"I had no clue we were related.." Brightpaw mewed. The tom turned to face Coal.
"Coal, I'm Patchclaw, nice to meet you," Patchclaw said, his eyes showed full bewilderment.
"You were supposed to live with twolegs.." Patchclaw muttered. Then his eyes brightened with happiness. "Well now I can see all of my kits!"
"Yeah," Coal smiled at the ground. Oakstar chuckled.
"Coal, may I speak to you, alone?" Oakstar mewed. Brightpaw and Twistpaw scampered off to the other apprentices, with Icepaw on their tails. Larkwing slowly got up and stalked off to where Mistypaw was stuffing herbs down a kits throat.
"Yes?" Coal said, masking his odd fear of being alone with this cat.
"Hey, we won't forget what you have done for us. But you are still a kittypet, and you must not come back to our territory," Oakstar said with a growl. Coal's heart sank. But why? Coal thought sadly. He dipped his head respectfully and backed off a little.
"I understand," Coal mewed.
"You can say bye to your littermates."
"Thank you.." Coal muttered as he walked off to the mob of apprentices that Brightpaw and Twistpaw were talking to. "Hey Twistpaw? Brightpaw? I have to-"
"Oh Coal! We need to introduce you to everyone!" Brightpaw mewed. "This is Birdpaw, the silver one that looks like a lynx!" Brightpaw meowed pointing to Birdpaw with her tail. "And this is Foxpaw, the one that looks like a fox! And this is Silverpaw, Icepaw and Mistypaw's littermates!"
"Cool, I'm Coal," Coal meowed. Coal looked down sadly and opened his mouth to talk. Fidgetpaw came bounding over.
"Y-you se-seen Icepaw? I h-heard he was g-going t-to talk t-to his m-mother b-but she w-went on p-patrol ag-again!" Fidgetpaw explained hastily.
"Oh uh no, haven't seen him," Silverpaw meowed. Brightpaw shook her head. Bridpaw bit her lip, trying to think.
"W-well th-thank you for y-your time!" Fidgetpaw meowed as he quickly dipped his head and dashed off.
"Fidgetpaw is the fastest warrior in all of ShadowClan! No one here except for Foxpaw could match him!" Bridpaw mewed, her eyes glittering with admiration. Fidgetpaw was asking a brown she-cat and a white tom who were standing by a mini mountain of mice, birds, squirrels and frogs. The brown she-cat shook her head. The white tom said something and Fidgetpaw ran in the direction of the nursery. Coal turned to Foxpaw, who was sitting by Twistpaw. Foxpaw's eyes clouded with unguarded jealousy.
"I think Icepaw and me are going to be warriors soon!" Foxpaw mewed as he lay down.
"Yeah, but I also heard rumors of a RiverClan spy somewhere!" Bridpaw meowed with a shiver.
"Rumors are rumors and probably nothing more, I would shred any RiverClan spy that set foot in our territory!" Foxpaw stood up and flexed his claws.
"Haha, a RiverClan cat could feed your scrawny little self to a fish!" Brightpaw said playfully batting at Foxpaw's long thin legs. Twistpaw growled playfully guarding his friend.
"Yeah, you need to eat more! You're too thin!" Birdpaw mewed in agreement. Foxpaw's eyes glittered with embarrassment.
"Am not!" Foxpaw sat down, licking his shoulder fur. Birdpaw giggled and Brightpaw rolled her eyes.
"I have to leave," Coal meowed as he shot a glance at Oakstar, who was watching them carefully.
"Aww why?" Brightpaw mewed.
"Yeah why so soon?" Twistpaw tipped his head. "You've been very helpful!"
"Yeah but Oakstar doesn't want me here for long," Coal explained.
"Aww see you Coal!" Foxpaw mewed. Birdpaw looked bummed. Brightpaw's eyes were guarded and Silverpaw stalked off to their den. Coal turned and walked along the camp, headed to the exit.
"Coal!" Waspwhisker meowed and bounded over.
"Oh h-hi Waspwhisker," Coal mewed. Painfully remembering the first time meeting him.
"I'll take you home!" Waspwhisker's long fluffy fur snagged at the edges of the crack.
"Why did you act all mean on our first encounter?" Coal asked as he pushed into the forest. Waspwhisker thought for a second.
"Eh, I do that to new cats!" Waspwhisker said cheerfully.
"New cats?" Coal repeated. Waspwisker nodded.
"First impressions, other clans. I want to seem tough and scary."
