What's Your Problem?! (Closed)

Ryepaw still wasn't used to the acrid scent of soot that now contaminated the air of ShadowClan territory, and the handsome young tom let out yet another sneeze, his nose crinkled distastefully. Sighing, the fully-grown apprentice gazed around the camp and watched as the warriors bustled about, the productive energy giving him hope. Though ShadowClan's territory hadn't gotten nearly as much damage as some of the other clans, they still had a bit of work cut out for them to get their territory back to normal.

Though his promotion had been delayed by recent events, Ryepaw had confidence that he would soon join the ranks of the warriors, helping to defend and care for his clan until his dying breath. An inspired light shining in his icy eyes, the fluffy pale ginger tabby's ears perked with excitement and his tail tip twitched with a slight impatience. For a moment, all seemed right in the world, but that second quickly faded when he caught sight of a familiar black pelt.

Darkpaw. For a while now, the she-cat who he considered his best friend had been acting very strange around him, sometimes shooting him dirty glares, other times outright avoiding him. Ryepaw kept meaning to try and ask her about it, but she was always with her sister Blackpaw and he didn't feel comfortable confronting her in front of other cats. No matter how far back he could think, he couldn't remember if he had said something wrong, or offended her in some way, leaving him very confused. Oy, why are she-cats so complicated?

His ears pinned back warily, the tom-cat trotted up to where the dark-colored she-cat was, and waved his tail in a friendly manner. Trying to lighten the mood, he tilted his head in a comically cute way, and purred a friendly greeting. "Why hey there Darkpaw, long time no see!" With a slight chuckle, Ryepaw's face suddenly lost it's playful expression and adorned a serious, slightly worried look. "Hey, can I talk to you for a minute?"

Darkpaw was talking with her sister, that was heartbroken, after finding out Silentstorm was with Sparkwillow, Blackpaw looked Ryepaw approaching and hissed, Darkpaw turned to him and have him a angry glance like saying 'What do you want now?!' She lashed her tail crossly and looked again at her sister ''Blackpaw, go off, i will be right back...'' Seeing her sister leaving, she sat up infant of him, her fur slightly bristled.

''Okay, what do you want now? Say it fast!'' She spat, Darkpaw just wanted to leave him or slash his flirting face, sinking her claws on the soft earth, she controlled the anger, her tail lashing crossly, and her ears flattened, her green eyes also showing cold and rage.

Shocked, Ryepaw recoiled back from his friend as if she had lashed her claws across his face, his icy eyes shining with confusion and hurt. He didn't get it, why was his best friend acting like he was no more than an unwelcome rogue? For a moment the usually chatty tom was speechless, his ears folded back like a scared kit. What in StarClan did I do?

"Darkpaw I...um..." Feeling a bit awkward all of a sudden, he gazed around at the clearing full of cats and realized that he didn't want to cause a scene. ShadowClan had enough troubles already, without two of their experienced apprentices causing an uproar. Taking a deep, calming breath the pale ginger tom narrowed his eyes and spoke in a calm, but firm tone. "We need to talk, now, but not here." Turning, the muscular tom flicked his tail towards the entrance, and waited for Darkpaw to start walking before he followed her out.

Darkpaw, grunted, and followed him her ears flattened and her eyes still shining coldly at him, she didn't want to see anything with him, he already got Lightdrop to talk to, her tail was still lashing side-to-side, after they reached a place away from the Shadowclan camp, she sat down and gazed at him coolly "C'mon, spit it out! I have a sister to comfort!" she growled.

Once the two cats had reached a point away from the camp's earshot, Ryepaw turned towards Darkpaw, her coldly furious words lighting a rare fire of anger in his chest.  His lips curled in a snarl, the already fluffy ginger tabby puffed out his fur and sunk his claws into the ground, no longer able to hold back his frustration.  "What the heck is your problem Darkpaw!?  What did I do to make you so mad, because I have no clue myself!  I would appreciate an answer!"  His icy eyes burning, Ryepaw suddenly felt himself beginning to calm down; the light-hearted tom could never stay mad for long.  Besides, right now he was more saddened than enraged.  Plopping down onto his haunches, he let out a long sigh and met Darkpaw's vivid green gaze, his voice low and depressed.  "I miss talking to you, nothing's been the same since......I just want my friend back!"  The last part of his sentence came out in a sad wail, and a sudden desperation shone in his eyes.  "Tell me what to do to get back the Darkpaw I know and love, because I miss her!"

Darkpaw hissed at Ryepaw's snarl she stand up and hissed "That is none of your business Ryepaw! You don't need me anymore! You've already got someone else to cry in his shoulder!" At Ryepaw's next question she sat down and she curled her lip in a grunt.


"Ha! The old Darkpaw is gone, now i'm only interested in becoming the best warrior! So don't try to get her again! Also, why don't you join Lightdrop and her Clan if that a makes you more happy!?" She bared sharp teeth that could rip flesh without any difficulty, also her bristled fur, made her look twice her normal size.

