Sorry I took so long to update! I didn't get any reviews so I kind of forgot about this. But now I am following stories and authors so hopefully that will get me noticed. Enjoy!
Oh, and disclaimer:
I DO NOT OWN WARRIORS!
Most characters © me, however
~emj
Harescar skimmed his young, bright gaze over the crowd of cats gathered before him. "Oh, whoever should I pick to go on patrol?" he asked sarcastically. Beechflight, one of his best friends since kithood, was up near the front, and Harescar saw him roll his eyes.
"You better take your deputy duties seriously, Harescar," Beechflight joked, "or else Brokenstar'll make me deputy instead of you before you can say 'mouse'!"
Harescar snorted. "Oh, please. Brokenstar loves me."
"Get on with it, youngsters," senior warrior Shorthaze mumbled. "My legs may be short, but there are sharp tools on the end of 'em."
Harescar grinned and commenced to assign dawn patrols, making Shorthaze the head of a border patrol and Beechflight the head of the hunting patrol. It was what he usually did, although it was only his second day as deputy of ThunderClan. Only two sunrises ago had Brokenwing left with the medicine cat Ratpelt to return as Brokenstar after the previous leader, Squirrelstar, who had been feisty and strong, lost her last ailing life. Harescar had been pleasantly surprised that Brokenstar had picked him to be her deputy, despite the fact that he was still young and had only just completed training with his first apprentice, Berryfang, who was the last warrior Squirrelstar had named.
Even after Harescar had made two patrols, each containing four cats, there were still several warriors left with nothing to do. Some mentors headed out with their apprentices, and Harescar took the remaining ones out just to walk. He prayed to StarClan that Brokenstar would be fine with that.
As Harescar walked out with Birchfur, Rainsnow, and Cherryfur, he admired how beautiful the sunrise was. He knew that leaf-bare was finally moving out, making way for new-leaf, which was long overdue. The sun was so bright that it illuminated Rainsnow's pale pelt, making her shine like a StarClan spirit in the night sky. The tall, towering trees that had a few new buds indicating green leaves grew in a path that eventually revealed the lake, which was just in the distance, glittering like a hawk's eye. Everything looks so pretty, Harescar thought. He was content and happy- life was just fine and normal, and the cheerfulness of it all was contagious. There hadn't been any border skirmishes since before Squirrelstar had started showing signs of illness, and she still had at least two or three lives since there was a battle, and the last one had been, Harescar thought as he reached far back into his memory, between ShadowClan and RiverClan.
All was peaceful- at the moment.
Squinting in the bright dawn light, Harescar sniffed around for prey. He knew that Beechflight's hunting patrol had headed out toward the WindClan border, Shorthaze's to the ShadowClan side. Therefore, he chose to go straight, toward the lake. Him, Birchfur, and the two she-cats passed the hollow and clearing where most of the apprentice training was done. He watched as Flashnight observed his apprentice, Leopardpaw, pounce on a clump of moss neatly. "Great job," Flashnight praised the spotted tom, and Leopardpaw puffed out his chest in pride. Harescar sighed. It felt as though just yesterday he was in Leopardpaw's place, learning how to hunt and battle.
Now Harescar had proof of "battle"; in fact, it was how he earned his warrior name. As an apprentice, part of his final assessment under his mentor, Willowberry, was to hunt down unusual prey. As Willowberry watched him from behind the brush, Harepaw had discovered a long-legged rabbit that had strayed from WindClan territory. Its back legs were very strong, and when Harepaw attempted to pursue the rabbit, one of its legs scratched his right flank just before he caught it, leaving a long, sometimes troublesomely painful scar. But, Harescar thought as he walked, it earned me my warrior name. He glanced down at his pink, puffy scar proudly. It wasn't annoying at the moment, but he couldn't swim in the lake for enjoyment during greenleaf because the water irritated his permanent wound.
He jumped out of his thoughts and drew in prey scents through his mouth. Birchfur was right beside him, sniffing as well. Behind them, Harescar overheard Cherryfur and Rainsnow messing around.
"Guess what?" Cherryfur whispered just loud enough for Harescar to hear.
"What?" Rainsnow acknowledged.
