Thank you for all your support guys! Especially Oakheart12, FlyingOranges76 and Hannah! Next time I'll reply to reviews personally here, but right now I'm tired so yeah...
Warriors belongs to Erin Hunter (not me), all the characters but Orange/Orangepaw belong to Erin Hunter and Orange/paw belongs to FlyingOranges76. ^^
Please read and review! I'll update quicker if I get more reviews. :)
Dewpaw's P.O.V.
It was a pleasant day, warm but not hot. Green-leaf was no longer a distant memory and it was late New-leaf.
It was exactly a half moon since Dewpaw and his littermates had their apprentice ceremony and exactly a half moon since the dark grey tom had been confined to camp.
So, with no chores left to do, Dewpaw was making the most of the peace and sunshine and lying in the warm sunlight. It was quiet in camp today; Poppyfrost and Berrynose too were making the most of the sun and lay a few tail-lengths away where they were sharing tongues.
Two cats who Dewpaw had not expected to see, however, were Ivypool and Toadstep. The two similar aged warriors were talking, their pelts close to touching.
Ivypool was unusually... happy. It wasn't that the silver-and-white tabby she-cat was unhappy most of the time, Dewpaw had just never seen her so happy.
I'll never be like that, he vowed to himself silently as his dark amber gaze turned to Poppyfrost and Berrynose, I'll never be that engrossed in a she-cat that I can no longer perform my duties to the best of my abilities.
Stretching out in the sunlight, Dewpaw had just settled with his head on his paws when he heard a sharp mew.
"Dewpaw!"
The dark grey tom groaned. It was Squirrelflight, the deputy. Blinking open one eye, he stared up at the ginger she-cat, "What is it?" he hissed, "Can't I get a minute's peace?"
Squirrelflight flattened her ears at his harsh mew, "You sound like Jayfeather," she chuckled to herself, before addressing the tom again, "Bramblestar has decided that you've spent enough time moping around camp, your moon's confinement to camp has been cut short," she informed him.
Dewpaw sat up, amber eyes a little brighter, but not a word slipped from his jaws.
"You should count yourself lucky," Squirrelflight continued, "And if I were you, I would make the most of this opportunity and try to make an effort to be nice to Birchfall."
Dewpaw rolled his eyes, but nodded reluctantly. Squirrelflight smiled and with a flick of her tail, padded away to go and share tongues with Bramblestar.
What is it? Lovey-dovey warriors day?
But not even this could bring Dewpaw down for too long now. Shaking a scrap of moss from his dark grey pelt, his amber gaze scoured the camp for the light brown form of Birchfall, and upon finding it, he bounded off in his direction.
Amberpaw's P.O.V.
Three. Two. One. POUNCE!
Amberpaw lurched forwards, a flurry of grey and white fur. She landed clumsily upon her prey, a brown mouse, killing it with her weight, rather than her intended sheathed claws.
Sorreltail managed to ignore this fact however, congratulating her apprentice, "Nice catch," she meowed warmly, "You overestimated how far you would need to jump which is why it was a little messy, just keep that in mind for the future."
Amberpaw nodded, relieved that her mentor hadn't scolded her like she thought she would. Sorreltail wasn't like that the grey-and-white she-cat had come to realise, and she was glad of it.
They weren't supposed to be hunting; Amberpaw and her mentor were on a border patrol with Dustpelt and Blossomfall, but the young she-cat had spotted the mouse and decided to take a chance.
Whilst Amberpaw buried her prey, Dustpelt decided to go ahead. The dark brown tabby had been very distant since his mate's death in the battle five moons ago and on patrols and when out hunting, he preferred to be without company.
The senior warrior should have retired to the Elders' Den moons ago, but he refused; he had always been stubborn, or so Greystripe had told Amberpaw.
Blossomfall and Sorreltail however had the courtesy to wait for the six-and-a-half moon apprentice, which Amberpaw was very glad of. The grey-and-white she-cat was still getting to know ThunderClan's territory and she didn't want to get lost (she could be very forgetful).
