"Pretty little kitty cat." Brody jeered, stalking up to Fern as she walked quietly from her yard to the place Earthstar had pointed out, "Where do you go all by yourself?"
"Why would you care?" Fern's tone was as frosty as the depths of Bareleaf.
"Just wondering what brings you so far from your precious patch of catnip. Cougar's there now you know. He saw you leave your yard." Brody matched her pawstep for pawstep.
Fern curled her lip, "Really? Then shouldn't you be there with him? He just may gobble up what little is left while you're out here harassing me."
"And you're not going to do anything about it?" Brody stared incredulously at her.
"Nah. You two can have what's left, if there really is anything to be found now. After all, if that fat lump is in my yard, he'll be stuffing himself silly and there won't be any left for you." Fern was approaching her destination and Brody was starting to edge away, knowing full well that Cougar may indeed be doing just that while he delayed.
Finally he turned and raced off, spitting an insult after the brown brindle.
Fern sat down and began to wash her face quietly.
"Interesting," said a voice behind her, "I didn't think a kittypet like you would come."
"You probably didn't think a kittypet would leave her warm home in the middle of the night to drop a bunch of plants off to a Clan of strangers either," Fern retorted, licking absently at the pads of her paws.
A pale yellow cat oozed out of the shadows to look her over, "This is true. So, you've really decided to come to the Clan then?"
Fern sat up straight and looked the warrior in the eyes. "I am," she said firmly.
"Very well. Follow me then. My name is Suntail, by the way."
"Nice to meet you Suntail. I'm Fern," she offered, rising to follow the cat.
Fern was surprised at how quickly the yellow cat moved, but she suspected Suntail could really move if she really tried. Instead she kept up the conversation, curiosity coloring her voice.
"Interesting. Is that what your twolegs called you?"
Fern made a growl of disgust, "No. They called me Twizzle. My mom called me Fern, because she said the marks on my face reminded her of the way the ferns would dapple shade on the forest floor."
Suntail spun so abruptly to stare at Fern that the kittypet nearly blundered right over the top of the warrior. Luckily she managed to plant her hind legs and stop in time, her eyes stretched wide in surprise at the very intense look in Suntail's eyes.
"Could your mother have been a warrior?" Suntail demanded.
"I-I don't know." Fern admitted awkwardly, "she never said anything about it, though sometimes she did bring up something or other that seemed to be very odd for a kittypet. She always insisted that I give thanks for any prey I caught, and I would get such a smack if I didn't remember to show respect to more experienced cats."
Suntail's whiskers twitched and she turned back around, "That may explain a few things then. Come on, we want to reach the clan before the evening patrol goes out."
Evening patrol? As opposed to what? Middle of the night patrol? Bemused, Fern followed the warrior as well as her still aching legs could carry her.
"By the way," Suntail dropped back a little to walk side by side with her, "I heard how you ran to the twolegs place and back all that night to bring us cat mint. I figured any cat with the determination to do that could use a break today. Don't tell the others that I'm taking it easy on you though. Some warriors don't think a kittypet should be coddled, no matter what."
Fern sighed with relief, "Thank you. And I'll tell them that you ran me to the ground if anyone asks."
Suntail gave a small purr of amusement and led Fern back into the mysterious clan camp that she had decided to join.
/\/\/\/\/\/\
"Let all cats old enough to catch their prey join here beneath the high rock for a clan meeting!"
Fern sat nervously with the tip of her tail twitching every which way. Cats oozed into sight from every corner and came to sit at the base of the rock. Several gave Fern friendly blinks or a respectful nod, others simply ignored her.
Suntail sat next to Fern, offering silent reassurance. "When you meet your mentor, touch noses," she whispered.
Earthstar waited until all the cats had settled comfortably and then began; "It's time to name a new apprentice and welcome her into the clan. She has proven herself worthy of a chance to become a true warrior and it was her efforts, shoulder to shoulder with some of our best warriors, that saved our clan when it was in need. Heatherpelt, you are now ready to take on an apprentice. You will mentor Fern, hereafter known as Fernpaw. Heatherpelt, you have shown yourself to be brave and loyal. And now I ask you to pass down all you know to this apprentice."
