Fire and Lies



 F i r e a n d L i e s

Episode Four, Season One, of Beauty.

Enjoy <3

Fire and Lies
“Let’s go!” Flarepaw shouted, “If you don’t hurry, we’re leaving you behind!” She was casually grooming her fur while some of her friends snickered.

Snowpaw muttered, “I don’t get why she doesn’t just leave without us. I’m sure the instructors will like her even more if she arrives early.” The white she-cat was trying to groom out the moss in her fur.

Rainpaw shrugged, “You know how she is. All she talks about is how the she-cats’ group is organized and that makes us better than the toms.”

Finchpaw, a new addition to our group, snorted, “A snotty she-cat like her has to act like one.”

I push myself out of my nest, “We should get going before Flarepaw stresses herself out too much. We wouldn’t want that now do we?”

“Let her,” Another voice interrupted.

“I’m sorry?” I narrowed my eyes at a white she-cat with red splotches dotting her pelt. “And who are you?” Snowpaw watched the new she-cat with newfound interest.

“I’m Applepaw,” she replied, “I usually follow Gingerpaw around, but I think I can tolerate you.”

I raised an eyebrow at that, but before I could reply, I heard Flarepaw shout, “If you don’t get your sorry heads out here, I’m going to boot you out of there myself!”

Rainpaw pushed herself up and headed for the entrance. “Best to be going,” she advised, prompting us all to follow all to follow her lead. Applepaw tailed us somewhat reluctantly, and she made some small talk with Finchpaw.

“Finally!” Flarepaw exclaimed, “I was worried that you were too scared to show up.”

I smiled sweetly at the jab and replied, “Yeah, scared of how much you’ll be cowering from me.”

Her face was a mask of shock, and I airily started towards the Hollow. Snowpaw whispered in my ear, “Nice one, she looked as though she swallowed a mouse!”

I purred a little at that and Gingerpaw joined me, “Never seen Flarepaw so out of character before,” she meowed, obviously impressed, “You’re a smooth talker.”

I rolled my eyes at that and the talk behind me filtered away as we filed into the Hollow. “At last,” Blossomflecks mewed coldly, “I can’t believe you she-cats are so slow this moon.”

Flarepaw shot me a murderous glare, but I smiled sweetly at her, imitating one of her smiles. She scowled and whispered something into Larkpaw’s ear.

Brownpaw caught my gaze and gave me a disapproving frown. He shook his head at me, though I didn’t really know why. I fixed my eyes on the instructors instead, trying to concentrate.

“Today, you will be assigned to groups, and one instructor will lead you on a mission. You will join up with a real squad, but you will only be watching as they perform their mission. Do not interfere or you could get seriously hurt. Who ever disobeys what their instructor’s orders will be severly punished. Am I understood?”

“Understood!” We chorused.

Snowpaw leaned over excitedly, “Our first chance to see the real cruelty of the Beauty.”

I knew what she meant. It meant an opportunity for us to look for Beauty weaknesses and unhinge the Beauty from inside out.

“Flarepaw, Snowpaw, Brownpaw, Flamepaw, Larkpaw, Brackenpaw…” Blossomflecks listed a few more names. “You are with me.”

Other instructors called out their groups, and I got bundled with Rainpaw, Lionpaw, Hawkpaw, and Applepaw. Others in our group were apprentices I didn’t recognize. Our assigned instructor was Brightleaf.

“We’re going to go at a fast pace,” Brightleaf warned, “Don’t hesitate to call for a stop.”

She didn’t wait for any replies and set off. Rainpaw went to go talk to Hawkpaw, while Lionpaw joined Applepaw and me, “You look new,” Lionpaw huffed, “What’s your name?”

Applepaw looked slightly amused by his interest, “Applepaw,” she replied, “And you?”

“Lionpaw,” the golden tom didn’t miss a beat, “I assume you already know Amberpaw?” At Applepaw’s hesitant nod, Lionpaw added, “Don’t tell me you two have been running next to each other without knowing each other’s names!”

Applepaw blinked, looking a bit flustered and overwhelmed. “Don’t worry,” Lionpaw continued, “We’re good cats, unlike Flarepaw over there.”

Any other cat would have questioned what Lionpaw said. But not Applepaw. “Okay,” she mewed quietly, “I’m guessing I should stick to you guys?”

“Yeah,” I cut in, “We’re probably the best choice.”

Brightleaf pulled to a halt, forcing us to stop in time. Her gaze swept over the apprentices, and I closed my mouth, trying to get my breath back.

