So a story begins…
It was a hot day in the gorge, and Sagepaw and Plumpaw were sharing tongues on some rocks before a hunting lesson. The camp was busy, but Plumpaw hardly noticed. All she noticed was the tom she loved grooming her fur.
Plumpaw remembered the day that Sagepaw wanted to be partners with her. She was so happy. The whole Clan knew. Sagepaw bought her food, sometimes a pretty flower. She loved him, and he loved her. And as soon as they were warriors, they would be mates.
Plumpaw wanted a life of hunting, fighting, and caring for the Clan, but what she really, really wanted in her future was one, two, three, even four children. She wanted to spend six moons in the nursery. Of course, when she was ready.
And, as she groomed Sagepaw, she knew who the father of those kits would be.
Sagepaw and Plumpaw were not in a physical relationship- Plumpaw was only eight moons old, and Sagepaw ten moons. Lovemaking could come when they were warriors, and mating before a warrior ceremony was against their warrior code and disrespectful to StarClan.
Sagepaw gently pushed her on her side and began licking Plumpaw's belly fur. Plumpaw sighed in pleasure and relaxation.
"Plumpaw?" asked Sagepaw between licks.
"Yeah?"
"We need a night to ourselves, seriously. How about tonight we sneak out of our den, past the camp guard, and into the woods? We can enjoy ourselves there."
"What if we get caught?" Apprentices weren't supposed to leave the camp, for account of predators and rogues in the forest at night.
"I won't let us. Plus, that's half the thrill. Come on."
Plumpaw couldn't say no. Actually, it sounded kind of fun. "Okay. Tonight it is. You wake me up, though!"
"Sagepaw! Plumpaw!" Petalnose and Sparrowpelt were coming across the rocks, calling for their apprentices.
Sagepaw and Plumpaw leapt to their paws and looked at their mentors. They were going to take them into the woods for a hunting lesson.
The apprentices padded up to their mentors, quickly touching noses with them as a respectful gesture, and trot off after them toward the trees.
After venturing in a bit, Sparrowpelt stopped them. "We are going to break up. Petalnose, head toward the marsh and see if you can find anything. I'm going toward the waving grasses to look for rabbits. You two," he nodded to Plumpaw and Sagepaw, "go somewhere you think is good. Your goal is to try to catch enough to feed three queens and a kit. That's about two squirrels, two rabbits, or four mice," he reminded them. "Go quickly. And remember, no fooling around."
Plumpaw and Sagepaw nodded and darted off. They'd just hunt in woods. You found a ton of prey under roots and in crevices.
They stopped after a while of running to catch their breath. "Okay," wheezed Sagepaw, "I'll go off and hunt someplace. You hunt here."
Plumpaw nodded. As Sagepaw dashed away into the brush, she began to sniff around.
Plumpaw smelled squirrel above in a tree.
Slowly, carefully, she made her way beside the trunk and climbed up quickly and silently. Sure enough, a fat reddish-brown creature was sitting on a stout limb, tail flicking.
Plumpaw calculated her leap and sank her claws into the fat furry animal.
Score!
The dead squirrel fell from the limb into the weeds below.
Plumpaw picked her way down. The squirrel was a plump one. It could feed two cats.
This is all I can get. I better find Sagepaw.
Carefully picking up her squirrel, Plumpaw breathed in the air. Sure enough, Sagepaw's scent came from the west. She headed that way.
She came to Goldenrod Clearing, as Echosong called it. Huge clumps of goldenrod grew here as well as other useful herbs. Prey ran here too.
Sagepaw was sniffing at the end of the clearing. Plumpaw saw he had two mice on the ground.
She flew up behind him, quickly and silently, and pounced onto his back.
He whirled, claws unsheathed and pelt on end, but calmed when he saw it was just her.
"Hey, you." His eyes were sparkling.
Plumpaw reached forward and pressed her muzzle to his gently, flicking out her tongue to lick his tongue.
He responded back gently but firmly, whisking his tail, light as a feather, over her back.
It could've been hours, it could've been minutes, but they broke apart and looked at their caught prey.
"Let's take this back to the rendezvous site."
The hunt had been successful. Plumpaw had her squirrel, Sagepaw his mice. Petalnose had killed a starling, and Sparrowpelt brought down two quail.