"I think Birchfur's really nice and handsome. I hope he asks to be mates with me one day."
Next to Harescar, Birchfur snorted. Harescar rolled his eyes and muttered in his Clanmate's ear, "What? No?"
Birchfur scoffed, "Oh, sure."
"Ha, like you could raise kits! You're like one yourself!" Rainsnow was saying. Then she changed the subject. "Hey, let's race ahead of those lazy toms and see who can reach the lakeshore first!"
Cherryfur responded almost right away- by running ahead. Her tortoiseshell pelt was a blur within heartbeats.
"Hey!" Harescar and Birchfur stepped aside to allow Rainsnow to catch up to her friend.
They trotted along while the she-cats competed for a while until far ahead in the distance, Cherryfur stopped with a screeching halt and a yowl. "Hare… scar! Birchfur!" She took a deep breath before shouting her friend's name. "Rainsnow!"
Taking deep gulps of air, the other three cats rushed to where Cherryfur was standing stricken.
Harescar pounded up, his paws numb from the cold, early morning dewy ground by the time he arrived. He stared down at a black, brown, and white lump of fur on the ground.
Rainsnow, confused, quizzed, "What is it?"
The thing was trembling, and it wasn't showing its face nor seemed to be of any Clan. It didn't exactly have the soft fur of a cat, more like the coarse fur of an unfamiliar animal.
"Well, whatever it is," Harescar meowed as he bent his neck to sniff it, "it's alive, breathing, and well."
Birchfur appeared to be disgusted by the whole thing and backed away. On the other paw, Cherryfur looked sympathetic. "Poor thing. It must have traveled an incredible amount!"
"Hey," Harescar bravely leaned down to where one floppy ear was protruding from the clump of shaking fur. "Can you understand me? Who… or more so what… are you?"
The thing lifted its head and stared straight into Harescar's amber eyes. "I'm a dog," it said with a strange yet understandable accent. "And my name is Pup."
Just from the impact of Pup's intense dark brown stare, Harescar had to leap back in surprise. Cherryfur gaped. "A dog?" she exclaimed in disbelief.
"Well, that's what he is, and that's what he looks like," Birchfur mumbled, suddenly sounding just like his always-grumpy father Shorthaze.
"I'm a puppy, in fact. We can understand each other perfectly, by the way, because my mother taught me Catspeak in case I ever needed to know it. You're cats, right? She knew Catspeak because she grew up around cats, until she ran away when her owner mistreated her and became a stray. Then she had four puppies: me, my brother, who's dead, and my sisters, who are both dead. I don't remember my sisters, but I vaguely remember my brother. He could never walk. And also, my mother is part chocolate Labrador and part mutt. Her dad had been a purebred, and her mother was a former stray, half Border collie and something else. So my mother was a mutt-mutt! Oh, how I miss her. In fact, I lost her just last night when…"
"He's very talkative," Rainsnow mewed in Harescar's ear, but he hardly heard her over Pup's fox story. He didn't sound so sad that he had lost his mother due to the fox. Yet still Harescar listened in awe until he finally had to stop the youngster.
"… and then I dragged myself here. I smelled your crazy cat markings, and there's so many of you! But I'm not intimidated. After all, I'm a big, strong do-"
"Pup, may I interrupt?" Harescar cut in, but he went right along without letting Pup speak again. "I'm sure your throat is dry by now. Look, I'm Harescar, and they're-" he hesitated as he flicked his tail at each cat in turn- "Birchfur, Cherryfur, and Rainsnow. We're all of ThunderClan. They're warriors, and I'm-"
"He doesn't care about our Clan blah. Just tell him to leave," Birchfur firmly stated, flicking his ears with great impatience.
"Anyway," Harescar continued, giving Birchfur a dirty look, "Your mother might have told you that we're enemies."
Pup cocked his head in interest… or confusion. I wonder how much of this he's processing, Harescar thought.
The young dog spoke, his voice loud and unafraid. "Well, sometimes she got annoyed by her feline housemates, but all in all they weren't really enemies. But now I have no place to go."
