A Warrior's Friendship
In the forest that served as the ThunderClan camp, Brightpath and Wishheart, the clan's two newest Warriors went out to hunt for the clan. The fresh-kill pile was getting low. Brightpath was a handsome tom with a tan pelt, shining green eyes, white fur on his paws, and a line of white fur going from the top of his head, down his back, to the end of his tail. Wishheart had a tan pelt like his brother, blue eyes, two brown spots on his back, black ears, and three rings of brown fur on the end of his tail. The two brothers were raised together, apprenticed together, and became Warriors together. As they left the camp, Wishheart couldn't help his excitement. "I can't believe we're finally Warriors! Brightpath and Wishheart! Our names are so cool!" he said. Brightpath smiled. "Doesn't matter if you're a Warrior or not, to me you'll always be Wishkit." He teased. Wishheart was about to playfully cuff his brother's ear when he caught a mouth-watering scent. "Brightpath, d'you smell that?" he asked. Brightpath tasted the air. "Squirrel! I'm sure the Elders would appreciate that!" he said. Wishheart crouched, trying to find his prey. "There, by the base of that oak tree!" Brightpath whispered, pointing at the brown mammal about to scamper up the tree. Quicker than Brightpath could blink, Wishheart pounced and in one swift move, killed his prey. "Nice job, Wishheart!" Brightpath said proudly. After the two buried the squirrel for later, they caught two mice, a vole, a thrush, and two sparrows. Their jaws full of fresh-kill, the brothers made their way back to ThunderClan. When they almost reached the dirt tunnel that led to the camp entrance, Brightpath caught another scent, but it wasn't prey. Brightpath quickly dropped the fresh-kill in his jaws. "Wishheart get to camp and warn Firestar, now!" he said. Wishheart look at his brother quizzically. "Why?" he asked, his speech muffled by the fresh-kill in his jaw. Suddenly, a vicious dog ripped through the foliage, snarling! "Go!" Brightpath yelled, leaping on the dog's back.
Wishheart ran into the camp as fast as he could. He dropped the fresh-kill into the pile and made his way to the Highrock where the ThunderClan leader Firestar lived. "Firestar, a dog is right outside the camp! Brightpath's fighting it off, but I dunno how long he'll last!" he called. Firestar, a ginger tom with green eyes jumped down from his den. "Then let's help your brother and defend our boarders!" he said, running to the dirt tunnel. Lionpaw and his sister Hollypaw, Firestar's grandkids ran from the Apprentice Den. "If Brightpath's fighting that dog, we're gonna help him!" Lionpaw said. Hollypaw nodded. "He's our friend and Clanmate! A Warrior never abandons their Clanmates!" she exclaimed.
When the four cats ran to where the battle was, they saw that Brightpath was still on the dog's back, clawing at hissing. With one more slash, he jumped from the dog's back and landed on the leafy forest floor. Firestar turned to Wishheart. "Go help your brother while Hollypaw, Lionpaw, and I sneak up and attack the dog from behind." He ordered. Wishheart nodded and ran to his brother's side. Closer up, Wishheart could see some scratches on his brother's flank and muzzle but they didn't look too deep. "This dog's a tough one! He just won't give up!" Brightpath said. The brothers scattered as the dog tried to attack them. Wishheart jumped on the dog's head, trying to blind it or attack it's ears, but then the dog grabbed his tail and threw him against a tree! Wishheart looked up, dazed and in pain. The dog was coming towards him, foaming at the mouth. "Wishheart!" Brightpath yelled. He ran to the dog and jumped on its flank, clawing as deep as he could. Suddenly, the dog whipped around and grabbed Brightpath's front left leg in its jaws. Brightpath yowled in pain as the dog bit hard into his leg, shook him like he was a piece of fresh-kill, then threw him hard onto the ground. Brightpath's leg was bleeding terribly. Wishheart shook the daze from his head. "Brightpath, no!" he screamed. He stood up just as Firestar and the two apprentices tackled the dog, scratching and clawing with as much force as they could before it whimpered, turned tail and ran.
Firestar looked over Brightpath's still body. "We need to get him to Leafpool fast! He's losing blood quickly!" he said. Wishheart and Firestar put Brightpath on their backs and went back to the camp, Lionpaw and Hollypaw close behind.