"So," Blossomfall meowed casually, breaking the silence, "Let's go and see where Dustpelt's wandered off to," her next words weren't intended to be heard, but Amberpaw had sharp hearing and so she managed to pick up her scarce whisper, "He should've retired seasons ago."
Sorreltail led the way through the trees in the direction Dustpelt had set off in. From the way her amber eyes darted around anxiously, Amberpaw could tell that she thought the senior warrior had probably got himself into a little trouble. He was an accident just waiting to happen Cloudtail had told her.
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING ON THUNDERCLAN TERRITORY, YOU MANGY ROGUE!"
Amberpaw suddenly looked up from her paws upon hearing Dustpelt's familiar raspy yowl. Sorreltail began to pick up the pace whilst Blossomfall muttered under her breath, "He, of all cats, had to be the one to find the rogue, didn't he?"
They emerged into a small clearing and there was Dustpelt, dark brown pelt bristling and amber eyes filled with rage. His gaze was fixed on a cat, a rogue or a loner, Amberpaw didn't know.
She was an orange tabby she-cat with white paws, muzzle, belly, chest, paws and tail tip. Her eyes were a vibrant lime green colour.
"What's going on here?" Sorreltail mewed calmly, letting her neck fur lie flat. The strange cat didn't look the sort to attack, certainly not now.
"This rogue," Dustpelt spat, "Is on our territory!"
Sorreltail met her clanmate's angry amber gaze with her own calm amber one, "I can see that Dustpelt," her attention turned to the she-cat, "Well? Do you have an explanation for this?"
The orange tabby she-cat nodded, "My name is Orange," she meowed confidently, her curious green eyes sweeping over the cats before her.
Amberpaw sniggered, Orange! What sort of name is that! Sorreltail gave her a stern look and immediately the grey and white she-cat fell silent.
Orange began to speak again, "I am a loner, but a few moons ago I came to live at the upwalkers' barn, or the horseplace I believe you call it?"
Blossomfall nodded to confirm this.
Orange smiled, "As I was saying, I've always loved excitement and the idea of living together with other cats and working as a team, and well, Floss, a cat at the barn, told me of the clans," she explained, "She said her friend, Daisy I believe, came to one of the clans so that her kits would be taken care of," she stared at the ground, "And I was wondering whether you could do the same for me?"
Sorreltail stared at the slender she-cat before her, "You have kits?" she meowed in disbelief.
Orange shook her head, "Oh no! I don't have kits, I just love the idea of living together in a clan," her vibrant green eyes settled on Sorreltail, "This is the thunder clan, right?"
Amberpaw's mentor laughed, "Yes! Of course, ThunderClan," she glanced at Blossomfall and Dustpelt, "I guess we'll take you to Bramblestar, he can decided what to do with you."
Orange nodded. Amberpaw spotted the nerves in the way that the orange tabby walked. I don't blame her, I'd be nervous to.
Sorreltail began to lead the way, but Blossomfall quickly fell in beside the tortoiseshell-and-white she-cat, "I'll bring up the rear, keep an eye on her, you know, just in case she tries something," she muttered as un-noticeably as possible.
Sorreltail nodded subtly before motioning to her apprentice to come over. Amberpaw stared at Sorreltail blankly, but obeyed.
"I want you to talk to Orange," she explained, "Try and get her feeling a little less nervous."
Amberpaw stared at her mentor, amber eyes filled with dismay. Really? Try to make friends with a loner? She sighed, "Sure."
The grey-and-white apprentice dropped behind so she was walking next to Orange, "Err, hi."
The orange tabby she-cat stared down at her, "Hello," she meowed simply. Amberpaw couldn't help but notice how strong and powerful this she-cat was; her muscles, though abnormally large, rippled as she walked, her strides were huge too!
Realising that she hadn't replied yet, Amberpaw stammered, "I-I'm Amberpaw, I'm training to be a warrior!"