"Aww," Cherryfur cooed. She stepped forward, and Harescar could tell that she wanted to lick his dirty, ugly, flappy dog ears. However, she stayed where she was, embarrassed she had even started toward him. Instead she glanced up at Harescar. "He's really cute. Can't we take him in and raise him as a dog warrior? That would be so cool! Oh, I wish I had kits…" She took a side glance at Birchfur, but he still seemed to take no care in her.
Harescar mused to himself in his head. What will Brokenstar think if I bring home three cats and a dog, expecting all to be members of the Clan? Then again, if I don't, just Cherryfur will hate me. She is pretty… He paused, and then sighed.
"Alright," he said. "But one disturbed look from Brokenstar and he's going to ShadowClan or non-Clan territory."
"Ooh, ShadowClan! That sounds neat!" Pup barked excitedly. Harescar just bit his lip and led the patrol back to the ThunderClan camp.
Oh, StarClan, what did I just do?
OoOoO
Harescar felt hot with embarrassment as him, Cherryfur, Birchfur, Rainsnow, and Pup walked into the hollow that served as the ThunderClan camp.
The hollow had, long ago when Squirrelstar was a new deputy and long before any of the current ThunderClan members except for Mole-eye were born (he was a brand-new warrior called Molefoot at the time), been flooded. The lake had abruptly been overfilled from lots of rain. The cats- all Clans- retreated to the mountains and lived with the Tribe of Rushing Water, another group of cats residing high up there, until it was determined that the water levels had died down. Now the hollow showed just a few signs of any flooding. The only clues were a huge chunk off the Highrock and how smooth the inside walls were in the leaders' den. Harescar had only been in there twice, once for a scolding from Squirrelstar as an apprentice when he purposely put a thorn in arrogant Mole-eye's nest after the elder called him a scrawny and annoying apprentice, and the second time for a deputy meeting with Brokenstar. Long ago, during Firestar and Bramblestar's leaderships, the walls were rough and rocky, but now the cave's walls were smooth as sandstone. All of the dens had to be rebuilt with twigs after the flooding, so there was nothing left of where Harescar's ancestors once slept and lived before the flood.
Harescar returned to current times when an insult sprung out at him like a startled rabbit through the brush.
"Did the new deputy bring us his first minion?" Hooting laughter and amused yowls erupted from the Sunning Stones, toward the center of the clearing. Harescar's gaze traced the path of the rude outburst. It had come from Minnowcloud's loud mouth, and his buddies Skunkflight and Firetail were having trouble ending their obnoxious and exaggerated chuckles.
Cherryfur glared at them, her stunning yellow gaze fiery like Firetail's tail. "Oh, everyone knows your father was from RiverClan, Minnowcloud!" she called ruthlessly across the clearing. Suddenly all was silent. "Ha, that shut them up," Cherryfur grunted under her breath.
The blaring and noisy voices awoke Brokenstar, who had been resting up in her den. She strode out of her smooth-walled cave and stood tall on the Highrock. Behind her, the sun had just risen, illuminating everything in the clearing and making her a dark shadow besides her bright eyes. Her broad-shouldered figure released a sharp, controlled voice. "What is all the commotion about?"
Harescar watched her yellow eyes flash from one single cat to another until they landed on Pup. She did a double take then hopped neatly down the uneven pile of boulders that led to the ground. She easily contained her surprise- she was a very calm cat, a good leader especially in emergencies.
Keeping her gaze steady, Brokenstar padded up to Harescar, Pup, and the others from the patrol. Birchfur shrunk back, not wanting to be seen, but Harescar could see that Brokenstar already knew who was involved in the issue.
Gaze slits of frightening yellow, Brokenstar looked from Rainsnow to Birchfur to Cherryfur, who was standing defiantly with one paw planted firmly on the ground in front of Pup, to finally Harescar. She stared at her deputy dully. In fact, now that she was up close, Harescar could see how exhausted Brokenstar looked. She probably wasn't too happy to be woken up.
"Harescar," she demanded, voice menacing. The only thing that wasn't calm about Brokenstar was her voice. Harescar suppressed a shudder. What if she does restrain my deputyship? Silently he gulped. "Harescar, why is there a dog in our camp?"
