All of a sudden dozens of people entered the camp, almost all of Thundergang, all with excited happy faces, most of them holding large amounts of prey, the scent made Blazepaw tummy rumble. The three of them leapt down to reunite with the gang, Swaypaw and Mapleleaf emerging from their den.
Redkit, Yewkit and Mistkit ran straight into the arms of Moonshine. "Moonshine!" they cried happily. "Kids" she sighed in relief, holding them close. Eagleheart came running from his den to almost jump onto Finchtalon, as did Echoheart. Blazepaw searched the excited group and found him.
"Wildfire where'd you go?!" she asked excitedly, jumping around him. "Hey Blaze, nice hair, and you will hear from our new leaders, well not officially but might as well!" she'd never seen him this excited, his green eyes stretched wide open. She also noticed strangers amongst the mix, although they had a familiar scent. Greystar and Pinefur hurriedly made it up the highcave and stood proudly on top. The gang silenced by Greystar.
"Hello Thundergang! We're sorry for whoever we left behind, Pinefur would you explain quickly?" he asked his deputy. He dipped his head. "We were somewhat losing our fight" he called out loud enough for everyone to hear. "But these strangers, who were like us, came and helped us, selflessly, and we won. They exchanged a, to put it simply a crap ton of prey for a place in Thundergang, we are growing stronger than ever!" he yowled to the sky. "Please welcome our new warriors!" A few teens came to the front, smirking with pleasure.
"Blossompetal, Goldheart, Bouncefire, Ravenwing, Ivythorn, Mintheart, Yellowstone, Talonfeather and Forestfire!" he yelled to the stars, as if praying for them to listen. "Practically my brother" Wildfire chuckled when Forestfire was mentioned. "Also our new apprentices" called Greystar. "Droppaw, Sandpaw and Fishpaw, I'm sure you will serve us well! We have united and together we are stronger than ever!" he cried. They all cheered, including Blazepaw, a rush of excitement flowing through her. New warriors! And apprentices!
The apprentice den surely had space. She wondered what her new den mates would be like. She was sure the other apprentices would have a good time interrogating them. "Now we feast like warriors!" yowled Greystar. The now larger gang happily tucked into what they had, sitting in a wonky kind of circle.
The kits who had woken from all the yelling came sleepily out of their den, but their eyes lit up when they saw their den mates, even Snowkits. Blazepaw smiled at the sight of Moonshine snuggled up with the younger kids, dividing out food between them. They had enough for everyone to eat a large portion and for the kill pile to be overflowing of its shelter. Finchtalon, Eagleheart, Talonfeather and Icefur began to start a fire in the middle of the kind of circle and within ten minutes the warmth spread through the camp, and meat was cooked.
Wildfire had half of a large elk which he roasted for a while and shared with her. It was best thing she'd tasted the whole time she'd been here. She licked her lips and wondered why she'd ever considered becoming vegetarian. There was a silence which had fallen over the gang as the only sound that could be heard was chewing. Earlypaw and Thornpaw had run down to the river to fetch water in hollowed out stones for everyone very helpfully. Blazepaw smiled.
This was all she wanted before the gang, to be part of something, to belong somewhere. Thornpaw, Earlypaw, Cherrypaw and Skypaw came to join them, bringing them water and they shared the tender elk happily, the other apprentices backs to the fire. "Hey you cut your hair" mentioned Cherrypaw.
Blazepaw smiled at how people had noticed. "It looks hot" said Wildfire. The group looked at him and he suddenly realized what he'd just said, red staining his cheeks. "I meant pretty- it looks pretty" he mumbled. They giggled, Blazepaw blushing a little. She let her hand fall onto his.
"Thank you" she whispered. He smiled. "Awww" said Cherrypaw. "Wow Blazepaw you've barely been here three days and you've already got yourself a mate" Thornpaw joked. "Don't be mean" Skypaw told them. "I think they're being truthful" Earlypaw chuckled.
