Sunpaw's golden pelt was shining in the sun. She was sunning herself in the best spot for sunning. It was a place Reedpaw thought only he knew. Swallowing, he glanced away.
Mistypaw and Rainingpaw, the two new apprentices of RiverClan, were excitedly murmuring about.
Sighing, the silver apprentice peeked in the warriors' den. "Hi, Brindlepelt," he meowed.
Brindlepelt stirred. "Hmm?" she mumbled sleepily.
"Do you know where Whitepetal is?"
"I expect she's out hunting with Roseleap. I heard her talking about it," yawned Brindlepelt. "Now let me go to sleep. I stayed up all night. My vigil. So leave."
Reedpaw quietly slid out. His eyes found to camp entrance, and he felt his paws tugging to get out.
Yesterday had been a wondrous day for him. He couldn't get out of the happiness he'd experienced, and he couldn't go back to training so easily. He forced his paws to go back to the den, but quickly stopped himself. If Whitepetal and Roseleap were out, why couldn't he?
Feeling broad, he stepped forward, out to camp.
"Where're you going?" hissed a voice.
Reedpaw whirled back to see Lynxfoot scowling. "I asked you – where're you going?"
"I'm going out."
The white cat sniffed in disdain. "Alone?"
"Why? Can't I?"
"Well, you can. But…" She hesitated. "I just thought that it's not wise. Yesterday Eagleshade and his patrol saw a trace of fox." She shivered. "You should be careful."
Reedpaw hesitated. "But Whitepetal and Roseleap are away, as well."
"But they're warriors," insisted Lynxfoot. "Why don't I come with you."
"Er… okay?" It wasn't a question; it was a statement. A statement Reedpaw couldn't dare disagree with.
"Good," Lynxfoot meowed. "It's dangerous out there."
Reedpaw nodded. "I'm sure."
The white she-cat looked rather proud, and she padded to the camp entrance. "You know," she started, "one day I saw a chocolate cat." She leapt across the stream surrounding the camp, and Reedpaw followed.
"Wow!"
"Yes, it's body was… it's so hard to say. It was shade of brown I've never seen. Er… dark brown. I mean, I've heard from the elders that there was a chocolate warrior long long ago, but…" She shrugged. "One time, Eaglepaw spread word that Fernshine's sister was a chocolate cat."
"And?"
"Fernshine tried to murder him, that's what."
Lynxfoot padded on, twitching her whiskers. "Do you want to hunt?" she asked.
"No, I was just thinking of walking," Reedpaw replied.
"Oh? All right. Do you mind if I hunt?"
"Sure. Why not?"
Lynxfoot nodded. "Shush," she hissed, and crouched. Her eyes swept the area, and tensed suddenly. She leapt, her hind legs springing with so much force she almost slipped. But as her claws unsheathed, her body relaxed and regained balance, and Lynxfoot landed softly on the marshy ground.
"Mm," she muttered.
"Maybe we should go towards the half-bridge," suggested Reedpaw.
"I hope there aren't any Twolegs," meowed Lynxfoot suspiciously.
"That's a good place to hunt," Reedpaw replied.
"Okay, then. Lead the way."
Awkwardly, Reedpaw scurried towards the half-bridge. "Here we are," he mewed quickly.
Lynxfoot surveyed the area. "This is a good place," she agreed. "There aren't any boats." She rolled her eyes. "It's strange, but good for us. I'm going to hunt some fish. Fish is best; don't you agree?"
"I really like fish," Reedpaw agreed.
"I love trout," Lynxfoot continued, focusing on the water, "I'm good at catching it, too. Look!" She was loud, but she had caught the flopping fish.
"Wow!" he exclaimed.
Lynxfoot looked smug. "Yeah."
A cream she-cat and golden she-cat walked by in chorus. "Hi, Reedpaw," Honeypaw mewed coolly. "You'll be saying good-bye to Sunpaw now."
"Why?" A chill ran through Reedpaw's spine. Was Sunpaw exiled?
"She's going to be a warrior now," Creampaw answered calmly.
"What?"
"Apparently Fawnheart gave her an assessment today. She just gave me the news."
"Wow," sighed Mistypaw wistfully. "It must be great to be a warrior."
Reedpaw nodded. "Sunpaw's gone through a lot," he mewed seriously. "She deserves it."
Creampaw glanced at him doubtfully. She opened her mouth, but, after hesitating a little bit, she just turned away, shaking her head.
"What?" he demanded.
"I mean, she's just not my type."
"She's my type," snapped Reedpaw. "Sunpaw's a good friend, Creampaw."
"If you say so." Creampaw sighed. "It's getting cold now, don't you think?" she asked Honeypaw.
"Yes," Honeypaw agreed. "It's already leaf-fall to my pelt."
