"You will never be entirely comfortable. This is the truth behind the champion - he is always fighting something. To do otherwise is to settle."
― Julien Smith, The Flinch
"Go Spiderpaw!" Songpaw meowed. "I'll watch the kittypets!"
Spiderpaw and Songpaw traded places and both me and Spiderpaw ran across the Thunderpath to see a white and brown tabby she-cat swiping at Honeybreeze and Volepaw.
"There's her kits." Spiderpaw whispered to me, flicking her tail towards a patch of grass next to a twoleg nest. "She must be a filthy rogue."
The tabby rogue turned to look at us and realized she was outnumbered.
"Kits! Run! Find a twoleg nest farther away!" the rogue cried.
"Oh no they don't!" Spiderpaw growled, she leaped like an elegant shadow and slammed down in front of the two kits with the power of a cheetah.
Just to say, I was amazed at her physique and speed.
I looked behind me and saw that Brownpaw was standing there looking at Spiderpaw in deeper admiration. Right behind him was Flypaw and Willowbreeze.
"MY KITS!" the tabby rogue screamed. "GET AWAY FROM THEM!"
Honeybreeze shoved the rogue away from her and ran to pick up the first she-kit, a brown and black tabby. Volepaw ran to pick up the second she-kit, a mostly black tortie she-kit.
"They will make great warriors." Spiderpaw purred.
Jioveheart walks past me and looks at the kits, and then unsheathes her claws and stares down the rogue mother.
"What is your name." Jioveheart said in a cold snarl.
"Giselle." the tabby rogue coughed. "You may have gotten me and my kits, but most of your kittypets have escaped!"
"What?!" Willowtail gasped.
I looked behind me in horror to see Faith and Ollie running away with one kit.
"NO!" Jioveheart cried. "BROWNPAW, FLYPAW, REDPAW! STOP THE OTHERS FROM ESCAPING!"
The three of us ran to the bramble bush and saw Songpaw still there with Misha, and three more dead kit bodies.
Misha was a small black she-cat with amber eyes, and the only kittypet that hadn't escaped.
"SPIDERPAW!" Jioveheart boomed. "Why did you leave the kittypets with Songpaw?!"
"She told me too!" Spiderpaw protested.
"Likely story!" Willowtail growled.
"Hey! She made a mistake, calm down!" Brownpaw retorted. "We still have two she-cats and two she-kits!"
"But I wanted twenty-"
"Twenty isn't a realistic number." Volepaw growled.
"Spiderpaw, you'll be in charge of elder den cleaning duties for a moon-"
"Don't punish her Honeybreeze, I was the one who couldn't keep them from escaping." Songpaw whispered.
"Don't punish anyone!" I snapped. "We still have kittypets! Let's just head back!"
"Fine!" Jioveheart snarled. "The sun is falling anyways, let's go back."
"Only four?!" Splotchstar snarled. "Jioveheart, this was a really pathetic first Queen-Napping Patrol!"
"It was Spiderpaw! She let most of the kittypets escape by leaving them with Songpaw!" Jioveheart gasped.
On the way back, me and Flypaw were put in charge of watching Giselle.
She leaped to try to get her kits from Brownpaw, but Flypaw snapped his teeth shut on her tail.
"OW!" Giselle yowled. "LET ME SEE MY KITS!"
"After they've been named." Splotchstar growled. "You're all RiverClan cats now."
"NO, NEVER!" Giselle snarled. "KITS! COME-"
"Mama!" the tortie she-kit squeaked.
The two kits tried to run to their mother, but Brownpaw blocked them gently with his tail.
"Kits, don't worry. She's fine." Brownpaw lied, fear flashing in his eyes.
"You seem good with the kits." Spiderpaw purred beside Brownpaw.
"T-Thank you." Brownpaw's pupils got big and his fur slightly fluffed.
"All cats who can swim come here!" Splotchstar meowed. "Redpaw, you two keep Giselle there."
