Firepaw stretched awake in the sunlight. He had grown fond of sleeping outside over the time he'd spent in the Clan, and he found himself rarely sleeping in his nest. It was the morning after Yellowfang's arrival, but Bluestar surprisingly had yet to make an announcement concerning her. He instinctively searched for Lionheart, and he ran up to him.
"Runningwind, take your apprentice and two other warriors hunting," Lionheart ordered. "Darkstripe, can you take Brindleface and Graypaw patrolling on the ShadowClan border?"
"Sure thing," Darkstripe mewed as Runningwind went into the apprentices' den to fetch Dustpaw.
"Can I lead the RiverClan border patrol?" Cherrysong asked from where she sat beside Lynxpaw.
Lionheart nodded. "Take Longtail, Swiftpaw, and Mousefur."
"But Mousefur's asleep," Swiftpaw mewed.
"Then go wake her up," Longtail told his apprentice.
Lionheart finally looked down at Firepaw. "Do you need something, Firepaw?"
"What're we doing today?" Firepaw inquired.
"Stormpaw and I will be working on his hunting," Lionheart replied. "I don't know what Bluestar has planned for you, though."
Firepaw frowned. "Oh yeah." He'd forgotten that he would mostly be training by himself and his new mentor now.
Lionheart offered a small smile. "Don't be upset. We'll probably train together another day. I'll ask Bluestar what she thinks about battle practice tomorrow."
Firepaw perked up. "Thank you, Lionheart!"
"You don't always need to wake up this early, you know," Lionheart commented. "Not even half the Clan has risen yet."
"I like to." The smaller tom shrugged.
"Bluestar might not wake for a short time," the deputy meowed. "Why don't you check up on Yellowfang? You're her caretaker, after all."
Firepaw's eyes widened with surprise. "No, I'm not!"
"Bluestar wants you to be. She says it'll help you build responsibility." Lionheart gave him an apologetic glance before putting his sights on the apprentices' den. "Have a good day." He walked past him and into the den.
Firepaw huffed with annoyance before entering the medicine den. "Morning," he greeted Spottedleaf, who was going through her herb store.
"Good morning," Spottedleaf returned. "Sorry, but Bluestar put you in charge of Yellowfang anyway."
"I already know."
"Oh, alright. Are you here for her?" Spottedleaf motioned to a nest with a large lump of dark gray fur inside. "She's asleep. You could fetch her something from last night and check her over for ticks."
Firepaw inwardly cringed at the thought of doing extra duties each day. A part of him couldn't wait for Yellowfang to be gone, but he reminded himself yet again that this was a good deed and that she deserved care while she was with them. However, he still found it hard to get enthusiastic about her.
He ducked out of the den and quickly returned with a tan mouse. He dropped it at the foot of Yellowfang's nest, then shook her awake. Her snoring halted in a sudden snort before she stretched and opened her dark eyes. Her tail curled up in amusement at the sight of him.
"Ah, the kittypet warrior!" she purred teasingly. "I heard that you're my caretaker. I don't see why all of the apprentices together couldn't do the job, but I guess I understand toughening outsiders up especially more so than others."
Firepaw didn't show his hurt. "I brought you this mouse," he told her. "It's probably pretty stale, but I still think it'll taste good. The hunting patrols for dawn and sunhigh will bring warm, fresh stuff. But I'd say eat this for now anyway."
Yellowfang sniffed the mouse. "Smells good enough to me," she decided. She looked up at him. "Not trying to poison me, are you, kit?"
"I'm not a kit," he meowed calmly. "And no, it's okay. Warriors only kill if necessary for self-defense. I don't think you'll hurt me too bad, so the mouse is fine."
She narrowed her eyes at him. She lashed her tail slightly, but not out of anger or annoyance. "You know, there's two ShadowClan members who used to live in the Twolegplace," she informed him, her snarky mood suddenly turning solemn. "After their apprenticeships, they ended up being great warriors. Ever Brokenstar himself has kittypet blood. I think that you'll do okay as long as you dedicate yourself."
Firepaw was surprised at her honest… compliment? Was that what it was? "Thank you," he mewed.
