Disclaimer: I am not Erin Hunter. I do not own Warriors.
A/N: If you think this looks familiar, that's because it was the first thing I did for Snapshots. However, since I took Snapshots as a collection down, I'm re-uploading this, since I like it. For something written by an 11-year-old.
What Could Have Been
I saw a pale gray apprentice race towards the fresh-kill pile from where I sat on a ledge.
In her mouth was a fat vole, and her brown-and-black mentor followed her.
"Guess what happened on my patrol, dad!"
She meowed excitedly after dropping her prey on the pile and running over to me.
"What?" I purred. "We saw a Shadowclan patrol!" She said proudly.
"What happened?" I asked, smiling. I knew it couldn't have been anything bad, or I would have heard.
"Not much. Spiderleg just reminded us to keep on our side of the border and to mind our own business. Then that small brown Shadowclan warrior said the same thing to his apprentice."
"You mean Oakfur?"
"Yeah, him. I wish something more interesting had happened, but still, it's the first patrol I've seen since becoming an apprentice!"
"Yeah, well, I've seen three patrols." My other daughter, a rusty brown tabby with deep blue eyes mewed, flicking her tail in apparent jealousy.
A ginger she-cat with one white paw walked up and laid her tail gently on the brown apprentice's flank. "Yes, you have, Sparrowpaw. Why don't you tell Dawnpaw about them?" "Yeah!" Agreed Dawnpaw enthusiastically. "What patrols have you seen?"
"Well, I saw a Windclan patrol once, and there was nearly a battle." Sparrowpaw boasted."Whoa... what happened?" Asked Dawnpaw in awe.
Grinning at a chance to tell her sister about the experience, Sparrowpaw then launched into a detailed description of the encounter as Dawnpaw listened with wide eyes.
The elegant ginger queen stepped lightly over to me as I watched our daughters fondly.
"They just keep getting bigger and bigger, don't they?" She purred. "Yes," I replied.
"Yes, Squirrelflight, they do."
She lay her head on my shoulder as we continued watching our daughters' conversation.
A voice, not the voice of the gorgeous cat beside me called to me. "Ashfur! Ashfur, get up, you stupid lump of fur!" "No!" I murmured, nuzzling into Squirrelflight's fur.
A paw poked me hard in the stomach, and my eyes fluttered open.
Spiderleg was standing over me, lashing his tail in annoyance.
"Brambleclaw wants you for the dawn patrol."
"I'll be there," I mewed dully, trying not to hiss at that name. "Just give me a minute."
He walked out, and I stretched. I closed my eyes, trying to preserve the quickly fading image of Squirrelflight, not spitting at me, but looking at me lovingly, as my mate.
But I had learned long ago that my dreams vanish quickly, and also that they have no chance of becoming reality. So, I stepped over the many sleeping cats, then stalked out of the warriors den for the dawn patrol, feeling bitter.
"Ashfur!" Called a voice. "Ashfur, I brought you some fresh-kill for before the patrol if you want..."
I turned and saw a fluffy white apprentice standing over a mouse. Odd, I thought. Apprentices usually sleep in till sunhigh if they can get away with it...
"I'm not hungry." I replied icily. Whitepaw looked hurt, and I said quickly, "Thanks for offering, though."
She dipped her head in an unspoken "You're welcome", dropped the mouse on the pile of prey, the same one my non-existent daughter Dawnpaw had dropped a vole on, and walked back to the apprentice's den.
I looked to the place the patrol would leave at, and saw amber eyes glittering from the shadows beneath the overhanging branches. This would be a long patrol...