"W- well, you see-" Harescar was at a loss for words. He knew the story perfectly well in his head- and he knew it would be engraved in his brain forever. But he just couldn't bring the words to life. They wouldn't- and couldn't- make the journey out of his lips. He stammered and stalled, shifting his weight from one paw to the other. "Er, um…"
Through it all, Brokenstar waited patiently for an answer.
"Brokenstar, my leader, I know what happened," Cherryfur started. She stepped in front of the wide-eyed Pup, as if Brokenstar would kill him on the spot.
Unexpectedly, Brokenstar's fur fluffed up. She had a slightly longer pelt, one that was a lovely shade of brown, the color of soft, moist, crumbly earth. When the ThunderClan leader raised her hackles, she looked like a large brown puffball, and it was tricky for Harescar not to laugh despite his crisis with Pup and possibility of losing his second-in-command position.
"Cherryfur, you have no right to interrupt," Brokenstar snapped, turning her menacing gaze to the tortoiseshell she-cat, who winced noticeably and slid behind Rainsnow, whom was already trembling herself. "I asked Harescar the question, not you. Now, Harescar." The leader's look trailed back to the ginger tom. "Is this dog a harm to us?" She leaned in to Harescar's twisted face. "It's a simple yes or no question. So that means you answer yes or no."
Harescar's stomach flipped over and over again like a suffocating fish dragged out of the lake by a hunting RiverClan warrior. He was speechless still.
The hollow was quiet for what felt like a lifetime. No, two lifetimes. Then Harescar finally found his words, and they escaped his mouth eagerly in a flood of stammers and truth.
"Well, after I- I assigned patrols at dawn, I t- took out a patrol w… with Cherryfur, Birchfur, and Rainsnow-"
"Get to the point where you found the flaming dog," Brokenstar's tone was impatient through her gritted teeth. Dark circles poked out through her delicate lighter brown fur under and around her scalding hot yellow eyes.
It was silent again for another few heartbeats while Harescar arranged what he was about to say to Brokenstar in his head. In the short-lived silence, one of Lightningdrop and Flashnight's confused kits, Creamkit, could be heard muttering something to his sister Hazelkit.
"How could that dog have lived if he was on fire?"
Hazelkit shrugged moments before their embarrassed mother ushered them into the nursery with her tail, then returning out to listen herself. All the while, Skyclaw's sons burst out giggling in their squeaky, two-moon-old kit voices.
Once all the kits were hushed and in the twiggy nursery, Harescar spoke again. "There was a shuddering and shivering lump of fur in the middle of the forest- Cherryfur found it. It turned out to be this dog- Pup. She convinced me to take him back to you. Cherryfur- she wants him to be raised as a warrior in ThunderClan."
Cherryfur pursed her lips. It was pretty obvious to Harescar that she was afraid that Brokenstar would deny her request to keep Pup in the Clan and send him away to die alone. There's no way that this puppy can survive on his own, Harescar thought.
"Ahem." One distinctive, heavily accented voice was released into the uncertain air. It was Pup. The young creature had stepped forward, his tongue lolling out of his mouth in that weird canine manner. "May I speak for my case, Brokenstar?"
Brokenstar snorted, but when she spoke her voice was gentle. "This isn't a case. But yes, you may speak."
Harescar's heart beat in his throat when he remembered how much of a chatterbox Pup was. He was convinced Brokenstar wouldn't tolerate it. However, when Pup started to bark, he did say a lot but at the same time seemed like a completely different dog, or animal. He had the good-natured calmness of a cat.
"First off, I just want you to know, Brokenstar, that if you do not accept me as part of your Clan then I might as well be killed off already. I was born the wrong species- I may be a dog and may act like a dog at times, but that's just all the dumb instinct stuff. I wish I were a cat like all of you lucky folks. I favor cats, and although my mother despised them, I enjoyed her stories about cats and desperately wanted more once she had run out. Before what happened with the fox, I planned to grow up and start my own life around cats. I want to be a cat. I admire all of you. I want to live among you. I will change my name. I will act like a cat despite how I may look and behave by instinct." His eyes grew wide and wild and his excitement built up even more. "I may be a little over two moons of age, but I am smart and will learn the ways of you Clan cats. I will be raised with kits and grow with them, with all of you. Please let me be a part of your wondrous Clan. I would fight for you all even if I had to die tomorrow."
