"Gooooooood morning ThunderClan!"
Every cat groaned.
Redwing lifted his head out of his nest, jaws parting in a massive yawn. At the entrance to the den, a pair of green eyes blinked. It was too dark to see where the den ended and the opening began. He heard a nest in the center of the den shift as a cat lifted its head.
"For StarClan's sake, Emberblaze, it's not even dawn yet! Why are you waking everyone up?"
Although he couldn't see anything, Redwing recognized the voice as Blacknose. The tom was one of the most senior warriors in the Clan, trained with Emberblaze as an apprentice, and hated waking up early in the morning. Which, given the current circumstances…
"I believe I said last night that we'd be sending out pre-dawn patrols today so everyone could watch Echokit and Mothkit's apprentice ceremony, as well as make sure SkyClan aren't trying anything stupid over that border. If you would listen you'd have remembered." Redwing could practically hear Emberblaze's grin in the darkness. If you asked Emberblaze what the most important things in his life were, it would be his family, and annoying Blacknose. Sometimes not in that order.
The black and white tom growled, and Redwing saw his amber eyes flash. "I don't listen because you talk too much. Any more chatter and I'll go deaf and have to join the elders."
Emberblaze was unperturbed. "Good, then I can talk more without worrying about your ears!" Before Blacknose could retort, the deputy pushed forward. "Lakeleap, I want you and the apprentices to stay in camp to guard Gooseflower and the elders, and start stuffing bare spots on the dens with dead leaves. There's frost this morning, which means we might be in for an early leaf-bare. Patchflame, take a patrol to the SkyClan border and remark it strongly. I want them to know we're keeping an eye on it, those greedy mouse-hearts. Swing by the RiverClan border on the way back. Tigerfeather, take a patrol along the ShadowClan border, and Redwing, take a hunting patrol out. Patrol leaders can choose whichever cats to take they'd like. I want everyone back by the time the sun's fully cleared the trees."
While cats grumbled and started dragging themselves out of their nests, Redwing was beaming. He was leading his first patrol! He knew it was unusual for a warrior only one moon out of the apprentice's den to lead a patrol, but he had full confidence in himself. With his father being the deputy and his mentor, he'd gotten the best training in the forest. If his Emberblaze put him in charge of the patrol, it was because he was ready.
Eager to be prepared, he slipped straight out of the warrior's den and started giving his pelt a quick groom. Already his mind was racing: where to hunt? The ancient oak might be a good idea. It was a safe choice after all, prey was always searching for nuts in that area. But it almost felt too safe. As if he were choosing the easiest option. So where else?
Sunningrocks? Leaf-bare was when ThunderClan needed the rocks the most. The snow collected in drifts around the cracks between boulders, leaving plenty of gaps for small creatures to safely live when everything else was deep underground. This also meant RiverClan was likely to try to fight for it, just to keep ThunderClan from having that advantage. Especially after hearing they were recovering from last moon's battle against SkyClan.
It'll be a joint hunting and border patrol! I'm a genius.
Content with his plan and finished with his grooming, Redwing glanced at the warrior's den. Seeing that few cats had trickled out yet, he darted over to the fresh-kill pile. Sitting atop the pile was a mouse, which he snatched and took a few paces away before starting to devour.
"Some cats are picky when it comes to leftover prey, but come leaf-bare we'll appreciate every bite we can get."
Redwing looked up and saw his father standing across the fresh-kill pile. He grabbed his own prey, a vole, and settled down next to his son. "I'm proud of you, Redwing. You fought well against SkyClan, you're ready to lead a patrol, and you're taking older prey to allow your Clanmates to take fresher pieces when the hunting patrols are back. You're really taking your training to heart."
The younger tom flushed with pride. He was grateful he had such a supportive family, who believed in him and supported him. Pebblefoot, his best friend, had lost his father when he was an apprentice, and although he didn't tell many cats other than Redwing, he sometimes felt as though he'd missed out on opportunities other toms had with their fathers. I'll never get a mate, he joked one day when the two were hunting together, you need a father to teach you to talk to she-cats!
"Thanks, Emberblaze. I won't let you down!" he vowed, trying to set his shoulders and sit up straight.
