Skyfall (Warrior Cats)

Chapter 6

"So it's official, then?" Skypaw asked. "You..being together, I mean."

"Yes," Featherfur's eyes lit up. "It has been awhile, we just didn't tell the Clan right away."

"I see," Skypaw didn't know what else to say.

"I got to go on sunhigh patrol," Featherfur dismissed herself. "I'll talk to you later."

Skypaw didn't have time to say anything else before the tabby she-cat was on her way. Russetsky, Bramblefrost and Bumblefoot were waiting at the thorn tunnel, looking at Featherfur expectantly as she approached.

Skypaw set off for the fresh kill pile again. After using her paw to shuffle through the pile and being scolded by Duskwave for being too picky, she picked up a plump, fresh vole. Sniffing it carefully, she caught her sister's scent on it. Shadepaw must have brought this back from training.

Skypaw found a nice shaded spot underneath one of the trees that hung over the camp. Russetsky once told her that the fallen tree in the clearing once looked like this, that the cats that lived before her were creative enough to make the fallen tree a part of their every day life.

Skypaw bit into her vole happily, her stomach growling in satisfaction of finally being fed. Skypaw glanced around camp, taking in the normal routine of ThunderClan. Firesoul and Flowermoon were cleaning out the nursery with Rainpaw. Skypaw realized that the nursery hasn't been in use since her and her siblings moved into their apprentice nests.

When Firesoul leaped ontop of the nursery to replace some twigs, Skypaw thought he was just making it sturdier for the next mother to move in. She wondered who that would be. Featherfur, maybe? Only Featherfur and Bumblefoot had only been warriors for just barely a moon, there is no way Featherfur would set aside her newly found warrior duties to move into the nursery to raise kits. She and her mate were young, but Skypaw suspected they had been mates in secrecy for some time, longer than Featherfur lead on. Maybe she would raise kits early after all.

Skypaw bit back a meow of amusement as she realized the twigs Firesoul was replacing had tiny claw marks on them. Her mind flashed back to the beginning of her fifth moon, when Rainpaw and Shadepaw had a bet of who could climb to the top of the nursery. Of course, Shadepaw did not hesitate to show off her long claws, inherited from Bramblefrost.

Rainpaw seemed to see the twigs and have the same memory, because before long she was padding over to Skypaw. "Those twigs, am I right?" She meowed humorously.

"Shadepaw sure left her mark on the world," Skypaw meowed, amusement hanging heavy in her voice. Once again, she thought of Appleleaf's speech about her bond with her sisters. Rainpaw and her were getting along on better terms than they ever have been, but Skypaw hasn't spoken to Shadepaw in she didn't know how many moons. Maybe she should work on that.

For the first time, Skypaw envied the close relationship Rainpaw and Shadepaw shared. Skypaw knew she disliked both her sisters when she was a kit when they were playing and having fun, but now she wished she took Russetsky's advice when she said it wasn't all fun and games when they got older and had to start serving their Clan. Once again, her mother had been right. She should have jumped in on the fun while it was right in her paw-hold.

"I wish we could go back in time," Skypaw meowed half to herself. Rainpaw heard and didn't hesitate to reply.

"You don't like being an apprentice?" Disbelief was in her tone.

"No, no," Skypaw meowed quickly. "I do, don't get me wrong. But I never played with you and Shadepaw when we were kits, and I wish I would have. Now, we never get to go out and have as much fun as the nursery moons. We only become warriors and die,"

"You're the first cat to make life in ThunderClan sound depressing," Rainpaw meowed, disgusted. "It's just not like that."

"The point is that we never get to be kits again," Skypaw corrected. "I want to be a warrior just as much as any other cat. Sorry for wishing I had a better relationship with you."

"Sorry," Rainpaw flattened her ears. "I didn't mean it like that. Our relationship is just fine, I mean, we're talking, aren't we?

"I guess so," Skypaw agreed. "but I haven't talked to Shadepaw since we were what, three moons old?"

Rainpaw's expression immediately darkened. Her eyes looked like ice, frozen and fragile. Her tail dropped down to the ground, and her ears continued to be flat against her head.

"We can talk later," Rainpaw muttered, turning and stalking away. She ducked out of camp, earning a view confused looks from Duskwave, Flarecloud and Appleleaf, but Skypaw didn't think she cared.

She knew Rainpaw didn't care.

Confusion rattling her mind, she ducked her head down to finish her vole. However, her eyes didn't move quickly enough to miss Sunstar's fiery green glare pouring into her fur.

(Hey guys, I'm back from the trip. I had an amazing time almost peeing on an insane amount of rollercoasters, but I admit I did miss Final Dawn, Shadecraft, Instagram, and Wattpad a little too much... XD It just proves how much you guys mean to me. Anyways, this is a longer chapter than I usually post, 1.3K+ words compared to my usual 800-1K words. I did it to make up for my absence and I will continue to update regularly from now on until either late July or early August, when I go on another trip. XD Thank you for being patient and reading!)