Post by Ki on May 20, 2010 18:24:18 GMT -6
"Leopardpaw, wait up!"
"Yeah, wait for us!"
The spotted apprentice looked back at his three best friends. Crowpaw, a little black tom with sleek fur, was leading the pack. Rosepaw, a pretty rosy brown she-cat with long fur, was just behind him. Graypaw was beside his sister, his long dark gray fur rippling as he struggled to keep up. In the very back was small little Cinderpaw. She was trying her best to keep up, but she was failing.
Leopardpaw chuckled a bit as he turned and padded out on to a log. Once upon a time this log, now stripped of branches, had been a mighty oak. But one night during a storm it had fallen. The current had stripped away its branches over the seasons. Now it was the favorite spot of the young apprentices of RiverClan. His friends soon joined them. Each were panting heavily, especially poor little Cinderpaw.
"You....have to be.....in...the wrong...Clan." Crowpaw panted. They often joked that Leopardpaw was meant to be born into WindClan, and that StarClan accidentally sent him to RiverClan.
"Not my fault you lot can't run more than a few pawsteps." Leopardpaw teased.
Rosepaw leaned over the log. The water was only about a pawstep away from it, so it was fairly easy to splash her spotted friend. He smirked and responded accordly, smacking his paw against the water. The splash managed to hit Graypaw as well. When the gray tom tried to join in, he was pushed off the log by the much smaller Cinderpaw. The other apprentices howled with laughter when Graypaw's indignant face resurfaced. Then, with a malicious grin, he grabbed Cinderpaw's tail and yanked her in. Cinderpaw's claws scraped against the bark as she was unexpectedly pulled into the river. Rosepaw, laughing, shoved Crowpaw off. She and Leopardpaw tusseled for a moment before the lanky spotted apprentice finally toppled off.
When they all resurfaced, Rosepaw was sitting truimphantly on the log.
"I'm Rosestar!" Rosepaw mewed as she strutted across the log. "And this is my territory, you mangy little ThunderClan pests!" She grinned playfully at her friends.
"Oh, I'm so wet! StarClan help me! My fur is damp!" Graypaw mewed dramatically.
Leopardpaw didn't join in. He was too old for games of pretend. Soon he and two other apprentices, Willowpaw and Silverpaw, would be made warriors. And warriors didn't play pretend. Instead he clawed his way back on to the log. He sat at the end so that Graypaw, Rosepaw, Crowpaw, and Cinderpaw could have their fun. Crowpaw and Rosepaw were wrestling on the log now, but Leopardpaw could hear their unmistakable purrs. Everyone expected Rosepaw and Crowpaw to grow up and have kits together.
Rosepaw was knocked off her throne. Crowpaw proclaimed himself Crowstar and mocked Rosepaw by strutting like she had.
Suddenly Cinderpaw pulled herself out of the water and up beside him. The water was sliding off her short gray and white pelt, and she shivered in the leaf-fall breeze. She mewed, "So when is your warrior ceremony? Has Lilystar told you? Or has Redwhisker said anything?"
"Not a word from either." Leopardpaw mewed with a little disappointment. He was eager to become a warrior. It had been his promise to his dying father that he would grow up to become a great warrior, too. When he was a kit his father, Speckleclaw, had died of greencough. Leopardkit and his mother had curled around him to say their final farewells. Before the medicine cat forced mother and son to leave the dying cat in peace, Leopardkit had made a solemn promise.
"Don't worry, Father. I'll be great like you."
"Really now, son? That's great.."
"Yeah! RiverClan will always remember my name! And you'll be up in StarClan and you'll be proud, Father!"
"I will, son. I will. I'm...I'm already very...proud..."
"I'll make you even prouder! I'll be a great warrior, Father. I promise."
Speckleclaw had been deputy when he died, and a talented warrior at that. Leopardpaw blinked at his reflection. His face resembled that of his battle-hardened father's so much that it was almost unnatural. The same serious amber eyes, the same strong face, the same long lanky build. Then he became aware of Cinderpaw's petite face beside his, looking at him. Leopardpaw looked back at her.
"You'll make a great warrior, ya know. You're almost there." Cinderpaw said seriously.
Leopardpaw grinned appreciatively at her. "Th-" Suddenly he began to cough as a strange sensation went up his throat. He gripped the log tightly with his claws so he wouldn't topple forwards and into the water. Cinderpaw looked on with worry glinting in her amber eyes. When he'd quieted, she leaned over and pressed her nose against his shoulder.
"Are you ok?" she mewed. Crowpaw, Rosepaw, and Graypaw were all staring. They knew that their friend had contracted the deadly greencough as a kit.
After a few tense moments, he nodded. "Of course. Perfectly fine." With a mischevious glint in his eyes, he swiped Cinderpaw's legs out from under her and watched her fall into the river again. She laughed when she resurfaced, revenge flaring in her eyes.