The deputy chuckled, swiping his tongue over his lips to clear the last of his vole. "I know you won't. Now go gather your patrol, and I'll see you later this morning."
Redwing nodded and immediately swept his gaze over the clearing. It wasn't a matter of who he was taking on patrol, as much as where they were.
There! With one last respectful nod to his father, Redwing darted across the camp and skidded to a halt next to a yellow tom, showering him with dust. "Ready for patrol?"
The tom, blue eyes narrowed in annoyance, shook out his pelt. "Honestly, Redwing, are you a kit? I just finished grooming!"
Redwing rolled his eyes. "You whine too much, Pebblefoot. Your pelt is fine, let's find Mossfire and go hunting!"
Pebblefoot gave him a side glance. "Mossfire? Can't we go anywhere without you trying to bring Mossfire along?"
Redwing didn't even look at his friend, still scanning the clearing for signs of the she-cat. "Nope. I'm telling you, by this time next moon Mossfire and I will be mates."
"Mates!" Pebblefoot snorted, "You still smell of the apprentice den. Besides, you've hardly spent any time with her. Why are you so convinced you're destined to be mates?"
"Because, Pebblebrain, it all makes sense!" Redwing lifted his head. "She's the leader's daughter, I'm the deputy's son. StarClan couldn't have made it any clearer themselves! Not to mention I'm the most handsome tom in all the Clans, and she's the most beautiful. I'm a fantastic hunter, and she's a phenomenal fighter! It's truly a match for the ages."
Pebblefoot flattened his ears. "So you're telling me you want her as a mate because she's the leader's daughter, attractive, and a good fighter?"
He shrugged, not bothered at all by his supposed friend's terrible attitude. "Absolutely."
"You," Pebblefoot sighed, "are hopeless."
"Also correct." Redwing agreed, digging his claws deep into the earth and leaning into a stretch. "Why don't you go after Lakeleap? Then our kits would be cousins!"
Pebblefoot shook his head. "Because I'm not interested in finding a mate just because she's the leader's daughter or more attractive than other she-cats? Have you ever heard of love?"
"Heard of it?" Redwing shot Pebblefoot a grin. "I'm about it perfect it!" He continued to glance around the clearing, ignoring his friend's groan. Finally, his eyes landed on his target.
Mossfire!
The silver she-cat was sitting next to her sister, their pelts looking nearly identical in the slowly strengthening light. Lakeleap took after her father: strong, with a stocky build and gray fur that was nearly blue. Mossfire, on the other paw, took after their mother. Silverslip was once considered to be the most beautiful cats in any Clan. Cats used to joke that Vinestar was such a successful leader because no cat could say no to his mate.
Not that anyone would dare say that to his face.
Silverslip had retired to the elder's den, but Mossfire had easily slipped into the she-cat's pawsteps. Even now, just having a conversation, Redwing could see her sharp, angled face feathering down into long, silky silver fur. Her eyes were as green as newleaf, and shone brighter than silverpelt.
Until now, no tom had ever managed to capture her attention, but Redwing was up to the challenge. It's not as though there were many available toms in the Clan. Aside from himself and Pebblefoot, Blacknose was the only one without a mate. Given his age, he wasn't exactly a prime option.
More confident than ever, Redwing darted towards her, not even realizing Pebblefoot was in the middle of a sentence. "Hey, Mossfire!"
Both she-cats turned and looked at him as he trotted up at a much more reasonable pace than he'd approached Pebblefoot at. Lakeleap twitched her tail in greeting, while Mossfire nodded politely. "Good morning, Redwing. What can we do for you?"
"Would you like to join my hunting patrol? It would be you, me, and Pebblefoot."
Mossfire shot her sister a glance. Lakeleap smiled and flicked her ear towards the entrance.
She's encouraging her!
The pretty she-cat rolled her eyes, but she stood up. "Sure, Redwing, where are we headed?"
Redwing could barely contain his excitement. He wanted to bounce on his paws like a kit, but he forced himself to stay professional. "I thought we could go to Sunningrocks, to do a joint hunting and border patrol."
Lakeleap narrowed her eyes. "Emberblaze sent us on a hunting patrol there last night. I'm not sure it's a good idea to hunt there so much right before leaf-bare."
