AN: This chapter has also undergone a major edit. Hopefully it runs more smoothly with the newer chapters now, and it makes more sense as far as the story line goes.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
"I'll bet a day's worth of cleaning the elder's den that he doesn't catch anything today."
"I'd take on that bet."
"I wonder how long it'll be before Minnowstar gets tired of training him?"
It took everything Reedpaw had to ignore the sounds of his sisters chatting like squabbling sparrows. The last couple of days had gone by in a similar manner. Hollypaw, Larchpaw and Willowpaw weren't making life easy for him. He knew that they wanted to put him in his place. That he was the runt of the litter, and that he didn't belong in the Clan. But determination had pushed Reedpaw through the toughest parts of his training so far.
Even though it's only been a couple of days, Minnowstar was really impressed with me yesterday, he reminded himself silently.
Then again, she could have just been taking pity on him.
Reedpaw's ears flattened at the thought.
He had been hopeful when the RiverClan leader took him on as a mentor. Few apprentices were lucky enough to claim that they had been trained by the Clan leader. Reedpaw knew that Minnowstar was busy enough as it was leading the Clan. But she was also keeping a keen eye on him, telling Reedpaw that there was something else going on other than showing favoritism.
His tail wrapped around his paws as he stared at the creek Minnowstar was currently crouched over. His mind had been churning with anxiety over the last couple of days since their training started. Minnowstar had taken him out of camp to see how good he was at fishing. And Reedpaw was forced to sit around while watching her wait for a fish to jump out of the water.
Like a fish is ever going to let someone catch it that easily, he nearly snorted out loud.
Still, he didn't miss the fact that Minnowstar's claws were dipped in the water with ease. Her tail flicked every now and then as she tested the water itself to see if anything was stirring. Reedpaw wondered how long this would take when she noticed his growing boredom.
"Fishing is a game of patience," she reminded him knowingly. "You can't pull back until you feel the fish scaling your claws."
"But that could take forever," Reedpaw complained. "And how do you even know if the fish is around? What if it gets away before you can catch it?"
As if his question had been a cue, Minnowstar suddenly hooked her front paw. Reedpaw's ears pricked forward with interest when a fish came flying out of the water seconds later, sending droplets onto his pelt. For a moment, Reedpaw wasn't even sure how to react as the fish landed in a floppy mess next to him.
"Always make sure the fish is dead before carrying it," she informed him with a sharp gaze. Reedpaw ducked in embarrassment when he realized what she was implying. "Some fish have been big enough to hurt cats unexpectedly, and I'd prefer keeping my apprentice unharmed."
Can you please tell that to my sisters? Reedpaw wondered.
Willowpaw was usually the one who always looked for new ways of causing bodily injuries on him. He'd learned the hard way to always have ears and eyes on the back of his head around her. Especially since she managed to convince Hollypaw and Larchpaw to join her on her escapades.
Instead of saying anything out loud, Reedpaw focused his attention on the creek behind them. Like Minnowstar, he slid his claws carefully into the water, allowing it to slip between them. Reedpaw relished the feeling of water flowing between his claws. It was the first time he'd really appreciated the strange sensation of cool water, and he suddenly realized why RiverClan cats loved it so much.
A rich diet of fish and forest animals had given RiverClan cats unique pelts that were designed for dwelling near the water. It usually slid off their backs when they went for a swim around the creek or even the shallow end of the lake. Reedpaw heard this story more times than he cared to count from Ripplecloud.
The silence that followed was almost unnerving. Reedpaw's ears twitched every few seconds when he heard a bird calling in the distance. Every rustle of leaf made him hyper-aware of his surroundings. Then he finally felt it. The sleek pull of something moving in the water. Instinct told his claws to sheathe, but Reedpaw ignored them. Instead, he quickly pulled them out, allowing his claw to hook on the scales of a trout.
"I caught one!" he exclaimed in wonder after letting it land on the muddy ground nearby. Amusement flashed across Minnowstar's eyes when he gave it a killing blow, careful not to let it leap away from him. "I can't rub this in Willowpaw's face."
"It is good to see that you're improving," the RiverClan leader purred in amusement. "But sometimes being modest is a good thing."
For a moment, Reedpaw wasn't sure what she meant by that when he realized what she was implying.
He was better than his sisters. They always had the need to argue with everything he said, or to prove themselves around him. But unlike them, he didn't. Minnowstar had to remind him time and time again that he wasn't anything like his sisters, and that was a good thing.
"I'm just tired of them treating me like I'm a worthless scrap of fur," he sighed as they headed back to camp.
Minnowstar managed to carry the larger fish between her teeth, while Reedpaw carried the one that she caught earlier. It was a good haul, despite there only being two fish. The trout would feed at least three cats if they were willing to share, while the smaller fish would feed two.
"Don't ever let what they say get to you," Minnowstar reminded him. Reedpaw couldn't help but glance at her self-consciously as he wondered if she had experienced something similar in her lifetime. "The only way they are ever going to stop is if you ignore them."
Reedpaw flattened his ears at that, wondering just how right she actually was.
