"Are they here yet?" Rainpaw questioned, the black she-cat was walking around in circles.
"Not yet." Stonewhisker purred. "Kitting takes time."
"But Marshpelt has been kitting since dawn!" Rainpaw complained, twitching her white ears impatiently. "It didn't take Tallfern long at all to have Snakekit."
"Every queen is different." Stonewhisker flicked his tail over Rainpaw's tail. "Plus, Tallfern only had one kit. Marshpelt is probably having more than one."
"Why do you care so much anyway?" Bramblepaw questioned, taking a bit of the mouse he was sharing with Tigerpaw.
"Because," Rainpaw stuck her nose in the air. "Kits are always fun, and the nursery has been empty of kits since we became apprentices."
"Oh wow," Thornpaw teased, smoothing down a piece of fur on his chest. "A whole two moons."
Rainpaw hissed. "Well you may not be excited, but I am." She sat down and looked away from her brothers.
"New kits are always a good sign." Stonewhisker added. "Especially in leaf-bare." Flowerpaw looked up at her father, she couldn't help but agree. Leaf-bare was in full swing, the forest was frozen over and covered in snow. Flowerpaw for one, hated the cold, but at least kits were a good sign.
"I thought it was dangerous to have kits in leaf-bare?" Stormpaw questioned, looking up at Stonewhisker.
"It can be." Stonewhisker replied, looking towards the nursery. "But we have two wonderful medicine cats here to make sure that the kits are healthy." Stormpaw nodded and looked at the nursery as well. Every few moments, Flowerpaw would hear Marshpelt letting out a cry of pain. Foxstar was pacing outside the nursery, waiting for his kits to arrive.
Flowerpaw shivered, pressing close against her sister for warmth. They had spent the day trying to find more prey, which wasn't easy since the forest was covered in snow. The cold also aggravated her old injury, which Tigerpaw and Bramblepaw teased her for by saying she sounded like an elder.
Flowerpaw ignored their taunts, knowing that they were only teasing. She was incredibly close to all of them that she knew they didn't mean any harm. She turned her focus to the nursery when Honeypaw poked her head out and Foxstar stepped inside after her.
"Are they here?" Rainpaw questioned, sounding suddenly excited. She jumped to her paws, blue eyes glowing.
"That's normally a sign that they are." Stonewhisker looked towards the nursery. "We'll just have to wait." The apprentices did wait, and Flowerpaw couldn't help but notice that even Tigerpaw, Thornpaw and Bramblepaw looked excited. Flowerpaw felt excitement herself, it was very exciting when Snakekit was born. He was the only kit born to Tallfern and Flintstripe, but he was born quite big.
After what seemed like forever, Foxstar stepped out of the nursery and held his head high. "Cats of SunClan, I am proud to welcome my two sons into the Clan; Barkkit and Rustkit!" The cats of SunClan let out cheers, welcoming the two new cats into SunClan. Flowerpaw felt warmth despite the cold, she was very excited to have to new cats in the Clan. Not to mention, Rowanfall was only a moon away from having her own kits.
The cheering came to an eerie stop when one of the SunClan warriors broke out in coughing. The entirety of the Clan looked towards the warrior's den where Fernsong was sitting beside Briarheart. The golden brown she-cat's body shook as she coughed heavily. Bramblepaw tensed and stared at his mentor with worry.
"Fernsong?" Briarheart questioned, his voice filled with worry. "Are you okay?" From the nursery, Feathernose swiftly moved to Fernsong with Honeypaw following closely behind him. The Clan watched intensely while the medicine cats looked over Fernsong. After a few moments, the she-cat followed Feathernose and Honeypaw into the medicine cat den.
"Is she sick?" Bramblepaw questioned, his voice trembling.
"I can't tell you, Bramblepaw." Stonewhisker looked at the apprentice with sadness in his green eyes. "We'll just have to wait and see, but she's in capable paws with Feathernose and Honeypaw."
"What if she gets greencough?" Bramblepaw questioned, his green eyes were on the verge of panic. "Will she die?"
"Bramblepaw." Stonewhisker's voice grew stern, Flowerpaw hadn't seen her father speak like that before. "You can't think like that, even if she does have greencough it doesn't always mean death. Do not let it distract you or scare you." Bramblepaw's green eyes looked incredibly troubled, but he dropped his head and looked at his paws.
Stonewhisker stood up and touched his nose to Flowerpaw's and Stormpaw's head. "I'm going to go on patrol, stay warm." He looked towards Rainpaw. "You want to join?" Rainpaw jumped up and nodded. Stonewhisker gave one last nod at his daughters before padding with Rainpaw over to Mallownose was was setting up a patrol.
"I'm sure Fernsong will be okay." Tigerpaw was talking to Bramblepaw while Thornpaw nodded along. "You have nothing to worry about." Bramblepaw looked up at his brother's gratefully, but Flowerpaw could see that he wasn't totally convinced. Flowerpaw glanced over at Stormpaw, she had dealt with similar fears when she thought that Firetail might be sick, but it had a half-moon since then and Firetail didn't seem to be any sicker.