Foxdung.
Pebblefoot padded up, looking mildly annoyed at Redwing's sudden departure earlier. "What about Snakerocks?" he meowed, clearly having overheard the last part of the conversation. "No one was hunting there while it was warm, so there'll be plenty of prey. But it's so cold this morning there won't be any snakes out yet."
Redwing shot his friend an annoyed glance. His irritation doubled when Mossfire nodded enthusiastically, "That's a great idea!"
No! You're supposed to think my idea is a good one!
"Actually," he jumped in, "Emberblaze mentioned wanting to do a patrol out at Sunningrocks again today. If we get it knocked out this morning while we hunt, it'll free up a patrol later in the day."
It was, of course, a complete lie. But he couldn't think of another reason to justify his idea without admitting it wasn't the best one. Besides, his justification still stood! What if RiverClan was preparing a patrol right now to take the rocks back? He and his patrol would be heroes. If anything, I'm doing them a favor!
Almost unwillingly, he slipped into a daydream. He and Mossfire, battling against RiverClan side by side. Their moves flowed together so perfectly it was like they'd been training together since birth. After running off the entire patrol, Mossfire would confess her love for him. They'd return to camp together, where Vinestar would be so impressed with their skills that he'd give them Echokit and Mothkit to mentor together. Emberblaze would come up and give him a hearty shove, before telling him he was one step closer to being his deputy when he became Emberstar.
Today was going to be a great day.
Mossfire and Lakeleap looked at each other, but neither one said anything. It was Pebblefoot who finally got to his paws. "Well, I guess we'd better be going then."
All the cats looked expectantly towards Redwing.
Right! Leading the patrol!
He leaped to his paws, eager to start his amazing patrol. "Okay! Let's move out!"
Lakeleap snorted, which he politely ignored. Redwing took off towards the entrance, aware of Mossfire and Pebblefoot just behind him on either side.
This was how life should be. His best friend on one side, his hopefully mate-to-be on the other. Off to take on the world and, more importantly, be the greatest team ThunderClan had ever seen. Today it was him leading a patrol to RiverClan, to defend their prey and bring home food for the weak and elderly. Tomorrow it was him leading the Clan, with Pebblefoot as his faithful deputy. The two of them would lead ThunderClan to an era of even greater prosperity.
SkyClan and RiverClan wouldn't dare challenge us!
And that story would start with this patrol. It was going to be the greatest patrol ever!
It was not, in fact, the greatest patrol ever.
There was almost no prey at Sunningrocks. The frost on the rocks scared away what little prey might have remained after Lakeleap's patrol the previous night, and the cold sank deep into Redwing's paws until he could scarcely feel them. By the time he did stumble on a vole, his paws were so heavy and slow he didn't even come close to catching it. And not a single scent of RiverClan came close to drifting over the border.
Mossfire managed to catch a starling, and Pebblefoot caught two mice after venturing a bit away from the rocks.
Redwing was empty-pawed.
As much as he didn't want to admit defeat, he could see that the sun had completely cleared the horizon. If they didn't head back now, they wouldn't make it in time for the ceremony.
"All right," he heaved himself out of a hunting crouch, fluffing his fur out against the cold. "We need to head back."
Pebblefoot looked at the sun, then back to where he buried his two mice. "Are you sure we don't have a few more minutes? We barely have anything, and we were the only hunting patrol this morning."
"No, he's right." Mossfire's eyes were dark with anger and embarrassment at their measly catch, but her shoulders drooped with resignation. "If we don't leave now, we could be late. Imagine not only showing up with three pieces of prey, but showing up late with three pieces of prey."
Heat flooded Redwing from ear-to-tail tip. "We could try to stop by Snakerocks on the way back?" he suggested weakly.
Mossfire didn't even try to hide her contempt. "That's on the other side of the territory, mouse-brain." With a final growl, she snatched up her starling and marched away towards camp.
Pebblefoot looked at Redwing uncomfortably, but he didn't offer any words of comfort. Instead he picked up his own prey and followed Mossfire.
I've made them both look bad, Redwing realized. His heart sank down to his paws.
How had his first patrol gone so wrong?
