"Russetpaw? Russetpaw?" A desperate mew filled the air around her. Her eyes flickered open as she saw two blurry cats standing above her.
"W-Where am I?" She asked, blinking.
"Oh, thank Starclan she's alright!" Russetpaw recognized her mother, Mistyfeather, and her relieved voice. "You are safe here in Shellcloud's den."
Russetpaw's eyes focused and she looked around the medicine cat den. In the nest beside her, she saw a limp, soaking, bundle of orange and white fur.
"Flamepaw!" She exclaimed as she saw him, "Is he alright?"
"He swallowed a lot of water and some of it got into his lungs. When you brought him out of the water he was unconscious," Shellcloud replied, gazing down at the apprentice. "But with this herb poultice and lots of warmth and rest, he'll be alright."
Russetpaw sat up and rested her tired green gaze on him thinking, This is all my fault! If I hadn't been so eager to go onto the ice, this wouldn't have happened. She sighed miserably and flinched as Flamepaw jerked awake and vomited up several mouthfuls of water.
"Are they alright?" Russetpaw turned to see Raventuft pushing through the entrance to the den. "I still want to take Russetpaw to the gathering if she is fit enough."
The gathering! The ginger she-cat's paws tingled with excitement and she looked at Shellcloud expectantly. She had forgotten all about it!
"Russetpaw seems fine, but she needs a little more rest. Flamepaw won't be going, though," The sleek silver tabby meowed to the tom. Her dazzling blue stare rested on him, swimming with an unknown emotion.
"Good…" Raventuft huffed, avoiding the medicine cat's gaze. He padded out of the den, not looking back.
Russetpaw wondered where the tension between the two cats came from. She suspected that it was more than just a simple quarrel, based on the layered looks that the two gave each other.
"You can go outside now, Russetpaw," Shellcloud meowed when Russetpaw woke from a long and refreshing nap. Then the medicine cat turned her back to the entrance to sort herbs.
Russetpaw quickly padded out of the den, the weak sunshine warming her fur. Suddenly a chilly breeze cut through her fur, freezing her through her pelt and ruining the moment. When will Leaf-bare be over?
The young apprentice gazed around camp. She saw Gingerflame, Palenose, and Acornpelt whispering quietly in the corner. Some senior warriors were crowding on the other side of the clearing. Raventuft, Rockwillow, and Lizardstripe were among them. She padded over to the apprentice's den, but a meow stopped her in her tracks.
"Russetpaw?" She turned and saw a massive white tom gazing at her.
"Yes, Blizzardstar?" She stood up as tall and warrior-like as possible. Her hard green gaze met his, without flinching. She lashed her tail in annoyance when Blizzardstar's whiskers twitched with amusement at her efforts to look bigger.
"I heard about how you saved Flamepaw when he fell through the ice," the tom meowed. Guilt flickered in Russetpaw's heart. It's my fault that he went on the ice on the first place…
"Riverclan honors your bravery, Russetpaw. You will make a great warrior someday," the tom mewed.
"Thank you, Blizzardstar." Russetpaw couldn't help swelling with pride at these words as she dipped her head in respect. The huge cat nodded and turned to leave.
Wow! Did that really just happen? Russetpaw's fur tingled with excitement and pride.
A sudden sneer jerked her out of her thoughts.
"You shouldn't even had been on the ice anyway!" Russetpaw whipped around and saw her brother, Ashpaw. No! Not this bossy mouse-brain! She thought, twitching her tail in exasperation. What did he want with her?
"I bet it's your fault that Flamepaw went onto the ice! Didn't Raventuft tell you not to do that?" Ashpaw smirked. Russetpaw's fur bristled with anger and indignation. "Well, at least I was out hunting this morning, unlike you, you lazy furball! What were you doing, sleeping with the kits?" she spat.
Ashpaw's eyes blazed with anger and hatred. Why does he hate me? What did I ever do to him? She thought bitterly. He's my brother, for Starclan's sake!
Ashpaw whipped around and stalked out of camp. Toms! Russetpaw thought as she padded over to Raventuft. She shook her head as she approached her mentor.
"Can I go hunting?" She asked him, her paws urging to get out of camp.
"Yes, Russetpaw. Just stay off of the ice," he meowed, too absorbed in his conversation with Lizardstripe to really care.
Russetpaw bounded away towards the entrance of camp. She avoided the ice, going over to a part of the river which was too deep to freeze over. She growled in irritation as she slid into the icy water. Though it was cold, she still swam strongly across the river.
Russetpaw bounded through the rest of the water onto the bank. She shook her fur out, giving the trees and bushes around her a shower in freezing water. Her green eyes took in the all-white landscape. Ugh! I hate Leaf-bare!
The ginger she-cat padded silently towards the lake as more snow fell from the gray sky. She huffed in annoyance at the cold weather, but kept her quick pace.
Soon the lake came into sight. Russetpaw sighed in relief when she saw some of it hadn't frozen over. She broke into an even faster run until she reached the edge of the water. Then she crouched down, getting into the position that Raventuft had taught her.
"Now, don't let your shadow cast into the water…" Raventuft's voice in the back of her head hissed at her impatiently. She obeyed and adjusted herself so the fish wouldn't see her shadow and swim away.Russetpaw waited silently by the water, not moving a muscle. Her piercing green gaze was fixed on the murky water. Out of the corner of her eye she spotted a silver flicker of movement.
She kept her crouch, waiting for the flash to draw nearer. Her eyes followed its every twist and turn the fish made. When it finally was in reach of her paws, Russetpaw shot out unsheathed claws under the water, catching something in them. A huge trout flung out of the water onto the bank. The fish was dead with one swift bite to the neck.
"Yes!" She exclaimed in triumph. "This will feed all the elders!"
She snatched the fish up and carried it swiftly back to camp. "Raventuft is going to be so proud!"She said to herself as she padded through the frost-bitten forest. He will have to take me to the gathering tonight!