Chapter 3: Return

As the battle patrol entered the camp, a large light brown tabby tom ran up to them. "Well, what happened?" he asked Brackenheart.

"The territory's safe, Rowanstar. We showed those Nightclanners not to mess with Emberclan!" He said, holding his head high.

"Good, and is everyone safe?" Emberclan's leader asked. Brackenheart nodded.

"No one was seriously injured." He reported. Redclaw stepped forward, then.

"And everyone fought well, too. All of the apprentices, included." He said, flashing a quick glance at Brackenheart and Heatherpaw. Heatherpaw gave the slightest of nods to show her appreciation. Redclaw flicked his ear to show that he had acknowledged the small movement.

Brackenheart wasn't about to contradict one of the senior warriors, so he just nodded in agreement, but glanced back at Redclaw. Rowanstar must've noticed something was going on, but he just flicked his ear and nodded.

"Good. I'm glad to know that we have such brave and honorable warriors in Emberclan." He said.

Heatherpaw waited until Rowanstar was done speaking before asking, "Where's Shortpaw?"

"He's resting in his nest. He was exhausted from the run here, so I ordered that he catch his breath. You might want to tell him about your win, though. Shortpaw didn't seem so keen on sleeping while you guys were fighting." He said, his whiskers twitching slightly as his blue eyes glittered in amusement.

Whiskertail's sigh of relief could be heard from the back. He was probably looking around for his apprentice.

Heatherpaw nodded to Rowanstar. "I'll go tell him, then!" She said. Dipping her head politely to her leader, she quickly trotted over to the apprentices den. A small grey shape was curled up, shadowed by the ferns that covered the entrance of the large bush.

Shortpaw must have quickly forgotten his worries about the battling cats, because Heatherpaw could tell he was asleep from the steady rhythm of his flank rising and falling. She walked over to her fellow apprentice and gently prodded him in the ribs to wake him up.

"So did you have a nice nap?" she asked, her voice a quiet chuckle. Shortpaw hastily scrambled to his paws, sending moss scattering across the den. "Relax fur-ball. No one can blame you." She purred, and he sat down, licking a patch of fur on his chest to hide his embarrassment.

Shortpaw looked up after a minute. "So what happened?" he asked, his paws kneading the ground in front of him. Heatherpaw smiled and curled her tail up in delight.

"We sent the running to the border like terrified kits!" she purred. "You should've seen them! They were so mad!" she said, smiling broadly. "And it's all thanks to you! Without the backup patrol, we would've been fresh-kill!"

Shortpaw ducked his head modestly. "I doubt it. It was just a precaution." He said, shrugging his shoulders, but his large grin gave away his satisfaction. Heatherpaw laughed and stretched to show her muscles under her glossy pelt.

"Yeah, I guess you're right. With me there, we didn't need the backup." She joked, purring.

"Totally. I'm sure you were just being nice to Vinepaw."

Heatherpaw turned around to see Bramblepaw. She hadn't noticed him come in. The remark would have been rude, if she hadn't noticed the warm, joking glint in his eyes. Shortpaw tilted his head, confused.

"Vinepaw? Who's Vinepaw, and what happened?" he asked, eyes curious.

"Vinepaw's a Nightclan apprentice." Heatherpaw said. "I got in a tight spot and Bramblepaw helped me out….. And I probably won't hear the end of it." She purred, laughing.

"You got that right!" Bramblepaw laughed, sitting down beside Shortpaw. Shortpaw grinned.

"I wish I had been there! This would've been my first real fight!" he said, looking slightly crest-fallen.

Heatherpaw gave him a sympathetic look and flicked his ear with her tail.

"Just saving the best for last." She said, hoping to cheer him up. Shortpaw smiled.

"Yeah, you're right. I mean, we had to give Nightclan a chance, at least." He said, giving a cheeky smile.

Bramblepaw rolled his eyes. "Yeah, that's it." He said as Heatherpaw stood up.

"You guys want to grab some fresh-kill?" she asked, and they both nodded. "Well, then let's go!" Heatherpaw turned and bounded out of the apprentice's den, hearing the ferns rustle behind her as her companions followed. She picked up a plump juicy mouse and walked over to the briar patch where the apprentice's usually ate. She was getting ready to dig in when Brackenheart's voice stopped her.

"You can take that to the elder's den Heatherpaw. You might as well start right away." He said firmly, and walked away before she could reply.

Her stomach growled and she groaned as Bramblepaw and Shortpaw gave her confused looks. "Oh, man! I forgot! I have to clean and take care of the elder's alone now!" she complained, just as her stomach did.

Bramblepaw and Shortpaw gasped at the same time. "Why!" They both said, and then glanced at each other, acknowledging their simultaneousness.

Heatherpaw scuffed her paws on the ground. "I got into another argument with Brackenheart. He said I didn't fight well enough with Vinepaw, so I yelled at him." She admitted to her friends.

"That's a pile of mouse-dung!" Bramblepaw protested. "She was ready to run away when I started fighting her! You had to have been fighting like a warrior! She's the same age as me!" he said. Bramblepaw was the oldest of the apprentices. Heatherpaw was the youngest.

She shrugged. "Brackenheart doesn't think so…" she sighed.

"Heatherpaw! Now!"

Heatherpaw looked up to see Brackenheart yelling at her from across the clearing and she sighed, her mouth watering as she picked up the mouse.

"I'll save you some fresh-kill for when you're done." Shortpaw promised. Heatherpaw nodded in gratitude, her mouth full with the mouse. She walked over to the elder's den, angry, but holding her head high. She'd be dignified about this if it was the last thing she did!