He looked pleased. "Well done. This can feed the medicine cats and all the cats in the nursery."
The patrol headed back to the gorge carrying their prey. It was newleaf, and the forest was coming to life.
Mintpaw had been throwing a leaf for Siltkit to catch. She stopped dead and dropped the leaf when she saw the prey, mouth open.
Siltkit dashed up to Sparrowpelt. "Wow! Can I have one?"
Sparrowpelt motioned for Sagepaw to put his mice down. "Take one," he said calmly to his rambunctious little nephew. "Leafstar will call for late-meal soon."
Siltkit grabbed a mouse and pelted for the nursery. Sagepaw gave his sister the other.
Petalnose, Sparrowpelt, and Plumpaw continued into the nursery.
Cherrytail was enjoying a nap in a cool rock hollow. Clovertail was nursing her half-a-moon old kits, Moonkit and Rainkit. Leafstar rose when she saw them.
"Greetings," she meowed. Her belly was enormous, rounded with Billystorm's kits. They would come soon. "Prey?"
Petalnose set down her starling. "For you."
The smell of food roused Cherrytail, and she picked up a quail. Leafstar took the squirrel.
"Who killed this?"
Sparrowpelt turned his green eyes on Plumpaw. "Plumpaw did."
Plumpaw lifted her tail in pride.
Leafstar's amber eyes glowed. "Well done." She motioned for Clovertail to leave her kits, now sleeping in a two-tone pile of fur, and come share the squirrel.
The three queens and kit walked down by the river. All the cats had gathered for the late-meal. Plumpaw grabbed the starling and quail to take to the circle of apprentices. She tossed her brother, Creekpaw, the quail, and sat down beside Sagepaw to share the starling.
Leafstar led the prayers to StarClan for the food and the cats dug in.
The starling was sweet and delicious. Through a mouthful, Sagepaw murmured, "Remember tonight."
How could Plumpaw forget?
"Wake up."
Sagepaw's gentle shake and whisper broke Plumpaw's dreams and she stood up quietly, shaking moss from her fur.
"Time to leave."
Silently, Sagepaw and Plumpaw made their way through the den. Bouncefire was guarding the forest path, and Ebonyclaw was guarding the lookout rock.
Sagepaw surveyed for a blind spot. "If we go under the rocks, we can make it to the step-stone and into the woods without being seen."
Plumpaw nodded.
Quickly and quietly, the two cats ran through that path. Plumpaw's heart was pounding as they ran into the trees.
"We made it!"
Sagepaw laughed, and the two rejoiced for a moment. Then Sagepaw trotted off into the brambles.
Plumpaw knew where they were going- Goldenrod Clearing.
The two cats soon approached the clearing. Moonlight filtered down onto the flowers, and a few early lightbugs flew in the air.
Plumpaw sighed. "It's beautiful."
Sagepaw climbed onto a smooth rock made silver by the moon. He motioned for Plumpaw to sit down.
She sat down, pressing her pelt against his, and they began to laugh and talk.
Sagepaw began a gentle session of muzzle-touching, and their tongues flicked out at one another.
I'm really in love. I want to be with him forever.
That was when Sagepaw did something he never did before- touch the tip of his tail under her, between her back legs.
Plumpaw froze, and without knowing, she pulled away.
This isn't right.
Sagepaw's eyes were hurt, pleading. "Plumpaw…"
"No…"
But Plumpaw realized something she never did before. Her body was interested to the touch. And in a way, she… wanted… him.
She turned and stared at Sagepaw.
"Why?"
"It's a sign of love," he said defiantly.
"But we aren't supposed to…" But her words died off.
Sagepaw's blue eyes were intense and deep. "Are you ready?"
Plumpaw couldn't believe what she was doing. Her voice was hardly more than a whisper.
"Yes."
That night, if you were in the clearing, two cats mated so passionately, so lovingly, so willingly, you would've been touched.
Plumpaw felt alive. She never loved Sagepaw more.
He had fallen asleep mumbling, "Be my mate forever…."
Plumpaw nodded off, her heart full of love.
Could this night change their lives forever? NONE of you know my plot! Mwahaha!
