Reborn: Chapter Eleven- I Miss You.

  Geckopaw woke up. He took short, quick breaths to calm himself from the strange dream. I swear I'm going crazy now, he thought to himself as he got up. The brown and white apprentice got up and shook his head. Geckopaw remembered what had happened earlier, with the hunting assessment and Fallenheart. He hadn't felt comfortable with that vole he ate. Especially with his mother in such a critical condition where she needed food.
  While Geckopaw had taken a hunting assessment, he had come across his old mentor, and discovered that he had eaten a vole when he wasn't allowed to. To keep him quiet, the aging tabby tom gave Geckopaw half and forced him to promise not to tell anyone. Not even Nightpaw.
  "Ugh, I have to go train now. I wonder what's in store for me...." Geckopaw stretched his front legs and flexed his shiny black claws before leaving the den. Just as he was leaving, the tom bumped into another cat. Right when he was going to apologize, Geckopaw stopped in mid sentence.
  "D-Dewpaw!" He stuttered. His sister licked her dirtied pelt and gave a huff.

  "Of course it's me, mouse-brain," she hissed. "Watch where you're going next time!" Geckopaw rolled his eyes.
  "Well, it's lovely to see you as well," he retorted. "It's not like you talk to me all the time! I feel like I don't know you." Dewpaw wouldn't look him in the eye. Geckopaw took a step forward. "Look, I don't know what happened to us, but I want to act like actual siblings again. We've drifted apart."
  He realized that he was unloading some sort of heavy feeling he had from the start of his apprenticeship. It had seemingly come out of nowhere at the sight of his sister. Geckopaw sighed and looked at his paws. "I miss you, Dewpaw."
  Dewpaw stood still for a moment. The silver tabby gave a cuff over his ear and a small grin. "I guess we could share a crow or something later, huh mouse-brain?" Geckopaw returned a smile and nodded. "Okay! I'll see you after training then."
  "Sounds good!"

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  "No, Geckopaw. Concentrate!" ToesTalon kept correcting Geckopaw's positions. The apprentice had only just started his training for that day, and he was already exhausted. The constant babbling from the deputy was definitely not helping. "Keep your tail still!"
  "Don't you think I'm trying?!" Geckopaw finally snapped. "It's hard with you talking and not giving me time to manage it!" ToesTalon flattened his ears as the two toms stared at each other for a few moments. The cinnamon tom sighed.
  "If you want to be a great warrior," ToesTalon meowed softly. "You must learn to cooperate with other cats and listen to their advice. I've noticed that you've had a considerably hard time doing that lately."
  Geckopaw lashed his tail. "Well it's not my fault nobody understands me, or even gives me a chance at anything! I feel like every cat is counting me out or seeing me as a threat or something!" His eyes flashed in fury and clouded in sadness.
   ToesTalon sat down next to his infuriated apprentice and put his tail on his shoulder. "I think it's because you show such hostility towards certain cats," he mewed. "And also the fact that you've been through so much. They know how much potential you have to become a great warrior, considering all the things you've been through, that not even some warriors have experienced. They aren't ready for you yet, Geckopaw. However, you also have to be ready for them. As your mentor, it's my duty to help you improve on things you need to improve on. Right now, it looks like you need to improve on learning from others, rather than just me."
  Geckopaw looked up. "Do you really think so?" The apprentice's ears pricked. ToesTalon nodded, and as he did, the world seemed a bit brighter for him. Never had he thought the Clan had seen him in that way before.
  ToesTalon moved to the front of Geckopaw. "Now," he meowed. "Show me your pinning move."