"Thornpaw." Flowerpaw jumped at Falconclaw's sharp voice. The large tabby was looking at Thornpaw with narrowed amber eyes. "We're going hunting." Thornpaw stood up and began walking over to his mentor. Flowerpaw caught Owlfoot out of the corner of her eyes who was rushing up to Falconclaw.
"Falconclaw," He mewed. "Mind if Flowerpaw and I join you?" Flowerpaw perked her eyes up. Falconclaw looked at Flowerpaw with a gaze that made her feel incredibly uncomfortable.
Falconclaw hesitated, but turned away for a moment with a sharp sigh. "I suppose. Let's go." He didn't waste any time, turning and heading for camp's entrance. Flowerpaw quickly got to her paws and ran up to Owlfoot, Falconclaw and Thornpaw. She didn't even have a chance to say goodbye to her sister before she was following the group into the cold forest.
The patrol reached the forest rather quickly, she was surprised at the pace that Falconclaw used when walking to the forest, it was almost a run and Thornpaw kept up with ease. I suppose he is his apprentice. Flowerpaw didn't like it though, her leg was already sore enough with the cold weather.
Falconclaw stopped when they reached a cluster trees. "Since you're both hunting, I want both of you to go out hunting and not come back until you've caught at least two more pieces of prey each." Owlfoot looked somewhat uneasy at Falconclaw taking charge like that, but he nodded along. Flowerpaw looked at Thornpaw, she hadn't been able to train with him at all in almost two moons that they had been apprentices, she was glad she was finally able to.
Flowerpaw followed Thornpaw as they moved into the snowy forest, leaving Falconclaw and Owlfoot behind. Thornpaw's amber eyes were focused and determined as he moved through the forest, he sniffed the air. Flowerpaw did the same, but only caught scent of frost which burned her nose.
Thornpaw suddenly veered away from Flowerpaw, he had clearly caught the scent of prey and turned to follow it. Flowerpaw quickly followed behind him, dropping into a crouch and making sure not to scare off his prey. She spotted his pale pelt a few taillengths ahead, he had come to a stop and flattened himself to the ground. Flowerpaw watched him hunt, his form looked a lot neater than Flowerpaw's. His body was relaxed and focused, he moved like lightning as he rushed forward to kill his prey.
"Great catch." Flowerpaw purred. Thornpaw turned around with a mouse in his jaws, looking slightly surprised. He set it down and looked at her with curiosity in his eyes.
"Thanks." He replied, sounding somewhat awkward.
"Falconclaw must be a great mentor," Flowerpaw mewed. "Your hunting skills are much better than mine."
Thornpaw seemed to stiffen slightly, but his body relaxed and he shrugged. "I'm sure your skills are just fine." He looked at Flowerpaw with gentle eyes. "Falconclaw is just a strict mentor." Something faltered in the amber depths, but Flowerpaw couldn't tell what it was. He turned away, hiding his gaze from Flowerpaw. "Let's keep hunting. Falconclaw doesn't like to be kept waiting."
Flowerpaw felt slightly unnerved by the sentence, but brushed it away with a shiver. Thornpaw was right, they needed to keep hunting. They walked together, searching for more prey. Flowerpaw finally caught the scent of mouse and dropped into a crouch, looking for the creature.
She spotted the mouse's pale brown pelt among the snow as it sniffed for food. Flowerpaw crept forward, trying to keep her steps silent as Owlfoot taught her. The mouse didn't notice her, it was completely oblivious to her. This is perfect. Flowerpaw licked her lips and crept forward.
She moved quickly, getting ready to kill it but pain shot through her forepaw as she caught it on a root that stuck out of the ground, hidden under the snow. She stumbled head over tail and landed in a snow bank, shivering despite the intense burn of embarrassment. Her paw was sore and she sat up, shaking snow from her gray fur.
She noticed Thornpaw running up to her, looking concerned. "Are you okay?" He questioned, looking her over.
"Yeah." She flattened her ears, feeling like a kit who was fresh out of the nursery. She wished hadn't done that in front of Thornpaw. "Just tripped." I'm such a mouse-brain! She scolded herself, avoiding Thornpaw's gaze.
"Don't beat yourself up." Thornpaw nudged her, helping her to stand. "It happens." She met his gaze and found his amber eyes to be as soft as honey. "It's hard hunting in the snow." He brushed the snow on the root away with his tail. "You just have to be extra alert. When you're about to catch something you want to take in your surroundings, looking for anything that could trip you up."
Flowerpaw looked at Thornpaw, surprised at how confident he sounded. He sounded like a mentor, a full grown warrior. Her pelt still burned, she looked towards where the mouse rain away. "I still lost the mouse."