Let the games begin again!
"I hope you lot managed to get some fresh-kill while you were out goofing around." Sandstripe, Cinderpaw's mentor, mewed as the five apprentices sauntered back into camp. In response they proudly showed her their catches before taking them directly to the queens and the elders. When they were fed, the apprentices went and got their own fresh-kill. They sat together, as always. Rosepaw squeezed in between Graypaw and Crowpaw. Leopardfang stretched out beside Crowpaw, Cinderpaw opposite him. But today there were joined by four others: the eager Flamepaw, the quiet Fernpaw, thoughtful Willowpaw, and bouncy Silverpaw. The four other apprentices padded over and plopped down beside the other five, who grinned in welcome.
"Hello~" Silverpaw mewed brightly. "How are you guys?"
"Great."
"Never better."
"Perfect!"
"Feeling great."
"Fi-" Rosepaw suddenly broke into a coughing fit not unlike Leopardpaw's. The apprentices all glanced at each other worriedly. Finally, after a strained silence Willowpaw mewed, "It's the air. There's a chill in it today. That's all."
No one wanted to address the fact that ThunderClan was suffering from the dreaded greencough. At the last Gathering half their cats were left at camp due to being ill. Silence fell. The nine of them began to eat their pieces of fresh-kill. The only sounds were that of them muching and chewing on their fish. Finally, though, Crowpaw broke the silence.
"Oh hello Hollystripe, Ashtail!" Crowpaw was grinning at Cinderpaw and Leopardpaw as he spoke. All the apprentices began to smile knowingly as the two she-cats settled beside their respective kits. Cinderpaw resembled her mother greatly. They had the same short gray and white fur, the same small stocky build, the same cold amber eyes. Hollystripe, however, did not look a thing like Leopardpaw. She was a large she-cat with long brown fur and almond-shaped green eyes. She wrapped a hefty paw around her wiry son.
"Hi Mother." Both apprentices half-groaned the words.
Hollystripe immediately began to lick behind Leopardpaw's ears. "Great StarClan, do you wash at all, Leopardpaw?!"
Giggles erupted from the other apprentices. Leopardpaw's ears burned with embarassment. "Mother..."
"Don't you 'mother' me!" Hollystripe set one of her hefty paws on her son's head.
Ashtail was doing the same thing to poor Cinderpaw. The small apprentice was sitting there with her ears flat against her head and eyes narrowed at the ground in embarassment.
Will work on it later~
"Yeah, wait for us!"
The spotted apprentice looked back at his three best friends. Crowpaw, a little black tom with sleek fur, was leading the pack. Rosepaw, a pretty rosy brown she-cat with long fur, was just behind him. Graypaw was beside his sister, his long dark gray fur rippling as he struggled to keep up. In the very back was small little Cinderpaw. She was trying her best to keep up, but she was failing.
Leopardpaw chuckled a bit as he turned and padded out on to a log. Once upon a time this log, now stripped of branches, had been a mighty oak. But one night during a storm it had fallen. The current had stripped away its branches over the seasons. Now it was the favorite spot of the young apprentices of RiverClan. His friends soon joined them. Each were panting heavily, especially poor little Cinderpaw.
"You....have to be.....in...the wrong...Clan." Crowpaw panted. They often joked that Leopardpaw was meant to be born into WindClan, and that StarClan accidentally sent him to RiverClan.
"Not my fault you lot can't run more than a few pawsteps." Leopardpaw teased.
Rosepaw leaned over the log. The water was only about a pawstep away from it, so it was fairly easy to splash her spotted friend. He smirked and responded accordly, smacking his paw against the water. The splash managed to hit Graypaw as well. When the gray tom tried to join in, he was pushed off the log by the much smaller Cinderpaw. The other apprentices howled with laughter when Graypaw's indignant face resurfaced. Then, with a malicious grin, he grabbed Cinderpaw's tail and yanked her in. Cinderpaw's claws scraped against the bark as she was unexpectedly pulled into the river. Rosepaw, laughing, shoved Crowpaw off. She and Leopardpaw tusseled for a moment before the lanky spotted apprentice finally toppled off.
When they all resurfaced, Rosepaw was sitting truimphantly on the log.
"I'm Rosestar!" Rosepaw mewed as she strutted across the log. "And this is my territory, you mangy little ThunderClan pests!" She grinned playfully at her friends.
"Oh, I'm so wet! StarClan help me! My fur is damp!" Graypaw mewed dramatically.
Leopardpaw didn't join in. He was too old for games of pretend. Soon he and two other apprentices, Willowpaw and Silverpaw, would be made warriors. And warriors didn't play pretend. Instead he clawed his way back on to the log. He sat at the end so that Graypaw, Rosepaw, Crowpaw, and Cinderpaw could have their fun. Crowpaw and Rosepaw were wrestling on the log now, but Leopardpaw could hear their unmistakable purrs. Everyone expected Rosepaw and Crowpaw to grow up and have kits together.
