Sootpaw ducked his head as he pushed through his duties. A border patrol with Thornclaw was not what Sootpaw had in mind when it came to recovering from the death of his mother, Willowpelt, and the retirement of his former mentor, Longtail. "Why would ShadowClan have any need to attack so soon after Scourge?" he complained.
Thornclaw sighed. "Blackstar may see us as weak because Firestar is missing," he muttered. Sootpaw shook his head. "Graystripe's a great leader," he mewed. "He led the attack to chase the foxes away from Fourtrees!" Thornclaw frowned. "First of all," he scolded the young gray apprentice. "Graystripe is the deputy. Second, Firestar said he wasn't going to leave us forever." Sootpaw scowled as he placed yet another scent marker by the Thunderpath border.
He only perked up when a foreign scent hit his nose and it wasn't ShadowClan. It smelled like a kittypet. What would a kittypet be doing all the way out here? Sootpaw wondered.
He decided that it would be a good idea to at least track the scent, especially with several BloodClan cats rumored to be still alive. He froze when he peeked over a bush. What in StarClan? A ragged gray queen was hiding in the same cave that the badger lived. Next to her was a small white kit with a black tail a black spots fringing his ears and around his eyes. The kit looked to be at least a moon old.
Sootpaw remembered how he felt when Willowpelt died protecting him and he slowly crept out of the bush, causing the queen to stiffen and wrap her tail around her kit tightly. "Um miss?" he mewed gently. The queen glared at him, her green eyes narrowed. "I just want to warn you that not only do several snakes live around here, but this cave was also home to a deadly pack of dogs and the badger that killed my mother," Sootpaw continued.
The queen gave Sootpaw and incredulous look and beckoned her kit out of the cave. "I don't know what to say," she mewed. Sootpaw shrugged. "There's nothing wrong with being kind," he mewed. The queen shook her head. "No," she mewed. "It's not that. I thought that all forest cats were that rejecting." Sootpaw tilted his head. "All forest cats?" The gray queen nodded. "I understand that I may be confusing and rude," she explained. "But this kit's father, rejected both of us. I thought he was better than that!" Sootpaw thought he heard her mutter Onewhisker under her breath.
"Did you say Onewhisker?" Sootpaw asked her. The queen nodded in surprise. "He wouldn't let us join his Clan for the obvious sake of pride," she hissed. Sootpaw nodded in understanding. "WindClan isn't usually that stubborn a Tallstar is usually pretty fair," he told her. The queen stared at him in a confused way. "Who's Tallstar?"
Sootpaw chuckled awkwardly. "Right," he mewed. "Sometimes I forget that not every cat knows the ways of the Clans. Tallstar is the leader of WindClan." The she-cat nodded. "You sound like you are part of a Clan as well," she mewed. "Yet you smell different. Who are you?" Sootpaw smiled. "I'm Sootpaw, an apprentice of ThunderClan." The she-cat nodded. "Well that makes sense," she muttered. Sootpaw nodded. "I have nothing against kittypets," he told the she-cat. "Firestar used to be a kittypet as well and now he's our leader. Although, he's out on a mission, so his deputy and best friend, Graystripe, is leading."
The she-cat nodded. "Can my son, Darktail join your Clan?" she asked. The kit glanced up at Sootpaw, his blue eyes pleading after the obvious rejection of his father. Sootpaw nodded. "It shouldn't be too hard considering that Cloudtail got in easily." He looked at the queen. "Do you want to come too?" he asked her. The queen shook her head. "My sister, Quince, would be wondering where her dear sister, Smoke, went off to for a moon," she chuckled.
Sootpaw nodded as Smoke left for Tallpines. "Bye," he mewed. Smoke nodded. "So long," she mewed back. Only heartbeats after Smoke was out of sight did Sootpaw's pale gray fur prickle. "Thornclaw!" Sootpaw mewed, the kit at his side. Thornclaw narrowed his amber eyes. "Where did you find this kit?" he asked. "He was alone in the cave at snakerocks," Sootpaw replied. "He claimed that his name is Darktail."
Thornclaw nodded. "I suppose we have to report this to Graystripe," he muttered. "But don't think that you will go unpunished by sneaking away during a border patrol." Sootpaw chuckled under his breath, his ears warm. Then, he picked up the kit and brought him back to camp.
...
A quarter moon later, Firestar did return and Brightheart was nursing two young kits, Whitekit and Darkkit. Sootpaw also seemed unusually smug and mature as well. It looked as if Graystripe had a long talk incoming.