"Shut up, it's not like that!" she hissed, but playfully. "Yeah sure" joked Thornpaw. "He did save her life you know" commented Skypaw. "Anyway!" Blazepaw muttered, changing the subject.
"I like staying up like this, you can see the stars, and cooked meat tastes so much better than raw" she told them. "I agree" said Earlypaw, taking a bite and spitting out a bone. "I wonder where they came from, you don't get elk round here" they all turned to look at the apprentices, seeing as the warriors had mingled already. Droppaw, Sandpaw and Fishpaw.
Droppaw was a boy, probably about a year or so younger than them and had floppy dark hair and very blue eyes. Fishpaw had fluffy grey hair and freckles and also beautiful blue eyes, he looked very young, more like a kit. Sandpaw had thin blonde hair below her shoulders, also a freckled face and had a more river blue colour to her eyes. She looked kind of masculine and Blazepaw wondered if maybe she was transgender.
"You could ask Greystar if you're really curious" Wildfire answered Earlypaws question, breaking her thoughts. "Nah" Earlypaw went back to eating and sipping river water. "Do you think they'll share our den?" asked Skypaw. "Probably, hey if we don't like them we can just tell them Swaypaws story and they'll be out of here fast" joked Thornpaw, laughing.
"What, oh yeah, please don't remind me of that" Cherrypaw groaned. "What have you guys been up to?" asked Wildfire with a grin, ruffling Blazepaws hair. She blushed and giggled. "Well last night Swaypaw scared the crap out of us with her story and then Rosepaw tried to top it, Jesus I got like no nightmare free sleep" Earlypaw complained. "I dreamt about Rosepaw's story and then when I woke up and you were gone I was like 'It's happening!'
They all laughed and ate some more. "Anyway, it's cool that we have more warriors, and more prey" Cherrypaw said, finishing her piece. Skypaw handed her the remains of his he was unable to finish and she half hugged him. "More warriors to mentor Red, Yew and Mist" Wildfire pointed out.
"And Starclaws" mentioned Blazepaw. "Redkit needs someone feisty" said Thornpaw. "Maybe Forestfire, he seems like a cool guy" Wildfire commented pretending to smirk. Blazepaw pretend to hit him. "Wait those three?" asked Skypaw. "How old are they?" he asked.
"Redkit and Mistkit are turning nine in September, and Yewkit in December" replied Wildfire. "So they're underage!" exclaimed Thornpaw. "Well yes but we take them out for patrols half the time anyway and they do get under everyone's feet, it's kind of stupid not to train them"
They comfortably chatted and ate, enjoying the vibe until the fire dyed out and everyone returned to their dens. Littlepaw picked up some moss for their denmates and showed them where to go. They sat in their usual, now kind of larger circle. The three newbies looked a little nervous. "Hey, why don't we go round and introduce ourselves?" suggested Littlepaw. Everyone hurriedly nodded. "I'm Littlepaw, you can tell it's me because I'm the only responsible one" he joked. They went around in a circle. "I'm Cherrypaw and my mentor is Hawkfeather"
"There's more to life Cherrypaw!" joked Thornpaw and they both laughed. "I'm Damppaw and I like hunting, though I kind of suck" he joked a little timidly, rubbing his neck. "I'm Thornpaw and you can tell it's me anywhere because of the hair, and because I'm simply better than Floodpaw" there was a collective groan around the whole circle, nobody wanting the argument right now. "I'm Earlypaw, don't even bother with the name, and I like to hunt" Blazepaw smiled, he sounded like when he introduced himself to her.
"Now he's good!" said Damppaw, and Earlypaw smiled in response. "I'm Rosepaw and unlike everyone else I'm actually smart!" the girl said, her nose in the air. "By smart she means bitch" muttered Thornpaw, avoiding a swipe.