“We’re assigned to a mission to drive back the rebels in the poor. I’ll make myself clear. Nobody will interfere with their mission. We are just here to watch and learn.” Her eyes met all of ours. “Anybody who disobeys me will be severely punished.”

With that said, she set off once again, this time at a slower pace.

Rainpaw slipped in beside me, leaving Hawkpaw’s side for a bit, “I think they’re picking the worst missions for us to see.” She whispered.

“What do you mean?”

Rainpaw looked slightly angered, “I think they’re deliberately showing us the worst of our so-called ‘enemies’ in these missions. Just like they did with those stories they told us a few days ago.”

I took in her words, “Maybe,” I agreed, “Let’s just hope not.”

The gray she-cat nodded and returned to Hawkpaw’s side. I spotted Brightleaf frowning at Rainpaw. Unexpected terror and unease coursed through me. Why was Brightleaf upset? Was there a reason she despised Rainpaw?

A sudden thought broke though: Did the instructors suspect something of Rainpaw?

“We’re nearing the area,” Brightleaf interrupted my train of thoughts, “Try to be as quiet as possible to avoid alerting the rebels.”

Our group trekked in silence, and curiosity surged through me. I excused myself and joined the instructor in the front. “Brightleaf?” I started quietly, “How many rebel groups are in the Beauty?”

She glanced over at me, and I cringed, expecting to see suspicion laced in her gaze. There was none. “Why do you ask, Amberpaw?”

“I’m just curious,” I answered, “I wanted to know how much longer we had to fight the poor.”

Brightleaf shrugged, “Not enough to be a threat. The poor are weak, they’ll never gather enough forces to defeat us.”

Us. The word echoed in my mind.

“Oh,” I mewed instead, “What a relief.”

Brightleaf nodded, and I joined Applepaw and Lionpaw in the back again.

“What did you ask her?” Applepaw asked, glancing over at me, “She was looking at you with interest.” The white and red she-cat’s eyes showed pure concern.

“I wanted to know how many rebel groups were in the poor,” I replied. Applepaw’s second comment concerned me. Why would Brightleaf show interest in me? It wasn’t as if I was popular or I had done something to draw her attention.

“And why did she say?”

I took a deep breath and glanced behind me to make sure Brightleaf wasn’t watching or listening. She was staring right at me. The intensity of her gaze made me uncomfortable. After a bit, she flanked away. “She said there weren’t many. ‘Not enough to be a threat’.”

“You think differently, don’t you?” Applepaw asked, her eyes searching mine.

I gave a soft laugh, “You’re very alert to notice that.”

Lionpaw nudged Applepaw, “I’ll certainly have to be careful around you!” He joked, “I wouldn’t want you to be guessing my secrets!”

The white and red she-cat smiled, her eyes twinkling playfully. She then replied, “I’m used to watching someone closely and analyzing them. My mom was a poor cat but my dad was Beauty, so he constantly came over to teach me things and eventually I got into the Beauty System.”

“That’s certainly a useful skill,” I mewed, purring. Then I mewed in a serious tone, “And yes, Applepaw, I do think differently.”

“How so?” A new voice interrupted, causing all three of us to freeze.

I turned and found myself face to face with Brightleaf. My mouth hung open with shock, and after a few agonizing seconds, I managed to close my mouth. “How so?” Brightleaf repeated.

“I think that there is only one group that has already been crushed. Now there’s only a few cats just asking for trouble,” it took me all my courage not to cringe when Brightleaf continued to stare at me, “The poor will never be strong enough to form even one group.”

The instructor’s eyes remained cold, “Ah, of course you are right, Amberpaw, they are weak. You would make an excellent Beauty warrior.”

As Brightleaf padded away, I sagged in relief.

“Tell us what you really think,” Applepaw interrupted, “I know you did that for show.” Lionpaw watched Brightleaf’s retreating back with narrowed eyes before turning back to me.

“I think that there are multiple rebel groups branched off from one big group,” I admitted, “I never noticed before, but I always felt like someone was watching Brownpaw and I whenever I was visiting him. It must have been the rebels.”

Lionpaw frowned, “What makes you think there are really more than one rebel group?”

“Because if there was barely any rebels the Beauty needed to crush,” I mewed firmly, “Then how come they’re still fighting a war? Surely a few rebels aren’t that hard to catch. I mean they found a way to capture Brackentail, didn’t they?”

Applepaw nodded her agreement. “If we are to help the poor win, we’ll have to know how many of them there are.”

Suddenly, yowls and shrieks filled the air. Brightleaf beckoned us all over, and I stared in horror down below. The raucous cries of the dying rebels sickened me.

