The oppressing darkness made Ivorypaw feel blind on all sides. He could barely see a few tail-lengths ahead of him; to the sides, nothing at all. How long had he been searching for the river? It felt like an eternity, the full moon drifting up into the sky as each heart-beat passed. The weak silver light barely made it through the tangled undergrowth, and for a moment the thought of a nice warm, milky den crossed Ivorypaw's mind. Things were so easy then.... That's over now. Do you want to go to the Gathering or not!?
Brambles tugged at the young tom's brown pelt, gray in the half light, as he pushed toward the sound of rushing water. He had been following this sound in circles. First it would lead Ivorypaw toward the border, then back toward camp, and then back outward again. How was it that the sound reverberated through the dense trees so cleverly? Ivorypaw couldn't explain it, all he knew was that this time the sound was louder than before. Rounding a bend, his forepaws slipped from underneath him.
Ivorypaw let out a shriek as he found himself a whisper away from plunging head first into dark, green toned waters. He could see long grass at the very bottom, illuminated by the moon, flowing back and forth, back and forth. It reminded him of long hair, and he found himself frantically scrabbling at the river shore's walls. His claws became mud clogged, and his arms became tired with the effort. What in the name of Starclan is holding me up?
Turning his head, what he saw frightened him even more than the dark waters. Holding him by his hind quarters was a big, dark brown cat with eyes so dark, they weren't visible in the weak light. Before Ivorypaw could even express the mounting fear he felt in his throat, the figure yanked him upward and back onto the crumbly shore. "Enjoying your test, Ivorypaw?" The young tom's head spun as he stared at the cat standing barely a half tail length away from him.
He realized he was crouching, gripping the earth with his claws so tightly he knew the skin on his knuckles would be white if he could see it. "Come now, Ivorypaw. I expected more out of you." Ivorypaw felt recognition hit him like a blow. Weaselstar! He felt a hot embarrassment on his ears, yet still the fear didn't leave him. Why am I so afraid of him, he's my leader! Ivorypaw sat up, stiffly, and tried to find his voice.
"What are you doing out here?" Weaselstar leaned forward so that his dark brown eyes were visible now. They burned with a dark pleasure Ivorypaw could not understand.
"Don't you understand? To get to the river....you have to get past me." Before the brown tabby had any time to think, teeth gripped his scruff and his body was sent flying through the ferns. He felt thorns and low branches tear through his fur, and let out a huff as the ground hit him hard. Ivorypaw couldn't stand, he couldn't breath! How could this be possible? He had to fight his own leader? It went against everything he knew, but when Weaselstar leaped through the branches with ease, intent on slamming the young Apprentice deeper into the ground, Ivorypaw rolled to the side barely heart-beats before the giant paws reached him.
He was on his paws, using his tail as a balance maneuver as Blackclaw had taught him, and then lunged at the dark tom. Ivorypaw's teeth met fur, but only for a few brief moments before he felt the hardness of a tree slam against his back. Weaselstar turned, letting the Apprentice slip down the trunk and collapse on the ground. "What a fool you are, kit. In dense undergrowth like this, it will do you no good to be on my back." Ivorypaw heard his voice in a distant echo. His head was pounding, his breath was short, but most of all his back throbbed from the impact. I can't fight him....I can't. Think, Ivorypaw.
His scruff was grabbed again as Weaselstar flung him across the dense brambles like a piece of kill. The small tom fell with a thud, but refused to let the pain bog his mind. You need to....need to get to the river. That's all you need. Ivorypaw pricked his ears, pinpointing the sound of gurgling water. He got up and sprinted in the opposite direction. Weaselstar was hard on his heels, the young tom able to feel his leader's claws scrape his hind paws with each bound. "What are you running for!? No coward will go to the Gathering."
Ivorypaw slowed, turning to face him again, but was instantly caught by the shoulder and flung back the way they had came. He slid through a patch of thorns, but it didn't stun him. His plan was working. Weaselstar doesn't know where the river is. The forest has confused him as it did me. Blow after blow, Ivorypaw was pushed back toward his destination; the bigger, stronger tom completely oblivious to his dubious plan. Weaselstar stood, panting, a chuckle coming out of him in sonorous song.
"You thought you could really take on me. Ha! Blackclaw had luck on his side when he faced me, but you. You will fail this test. All your clanmates will know it."
"Not today." Ivorypaw lunged toward the brown tom, knowing he would met him head on. Weaselstar did just that, leaping forward with all his strength and sending the two flying forward. Right into the river. The icy waters streamed through Ivorypaw's short brown tabby pelt immediately after each cat fell in. He could feel the hair like grass tugging him from bellow, and a new fear filled him. The moon light streamed through the water in a manner that gave everything a ghostly glow. Ivorypaw couldn't tell which way was up, which was down. His lungs began to burn, his eyes becoming more blurry as each heart-beat passed...
His head breaking surface, Ivorypaw took a huge gasp of air. He could feel soft mud beneath his pads, could feel the ferns as they brushed across his face. When he could again feel his paws, and could again see, he saw Weaselstar crouching nearby. Ivorypaw felt adrenaline pulse through him. Fight. Survive. He leaped to his paws, ready to take on anything the lithe tom threw at him, but Weaselstar didn't move. "Relax, tiger. You've passed." He coughed a few times.
"Passed?" Ivorypaw felt a rush of pride. "I did! I made it to the river!" He would have jumped for joy, but his legs collapsed beneath him just as he attempted to do so. Weaselstar didn't seem angry, in fact, he seemed impressed.
"Let's get back to camp and get cleaned up. The other clans await our arrival." As his leader began to pad away, he turned his head and mewed. "Coming?" Ivorypaw wobbled forward, despite his physical state, beaming with excitement. I am elite. I out foxed my own leader! Not just any leader, Weaselstar. If the young tom's ego could get any bigger, he didn't see how that was possible.
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