"Hurry up, you lazy mouse-brain!" A voice called through the thick grass. The green-leaf sun blazed through the tree-covered landscape, showing no relents as it turned the once-beautiful flowers into crunchy pulps.
"I'm coming, just… just give me a second!" Another voice called from a distance. The cat padded through the thick undergrowth, her pale gray pelt almost bleached white from the heat. Why they were hunting in this terrible and repulsive weather, she had no clue. But it wasn't like she could just walk away and go back to the shady cave of her den without trouble. So here she was, on a border patrol with what were probably the most annoying cats in the world.
"Hey!" Yet another voice called. A silver she-cat jumped over a fallen log and landed on top of the apprentice, her icy blue eyes round with excitement. "Cottonpaw, guess what! I caught a vole! And it's huge!" The she-cat pulled herself up and pranced around her friend, looking like she may burst with joy.
"That's awesome, Willowpaw. I bet Bushtail will love that; she does have lots of mouths to feed." Cottonpaw replied, licking a dusty forepaw as she began to trot through the forest once more. "We shouldn't keep Robinfeather and Brightleaf waiting." She paused. "Especially Robinfeather."
"Oh, you're scared of him, aren't you? Willowpaw snickered, racing to catch up to the gray cat.
"Ha!" Cottonpaw began to retort. "You should try having him as a mentor! He literally tries to shred my ears off every time we leave camp! You're lucky to have Brightleaf as a mentor; she wouldn't hurt a fly if she could avoid it!"
"Excuse me?" A voice growled from behind them. Cottonpaw gulped as Robinfeather pulled himself out from behind a bush. He looked like everything but happy.
"The only reason I'm being hard on you," he began "Is because I'm preparing you for the real life of a warrior." The tom's eyes seemed to flicker with menace for a split second. "But if you'd like to see me actually shred your ears off…" the large cat unsheathed long, sharp claws.
"Oh, stop it!" A she-cat's voice piped up. "You're being ridiculous! Shredding an apprentice's ears off! What kind of mentor are you? You scared the poor things to death!"
Robinfeather swung his head around as Brightleaf pushed her way through the same bush, her bright blue eyes wide with fury.
"I was being sarcastic." Robinfeather growled, sheathing his horrifying claws. "A good mentor should know when another warrior is being serious or not."
"Oh, don't even start!" Brightleaf meowed, facing the tom in defiance. "I'm tired of this non-sense. Willowpaw," the white and gray cat said, her voice cooling down as she turned to her apprentice. "Go and get your vole and head back to camp with Cottonpaw. When you get there, give it to Bushtail." The she-cat swung her head around so she could once again face Robinfeather. "I have some things to deal with first."
When the two apprentices returned to their camp, Willowpaw immediately headed for the nursery, the juicy vole dragging behind her. Cottonpaw headed for the apprentice's den, her legs tired and sore. She was too sleepy and worried to eat, her mind anxiously thinking of all the things Robinfeather could do to her.
I'll worry about it tomorrow. The she-cat decided. Anyways, what can he do? He has no power. That's Hazelstar's job.