"Cool," Coal thought about it for a moment, ShadowClan had seemed so friendly and almost as close as a family! But from the outside of the camp they seemed like dangerous kit eating monsters. They walked along the Thunderpath now. A monster zoomed by, Coal flinched but Waspwhisker walked confidently. They had reached Coal's garden now.
"I have to leave you here, I can not follow you any farther into the twoleg place," Waspwhisker meowed, shrinking away at the sound of a housefolk shouting.
"You're not scared of monsters but you are scared of housefolk?" Coal tipped his head to the side.
"What are housefolk? But any cat should be scared of twolegs!" Waspwhisker's eyes narrowed as he backed closer to a bush.
"Housefolk is that!" Coal pointed with his tail at a housefolk kit walking.
"Oh that's a twoleg!" Waspwhisker exchanged a look with Coal. I wonder why he turned to a ShadowClan cat if he was from LiverClam?
"Hey Waspwhisker?" Coal said slowly.
"Yes?"
"Why did you leave LiverClam?" Coal mewed looking down.
"LiverClam? You mean RiverClan right?" Waspwhisker said with an amused purr.
"Oh yes, excuse my hearing!" Coal said hastily.
"Do you have hearing problems?" Waspwhisker nudged him with his nose.
"What are hearing plumbs?" Coal mewed.
"PROBLEMS!" Mistypaw growled from the bushes, making Waspwhisker jump.
"Excuse my hearing!" Coal laughed.
"I almost jumped out of my fur Mistypaw! How did you find us?" Waspwhisker meowed, his eyes wide.
"You lot are noisier than a three legged badger!" Mistypaw grumbled.
"Who peed on her mouse?" Waspwhisker whispered into Coal's ear. Coal suppressed a laugh and turned to Mistypaw.
"Sorry Mistypaw!" Coal mewed.
"Can you two help me and Larkwing find catmint, juniper and rosemary?" Mistypaw meowed.
"Sure! But I have to go," Coal backed off towards his fence. "I have catmint in here, you can have it!" Coal went through the rabbit hole and into his garden. He dashed to the catmint supply and picked the stalks, making sure to grab the roots on some of them. He dashed out from his garden and back to Waspwhisker, who was picking rosemary near a bush on the other side of the thunderpath.
"Oh 'ello Cwoal I wowald alk byuat I habve rowmawy in mwy mouw," Waspwhisker mewed with his mouthful of Rosemary. Coal let out a laugh. Mistypaw stalked over to them.
"You lot come back to camp with me so I can put it in the supply, I already took the juniper back," Mistypaw turned to the direction of their camp. Wait! Oakstar doesn't want to see me again! Coal frantically thought up excuses NOT to go to their camp. I could just tell them the truth? Or tell them that I can't follow them because my tw-housefolk want me back my sunhigh? Coal's head was buzzing with ideas.
"Uhm gwuys?" Coal tried to say around his catmint.
"What?" Mistypaw grumbled. Coal put down the catmint in front of him.
"Oakstar doesn't want me on you guy's territory," Coal said looking down at the catmint. Waspwhisker almost choked on his rosemary.
"W-wha? Whay?" Waspwhisker's mew was muffled by rosemary. He put down the rosemary. "You have only been helpful to us! Why does Oakstar not want to see you in our territory?" Waspwhisker meowed, his eyes as wide as moons.
"I don't know," Coal mewed looking down. Waspwhisker's eyes glittered with anger,
"That Oakstar!" Waspwhisker spat.
"Wha-why don't you like him?" Coal was taken aback by Waspwhisker's sudden hate for Oakstar.
"He won't turn my apprentice Fidgetpaw into a warrior! He's older than Icepaw and knows everything! But he won't turn him into a warrior because I'm his mentor! Fidgetpaw is even his son but hates him for his stutter!" Waspwhisker growled.
"Why doesn't he want Fidgetpaw to be a warrior?" Coal sat down.
"He hates me! I used to be a RiverClan cat! Most of my apprenticeship was in RiverClan, but I joined when Oakstar was still deputy," Waspwhisker explained. "And I was-am better than him at everything so he hates me for that."
"Ha! Someone's jealous!" Coal laughed.
"Yeah if you put it that way!" Waspwhisker laughed along with him. Coal looked at Mistypaw, who was waiting.
"So should I still go to the camp or no?" Coal said quietly.
"Yes, I'll deal with Oakstar!" Waspwhisker growled.