Kittypet Clanborn - Tales Unleashed

The First Hunt

I could see Thornclaw's whiskers twitching out of the corner of my eye as I shook out my fur, lifted up my chin, and then proceeded to give him a single sharp nod. "Okay!" I meowed cheerfully, but quietly as I ran up to stand just behind Thornclaw. "Let's go, then!"

Thornclaw was still looking back at me, his gaze full of a surprising amount of warmth. Then, with my words, he let out and amused sniff and beckoned me forward with his tail. "Alright," he purred softly. "Come on, Lilypaw."

Then, as the warrior began to lead me out of the den, I followed very excitedly right behind him. And while we passed through the almost eerie-looking ThunderClan camp that felt so strange and unfamiliar, but comforting at the same time, I found that my eyes couldn't leave the golden brown tabby tom in front of me - the golden brown tabby tom that I found just as interesting and intriguing as I had when we'd first met yesterday.

Thornclaw had been one of the last cats I'd met in ThunderClan just the day before, but our encounter would have been just as crystal clear even if I'd met him first, or even days before. Luckily not too similarly to some of my new Clanmates, he'd initially seemed very reluctant to welcome in an outsider like me.

But it only seemed to have taken him a moment to open up a bit more, to my excitement and relief. And by the end of the encounter, he actually gave me a warm welcome, seeming to genuinely believe all of the enthusiastic words I'd given him about how thrilled I was to be in a Clan. He'd even asked me if I'd wanted to hunt with him at sunrise. Hence, why I'm awake with him at sunrise! I thought, shaking my head slowly as I continued to stare back at Thornclaw. But I suppose that I'm not complaining at all.

There was clearly more to this tom, and more than he was originally willing to show, than what met the eye. And even though he seems more open-minded to me being here, he's clearly still trying to test me... I realized, my eyes narrowing as I smirked. He wants me to prove myself to him, and I'm going to.

I then abruptly stopped in my tracks. Just as soon as I take a little stretch and yawn again.

Thornclaw soon noticed that I had stopped, and simply watched with narrowed eyes as I stretched out my forepaws and let my jaws widen into another yawn. "Hm, too tired to hunt?"

There was that testing again – I could read it through Thornclaw so easily already.

So, I quickly stood back up, shaking my head enthusiastically. "Nope!" I answered before shaking out my fur. "I'm just fine!"

I then ran forward so that I was almost walking beside the tabby tom. If you can take little teasing jabs at me, I'm going to have a go at taking them at you! "Well, what about you, you tough, early-rising warrior?" I purred quietly as he led me through the ThunderClan camp entrance. "Aren't you tired at all from having to get up this early?"

I looked back at Thornclaw to see him giving me a small, sheepish shrug. "Well, to be honest," he began to reply, "this isn't exactly new for me."

I couldn't help but widen my eyes with amazement as we then made our way into the forest and began to walk through the trees side by side. "No way!" I breathed. "Really? You've gotten up this early more than once?"

"I like to when I can," Thornclaw answered, his whiskers beginning to twitch once again, as if he were amused by my surprise. "Brambleclaw picks me for the dawn patrol quite often..."

I then couldn't help but purr as he seemed to lift up his chin with pride. "But even when he doesn't, I like to be on call, and be prepared for any of my Clanmates' needs that must be tended to."

I actually felt my heart lifting with the tom's words, and I found that I was staring back at him with immense admiration hearing about his dedication to his Clan. "That's... that's so thoughtful of you," I meowed warmly. "Does it always feel worth it to get up that early for your Clanmates?"