Easily, I could see the Beauty outnumbered the poor three to one. Applepaw brought her muzzle close to my ear and whispered, “Those cats aren’t from the poor. They’re from the prisons. The Beauty must have captured them and they’re killing them for us to see. They want to prove they’re winning this war.”

I studied the poor cats carefully. They were gaunt and thin, and if I looked closely enough, I could see the haunted and cornered look in their eyes.

The look of a tortured prisoner.

“You’re right,” I realized. Applepaw would prove to be useful, with her skills to spot details from far away. I also knew what poor cats looked like. Sure, they were thin, but none of them ever looked like they had come back from the Dark Forest.

Applepaw continued, “I think your hunch might be right. The Beauty are showing us these staged battles to prove that they are strong. They probably aren’t showing the real rebellions because they fear that they will appear to be losing to the poor.”

I nodded and relayed our thoughts to Lionpaw.

The battle didn’t last long and soon the Beauty were leaving the bodies of the prisoners in the dust. There was a cheer among the apprentices and we half-heartedly joined them. Then I saw something that caught my eye.

The retreating Beauty warriors seemed to flinch from an unseen attack. Shadows seemed to move on their own accord. Slowly, Beauty soldiers crumpled. The apprentices were beginning to notice and cried in alarm.

“Let’s go,” Brightleaf ordered.

Immediately the apprentices scattered, as if afraid that the shadows would kill them too. I cast one look at the scene behind me, then bounded after the apprentices and Brightleaf.

Applepaw and Lionpaw didn’t make any comments about what had happened. We reached camp in stunned silence and Brightleaf ordered us to go to our dens and rest for tomorrow. “If you want to visit the toms, you may, though no funny business.”

I wanted to rest, but I also wanted to talk to Brownpaw about today’s incident.

“Amberpaw!” Snowpaw’s voice-which was abnormally quiet-sounded in my ear. “Brownpaw wants to talk to you. He says to bring you outside of camp.”

I nodded and beckoned for the others to join me. We spotted the toms not far off and my heart leaped with joy at seeing Brownpaw. He looked frustrated and when he saw me, it only darkened his mood.

“Brownpaw,” I greeted.

“Amberpaw.”

Snowpaw spoke first, “Did you guys witness a poor cat slaughter?”

“It was a rebel fight,” Rainpaw supplied, “Not just the poor.”

Brownpaw narrowed his eyes, “It was supposed to be a ‘rebel attack’, but I could tell they pulled a few cats out of their homes and forced them to fight,” he hesitated, “One of them was my neighbor in the poor.”

Lionpaw breathed in sharply, “Our ‘rebels’ were prisoners they forced to fight,” he growled, “So none of the fights were against rebels.”

“We can assume they weren’t,” Snowpaw agreed.

Rainpaw narrowed her eyes, “Althought there were shadows attacking the Beauty soldiers when we were leaving.”

“The rebels,” I breathed out, “The Beauty are afraid to fight them, so that’s why they staged fights for us to see. But the rebels were trying to put on a show, so they attacked when we were still watching.”

“And that’s why Brightleaf wanted us to leave quickly,” Hawkpaw agreed.

“She was afraid of us seeing the rebels’ power.” Applepaw frowned.

Finchpaw, who had been quiet for the conversation piped up, “We can assume that the rebels are a strong force, but they aren’t strong enough to defeat the Beauty, yet.”

I nodded, “And the Beauty don’t want to admit that they’re losing against the poor. How embarrassing that would be.”

“Someone should tell Gingerpaw about this,” Brownpaw suggested, “Why don’t we part ways for now? It’s getting late anyways and we need our strength for tomorrow.” The others nodded and padded separate ways.

I moved to join Snowpaw and the others when Brownpaw stopped me. “I need to talk to you, Amberpaw.”

I stopped and glanced at him expectantly, “Amberpaw…” my best friend started, “Have you been making cats in your camp mad?”

“Only Flarepaw,” I frowned, “Why?”

Brownpaw’s eyes darkened, “Some toms were talking about how some she-cats thought a specific she-cat is trouble to the Beauty and should be thrown out.” Brownpaw met my gaze, “They meant you.”

I shrugged, “Flarepaw and I aren’t getting on well,” I admitted.

The brown tom frowned, “She’s Redstar’s daughter. If we want to…you know…we need to stay on other’s good sides. Flarepaw has a lot of power, and you’re lucky that the warriors aren’t on her side yet…”

He started to pad away, “Be careful, Amberpaw.”

The End.