I looked at the shaken rogue as Brownpaw and Spiderpaw lead the kits to Splotchstar.
"You, the brown tabby kit." Splotchstar said.
"THEY HAVE NAMES!" Giselle roared.
"They will have names!" Splotchstar snapped impatiently. "Morningpool, get some reeds to wrap around her mouth."
The medicine cat returned and wrapped them around Giselle's mouth, and she struggled to get them off.
"You will now be Birdkit, and the tortie will be Petalkit." Splotchstar meowed. "You will stay in the Nursery with Amberfern and Duskbright. Giselle will be sleeping in the dirtplace for the next moon. And as punishment, all the cats from the Queen-Napping patrol will take turns guarding her over the night."
"What?!" Jioveheart hissed. "But-"
"She lead the patrol successfully Splotchstar!" Honeybreeze protested. "Don't punish her! She's part of the prophecy!"
"Please Splotchstar, don't punish Jioveheart!" Willowtail added.
I couldn't believe this! They were begging for the stuck-up Jioveheart to be relieved of the punishment and not us!
Splotchstar narrowed her eyes angrily at Jioveheart.
"Fine." Splotchstar snarled. "But every sunrise, you'll be picking up the prey that ThunderClan gives us for a moon. And you'll bring it back to the Clan yourself."
I looked to the fresh-kill pile and my eyes widened as I saw the fresh-kill was taller then me!
"Is that...?"
"ThunderClan's fresh-kill? That they gave to us to prevent war?" Splotchstar puffed her chest.
"We're going to have so much leftovers!" Brownpaw said in horror. "That could be eaten by ThunderClan!"
"And what will we do with the leftovers?!" I growled. "They'll spoil!"
"We'll bury it!" Splotchstar laughed. "Lots of their catches, going to waste!"
I was horrified.
"Splotchstar, you've punished ThunderClan way more than was necessary!" Stonewater snapped. "We're not going to take three-fourths of their prey for six moons and starve them while we waste their catches!"
"BE QUIET!" Splotchstar snapped. "Everyone! Tonight we eat like lions!"
Many warriors cheered and grabbed greedily at some of the biggest catches, and Clovertalon took a rabbit to the Nursery.
Darkpuddle took a few mice to the elder's den and a squirrel to his mate...
I saw a flash of gray and orange disappear out of camp.
I noticed it was Stormbright, carrying a rabbit with her mouth and a squirrel with her tail.
I grabbed a few voles and took after her.
"Stormbright! Wait!"
The former ThunderClan cat stopped and looked at me in horror.
"I...want to help you."
"I'm not doing anything." Stormbright lied.
"You're taking fresh-kill back to ThunderClan." I replied. "And I want to help you, I'll keep a secret."
"Oh...OK." Stormbright's shakiness stirred down a bit and she lead us past the moor and toward camp.
It was too dark for any cats to notice us, and without hesitation, we entered ThunderClan camp.
"Tawnystar."
The tortie woke up and her eyes widened as she recognized me and Stormbright.
"Have you come to return my sister?" Tawnystar asked.
I stopped and looked at the shaken ThunderClan leader.
"Stormbright's your sister?" I gasped.
"Yes." Tawnystar whimpered.
Stormbright brought a rabbit leg and dropped it in front of her sister.
"Eat, sis." Stormbright meowed. "I know you miss me, I'm sorry."
"No." Tawnystar sighed. "So much of our weakest members have been suffering. All the elders have already died from starvation."
"You can't mean-"
"I do mean our father Eagleflank." Tawnystar sobbed. "And Blossomheart killed herself...she couldn't live without Thornspring and their kits."
"Is there any good news?" I croaked, suddenly feeling a wave of hatred for my own Clan.
"Onesplash had three kits." Tawnystar muttered. "You can see them...let me talk to my sister."
I left Tawnystar's den, and walked in the Nursery.
I noticed the brown tabby she-cat look at me with eyes full of shock and anger.
"Wait!" I whispered, as the other queen was asleep. "Tawnystar said I could look at them!"
