CHAPTER 6

Ashpaw padded slowly after Redflower through the marsh. She was taking him out for their second swimming lesson because the first one didn't go to well. Ashpaw remembered it clearly.

"Alright, jump into the water and swim." Redflower had said. Ashpaw had looked at her in a weird way.
"But I don't know how to swim." Ashpaw had told her. Redflower had gotten mad and pushed him into the river, causing Ashpaw to nearly drown if it hadn't been for the rock that he had clung onto while he was being washed away with the water. After he had pulled himself out of the water, Redflower had slowly padded up to him.
"That was the worst swimming I've ever seen." She told him, and took him back to camp.

Ashpaw shuddered at the thought and hoped Redflower would show him how to swim before making him lunge into the water and drown. Feeling relieved as the wet marsh slowly changed into dry grass, Ashpaw started to think about his little sister.

Ashpaw had come to visit his mother in the nursery with the little kit.
"Hey, Mistfeather. How's she doing?" Ashpaw had asked. Mistfeather had looked up from feeding the tiny ginger tabby she-cat and smiled at her eldest son.
"She is a lot like you three were when you were kits." She purred, giving the kit a lick.
"What's her name?" Ashpaw had asked her.
"Solkit."

As Ashpaw and Redflower reached the river, Redflower turn to him, her gaze was harsh.
"Let me show you how to move your paws through the water and maybe you can finally figure it out." She said rolling her eyes and talking to him like he was a newborn kit. Redflower plunged into the water and kept her head afloat but kicking her hind legs and kept moving by moving her forepaws with the current. She climbed out of the water on the other side and shook her pelt.
"You try it." She mewed, too wet to get angry. Ashpaw bunched his hind legs and leaped into the water, he was trying to copy exactly what he saw Redflower do. This time, Ashpaw didn't drown and his head stayed above the water until he reached the other side.
"Much better." Redflower mewed while dodging the water spraying for Ashpaw's pelt as he shook it.

"Go hunt for a little bit in the forest and swim back and meet me at the camp." She mewed, slipping into the water again. Ashpaw turned towards the looming trees ahead of him and scented the faint scent of SunClan.
Intruders?
Ashpaw raced to the border and sniffed around, until he caught the scent of squirrel. Using his ears and nose to pinpoint the creature's location Ashpaw dropped to a crouch when he spotted the gray creature chewing on an old nut. Timing his pawsteps carefully, Ashpaw was about to leap when a white blur came from nowhere and killed the squirrel with a swift bite to the neck.

"Hey!" Ashpaw growled to the cat, and then realized it wasn't from RainClan. The white tabby she-cat spun around and snarled.
"What are you doing here?" she hissed and Ashpaw recognized that cat.
"I'm hunting in my territory, why are you hunting here?" Ashpaw spat, stepping up in her face. Silentpaw looked startled and lifted her nose and her eyes widened.
"Oh, no! I'm so sorry I didn't realize I crossed the border!" she cried, pushing the squirrel towards Ashpaw. Ashpaw suddenly felt sorry for the new apprentice.
"Well, just don't do it again." Ashpaw mewed, ignoring the squirrel. Silentpaw's ice blue eyes seemed to flutter and the wind ruffled her beautiful white pelt.
"What's wrong with you?" Silentpaw mewed, staring at Ashpaw. Ashpaw closed his mouth and glared at the she-cat.
"I think you should leave RainClan territory." Ashpaw declared, indicating that she pick up the squirrel. Silentpaw glanced gratefully at him and carried the squirrel off to her side of the border. Ashpaw sighed as she disappeared.

Ashpaw had no luck finding any other prey on that side of the river and began to swim back to the other side to hunt. When he reached the other side Ashpaw heard the rustling of a bush.
"Who's there?" a familiar voice called out.
"Brightpaw!" Over here!" Ashpaw called to his brother.
"Ashpaw? Oh, hey." Brightpaw mewed, finally spotting the smoky gray tom. Brightpaw gave him a look.
"What's wrong with you?" he asked, and Ashpaw clawed the grass, some roots getting caught on his claws.
"Nothings wrong with me!" Ashpaw hissed and raced back to camp, forgetting he was supposed to bring back prey.

When Ashpaw had reached the camp, the Clan was gathered in the clearing as Brackenstar was speaking on the tall rock with Leafkit next to him. Oatwhisker was standing next to her.
"Oatwhisker, I hope your bravery and courage will be useful in mentoring Leafpaw." Brackenstar meowed, leaping down from the rock. Brightpaw came from behind Ashpaw and raced into camp, and was the first cat to call out Leafpaw's new name.
"Leafpaw! Leafpaw!" Brightpaw yowled as Oatwhisker touched Leafpaw's nose with his.

Redflower padded up to Ashpaw.
"Where is the prey I sent for you to hunt?" she hissed, looking at the soggy gray cat.
"Uh I couldn't find any prey." Ashpaw stuttered, distracted. Redflower let out a hiss and spun around into the warriors den. Leafpaw bounded up to Ashpaw.
"I'm finally an apprentice!" She yowled, as Oatwhisker padded up to join her.
"We are going to battle train tomorrow, Leafpaw. Ashpaw ask Redflower if you can join." Oatwhisker mewed, and Ashpaw nodded to his father. Just then, Solkit pounced from the nursery on a fallen leaf Ashpaw purred with amusement when he heard Mistfeather.
"Come back here you little rascal!" she yowled, picking Solkit up by the scruff and taking her back into the nursery. Ashpaw heard her mumble from behind the fur.
"This is the last litter I'm having"

Ashpaw padded to the apprentices den and spotted Brightpaw helping Leafpaw find her nest.
"I want this one!" she mewed, indicating the nest next to Brightpaw. Brightpaw purred and nodded to her. Leafpaw gave a jump and curled up in her new nest. Ashpaw unsheathed his claws and dug them into the mud.
"That's my nest!" he hissed and Leafpaw jumped up from the moss. Brightpaw shot him a glare and Ashpaw glared back.
"Can you not get another one?" Brightpaw mewed, padding up to Ashpaw.
"No!" Ashpaw growled, feeling very angry. Brightpaw let out a angry hiss and turned back to Leafpaw.
"I'll move my nest, don't worry." He mewed to her gently and gave her ear a lick. Ashpaw grumpily padded to his nest and curled up for some rest.

Ashpaw had a tough night; he kept having the same dream and waking up feeling grossed out. In his dream he was hunting that same squirrel again when Silentpaw leaped in his way and took down his prey on his side of the border. Her words were fuzzy and Ashpaw couldn't remember them when he woke up but the clearest words were.
"What's wrong with you?"
Ashpaw woke for the fifth time that night and padded out of the den, spotting Brightpaw and Leafpaw snuggled together. Ashpaw padded out of the camp and into the marsh. When he reached the river he swam across with ease until Ashpaw stopped at the border. Ashpaw lifted his head into the sky.
"What IS wrong with me??" he yowled at the stars, but he jumped when a voice answered him.
"The same thing that's wrong with me"