Disclaimer: I don't own Warrior Cats!

Title: Berry Paint

Summary: Sandkit wants to look pretty for his apprentice ceremony, so he wears berry paint; Lightkit feels alone in RiverClan for her messy pelt and gruff demeanor, save for two elders, and strives to outdo Rosepaw; Hoptail's known who they are all along, but they're hesitant to tell their mate, Mintpelt; and Smallkit of ShadowClan is scared to face who he really is- is it a tom at all?

Chapter Title: Reedpaw (Yarrownose)

...

Candymouse22- Thanks!

iDragonSpyro- Smallpelt and Mousepoppy were never meant to be mates. That was the point of the chapter, as well as the alternate version- they just aren't gonna work that way. They're very close friends.

Chara Dreemur (March 8)- I guess blood can be different from sexuality to the cats? They're also all Clanborn, save for Charlie, too. Next chapter'll be Lightstripe and Rosetuft, as far as I can tell!

KalypsoKari87- YOOO! CONGRATS!

...

Reedpaw is awoken by a nudge from Brightpaw, who nods a greeting before slipping into the clearing. He lifted his head off his paws and yawned, feeling the hastily made nest shift under him. He really needed to shore up if he wanted to sleep as well as he did in RiverClan.

It's not my fault heather doesn't weave like reeds do, he thought indignantly. Nobody ever taught me how to make a nest out of anything else.

Reedpaw got to his feet, stretched, and poked his head into the clearing. The scents of WindClan immediately barraged him.

Smokestar was sharing prey with Rabbitwater by the fresh-kill pile. Poppyflame was sunning herself outside the elders' den, listening to Crowsky as he rambled. Yarrownose had yet to stir, but Reedpaw was learning that was normal for the deputy. Volefur was returning from a solo hunt with a bird, shooting him a glare as she passed. Brightpaw had gone near the entrance to meet up with her mentor, Robintail. Hoptail and Mintpelt watched the Clan move about, idly sharing tongues. Peatflower and Aircloud were nowhere to be seen.

A large paw bumped his flank. "Move over, kiddo. I'd like to get through."

Reedpaw scrambled out of the way as Charlie slunk into the clearing with a stretch. The loner towered above all of the cats, giving him a somewhat intimidating air even with his ironically large ears. Charlie glanced around the clearing- probably checking to see if anyone had called him- and waved his tail at Longfeather and Molepaw, quietly conversing outside of the medicine den, waggling his ears.

"Why do you do that?" He asked, then nudged and asked again once he realized Charlie wasn't looking at him.

"Do what?"

"The ear thing."

"Oh, that's just how I talk. Misty and I figured out a way of talking with our ears and tails and such." He explained proudly. "It's force of habit."

"Sounds complicated," Reedpaw meowed.

"I suppose it is," he agreed pleasantly. "But it works. I'm gonna go ask Smokestar if I can take something off the prey pile. Want to share?"

"Yes, please." Reedpaw preferred staying out of the WindClan leader's fur. He and Briarpaw both were on thin ice in the Clan as is, and he didn't want to shatter the peace. Charlie dipped his head and meandered over to where the tom was laying.

Briarpaw hesitantly walked out of the den soon after, fur askew. Her eyes were sunken in her sockets, like she hadn't slept in over a moon.

She looks miserable. Reedpaw nudged her. "Come on. Once we've eaten, we're going hunting."

Together, the trio shared a single rabbit- none of them wanted to provoke the ire of the Clan that housed them- and went to join Robintail at the entrance, not quite full. Brightpaw passively blinked at them.

"All set to go?" Robintail meowed.

"Good as we'll ever be," Reedpaw replied. I hope he doesn't yell at Briarpaw for being a little off her game; she looks like she didn't sleep well. "Is it just us?"

"Not on your life, kit." A voice growled. Yarrownose stalked up to them with a formal nod. "I'm here to watch."

Briarpaw blanched.

The Clan deputy?

Charlie nodded to him pleasantly. "Morning, sir."

Yarrownose shuffled over a pawstep. He'd been leery of the loner ever since publicly embarrassing himself. "Smokestar asked for a full report."

"As is his right." Robintail waved his tail cheerfully. "Let's get moving. Would you like to lead?"

