Hopes Crushed [Closed]

Hazelpaw dashed out of camp, holding back her tears until she was out of sight in the trees. She slowed her pace to a trot, heading steadily towards the Thunderpath.

She had been training for moons, yet no one had said anything yet about a warrior ceremony. All of her siblings had been warriors for ages. What was it? Was she too small? Was she too weak? But the distraught apprentice was too shy to ask Leopardclaw when her training would finally come to an end. The hours of tedious training and being around other cats all the time was almost too much for her. Becoming a warrior would mean no more daily training sessions, no more apprentice duties, and more freedom to hunt on her own.

Maybe I'm just not good enough, she thought mournfully. If I could prove that I'm capable, maybe then I could become a warrior. She stopped in her tracks, looking ahead to where she knew the Thunderpath lay, hidden by a wall of trees. I'll just catch something, as a reminder that I'm still here, waiting. Waiting.

She took slow, tentative steps, getting progressively closer to the Thunderpath as she scanned the area for the perfect piece of prey. Before long, she spotted a fat squirrel, sitting alone between two trees. "Gotcha," she breathed. She dropped so low that her belly fur was practically touching the ground. But just as she was about to catch it, its head flicked her way and it dashed off through the trees. Hazelpaw sped after it in hot pursuit. A few seconds later, she found herself in the middle of the Thunderpath, with no trace of the squirrel to be seen. Where... she glanced around, trying to catch sight of her prey again, when she became suddenly aware of a low rumbling noise getting steadily louder. She tilted her head, trying to remember where she had heard it before.

It took her a second too long to recognize the sound of a shiny twoleg monster, zooming down the Thunderpath towards her. With a short screech, she threw herself towards the safety of ThunderClan territory, but not before the monster hit her swerving, knocking her small body off the path like a kit. She hit the ground rolling, coming to a stop on her side, facing ThunderClan. Blinking rapidly as everything blurred around her, Hazelpaw became painfully aware of the pool of blood forming beneath her. Be brave, she told herself. Be brave, be brave, be brave...

"Help..."

He'd been assigned a hunting patrol. This was the usual thing of course, for a busy apprentice like himself. Although, this particular patrol was not going so well. Eaglepaw had never been a great hunter despite being very skilled at fighting. Of course, he lacked the patience and lack of action for it. And his sense of smell was not the greatest. More than anything, his brute strength, and cunning in battle was what made up for it. Regardless of this fact, the apprentice blamed the patrol leader for picking a poor hunting spot. With newleaf, there was a rise in the amount of prey. Of course, it had to have been their fault nothing was around. So, as soon as they split up to hunt on their own, he disappeared into the undergrowth and set off on his own. Apprentices weren't supposed to do that, but he wasn't just any apprentice. And, he would bring back enough prey that they wouldn't be made.

Eventually, the acrid smell of the thunderpath hit his nostrils. It was as unpleasant as the first day he had smelled it. He spat in disgust. Trying to ignore the smell as it increased, his maw opened slightly to draw in the scents. Squirrel! He was too focused on the prey to notice that the smell of Thunderclan was stronger than usual, hinting at the presence of a clanmate nearby. Eaglepaw set out to follow it. As he stalked forwards in search of the kill, he focused as much as possible. But, before he could get too far, something crashed into his chest. His eyes widened. The squirrel! The creature was more stunned than he was, having been clearly spooked by something, and he finished it off in a moment. It was plump and well-rounded, certainly a good meal for several cats. A yowl of triumph broke from his throat.

When it died out, another sound rose into the air. There was the roar of a monster. Something sounded strange this time. The sound was interrupted instead of the mere rise and fall of it. Out of curiosity, he picked up his catch and trotted towards the black stone. As he broke through the foliage, his eyes immediately landed on a pool of scarlet that soaked into the earth. His maw dropped and the squirrel fell. Eaglepaw rushed over to the broken frame of his clanmate. Never before had he felt such a real ache in his chest. Hazelpaw, his denmate, lay twisted in a mess of her own blood. Another sensation, one he hadn't experience before, began to prickle at the back of his mind. Fear. Hopelessness. He had missed her soft cry for help and let out his own yowl, "Hazelpaw is hurt!" As usual, his yowl was strong, but notes of desperation crept in. This was the worst thing he had ever seen. And, the attempt at getting help was futile. His patrol was far off. No others were near.

His teeth embedded themselves in her scruff and he bent down to awkwardly attempt to position her broken frame on his back. Thankfully, she was light, and his bulky and muscular frame provided for a good surface for the other apprentice. Still, the process was arduous and slow. It frustrated him to no end that he could not be faster during such a critical time. One of his clanmate's lives was in danger! Eaglepaw's heart pounded and he pressed on while muttering, "It'll be okay... It'll be okay." He wasn't sure if he was trying to convince the half-dead she-cat, or himself. Either way, the squirrel was long since forgotten. It was left to lay rot by the Thunderpath in the apprentice's blood.

Through all the blurriness, Hazelpaw could see Eaglepaw coming towards her. She barely heard his cry for help, but somehow she knew that no help would come. She let an almost silent yowl escape her jaws as he lifted her, barely able to make a sound through the blinding pain. Every tiny breath felt like a lifetime. Every obscure movement brought a fresh wave of agony. She blinked again, but all she could see from her awkward position was the sky with occasional treetops blocking her view... moving up and down, back and forth, with a few points of light sprinkling the fading blue.

Hazelpaw's eyes began to slide closed again, and the light began to dim. It was then that she realized how close to StarClan she was. There was no medicine cat that could fix her. There was no help that would come. She could almost feel herself slipping away.

"I just wanted..." she sighed lightly, blinking one more time. Hazelpaw's eyes froze, barely open, and her head rolled softly to the side.