A/N: Look! Another chapter in the same day! W00t!
Chapter Ten:
I stumbled into the training arena, bleary-eyed and late.
"Frostpaw! Where have you been?" Whitewing exclaimed, padding over to me. "You overslept again, didn't you?" She muttered, picking up on my bedraggled appearance. "That's the third time this quarter-moon! You can't just stay up the whole night because you don't want the dream to come, and then come traipsing in here late!"
"I understand that you're anxious, but you can't get behind on your training. Jayfeather and Lilyblossom said that they'd keep watch for any news from StarClan and they haven't heard anything, so you should be fine. You need to focus on your battle training!" Whitewing ranted. I would have been startled if I hadn't been so tired. Whitewing didn't yell all that often.
"It's not like the training is going to make any difference. I'm a horrible fighter." I meowed lethargically, flopping down onto the ground and leaning my head on my paws.
"No resting. If you think that you're a terrible fighter, than that's even more of a motivation to practice. Practice makes perfect." My mentor reminded me, nudging me to my feet once more.
I groaned. "But everyone beats me." I complained, "I bet even Vixenpaw can beat me, and she just became an apprentice yesterday." Vixenpaw's new mentor was Hazeltail, Morningpaw and Mosspaw's mother. The apprentice and mentor were out exploring the territory right now with Squirrelflight, who had resumed her deputy position.
"You just never try, Frostpaw. I bet that you'll be a fantastic fighter if you just try your best."
I sighed. "You always say that, and after that I try, sort of. But then I'm just the same as I was before, miserable at best." I meowed truthfully, scraping my paws across the ground underneath Whitewing's sharp green gaze.
"I stand by what I said when you were first an apprentice. I'll get you to warrior status if it's the last thing that I do." Whitewing meowed determinedly. "Now, as your mentor, I'm telling you to practice. Do that flip-and-roll move that I showed you the last time you bothered to show up for practice."
I reluctantly performed the selected move, doing it nearly perfect, but landing on my back instead of my feet.
"That was a…good try."
I snorted. "Stop trying to make me feel better. I know that I'm horrible, and you can go and say it. I'll never get any better."
"Don't say that, Frostpaw! You'll be fine after some more practice!" Whitewing ordered, sounding shocked that I would say things like that.
...
"…Then, I beat Stoneclaw in a battle! Stoneclaw! A warrior! Can you believe that?" Blazepaw crowed, bouncing into the apprentice's den like he had wings on his paws.
"Congratulations. You're now the most stuck-up, big-headed cat in ThunderClan. You should have had Berrynose as your mentor." I mocked from where I laid in my nest.
"Come on, Frostpaw. Aren't you proud of me in the tiniest bit?" my brother asked, looking a bit hurt.
"Yeah, yeah, sure, but you don't have to come waving your accomplishment around in front of me when you know I'm a hopeless fighter." I sighed, turning over to look at the dark gold tom. "I'm happy for you, really, but at this point you'll become a warrior way before me."
Blazepaw walked over to me and put his muzzle on my shoulder. "Come one, you're a good apprentice. You're one of the best hunters in the Clan, and ninety-nine percent of the Clan respects you."
"Who is the other one percent?"
"Dustpelt. He likes no cat." Blazepaw quipped.
I smiled and giggled a little. "I could tell that Blazepaw was really trying to cheer me up, that he actually cared for me, and I decided to actually make an effort.
"You know what, how about we go practice some battle moves? You could help me." I suggested, heading for the entrance.
"Sounds good. I'll see if anyone else wants to go with us."
…
Blazepaw, Raypaw, and I returned from the training hollow sweaty and more tired than before. Despite that, however, it was a good work out and I think I improved. Of course, both Raypaw and Blazepaw beat me badly, but I didn't care. They really helped me.
When the three of us reentered the camp, we heard wails coming from the nursery. I was worried that something had happened to Flossfeather, Poolkit, or Nettlekit, but then I remembered that Icecloud was most likely having her kits.
And then I was worried again, because I liked Icecloud and I didn't want her kitting to be like Flossfeather's.
I walked over to where Redpaw, Honeypaw, and Morningpaw sat, a bit outside the nursery, and laid down next to Honeypaw.
