Thunderclan:
Leader: Dapplestar
Apprentice: Whitepaw
Deputy: Sandnose
Medicine Cat: Blossomtail
Apprentice: Mintpaw
Warriors:
Brownroot- A strict brown tom
Apprentice: Sunpaw
Dawnsky- A pretty cream-color she-cat
Sparrowfeather- A wild and young gray warrior
Pebblefur- A spotted tom
Appleleaf- A tortoiseshell she-cat
Apprentice: Cherrypaw
Firestreak- A orange tabby tom
Blazefur- A bright orange tom
Apprentices:
Cherrypaw- A dark red she-cat
Sunpaw- A ginger she-cat who can be stubborn
Mintpaw- A pretty striped she-cat
Whitepaw- A white tabby tom
Queens/Kits:
Raindrop- A pretty tortoiseshell queen. Firestreak's mate. Kits: Twigkit, Seedkit
Elders:
Cloudwhisker- A grizzly old silver tom
Milkyeyes- a blind old tom with colorless eyes
Outside Cats:
Sebastion- A large brown and white tabby tom
Tempest- A black she-cat with intense blue eyes
Taylor- A pretty tortoiseshell
Maxzene- A mottled brown tabby with green eyes
Paws- A talented siamese tom
Chapter One
"Balance Sunpaw," called Brownroot. He was a firm mentor and right now his frustrated apprentice wanted nothing of what he was teaching her. He was the most boring mentor too. While Sunpaw's sister, Cherrypaw, was learning fighting moves and hunting skills, Sunpaw had only ever explored the territory, learned the warrior code by heart, and was now working on climbing. She had no idea why it was so important that she learn to climb, but did as she was told. At least she had for the last moon, but now it was getting a little annoying. She was tired of being the only apprentice unable to hunt or fight! She was tired of looking really stupid in front of her sister and denmates.
"Why?" she demanded of her mentor. She was walking, not very balanced, across a thin branch after climbing the tree. The tree, a short pine, was hard to get up, being very sticky, and she was trying to walk out to where her mentor had instructed. She was still several pawsteps away, and it would take moons at the slow pace she had to go to keep from falling.
"What?" Her mentor asked, shocked at her tone and her sudden change of attitude. She'd been an angel earlier, now she had just smart-mouthed him.
"I asked you why I have to do this, for the millionth time!" Sunpaw growled at him.
"Sunpaw, do as your told, you need practice." Brownroot told her, narrowing his eyes.
"Yea, I also need to learn to hunt, fight, and do other warrior things, and I don't have all my life to learn them." Sunpaw took several angry defiant steps with those words, and then toppled out off of the branch. She caught herself by her right paws claws, but before she could reach up with her left paw to hang on better, she fell to the ground.
"See what happens when you stop focusing?" Brownroot asked, coming over. "You need to pay complete attention to what you're doing. You unhurt?" He looked over her as she stood up.
"Oh sure, I get to tumble out of trees all day and even Mintpaw can hunt better then me!" Sunpaw said, holding back tears of rage.
"That's it, I refuse to train an apprentice whose attitude is so out of line, now, you can go back to camp and tend to the elders." Brownroot ordered, just as Cherrypaw and her mentor, Appleleaf, came into the clearing.
"What's going on here?" Appleleaf asked.
"He's not training me right! I can't hunt, I can't fight, I can't even climb!" Sunpaw exclaimed.
"Sunpaw! He's taking time out of his day to train you, show some respect. Firestreak was his apprentice too you know, and he's turned out to be a fine warrior." Appleleaf said.
"He can't hunt or fight either I'll bet." Sunpaw said. Cherrypaw came over to give her sister a comforting lick.
"Could Brownroot and Sunpaw maybe train with us sometime?" Cherrypaw asked her mentor.
"It's up to Brownroot, but I wouldn't mind." Appleleaf said, looking from Cherrypaw back to Brownroot.
"Maybe later, Sunpaw has some work to do back at camp." Brownroot gave his apprentice a stern stare, and Sunpaw left, with her tail dragging in the dirt.
"Cherrypaw, go hunt for a little bit." Appleleaf told her apprentice. Cherrypaw looked at Sunpaw's retreating figure a little longer and then turned away. She soon disappeared into the undergrowth.
"Brownroot, what happened?" Appleleaf asked, concerned.
"Nothing, she's just discovering training isn't all fun and games." He said.
"She does expect something more then climbing for her training." Appleleaf said with a smile.
"I don't care what she expects, I'm the mentor and she'll have to learn that." Brownroot said, no expression playing on his solemn features. "I'm going hunting, I'll see you back at camp."
Appleleaf could think of nothing more to say as Brownroot retreated into the undergrowth. She decided to find her apprentice and left the clearing.
After all the cats had left, a small gray mouse poked his furry head out of his burrow. He scooted forward, making small, quick movements. He found a seed that he liked and started nibbling, poking his head up now and then to check his surroundings. Suddenly, a twig snapped. He looked up, wondering where the noise had come from, and if it was dangerous. He scented the air, and tasted cat. He turned to go back to his burrow and came face to face with a large tabby. He was frozen to the spot as the cat swiftly metted out death to the unfortunate creature.
Sunpaw did eventually go back to camp. She took her time, going slowly and often pausing to investigate new smells. A warrior would tell her she was lucky she hadn't run into a fox or badger with her recklessness, but she got to camp unscathed. Whitepaw was eating with Mintpaw, probably sharing about his hunt or battle training. It just wasn't fair! Sunpaw went to the fresh kill pile, hoping not to be spotted by Whitepaw and Mintpaw. She hoped in vain. Whitepaw called her over, and Mintpaw looked at her expectantly.