By the time Pup was done talking, he was panting with sheer excitement. He glanced at Brokenstar expectantly, waiting for her reply.
While his leader thought and considered about Pup's stay and speech, Harescar surveyed his Clanmates. Several of the cats, such as Shorthaze and Skunkflight, looked disgusted and hopeful that Brokenstar would disapprove of Pup.
On the other paw, there were also many cats who looked intrigued by Pup's apparent bravery and responsibility for himself. One of them was Skyclaw, who used to be a loner called Sky herself. She and her mate, Minnowcloud, both shared something in common: they were both not born in ThunderClan- he had a father from RiverClan, and he had been born there when his ThunderClan mother fled there to give birth to him. Minnowcloud had been the only one in his litter and grew ornery and rude after being teased and ridiculed for such a time. Now both of his parents were dead. Since he had found Sky and encouraged her to join ThunderClan, though, he was noticeably happier, even more so when their two sons came into the world. Harescar had the feeling that, if Pup became a member of ThunderClan, Skyclaw would offer to be his adoptive mother. If her mate agrees, Harescar thought as he glimpsed Minnowcloud's disapproving face.
"Pup," Brokenstar meowed.
The young dog's neck shot up so fast that Harescar heard it crack. He hid his pain, though, if he even felt it because what Brokenstar said next just about made him explode.
"Pup," Brokenstar said. "You are accepted as a member of ThunderClan." She swiftly bounded up to the Highrock and gazed down at her Clan, specifically him. "If you promise to fight and hunt for your new Clanmates- who are cats- and to change your name, say 'I do'."
Pup's shrill squeak could be heard all the way up in the mountains. "I do!"
"Very well then. Your name will be changed to a cat name so you can be disguised. You may not attend Gatherings," Brokenstar proclaimed strictly. "No one must know you are with us. You will cover your scent in ours. I will have some cats rub against you to cover you in their scent. You are for now confined to the camp, but later on may go on patrols maybe. If we are caught with you, either hide or, if you don't have time to, run and pretend you just came through the area as a Twoleg's dog. Whatever you do, don't act suspicious around ShadowClan, WindClan, or RiverClan cats if you come in contact with some. You can tell their difference by their scent-"
Pup interrupted the long line of information Brokenstar was giving him. "Okay, I got it," he told her excitedly. "But what will my new name be?"
Brokenstar sighed. "Your name from now on will be Brownkit. Since you are about two moons old, you will be raised in the nursery with Skyclaw's litter- they are about the same age. Skyclaw, that is, if you are alright with that?"
Brownkit turned and glanced at Skyclaw hopefully. Luckily for him, Skyclaw smiled and nodded. "I would be happy to raise him with Frostkit and Streamkit, Brokenstar. It will be a healthy experiment for them to learn and grow up with a different species."
Brownkit solemnly bounded over to his new adoptive mother, all seriousness. He bowed his head just before licking Skyclaw's shoulder. "I am a cat now," he informed her. Then, "May I meet my new siblings?"
Skyclaw grinned, and admiration shone in the tabby queen's eyes. "Of course." They excused themselves from the meeting, and then ventured into the nursery. Faintly, through the twigged walls of the warm, milky den, Harescar could hear Brownkit introducing himself to Frostkit and Streamkit, then Frostkit's exclamation of "I have a dog as my brother!" Then again, Brownkit gently explained to his brothers that he determined himself, and hoped that others too would, as a cat from now on.
Harescar stayed where he was as the meeting broke up. Brokenstar returned to her den to catch up on her lost beauty sleep. After asking Harescar for permission, Berryfang took out another hunting patrol.
The Clan deputy stayed where he was until he felt Cherryfur's side brush his. Only slightly startled, he watched as the tortoiseshell she-cat slipped past him to talk to Birchfur, and then slide under the low overhang of twigs at the entrance to the nursery. Harescar didn't have to guess to know she was visiting the newly-named Brownkit to rub her scent all over him.