Tail dragging in the cold dirt, Redwing followed Mossfire and Pebblefoot's trail. There was still the slight hope he'd stumble upon a prey trail on the way home. But as he got closer and closer, the hope dwindled until the scent of cat was so strong, he knew no prey would dare tread this near. He braced his shoulders and pushed through the gorse barrier, praying that no one would notice his entrance.
He pushed into camp, holding his breath. Thankfully, most cats seemed to be chatting about Echokit and Mothkit's ceremony, and no cat paid him any mind as he made his way past the fresh-kill pile without depositing anything. Thank StarClan.
It appeared he was just in time too, as the ivy covering the cave at the base of the Highrock trembled, and Vinestar appeared. The large gray tom gave a powerful leap and landed atop the Highrock, long tail snaking above his head.
"Let every cat old enough to hunt their own prey gather beneath the Highrock for a Clan meeting!"
Immediately every cat thronged together around the Highrock, eyes bright and ears pricked. Redwing padded forward as well, excitement pricking at his paws. Although he knew it was likely impossible he'd be selected to mentor one of the kits, he couldn't help but stay optimistic. After all, Emberblaze always said he had big pawsteps to fill. Surely getting an apprentice was the first step to filling those pawsteps?
In the center of the semi-circle was a small gap for the kits to enter for the ceremony. Already Redwing could see the family preparing at the entrance to the nursery. Gooseflower was whispering something into Echokit's ear, and he could see the small she-cat ducking away and muttering crossly. Although the two she-cats had nearly identical muted calico markings, they couldn't be any more different in personalities. Gooseflower was known for being practical and no-nonsense, whereas Echokit was feisty and had no qualms letting every cat nearby know how she was feeling.
Echokit would be great to have as an apprentice, he thought wistfully, imagining honing that energy into a powerful warrior.
Mothkit, on the other paw, looked quite a lot like her father. Stonefang was grooming her now, smoothing down a few stray bits of fur on her head. The silver tabby she-cat fidgeted, shifting her weight back and forth on her paws. Her eyes were wide in her head, and when she noticed Redwing looking her way she shrunk back towards Stonefang.
Dear StarClan, I'd rather train a mouse, Redwing thought scornfully.
As he turned his attention back to his leader, he noticed Emberblaze at his usual spot beneath the Highrock. The deputy nodded towards his son, before looking up at Vinestar for the ceremony to begin. Redwing's heart started to beat faster in his chest. Why had his father nodded at him? What if it was because he was going to get an apprentice?
StarClan, if you're listening, I didn't mean it! I'd take Mothkit in a heartbeat!
"Today is a special day for ThunderClan." Vinestar's deep voice boomed across the clearing, and every cat fell silent. "The day a cat becomes an apprentice, it marks the start of a journey. At the end of that journey, they'll have become a warrior: a cat who has pushed themselves further than they thought possible due to the bonds of their Clanmates and the skills passed down by their ancestors. Today, we join two young cats ready to embark on this journey, and we are prepared to travel alongside them. Mothkit, Echokit, please step forward."
Immediately Echokit made her way through the crowd and to the front of the highrock. Mothkit gave one last look at Stonefang and Gooseflower before slinking after her sister.
"Mothkit, you have reached your sixth moon and are ready to train as an apprentice. Until the day you earn your warrior name, you will be known as Mothpaw."
Vinestar scanned the clearing, stopping on a cat to Redwing's left. "Lakeleap. You are ready for your first apprentice. Although he now with StarClan, I know you will pass on everything you learned from Brindleclaw. In doing so, you keep his memory alive."
Lakeleap! That meant Mossfire would likely get Echokit. Disappointment tugged at his chest as he watched the two silver she-cats touch noses. You mousebrain, you knew you were too young to get an apprentice!
Vinestar flicked his tail as Mothpaw and Lakeleap went to stand off to the side. "Echokit. Until the day you earn your warrior name, you will be known as Echopaw. Mossfire," he meowed, looking at his other daughter. "You are also ready for your first apprentice. Hopefully Stonefang trained you well- otherwise his daughter might be in trouble!"
Every cat chuckled, and Stonefang dipped his head to Mossfire, eyes sparkling with amusement. Mossfire grinned, and touched noses with her new apprentice.
