Chapter Five

Blackpaw orbs widened to their edges to glare fully at his brother to tell what reaction Firepaw was trying to make him have; yet, Firepaw wasn't hoping to do anything.

"What do you mean, a twin?" Blackpaw asked with his tone cracking slightly.

"Well, I don't know his name, all I know is that he's from Jadeclan." Firepaw quickly added, "I only brought him up because Brindlestar, his leader collapsed completely in front of her clan. Even the other clan cats saw it!"

Blackpaw swallowed hard on the weighing sentence he wanted to spit out that would be about Shadepaw. Except, he couldn't make himself say anything at all.

Firepaw looked away from his brother then towards the towering over high rock in awe, "Do you think I will become a leader one day, Blackpaw?"

Blackpaw stared towards the rock too with his ears flicking back, "Wasn't there already a Firestar?"

A purr of amusement rumbled in Firepaw's throat, "There can always be another something, Blackpaw. Maybe you could become Blackstar one day after my nine lives are over, because I'll make you my deputy."

The idea if becoming his own brothers deputy made Blackpaw get to his paws from his nerves tingling in excitement.

Before Blackpaw could respond, Sootpelt shoved past him with Twistedfoot carefully making sure not to bump into the black apprentice.

"Maybe stand away from your medicine cat, Blackrat." Sootpelt spat lowly at Blackpaw menacingly.

Twistedfoot stopped with his broken up paw from when he heard his mentor and the leader talk above the ground, his head over his shoulder with his ears perked to tell if Blackpaw was going to respond.

Instead, Firepaw grinded his fangs together then snarled at Sootpelt, "You only fix cats up, you don't fight like Blackpaw and I will!" He continued with a small purr, "You're just a coward, you don't fight with us..you gave up on us."

Immediately after Firepaw mocked Sootpelt, the slim tom stopped then swirled himself around to face Firepaw; his ears back completely, fangs bared and eyes narrowed into the bright apprentice's cold blue eyes. Blackpaw watched them both eye each other in fear, so he rushed in between them in attempt to get them to stand off each other.

Sootpelt's eyes moved from Firepaw with rage then thickened with his frustration at Blackpaw, he hissed loudly at him which made Blackpaw shudder in fear.

The slim medicine cat unsheathed his claws, causing Blackpaw to duck his head if ever Sootpelt was going to swipe, and yet Twistedfoot placed a paw over his mentor's quickly, "Jadeclan, remember, Sootpelt?" Twistedpaw meowed abruptly, "We were going to meet up with Larkfur then catch up with the other medicine cats for an important meeting?" He said, hinting towards his mentor desperately for Blackpaw to not get swiped at.

Not really well with ease, Sootpelt's claws went back into his paws after he pushed Blackpaw away just for his amusement, he then nodded to Twistedfoot in a silent agreement. Finally, both mentor and apprentice padded out of the clan without another word to each other, except only with their annoyances with each other chatted in their minds.

Blackpaw sloppily got on his paws, "He's always been so awful to me, it's just what I need from someone else in this clan.."

"Maybe stand up for yourself? That'll teach him not to mess with you." Firepaw retorted, but relaxed once he got into a fighting crouch that of course he used to be playful at Blackpaw, "I would had..clawed his whiskers out just so he'd apologize to you for him being such a foxhearted elder." He joked, swiping in the air where he imagined Sootpelt's whiskers to be.

"You know how much I hate fighting with anyone..I never even go to see Ripplefang for training, I just hide out near the river most of the time." Blackpaw admitted cowardly, he sighed, "I'm no better than Sootpelt, maybe one day I'll end up being Twistedfoot's apprentice."

Firepaw blankly stared at him with his own self-pride, "Maybe.." His pride slipped away slightly because of how cowardly he realized Blackpaw was, "I had a long night from the gathering..I should go rest then, we can catch up later if you want to?" He finished, already walking to the apprentice den where he vanished into the brambles darkness.

Now that Blackpaw was alone, he looked around for anyone he knew; he looked to his right where his ears started to stand awkwardly from hearing two familiar voices, he followed the sound to find two different blobs of fur brawling near the dirt place.

Maybe if I fight too then Firepaw won't think of me as a coward anymore. Blackpaw thought as he made his way to the familiar blobs of fur he couldn't recognize yet by name.

As he approached, he found the winning blob of fur to be a very pale grey, that was silvery and sleek with yellow eyes Blackpaw recognized to be Minnowpaw's.

Another pelt he knew already was Hawkpaw, that was losing towards the other apprentice since his already brown pelt was almost near the edge of the dirt place where Minnowpaw attempted to push him in completely.