OoOoO
A quarter-moon passed and, from what Harescar was able to observe, Brownkit was doing just fine in his new surroundings. He found it an insult if Firetail or Minnowcloud joked that he was still a dog. In fact, Minnowcloud had been disturbed by his mate's idea to raise "a dog" with his sons. From what Harescar heard, he thought that it would "mess them up, and give them dog-like behaviors" when they got older. Painfully, Harescar noticed that Brownkit was driving the once-close pair Skyclaw and Minnowcloud farther and farther apart.
When Harescar had free time, he watched Frostkit, Streamkit, and Brownkit play together. Skyclaw always kept a careful eye on them, while their father Minnowcloud did the opposite, constantly neglecting his two- or three- sons. It appeared that Frostkit wasn't even aware that Brownkit wasn't a cat but a dog anymore, while Streamkit was more cautious around his new adopted brother. However, the gray kit still didn't mention anything insulting about Brownkit.
One particular day exactly eight sunrises since Brownkit had been accepted into ThunderClan, Harescar realized when he awoke that there was a Gathering tonight. He was puzzled as to how Brokenstar would announce Brownkit, if she announced him at all. Frostkit and Streamkit's birth had been announced two moons ago, before any of this happened, so Brownkit couldn't be announced with them. It wouldn't be fair to Brownkit if Brokenstar ignored his existence at a Gathering, although she had implied it when he confirmed his joining.
Since he was deputy, Harescar had started waking up earlier than he used to as a normal warrior. He picked his way over the sleeping Hopepuddle and Birdspring, two best friends who slept side-by-side. Before he left the warriors' den completely, Harescar took one last gander around the den constructed of twigs. He noticed how few warriors there were in the Clan. It was still more than what the other Clans had as far as he knew, but it still wasn't a large amount. He sighed and trudged away to the smooth boulder- which had been washed into the hollow during the flood long ago- where he assigned patrols. Some cats were already standing there, waiting for him. It was disturbing that the Clans were so weak still this late into leaf-bare. Harescar hoped that some more kits would be arriving soon, maybe even some of his own if he could handle the responsibility.
It was still dawn, and the camp was mostly silent. Harescar perceived Brokenstar running down from her den. Once she reached the ground, her direction was toward the nursery. Harescar tried to hide the fact that he was watching his leader intently as she crossed the clearing and then ducked into the nursery. One thought came to Harescar's mind instantly: Brownkit.
Trying to push the dog-kit out of his mind, Harescar trotted over to look as awake as he possibly could. It had been more than a quarter-moon since Harescar had been appointed deputy, and yet his body- or more so his mind- wasn't totally functioning properly in the morning. Once Beechflight had teased that Harescar could sleep through a badger invasion, then sleepwalk up to Brokenstar's den and walk right off the Highrock to his death. Harescar had rolled his eyes at the time, but now he seriously wondered if he could do that since he was such a good sleeper.
As he got closer to his Patrol Rock, his heart sank. The cats waiting there were Skunkflight and Firetail. Minnowcloud had quieted down the tiniest bit since his mate was against his and his friends' criticizing Brownkit. But, because Harescar had brought Brownkit back to the camp when he was still known as Pup, Skunkflight, Firetail, and sometimes even Shorthaze tormented him about it in spite of the fact that he was Clan deputy.
Sighing in frustration and annoyance, Harescar approached the two toms with a creepy, fake smile plastered on his face.
Skunkflight mocked his own creepy, fake smile and purred, "Stop that, Hare. You look like that dude Tigerstar who killed, like, a bunch of cats seasons ago."
Firetail chortled obnoxiously. "Yeah, did you take over the Clans?" Skunkflight nudged him and the two exploded into laughter.
Harescar scowled at them.
"Aw, is wittle Harekit angr-" Skunkflight started with another insolent comment, but Harescar stopped him mid-insult.
"Either you two shut up or I report you to Brokenstar and have you suspended from patrolling for a moon," Harescar snapped like a twig breaking away from a tree.
Skunkflight seemed to have gotten the deputy's message, but mouse-brained Firetail started again. "Gonna tattle on us, Harekit?" he quizzed sarcastically and grinned like a fuzz-brain until he saw the pained look on Skunkflight's face.
Why am I bullied by cats moons younger than me? I shouldn't let them do that… and I won't.
Harescar targeted Firetail, who still had that glint in his eye. "Hey, Firetail, which type of patrol do you hate the most?" he questioned.