"You're both new mentors, so don't be afraid to ask for assistance from more experienced cats," Vinestar cautioned. "All four of you trust your instincts and work your hardest, and I have full faith Echopaw and Mothpaw will be warriors to be proud of!"
"Mothpaw! Echopaw!" Stonefang called, looking ready to burst with pride. Every cat took up the chant after him, with the two apprentices smiling bashfully. Even Echopaw looked slightly overwhelmed, as if the weight of her new position had just hit her. She would do well, Redwing thought, especially with Mossfire as her mentor.
With the ceremony over, cats started to disburse and prepare for the rest of the day. Redwing was about to head to his nest for a quick nap before his sun-high patrol, but before he could move an annoyed yowl rang through the camp.
"Where's the prey this morning's patrol brought in?"
Redwing's heart sank. Foxdung! He turned around and saw that the three pieces of prey had clearly been claimed by other cats. The cat who had yowled was Dustear, a cat who Redwing suspected was the oldest in all the Clans, as well as the grumpiest. He was sick of spending his days in the elder's den, and often harassed Cherryleap about when he would finally get to join StarClan.
Now the light brown tom kicked the spot where the prey had been, the darker fur on his ears flattening with annoyance. "It's bad enough the apprentices were too busy to bring us prey, now there's no prey at all? What is this Clan coming to?"
Every cat was turning to stare at the elder, clearly confused by the problem. Tigerfeather stepped forward with one of the mice Pebblefoot had caught. "I'm sorry, Dustear. Please take this, I'd assumed everyone else had taken their share since there was hardly anything left on the pile."
Dustear snorted and turned away. "No. I know you're not in the nursery yet, but you will be before the full moon, and my mother would come down from StarClan and claw my ears if I took prey from a queen! It's good of you to offer, but someone else should have offered before taking all the prey! What about that mate of yours?"
Beetleclaw hurried forward to stand beside Tigerfeather. "I haven't eaten yet today, Dustear," he meowed apologetically. "I told Tigerfeather to take the last piece instead."
"I haven't eaten either," Blacknose growled. "Nor has Patchflame, we were patrolling together this morning."
Redwing's stomach started to churn. This was getting bad, quickly. He needed to do damage control. He darted to where the elder was standing and dipped his head respectfully. "I'm sure it was just a misunderstanding, Dustear. I'd be happy to go out and catch you something fresh right now."
There! Now instead of realizing his mistake, his Clanmates would think he was taking on extra work to take care of Dustear.
But the old tom didn't seem impressed. "Don't get smart with me, kit! I know you were supposed to be hunting this morning. Where'd the prey go? Did you and your patrol eat before bringing it back to your Clan?"
Panic pulsed through Redwing. Dustear was accusing him of breaking the warrior code! "No! The prey wasn't running this morning, that's all."
"How could it be doing so badly? It's only the beginning of leaf-fall. I knew I shouldn't have had kits right before leaf-bare." Tigerfeather fretted, leaning into Beetleclaw. The black tom ran his tongue over his mate's ear comfortingly.
"What's going on?"
StarClan, please, no…
Redwing turned as Vinestar padded up, his eyes furrowed with concern. Before Redwing could reply, Dustear cut in. "This little whelp is saying the prey was running too badly for the elders to eat!"
"I didn't-" Redwing started to defend himself, but Dustear whipped around and silenced him with a furious glare.
"There's only a few explanations for a cat hunting that badly at the end of greenleaf. Either he and his friends ate out on patrol, or he's so stupid and wet behind the ears that he shouldn't have gotten his warrior name!" Dustear declared.
Vinestar turned and set Redwing with a hard stare. "Well? What do you have to say for yourself?"
Panicked, Redwing's mind went blank. He could see that every cat's eye was on him, and most did not look sympathetic. Think, mousebrain, think!
"I, er, we decided to hunt near Sunningrocks to make sure RiverClan weren't trying to move into our territory. We definitely didn't take any prey for ourselves. Mossfire, Pebblefoot, and I would never do that." Vinestar's eyes narrowed as he heard his daughter's name. Redwing moved on quickly, "There just wasn't much prey there. I'm sorry."
Beetleclaw tipped his head to the side. "I saw you speaking to Lakeleap this morning. Didn't she tell you we had hunted there last night?"
