Episode 9: Learning to be Cats
"This is the leader's den," Redstar meows. "That's Highledge, I believe. And over there is the medicine cat den. The nursery would be over there, I think. The warriors' den is there. The elders' den is way over there. And the apprentices' den is there!"
"Excellent," Nightfrost agrees. "Everything's ready for us."
"Except for fresh-kill," Redstar points out. "Can you put together a patrol?"
"Redstar?"
"Yes?"
"We don't know how to hunt."
[]
Lemonpaw, Limepaw, Rainbowpaw, Prismpaw, and Solpaw are in the training hollow with Nightfrost and—what do you know?—Sandstorm!
"Sandstorm has come far," Nightfrost tells the apprentices. "Listen to her."
Limepaw moans audibly. "When can we go?"
Sandstorm shoots her a scathing look. Limepaw ducks her head so fast that she almost loses an ear to a tree.
"You've put her in her place," Nightfrost breathes in Sandstorm's ear with a purr. "I'll leave you to the training." He retreats to the side of the hollow.
"Okay," Sandstorm mews in a no-nonsense tone. "You can't hunt like a cat unless you're like a cat." A spray of stardust swirls around her paws, and suddenly she is like a normal cat on four paws.
The apprentices protest loudly, but the stardust has already taken effect. Nightfrost's eyes widen as he ends up squatting like a duck instead of sitting. Embarrassed to be in this awkward position, he shifts around, but ends up making himself look even more ridiculous. He sighs and returns to the duck position.
Lemonpaw is admiring Limepaw as she scuffles with all four paws in the sand. "This is terrible," she spits. "How can I get apps on my iPod now, if I don't have any thumbs?"
"They don't have iPods in the wild," Sandstorm tells her. "Now, pretend that leaf is a mouse."
Mouse would have been unappetizing, but they were more cat-like now. Solpaw licks his lips and drops into a crouch.
"Keep your tail flat and still," Sandstorm prompts him. "Your weight is all on your back paws. That's good for jumping for birds, but this is a mouse. We stalk mice." Sandstorm turns to the other apprentices. "You try."
[]
Redstar has gotten used to walking on four paws. He pads through the forest, enjoying the scents and sounds. He follows the scent trail of Sandstorm and Nightfrost. He sees the black tom squatting on the leaves.
Redstar approaches him. "What are you doing?" he meows. Nightfrost leaps to his paws but loses his balance and drops to the regular cat position. His ears are flat.
"I was sitting down when that happened," he mutters.
"Sitting down when you wanted to sit like a duck?"
"I wasn't trying to sit like a duck to begin with!" Nightfrost snaps, storming away without dignity.
Redstar smirks and sits where Nightfrost was sitting. After a few tries he manages to look natural. Maybe being a cat isn't so bad, he thinks as he watches Limepaw pounce smoothly and hook a leaf on her claws.
"Can I try?" he mews as he pads into the clearing. Solpaw is surprised and ends up crashing into Rainbowpaw instead of pouncing on her.
"All right," Sandstorm replies, snorting amusedly as Rainbowpaw spits at her brother.
[]
Lionblaze is showing Silverstreak, Patchclaw, Smokesplash, and Willowheart how to mark borders. Willowheart is making exaggerated disgusted faces, and Patchclaw is trying to whistle and looking the other way.
"Can't we just claw trees or something?" Smokesplash begs. "Anything but that!"
"Nope," Lionblaze replies. "Now go mark that bush."
Smokesplash looks to StarClan and heads for the bush.
[]
A while later—around sunhigh—the Clan is reconvening in the camp. The apprentices caught a lot of prey, and Redstar took down a fat squirrel. Shinyheart and Patchclaw are sharing tongues as Jetkit and Darkkit squeal and play around their paws. The training cats are mewing excitedly to each other.
"I'm going to be the best hunter in the Clan," Limepaw proclaims.
"Jayfeather and Leafpool helped me and Honeyleaf learn the herbs," Fernpaw added.
"I had to mark the border," Willowheart meows, coming up. "It was gross."
