A/N: Here you go!
Also: TIMELINE AT BOTTOM!
Chapter Sixteen
It was raining, a light drizzle that promised to change back and forth for the rest of the day. Sparrowwing slipped through the wet grasses, soaked to the bone but grimly determined as she hunted, eyes narrowed. Behind her, Flowerpaw was squinty-eyed and miserable, but quiet as she padded behind the older she-cat. Sparrowwing hadn't really thought that taking Flowerpaw out hunting with her was a good idea, what with the state of the mud and ravines, and the younger queen's issues with attentiveness but, well, FoxStar had assigned them Hunting Duty, so hunting they went.
Sparrowwing barely stopped herself from sighing as she carefully led the way to the Secondary Camp. The creek would be swelled with the extra water, but it meant that they could more easily hunt water-prey, as the fish and frogs would be less likely to be hiding from the rain. Maybe they could even climb a few trees, eggs would be hatching so baby birds would be easy prey, and maybe their parents would be there as well, shielding the babies as best they could. She could only hope.
"Sparrowwing," Flowerpaw suddenly hissed, sounding alarmed, and the tabby froze, ears twitching and eyes darting. "Look, there!" The Apprentice hissed; carefully, Sparrowwing looked, and, squinting through the gray haze of the misting rain, she caught a glimpse of a cat's shape slinking behind some bushes. Eyes narrowing, Sparrowwing glanced at Flowerpaw.
"You take the left side," she meowed softly. "I'll take the right." Flowerpaw nodded, pupils widening and mouth dropping open to better scent the air. Carefully, quickly, the two cats slipped over to the bushes, separating in order to surround it. Carefully, carefully, they slunk around the edges and out of each other's immediate sight.
Sparrowwing cautiously peeked around the edge of the bush, claws ready and ducked low, to see what cat had dared to slink into MeadowClan Territory-
Only to find herself blinking at the sight of a small, lean raccoon digging into the mud for worms, using its own quickly water-filled hole to wash its catch off before stuffing them into its mouth. Sighing softly, Sparrowwing released the fighting tension in her shoulders and turned away from the raccoon, slipping back around the bush to be rejoined by a sheepish, embarrassed Flowerpaw.
"Sorry, Sparrowwing," she mewed, ears back, and Sparrowwing shook her head as they left the raccoon to its meal.
"Don't apologize for doing your duty, Flowerpaw," she meowed to the younger queen firmly. "It's our jobs to assess and consider any threats to the Clan. Even I thought it was a cat from the distance, and I have no doubt that others would have as well. And if raccoons didn't have those bile glands all throughout its body, I would have given the signal to kill it, but, well," she grimaced. "Breaking just one of those glands spoils the taste of the meat. So, we'll leave it to its digging, and continue on to the Secondary Camp. You need to practice water-prey hunting anyways," she added, shaking herself sharply when the feeling of water trailing beneath her fur got a little too irritating; Flowerpaw gave a wet sneeze of agreement, and the two carried on.
By the time the sun was setting, the two queens had returned to the Home Camp, soaking wet both from the rain and swimming (and one impromptu fall into a shallow, and thankfully water-filled, ravine by Flowerpaw that saw Sparrowwing having to jump in and help her swim to some sturdy roots so they cold both climb back out). But they came back victorious, as well as exhausted. They'd managed to catch several small fish, a few frogs, a single robin, and a squirrel, although all of it was awkward to carry with just the two of them and so they were forced to carry some of it on their backs.
Sparrowwing didn't think she'd get the smell of fish out of her fur for at least another few days, unless, of course, it kept raining. Then she'd be fish-smell-free in a day, if that.
The whole Camp was wet and miserable, they all went to sleep that night curled against one another in tight bundles of wet fur, conserving warmth as best as they could.
The rain continued for another day, before vanishing, but it was enough that the Secondary Camp had been partially flooded, and the Border of CreekClan had to be heavily monitored as the excess water swelled their creeks to the point that crossing them to MeadowClan territory was made far easier than before. Thankfully, the sun came out bright and hot on the day after the rain stopped, and plenty of prey was to be found.