Orange pricked her ears at the word warrior. Amberpaw knew she'd gotten the loner intrigued, but before she could explain more the realisation hit her that they were about to enter camp.
"No words about Orange to anyone," Sorreltail hissed, "It's up to Bramblestar to decide her fate."
Amberpaw nodded, amber eyes briefly darting to Orange, then back to her mentor. The loner seemed a little less nervous now, her lime-green gaze excited.
"Come on," Sorreltail meowed, pushing through the thorn barrier, "I'll take you to Bramblestar."
Dewpaw's P.O.V.
The tension between the dark grey apprentice and his mentor was obvious; Birchfall hadn't looked his apprentice in the eye once since their training session had begun.
Dewpaw still hated the fact that his mentor was a former dark forest cat, but he put up with it; he didn't want to spend another moon stuck in camp with complaining elders and overexcited kits.
"Well," Birchfall's mew sounded from across the clearing, "I guess we'll finish up now."
Dewpaw nodded, without even looking at his mentor. They had just been hunting today and the dark grey tom had caught his first prey, but all the same, he didn't exactly feel a rush of excitement or anything.
What Dewpaw longed for, was battle training. His amber eyes lit up at the thought of defending his clan, adrenalin pumping as cats fell upon his touch.
He sighed, someday that would be him.
Yawning, he fell in beside his mentor and they padded back to camp together. The silence was unbearable.
Dewpaw stopped by a tall birch tree to dig up his sparrow, before returning to his mentor's side. Birchfall stared at his apprentice for a second, amber gaze distant, before looking away.
They entered the camp to find their clanmates gathered below the highledge, each of their gazes fixed on Bramblestar.
The dark brown tabby stood beside an orange tabby she-cat with several white markings and Dewpaw only just caught the end of his words, "-will be known as Orangepaw!"
The dark grey apprentice frowned, was that a loner? Was Bramblestar out of his mind?!
Dewpaw dropped his prey on the fresh-kill pile and quickly settled down beside his sister, "What's going on?" he hissed under his breath, "Is Bramblestar crazy? That's a loner!"
Amberpaw gave him a harsh stare before returning her amber eyes to their leader. Dewpaw sighed and let his amber gaze wash over the newly named, Orangepaw.
She was definitely warrior-aged, around the age of Berrynose perhaps? She had lime-green eyes and had short, neat fur.
"Mousewhisker," Bramblestar's mew echoed around the hollow, "You know what it's like to be judged for being non clan-born, you will mentor Orangepaw. I trust you to pass on all that Spiderleg taught you to Orangepaw."
Dewpaw felt a growl rise in his throat. A former loner training another former loner! What happened to pure-blood?!
That was it, he couldn't take it anymore. Lashing his tail, he stormed out through gorse barrier and out into the forest.
Me: I love Dewpaw! He's such a dramatic little thing. xD
Dewpaw: Heeey! Am not dramatic! -storms off in a huff-
Me: Exactly what I mean.
Amberpaw: You're lucky! You don't have to live with him.
Me: I feel for you.
Amberpaw: You need to do the disclaimer! -dances around merrily-
Me: Hmmm... Who should I pick to do the disclaimer?
Amberpaw: MEEEEEEEEEEEEE! PICK MEEEEEE!
Dewpaw: -pops back- I guess I could always do it, for my fans and plus, I'm amazingly awesome.
Me: I pick... SNOWPAW!
Amberpaw: WHAT?!
Dewpaw: Fox-dung! -storms off again-
Snowpaw: SNOWPAW! ME! 'Cause I'm awesome! -dances-
Me: Snowpaw, get on with it.
Snowpaw: OK.
Erin Hunter owns Warriors, not Leafsplash, or me. I wish I did though then I could kill Tigerstar a million times and make him suffer for all he did and-
Me: SNOWPAW!
Snowpaw: Oops sorry.
Me: Anyway, sorry for dragging on. R&R please! It makes me happy! :)
