WindClan Allegiances

Leader

Briarstar- brown tabby she-cat

Deputy

Streamripple- silver she-cat, substitute for Olivebranch

Apprentice, Harepaw

Medicine Cats

Beewing- black tom

Apprentice, Swiftpaw

Warriors

Stormfall- light gray tom

Sunbeam- orange-yellow she-cat

Jetpelt- black tom

Heatherfoot- light brown she-cat

Bramblestep- brown she-cat

Umberwhisker- reddish brown tabby tom with a white head

Tangleheart- pretty brown she-cat

Tansycloud- light brown tabby she-cat

Duskfur- dark gray tom

Apprentice, Quickpaw

Sparrowflight- fluffy dark brown tom

Apprentice, Vinepaw

Streamripple

Wildbramble- yellow tom with mussed up fur

Embertail- dark gray tom with lighter flecks

Firetail- orange tom

Queen

Olivebranch- light gray she-cat, expecting Duskfur's kits

Apprentices

Harepaw- brown tom

Swiftpaw- light gray she-cat

Quickpaw- white tom

Vinepaw- dark brown she-cat

Elders

Redheart- reddish orange she-cat

Petalclaw- white she-cat

Lichentail- brown tabby she-cat with green eyes

Streamripple

"May all cats old enough to catch their own prey join together for a Clan meeting!"

Briarstar had a really loud voice. It seemed even louder when it was first thing in the morning and I had just woken up. As I made my way to the Tallrock, she continued, not even waiting for the whole Clan to come outside.

"I've gathered you all here because Olivebranch has an announcement to make," she called, and moved aside, making room for the Clan deputy.

Her eyes shone with excitement as she announced, "Duskfur and I are expecting kits. Beewing confirmed it last night."

The Clan cheered, and Briarstar waited patiently for silence. "But that leaves us in a bit of a situation when it comes to the position of deputy. So we've decided to temporarily appoint a warrior to fill that position, just until her kits are apprenticed."

I zoned out. For me, Clan meetings were boring because none of them had been about me for a long time. My mind was on the other things I needed to do today, like take my apprentice Harepaw out on a hunting trip.

While I thought, Olivebranch whispered something into Briarstar's ear while her eyes swept over the crowd. Briarstar tilted her head thoughtfully, a blank expression on her face, after she stepped away.

"Streamripple." Suddenly, all eyes were on me, and my ears flattened. I didn't like it. "Would you please step forward?"

Streamripple

"I still can't believe you got to be the deputy! The other apprentices were so jealous that I'm being mentored by the WindClan deputy. I think-"

"Stop saying 'deputy,' Harepaw. It's only a temporary position, just until Olivebranch's kits are apprenticed. I'll be demoted again in just a few seasons."

"Yeah, but still! That's way more than most of the other warriors will ever get!"

"I don't even know why I was chosen," I muttered under my breath. I saw a flash of brown fur and pounced on the rabbit, trapping it underneath my paws.

"What was that?" Harepaw called. "Did you say something?"

"No. And you shouldn't either, we're hunting. Stop talking for a while, just until we've caught enough prey. You're scaring all the rabbits away."

I braced myself for Harepaw's usual playful retort. Nothing. I turned back, surprised. He was sitting still, his tail straight in the air.

"Harepaw, stop trying to be funny. Cats need fresh-kill back at camp, and we don't have time for this. Snap out of it and start hunting!"

My apprentice stood up mechanically. He sank into a perfect hunter's crouch and leaped onto another rabbit. If I hadn't been training Harepaw for around a moon now, I'd be impressed. But I knew him better than that.

"Harepaw!" At the sound of my voice, he collapsed. "Are you okay?"

"Ugh. No. I don't feel so good, Streamripple."

"Hang in there. I'm going to go get Beewing." I ran as fast as I could, attracting a few stares when I rocketed into camp and made a mad dash for the medicine den.

Swiftpaw looked up from a pile of herbs. "What's wrong, Streamripple?"

"Where's Beewing?"

"Out gathering herbs. Why, do you need something?"

"Where are these herbs?"

"This way. Come with me." We sprinted to a clearing near the gorge where Beewing was out with his escort, Wildbramble, gathering assorted leaves and flowers in a pile on top of a wide leaf. "Streamripple needs help," Swiftpaw declared. Beewing looked up from the pile, giving me a questioning look.

"I was out hunting with Harepaw and he's bouncing around and getting really excited about me and my new position so I tell him to stop talking because he's scaring the prey then suddenly he stops moving so I yell at him again," I stop and take a breath, "and he pulls off this amazing hunting crouch and no offense to him but he's hasn't ever been that good at anything yet so I yell at him for a third time and he collapses and says he wasn't feeling well. Can you help him?"

