Kindness and Hope Will Forever Live On [P]

[TheNyanCatMinecart]

[WARNING: This thread will contain animal death and emotional turmoil.]

~ TWISTEDPAW OF WINDCLAN ~

AFAB | SHE/HER | APPRENTICE | 21 MOONS | NO PURRKS

Small, skinny, black she-cat with a light gray belly and tail-tip, a mangled tail, a crooked jaw, and one blind eye.

The sun blazed from a clear blue sky. Twistedpaw's black coat soaked up its rays, growing heavier with heat the further she walked from camp. It reminded her of long-ago days spent in the nursery, curled up next to her foster mother, Fireflame, and her foster sister, Brightkit. A soft, slightly distorted purr rumbled in her throat at the memories of soft moss, milk-scent, and their bodies pressed against hers. A wisp of grief also swirled through her body. That will never happen again.

However, her sadness disappeared as she kept walking through the long grasses, drawing the deliciously cool air over her tongue and tasting the sweet heather. Mingled with it were the scents of her Clanmates, Whisperinghive and Nightfall. That part of my life might be over, but I'm better than I've ever been. I'm truly a part of WindClan. I'm comfortable around my Clanmates. I want to serve them and be friends with them, helping them however I can. I don't hate myself anymore. I'm happy.

Twistedpaw's working gray-blue eye swept over her patrol. Batglare wasn't here, unfortunately, but Whisperinghive was. His orange fur glowed like fire as the sunrays settled over him. They hadn't had the best of starts - the young warrior hadn't liked her very much - but, over the course of one training patrol, they'd come to learn that they were both going through some rough times. Thus, even though they hadn't spoken much since then, Twistedpaw felt like there was some kind of bond between them. Not kinship, exactly, but something that ran a little deeper than what she usually felt for her Clanmates. He felt like a... not a sibling, since their bond wasn't very strong. But it was something similar to that.

She glanced at her other Clanmate, Nightfall. His black pelt, like hers, sucked in all of the light, but his white spots and lighter legs had a strong golden tinge. He was the patrol leader. They were to go hunting together. I don't know him very well... I hope he's not judging me. The instinctive thought flitted through her mind as a bee might buzz past a flower. She shook her head to clear it, crooked jaw swaying and bulging light gray tail-tip twitching. I need to stop thinking like that. Some cats might judge me, but I shouldn't assume they will unless... well, they do. Even though she'd grown more comfortable around her Clanmates, it was a scary thought, being judged like Willowsky and Cedarfrost had judged her.

It didn't help that Twistedpaw was unusually old for an apprentice. Three moons had passed, and she'd been training hard; however, it seemed no warrior had the time to take her out for extra battle training like she'd wanted. Batglare would assess her soon, but she needed that extra training. I can't let cats like Cedarfrost catch me off guard again. I need to work on defending myself. Twilightstar wasn't putting too much pressure on her, she knew. She'd have to get that extra lesson quickly, though. She hated being so old for an apprentice. And I forgot to tell Twilightstar about my warrior name. She didn't want to be called Twisted-. She wasn't ashamed of herself, but she didn't want her deformities to be all anyone thought of her. They're a big part of my life - of me. But they're not all I am. I want to be known for something else. Besides, Willowsky had given her that name in a moment of hate. Twistedpaw didn't want her abusive mother to stain her forever.

She took a deep breath, allowing the scents of heather, grass, and peat to soothe her churning mind. She was also testing the air for any bits of prey. They were on a hunting patrol, after all, and Twistedpaw wanted to bring back as much prey as possible for WindClan. I'll make Batglare proud of me! she thought with a burst of excitement.

A loud rumbling caught Twistedpaw's attention. Her single tiny ear pricked, and she caught the tang of stone on the air. "Twilight Falls," she murmured. Thanks to the heat, her voice was far less distorted than it had been in the colder, wetter seasons. "The waterfall is loud, so there usually isn't much prey around here." Already, she could feel her confidence growing. She was making suggestions instead of hanging back! "Maybe we should head away?" Nightfall was still the leader of the patrol, though. She glanced at the slender black-and-white tom.

Then something warm flowed into her distorted nose. Twistedpaw perked up, the lush grass rustling beneath her. "Wait - I smell something!" A mouse, it seemed. The black-and-light-gray she-cat dropped into a crouch. Without thinking, her slim yet muscled legs moved in their unique way to keep her mangled tail from unbalancing her. "I'll grab it," she hissed to the others.

Slowly, Batglare's instructions and her practiced moves fresh in her mind, Twistedpaw slunk forward. She couldn't see it yet, but its scent was growing stronger. Her stomach hopped with excitement as her heart lifted with pride. Even though she was an old apprentice, she felt like a warrior. She was doing everything right, serving her Clan with the pride and joy of a true cat.

The roaring of the falls grew louder as she crept toward the scent. That's one brave mouse! What little creature would want to get so close to the roaring water? Then she realized the trail looped around to the back of the falls, close to the rocky cliffs. Of course! It's made a nest there. She jerked her head in its direction to let the others know, then crept closer.

There! Poking above the vivid green grass was a furry brown head, round ears twitching. Twistedpaw made sure she was downwind, then continued on, so quiet that the rustling of the grass could be attributed to the cool breeze sweeping over the moor. It got closer... and closer...

She leaped!

Her front paws landed squarely on the mouse. It didn't even turn its head; the falls must've drowned any additional sounds out. Twistedpaw broke its neck with her paws. Not the smartest one, she noted with a twitch of her dented tail-tip. Not that she minded. This'll be a good meal for someone. Fresh joy coursed through her as she leaned down to pick her meal up and carry it to the others.

Its warm, furry body was barely balanced on her crooked jaw when a loud rumbling noise came from above. Twistedpaw's head jerked up in shock, flinging the mouse away from the cliff. She caught a glimpse of something gray streaking toward her-

Twistedpaw let out a distorted screech of pure agony as the sun-warmed stones slammed into her. It was heavy, too heavy, shoving her into the ground. Multiple cracks sounded in her ears. What was cracking? The rocks? ...Something inside of her? Either way, it hurt. The pressure was unbearable, jagged edges cutting into her flesh, perhaps deeper-

The shock kept her frozen, but it only took several heartbeats for hot tears to cloud her vision. Whisperinghive and Nightfall appeared as faint blurs, the mouse - which had escaped the falling stones - nothing more than a gray smudge. She tried to talk, but the pain and shock were too strong. It took a few moments for a weak croak to escape her throat.

"H-help... I'm s-stuck..."

Just speaking sent stabs of pain through her, and she whimpered - not just with the agony and the feeling of being crushed alive, but the fear, too. Wh-wh-what's h-happened t-to me?

@ChaosBringer. @Wingnettle (Since Nightfall's the oldest, I made him the patrol leader! I can edit this if you'd like. )