Rosepaw was knocked off her throne. Crowpaw proclaimed himself Crowstar and mocked Rosepaw by strutting like she had.
Suddenly Cinderpaw pulled herself out of the water and up beside him. The water was sliding off her short gray and white pelt, and she shivered in the leaf-fall breeze. She mewed, "So when is your warrior ceremony? Has Lilystar told you? Or has Redwhisker said anything?"
"Not a word from either." Leopardpaw mewed with a little disappointment. He was eager to become a warrior. It had been his promise to his dying father that he would grow up to become a great warrior, too. When he was a kit his father, Speckleclaw, had died of greencough. Leopardkit and his mother had curled around him to say their final farewells. Before the medicine cat forced mother and son to leave the dying cat in peace, Leopardkit had made a solemn promise.
"Don't worry, Father. I'll be great like you."
"Really now, son? That's great.."
"Yeah! RiverClan will always remember my name! And you'll be up in StarClan and you'll be proud, Father!"
"I will, son. I will. I'm...I'm already very...proud..."
"I'll make you even prouder! I'll be a great warrior, Father. I promise."
Speckleclaw had been deputy when he died, and a talented warrior at that. Leopardpaw blinked at his reflection. His face resembled that of his battle-hardened father's so much that it was almost unnatural. The same serious amber eyes, the same strong face, the same long lanky build. Then he became aware of Cinderpaw's petite face beside his, looking at him. Leopardpaw looked back at her.
"You'll make a great warrior, ya know. You're almost there." Cinderpaw said seriously.
Leopardpaw grinned appreciatively at her. "Th-" Suddenly he began to cough as a strange sensation went up his throat. He gripped the log tightly with his claws so he wouldn't topple forwards and into the water. Cinderpaw looked on with worry glinting in her amber eyes. When he'd quieted, she leaned over and pressed her nose against his shoulder.
"Are you ok?" she mewed. Crowpaw, Rosepaw, and Graypaw were all staring. They knew that their friend had contracted the deadly greencough as a kit.
After a few tense moments, he nodded. "Of course. Perfectly fine." With a mischevious glint in his eyes, he swiped Cinderpaw's legs out from under her and watched her fall into the river again. She laughed when she resurfaced, revenge flaring in her eyes.
Let the games begin again!
xxxx
"I hope you lot managed to get some fresh-kill while you were out goofing around." Sandstripe, Cinderpaw's mentor, mewed as the five apprentices sauntered back into camp. In response they proudly showed her their catches before taking them directly to the queens and the elders. When they were fed, the apprentices went and got their own fresh-kill. They sat together, as always. Rosepaw squeezed in between Graypaw and Crowpaw. Leopardfang stretched out beside Crowpaw, Cinderpaw opposite him. But today there were joined by four others: the eager Flamepaw, the quiet Fernpaw, thoughtful Willowpaw, and bouncy Silverpaw. The four other apprentices padded over and plopped down beside the other five, who grinned in welcome.
"Hello~" Silverpaw mewed brightly. "How are you guys?"
"Great."
"Never better."
"Perfect!"
"Feeling great."
"Fi-" Rosepaw suddenly broke into a coughing fit not unlike Leopardpaw's. The apprentices all glanced at each other worriedly. Finally, after a strained silence Willowpaw mewed, "It's the air. There's a chill in it today. That's all."
No one wanted to address the fact that ThunderClan was suffering from the dreaded greencough. At the last Gathering half their cats were left at camp due to being ill. Silence fell. The nine of them began to eat their pieces of fresh-kill. The only sounds were that of them muching and chewing on their fish. Finally, though, Crowpaw broke the silence.
"Oh hello Hollystripe, Ashtail!" Crowpaw was grinning at Cinderpaw and Leopardpaw as he spoke. All the apprentices began to smile knowingly as the two she-cats settled beside their respective kits. Cinderpaw resembled her mother greatly. They had the same short gray and white fur, the same small stocky build, the same cold amber eyes. Hollystripe, however, did not look a thing like Leopardpaw. She was a large she-cat with long brown fur and almond-shaped green eyes. She wrapped a hefty paw around her wiry son.
"Hi Mother." Both apprentices half-groaned the words.
Hollystripe immediately began to lick behind Leopardpaw's ears. "Great StarClan, do you wash at all, Leopardpaw?!"
Giggles erupted from the other apprentices. Leopardpaw's ears burned with embarassment. "Mother..."
"Don't you 'mother' me!" Hollystripe set one of her hefty paws on her son's head.
Ashtail was doing the same thing to poor Cinderpaw. The small apprentice was sitting there with her ears flat against her head and eyes narrowed at the ground in embarassment.
Will work on it later~