Brightpath groaned as he opened his eyes. The last thing he remembered was the searing pain of the dog's fangs in his leg. He looked around and saw he was in the Medicine Den back at camp. He looked at his leg. It was heavily wrapped in cobwebs. "Finally awake, huh, Brightpath?" a voice asked. Brightpath turned and saw Jaypaw, Leafpool's medicine cat apprentice and brother of Hollypaw and Lionpaw. Brightpath grimaced as he tried to move his leg. "I wish I wasn't. My leg's killing me! And where's Leafpool?" he asked. Jaypaw, a gray cat with blind, brilliant blue eyes padded over to his patient and poked Brightpath's leg. "Leafpool's out gathering herbs for our stores." He said. Brightpath tried to stand but the pain in his leg forced him back down. "That was a pretty nasty bite you got. It'll scar, but at least you'll be able to enjoy the full use of your leg when it heals." Jaypaw said. Brightpath flopped onto his moss nest and sighed. "How long will I be here?" he asked. Jaypaw turned his head towards Brightpath's, his unseeing eyes showing his curiosity. "Why do you want to know? Most Warriors enjoy a few days of rest." He said. "Not me. I need to be out there, doing my duty as a Warrior. I have to protect our boarders, gather fresh-kill, defend the camp, and make sure my brother doesn't do something stupid." Brightpath said, trying to get up again. Jaypaw put his paw on Brightpath's shoulder and gently pushed him down. "For StarClan's sake, Brightpath, calm down. What're you trying to prove by being constantly on duty?" the blind cat asked. Brightpath turned his head away from Jaypaw. "Forget it, Jaypaw. You wouldn't understand." He said.
Jaypaw felt a little hurt. "Look, Brightpath, believe me, I know what it's like to want to prove yourself. I may be blind, but that doesn't mean I'm helpless. I tried to prove I could be just as good a Warrior as my siblings, but then I found out StarClan had a different plan for me. As Leafpool's apprentice, I'm trying to prove I can still serve my Clan. But I know my limits. Right now, all you can do is wait for your leg to heal. What're you trying to prove anyway?" Jaypaw asked.
Brightpath sighed again. "Sit down, Jaypaw. I've got a long tale to tell." He said. Jaypaw sat next to Brightheart and got comfortable. "Remember Greymuzzle, the warrior who was killed by a badger a few moons ago? Well, he was my father." Brightpath began. Jaypaw gasped. "Wait, didn't Greymuzzle mate with a RiverClan cat?" he asked. Brightpath nodded. "Her name was Treepelt. When Wishheart and I were born, Treepelt could see something wasn't right. We weren't built like the other cats in RiverClan. We had inherited our father's ThunderClan physique. Treepelt had no other choice but to give us up to ThunderClan, our true home. Some cats didn't like the idea of us joining the Clan. That's why I'm constantly on my paws. I have to prove my loyalty to my father's Clan." He said.
Jaypaw was silent for a moment. Usually, he didn't trust cats from other Clans even though, as a medicine cat, he could have friends in other Clans. But he grew up with Brightpath and Wishheart. Sure, they became Warriors before Lionpaw and Hollypaw, but they didn't gloat about it. They still treated their three friends as equals. Jaypaw moved closer to Brightpath and gave him a friendly lick on the ear. "Brightpath, you proved yourself a long time ago." He said. Brightpath looked up at his friend. "Yeah, when?" he asked. Jaypaw bumped Brightpath's shoulder. "Like when you saved me from falling into a foxhole when we were kits." He said. Brightpath chuckled. "That didn't stop you from trying again two moons later." He said. Jaypaw laughed as he got up. "I'm gonna go get some fresh-kill. You want me to get you anything?" he asked. "I wouldn't mind a vole if you can find one." Brightpath said.
For the next few moons, as Brightpath's leg healed, he and Jaypaw traded stories, enjoyed fresh-kill together, and discussed their futures. When Brightpath's leg was well enough for him to walk around, the first thing he did was practice his moves. Since Jaypaw needed to look for some herbs near the training area, he tagged along. As he searched for tansy, feverfew, and catmint, he could sense Brightpath jumping, clawing and hissing at empty air. "Hey Brightpath, you training or dancing?" he taunted.
Brightpath landed and looked over at his friend, a mischievous look in his green eyes. Quietly, he snuck up on Jaypaw and when he was 3 fox tail-lengths, pounced. But Jaypaw could hear Brightpath's breathing and jumped, clashing with his friend in midair. The two friends wrestled and tussled until they were both out of breath. "Wow, Jaypaw, for a medicine cat, you sure can kick tail." Brightpath panted. "You expect any less from Firestar's grandson?" Jaypaw asked. The two friends laughed as the sun sank low into the sky.