The raccoon had moved into the Territory, claiming a gnarled tree that was close to the Snake Pit. It happily spent its days digging for worms, waddling down to the creek to fish or clean its own prey, and was otherwise completely content to ignore the cats it shared its home with. In response, the cats ignored it as well, not even having to hiss or spit at it to get it to stay away, and it didn't growl or hiss at them either. In fact, Sparrowwing was amused to learn, the raccoon treated them like they were nothing more than part of the very grass they hid in, even when they swam in the creek or walked past it.
It was oddly reassuring, she decided as she followed her Patrol back into the Home Camp. To have a non-cat in the Territory that was neither malicious, predatory, or too large for its own good. It spoke well of the coming moons, as well, that other, non-dangerous creatures were emerging and wandering around. It spoke of a prey-heavy Green-Leaf coming, and she couldn't wait.
It was nearing the end of New-Leaf and the beginning of that promised Green-Leaf, when FoxStar called another meeting. She sat calmly upon the Tallstump, Windclaw at her side, as her green-gold eyes observed the gathered crowd. Volekit, Gingerkit, and Smokekit were in the crowd as well, their mother nervously sitting behind them, ears twitching as she peered around herself. She was usually confined to the Nursery, taking care of the kits and slowly learning about the Warrior Code and Clan Laws as she did, usually from Stonefang as the Elder had taken to sleeping in the Nursery opening out of paranoia of another fox attack.
"Today we will be gaining three new Apprentices," she announced calmly. "They may not have been born to MeadowClan, but their hearts are already those of a true MeadowClan cat. May they grow into strong, capable Warriors, and may their Mentors and StarClan guard and guide their pawsteps." The Clan yowled in agreement. "Bring the kits forward." Immediately, Pinetail's kits eagerly lunged forward, Volekit stumbling as Gingerkit nudged him playfully aside to be the first to leap up onto the stump.
Pinetail's kits had grown into healthy young cats, Sparrowwing observed as she eyed the once-Kittypets. Smokekit had become large and broad his gray tabby coat broken only by the white of his paws, belly, and tail tip, his nose a pale, flower-bright pink that stood out starkly on his deep gray fur. His kitten-blue eyes had become a keen amber, and her waited patiently for his siblings to settle themselves before leaping up to join them, which emphasized his larger size neatly. Gingerkit was already a very pretty queen in the making, her fluffy ginger-tabby fur clean and smooth, and her eyes a deep-water blue, like the dreaded Deep Pool of CreekClan. And, beside her, sulking faintly but kneading the wood beneath his paws anxiously, was Volepaw, the smallest of the three kits. His fur was short and his whole body was lean and sleek, the same meshed-brown color as his mother, with sharp amber eyes. He had the appearance of a cat breed that Sparrowwing vaguely recalled was called an Abyssinian, with hits of something else that made him looked rather beautifully exotic, she mused.
"These three shall begin on their path to becoming Warriors this day," FoxStar declared seriously, curling her name-sake tail over her paws. "So, with the blessing of StarClan, I name them Smokepaw, Gingerpaw, and Volepaw!" Instantly, the Clan lifted their voices in approval, carving the names into their hearts as they did, welcoming the three new Apprentices joyfully. "I shall now name their Mentors," FoxStar yowled out after a few moments of celebration; quickly the Clan quieted down, and Sparrowwing glanced over her Clanmates, wondering who would be named that day.
"Sunset," FoxStar called; immediately, the pretty orange queen stepped forward, ears perked attentively as she stared up at her Leader. "You have had a paw in raising the Clan's kits, and have seen to the Training of Apprentices before that grew into strong, committed Warriors," the Leader told her seriously. "I know you will do the same with young Volepaw."
"As you command," Sunset agreed, sitting primly as the exotic-looking Apprentice leaped down and padded over, touching noses with his new Mentor and quickly sitting beside her, chin up and eyes half-shut with smug satisfaction.