With caution, Blackpaw kept approaching until Minnowpaw's head lifted up from Hawkpaw to stare at him.

"Why are you coming closer?" Minnowpaw asked annoyed to see the sight of Blackpaw, he then slowly realized, "You're here to practice, aren't you?"

Blackpaw nodded, "Yes, can't I?"

Minnowpaw shrugged, stepping off from Hawkpaw in a small shred of mercy to not soil him, "Since Ripplefang is my uncle, he's told me before that you and him never practice. So, this should be an easy win of simple combat for me."

Hawkpaw sat up, he stared at Blackpaw with an odd expression.

Blackpaw's long tail swayed anxiously from beginning to regret what he was going to say, "Well, it doesn't have to be simple combat, Minnowpaw."

Hawkpaw got up quickly then padded to Blackpaw's side, "Blackpaw, what are you doing, he'll kill you!"

Blackpaw said nothing, which made Hawkpaw understand that whatever he said would not change his mind. So, he sadly nodded in fear for this practical stranger he cared for after all; he rested his chin on his shoulder as if he was never going to see him again.

"Get out of the way, Hawkpaw, this will be very different to Blackpaw since he's been so lazy." Minnowpaw meowed with a slight noticeable laugh.

Hawkpaw stepped away and then bolted to the apprentice den, almost tripping over his own paws but entering successfully where he found Icepaw and Firepaw curled up together, "Firepaw, Blackpaw is going to do something very stupid..you have to stop him before he gets hurt by Minnowpaw!"

"Honestly, I always kept my claws in for Hawkpaw because of how clumsy he is that I thought less damage would hurt him in the most oddly dangerous ways," He continued, unsheathing his claws, "But you won't care if I clawed some of your fur out, right?" Minnowpaw lowly asked with his right paw struck out to demonstrate what he meant.

Blackpaw gulped while he debated if he really wanted to still do this..

I'm not a coward anymore..

Both Minnowpaw and Blackpaw got into their stances their practical mentors trained them; for Blackpaw, it was Thundertail and Tatterdpaw that taught him.

Firepaw, I hope you're watching..I'm going to make you so proud!

The two stayed their ground until Minnowpaw struck out his right paw instead of a demonstration like before. No, this time he raked it across Blackpaw's ear in attempt to tear it, which he did by making a little slit.

A feeling Blackpaw had never felt before was a mix of warmth and cold that he felt on his ear; the warmth being his wound open to the forest, and the chilling, trickling sensation of blood that trailed down his cheek that he saw through horrified eyes.

It..really hurts.. Blackpaw thought as he tried to process what this feeling was, he closed his eyes tightly, I can't let this bother me..I have to do something..

From the corner of his eye he saw annoyed eyes burning at him that were from the one and only Thundertail that watched him with displeasure.

"Fight back, Blackpaw, don't be weak like before. Do something, and open up your eyes." Thundertail instructed, "Fight!"

Blackpaw grasped his last sense of mind, he unsheathed his claws with no satisfactory.

Minnowpaw laughed, "It's too bad Sootpelt's not here, you're going to be bleeding everywhere by the time he gets back from Jadeclan!"

"Why is Blackpaw doing this?" Icepaw squeaked, watching her crush just freeze and tense from the comment she heard by Minnowpaw.

Firepaw watched expressionlessly at his kin in this situation, his eyes darkened.

Minnowpaw kept laughing at Blackpaw.

"Get him, open up your eyes now..stop acting stupid!" Thundertail demanded, "Get even!"

Blackpaw huffed which made his eyes cloud with free tears falling onto his paws, then dripping into his curling claws.

He looked up to Minnowpaw in agony, "My eyes are wide now!" Blackpaw thundered, raking his claws deeply across Minnowpaw's left eye.

Hawkpaw, Firepaw and especially Icepaw watched in complete shock towards what Blackpaw had done..

"Minnowpaw's eye is gone!" Icepaw screamed.

Firepaw and Hawkpaw ran out of the apprentice den.

"See, my eyes are open-" Blackpaw said, he voice hanging.

Minnowpaw was standing in his own fear now, his fur on end with his only eye wide open; his left eye, was completely gone. All that remained was the pool of blood that started to form in the empty hole where his eye was.

"What did you do, Blackpaw?" Firepaw spat, pinning and holding his brother to the ground forcefully, "He's eyeless because of you!"

Hawkpaw was making Minnowpaw walk towards the medicine cat den even though no one was there.

Blackpaw looked at his claws to find it soaked up to his shoulder in a dark crimson that he knew was Minnowpaw's blood.

What..have I done..?