"What are you even talking about?  Lightdrop is just a friend!  I would never fall in love with a cat outside of ShadowClan....are you assuming I would be disloyal?  You know very well that I want to be a great warrior too, why would I ever jeopardize my position like that?  Fury returned to Ryepaw's voice, and he stood up once again to confront the black she-cat, his face twisted with anger.  What the heck does Lightdrop have to do with any of this, and why does Darkpaw sound so jealous?  I don't even like Lightdrop like that.....I mean, she's pretty....but still!  I would never break the warrior code!

"Pfft, how is it not my business?  We've been best friends since we were kits, of course I need you!  You were the only cat who could help me out of my depression after Ambernose rejected me, you brought me back to my senses!  I want to hunt and fight beside you like we always dreamed of, why don't you?  What happened?!"  Hoping the she-cat could hear the heart-felt sadness and loss in his voice, Ryepaw's mind whirled with thousands of confused thoughts.

Darkpaw grit her teeth and jumped, this time showing real anger, with her long and sharp claws unsheathed "I didn't say that frog-brained tom!" She was still shivering of fury her tail lashing more fiercely and her eyes showing fire of hate.

"We aren't kits!" She hit the ground with her forepaw, after his other comment, she tensed "I'll tell you what happened! All is goin' bad! Silentstorm cheated with another she-cat and he's Blackpaw's love! Now she is all alone, i have no time for friends or flirty toms! I have a sister to comfort! So, will you do the same for Lynxpaw!?" She snapped and growled, she did hated Ryepaw to much, enough to dig up a hole and put him in.

Ryepaw averted his gaze, having been unaware of the situation with Blackpaw and Silentstorm.  Authentic sympathy in his voice, he continued; "I didn't know that happened to Blackpaw, I hope she is able to recover from that.  I totally understand what she's going through..." For a moment he flashed back to his time of hopeless sadness after he was rejected by the cat he loved, and the memory of the hurt and pain reflected in his eyes. "But....that doesn't mean you should just turn your back on friendship!  It's Blackpaw's issue, not yours.  She needs your help and comfort, but our siblings aren't all there is to life!  Lynxpaw does just fine with or without me, so don't bring him into this!"

"Am I a frog brain for wanting to help my best friend?  Honestly Darkpaw, right now you're acting like a kit!  Where is your maturity and common sense?  I'm trying to help you, not hurt you!  Why can't you see that?"  He was running out of things to say, and was growing desperate.  Without Darkpaw, the only cat in the clan left that he loved was Lynxpaw, and his brother was always busy nowadays.  Shadewillow's gone, I never knew my mother, and now my best friend is leaving me!  I can't do this!  Against his best interest, Ryepaw's eyes began to water.  Gazing down at his paws, Ryepaw stiffened his shoulders and mumbled a sad few words.  "Please don't leave me..."

Darkpaw, hissed and snarled ''Blackpaw IS my sister! I will not let her stand alone!" She was still shivering and baring her teeth, trying to not snap at his flirty face, she was sad her mentor was gone and now Ryepaw seemed stupid "Ha! Deal with it Ryepaw!"

At this point, all Ryepaw had the drive to do was shake his head sadly, icy eyes glistening with confusion and deep regret. What's happened to Darkpaw? When did she change, and why did it take me so long to notice? I could have stopped this! Oh if only I hadn't been so wrapped up thinking about Ambernose and my own self pity....I cost myself my best friend!

Setting his jaw in a sad attempt to look confident, Ryepaw slowly rose his head and met Darkpaw's green gaze, his eyes displaying all the hurt and sadness his soul was currently burdened with. His voice low and strained, the young tom managed to rasp a stiff sentence; "I hope you're happy with yourself....."; before brushing past Darkpaw and taking a few steps back towards camp, his fluffy tail dragging sadly along the scorched ground.

Darkpaw, flattened more her ears and when Ryepaw was about to go to the camp, she said, her voice in sorrow "Ryepaw, i do like you as a friend...But, I'm an apprentice now, i need to be mature, goodbye, i will be happy..."

Ryepaw whipped his head back around when he heard Darkpaw's quiet statement, icy greenish-blue eyes blazing with furious fire. "If you like me as a friend, why can't we just be friends then!? That's all I ever wanted, and that's all I really need right now...." At first his voice, laced with confusion and spite, echoed loud through the trees, but at the end trailed off into barely a whisper. Dropping his gaze, Ryepaw stared at the burned ground for a moment before turning away his face, just standing stiffly with his back to the black she-cat. His mind seemed to just stop, all emotion going still and numb. At that moment, Ryepaw had never felt more broken.

Darkpaw grit her teeth and her green eyes got a bit water "Because, you have already one! You don't need me Ryepaw!" Her eyes showing anger but sorrow too, she was shivering too much.

(occ: what if we left them still mad at each other? that could help push him farther towards Lightdrop, and more fun drama later ;D)

Ryepaw didn't turn around. Back turned stiffly towards the she-cat, he tensed his shoulders as he dug his sharpened claws into the blackened soil, icy eyes loosing their characteristic light-hearted gleam. Dark, sad, and angry, the pale ginger tabby tom didn't speak for a moment. He was completely done with this situation. His heart was broken and his head ached from trying to understand it all. Right now all he wanted was to go back to camp and bury his face deep into his mossy nest, ignoring the world and it's unfair circumstances.

"Maybe you're right."

Voice low and hopeless, the fully-grown apprentice began to pad back to camp, fluffy tail hanging low.