A brownish gray warrior separated himself from the mass of cats and came forward. Fernpaw got to her feet quickly and met the warrior halfway, touching noses with him shyly.
Half a moon later, Fernpaw was called away from daubing mouse bile on an Elder's flanks by Stormpelt. "Walk with me, apprentice." He ordered in a low, stern tone.
Fernpaw winced a little at the curt way the powerful warrior turned and began walking but she followed him obediently.
"I've been hearing reports about you, little one," he said when they were far enough away to avoid being overheard. "Some good, some bad."
Fernpaw tilted her head and remained quiet, waiting for him to continue.
"Heatherpelt tells me that you do not listen to a word he says," the Deputy said finally, his eyes hardening, "Care to tell me why?"
"I don't understand," Fernpaw said, "I listen to his every word, even when he repeats himself and yells a lot. And I've been practicing, even though he never tells me to."
Stormpelt blinked a number of times, "He hasn't yet pitted you against another apprentice?"
She shook her head.
"I see… Then perhaps I shall join you and your mentor for another lesson. I want to see exactly what's going on." Stonestripe got to his paws.
/\/\/\/\/\
"Fernpaw!" Heatherpelt looked ready to tear his own fur out, "For Star Clan's sake listen!"
"All right, enough. Have you tested her against someone else?" Stormpelt's voice was like a soothing balm on Fernpaw's ears.
"How can I when she won't listen to what I tell her?" the warrior demanded, exasperated.
"Then perhaps knocking some sense into her will make her pay a little more attention hmm?" Stormpelt's voice was tinged with just a hint of sarcasm.
"All right… fine. All right Fernpaw, I'm a Shadowclan warrior and I'm here to decorate my nest with your fur. Better watch out you little kittypet!" Heatherpelt spat the last word and leaped for the apprentice with the intent of knocking her flat.
What happened next was a blur so quick that Stormpelt hissed in surprise and Healtherpelt stumbled, tripped over something he couldn't see and staggered several steps past where Fernpaw had been, looking wildly around for his missing target. He barely got the chance; something heavy hit him from behind and sent him tumbling across the clearing with a whuff of expelled air. When he had fetched up against the tree, two heavy paws hit him on the chest and pinned him for several seconds, Fernpaw's eyes flashing down at him.
"Wha… what happened?" he sputtered as the apprentice let him up.
Stormpelt was staring, wide eyed at the pair of them.
"Looks like Shadow Clan is in for a nasty surprise," piped up Rootpaw from where he sat next to the deputy. "I bet all of Windclan can't move that fast!"
Fernpaw ducked her head shyly.
"Show us again," Stormpelt said, "Only this time… slow enough that we can see it."
This time, Heatherpelt moved much more slowly in a pantomime lunge at Fernpaw's turned back. Remembering to go slowly, she twisted aside from his paws, spinning on her front legs as she pulled her hind legs around. The result was leaving her facing the passing Heatherpelt broadside, and with a casual paw, hooked his legs with one of her own, tripping him so that he staggered past, unable to turn in time. From there, she gave his still unbalanced hind end a shove and aided his momentum past.
"How did you ever think that up?" Heatherpelt asked, coming back to his apprentice.
"I learned how to dodge a pounce when I was a kit," she said. "And I'd been practicing with Rootpaw, since you weren't telling me to do so yourself I thought I could…" she coughed awkwardly and continued, "I never moved that quick with Rootpaw before, but I figured if I tripped him as he went past, I'd get a bit more time to hit my enemy from behind."
"But… you weren't listening to me!" Heatherpelt sputtered.
"Why did you think that?" Fernpaw's eyes widened, "You're my mentor! I have to learn from you."
"I think I see what happened," Stormpelt butted in.
"Fernpaw, your ears don't move when you're being talked to. Heatherpelt thought you were ignoring him because you were looking away and your ears never hinted that you were paying attention."
