Recalling

Part 2:Apprenticehood

"Wow, Tigerpaw! You've got to teach me some of your moves sometime." He said.

"Maybe I will," I replied with a thrill of excitement. It would be a great opportunity to train Whitepaw. I'd get experience for my future as a mentor.

As we stepped away from each other, Thistleclaw came forward and nodded again, signaling that I had passed the exam. Patchpelt, Whitepaw's mentor, nodded and smiled at his apprentice.

"That was well done." Patchpelt said, smiling at the white tom. Whitepaw's tail twitched happily.
We were walking back to camp when a patrol joined us. I stiffened when I spotted Goldenflower. Relax, she's just another clanmate.

"Hi." The golden she-cat said, drifting to my side. I nodded in reply, finding it difficult to speak.

"Listen..." she began, "I've...well, I guess you noticed that I've been watching you for a while now. I think you're pretty great! I-I mean a great apprentice." She stammered. I felt slightly annoyed by her babble, but amused and excited nonetheless."What I'm trying to say," Goldenflower meowed, taking a breath, "is that I'd love to go hunting with you sometime."

I remained silent, trying to sort out an answer in my head. Finally, without really thinking, I found myself murmuring,

"Sure."

Goldenflower's yellow eyes lit up with happiness.

"You will?! Oh, that's great! How about you meet me at the sandy hollow at dusk?"

"I guess I could..." I replied softly, but she was already bounding ahead with her tail high in the air.


I sat uncomfortably in the sand, looking around and up at the darkening sky. Where is she? I thought to myself. 

Suddenly, the undergrowth rustled, and the golden tabby she-cat emerged, panting and looking flustered.

"Sorry to keep you waiting!" she said hurriedly, "I was held up by...someone."

"Oh?" I meowed.

"Yeah, anyway, shall we get to it?" Goldenflower asked, coming forward to stand beside me. She was quite small in comparison to me, despite her rank as warrior. Her yellow eyes glistened like the sun and her sleek golden pelt glowed in the fading light. Despite my best efforts to ignore it, I could feel my heart beating faster.

"What are we getting to, anyway?" I asked.

"Hmm...how about a race? First one to Snakerocks, perhaps?"

I smiled. "Alright, you're on."

Goldenflower took off, darting into the undergrowth. I raced after her, dodging trees and rounding bushes, keeping her tabby pelt in sight. The wind brushed my face as I ran, and I relished the feeling of strength I felt as I pushed against the ground, gaining speed. I found myself running next to her, our pelts almost brushing as we weaved through the forest. She laughed and put on a surge of speed. Ahead, Snakerocks came into view. As we burst from the trees, Goldenflower veered right suddenly, and raced up the slope that surrounded the rocks. Confused, I followed her. 

The hill was not steep. As I neared the top, I emerged from the trees and found Goldenflower standing on the clear hilltop. I slowed and walked to her side. She stood still, her pelt rippling in a soft breeze.

"I win." She said, smiling.

"You changed the rules. I thought we were going to Snakerocks." I replied, and smiled in return.
Goldenflower simply sat and curled her tail over her paws. She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply.

"But isn't this place so much better." She sighed.

I sat next to her and looked out at the view from the hilltop. The forest stretched out before us. I could see the pines of Shadowclan territory ahead, and to the left the four oaks of the Gathering place towered above the other trees. To the right, Twolegplace stretched out as far as the eye could see, with thunderpaths twisting from its edges. In the far distance, the mountains soared, touching the clouds. The sun had set, leaving only traces of orange light on the horizon. The sky overhead was a mixture of deep blues and purples.
She's right, this place certainly is better. I thought.

"How come I've never been here?"

"It's only a small part of our territory. The border is over there, where the trees continue, and this place doesn't yield much prey, so there's really no use coming here. But the view is incredible." Goldenflower responded softly.

I glanced at her from the corner of my eye. She sat perfectly still, gazing out with confident, yet gentle eyes. Suddenly, I realized I was wrong about her. When we first met, I thought she was a shy and uncertain cat. Now I saw that that wasn't her at all. She had a strong soul. I could see it in her eyes.

Sitting and looking at her, I found that peace surrounded me. Everything melted away, and I relaxed. As the last traces of sunlight vanished from the sky, and Silverpelt emerged, I curled around her. She purred and laid her head next to my chest.

"You know that I like you, right?" she murmured.

"Yes." I replied softly.

"Do you like me?"

I didn't need to think about it.

"Of course."

She purred and closed her eyes. I listened to my racing heart for a moment, then closed mine as well.