Yellowfang hissed as she picked up the mouse with a single claw and grimaced at it. She waved it around. "StarClan's sake, I can already tell this is stale!" she complained. "You couldn't have gotten a better one?" She let it drop to the den floor with a quiet thud.
"It was the best I could find from the pile," Firepaw sighed, his annoyance returning slightly. "I have to go train with Bluestar soon, so just hurry and tell me what else you need. You need your pelt checked for ticks?"
"I'm not an elder," she told him grumpily. "I can get my own ticks off."
"Well, then goodbye," he meowed, turning away from her. He looked sideways over at Spottedleaf, who seemed to be busy in her store. He decided not to bother her, instead heading out.
Camp was practically empty, except for Rosetail stretching in front of the elders' den and Frostfur's older litter chasing each other. Firepaw sat and began grooming himself, watching them. Suddenly, Bluestar emerged from her den and he jumped to his paws once more to approach her.
"G-good morning, Bluestar," he stuttered, still quite shy in spite of their mini training session the evening before.
Bluestar nodded. "Good morning, Firepaw. Lionheart and Tigerclaw both reported to me that you did well on your hunting assessment yesterday, so perhaps we'll start with that."
"I would like to learn to hunt rabbits," Firepaw told her quietly, feeling quite embarrassed. "I know that it's really weird 'cause only WindClan cats hunt those, but the forest gets rabbits too! Maybe I could learn to hunt them in case I ever saw one?"
Bluestar seemed to think for a moment, then nodded. "I will teach you the way to hunt rabbits today then. Lionheart did say you know how to hunt mice and birds. While I was planning to broaden your knowledge of those ways first, I suppose rabbits wouldn't hurt to try."
She began walking out of camp. Firepaw followed at her tail. She stood so tall and often so did he, yet when around her he found himself slouching with his shoulder blades aligning perfectly with his fluffy ginger cheeks. Willowpelt on guard at the entrance, noticing this, flashed him a sleepy yet encouraging smile. He smiled back at the molly as he passed her.
There was silence in their walk. Firepaw felt an urge to break it, yet his shyness and feelings of inferiority kept him from doing so. Bluestar seemed more eager to make the move. Without looking back at him, she began to speak.
"You're doing well for a new member. You may be discriminated against, but I personally can't understand it. Lionheart spoke of how far you pushed yourself during your first few hunting lessons because you felt determined to help with prey and not be a burden. Yet you were a new apprentice, correct?" She turned her head slightly. "Any new Clanborn apprentice would be given patience when learning to hunt. Former outsiders aren't given that luxury."
"Lionheart was very nice to me," Firepaw meowed. "He kept telling me to slow down 'cause I wasn't doing it right. Tigerclaw liked to rush me."
"Don't think too much of Tigerclaw," Bluestar encouraged, looking ahead again. "He only wants the best for ThunderClan. He's harsh even on Clanborn cats. You're like any other apprentice to him. He even told me that he was proud of your progress."
"He did?" the ginger tabby mewed.
Firepaw didn't want to admit it, especially knowing that the brown tabby warrior was Redtail's true killer, but he wanted to impress him from the very beginning. He seemed to have great influence in the Clan, and good words spoken about Firepaw could be a boost to his currently poor reputation as a lazy kittypet.
"Of course. Just because he's strict doesn't mean that he doesn't care for his apprentices."
Firepaw shrugged. "I guess that's true."
He remembered something he wanted to ask, but it was as if his mouth suddenly dried up. He couldn't find the words he wanted. Before he got a chance to speak, they stopped. They seemed to be near Sunningrocks, while still being safely concealed in the oaks.
"Rabbit hunting is different than hunting mice or birds. Can you tell me why?"
A squirrel. That's all I caught.
His copper eyes were averted to the ground, his mottled shoulders slumped with shame. Beside him, Lionheart walked while carrying three mice by their tails. The warrior looked down at the younger cat.
"Stormpaw, you did fine," Lionheart assured him. "Look at that squirrel! It's almost as big as you."
"Thanks," Stormpaw murmured, his voice muffled and mostly inaudible through his single catch. His heart raced. A squirrel. One.
They arrived at camp, and Stormpaw headed to the nursery. It was his job to feed them today. Brindleface was pregnant but not far enough to move in, so it was just Frostfur and Speckletail. Frostfur was awake, curled in her nest, while watching her four kits play moss ball. Speckletail slept, breathing softly.
