goosewing’s kits were just a quarter-moon older than Duckkit. Rosekit and Jaykit were bouncing little bundles of fur, always dashing around, passing around a moss-ball or practicing their battle moves. When Cloudpool’s kits were born just a few days after the death of Hareleap, Quailheart saw it as an opportunity to escape. There were two capable queens in the nursery, why do they need a third?
As her heart healed, Quailheart began to feel guilty. She had abandoned her only kit. Why in Starclan would she do that? Duckkit did nothing to deserve that. Quailheart had just been too buried in grief to see it. But now it was too late. Her daughter hated her. Quailheart desperately hoped that when Duckpaw was older, wiser she would understand but right now… all the apprentice saw was the mother who had left her.
Cloudpool was the mother that was always there for her, that always protected her. When they were just kits, Duckpaw would play with her denmates, especially little Milkkit. Without Quailheart around, Duckkit was the happiest kit. She had, still has, the biggest heart, always leading the other kits to the elders den to listen to stories while they helped groom the elder’s pelts. Everybody loved her.
She snuck out one day. Quailheart didn't know how, she was out of camp when it happened, but she was there to see the aftermath. While hunting she had found Duckkit wandering the territory. The she-kit has bristled when she saw her, she never liked being around her birth mother.
Quailheart had scented the faint scent of fox on the wind, growing stronger every minute. She tried to urge the kit to go back to camp but Duckkit just glared at her mother.
After a minute of trying to convince the kit to go to camp with her, Quailheart stepped forward to grab Duckkit. She squeaked and shot away from her as fast as her short legs could take her. Quailheart dashed after her daughter, at the same time that Cloudpool emerged from the trees.
Without a word spoken between them, the two she-cats followed Duckkit through the trees. They could hear her panicked mew up ahead, she was obviously frightened. Quailheart and Cloudpool tracked the kit through the thick forest, after a few minutes finding her ducked under a bush. The scent of fox was even thicker here.
Cloudpool crouched down to see the scared kit. “Duckkit, we have to get you home,” she said, her voice gentle.
Quailheart felt a pang of regret as Duckkit edged out from under the bush, nuzzling against the other she-cat. She turned away slightly, trying to hide her disappointed face. Just then she heard a rustle, followed by a growl in the direction of her fellow clanmates.
“Cloudpool!” she called, spinning to see a fox lunging at the white she-cat, teeth bared, russet tail waving.
Her clanmate whirled around to meet the fox, shoving Duckkit behind her. Quailheart leaped in to help, grabbing the little kit in her jaws. Duckkit let out a little mewl, but fortunately did not try to escape.
Cloudpool turned her head and met her gaze. “Go!” she screeched.
Her split second hesistation to warn her clanmates was the death of her. The fox sunk its teeth into her throat, staining her pure white coat with scarlet. Cloudpool crumpled to the ground. The fox turned to Quailheart, frozen in fright, snarling, blood dripping from its muzzle. Quailheart stumbled backwards, trying to get a hold of herself. Duckkit let out a cry. She turned and ran as fast as she could.
***** Fawnstar had sent a patrol to make sure that the fox was gone and to collect Cloudpool’s body. They trudged into camp, the dead she-cat’s body draped across their shoulders. As they gently laid her body in the center of the camp, Twistkit and Milkkit dashed over, their cries of despair breaking Quailheart’s heart. Their father, Antear, his eyes glistening in sorrow, wrapped his tail around the two kits.
“She was a hero,” Quailheart heard him whisper.
The light gray she-cat turned away from the devastating scene and plodded over to the medicine den. Hearing her approach, Flowerface met her at the entrance.
“I gave her a poppyseed to help her sleep,” she said, quietly.
Quailheart nodded. “Okay. She’ll be okay, right?”
Flowerface responded, “Eventually. She’s going to grieve, probably have nightmares about it. But she’ll recover. She’s a strong little kit.”
Quailheart was silent, looking at her paws.
The medicine cat put her tail around the gray she-cat’s shoulders. “It might take a little bit, but she’ll need you again. Don’t let her down.” Without waiting for a response, Flowerface slipped back inside her den.
She was right about the kit needing her. As Duckkit became Duckpaw, her relationship with Quailheart grew stronger. They still don’t have the ideal relationship, but they are friends, allies. But Cloudpool’s death certainly left an impact on the clan. Best friends and foster sisters, Milkpaw and Duckpaw stopped talking, and Duckpaw began her descent into isolation.
Nowadays, Quailheart has Milkpaw as an apprentice. She watches Duckpaw grow, awkwardly stumbling through life. She tries to help her daughter but Duckpaw shuts down her suggestions. Sometimes Quailheart wonders if Flowerface was right about Duckpaw being okay. She's so quiet around the other apprentices and lets them push her around. Quailheart thinks that here's no helping Duckpaw if Duckpaw won't help herself. And if Duckpaw doesn't want her mother's help, the gray she-cat has enough to deal with. Between her little secret and Milkpaw...Quailheart’s apprentice despises her, and to be quite truthful, she can’t stand Milkpaw either. Luckily now, her warrior ceremony is only a sleep away.
