| BERRYPAW |
small & nimble dark brown she-cat with darker flecks and light, leafy-green eyes
[ riverclan mc apprentice | she-cat | 8 moons | timid, kind, hardworking ]
—
Berrypaw looked around in confusion. What was going on? She knew exiles and exclusions were some of the punishments she'd seen in the past already, but this...
Make it slow. And painful...?
Oh, StarClan... they're going to kill
her!
She started to stare as Fogmuzzle was being charged at, her eyes rounding like moons. But right as Dusklion began to pin the outbursting warrior, Stagheart had stepped in front of her, telling her not to even try to look. Berrypaw frowned — maybe she
should see this? If it was going the direction she thought, she'd be faced with cats with all kinds of nasty injuries going forward. She should be strong enough to see it and not... well, through up or pass out, as her mind feared she would. Maybe...
But Stagheart took no heed of her protests. Sighing, she nodded and relented, settling behind him. At first it was quiet, and you could feel the tension in the air — thick, like Berrypaw could slice it with her claws. Her heartbeat was practically in her throat, drumming against her chest and making her entire body tremble.
And then, the screaming.
Helpless writhing on the grass, followed by an awful ripping noise that made her stomach flip. Berrypaw dug her claws into the ground to keep herself steady, not knowing if the mental pictures her mind was conjuring up were more or less horrifying than what was occurring.
What are they doing to her? I thought... I thought it'd be quicker than this!
Dazed as her breathing became rapid, the apprentice could only wait in terror as the sounds finally came to a stop.
So much for my big ceremony... Part of her thought grimly, wondering why she'd ever thought that it might've gone over well with the whole Clan. No, it had ended in bloodshed and hatred — just as nearly every other meeting like this had. Berrypaw felt dread in her bones, praying to StarClan above that this wasn't some sort of sick omen for her future career.
Nauseous and trepidatious, Berrypaw only just began to look over Stagheart's blockade of fur when something flashed out of the corner of her eye — quick and small. Through her hazy eyes and foggy mind that could hardly process what just happened, Berrypaw peered to see none other than a kit, stumbling out of the shadows. Their eyes were as round as moons, looking petrified as they stared at the red-washed clearing.
Stars... there's no reason a kit should see this! I can't even look myself...
Fueled by a need to move her anxious paws, Berrypaw bounded over towards the kit, her immediate care for their safety overtaking the horror of the execution just behind her. She didn't want to look — she couldn't yet. Her mind was on the kit first and foremost.
"H-Hey... hey, it's alright," Berrypaw whispered, perhaps unconvincingly — she could hardly keep the shakes away herself, and felt like crying just like the kit before her. But what made up for that was the soft, gentle heart behind her words, like the kit was a delicate flower before her.
The medicine cat apprentice planted herself in front of the scene, trying her best to block it with her small body — at least the kit was smaller than herself, or else it would've been useless.
"Just... don't keep looking, alright?" She urged quietly to Juniperkit, reaching out her tail to gently brush the kit's fur. She had no idea how much contact might freak out the young cat further, so she tried to be as light as a feather.
"This is not... normally what happens, and..."
The apprentice sighed, her fight for words only failing. She shook her head before speaking directly to the kit again.
"Ah... I'm Berrypaw. What's your name? Let's get you to the nursery, yeah?"
How'd you even sneak past everyone, anyway? But Berrypaw bit her tongue and kept the question alone. This kitten just needed to go inside, and quickly — not wasting another second out here, where the very air around them was permeated with the pungent scent of blood, fear, and anger.
Berrypaw still dared not to turn and look at the scene as she pushed Juniperkit along, still blocking as best she could while her body trembled like a leaf.
/ @
poppy -
lmk if anything's wrong here 