Firetail immediately drooped at the thought of what he was about to say, not noticing Skunkflight's desperate prods in his shoulder. "I hate when I have to go train with Breezepaw and she doesn't listen."
Skunkflight bit his lip as Harescar showed them a toothy grin and ordered, "Alright then. Um… how about you and Skunkflight take your apprentices out to train today. And I don't want to see either of you back until I send someone to fetch you."
Harescar watched the two defeated warriors head to the apprentices' den to fetch Dewpaw and Breezepaw. The two sisters were still young and had been apprentices since the day before Squirrelstar's death. That meant they still were under seven moons, and their annoyingly shining eyes and fluffy kit fur proved them to be a clear nuisance to their mentors. He also heard from a conversation between Leopardpaw and Sandpaw, two brothers a bit older than the she-cats, that they got distracted easily. That'll show them to stop pestering me for a while, Harescar thought in satisfaction.
OoOoO
Gradually, more cats trickled out of the warriors' den.
Beechflight and Flashnight came up with their apprentices, Sandpaw and Leopardpaw. There was a twinkle in Harescar's friend Beechflight's eyes that always made him smile. "I'm guessing you want to take Sandpaw and Leopardpaw out on a… patrol?" Harescar said.
"Yes." Loyal Flashnight dipped his head respectfully to the deputy. "Could we take the dawn hunting patrol, maybe with one other cat? Beechflight and I would like to show our apprentices how to bring down a squirrel from a tree."
"Of course," Harescar purred. He spotted Shorthaze standing around, waiting for an assignment. "Hey, Shorthaze!" he called to the tabby tom. Shorthaze glanced up from his paws in the deputy's direction; eyes snippets of hazy gray that almost made him look blind, although Shorthaze could see just fine.
"Whataya need, Harescar?" he mrrowed.
"Please take the dawn hunting patrol with Beechflight, Flashnight, and their apprentices-"
"'Their apprentices' both have names you know!" Leopardpaw fluffed up his fur in indignation. Harescar turned to him in surprise- he never knew Leopardpaw to be an argumentative cat, especially under the firm mentorship of the young yet experienced and calm Flashnight. Shy Sandpaw giggled.
Harescar sighed. The Clan was just too dazed with happiness and success to even be serious anymore.
Shorthaze came up from behind Leopardpaw and flicked his thin, scrubby tail at the spotted tom's ear, startling him. "Let's go," he growled before stalking out of the camp.
Beechflight, Flashnight, and Sandpaw went ahead after the elder warrior, but Leopardpaw hesitated as he glanced back at Harescar one last time. "I'm sure glad Shorthaze isn't my mentor!" The young tom shuddered and pounced out of camp. And they're supposed to be our most mature apprentices, Harescar thought with amusement.
"'I'm sure glad Shorthaze isn't my mentor'? What are those youngsters saying about my father?" Birchfur walked up and nodded to Harescar, not expecting an answer.
Harescar laughed. "Hey, how about we take the ShadowClan border today. Feel a little daring, perhaps?"
Willowberry, Harescar's old mentor, and Rainsnow padded up as well. "We'd be happy to join in!" Willowberry meowed cheerfully after Harescar's offer for them to come too.
The cats set out after Harescar assigned another group the WindClan border. Harescar and his patrol had only just set their paws onto the forest floor, littered with leaves, thorns, and other various things, when an accented voice called out to them, "Hey, wait up! May I come as well?"
Harescar turned, and his shoulders drooped, although he tried not to make it too noticeable. The she-cats stopped in their tracks and remained silent, while Birchfur groaned inwardly.
It was Brownkit.
The puppy bounded forward toward the cats, tongue out of his mouth from the thrill of running on his stubby legs, and slobber flying. Harescar winced as he watched a huge saliva ball smack Creamkit in the face, and another covered the fresh-kill pile with a coating of sticky, distasteful spit.
While Creamkit squealed and was dragged by the scruff into the nursery by Lightningdrop, Brownkit called after him a mere sorry, and one to the disgusted elders standing by the soiled fresh-kill pile as well.