"And next time you won't." Thornpaw's voice brought a hint of confidence to her mood, she lifted her head. "Come on, let's go find you another mouse." Flowerpaw blinked, following Thornpaw as he padded in the direction that the mouse ran off to. "See this?" He pointed with his paw to tiny paw prints in the snow. "If we're lucky, we can find the mouse again. Keep your nose peeled."
Flowerpaw sniffed the air, trying to ignore the scent of frost and sure enough she caught the scent of mouse again. Thornpaw stopped her mid-walk. "Over there." He whispered and flicked his tail towards the roots of a tree where a mouse sat, digging at the ground. "It's going to be more alert now but you can do it." Thornpaw quietly stepped back. Flowerpaw dropped into a crouch, feeling Thornpaw's gaze on her back. She didn't feel like there was more pressure, she actually felt more comfortable.
Flowerpaw looked around, taking note of anything that could cause her to trip again. She spotted a rock that jutted out of the crowd and positioned herself to avoid it. She focused her pale green eyes on the mouse, creeping forward silently. She closed her eyes, taking a moment to focus before she darted forward.
Her paws hit the mouse directly and she bit into its neck, killing it quickly. The warmth of it's body filled her with exhilaration. She sat up with excitement and looked at Thornpaw who looked equally as excited. "Great job." He purred.
"Thanks." Flowerpaw ducked her head, setting the mouse down. "I couldn't have done it without your help."
"Of course you could've." Thornpaw brushed his tail against her side. "Everything you do is something you're capable of with or without help." Flowerpaw blinked, surprised at the wisdom behind his words. "Now come on," He nudged her forward. "We have more prey catch!"
After hunting for quite a while, Thornpaw managed to catch a squirrel and Flowerpaw caught another mouse. However, they had been hunting for quite a while and both apprentices were incredibly cold.
"Let's get our prey and head back before we freeze to death." Thornpaw chuckled and began heading for where they left Owlfoot and Falonclcaw. They ran close together, trying to stay warm while holding onto their prey.
Suddenly, Thornpaw tripped and fell forward. Flowerpaw tried stopping but her paws slipped and stumbled over her own paw and slammed into Thornpaw. The two apprentices fell down a slope in a flurry of snow. Then they stopped rolling, Flowerpaw was lying on top of Thornpaw and both apprentices were laughing loudly.
Flowerpaw was happy, she hadn't this much fun hunting before. I guess this is what's its like hunting with friends. She looked at Thornpaw who looked equally as happy. He seemed so stern when we started, I'm glad he's laughing now.
"What's going on?" A sharp voice cut through the air, silencing their laughter. Thornpaw suddenly began scrambling to his paws, knocking Flowerpaw off and into the snow. She poked her head up in confusion as he looking for the piece of prey that they had dropped. She looked towards where the voice came from and saw Falconclaw and Owlfoot looking down at them, Falconclaw had rage burning deep in his amber eyes that made Flowerpaw feel incredibly uneasy. "I'm pretty sure you two are supposed to be hunting, not playing in the snow."
"We weren't playing." Thornpaw quickly mewed, picking up his squirrel. "We were bringing our prey back when we fell."
Falconclaw narrowed his eyes, but Flowerpaw noticed that they were primarily resting on her. She stood up, shaking snow from her pelt. "That's right." She added, going to find her own piece of prey. "And what does it matter if we were having a little fun? Hunting doesn't have to be such a serious task."
"Fun doesn't feed the Clan, Flowerpaw." He spat her name, Flowerpaw winced. "Prey does."
"We caught prey." Flowerpaw replied, picking up her two mice. "See?"
"You two are slow, in leaf-bare prey needs to be caught as quickly as possible." He lashed his tail.
"There's no need to be so rough, Falconclaw." Owlfoot stepped forward, his voice like heather compared to Falconclaw's. "Who cares if they were having some fun while hunting. Like Flowerpaw said, being a warrior doesn't' always have to be so serious. They're just apprentices, let them have their fun."
Falconclaw hissed, and Flowerpaw noticed his claws digging into the snow. The tabby let out a heavy sigh and turned away from the apprentices. "Whatever, let's get back to camp." He lashed his tail once more and started ahead without waiting for the others.
"I don't think I've met another cat who hates fun as much as Falconclaw." Flowerpaw chuckled and looked to Thornpaw, expecting him to agree but his eyes were cast downwards. Her heart dropped and she turned away. He was having so much fun? Why did Falconclaw have to ruin it?
"Come on you two." Owlfoot said, his voice soothing. "You must both be freezing, let's get you back to camp." Flowerpaw agreed and walked beside Thornpaw who remaind silent the rest of the way back to camp.
When they reached camp, Flowerpaw was ready to curl up in her warm nest for the night but when they stepped into camp, there was feeling of dread that washed over the camp. Flowerpaw looked towards the medicine cat den where several cats were gathered. Feathernose was looking at Slatepaw while Firetail sat a few taillengths away.
"What's going on?" Owlfoot questioned, looking at his mate with concern. Alderfang turned around, his eyes sad. "Firetail and Slatepaw are sick."