I waited patiently for all the cats to go to sleep, it took a while, and I was thinking about how I could get away without Shadestream noticing me, it would take a miracle, I thought hard about how to get out of camp, didn't Volekit and Rosekit sneak out of camp once? They climbed some vines in the back of the nursery, but they were lighter than me being 3 moons younger, there was the dirt place tunnel but I don't want to meet Whitepaw smelling like that! There is an old oak in the back of camp, but if I were to fall it would alert every cat and I'm bad at climbing trees, but it's the only way, and Whitepaw is probably on his way now, better risk it. I scrambled up the tree trunk, I felt so awkward but I forced myself to scramble up to the lowest branch. Darn it I have to go higher and jump down, I hope I don't wake up the camp, debris fell and hit the ground as bark flecked off the tree.
"Who's there?!" called out Shadestream.
"Mouse dung," I thought with a growl.
I stayed very still and hoped Shadestream would not notice me. "I hear you! Come out!" he said with a quiver in his voice and I remembered that he was a young warrior, he had only been a warrior for 3 moons.
"Keep it down" hissed Shrewfox. I knew this was my chance and I scrambled up, hurtling myself to the ground, and I bolted into the cover of the trees.
I darted to the stream we decided to meet at. It was on Moonclan territory, near the gathering place and hidden, Whitepaw wanted to meet on his side of the territory ( because our forest gave him the creeps ) but we were better hidden with our thick forests and Moon clan does not do night patrols, since they think that Sunclan is too weak to attack them. Which they were right, Sunclan was outnumbered 3 to 2, I was not planning to tell Whitepaw that though. I trotted to the stream surrounded by bushes, he was late, or was not coming, did he change his mind? What if he did not want to meet anymore? I glanced up at the moon, I was a bit early and maybe Sunclan was harder to sneak out of, I saw a glimpse of their territory and it was open and exposed. Sure there were some trees and bushes but they were not thick.
I heard leaves crumple on the other side of the clearing, and out came Whitepaw, I breathed a sigh of relief. "Hello" his voice was cool and calm but he glanced around the forest nervously.
"Do you think ghosts are going to pop out of the bushes?" I said with a smirk.
"No just zombies," he said with a laugh.
I snorted and said "Oh don't worry we have plenty of those and we also have goblins! Spooky!".
"Oh no!" he said with fake shock and fear, we laughed about this for a while.
"Why do you live in such spooky woods though?" he asked, I thought he was kidding again, this place was beautiful in its own way! You could slink through the shadows and swim in the rivers! If you liked water, which I didn't but my mentor did, that's how she got her name, by swimming to rescue kits.
"What do you mean? It's great here! The water is good for catching fish! Food all around! The forest is alive… with zombies" I added as a joke.
Whitepaw gave me an amused look and said, "Why don't you give me some swimming lessons?".
"Oh um I- Ok lets go" I said, not wanting to act like a mouse. I must have had a worried face because he added " You have never swam before have you?".
"Um no, not exactly,"
"Well it's a learning experience for you and me" he said cheerfully.
" Unless we drown," I muttered under my breath.
Whitepaw dived right at it with a big splash. "I-its C-Co-Cold!" he said teeth chattering but he looked like he already was getting the hang of it, he was pushing along the bottom but it still counted.
I wanted to act a little more dignified than that so I walked in slowly when I tripped over a few pebbles and fell head first into the water. I flailed around helplessly underwater. Water filled my nose and mouth, and it was freezing, I think a piece of bark hit me in the head because I blacked out for a couple of seconds. When I felt my scruff being pulled, it was Whitepaw, he set me down on the bank and I sat there shivering .
"Are you ok?" he asked, his voice concerned, I nodded my head but it felt like my bones were filled with ice. Whitepaw began licking me, warming me up after a long silence he said "Maybe we should not go swimming anymore,".
I felt too tired to respond. Silence stretched out, when I said "I'll race you to the rock". "You're on!" Whitepaw said delightedly and we decided to race around the clearing until we felt so tired we collapsed on the grass.
"So what's life in Sunclan like?" I panted.
"Oh it's fine everyone is very nice, I just wish there were more cats my age, my siblings died, the other kits are too young, and Mosspaw the other apprentice, thinks I'm annoying so we don't get along" Whitepaw said between pants.
"You lost your siblings? That must have been hard" I said with a murmur of sympathy thinking about my dad, I would be lost if any of my siblings died.
"It was hard, I still miss them, it was an accident they died… it's my fault, I convinced them to try to climb a tree in camp, they fell but that's not what killed them, they fell onto a log that splintered under their weight, I got lucky and landed in a bush but... they were bleeding and cut all over with dozens of splinters in them, the healer could not save them, and then my dad died shortly after," his gaze was far and distant, "Green cough,".
"My father died saving me and my sister from a snake" I said sadly the pain of the memories came back "And then everyone forgot about my dad, they did not care he died at all, they acted as if he never existed!" I said bitterly.
Whitepaw's eyes got round, "They did not care?! When my siblings and father died they had a burial and held a vigil and everyone made a fuss about it," Whitepaw said shocked. I nodded my head and looked away.
"I know that's exactly how I felt about it!" I said with a growl. We chatted on about the topic until morning light filled the trees, this cat understood me! He did not judge me or scold me, he listened to what I had to say, we were so much alike. He understood my pain. The sun was rising though and we agreed to meet at halfmoon. I still had so much to say to him, he understood me and knew why I got upset at cats. I trotted back to camp thinking these thoughts. I slid back into my nest as dawn approached.