Redwing gave a tiny nod, suddenly feeling the size of a mouse. "She did. But I thought my reasoning still stood."
Vinestar closed his eyes, suddenly looking as old and weary as Dustear. "Redwing, your intentions were...good, but misguided. If RiverClan did plan on taking over Sunningrocks, a patrol of three cats isn't going to hold off an attack patrol. Especially with their camp being so close to there. Besides that, over-hunting at Sunningrocks this time of year is disastrous. We need to give the prey time to establish itself, so that come leaf-bare there's enough to keep the Clan going." He opened his eyes and gave Redwing a serious look. "I know you're young, but I think you are smart enough to have asked a more experienced warrior for advice before trying to complicate the patrol to such an extent. How much prey did your patrol end up catching?"
Redwing swallowed, ignoring the lump in his throat. "Three pieces, Vinestar."
"Then you'll spend the rest of the day hunting for the Clan. I'll tell Emberblaze to replace you on any patrols you were meant to be on today, and I want your first piece of prey taken directly to Dustear. Do you have any questions?"
"No, Vinestar," Redwing tried to keep his head up and his shoulders squared, but with the entire Clan watching him he had to fight the urge to sink into the ground. Beyond Vinestar, he could see Emberblaze watching everything. His green eyes were dark with disappointment, and Redwing wished he could turn tail and disappear into a rabbit warren, never to be seen again.
Vinestar nodded and flicked his tail. Every cat turned and quickly busied themselves with something else to escape the awkward tension in the air. Vinestar nodded once more to Redwing and Dustear before turning and heading back towards his den.
Redwing started towards the entrance, humiliation prickling his pelt. When he heard pawsteps behind him a small, kittish part of him wanted to pick up speed to escape whoever was following him. But, he reasoned, running out of camp like a hare on fire would probably make him look even more ridiculous, so he stopped and turned back.
Coming up behind him was a light gray she-cat with green eyes. She purred sympathetically and touched noses with Redwing. "Oh, my dear, what am I going to do with you?"
Redwing sighed and shook his head. "I don't know. I reckon Emberblaze is ready to kick me out and send me to WindClan."
"Surely not! He'd send you to RiverClan so you'd have to spend leaf-bare in the river." She winked at him. "Your father's not mad at you, Redwing. I think we're just disappointed you let your hubris get in the way of your common sense."
She didn't say again, but Redwing could feel it looming in the air.
He shook out his fur, suddenly feeling cross. "It wasn't hubris, I was trying to protect my Clan! Besides, Cinderfall, you're my mother. Shouldn't you be on my side?"
She flicked her tail over his ear, ignoring his grunt of protest. "Being your mother means I will always stand by you and love you. But it also means I'll always be there to tell you when you're in the wrong. What makes you think you're more qualified than Vinestar or Emberblaze to decide what will keep the Clan safe?" She sat down and drew a paw over her ear. "The RiverClan border was already being patrolled. Emberblaze made sure the Clan was safe from attack. That wasn't your job. Your job was to make sure the Clan was fed." Cinderfall looked up, her green eyes gentle. "You failed that job."
Redwing bowed his head, unable to meet his mother's gaze. She was absolutely right. It was arrogant to assume he knew best when it was only his first patrol.
"I should apologize to Emberblaze. He put a lot of trust in me in front of the Clan, and I let him down," he muttered. "Pebblefoot, too. He wanted to hunt at Snakerocks. It was a way better idea than mine, but I was too proud to admit it."
The gray she-cat pressed against his side comfortingly. "Taking the time to reflect on your actions and understand they were wrong is great. Some cats can't do that. If you come out of this having learned a lesson, then it was an experience worth having."
Redwing dipped his head. "Thanks, Cinderfall. I wouldn't be half the cat I am without you and Emberblaze guiding me."
"I know," her green eyes twinkled. "Now go and get Dustear something to eat before I dunk you in the river myself!"
Redwing let out a quiet yowl of alarm, leaping away from his mother. "I'm going, I'm going!" Waving his tail in goodbye, he darted towards the entrance, his heart feeling lighter.
I can keep improving and keep getting better. And one day, I will be the best warrior ThunderClan has ever seen!