"I'm Blazepaw and I'm actually kind of new here to. I uh like, I like training" she thought, settling on that. "I'm Swaypaw and I'm a healers apprentice. I also get zero credit for everything." She said dryly. "I was the one that actually cut Blazepaw's hair. And saved Skypaw's life, and Echohearts arm, and Eaglehearts foot, and…" she was cut off by Rosepaw. "Ok Ok we get it can you shut up now!" she hissed. "She also likes telling really fucked up scary stories!" mentioned Earlypaw. "I'm Leafpaw and I like uh tracking"
"Seriously Leafpaw, tracking" Rosepaw asked. Leafpaw glared at her. "I'm Leafpaw and I have the worst friend ever" she re-put it.
"I'm Floodpaw and I like swimming and combat, and also I'm better than Thornpaw, like, way better tbh"
"Uh ok, I'm Droppaw and I like fighting and defending my friends. I used to fight in the snow a lot, I liked the cold" there was a ripple of surprise that sounded through the den. They were impressed. "Sucks for you then, it being Greenleaf and all" laughed Thornpaw. The younger apprentice nodded and looked at Fishpaw. He looked kind of cute, in a kitten cute kind of way.
"Err h-hi. I'm Fishpaw and I just go my apprentice name earlier today, and my mentor is Ravenwing. I already know how to swim, and I- I want to learn hunting" he mumbled shyly, his head down. "My name is Sandpaw, I'm a girl, and I've been an apprentice for about two years. I like tracking, you're not alone Leafpaw, and exploring and just learning about the world" she said not as shyly as the first two. "O-okay, cool, so now that we know each other, lets play truths!" suggested Floodpaw.
"What happened to dares?" asked Leafpaw. "Night and angry warriors happened" he answered. "We could do some" pushed Thornpaw. "Fine" Floodpaw agreed, not being bothered to argue. "Ok lets go in a circle"
"Ok" said Cherrypaw. "Blazepaw truth or dare" Blazepaw felt all eyes watching her. She wasn't going to be a wuss. "Dare"
"Make out with Thornpaw!" she suggested, her eyes lighting with excitement. "What no way!" she cried indignantly. She noticed even Thornpaw had a faint blush to his cheeks. "Don't be a pussy, come on guys" Rosepaw hissed. Thornpaw looked at her and she shrugged.
"Fine" he sighed. They awkwardly came to the center of the circle and pressed their lips together. That was the first time Blazepaw had kissed someone. She hoped it was ok. They quickly drew away and returned to their nests, both crimson as their den mates clapped them. They carried on into the night until Whitefoot came up to tell them to shut it, which they promptly ignored, and then Sunblaze told them to be quiet or else, which they decided to take on board. Blazepaw listened to her denmates snoring and deeply breathing.
She felt tired and her comfy nest was calling for her to sleep but she felt she couldn't. She was near the entrance and the idea of Poisenfanng creeping in to properly kill her this time wouldn't allow her to sleep. She could defiantly report him to Pinefur or Greystar, but would they believe her. And if they didn't listen he'd defiantly kill her. But she was afraid, and didn't know who his allies were. She shuffled around in her nest, gripped with unwanted fear. Earlypaw raised his head in the darkness. "You ok Blaze?" he asked, yawning.
"I can't sleep, I'm just worried- about what happened last night" she said in a small voice. He frowned and shuffled his nest closest to the entrance. "I'll stay awake, so if anyone else comes you'll be safe" he said firmly, sitting up. "Really?" she asked, surprised. "You don't have to do that" but she was already slipping into sleep.
When her eyes opened she half expected to be in the middle of their territory being attacked by Poisenfang. But no. Early morning light filtered through the cracks in the den. Everyone was still asleep. Fishpaw and Droppaw curled up together. Leafpaw was almost draped over Rosepaw and Thornpaw was falling out of his nest. Littlepaw was squeezed into a ball and Earlypaw still looked completely drained. He was so kind to make her feel safe.
