Episode 3, season 1 of For the Birds. Enjoy!
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I'm screaming.
I think I'm going to die.
I glance at Sunsetpaw, who's screaming beside me. He looks...worried, almost a worried sense of love...? But he couldn't crush on me, all I am is this useless apprentice who failed her Clan and is going to die.
That's all I'm worth. I'm so useless.
Suddenly I can hear Sunsetpaw clearly.
"Aspenpaw, if we die, let's die together, as friends."
His words are true, as I already know.
Next thing I know, the ground is rushing up to meet me.
Talon flares her wings a moment before my paws hit the ground, setting me and Sunsetpaw down before landing not too far away.
I finally feel the pain in my back, warm blood sinking into my fur. I know it's mine, though I don't know why it feels so...so weird.
Back to Talon. She has our blood on her scaly legs, but I think her face is the most intimidating. It's white and I see a scar over an eye. Her eyes are orange, like they're hunting everyone. She has massive wings, and she stretches one to full length as she spots the awed look I know I have.
She turns and lifts one leg, pointing out the others taken. She points with her talons, indicating mine first. I already know them, since I grew up with them.
"Next, SunClan cats," she squaks. "Flamepaw, Reedpaw, Silverpaw, and Bluepaw."
Flamepaw is an orange she-cat with amber eyes that give me chills. They look like Talon's.
Reedpaw is a dark brown tom. He looks extremely nervous and turns his gaze away from me. I wonder if he was teased or bullied.
Silverpaw keeps her eyes fixed on her gray fur, licking it constantly. I can't see her eyes or what she's licking.
Bluepaw holds a look with Sunsetpaw, both toms smirking. Are they opponents in hunting? Or are they just friends?
Talon introduces me to the other picks. There's Thunderpaw and Lightningpaw, a pair of brothers, and Juniperpaw and Yarrowpaw, brother and sister.
That's it. There's nobody else.
Talon takes us inside our torture chamber, separating us by who we're close to. Sunsetpaw and I are together, as well as the nervous Reedpaw and the black tom Thunderpaw.
Thunderpaw is screaming as Lightningpaw is shooed off in another direction, down a dark hallway where I swear I see bloodstains. I'm feeling Talon's gaze bore into my fur like giant dog's teeth, and I turn my back to the hallway.
I'm nearly ready to just let Talon kill me now. It's useless waiting here. We're all going to die anyway.
"TALON!" A new bird pokes its head inside our torture room. "You've got two more." It tosses out two more apprentices, but I have a bad feeling about them. One is pure white, his blood clearly visible on his white fur. The other is a brown tabby with black stripes. They're both shaking violently, and I feel a sudden rush of affection for them.
As for that bird, it leaves, though Talon proceeds to say, "That was an osprey, one of the most dangerous birds in the world." She sounds harsh and aggressive, but her eyes are scared. Is she scared of that bird - osprey - whatever it was?
"Come here, you two." The eagle lifts one foot and beckons with a claw. "Join us. I won't be hurting you." She has a cunning tone.
The two apprentices move closer to us. As they come closer, I see something about the tabby. The glare in those green eyes, the scars all over her fur. She must have had a hard life.
"You two must be Falconpaw and Blizzardpaw. Welcome to the chamber." Talon welcomes them briskly.
Falconpaw, the tabby, leans close to me. She whispers something in my ear that I won't forget for a long time.
"Talon isn't what she seems."