"I would." Yarrownose plunged through the heather. The warrior followed close behind, flanked by Charlie, who had to crawl out awkwardly. Briarpaw padded right after, and Reedpaw and Brightpaw kept in step at the rear.

Brightpaw watched their patrol with wary eyes, lowering her voice. "Would you like some help with your test?"

Reedpaw's head whipped to her. "Why do you care?"

Brightpaw blinked at him but didn't answer. That was the apprentice for you; she always seemed to be up to something. "Robintail likes trouble, so he likes you. I could ask for a solo hunt and sneak around."

He shook his head venomously. If there was one thing Reedpaw hated more than pity, it was when a cat offered to face a challenge for him. "We don't need your help; and, even if we did, that's all the more reason for Smokestar to judge us."

"He could kick you out."

"Briarpaw and I have two different Clans to try. Charlie has three. Lay off."

Brightpaw lapsed into silence. She picked up her pace so they were walking separately.

Fox-heart.

They came to a stop at the very tip of a rolling hill. The grass, long and soft, bent to the breeze. Trees rose in the distance, signaling the border to ThunderClan. Reedpaw felt a thrill pulse through him. RiverClan always felt cramped and suffocating, but how can I be trapped now when nothing but the stars can hold me here?

Briarpaw shuddered and moved closer to him. "It's so hard to think with all this wind."

"I know," he sighed happily.

"You're not here to think. You're here to hunt," Yarrownose interrupted, tail lashing. "Robintail and I will follow you from a distance. I expect the three of you to catch a rabbit for the pile by Sunhigh."

Charlie blinked at him uneasily. "Out there?"

"You've hunted for us before, loner. This isn't anything new."

"Yes, sir, near the treeline." He flicked his tail toward the sparse shrubbery near the borders. "I'm too tall for that grass. I'd practically have to lay in it to be hidden."

"You're exaggerating," the deputy dismissed. "You're not that tall."

Charlie drooped. "Fair enough, sir."

Robintail turned to Brightpaw. "Go practice some fighting moves in the hollow."

Brightpaw nodded and disappeared with a flick of her tail.

"Get moving, you three," Yarrownose meowed.

Reedpaw grunted and broke into a sprint, desperate to get this whole assessment over with. Briarpaw and Charlie thudded after him. They came to a stop in some tall grass to catch their breath, taking a drink from a lukewarm puddle one at a time, settling in to discuss strategy.

"I'm a terrible moor hunter." Briarpaw admitted shamefully. "Do you think Smokestar would be mad if I brought back more fish than the Clan could stomach?"

"He asked for rabbits," Charlie reminded her solemnly, "not fish."

Reedpaw sighed. "Guys, you're making this sound harder than it actually will be. There's three of us, and we're all pretty fast. We'll back it into a corner and nab it."

Charlie and Briarpaw looked at him uncertainly. "There's gotta be more to it than that," Briarpaw meowed. "Yarrownose seems to think we can't even catch one."

"That's because Yarrownose and Smokestar see us as unruly kits that can't do anything." The apprentice stood up with grim determination. "Charlie, you wait in the bushes here. Briarpaw will chase the prey over to you, and you'll scare it to the side so it has nowhere to hide. Once it's close enough, I'll pounce and kill it."

Charlie slid into the foliage as Briarpaw slunk away. Reedpaw admired the tom's ability to conceal himself as he crouched behind a small dip in the hills, claws kneading the dirt. He wondered, belatedly, where Yarrownose and Robintail were watching from. A quick check of the breeze revealed nothing.

StarClan, please, don't let this fail, he prayed. I can't live in the trees again. I just can't.

The frantic snapping of grass and twigs alerted Reedpaw to Briarpaw's return. Sure enough, the brown and white she-cat soon came bounding over the hills, a rabbit scrambling to get away in front of her. He crouched, forcing his breathing to remain steady.

Charlie jumped out of the underbrush, claws unsheathed, and for a brief second Reedpaw thought the loner would kill the prey himself, but the rabbit took a sharp turn away and kept running, the two cats chasing after.

My turn. Reedpaw bunched his shoulders and leapt. His teeth sunk deep into the back of the rabbit's neck. The apprentice swiped a paw awkwardly beneath to get at its throat and felt it slump in his grip. Reedpaw let go.