"Mine, too," sighed Creampaw.
Reedpaw ignored the rest of Creampaw and Honeypaw's conversation, and set off the find Sunpaw.
He found her in the sunning spot.
"Sunpaw."
The golden she-cat lifted her head lazily. "Yes?"
"I hear you're going to be a warrior."
Sunpaw shuffled to her paws, and raised her head. "Yes, I will." There was unmistakable pride in her voice. "Silverstar called Fawnheart and I. She asked Fawnheart if I was ready, and Fawnheart said she'd give me an assessment. And I passed."
"Congratulations!"
Sunpaw looked up at Reedpaw. "Thank you. You're literally the only one who's by my side." She gave a tiny snort.
"Sure thing," murmured Reedpaw numbly.
"It's tomorrow," continued the golden she-cat, raising her head to look up at the sky.
The afternoon sky was almost iridescent; its blue hue was slightly purple, with a pink and orange shade clouding the west side of the sky.
Reedpaw marveled at how one sky could be so… much.
His heart always flipped when he thought that the world was much more than he knew.
Then he looked down at the grass. It would be barren, empty of ferns and bracken when leaf-bare came. The muddy land would be cold as ice, and kits would huddle in the nursery, and warriors and apprentices would try to break the ice for fish. Even then, the fish would be swimming in the deepest parts of the stream, and only warriors with their longer paws would be able to fish.
He shivered at the thought. He was glad he was born in mid-newleaf. He liked newleaf; everything was new and live again.
"Reedpaw," Sunpaw was saying softly, when Reedpaw regained focus. "I want to be someone who… who can be remembered when I die. Do you think that's possible?"
"Of course. You're a great cat."
"But I'm not like them." The discouragement in Sunpaw's voice broke Reedpaw, and he was sure Mistshade would be even more broken. "I'm not like Silverstar, who's wise and loyal. Not Tansyflight, who's good-natured and brave. I'm just a tag-along, annoying sister of brave and loyal Sparrowheart…" She broke off with a shiver. "That title's always followed me around…"
Her eyes rounded as she leaned closer. "I don't know if I should tell you this," she breathed, "but you're the only one I'm close to now."
"Don't say that. What about Mistshade? Tawnyclaw?"
"I've seen how they treat you. How I treated you. And… I know that's wrong." She looked away. Reedpaw knew how hard it must be for Sunpaw to confess she was wrong. "And that just changed my whole perspective. Mistshade wants another Sparrowheart, and although Tawnyclaw's warmer, I just know he doesn't like me. Sunpaw, who I am." Her voice quivered, but it never broke, and she carried on, her voice barely hanging on, fragile like thin ice. "I wished I could be like Sparrowheart. Because I love Mistshade and Tawnyclaw. But if they don't like me, I shouldn't like them." She heaved a breath.
Reedpaw licked Sunpaw's ear tenderly, and was shocked that Sunpaw didn't bat him away.
The golden she-cat looked away, her paws shuffling. "There are some apprentices who want only to be the best warrior, and choose not to be seen, like… Dewpaw, or Whitepaw. You know them. You don't really know they exist, but one day, they're above you." She shivered, and her dark amber eyes glowed as she continued. "I had two littermates, Reedpaw."
Reedpaw opened his eyes, pricking his ears.
"Yes, I did. But they died. They were Squirrelkit and Sagekit, and their deaths… They were all my fault. I… I called them Squirrelpaw and Sagepaw, because I was so sorry! So sorry that they couldn't receive full names, all because of me…. I wondered if I should present them with names when Sparrowheart became a warrior. But he never cared for them, and I wished for my sisters to be warriors with me." Sunpaw looked away. "I'm thinking that's foolish. Is it?" She raised her head.
When Reedpaw met Sunpaw's eyes, he instinctively knew she was shrouding something. That… that she wanted encouragement that what she was doing… was right.
He'd give it to her.
"Of course not!" he exclaimed, taking care to make his voice sound enthusiastic and sure. "That's a great… thing to do. You should keep doing it."
"You think so?" Sunpaw brightened. "Thank you."
Reedpaw wondered if he should tell Sunpaw that he'd heard from Slatefoot it first, but disagreed upon it. It would, somehow, make matters bad.
"Do you mind if I go now?"
"Oh, I don't."
"Bye, then! Sunpaw won't see you tomorrow, but Sunsomething will! I would've liked Sunheart, but it suddenly doesn't appeal very much now…. Maybe it's Sparrowheart. What about Sunsong or Sunbright? Sunleap, Sunbird, Sunfeather, Sunwing, Sunfrost, Sunfern, anything's fine."
After watching Sunpaw happily race away, Reedpaw was proud; his sister had come a long way. He didn't know exactly how, but he was sure she did.