Swaypaw was actually gone already. She noticed Damppaw was muttering in his sleep, tossing and turning, he looked scared. She carefully tiptoed over to his side and whispered for him to wake up. He woke up with a sudden jolt and she covered his mouth with her hand to avoid waking the whole den. He breathed heavily, batting away her hand. "T-thank you" he breathed, calming himself down. "Bad dream?" she asked gently.
"Wh-where's Eagleheart?" he asked frantically. "Eagleh- I think he must be in the warriors den?" she answered. Wasn't Eaglelheart his mentor? "Are you sure you saw him go in?" he asked desperately. "Yeah pretty sure" she reassured him. "Ok" he took another deep breath. "Sorry, I'm sorry I just keep having these dreams where I lose him, like" he lowered his voice. "Like how Skypaw lost his mentor, I just I'm scared" Blazepaw bit her lip, not really sure how respond. "Don't worry, he looks really strong, they're just dreams"
He nodded, swallowing. "Ok, thanks for waking me" he whispered. She dipped her head, hunger suddenly gnawing away at her. She remembered Swaypaw had told her to come back today. "That's ok, I'm need to go to the healers den, you want to come, we could get the best kill from the pile before everyone else wakes up?" she suggested. "Yeah- ok" he agreed.
They made their way down and took a look at their many options. The pile was literally overflowing. She decided on thrush and he took a vole. They ate quickly and quietly and slowly walked to the healers den. Blazepaw took a look around. It was too early for the dawn patrol to be called out yet. There were a few warriors up and about, and no kits.
She guessed they must have been exhausted from last night. The burned and charred wood still remained in the center of camp, giving off still a relaxing smoky scent. She noticed two of the new warriors Ivythorn and Mintheart talking with Echoheart. Echoheart always seemed to be just-there. She remembered how she'd threatened Poisenfang away from her.
She felt deep respect for the warrior, Leafpaw was sure to turn out wise from her. She quickly scanned the clearing and also noted Finchtalon and Honeyflower making out. She was suddenly reminded of what happened between her and Thornpaw last night and her cheeks heated up.
Frostwing was just clambering out of the warriors den with Autumndapple and Blossompetal, who was dragging Bouncefire behind her. She kind of felt sorry for the teenage boy to be named Bouncefire. As she brushed through the lichen to find Swaypaw waiting for her she quickly wondered what her warrior name would be. "Hey Blazepaw, thanks to returning" she greeted her, without any real emotion in her voice. Damppaw loitered outside awkwardly, and she felt bad for leaving him. "Damppaw come in" Swaypaw invited him.
He scurried inside. She carefully put more of the crushed up leaf paste thing onto Blazepaws cuts whilst managing to barely look at them. "Hey Damppaw I heard you had trouble sleeping?" she asked, still working. "H-how did you know?" he asked, confused. "Because I literally heard you" she answered with a small smile. "Oh, sorry" he apologized.
"T's all right, but you might want to think about taking a poppy seed with you, it helps you sleep and makes you drowsy, the faster you sleep, the deeper you sleep, the deeper you sleep, the chance of having nightmares lessens a lot since your thoughts are a lot further from your mind, that means you sleep better and longer and can make you better at training in the morning, and'll allow the rest of us to have a decent nights sleep" she explained without much concentration.
She finished on Blazepaw's cuts. "They'll be fine now by the way" she added. "Thank you" Blazepaw dipped her head. "Hey where's Mapleleaf, I thought she slept here?" she asked, looking around. "I don't know why you're always so intrigued by my mentors whereabouts but she felt like she was coming down with something and the smell of yarrow was making her feel sick, so she went to sleep with Greystar" she just realized her choice of words.
"I-In his den" she corrected herself. "The healer, coming down with something?" she asked sarcastically. "Believe it or not we are actually not immortal" she joked. "I don't even think it's anything, probably just that time of the month" she muttered. Blazepaw blushed, hoping Damppaw might not have heard. The boy was turning his head away.