"Here y'all are!" Stormpaw meowed peppily. He dropped the squirrel.
"Squirrel!" the kits squealed, all working together to carry it to Frostfur.
"Well done!" the fluffy white queen purred. "Thornkit, Brightkit, I was thinking that you two could try meat today."
Stormpaw exited and got a sparrow from the pile for Speckletail. He placed it in front of her, then shook her awake. "Wakey wakey!" he mewed.
She opened her amber eyes groggily. "Dawn already?"
"No, it's past sunhigh," he corrected. "Thank StarClan it's not dawn! I'd rather be in my nest." He purred with laughter.
She stretched her forelegs out in front of her. "Oh, I'm sure. Thanks for the prey."
Stormpaw nodded. "You're welcome. Dustpaw will be in to clean your nests shortly, ladies, so just be a little patient!"
He exited the den, hearing Frostfur tell Speckletail, "Such an energetic apprentice. Cats like him make me feel good about the new generation."
Stormpaw frowned. The smile hurt to uphold for so long, and he knew that the purr sounded so clearly forced. He was convinced that Frostfur intended for him to hear her comment and feel good about himself, so he paid no mind to it. He looked around camp. Firepaw sat talking with Ravenpaw. They were sharing a rabbit. Firepaw was talking animatedly, while Ravenpaw nodded slowly to show he was listening.
I don't have to bother them, Stormpaw thought. I can just go get some prey and eat it in the den. Yet when he looked at the fresh-kill pile, no appetite arose in him. He tried not to show the weariness he felt in his limbs. I can just… go rest. He shook his head.
"Lazy," he spat to himself underneath his breath.
"Excuse me?" Dustpaw hissed as he was walking past him into the nursery.
"N-not you!" Stormpaw meowed, panic filling him. Oh, StarClan, not now. Another thought interrupted that one. StarClan? You're a kittypet. Don't pretend like you actually care about th-
Dustpaw huffed, unaware of Stormpaw's internal argument. "Better not be, filthy kittypet." He turned his head and continued on his way.
Stormpaw stared after him for but a moment, then focused his attention on Firepaw and Ravenpaw. He took a silent breath. They're my friends. They don't care if I join them. He forced his paws forward.
"Hey!" Firepaw greeted him when he noticed him coming over.
"I heard you failed your assessment yesterday," Ravenpaw mewed quietly. "I'm really sorry to hear that. I mean, I'm sure you'll do better next time. You're a fast learner."
Stormpaw had to refocus his mind. Tears definitely didn't want to come, but he felt an even stronger wave of sadness and disappointment in himself wash over him. He hid this well, however, and simply grinned. "Big deal! I'll do good next time."
"Yeah, you will!" Firepaw meowed encouragingly. "You wanna help us with this rabbit? There will probably be some left."
Stormpaw shook his head as he took a seat beside Ravenpaw. "Not that hungry right now." Then he realized. "You know how to hunt them?"
"Yeah! Bluestar taught me today, and we happened to come across one during the lesson. I even caught it! Isn't that cool?"
Stormpaw forced a smile. Be supportive, he told himself. "Definitely! You should teach me sometime."
"Totally!" Firepaw agreed. "Oh, guess what? Bluestar said I could go to the Gathering tonight! She's supposed to announce the full list soon, right? Maybe you'll go too!"
Stormpaw had never felt less excited about something, and yet he still felt a twinge of jealousy strike his chest. "Bet I will. I'm the best apprentice here! Besides you two, of course."
Ravenpaw smiled slightly. "I think I might get to go too. It would be nice for all three of us to attend. I worked especially hard during training today just so that I have a chance."
As the two began talking again, Stormpaw found himself feeling ignored. He knew that both cats included him, but he still felt out of place. They're only doing it out of necessity. He got to his paws and excused himself to the dirtplace, then looked around. No one was there with him.
Stormpaw took multiple heavy breaths, digging his claws into the dirt. He let himself break down, yet his body refused to cry. He couldn't even produce a puny whimper. He just stood, staring at nothing, his eyes out of focus. He couldn't breathe. He couldn't think.
Should've stayed a kittypet. Should've stayed a kittypet.