Crowpaw breathed in the chilly, leaf-fall air. He suppressed a shiver and looked around him. The cats of his group were just starting to become active. Flint was watching Starling and Firefly by with a large, golden-brown leaf that had fallen from the trees above. They squealed and laughed as they attacked their makeshift prey. Both would be good hunters, but Starling appeared to be quite bigger than Firefly, but Firefly was smaller and quicker. Both would make wonderful Clan cats. Crowpaw thought, watching them with interest. They have to be about six moons old. I wonder when cats starting to train to hunt around here? Crowpaw's mind wandered back to MoonClan, Featherdawn's kits would probably be apprentices by now. Who were their mentors? Did they know night hunting yet?
Crowpaw shook his head, he couldn't be blinded by his former Clan life. He had a new home, a home full of cats who loved him. He was no longer in the forest that constantly reminded him of his father's death and away from his mother who treated him less than crowfood. Crowpaw let out a small sigh, his breath billowing before him in the chilly air. It was starting to get cold, it was early morning but leaf-bare wasn't too far off. He hoped that this group would have enough prey. It was much smaller than a Clan, so there wasn't as many mouths to feed.
Sickness could still take hold. Crowpaw suppressed a shiver, all the prey in the world couldn't cure greencough but at least it would keep the cats strong. His claws dug into the semi-frozen earth beneath his paws. I'll do everything in my power to make sure that this group has all the prey they need. He felt a certain responsibility towards this group, they had welcomed him so well and treated him with genuine kindness. He hadn't been with this group officially for even a half-moon yet and he already felt like he was at home.
"Good morning." A sweet voice sounded behind Crowpaw, he turned his head to see Ivy stepping out of her den. Her green eyes were bright and soft as usual, but there was something slightly different about them. Regardless, they still made Crowpaw's heart flip in his chest.
"Good morning." He dipped his head in return. The wounds that Ripper had left were healing well, the only scar he would have would be a nick in his lower left ear, but it wasn't something that bothered him.
"How are your wounds feeling?" Ivy stepped forward, giving his pelt a gentle sniff. "Any pain?"
Crowpaw shook his head. "No, the herbs are working quite well. Thank you." He purred, hoping Ivy knew how grateful he was for her care.
"It's my pleasure." Ivy's voice was like honey, soothing Crowpaw's nerves and making him feel almost weak. "Say," She looked around. "If you're not going anywhere, we should go for a walk."
"A walk?" Crowpaw tilted his head, somewhat confused by her offer.
"Yes, a walk." Ivy nudged him to his paws, Crowpaw felt his pelt burning as she did so. "We can catch some prey along the way." Crowpaw hesitated, but eventually gave in. He had no idea why he was so unsure now, he had hunted with Ivy before, why did this feel different?
Ivy and Crowpaw walked outside of camp together, past Cooper's den and away from the river. They walked through the forest which was affected by an early morning frost. It would be gone once the sun came up, but it still made the air cold and caused the two cats to shiver.
Ivy stepped closer to Crowpaw, her pelt brushing his and sending sparks throughout his entire body. He nearly jumped away in shock, but remained where he was. His pelt burned, but the warmth that came from her body was soothing and seemed to melt the frost underneath his paws. "I hope you don't mind me being a little closer." Ivy said quietly, a hint of embarrassment lining her voice. "It's just cold."
"I don't mind." Crowpaw was shocked at how smooth his voice was, his heart was racing but his talking was steady. He really didn't mind, in fact he wouldn't care if they stayed like this forever. Ivy's warmth and sweet scent surrounded him, it might as well had been greenleaf for him.
"So," Ivy looked at him, curiosity bubbling in her green gaze. "Now that you live here permanently, would you mind telling me your story?"
"My story?" Crowpaw echoed, confused.
"The first day we met, I asked you what your story was. You didn't answer me and I told you that you didn't have to, but a while back you recently mentioned something about a Clan." Ivy's eyes burned with a deep curiosity. Crowpaw supposed it might be time to tell her where he really came from, but would she think less of him when she knew that he ran away from home?
"I suppose." Crowpaw replied awkwardly, looking ahead through the trees. Where did he begin?
Ivy stopped, looking at him patiently. "Why don't we sit down?" Crowpaw agreed and the two sat side by side and just as close. "Begin whenever you're ready."
Crowpaw took a deep breath, thinking about his old life. "Well," He began. "I was born in MoonClan. A Clan is a group of cats who live together, we hunt together, fight together and provide for each other. It's similar to what you have here but there's a bit more to it." Ivy watched intently, her gaze focused on him. "We have warriors, which are the cats who mostly hunt and fight for the Clan. Before a cat can be a warrior they have go through apprentice training, that's what I am--" He cut himself off. "That's what I was. I was an apprentice. They're kits who are six moons old and are trained by a mentor how to be a proper hunter."
"That's interesting." Ivy's voice was genuine. "So you were an apprentice? Who was your mentor?"
Crowpaw's heart twisted as he thought of Silverpool. "Her name was Silverpool and she was a wonderful cat, she taught me everything so well. Her training is what allowed me to survive so long on my own."
"Wow." Ivy's eyes widened slightly. "So, what happens when an apprentice is done with their training? They just become a warrior?"