"Umm…" Skyclaw trotted out of the nursery, following Brownkit's still-rank dog scent across the camp just as Harescar was about to veto Brownkit. No matter how many different cats rubbed their scent all over Brownkit, the dog still shed the scented fur and a new pelt of dog-smell erupted throughout the camp. Harescar was still wondering why RiverClan hadn't bombarded their camp yet, complaining of the horrid smell from across the lake.
"I truly apologize, Harescar, for letting Brownkit go for a moment," Skyclaw mewed. Then she ushered her adoptive son back to the nursery. Brownkit's eyes were big and sad.
Those big and sad eyes of Brownkit stayed in Harescar's mind, settling in and making a nest. That made sense for the thought to settle in, considering the fact that it would live there for a while.
OoOoO
It was a coincidence that a ShadowClan patrol had to walk up just as Harescar's did. The opposing Clan's patrol consisted of Dullnight, the conceited deputy, Blizzardtail, Ambermask, and Kestrelfrost.
As they approached the rivals, Harescar pursed his lips, as he could instantly see that something was wrong. There was a glint in Dullnight's usually dull eyes, and a glint in any ShadowClan cat's eyes- even a kit- meant bad news.
"Hello, Dullnight," Harescar stiffly greeted the smooth black tom, dipping his head in mild, forced respect. The ThunderClan patrol awkwardly stood there, facing the ShadowClan patrol, each cat matched with an opponent in the imaginary battle taking place in each cat's heads.
Dullnight made a big show of marking the border before replying to Harescar. The spray nearly moistened Harescar's exposed face fur. He jumped back just in time, spitting and hissing in disgust. "Harescar, it's lovely to see you," Dullnight drawled in an exaggerated tone.
Harescar stood, embarrassed, running his tongue through his fur. "Great, now the scent's embedded in my fur," he mumbled angrily, ignoring Dullnight's cool mew. His Clanmates looked on, speechless and solemn.
"So, my warriors have noticed ThunderClan scent in our territory," Dullnight meowed about like a leader, prancing and pacing up and down the area where all eight cats were gathered.
Harescar glanced up into the tom's sly, challenging gaze. It has been peaceful between our Clans for so long. Why ruin it now, only to get more cats injured or, worse, killed? Harescar suppressed a sigh. Only Dullnight would go to slaughter the calmness between the Clans. "Oh really?" Harescar growled. "And Coldstar has confirmed this?"
Dullnight's green eyes shone with the thought of a fight due to the hint of annoyance - it was pretty clear his claws were itching to shred some cat's fur and shed blood like a cat shedding long fur. "And you think that's any of your business?" the dark-furred tom instantly hissed a response, not hesitating with an excuse… or a lie.
Harescar tipped his head to the side ever so slightly, a quizzical look in his amber gaze. "Well, this whole issue must be ThunderClan's business if you're blabbing about it to us." He dared to lean in close to Dullnight. "Or is it not, and are we wasting our time talking here with you and your fur balls?"
At hearing that, Kestrelfrost dug his claws into the marshy earth on his side of the border, while his she-cat companions' eyes blazed like a forest fire.
Before Dullnight could think of another insulting comeback, Harescar marked the border with ThunderClan scent, releasing his spray all over the ShadowClan patrol. The cats screeched and leaped back. Blizzardtail fled back several paces, rubbing herself all over the wet ground to remove the temporary yellow from her snow-white fur. Meanwhile, on ThunderClan's side of the border, Rainsnow cackled with laughter. Birchfur and Willowberry shook their heads, yet they both still grinned with amusement.
Dullnight gasped, and once all of the dust cleared up from the commotion from his cats, Harescar glimpsed with satisfaction and pride a gaping, dull, defeated face. Just like the black tom's dull, dark pine-green-hued eyes. "Coldstar will hear about this!" Dullnight fixed his grim gaze on Harescar one last time before whipping around and stalking away, taking his dumbfounded patrol with him.
"So will Brokenstar!" Harescar called after them. Then the ginger tom turned to his patrol, and then lifted his nose and tail in the air before marching away in the direction of the ThunderClan camp.
Behind him, his patrol was wordless. Only giggles left their mouths.
EDIT: Added line breaks.
A bit weird, huh? Heh heh…