Everyone stared at me until Beewing sighed, "I'll see what I can do. Wildbramble, come with, just in case we need some help moving him back to camp." He hurriedly scooped up the herbs and I led the others to where Harepaw lay, twitching. I held my breath as Beewing examined Harepaw's body, frowning.

"Are there any details that you might have left out?" he asked.

"Well, he did catch a rabbit after I yelled the second time."

"Nothing else?"

"Nothing else."

"I'm sorry then." Beewing got up, turning to me. "I have no idea what happened to him that would make him act like that. But I do know that he will recover, I just don't know how long it will take. Now, let's move him to a comfortable nest in my den."

Once we moved Harepaw, he fell asleep in his soft bed of moss. I stood there, racking my brain for a possible reason he would act like that. What if I was the reason he was in the medicine den? Could I have done something to prevent that? Was it something I did?

"Ahem?" Briarstar stood in the doorway, an unreadable expression on her face. Seriously, after she trained me for my entire apprenticeship, I'd have thought we bonded enough that I could understand her facial expressions even a little bit. "First day as a deputy, and you already forgot to organize a sun-high patrol."

"Sorry, Briarstar. I just had to help Harepaw with-"

"That's okay. I recommend that you learn how to manage an apprentice and your job at the same time. And since he's taking a break for an indeterminably long time, I think you'll have even more time on your paws for your duties."

"Of course." Briarstar nodded her head in approval and walked away. I glanced around camp. There weren't many cats around, but I could use the ones I had.

Duskfur and Umberwhisker were finishing their meal together next to the elder's den. "Hey, Duskfur, congratulations."

"Thanks. How are you feeling about your new position?"

I looked at the ground. "I don't know if I'll do that good of a job."

"Well, I know Olivebranch chose you for a reason, so just know we have complete faith in you."

"Thanks. That means a lot." I could finally look them in the eyes as I asked, "Can you two lead a sun-high patrol? Maybe grab Sunbeam, and Quickpaw?"

Umberwhisker gave me a strange look, and Duskfur almost looked like he wanted to rescind that praise. "I think Quickpaw is out with Vinepaw and Sparrowflight doing battle training," Umberwhisker replied. "He can't be in two places at once."

But Duskfur came to my rescue. "We can get Tangleheart to join us instead."

My pelt still burned with embarrassment, but I shook it off in front of the senior warriors. "That sounds good. Thanks."

Great. The very first patrol I ever sent out and I made a huge mistake. I'm not sure I'll earn the respect of the Clan anytime soon, if I keep going at this rate. I needed help, and fast.

Good thing I had someone who I could turn to.

Streamripple

Olivebranch sat in the nursery. Her mouth was full of mouse, but she spat it out as soon as I came in.

"Already relaxing? Is the lack of responsibility making you lazy?" I laughed as I sat down beside her.

"Already having trouble? Is the responsibility stressing you out?" she shot back, but with real concern.

"How did you know?'

"Streamripple." She stared at me until I looked up and met her eyes. "We've been friends since we were apprentices. I think I know you well enough to tell when you're stressed."

Well, at least I was with a friend and not anyone else when I was talking about my stress issues. "Did you feel this way when you were appointed?"

"Of course. I'm sure everyone did. You're not alone in feeling that way."

"Then how did you manage?"

The gray queen pondered for a moment, looking off into the distance thoughtfully when she finally answered. "I knew that it would be a giant responsibility. It helped that I knew that I had to work hard, treat my Clanmates fairly, and remember exactly where I sent anyone so that I don't screw up the patrols. And don't feel bad about it, everyone messes them up their first time," she added, noticing how much I slouched.

"Ugh. I guess I'm glad I got it over with right away."

"You were distracted. I heard what happened to Harepaw, and I don't know if I'd be able to think straight if my apprentice had a mysterious illness. You know," she whispered, crouching lower, "it also helps to remind yourself that no one is rooting against you. WindClan wants you to succeed."

"Thanks." I sighed, thinking about how the next few moons would be. "But why me? Why didn't you suggest Jetpelt or Heatherfoot or Wildbramble? They're all amazing warriors who would have made amazing deputies."

Olivebranch nodded with each name. "They definitely would have. But I don't trust them as much as I trust you. And I know that you have a big heart, and would do anything for WindClan. That's what matters to me, and the rest of the Clan will see soon how much it matters to them."

Sorry for the week-late update! I'm in the middle of a very intense class project at the moment.

Thanks for reading! Please comment if you have any questions or feedback.