"Kind of," Crowpaw looked forward. "When a mentor believes that an apprentice has enough training then the leader of our Clan holds a ceremony where the apprentice receives their warrior name."
"Warrior name?" Ivy tilted her head, now looking confused.
"Our names change throughout our lives, for example; when I was born I was Crowkit. As an apprentice I was Crowpaw and if I were to have become a warrior it would be chosen by my leader. Like my mentor SIlverpool or my father Blacksky. And leaders always have star at the end of their name, my leader was Owlstar."
"That's so weird." Ivy said, but didn't seem to be intending an insult. "I couldn't imagine my name constantly changing."
Crowpaw shrugged. "It's not constant, and receiving your warrior name is a big deal. It's often the best day of an apprentice's life." I'll never receive my warrior name. I'll remain Crowpaw for the rest of my days. Part of him felt incredibly sad, he remembered being so excited to become a warrior when he was a kit.
"Interesting. So why do leader's get special names too? Is it just because they become leader? How is a leader decided?" Crowpaw could see the questions burning in the back of Ivy's mind.
He felt uneasy for a moment, how could he explain StarClan to her? Would she even believe him? He had to try. "Well, a leader is more than just a cat who leads the Clan. Leaders chose deputies, and when the leader dies then the current deputy steps up as leader. Then leaders go to receive their nine lives."
"Nine lives?" He could tell that Ivy was holding back a chuckle. "Cats having nine lives is just an elder's tale, right?"
Crowpaw shook his head, looking down at his paws. "For us, it's not. We believe that when cats die they go to join StarClan. He looked up at the sky, he couldn't see the stars but he knew that they were their. "StarClan cats watch over us, our ancestors and lost loved ones. They guide us and when a leader goes to become leader they are given nine lives by nine cats that they have lost over time. This allows the leader to lead their Clan for a long time and for them to sacrifice themselves for the better of the Clan."
Crowpaw looked at Ivy and was shocked by her gaze. Her green eyes were filled with a sense of wonder. "Do cats really go up to StarClan when they die?" Her voice trembled with awe. "Have you seen a StarClan cat?"
"I haven't," Crowpaw's head dropped. But I have cats who are in StarClan. "But I know others that have. Clans also have a medicine cat, they are trained in herbs but also speak with StarClan on a regular basis. StarClan communicate through medicine cats and leaders to try and help the Clans."
"Have you lost any loved ones?" Ivy asked, her voice dropping.
"Yes." Crowpaw stared at his paws. "My father died in battle." His voice trembled and Crowpaw was filled with the familiar guilt and rage of his father's death. "That's part of the reason why I left."
"Oh, I'm so sorry to hear that." Ivy's voice was now sad, she stared at the sky with interest in her eyes. "What about your mother?"
My mother. Crowpaw tensed. "My mother...hates me." He heard a small gasp from Ivy. "My mother wanted a daughter, to name after her own mother and honor her memory. She had that daughter, my sister, Ravenkit. However, Ravenkit was born dead, and my mother blamed her death on me. She hates me for it and she blamed my father's death on me as well."
"Oh, Crowpaw." Ivy's voice trembled. He looked at her in alarm, hoping he didn't upset her. "That's so horrible to hear." Her green eyes were now clouded with sadness. "My mother, a she-cat named Heather, died not long after I was born so I don't really remember her. I remember she had big green eyes and looked like me. My father didn't know what to do after she died, so he took me and did his best to raise me alone. He was so lost and didn't know what to do, until he met Raindrop. She was a kittypet at the time but she found us a place to stay. There was another cat there named Drizzle, an old, wise she-cat who knew of herb training. She's the one who taught me everything I know. She died two leaf-bares ago, she was essentially my mother, and so was Raindrop in a way." Ivy closed her eyes, her face filling with an expression of love and joy. "Raindrop eventually left her twolegs and started traveling with us after Drizzle died, then we slowly met all the other cats around her. I suppose I've had the luck of having three mothers who loved me, between Heather, Drizzle and Raindrop." She looked back at Crowpaw with sympathy in her eyes. "I apologize that you didn't the same experience. I understand your mother's loss must've been hard, but you didn't deserve to be treated the way you were."
Blue eyes flashed in Crowpaw's mind, he dropped his head. "That's not entirely true. I do know what it's like to have a mother". If Riverlight won't be a mother to you, then I will. Silverpool's voice echoed in his mind. He choked back a cry of sadness, his heart tore into pieces as he thought of the silver she-cat. "Silverpool was essentially my mother, she loved me so much." His voice trembled. "I miss her every day, she's the only reason I was able to stand on my own four paws after my father's death...and I left her behind."
Suddenly, Ivy was pressing against him. "Crowpaw." Her voice was soft and quiet in his ear. "If Silverpool truly loves you, then I know she won't blame you for leaving. You did what you had to do, and you're in a safe place now. I'll do everything I can to keep you safe so I can honor Silverpool, because without her I don't even know if you would be here and I am grateful to her for that."
Her works shook Crowpaw to his core, he had never expected such a response from Ivy but suddenly he felt like he was back with Silverpool. For the first time in so long he felt loved and protected, he pressed back against Ivy, his heart twisted and his mind racing. He didn't know much about this she-cat and he hadn't known her for very long, but she had already changed his world.