"Err" she was kind of tempted to ask what happens when it happens. Swaypaw smirked and showed her a large supply of brown seeds. "They stop it, more or less" she explained with a hint of humor. "Brilliant" she coughed. "Anyway, do you two really want to spend your morning talking to me, or do you want to go wait for a patrol or something" she asked, heavily hinting.
"Ok" Blazepaw nodded and after stretching padded out, to see a lot more people were up. The birds were cheerfully chirping away and the warm sun shone through the trees, complemented with a cool breeze, which tickled everyone's hair. A few of the apprentices had emerged and Pinefur had climbed to the top of the highcave. "Good morning, I hope you're all not too tired from last night" he greeted them, sounding friendly. "Where is Greystar?" asked Brackentail with a hint of annoyance. Pinefur sighed and rolled his eyes. "His whereabouts are none of your concern" he told him briskly. "Come on guys cut him a little slack, the two are doing there best, they're only human" growled Sunblaze.
Everyone fell silent at her word and Pinefur dipped his head at her gratefully. "Ok first I would like Blueeyes to take Poisenfang, Wolfhowl and Blazepaw to the test the water by our left Shadowgang border" Blazepaw internally groaned. Not Poisenfang, anyone but him, Blueeyes didn't seem the type to like her either and neither did Wolfhowl, he was Floodpaws mentor. Hawkfeather instantly spoke out. "Pinefur I wonder if that's a wise choice, wouldn't it be more efficient to put Blazepaw in a different patrol.
That job can be dangerous and she's only just got here" he pointed out. She smiled at his attempt. "I don't remember you being leader round here Hawkfeather. She's been here long enough!" he snapped defensively. Hawkfeather hissed softly but backed down, looking away. "Now I'd also like Sunblaze to take Goldheart, Icefur, Ivythorn, Frostwing and Droppaw hunting. Also show our new members our borders, that would be much appreciated" he asked them. She nodded and called the patrol to her.
"And then marking our Rivergang border by the bridge I will go with Finchtalon, Whitefoot, Lionheart, and Yellowstone, who can take Sandpaw to" There were a few murmurs of surprise, she guessed the deputy hadn't patrolled in a while. He called out other names but Blueeyes had signaled for her to join them. She unwillingly sauntered over to join them and they headed off through the paths running through their territory, in the direction of Shadowgang. They didn't speak and maintained a strong silence, each wrapped up in their owns thoughts so find it awkward. She wished she'd had another apprentice on the patrol with them, even if it was one of the new ones they could at least get to know each other, even Rosepaw would supply some sort of entertainment. She was too lost in her thoughts she didn't focus on where she was putting her feet and she cried out when rose thorns snagged at her skin, sending her flying to the ground, clutching her foot in pain.
She breathed shakily, trying not to whimper as it stung like fire. Nobody seemed to care. She looked around and plucked a reed from the ground, wrapping it around the torn flesh, hoping it would work as a temporary bandage. "Hurry up kittypet" growled Blueeyes. She swallowed and hopped upwards, capering after him.
"Sorry" she mumbled, then cursed herself for being so open to him being a jerk. She knew she was in a gang now, she was meant to be tough but a little appreciation to the fact she was in pain would have been nice. "Sorry" Poisenfang mimicked her, his eyes filled with scorn. "Shut up foxheart, unless you want another torn ear!" she threatened him, although he was twice the size of her and had a blade on him. Wolfhowl made 'ooing noises' which made Poisenfang growl with rage.
