Chapter 11: BushClan

A moon had passed and greenleaf was only becoming more and more sweltering with it's heat. Along with it's sunshine casting glorious and powerful rays through the sparse trees and thickets, Icepaw was trying to hunt. She was finally six-moons of age, but it wasn't as welcoming as it should have been.

Her white pelt practically glowed in the shadows thanks to the sun. She considered rolling in dirt or mud, but she had a hard time imagining getting her fur slick and plastered to her sides with mud. In her head it didn't even sound comfortable. With a heavy heart, she tried even harder to track down prey.

Sadly, they seemed to always spot her just before she was close enough to strike. Not only that, but the sun was straining her eyes and making it difficult for her to see in the bright sunlight. She tried hunting away from the sun, but it was no use. She could still see the strange shadowy figure of the light in her vision. Every night her eyes felt strained and tired. Her nose and ears burned slightly if she was in the sunlight for too long as well.

It wasn't long before Blackdapple padded up to her after she stuck to the shade to try and hunt by not moving. She still wasn't having luck since one tiny movement and the prey darted away without being in reach. Looking to her mentor, she felt she had failed her. Green eyes were round with sympathy. She wasn't lucky enough to have any kind of spots like her.

"You fight well, but you don't seem to be too good at hunting." Blackdapple mewed softly after placing her squirrel down.

"I don't think I ever can be." Icepaw grumbled. "There are no other white cats around here. I doubt that white cats can hunt."

"Oh hush now, it doesn't matter what color your pelt is."

"Foxgaze said I would be better off waiting for it to snow to hunt anything."

Blackdapple snorted, "That furball can say whatever he likes. Just think positive. We just need to try hunting all kinds of things to find your strengths."

Icepaw looked up to her mentor. "Are you sure?"

The warrior nodded, "I am. Now come, we need to head back and rest out of this heat."

With a heavy heart, Icepaw followed. She couldn't figure out just why she had to be cursed with fur this color. Or why StarClan was allowing the sun, of all things, hurt her eyes so badly. She decided to ignore it for now and seek help of Poppyclaw if she had to. Along the way back, Blackdapple met back up with Spottedstorm and Drizzlepaw. They were in good spirits, a stark contrast to how Icepaw felt inside.

. . .

Back in camp, Icepaw was given another reminder of why she had to ignore it. Hawk had began training as a medicine cat thanks to Poppyclaw visiting the Moonstone. According to what the clan knew, Hawk needed this knowledge in order to bring peace. Hawk hadn't taken an apprentice suffix of 'paw, but she was a hard worker. She was quick to learn and with Minteye's scratched eye fighting an infection, she was putting her talents to good use.

Needless to point out, Icepaw felt Poppyclaw would have his paws full enough with Hawk learning under him and his sharp tongue. He was wise, but growing old and it was clear that perhaps Hawk will have to take his place. It wasn't fair that a loner had to become their new medicine cat. Especially since not many trusted her just yet with her growing knowledge of herbs and their uses.

Blackdapple had gone on ahead with Spottedstorm, the two she-cats speaking quickly with one another in hushed tones. Leaving her to find shade to rest her eyes from the bright sun. However, Drizzlepaw had other ideas and pounced on top of her as though they were still play-fighting kits in the nursery.

"Get off you big furry lump!" she mewed, trying to shove him off, which was difficult since they had grown a lot since they last played together.

Drizzlepaw went limp on top of her, practically squeezing all the air from her lungs. "Spottedstorm says we should be practicing battle-techniques just in case."

"And Blackdapple told me to rest!" Icepaw snapped, heaving herself to her paws and wriggling out from beneath her own brother.

"Oh come on!" the gray and white tom whined, "We never get to play anymore!"

Icepaw glowered at him. "If you have forgotten, we were apprenticed early to become warriors for our clan."

"So? We're not warriors yet." he reminded her.

"Have some sense of responsibility," Icepaw meowed as she curled up under a clump of ferns and gorse while added in, "We aren't kits anymore."

She closed her eyes, feeling some relief from the bright sun after so long. However, she could hear her brother huff in annoyance. Cracking open one eye, she spotted him with a twitching tail tip and muttering to himself.

StarClan forbid we become warriors early, too. She thought gloomily, closing her eye. They lost time of being kits. Sure they were big enough to keep up and such, but they were never going to be ready for a war. They could have waited, but she was told to believe in Nightstar's choice. Thus, that was her final decision.

After what felt like a heartbeat, she was awakened to being nudged. Blinking open her eyes, she saw the familiar black spots on her mentor's head. Groggy, she slowly crawled out of her hiding place and stretched her legs in turn before dipping her chest into the earth to stretch her back.

"Feeling better now?" Blackdapple asked, her voice tinged with a hint of amusement.

"Much better." Icepaw answered before a huge yawn escaped her. "Just still a bit sleepy."

"It's alright, we're going to try hunting again when the sun is just setting."

She blinked, surprised. "Hunting again?"

"Nightstar insists you try again. Poppyclaw and Hawk will come to watch." Blackdapple mewed softly.

"But why?"

"Poppyclaw is convinced that there could be another reason you can't catch prey, so he wants to shadow you while you hunt."

"And Hawk?"

"She will be following in his paw-steps with her knowledge of hunting from being a loner." Her mentor explained, green eyes darting to the medicine den warily. "I have no idea what Nightstar and Poppyclaw might be thinking. It's better than leaving that strange cat alone with the herbs, that's for sure."

Icepaw frowned in dismay, but shrugged it off. She had to grow up fast and make do with her skills. After all, she had a moon's worth of training already. There couldn't possibly be any reason for Poppyclaw to be worried. After all, it could be nothing more than her stupid fur.

"If that's what they want." She meowed carelessly. "I'll just treat it like it's a real assessment and maybe then I can catch something. If not, then it's just my stupid fur getting in the way and I will just have to find other ways to hunt like everyone else."

"That's the spirit." Blackdapple purred, "Now, we must wait for the sunset to begin."

Excitement tingled in her paws, but dread thudded in her heart. What if something else was wrong with her? She had never even considered it could be something other than her fur or her own impatience. Worry finally began to worm it's way into her belly, much like it had a moon ago. Back then she was worried about becoming an apprentice, but now she was worried she might never be a warrior and pull her own weight.

Author Note:

I used the Moonpool on the warriors website for each character in this story.
It is a random generator, so it will help guide the destinies of these characters to help me tell the story.

In the process it is kind of time to explain the white fur of Icepaw now. - Nightsky