"Hey Frostpaw. Where have you been?" Redpaw questioned, leaning over to look at me.
"I went to the training hollow with Blazepaw and Raypaw. They were teaching me some new moves, and I think I'm getting better." I replied, looking over at the nursery.
"That's always good. See, Whitewing was telling the truth. If you practice, then you'll get better." Honeypaw quoted.
"Practice doesn't make perfect, because there is no perfect, but you can get pretty darn close." Morningpaw chimed in.
"Yeah, yeah, I know." I rolled my gray eyes. "Is Icecloud kitting?"
"Obviously. She began not long after you guys left." Redpaw explained. "She still hasn't disclosed who the father of the kits is yet, but I'm sure we'll be able to tell once they're born."
"Plus it's always a bit suspicious when a queen doesn't tell whose kits she's expecting. It makes it seem like she has something to hide." Morningpaw offered.
"That's a stereotype. Maybe the she-cat doesn't want the kits to know their father for some reason or another." I shrugged.
At that moment, Lilyblossom scampered into the clearing. "Everything is fine! Icecloud has three kits, two she-kits and a tom!" She announced proudly.
The Clan cheered, and Icecloud's friends and relatives crowded the nursery. Redpaw, Honeypaw, Morningpaw and I attempted to enter, but Daisy held us back, saying that we could see them once everyone closer to Icecloud was finished.
When it was our time to go it, we found Icecloud curled around three very small kits. Two of them were white, and the other one was a silver tabby.
"They're so cute!" Morningpaw gasped, leaning over to nuzzle one of them. "What are their names?"
Icecloud smiled. "The silver tabby she-kit's name is Brookkit, the white she-kit is Shimmerkit, and the white tom is Coldkit." She named, pointing at the kits with her tail.
"Those are beautiful names." I breathed, looking down at the precious little bundles of fur.
"Who's the father?" Redpaw asked, loudly and tactlessly. Luckily, none of the kits were startled.
Icecloud looked down at her kits. "Who does Coldkit remind you of?" She queried. I glanced down at the little tom and I name popped into my mind.
"Snowstorm is the father?" Honeypaw beat me to it. "I didn't know you two were close at all."
The white queen shook her head sadly. "We weren't. We just sort of got a bit carried away one day, but I'm glad we did, because now we have three beautiful kits."
Honeypaw nodded eagerly. "I really want kits when I get older." She agreed.
"You'll just have to work extra hard to become a warrior then, Honeypaw." I laughed, partly as a joke, partly serious.
Honeypaw snorted. "Sometimes I wonder about you, Frostpaw." She poked, trotting out of the nursery before I could reply.
…
"The cats that will be attending the Gathering are: Squirrelflight, Jayfeather, Lilyblossom, Berrynose, Hazeltail, Brackenfur, Graystripe, Millie, Cloudtail, Dewfur, Ambergaze, Whitewing, Poppyfrost, Cinderheart, Toadstep, Rosepetal, Fernshine, Flowerpetal, Hollynight, Stripefang, Morningpaw, Mosspaw, Firepaw, Blazepaw, Sootpaw, Goldpaw, Vixenpaw, Redpaw and Honeypaw. I trust that the rest of you can defend the queens and other elders if needed. Thank you." Bramblestar yowled from the top of the Highledge.
My heart sunk as I realized that I was not attending this Gathering. I knew that I probably wasn't going to be able to, with my sub-par battle skills and my habit of showing up late for training.
The only cat who looked even more crestfallen than I probably looked was Raypaw. I couldn't blame him though, he hadn't been to any Gatherings yet. I wondered why Bramblestar hadn't included him on the patrol, but then I remembered that he had climbed the Sky Oak even when his mentor had told him not to. Not being able to attend the Gathering seemed pretty harsh for a punishment, though.
As the cats going to the Gathering slowly filed through the thorn barrier, I glanced over to where Raypaw sat, watching them leave with dull eyes. I decided to try and comfort him.
"Hi, Raypaw, can I sit with you?"
…
A/N: To all the people who submitted OCs: The next chapter will be through Redpaw or Honeypaw or Morningpaw's eyes, so you will get the whole Gathering experience. I promise that your OC will appear.
Reviews are always welcome.
Love, Twistedstep.