"Arrg!" he swiped his claws in the air, narrowly missing her cheek. She crouched on the ground, relieved at her fast reaction speed. "You wanna go?!" he hissed, trying to make himself appear bigger. "You wann another defeat?!" she growled back equally as fiercely. "Enough you two!" Blueeyes yowled, shoving them both apart. "Blazepaw this is a warrior, show some respect!" he scolded her, and with a roll of his eyes pushes everyone forward. Poisenfang swore at her and she growled back. The strong pungent scent of Shadowgang was growing heavier in the air. It smelled of pine and something else unrecognizable. Also she could hear running water, fast running water. The four of them reached the waters edge. Blazepaw gulped in fear at the powerful swirling current dragging the water over sharp pointed rocks.
There was a fallen tree that provided as a bridge, or it looked as though it might not. The old wood was quickly rotting away and it swayed uneasily in the water as if it would splinter and fall apart. "Scared kitty?" jibed Poisenfang. She felt a little sick but quickly shook her head. "It's only water" she mumbled, her voice wavering. "In that case I'm sure you wouldn't mind testing it then" Blueyes smoothly said behind her. She froze and turned around. "B-but" she cast her gaze back to the rushing churning water. "Too cowardly, kittypet?" asked Poisenfang, loving the moment. She growled. "No way!" she cried in defense. She noticed Wolfhowl frowning. She couldn't back down from this; she'd never hear the end of it. She took a deep breath and stepped forward, placing one foot down on the wood. It creaked beneath her weight. She squeezed her eyes shut and took another step. She could feel it withering beneath her. "I- I don't think it's safe!" she called back to them.
"Don't chicken out now!" Poisenfang taunted her. Blueeyes nodded, his gaze firm. She braced herself and took one more step. The wood groaned and tore apart. Shocked she screamed for help but her body had already hit the freezing ice-cold water and was being dragged in about ten places at once. Her scream was cut off as she was held underwater, the current boring down on her like a lion, holding her in place. Her lungs screamed for air and she fought to get to the surface.
The current brought her back up and whisking her away downstream, having no mercy as it made her smash against sharp rocks which cut into her skin, staining the water red, it pulled her under and along, pain and panic consuming her and she fought to get out and swim, but the current was too powerful and controlled her every movement. She let out a wail, trying to cough out water. Suddenly she felt strong hands around her, dragging her up and out and laying her on the ground.
She lay on the grass, coughing up water and trying not to be sick. She was shivering, as the cold had seemed to manage to seep through her clothes and into her bones. Tears ran down her face as she sobbed quietly, occasionally coughing up more water. She laid in the grass, barely able to move, and felt the sting of the cut on her foot and new cuts, a deep one along her temple and two large wounds on her legs. She managed to turn her head around, feeling weak and pathetic. Wolfhowl crouched down next to her. She blinked in surprise, breathing heavily, still in shock. He nodded at her and removed a strand of weed from her neck.
"Too far Poisenfang. I'm reporting this to Greystar!" he growled. "Can you walk?" he asked her gently. She tried to get up, her foot burning. "Err, y-yep" she stuttered. He shook his head. "Hey" he took a dock leaf and used it as a bandage for her. "I'll take you back to camp" he offered, helping her walk forward. Her foot still felt agonizing but now there was less chance of infection. She realized as she hobbled back with the older boys help, gang life was going to leave her with a lot of injuries. They managed to eventually get back to camp after a painfully long walk. She flung herself down to the floor of the healer's den. Mapleleaf was asleep at the back and Swaypaw seemed to have been chatting to Echoheart, who's arm seemed to have somewhat recovered. Leafpaw'd be pleased.
"Blazepaw, Wolfhowl" Echoheart greeted them, budging up to make room. "I'm not staying" Wolfhowl said. "Again I'm sorry, I should have stopped them" he apologized. "That's ok" she sniffed. He nodded and left. "Why are soaking wet?" asked Echoheart. "You seem to always be in my den you know" said Swaypaw. "I kind of-fell in the river" she mumbled, coughing as if to prove it. Swaypaw turned to look at her with wide eyes. "You fell in the river by Shadowgang, Jesus Christ Blazepaw!" she cried in alarm.