"Grassrunner," FoxStar called; the fluffy gray queen perked up, startled but pleased, offering a happy mew as their Leader turned green-gold eyes on her. "You have yet to have an Apprentice of your own, but your dedication to the teaching and guiding of our kits speaks well of your abilities. I know that you will teach that same dedication and loyalty to Smokepaw and turn him into a fine Warrior."
"I will," Grassrunner agreed, purring as she greeted her new Apprentice, touching noses with the large, young tabby who sat beside her calmly, blinking slowly as he did so. Up on the stump, Gingerpaw began to all but vibrate, blue eyes darting over the cats, obviously trying to see who her Mentor would be, lingering here and there on obvious favorites like Rabbitfoot, Softtail, and Palestripe.
"Sparrowwing," FoxStar called, yanking the young tabby's attention away from the young Apprentice in surprise, ears perking as she sat up straight. "You, also, have never officially trained an Apprentice. However, you have always been one of the first to offer your assistance in their training, whether it be overseeing their Punishments, or being their partners for daily duties. And, in this past moon or so, you have proved yourself more than capable of teaching stubborn young Paws about the Warrior ways. I know you will teach that sense of duty and responsibility to Gingerpaw on her path to becoming a Warrior."
"I will," she replied firmly, seriously, leaning down to touch noses with her Apprentice (she had an Apprentice of her own!) when the pretty ginger-tabby pranced over, blue eyes bright with excitement as she sat beside Sparrowwing.
"May StarClan watch over and guide us," FoxStar declared promptly, ending the meeting, and the Clan broke away, Mentors gathering their Apprentices to talk softly over plans and training.
"What are we going to do first, Sparrowwing?!" Gingerpaw meowed excitedly, bouncing on her paws as Sparrowwing got to her own feet and began to lead the smaller queen out of the Camp.
"First," she declared calmly, mind darting over plans of action and routines, eying the tall grasses as they wandered out of Camp, "I'm going to go over your hunting crouches, stalks, and then teach you the proper way to grass-walk. After that, we're going to go hunting."
"And then!?" Gingerpaw demanded eagerly, eyes wide and excited, tail held high as she stared up at Sparrowwing.
"Then we'll have to see," the pale brown tabby responded calmly, ignoring her new Apprentices immediate whine. "Come along," she ordered instead. "I'll show you around the Territory while we work." Gingerpaw perked up again and quickly darted after Sparrowwing as the young Warrior began to teach her. They spent the day out of the Home Camp, excluding when they brought back their prey or needed to eat themselves.
Sparrowwing was bemused to discover that having an Apprentice of her own felt only slightly different from when she worked with any of the other Paws on Patrol or when Hunting. Gingerpaw was bright, excitable, and eager to learn, even if she was rather poor at jumping, always hesitated before going after her prey, and had the sense of balance of a blind, three-legged mouse. Still, Sparrowwing was enjoying teaching her, pointing out dangerous things and emphasizing lessons with little quizzes about what they were discussing. It made her nostalgic to when Palestripe would lead her around the territory and cheerfully point out all the things that could kill her, which, she mused, might not have been the best way to go about it, but it had worked so maybe it was.
All she knew was that, by teaching these things to Gingerpaw, instead of having her already know them, was like remembering a favorite sunning spot or old conversation. It wasn't quite like learning it herself again, but it refreshed the lessons in her own mind. And it was fun, she decided, laughing as Gingerpaw tried to climb up the tree after her and promptly fell with a grunt when the loose bark she'd dug her claws into broke off.
"You'll get it, don't worry," she called encouragingly, amusedly, down at the Paw as she lay on the low-level branch, watching her. Gingerpaw huffed, fur dusty and fluffed with frustration, dark blue eyes narrowed, but she nodded her head and kept at it. She was dedicated, Sparrowwing would give her that, even if at this point it was no longer about the lesson itself, but about proving that she could. Still, she thought, eying the panting Apprentice as she once again tumbled down. A little incentive wouldn't hurt.
