Chapter Five

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Reedpaw's blue eyes found a brown squirrel. The tufty squirrel seemed like a good last meal before the great Gathering.

Rosepaw acted like it was no big deal, but in truth, she was bouncing all day for the Gathering. "Oh, the Gathering is amazing," she exclaimed to Reedpaw. "I have a friend, Daisypaw. She's ShadowClan, but she's amazing. She changed my perspective of ShadowClan cats, you know."

"Do you think I'll make any friends?" asked Reedpaw, almost fearfully.

"Of course you will," reassured Rosepaw coolly. Her green eyes were full of confidence as she gazed at her friend. "Take confidence, Reedpaw. That's the only think you lack. Well, you lack bounciness too. Bubbliness and brightness would be an amazing..."

"I get it, Rosepaw," purred Reedpaw, feeling some of his nervousness melt away. He carried the squirrel to his usual spot and began pulling at its fur.

"Oh, no," Rosepaw meowed, clucking her tongue at the way Reedpaw was eating. "Not like that. You shouldn't pull the fur away. Eat the tufts. They're rather enjoyable." Her eyes gleamed with mischievousness.

Reedpaw glanced doubtfully at the messy tufts of fur. "Are you sure? It's not you playing pranks?"

The dark ginger apprentice swished her tail. "Why would you think that?" she exclaimed, in mock-surprise.

"Yeah, my bad, since you're always truthful."

"Ooh, I take back what I said. You are confident! So eat it. Confidently. Are you scared? Is the great Reedstar scared?"

"Don't do that," scolded Reedpaw, and took a big bite, swallowing fur.

Squirrel fur was unlike his fur. Reedpaw's silver fur sometimes caught in his throat while he was grooming, but it wasn't like suffocating. The squirrel's fur tufts choked him.

He spat it out. "You tried to kill me!"

Rosepaw's eyes widened. "You choked?" she choked out. "Oh, StarClan, I didn't mean that. We do eat fur."

"No, we don't," interrupted a golden apprentice. His amber eyes were shining with confidence and smugness.

Rosepaw gawked at Sparrowpaw. "Really?" she asked. Her voice had gotten rather thin.

Sparrowpaw glanced at Rosepaw. Although Rosepaw was older than him, he didn't resist the chance to gloat. "Yes," he meowed. "Normally, you claw out the squirrel's messy tufts." He stole a glance, a distasteful one, at the tufty squirrel. "That would make anyone choke. Even me."

"Oh!" The distress in Rosepaw's voice was so real, Reedpaw couldn't figure out if it were true or not.

"I might show you how to properly eat prey."

Reedpaw fully expected Rosepaw to decline haughtily. But to his surprise, the dark ginger she-cat got to her paws, and exclaimed, "Oh, yes, please!"

Sparrowpaw seemed unsurprised. Almost lazily, he padded to where he was eating a bird. "This, I caught," he meowed. "Birds are rather rare in RiverClan territory, since it's mostly mud and water. Marshes are excellent hunting ground, but we must learn to hunt woodland prey as well, yes?"

Rosepaw nodded eagerly.

"We have faced many troubles because we could not adapt in new territory. Of course, there was the problem in not having any territory at all, but that is another matter. There is always the solution of taking it forcefully."

Reedpaw, who was listening without any prejudice or expectations, could easily fish out the harshness, ambition, and ruthlessness in his brother's speech, but Rosepaw didn't seem to.

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