She began to quickly pick different herbs from holes and crates in the den, crushing some together with her hands. "Here, swallow this" she ordered, giving her a brown seed. She looked at it suspiciously, niffing it and feeling disappointed at the fact it smelled like air. "It's numb your pain a little" she explained. "Swallow it whole" Blazepaw sighed and swallowed, gaging at the taste. "Now if you want you can have one of these" she presented her with a black seed, she recognized it as a poppy seed. "What do they do?" she asked, looking up at Swaypaw who was quickly mixing and grinding herbs together. "They lessen pain after a while and make you a little drowsy, they essentially work like calpol"
"What do they taste like?" she asked curiously. "Damn it I usually have Mapleleaf helping me!" she muttered. "They taste good, kind of sweet, only have one though" she warned. "Ok, swallow or chew?"
"Either" Blazepaw chewed it and swallowed, smiling at the sweet taste. Swaypaw dabbed the now kind of paste on her wounds, ignoring the gentle hiss that came from her as it stung. "What, is that?" Blazepaw asked, narrowing her eyes. "It's a mixture of wild garlic and marigold, it'll prevent infection and help it heal faster" she said without thinking. Blazepaw was impressed at how much she knew. Mapleleaf must be a good teacher. "So how's Mapleleaf?" she asked casually as Swaypaw rummaged around for bandages.
"She's coming down with a fever, which is bad, but it's ok I can look after her, it's only mild" she mumbled, finding the bandages and wrapping them around the cuts, pushing the mixture into the wounds further. "Won't you be busy?" she asked. "Yes, but I'm always busy, everyone gets so bashed up, but then again that's gang life" Blazepaw noticed how she never stopped working whilst talking. It was dedication. "Now go dry off somewhere, or stay here, but there's only so long anyone can stand the smell in here, I have adjusted to it" she joked. "What about echo-…" Blazepaw turned her head to see the girl had fallen asleep. "Well ok, thanks for helping me" she thanked her, and brushed through the lichen to find Wildfire waiting for her.
"Blazepaw!" he cried, jumping to her. "Oh my god are you ok?! I heard you fell in the river by Shadowgang, oh lord you're covered in bandages I was so scar-…" She smiled and took hold of his hand. "Hey, I'm ok now" she reassured him. Though the memories of the churning water and sharp stones and that feeling as the wood broke beneath her was sure to haunt her for years to come. She didn't want him to worry though. She almost wanted to thank him for caring, but was nervous that might just sound sad.
"Swaypaw fixed me up" she said cheerfully, trying to make light of it. "Are you sure?" he asked. She nodded and smiled warmly, though her teeth were chattering. He took her to the fallen tree where the light hit it and they sat in it's sideways branches together. He got her a rabbit and when she said she'd already eaten they shared it. "I knew it was a stupid idea for Pinefur to send you out with those three douches, needless to say I had some short words with him" he said after she'd told him what happened. "That's really ok" she tried to reassure him. She rolled his eyes. "How are your cuts, are they sore?" they asked, his green eyes filled with concern.
She took a deep breath. "Y-you know you don't have to be nice to me because you're my mentor" she mumbled, her gaze shifting to the ground a few feet below them. He looked a little hurt and blinked at her sadly. He brushed her hair out of her face and leaned in and kissed her. Her eyes widened with shock as he drew her closer to him.
He put an arm around her waist. The kiss lasted for about ten seconds and then they slowly drew away. "Good answer?" he smiled. His smile was golden and his green eyes shone in the afternoon sunlight. He almost seemed to glow. She felt so confused. She liked him so much but, how. "Hey Wildfire, join my patrol!" called Eagleheart. "Comin!" he yelled back to him. He nodded and slithered off into the woods. He looked at her with affection and then slid off the braches, landing on the ground gracefully and jogging off after Eagleheart. She bit back the sentence on the tip of her tongue after he kissed her. "I'm gay"
