𝐖𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐫𝐬: 𝐍𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐓𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐬

꧁ 1. Hard Work ~ Thornclaw ꧂

   Who are you going to talk about first, Mother?

   Yeah! Is it gonna be Tigerstar?

   Tigerstar will come later, my kits. As for now, I will tell you the tale of a cat who put all of his heart and soul into his work.

   A minor cat, one who is often glossed over. But he never let it stop him. He gave, and continues to give, all he has for his Clan.

   Who is it, Fawnpoppy?

   This cat, Honeykit, is called Thornclaw.

__________

꧁꧂

  
   Thornclaw bent down into a hunter's crouch, stalking his squirrel. The golden tabby tom slowly put a paw forward, his movements silent against the soft grass of newleaf. Prey was beginning to pop out of their dens, crawling in every hole, branch, and thicket.

   The golden warrior leaped, slamming his paws down on the leaves. Unfortunately, the squirrel had scampered away in the nick of time.

   "Mouse-dung!" Thornclaw muttered. He was as tired as an elder, going on patrols day and night. He sighed, drooping his tail and letting it touch the rough ground. At his moment of silence, he heard a mouse rustling the leaves of an abandoned rabbit hole.

   Thornclaw snapped back into action. He thought of why he went on those countless patrols: to keep his clan protected and well-fed. He was dedicated to ThunderClan more than anything else in the forest.

   Keeping his ear on the mouse, Thornclaw gazed up at the sky. Almost sun-high. He would have to hurry up with his prey if he wanted to meet up with the rest of his patrol.

   Patiently waiting by the hole entrance, Thornclaw sliced the mouse's throat in an undignified swipe. And I'm supposed to be a senior warrior, he thought to himself begrudgingly.

   He gave his thanks to StarClan, then heaved himself up to go join the rest of his patrol.

   We've got so many warriors in ThunderClan. With Dovepaw and Ivypaw nearly ready to become warriors, we'll win every battle that comes our way!

   Though... Ashfur was a good fighter as well. He'd be proud to see how strong his Clan has become. I'll slice the ears off the rogue that killed him!

   The death of his blonde-haired friend made Thornclaw's ears flatten. Ashfur was a great warrior and companion. And I'll keep working harder until I make sure his death wasn't in vain!

   With a startled mrrow of surprise, Thornclaw stumbled forward as his paw fell into a rabbit hole. Pain jolted through his body as he kept moving, but his paw stayed stuck. Thornclaw landed at the foot of a tree. He let out an ear-splitting yowl of pain.

   As if summoned, his sister, Brightheart, rushed over to his side a few heartbeats later, though it might as well be moons and moons before the one-eyed warrior came about.

   "Thornclaw! What happened?" Brightheart meowed, concerned. "Shall I call Jayfeather?"

   "I'm fine," Thornclaw muttered through gritted teeth, sprawled out in an uncomfortable position. "Fell in a rabbit hole, nothing serious."

   "You're not well. I'm getting Jayfeather. That paw obviously needs attention if you can't even take it out of the hole," she said, ignoring his protests and dashing off to camp.