"I can't." She said. She grabbed two pieces of fresh kill, holding back tears, and walked into the elders den.
"And who is that?" Cloudwhisker asked, but before Sunpaw could answer, Cloudwhisker silenced her with a flick of his silvery tail. Sunpaw then looked over to Milkyeyes. He was a newer elder, retiring shortly after he'd gone blind. Cloudwhisker was a kind companion for the unhappy Milkyeyes and now they were the best of friends. Cloudwhisker even helped his friend learn cats by scent, which was what he was doing now.
"She smells young, an apprentice I believe, but it's not Mintpaw..." Milkyeyes announced. Sunpaw would've laughed earlier at this, but now she just moved into the den and placed the fresh kill before the elders.
"I'll take that vole if you don't mind Cloudwhisker." Milkyeyes said quickly. Cloudwhisker got the squirrel instead.
"Well, known yet?" Cloudwhisker asked after taking a big bite.
"Give me time." Milkyeyes said in the middle of a mouthful.
Sunpaw decided to fetch some new moss for the elders while Milkyeyes thought it through. When she came back, they were done eating so she removed the bones and the other uneaten parts. Then she changed the moss.
"Its either Cherrypaw or Sunpaw..." Milkyeyes said.
"I thought we established that already?" Cloudwhisker said.
"Whose the one with the bad memory?" Milkyeyes retorted. "By the way, I have a few ticks if your supposed to do that."
"Okay." Sunpaw said.
"Its Cherrypaw isn't it?" Milkyeyes said.
"Nope." Sunpaw said as she left the den for the second time. She almost collided with Whitepaw.
"Hey, uhh, what happened? You okay?" He asked.
"Fine." Sunpaw said, trying to move around Whitepaw.
"Want some help?" The white tom asked. He was a good three moons older, but a kind and loyal cat.
"It's okay, you can go have fun." Sunpaw said.
"Well, I don't really have anything to do." Whitepaw said.
"Sunpaw! Don't tell me your asking this apprentice to help you." Brownroot said, startling the two apprentices.
"No, I was just asking her if she needed help." Whitepaw said quickly.
"Well, she's being punished, now, run along and play." Brownroot told the apprentice. Whitepaw ducked his head and walked off, looking back apologetically at Sunpaw.
"You don't have to be so rude." Sunpaw said, narrowing her eyes. "He just cared about me, unlike you." She stomped off for the medicine cat den. Brownroot sighed angrily and picked up the prey he'd caught, adding it to the fresh kill pile before going into the warriors den. Sunpaw watched him before entering the medicine cats den, rolling her eyes.
"Hello Sunpaw, need something?" Blossomtail asked.
"Yea, a new mentor." Sunpaw said sarcastically.
Blossomtail didn't catch the sarcasim. "Then shouldn't you be talking to Dapplestar?"
"Like she'd care, I just need some of that tick-removing stuff. I have to care for the elders." Sunpaw said. She usually liked Blossomtails thoughfulness and insight, but today, it was just another problem.
"I think Dapplestar would hear you out if you had a genuine concern, but if your just angry you got punished..." Blossomtail paused to get the mousebile. "Then she might just tell you to tough it out."
"Sure, she'll tell me the same thing when we go to battle and I can't even fight." Sunpaw said bitterly, leaving the den before a surprised Blossomtail could reply.
When she got back to the elders den, Milkyeyes turned his colorless eyes towards her. "Sorry if I offended you Sunpaw." He said apologetically.
"Its fine." Sunpaw said, starting to rub the mousebile on Milkyeyes pelt.
"You look troubled." Cloudwhisker said. "Want to talk about it?"
"I hate Brownroot!" She declared. The two elders exchanged looks.
"And why would you hate my son?" Milkyeyes asked.
"He's your-" Sunpaw looked at Milkyeyes with her jaw hanging open. "I'm sorry, I didn't know..." She was sure Milkyeyes would tell Brownroot- and then she'd never be a full warrior!
"Its fine to dislike any cat you don't like, but whats Brownroot up to thats got you so upset?" Milkyeyes asked.
"He's my mentor and I... he's not training me right." She blurted.
"What do you mean? He trains you doesn't he?" Cloudwhisker asked.
"Well sorta, but I can't fight or hunt!" Sunpaw said.
"Because of how he trains you?" Milkeyes meowed, confused.
"He doesn't train me, at least not to do those things." Sunpaw answered.
"So he trains you in other things?" Cloudwhisker asked.
"Sorta, he's taken me over the territory so many times with I could walk through it blind... no offense Milkyeyes... and he's gone over the warrior code so many times I probably say it in my sleep, and he's trying to teach me to climb, but I'm just going to end up breaking a leg!" Sunpaw said.
"Well, your making a good start then." Cloudwhisker said.
"Yea, meanwhile Mintpaw could beat me in a fight and Cherrypaw could hunt me!" Sunpaw turned her face away, trying to hide the tears she'd finally let flow.
Cloudwhisker used his tail to make Sunpaw look up at him. "Sunpaw, I know your eager to do as well as your sister and become a good warrior, but you have to be patient. Do you really think Cherrypaw goes over fighting and hunting all the time? And if she does do you think she could recite the warrior code? Or find her way through the forest by herself at night? She might know more then you in some ways, but you probably know more then her in other ways, just be patient, in time it'll even out."
"Fine." Sunpaw said.
"Thats a good cat, now, finish with Milkyeyes and go have some fun, we'll be fine." Cloudwhisker told her. Sunpaw did and went to wash her paws in the stream. She came back to camp exhausted. She lay down in her nest and tried to sleep, but the gray light of evening was too much for her. She decided to go take a walk. With that, she headed out of camp, into the forest beyond.
TBC
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