Hey guys, here's the next chapter! Thank you for all of your reviews! I should have replied to your reviews, but I wanna do it here too! :P
Snowfeather5: :) I'm glad you're my beta. I have two, totally awesome betas now, and I couldn't be luckier to have you!
Sleektail: Thanks, Sleektail! I hope you check out this chapter, and don't worry, :P I'll continue this.
Salt Water Blues: Bonsoir, Blues. Thanks for that, I'm happy that you thought it was quick-paced. Don't worry, this chappie will have more description!
Well, guess what? I think this cowboy hat I'm wearing is a good luck charm. I've got ideas churning like a storm! Texans rock, and don't you forget that! :P Anyway, here's Chapter 2!
A warm breeze ruffled Jaypaw's coat, and he twitched in his sleep. His ears pricked as he heard a cat dart into camp, but he kept his intense blue eyes closed and rolled over. He could feel the hot sunshine warming his pelt, and he grunted angrily.
Every morning, some cat has to come tearing through here! Why can't they be quiet? he thought, and opened his eyes.
He climbed warily to his paws, and padded out of the medicine cat den. He could tell it was almost sun-high by how the sun-rays reflected off of his dark gray pelt. He cocked his head as he heard Ashfur, Lionpaw's mentor, meowing rapidly to Firestar, his fiery orange leader. He could smell the bitter scent of blood, and he could picture how the gray tom looked, his fur matted in bright red blood.
"Firestar! You have to listen to me. You can't let this go by unnoticed!" Ashfur growled quietly. "A Shadowclan patrol attacked Brackenfur and I, and-"
Firestar interuppted him, menace etching his voice. "Calm down Ashfur, I'm listening. Shadowclan will pay for this. Who did this?"
Jaypaw crouched, his ears swiveled towards the two tom's conversation.
"I couldn't tell, it happened so quickly. Brackenfur and I were patrolling the border, and then-"
"Jaypaw!" A familar voice called, making the young tom jump before he hissed in annoyance.
"Yes, Cinderpaw?" he snarled and he felt better as he sensed her flinch as she headed closer to him.
Cinderpaw stopped less than a few paw-steps away from him, and he could tell she was looking at her paws. "Well, I was wondering, uh, if you need me, erm, to help you with...collecting some herbs." she rushed the last three words.
Jaypaw rolled his sapphire eyes, and then decided he should let her help him. It'd be good for her to get out of camp and Leafpool would be proud. "Yeah, I guess. That'd be great. We need," he thought for a moment, "... cobwebs, horsetail, and some marigold."
The light gray she-cat purred quietly for a minute, and Jaypaw shook his head before growling, "Are we going to wait around all day, or what?"
She laughed, and whispered almost silently, "Thats the attitude I love about you, Jaypaw." He could tell he wasn't supposed to hear that, so he shrugged and turned to head out of the busy camp.
He padded a short ways away, the sweet scents of the forest flooding over him. Fresh leaves blooming in trees, flowers touching his paws as he walked...He could hear the heartbeat of mice, the chirping of birds, the squirrels as they leaped from tree to tree, and the thumping of rabbits as they raced around.
Jaypaw was interrupted by Cinderpaw's quiet pawsteps coming up from behind him. He had almost forgot about her. He turned to her, and sighed. "Ok, lets get going. We can find horsetail over by lakeside. Cobwebs and Marigold are easy. We can find them around the Abandoned Twoleg Nest." He thought for a moment, and deciding to be nice to the gray she-cat for once, added, "Where do you want to go first?"
Cinderpaw seemed taken aback by his response, and her ears pricked in surprise. "Lets go to the lake first."
The tom nodded and remembered that the Riverclan border was a good place to hunt for horsetail. "The best place we can go to find horsetail is near Riverclan."
She nodded and he could hear the quiet swooshing of her tail as it raked the few dead leaves that were on the ground. He turned around at the same time she did, and Cinderpaw stepped closer to him to help guide him in the right direction. For the first time since he was turned into an apprentice, he didn't mind someone besides his siblings to help him out. He mumbled a thanks.
Jaypaw could tell that she was turning to him by how the air whipped at his face. "No problem. Really."
He closed his sightless blue eyes, and pictured the light gray she-cat he had seen in one of his dreams so long ago. The light blue eyes...The slight wavy fur...The way her smile seemed to brighten the sky around them...He flinched at his thoughts.
She is not your friend! he thought angrily. But she could be...
As he thought about it, it didn't sound like such a bad idea. He didn't like how he was always so harsh and sarcastic. What would it hurt to have one friend you could do stuff with?
Jaypaw attempted to clear his mind, and meowed, "Are we almost there?" He thought he could tell that the ground was getting slightly marshy, but his mind was so clouded he couldn't be sure.
"Yeah," she sounded slighlty disappointed to Jaypaw, but he couldn't tell for sure. "Do you know Willowpaw? I met her at the Gathering last time. She's pertty nice."
Jaypaw stiffened instinctively, and growled quietly, "Yes, I know her. Are we here to get herbs or to chat about a pret-she-cats?"
Cinderpaw sighed. "Herbs. Hey! Is that it over there?" she brandished her tail in one direction and he felt the air bristle around his right side which was the side closest to the water.
The dark gray tom sniffed the air delicately, and nodded, his eyes shining as he thought of a compliment. "Yes. Very good. I guess all that time spent in the Medicine Cat Den helped you learn some of the more common herbs." He padded over to the strong lake smelling herbs, and plucked a couple horsetail from the muddy ground.
A happy purr sounded beside him, and Jaypaw grinned broadly as Cinderpaw meowed, "Thanks. I was in there for a long time, you know." she laughed.
"Yep, I know. Hey...I'm sorry about being so mean to you before."
"Don't worry about it, Jaypaw. Its just how you are, and it's not that bad."
"Thanks, Cinderpaw. You're not so bad yourself."
Cinderpaw purred loudly, and meowed, "We better get going or its going to be moon-high before we get back to camp!"
Jaypaw chuckled, "Yeah, you're right."
With a flick of Jaypaw's tail, the two apprentices took off in the opposite direction, laughing and shoving each other into the cold water in their search for herbs.
Awww! Jaypaw has finally had a change in heart! How cute! He's got his first real friend, and isn't Cinderpaw just the perfect friend? Yep, I know what your thinking: JayxCinder. Do you think its going to happen? I'll let you know something...Just our little secret, ok? They won't! Do you think he shouldn't let his new-found friend know about him and Willowpaw's secret meetings, or tell Cinderpaw about his feelings for the pretty she-cat? Vote, and I'll use the winner for that! If you have any more great ideas, let me know! Until then...
Lionpaw16