"Oh… I'm sorry Heatherpelt," she hung her head, "I did it all the time to my mother when I was a kit. I thought it was funny how frustrated she'd get thinking that I was ignoring her and then I would repeat to her word for word whatever she said. I did it without thinking now."
"I feel a great swell of pity for that poor queen," Heatherpelt half grumbled, "All right then Apprentice, let's see what you can really do."
Once the misunderstanding was cleared up, Fernpaw's knowledge of fighting grew by leaps and bounds. Suntail was a frequent companion for sharing tongues with, and the apprentices warmed up quickly when Fernpaw didn't try to boss them around despite being older.
Fernpaw greater size and weight turned into a teaching tool that Heatherpelt used to train the smaller apprentices. She would have been highly resentful if the other apprentices hadn't made it into a game that even Fernpaw found herself enjoying.
Apprentices tried to pounce on her and catch her off guard at random moments. Sometimes they succeeded and swarmed her while she laughed and wriggled beneath lightly nipping teeth and teasingly poking paws. Other times she managed to move just in time and whirled to roll a surprised apprentice nose over tail.
"I am the mighty Fernstar!" she boasted, pinning a wriggling Mudpaw, "No one dares to challenge me!"
"We'll see about that!" and Rootpaw, Icepaw, and Thornpaw swarmed her from behind.
"I am Clean Leader of the whole forest!" Thornpaw yowled as he climbed Fernpaw's back like a boulder and nipped at her ears.
"If you apprentices are quite finished conquering the forest," Rainheart meowed sternly as she entered the training grounds, but with a tinge of amusement to her voice, "we're going hunting today."
Apprentices tumbled away from Fernpaw like a flood and sat in a neat row, their eyes shining like stars. Fernpaw shook a leaf out of her belly fur and joined the other apprentices a heartbeat after them.
Moonlight, Oaktalon, and Redthorn followed Rainheart and joined Heatherpelt with mock severity as they looked at their charges.
"I hope for all our sakes that you five have worked off that extra bouncy energy," meowed Moonlight. "Pair up with your mentors now. Rootpaw and I are going to the Ancient oak to catch squirrels."
"I believe I will join you," Redthorn said, though his whiskers were forward in amusement, "since Thornpaw seems to be getting climbing experience up Fernpaw's back."
"Fine," Oaktalon nodded, "Icepaw and I will see what we can find around the Greenleaf twoleg place. There always seems to be mice and voles around there."
"If it's all right with you Healtherpelt, Mudpaw and I would like to join you and your apprentice wherever you're going." Rainheart meowed.
"The twoleg path and halfbridge." Heatherpelt said after a moment of thought.
Prey was running well and both warriors and apprentices each caught something before pausing for a breath.
A fat gray squirrel climbed down a tree and sat in the sun, working studiously on an acorn. Fernpaw was almost within pouncing range when the squirrel snapped to full alert and bolted up the tree. Fernpaw pounced and missed, spitting to herself in fury.
"Hard luck," Mudpaw sympathized. "What happened? The wind shift on you?"
"It wasn't me! I swear I…I.." A horrible smell wafted to Fernpaw and she went rigid, the fur along her back ruffling to full attention.
"What's wrong with you?" Mudpaw looked up at her fellow apprentice.
"Shhh! Do you smell that?"
Mudpaw sniffed. "Yeah. Garlic. Pungent stuff isn't it?"
"No!" Fernpaw hissed, "Under the garlic!"
Mudpaw opened her mouth and tasted the air, and then she too went rigid. "Wha-What is it?"
"It's horrible, that's what it is. We... We'd better back away from those bushes…"
"What's wrong with you two?" Rainheart called.
Heatherpelt leaped to his paws and screeched, "FOX!"
Brown eyes blazed in the undergrowth a split second before exploding into the opening and seizing Mudpaw by the hind leg, a sweeping paw bowling Fernpaw over backwards.
Mudpaw screeched in pain and twisted, struggling desperately to rake her claws across the fox's eyes. The fox shook her and a sick feeling churned in Fernpaw's stomach as something snapped. Don't let it be her neck. Please Starclan!