…
"You actually caught something?" Hollypaw asked in disbelief.
"I'm willing to bet that Minnowstar helped him catch it," Larchpaw whispered.
"Or it flopped into his paws at the stench of his pelt," Willowpaw sneered.
Reedpaw nearly rolled his eyes at his sisters' comments. Of course they would see the fact that he'd caught a fish as a fault. He wasn't entirely surprised with the way they continued crowing after him like a bunch of squabbling sparrows. All they ever seemed to do was gossip with each other, even while they were training. Their mentors had been exasperated with their antics, and it was only a matter of time before they lost their patience with them.
"In case you didn't notice, I caught this fish on my own," he snapped after dropping it at the fresh-kill pile.
"Oh, really?" Willowpaw's ears pricked forward with interest.
Oh, StarClan, no! Reedpaw glared at her when she stood up, whiskers twitching in amusement as she approached him.
"And just how did you manage to pull that off?"
He was ready to spit something in her face when he caught Minnowstar watching the four siblings. One glare from the RiverClan leader was all it took for Willowpaw to duck her head in embarrassment. Even she knew better than to argue with her Clan leader.
"Willowpaw, why don't you and your sisters spend the rest of the afternoon cleaning out the elder's den?" she suggested.
For a moment, Reedpaw's chest flared with triumph when Willowpaw stared at Minnowstar in disbelief. Then his moment of triumph faded as he realized what it meant for his future: Willowpaw was likely going to find fire ants and hide them in his nest. Or worse, she and his siblings would find some way of dragging his nest out of the den and into the lake with him sleeping on it.
"Wait – maybe I should go with Larchpaw instead," he suddenly cut in.
He hoped that would be reasonable enough to keep Willowpaw from planning anything outrageous. Minnowstar blinked in surprise as she looked between Reedpaw and Willowpaw. The gray-furred she-cat just stared at Reedpaw as if he'd grown wings when she realized he was standing up for her.
"Very well," Minnowstar conceded with a reluctant nod.
She looked flustered beyond imagination as to why her apprentice would jump at the opportunity to clean out the elder's den. Especially since Willowpaw had been teasing him along with his sisters all this time.
"Why in StarClan would you stick up for me like that?" Willowpaw hissed once Minnowstar left them.
Reedpaw flinched at the way she was looking at him, as if he was some scraggly looking piece of fresh-kill.
"Because I'm not in the mood to deal with whatever you're planning for tonight," he snapped irritably.
For once, Willowpaw was at a loss for words as she realized what he was implying. There was a moment of hesitation as she glanced at Larchpaw and Hollypaw, who were watching with keen interest. He knew she probably had an earful to say when she got back. But to Reedpaw's surprise, Willowpaw let out a sigh of her own.
"I should at least go with you," she muttered crossly. Reedpaw blinked at her in disbelief when she stood up and looked at him pointedly. "Don't think this doesn't change the way I look at you – I'm only doing this because it's the right thing to do."
Reedpaw didn't bother arguing with that notion. He was just grateful that Willowpaw was willing to help him.
With that thought in mind, he padded after her to the bed of reeds where the elder's den was located. Sandfang was busy sunning himself, while Ripplecloud gingerly tried grooming her normally unkempt fur. Both elders normally spent their time out in the sun, so Reedpaw wasn't surprised to see them sitting outside.
"It's about time someone showed up," Sandfang huffed when he noticed their arrival. "Our den was beginning to smell like a rotting fish roasting in the sun."
"Oh relax, Sandfang," Ripplecloud rolled her eyes in amusement at the pale ginger tom's snappy greeting. "The only reason it smells like that is because you refuse to leave your nest until sunhigh."
Amusement swept through Reedpaw when Sandfang scoffed at Ripplecloud's comment. Though, he didn't miss the affection flashing across the older tom's eyes. They had been denmates for a long time, so it wasn't surprising to see that they got along so well, despite what others might have thought about it.
"Why don't you go and fetch the moss while I clean their nests out?" Willowpaw suggested when they padded into the den, only to be greeted by a stench filling the air. Reedpaw's nose wrinkled in disgust when he realized that Sandfang hadn't been lying. "I'm not even sure what it is that old cat does in his nest, but it stinks up to high StarClan."
"He probably rolls around in the dirt-pile just to annoy us," Reedpaw snorted while trying to stifle a purr of laughter. Even Willowpaw was struggling to contain her own amusement at Reedpaw's guess. "At any rate, fresh moss won't be hard to collect."
"Maybe after that we can work on removing their ticks," Willowpaw meowed thoughtfully.
Though she shuddered at the mention of removing ticks, it was a task that every apprentice needed to perform. Reedpaw nodded apprehensively, knowing that the sooner they got these tasks done and over with, the better off they were.
"Wait, are we actually getting along for a change?" he suddenly asked when realization dawned on him.
This was the first time either of them had had a civil conversation with each other. And Reedpaw didn't want to admit out loud that he was actually enjoying himself, despite their earlier argument. Willowpaw nearly lashed her tail at the realization that they were getting along.
"Don't get too comfortable, furbrain," she scoffed.