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   Later that day, Geckopaw grabbed a crow from the fresh-kill pile and hurried over to Dewpaw. She was talking to Cloudpaw about the canyon, and which herbs were there so that Dewpaw could help gather whenever she was asked.
  "Hey Dewpaw," Geckopaw mewed. She turned and waved her tail in greeting. "Hey Geckopaw," she replied. "I guess it's time to share that crow, huh?" Her brother nodded, and they padded away from Cloudpaw as they settled next to the apprentice's den. Geckopaw took the first bite hungrily.
  "Hey!" Dewpaw laughed as she hit his shoulder with her tail. "You ate almost half in one bite!" The tom laughed.
  "I'm hungry!" He meowed through bits of crow. Dewpaw rolled her eyes and took a bite out of the crow as well. As he swallowed, Geckopaw decided to ask her an embarrassing question.
  "So...you like any cat?" He meowed. Dewpaw's eyes immediately widened and she licked her chest fur. Score!
  "Um...I...well...you say first!" Geckopaw shrugged. "I'm not fond of anyone yet. Now...you were saying?" He mewed smugly. Dewpaw's eyes darted to Eaglepaw and Ghostpaw's direction, and Geckopaw laughed.
  "You like one of those two?!" He exclaimed. "I don't believe it!" Dewpaw hushed him.
  "One of them is...very mature. He's also kind to me."
  "So it is one of them!"
  "Yes! Don't tell anyone!"
  "I don't even know which one it is!"
  "Still!"
  "Still isn`t exactly a good comeback, you know," Geckopaw chuckled. Dewpaw rolled her eyes. "I know. It seems suitable sometimes though, don't you think?" Geckopaw shrugged. "I guess so."
  Dewpaw took another bite from the fresh-kill while Geckopaw licked his paws, drawing them over his ears. There was a loud yowl coming from the High Stump; the siblings looked over at the Stump and padded over, sitting down neatly. Sandpaw, Gravelpaw, and Graypaw all were gathered at the bottom. Nightpaw had traveled over to Dewpaw and Geckopaw. "Today is their ceremony!" The black she-cat meowed happily. "Sandpaw's been talking non-stop about it."
  "You're telling me," Dewpaw purred. "She kept me up all night for the past few nights!" Geckopaw chuckled. He, of course, had been asleep for all of it.
  "May our ancestors hear and approve of these new warriors," Flashingstar meowed. "Sandpaw, your new name shall be Sandstrike. Gravelpaw, your name will be Gravelcloud. Graypaw, your name is now Graywhisker. Congratulations to all of you."
  The Clan arose in yowls of the new names of each warrior. Graywhisker looked embarrassed, whilst the other two puffed their chest out. The sleek, white furred leader continued with the ceremony.
  "Tonight, you three will sit in silent vigil under the stars. Good luck to you three. Clan dismissed!" The three cats chatted excitedly while they went to the camp entrance. Dewpaw and Nightpaw stood.
  "I love their names!" Nightpaw mewed. "They're so cool!" Geckopaw nodded in agreement.
  "I wonder what our warrior names will be," Geckopaw meowed. "I hope mine isn't something stupid." Dewpaw rolled her eyes.
  "You think everything's stupid!" His sister meowed in laughter. Geckopaw stuck out his tongue. "Whatever," he said. "Let's get some sleep." The two she-cats nodded and padded to the apprentice's den. Geckopaw hesitated for a moment and turned around. Yellow eyes bore into his own amber and silver ones. Fallenheart was watching Geckopaw, making sure he said nothing. The apprentice gave a curt nod and went to his nest to sleep.

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   Geckopaw woke up the next morning. He watched his breath rise to the air. It`s cold! He thought to himself, annoyed. Geckopaw didn`t like the cold. It made his claws feel numb. The tom rose from his nest and shook his pelt, which was getting longer. Leaf-bare would be coming soon. Geckopaw hoped he would be hunting today so that he could warm up. I wonder how Graywhisker, Sandstrike, and Gravelcloud did during the vigil. They must`ve been freezing!
   Geckopaw padded outside of the apprentice`s den. He saw cats grouped in one corner, hushed whispers coming about. Curiosity getting the better of him, Geckopaw went over to see what had happened. He saw the black and white fur of Graywhisker with his tail around Sandstrike`s shaking figure. Geckopaw went over to the two. "What happened?" he mewed. "How was the vigil?"
   Graywhisker turned to Geckopaw with saddened eyes and motioned his tail to where the cats were grouped at. Geckopaw flattened his ears. What in the world happened? Where`s Gravelcloud? Geckopaw realized that Sandstrike was sobbing, tears running down her muzzle. Geckopaw heard his name being called, and saw Nightpaw coming towards him. "Come on Geckopaw," she whispered. "I`ll tell you what happened. We should get out of this crowd first." Geckopaw nodded.
   Geckopaw followed the dark colored she-cat out of the crowd, and sat next to her. "What happened? Why do Graywhisker and Sandstrike seem so upset? And where`s Gravelcloud?"
   "Hold on!" Nightpaw meowed. "That`s what I`m going to tell you!" She looked at the crowd for a moment. "Last night, Sandstrike said that Gravelcloud told her that he was going to make dirt. She said that he took a long time, longer than any cat should be going. Sandstrike went to check on him, and he wasn`t there. She said that she picked up a blood scent, and followed it outside the territory. She came across Gravelcloud and another cat fighting, and watched as Gravelcloud was killed."
   "What?" Geckopaw gasped. "Gravelcloud`s...dead?" Nightpaw nodded. "Sandstrike chased the cat away. Flashingstar and ToesTalon think that Fallenheart did it."
   "How come?"

   "Fallenheart`s missing. Nobody`s seen him since yesterday, and his scent was nearby. He never seemed to like Gravelcloud when he was an apprentice either."

   "Fallenheart, the fox-heart!" Geckopaw unsheathed his claws and scratched them across the ground. He felt rage come across him. Who would kill a cat the night they had their warrior vigil?! Geckopaw stopped and realized something. Why hadn`t Fallenheart ever tried to kill Geckopaw? He seemed to hate Geckopaw with all his heart. Something strange is going on here. I intend to get to the bottom of it!