"It felt natural after a bit," Patchclaw murmurs defensively. "We are cats now."
"We were cats before," Lemonpaw argues.
"More so now," Patchclaw replies.
[]
Redstar twists smoothly to dodge Sandstorm's teeth and smacks her ear with one paw. Sandstorm comes around and lunges for his throat. Redstar rolls out of the way and pins her on her back. He runs his back paws gently over her stomach.
"Then I'd get up and run away yowling surrender," Sandstorm mews, "so don't kill me!"
Redstar twitches his whiskers and lets the pale ginger cat up. "I won't kill you, don't you worry! Firestar would miss you terribly. Why did you lunge for my throat back there? A true warrior doesn't need to kill to win its battles."
"StarClan willing, you'll only need to fight rogues. Rogues have no code of honor. They will kill."
"Ah."
[]
By sundown, the cats are chattering excitedly around dinner—no, the evening meal. The warriors of Silverpelt are visible as the sun sets. Sandstorm is sharing a squirrel with Silverstreak.
"That's very interesting, Silverstreak," she is mewing as Redstar comes over.
"Sandstorm?" Redstar asks quietly. "Can I talk to you?"
"Sure. Save me some," she tells Silverstreak as she follows Redstar into the forest.
"What do you need?" Sandstorm asks.
"I—I'm not sure if I can lead DareClan. I'm as new to this cat stuff as they are, and I can't help very well."
Sandstorm's pale ginger tail, gray in the twilight, flicks Redstar's ear. "Oh, Redstar. I'm not going to lead DareClan, nor is any other cat besides you. This is your destiny. I'm more than happy to stay with your Clan for a little while to help you out, but I'm not here permanently. Got it?"
Redstar nods apprehensively.
"Don't worry," she adds. "StarClan knows your destiny, and your destiny is to lead DareClan."
"How do you know this?"
"I know."
DareClan:
Leader: Redstar: reddish ginger tom with amber eyes. Invented by Mothstar.
Deputy: Nightfrost: black tom with light blue paws, tail-tip, and light blue eyes. Invented by Shadus Krifetalon.
Medicine cat: Honeyleaf: light gold she-cat with green eyes. Invented by Jayfeather Luva.
Apprentice, Fernpaw
Warriors:
Willowheart: light brown tabby she-cat with green eyes. Invented by Mothstar.
Apprentice, Rainbowpaw
Silverstreak: silver she-cat with blue, dark gray, and black streaks throughout her fur and blue eyes. Invented by MyrtleFalls and Mothstar.
Apprentice, Prismpaw
Smokesplash: blue and dark gray tom. Invented by Smokeclaw of ShadowClan.
Apprentice, Solpaw
Patchclaw: black-and-white patched tom. Invented by Patchkit.
Apprentice, Limepaw
Palestorm: pale gray tom with darker gray paws, chest, and tail-tip, and green eyes. Invented by Mothstar.
Apprentice, Lemonpaw
Apprentices:
Fernpaw: pale gray she-cat with green eyes, apprentice to the medicine cat. Invented by Mothstar.
Rainbowpaw: rainbow tabby she-cat with green eyes. Invented by Mothstar.
Prismpaw: white she-cat with a sheen to her fur that makes it shine in all the colors of the color spectrum and golden eyes. Invented by Mothstar.
Solpaw: tortoiseshell-and-white tom with long fur, a ruff of fur around his neck, a tail tuft, and amber eyes. Invented by Mothstar.
Lemonpaw: yellowish-grayish-green tom with yellow eyes. Invented by Mothstar.
Limepaw: white she-cat with lime-shaped green splotches and green eyes. Invented by Velvet Masquerade.
Queens:
Shinyheart: very pale gold she-cat with yellow eyes. Invented by Mothstar. Nursing Patchclaw's kits Darkkit (smoky black tom with yellow eyes, invented by Darkhead and Mothstar) and Jetkit (jet black tom with very dark blue eyes, invented by Darkhead and Mothstar).
Elders:
Stormspeckle: jet black tom with pale gray flecks and amber eyes. Invented by Mothstar.