For the first time since they became apprentices, Reedpaw thought he picked up affection in her voice. He couldn't help but purr as he padded out of the den to collect the moss in question. It would take the two of them to replace their old nests, and once that task was finished, they could work on removing the ticks as well.
He remembered the spot Minnowstar had taken him to find good moss. It usually grew near the streams or logs on one side. Fortunately, it didn't take Reedpaw long to spot the fresh moss, and he managed to claw bits of it off before returning to camp.
Willowpaw was waiting for him near the camp's entrance when he returned. Her eyes lit up when he dropped the moss that he'd been able to carry.
"I know it's not much, but it's better than nothing," he meowed.
"It's perfect," Willowpaw purred after shaking out the moisture and dirt.
He followed her to the elder's den and found Sandfang and Ripplecloud lounging near the back. The two elders moved aside when they began spreading out the nests. Ripplecloud looked more annoyed while Sandfang simply looked uncomfortable without a warm nest to sleep in.
Once that task was finished Willowpaw went on asking who had ticks. Reedpaw's nose wrinkled at the thought of cleaning ticks – he remembered hearing the older apprentices complaining about it. The stench of mousebile was so strong that he managed to pick it up from the nursery.
"There's a tick on my left ear that I've been trying to get for days now," Ripplecloud muttered after giving her ear a scratch. "Would you be so kind as to fetch some mousebile and pull it off for me?"
Willowpaw exchanged a longing look with her brother, and Reedpaw let out a sigh of frustration.
"I'll go," he grunted.
He padded out of the elder's den and made his way to the medicine cat's den. It was located between the roots of a willow tree. Blizzardwind kept her herbs stored deep inside where kits couldn't reach them. Reedpaw wasn't surprised to see Scarletpaw sitting outside, washing the back of her front paw.
"I need some mousebile," Reedpaw meowed when Scarletpaw looked at him in surprise.
"Blizzardwind is inside," she told him.
"Thanks."
Reedpaw flicked his tail as he walked past. Scarletpaw never socialized as much as her mother would hoped. Many of the toms had stared at her longingly, but she continued to ignore them. Reedpaw wondered if that was why she had chosen to become a medicine cat.
I wouldn't want that kind of attention all the time, he decided.
He wasn't surprised to see Blizzardwind sorting through the herbs in the back of her den. Leaves were scattered here and there, and Reedpaw noticed a few berries had been placed in the very back. A shudder coursed down his spine when he remembered almost swallowing one a couple of moons ago. Blizzardwind had stopped him just in time after Hollykit dared him to eat one of the berries.
"Unless you are in severe pain I do not wish to be disturbed."
The medicine cat's attitude made Reedpaw roll his eyes in annoyance.
"I need mousebile for the elders," Reedpaw explained.
Blizzardwind suddenly turned around when she realized who was speaking. Her eyes narrowed before she shook her head.
"I thought you were someone else," she murmured. Heartbeats seemed to pass when she turned around and pulled out a branch with a wad of moss covering the tip. Reedpaw's nose wrinkled when he realized that the moss was covered in mousebile. "Make sure that doesn't get tossed somewhere the kits can get it," she instructed. "And wash your paws in the stream after you're done."
Reedpaw nodded in response and grasped the stick between his teeth. He bounded out of the den and wasted no time in reaching the elder's den. Willowpaw was waiting for him outside, tail flicking impatiently until she spotted him.
"Ripplecloud is the only one with a tick, right?" he asked.
When Willowpaw nodded, he sighed in relief.
He followed her into the den and saw that Ripplecloud was laying in her newly laid out nest. Ripplecloud's eyes gleamed when she saw the stick in Reedpaw's jaws.
Reedpaw went to work immediately, searching for the tick that Ripplecloud had mentioned. Thankfully it wasn't hard to spot. Once he found it, he dabbed the mousebile onto the tick, and it jumped off onto the ground. Within a heartbeat, he cracked it with his teeth.
"Thanks Reedpaw," Ripplecloud purred after sighing in relief. "I've been working that out for days now."
"Glad I could help," Reedpaw murmured.
He was half embarrassed by her warm praise, and he ducked out of the den soon after he was finished. The elders liked to ramble on with stories of the past, and he was in the mood for gossiping.
Once the task was finished, he pulled the stick aside as far away from camp as possible. Even though there were no other kits in the nursery, it was better to be safe than sorry. Reedpaw felt satisfaction rush through him when he saw that he was finished.
Minnowstar was waiting for him in the clearing. His tail flicked with confusion when he stood in front of her. He hadn't realized until that moment that she had been watching himself and Willowpaw work together. Though it hadn't been an easy task, he realized with a start that maybe Willowpaw wasn't nearly as terrible as he first thought.
"You did well today, Reedpaw," Minnowstar meowed. Reedpaw looked at her in surprise before giving his chest fur an embarrassed lick. "You can rest now."
"Thanks," he replied with a dip of his head.
For once things were finally going his way. Minnowstar had praised him, and he had cleaned out the elder's den for a change. And he and Willowpaw were finally sort of getting along. Something told him that life would only get better after this.
