Chapter two: He's Baaaaack!!
"Finally done! That sure was hard work, wasn't it Dustpaw?"
"Sure was…" I muttered. It's not like she actually did anything! She just lay around listening to the elders' stories while I collected moss and bedding. I forgot what an apprentices' job was like. I really would have liked to listen to the elders, but seriously? Those old stories?! I told my kits those stories, I mean I'd tell my kits those stories. If there were any kits. Which there are not. This is starting to be a crummy wish.
"Owww!!"
Sandstorm licked her paw. "It hurts!!"
"It's just a thorn." I put my two sharpest teeth in her swelled paw and bit the thorn out. "There." I said with a hint of victory. "All better. You may want to see Leaf-I mean Cinder- No, I mean Spottedleaf. Spottedleaf."
Sandstorm looked at me with dazed eyes, at first confused, then with gratitude.
"Thanks, Dustpaw!!" She licked a side of my face. I flushed up, and I felt burned.
No, I thought, this isn't a crummy wish after all.
"Okay, let's go see Spottedleaf."
"How about we eat first?"
"Sure!!"
She ran to the fresh kill pile. I never remembered her so energetic. We saw Ravenpaw and Graypaw there too. And after eating my fresh and delicious vole, I was beginning to feel a little spiteful. I couldn't help what I said. Suddenly, I blurted out something I didn't know was true.
"Did you see our fresh kill for the elders last sunrise? It was the biggest thrush you've ever seen!"
"Yeah!" Sandstorm concluded "It as enough to feed three elders!"
Ravenpaw rolled his eyes and Graypaw whispered something in his ear. They snickered and walked away.
"Such mousebrains!"
Sandstorm said.
"Definitely" I agreed, as I bit into Sandstorms half-eaten mouse.
"Hey, get your own, crow food eater!!" She swatted my ear and laughed.
I leaned over to take another bite.
"It doesn't taste like crow food to me!"
We battled for a little bit. I guess Sandstorm's paw didn't hurt anymore be cause she wasn't complaining. And just as I thought my wonderful life couldn't get any more perfect, I saw him.
"Redtail, Redtail!!" I called out. My mentor, my teacher, my idol! He was alive
"I missed you so much! I can't believe it's really you!"
"Um, Thanks Dustpaw. I saw you last moonrise when we were battle-training…"
He meowed, clearly confused. It was the same voice Sandstorm used with me
"But, I thought-I thought Tigerclaw killed you!"
"We were just battle-training!" Redtail protested. "Tigerclaw won that's all! We were just showing you apprentices, besides I went easy on him. Anyways, you won't see Tigerclaw for a while, not when he's with the new kits. Have you seen them yet?"
"No! But we're going too! Right now! C'mon Dustpaw!"
Sandstorm leaped away, with me struggling to follow. There was so much information just bobbling in his head. When they reached the nursery, there were Goldenflower, Tigerclaw, and three small kits.
"Come to see the kits have you? Spottedleaf said no one should visit, but I'll sneak you in. Come along!" Tigerclaw meowed
The new Tigerclaw is nice, I thought.
Goldenflower was sitting next to three snuggling kits.
"Sandpaw! Dustpaw!" Goldenflower whispered.
I could hardly hear her. My eyes were locked on something far beyond imagination.
"You've come to see the kits I suppose." Goldenflower went on.
"Well, this here is Sunkit", she said, her tail flicked to a golden tabby with green eyes.
"This is Gemkit," Goldenflower's tail flicked towards a brown tabby with two blinking eyes that looked like perfect blue gems.
"And this," She said softly to the last one, the only tom, "Is Firekit" She pointed to a dark ginger tom with wondrous green eyes. His pelt was of flames, and the orangest one you could ever see.
Goldenflower purred softly, and Tigerclaw proudly stated" My son", while Sandpaw squeaked "They're sooo cute!!"
All I could do was stare and think.
He's Baaaaack!!