"Once you get this down we'll head back to Home Camp," she called down, eyes half-lidded as Gingerpaw perked up curiously. "I bet we can gather up enough of you Paws to get a decent Battle Training going." Immediately, Gingerpaw cheered, lunging at the tree with even more vigor than before, and Sparrowwing chuckled, looking away from her determined Apprentice to take in their surroundings idly. Rogues had been spotted sniffing around Borders, she knew from the news of the last Gathering. All cats were to be on alert for any trespassers if they could and, while her current perch wasn't very high, it still gave her a decent enough view.
And, she noted, tail stilling from its contented twitching, eyes narrowing and ears sliding back, it let her see Windclaw in the distance, alone and sticking to the shadows. What is he doing? She wondered darkly, muscles tense and claws biting into the branch beneath her as she watched him. The gray tom was slinking through the underbrush, heading in the direction of the Secondary Camp, but Sparrowwing didn't think that was his destination, as Grassrunner had taken Smokepaw that way to show him the Snake Pit and CreekClan Border, and was planning to spend the night.
Sparrowwing watched until he slipped out of her sight beneath a bush, and only then did she slowly relax. Despite his duties as Deputy generally keeping him in the Home Camp or on Patrol with multiple witnesses, Windclaw had still managed, on occasion, to slip away without notice from all but Sparrowwing and maybe one or two of his fellow Warriors. Unfortunately for Sparrowwing, these disappearances were brushed off as him feeling overwhelmed by his new duties and needing space. Robinheart had murmured to her that she had scented him on Blossomheart recently, despite Blacktail not even being more than a moon dead, and that the fluffy silver tortoiseshell had been declared pregnant by Rainstorm just the other morning.
Still, stressed or not, needing space or not, his constant disappearing acts were highly suspicious, and Sparrowwing was contemplating following him, when she caught sight of another form slinking stealthily after him. Rabbitfoot was slowly stalking the Deputy, and Sparrowwing instantly relaxed at the realization, turning her attention away with relief. If Rabbitfoot was following him, it meant that she wasn't the only one suspicious, and it also meant that an unbiased cat was witnessing the Deputy's actions. The whole Clan by now, after all, knew that she and Windclaw didn't like one another, and that she thought he was being suspiciously shifty. Rabbitfoot, however, was well-known for being taciturn, serious, and not playing favorites, so if she caught him in the act of something insidious, then Sparrowwing had no doubt that the Clan would believe it immediately.
Although, she mused abruptly as she watched Gingerpaw finally make it to her branch, panting all the while. Rabbitfoot could be confronting Windclaw herself, as his sister instead of a fellow Warrior... I'll have to ask Grassrunner about it when we get back, she decided to herself even as she congratulated her Paw.
"Come on, then," she told the tired Apprentice easily. "Back to Home Camp for Battle Practice!" Immediately, Gingerpaw whined, but Sparrowwing simply purred and lead the way back down the tree and towards Home.
She would put Windclaw and Rabbitfoot both out of her mind for now, she decided. She had an Apprentice to train, after all, and the day was still young. She had plenty of time to worry later.
A/N: Sparrow got an Apprentice! 8D Yay!
Also, dafuq u doin Windclaw?
(I'll have information on the individual cats at the end of the fic in the Epilogue, like the Character notes at the end of the Warriors Books, no worries!)
TIMELINE:
Sparrowkit becomes Sparrowpaw – May
Sparrowpaw becomes Sparrowwing – February
Pinetail & Kits Joins MeadowClan – March
Sparrowwing uses the Ravine Trick on WoodClan Cats/Windclaw gets Punished – Late March/Early April
Fox Attack on MeadowClan & Foxtail becomes FoxStar – Late April/Early May
Stormpaw becomes Stormheart – Mid-May
Pinetail's kits become Paws – Late May/Early June
AGES:
Sparrowwing – 18 Moons (1 year, 6 months old)
Stormheart – 13 Moons (1 year, 1 month old)
Quailkit, Mosskit, Barkkit, & Rainkit – 5 Moons (5 Months)
(If you're curious about any of the other cats, just comment/Review and I'll respond)