Charlie padded up to him, panting. His eyes were bright. "Good catch, Reedpaw!"

He nudged it with a paw. "Briarpaw did most of the work."

"I guess I did, didn't I?" She marveled, touching their noses together. "Thank you. I needed that."

Reedpaw shrugged. "You're the fastest."

"Alright, you three." Yarrownose's voice drifted from up the moor. "I think that was plenty."

"Their technique wasn't handled the best, but they worked together perfectly. They're able to run like a WindClan cat does, and, at the end of the day, prey was caught." Yarrownose ended his report. "They're learning."

"I didn't expect such high praise from you, old friend," Smokestar purred teasingly, bending down to sniff at the fresh-kill. Reedpaw prayed all their scents were on it.

"I didn't expect to give it, Smokestar." He admitted. "I assumed they hunted like they built their nests."

"I suppose that's what we get for assuming." Smokestar waved his tail. "Dismissed. Each of you take something off the prey pile."

Charlie nodded and withdrew, taking a shrew for himself without delay. Reedpaw watched him trail across the clearing to eat by himself near the nursery. Is he thinking of Misty? Does he even miss her at all? He's never said much either way.

"Ya'll right?" A cheerful voice meowed. "Any twisted paws?"

Reedpaw jumped. He hadn't noticed Molepaw pad up, caught up in his own thought. The tom seemed to prefer sticking to his mentor, so he barely knew him, but he looked nice enough. "I'm good, thanks."

"Glad to hear it," he blinked at them pleasantly. "Aches? Wrenched claws?"

"My legs hurt," Briarpaw put in. "But that's probably from running."

"Chasing prey'll do that." He agreed. "Well, if you need any help, don't hesitate to poke your head into my den, alright?"

"Sure," Reedpaw nodded.

"Molepaw?" Briarpaw asked.

He cocked his head to the side. "Yes?"

His sister hesitated, then looked to the ground. "I know you can't share StarClan's secrets with me or anything, but if for some reason you happen to see Blueclaw, can you tell him I'm sorry?"

Molepaw melted at that. He nosed her ear. "Of course. I don't think he blames you, though."

"I wish the same could be said for me."

Reedpaw pressed against her side. She shouldn't blame herself. I was so desperate to prove myself I was negligent. "Sorry about all of this, Molepaw. I know this isn't any of your business."

"On the contrary," Molepaw shook his head. "As a medicine cat, this precisely is my business. Not to mention you're sharing a den with my sister, and I want all of you to be comfortable with each other."

"Oh. Right." He said. "I forget you're littermates, sometimes."

"Happens to the best of us."

"Has she always been so sneaky?"

He shrugged. "Brightpaw likes to know the pay-offs before taking any big risks. She should have gotten her warrior name by now, you know, but she asked Smokestar to hold back when you lot came," he glanced at the apprentices' den. "At this rate, I'll be getting my name before she does. I cannot tell you how odd that feels."

She was that close? Brightpaw was moons older than him, he knew, but her small WindClan build was deceiving. It's hard to tell age on a WindClan cat as compared to a RiverClan cat; we're all shriveled up and our fur gets dull and a little brittle. WindClan cats just keep getting thinner. "Thanks again, Molepaw."

"May StarClan light your path," Molepaw lightly headbutted his shoulder before padding away, tail high.

"He's nice," Reedpaw murmured.

"I guess," Briarpaw sighed. "I'm sorry, Reedpaw. I really did try, but I'm just not happy here. I miss home."

How can she miss the river? We've got plenty of streams right here! Reedpaw remembered Berryleg and their two littermates with a pang. Not the river. She misses them.

They slipped into the den to find their nests tightly woven and soft with heather and fur. Brightpaw lay curled up in her own, tail across her nose, fast asleep.

"Thanks, Brightpaw," Briarpaw mumbled, giving her head a drowsy lick before curling up in her nest.

"Yeah," he said, laying down in his own. "Thanks, Brightpaw."

Author's Note: Reedpaw, the cranky thing, meets the wall of will that is Brightpaw, and her wingcat, Molepaw.

Next is Lightstripe and Rosetuft, methinks! It's about time we got to see them as the mothers they now are.

-Mandaree1

(TFW you finally start to read the new arc and realize Needlepaw sounds achingly familiar to one of your cats. Whelp.)