Onesplash calmed down, and I looked at the kits. Two she-kits and a tom.
"The light brown she-kit is Hawkkit, the white and black she-kit is Sweetkit, the black tom is Fangkit." Onesplash murmured. "Stupid tom is blind..."
Why was she being mean toward her kits? Wait...
"Was raised by my Ma to hold my tongue unless it was really important." Songpaw explained. "The other apprentices picked on me for it. My patience and silence is my strength, but they treated it like it was my weakness."
"Oh, well we'll try to make it feel like home for you." I smiled. "You must miss your mother."
"Only a little, she slapped me sometimes and blames me for my sister dying." Songpaw frowned.
"You're Songpaw's mother!" I hissed. "You had kits so soon after her!"
"I needed real warriors as my kits." Onesplash snarled. "Not soft-hearted goody two-paws."
I unsheathed my claws and she growled at me.
"Redpaw!"
I looked back and saw Stormbright at the Nursery entrance.
Oddly, she looked like she was about to burst into happiness.
"We should go now." Stormbright purred.
We left camp and as we were walking around the lake, I looked at her.
"You must be really happy to have seen your sister again." I meowed suspiciously.
"Yep!" Stormbright chirped.
We snuck back into camp and Stormbright skipped into the warrior's den.
"Hey Redpaw." Flypaw walked slowly to me. "You seem happy, did Darkpuddle talk to you?"
"No." I answered right away. "Worried?"
"About what?" Flypaw looked away and his ears flattened.
I walked forward till our noses were centimeters apart.
"Me still liking him." I answered. "I don't."
"Whose kits will you have then?" Rowanpaw asked, walking towards us. "RiverClan needs kits always."
"Just because I'm a she-cat..." I said to the medicine cat apprentice. "...doesn't mean that I have to have kits."
Did Flypaw's tail just drop?
"I think I like another tom..." I added on purpose.
"Who?" Flypaw blurted out, then shook his head. "Nevermind, it's clearly none-"
I 'accidentally' brushed against Flypaw's pelt before walking into the apprentice's den, ready to sleep on good dreams.
Flypaw's POV
"Woo!" Rowanpaw looked at me in excitement.
"What?" I stammered, Redpaw's scent still clinging onto me...
"She likes you!" Rowanpaw almost yowled. "GREAT STAR-"
"SHH!" I growled. "You're going to wake up my mom with that yelling!"
"Or the future mother of your kits~" Rowanpaw teased.
"I hate you." I snapped. "Go back to your herbs."
I cursed at myself that Rowanpaw saw the corner of my mouth in a smile and dashed away in triumph.
I walked over to the Nursery and saw my mom Amberfern was snacking on a rabbit flank.
"How's having Clovertalon's kits going?" I whispered.
"Wonderful." Mom purred. "How's Redpaw?"
"Oh my...mom!" I hissed as my mother grinned. "I just..."
"Smell her scent on your pelt, seems like your getting somewhere..." My mother teased.
"Stop." I sighed, finally letting myself grin. "You should worry about your new litter."
"They're not here yet!" Mom retorted, smiling. "I should worry more about my future grandkits-"
"Unbelievable." I said, trying to hold back my laughter. I left the Nursery and headed toward the apprentice's den.
I was almost happy that Jioveheart and her followers were warriors now, now the apprentice's den wasn't split in two with tension in the air.
Me and my friends could sleep more peacefully.
"C'mere Flypaw." Redpaw whispered half-asleep, at the corner of the sleeping apprentices.
My heart raced.
"What is it?" I whispered.
"Sleep here, I'm cold." Redpaw replied.
Redpaw's POV again
As soon as I whispered the words, I felt Flypaw rush to my side and rest his head on my neck.
I felt lots of excitement rush through me, and I tried to choke it down. I was still thinking of what must've made Stormbright so happy...
Woops! I was having so much fun writing this chapter that I wrote even more than I normally do! Thanks and please review!