Chapter Three Beestripe was insanely jealous when his sister, Redcloud, got an apprentice. Not only had she become a warrior early, but he was still at least a moon away from becoming a warrior when she began teaching Duckpaw. Redcloud was the star apprentice. Beestripe was the jokester who always slacked off, whether it was forgetting to change the elder’s bedding or not catching any prey while out hunting. He thought that his good looks and charm would get him everywhere he needed to go in life, but boy, was he wrong.
When they had only been apprentices for three moons, Redcloud was made a warrior. Beestripe suspected that Fawnstar was just desperate for warriors, so many had died during the massive greencough outbreak. And just one moon later, Redcloud was made a mentor. Fawnstar really is tough on those who don’t pull their weight. Beestripe is just learning that now.
He was furious on the day of Duckpaw’s apprentice ceremony. Not only was he still an apprentice, but his sister, who was the exact same age as him, (in fact he was a few moments older) got an apprentice. Now he would have to be reminded of it every time he saw Duckpaw in the apprentice den.
It wasn’t that he didn’t like Duckpaw at the time, he really did. She was sweet and pretty, and often Beepaw would find himself getting flustered around her, to the point that he forced himself to stay silent around her in fear of saying something embarrassing. Yet even now, with him as a young warrior and her in her twelfth moon, he still couldn’t bring himself to talk to her. It had become a habit, he guessed.
Now as Stormclaw sends out hunting patrols that morning, pairing Beestripe with his sister and Duckpaw, he feels his stomach churning nervously. What if he messes up in front of Duckpaw? He knows that she wouldn’t laugh at him, she’s far too nice to do that, but he can’t bear the thought of embarrassing himself.
“Let’s split up,” Redcloud suggests, when they reach the middle of their territory. “We’ll be less likely to scare away the prey.”
“Okay,” Duckpaw chirps.
Beestripe nods in agreement. He holds back a sigh of relief. He won’t have to worry about failing and embarrassing himself in front of the little she-cat.
Redcloud points with her tail towards the sparse trees, leading to the river. “I’ll go that way and check by the river. Who knows, I might even catch a fish,” she says, her eyes glinting mischievously.
“Where should I go?” Duckpaw asks her mentor.
Redcloud thinks for a moment. “How about you head deeper into the pines over there?” she suggests.
Duckpaw nods as the reddish she-cat turns to her brother. “Beestripe,” she begins, pausing after his name. “What about… you should head in the same direction as Duckpaw. I don’t want her wandering by herself.”
Beestripe begins to sputter in protest, but cuts himself off when the apprentice glances over at him. “I don’t want to scare away her prey,” he says, hopefully as calmly as his voice sounds in his head.
Redcloud smirks a little. “I need someone to go with her. And I’m heading to the river since I’m the only one of the three of us who knows how to fish,” she explains.
Beestripe desperately wants to give his sister a swipe across the ears but he resists. “Okay,” is all he says.
Redcloud bounds away towards the river, as Duckpaw leads the awkward duo into the pine forest. They walk through the trees in silence. Beestripe’s head spins wildly as he tries to think of something to say to Duckpaw.
“So…” he says. “How’s being an apprentice?”
Duckpaw shrugs. “It’s fine, I guess. Redcloud’s an amazing mentor. I’ve learned so much from her.”
Beestripe nods. “That’s good.”
He desperately racks his brain, trying to think of something else to say.
Duckpaw signals with her tail for him to stop, lifting her nose to sniff the air. A faint scent of squirrel drifts across the breeze, and Beestripe can hear scratching coming from the branches high above them.
The two cats both look up and before Beestripe even has a chance to think about catching the squirrel, Duckpaw dashes up the trunk, silent as a snake. She climbs the trunk with ease, her small frame balancing on the branches as she follows the squirrel’s winding path through the trees.
Beestripe’s jaw almost drops when Duckpaw leaps from the branch she’s on to the one the squirrel is on, snapping the furry creature’s neck. She drops neatly to the ground, her catch swinging from her mouth. Scarlet and burnt orange leaves spiral down behind her, one landing gently on her back. She shakes it off.
“Wow,” Beestripe exclaims. “That was awesome!”
Duckpaw awkwardly ducks her head. “Thanks,” she mumbles.
They continue through the forest in silence, after Duckpaw scratches some earth over her squirrel. Beestripe frowns as he thinks about the obvious talent Duckpaw just displayed. Compared to her- though he hates to admit it-usual clumsy self, it is impressive. As he is lost in his thoughts, he misses the fact that Duckpaw caught a mouse.
She sits a mouse-length from his face, her prey dangling from her mouth, her eyes bright.
“When did you catch that?” Beestripe asks incredulously.
Duckpaw mumbles through the fur. “Just now.”
All Beestripe can do is stare. He didn’t think that Duckpaw could get any more amazing.
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Post by mintedstar/fur🦇 on Jul 22, 2017 23:30:41 GMT -5
Yess. Chapter 1. Want it... @.@
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Post by Brownie on Aug 29, 2017 20:33:51 GMT -5
I'm pretty good! Just enjoying my last week of summer before I have to go back to school. Knowing it's the last week of freedom is both liberating and crushing, eh?
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