It was well past Sunhigh when Wingpaw finally made his way back into the Clan camp, a plump rabbit held firmly in his jaws, and a limp thrush held between his chin and his chest. His eyes flashed as he padded towards the fresh-kill pile and unloaded his catches, and he shook his fur out before turning around to look for his mentor. Silversun surfaced from the bushes a few moments later, carrying the rest of Wingpaw's catch in her jaws. A mouse and two robins were added to the fresh-kill pile, and then the deputy looked up, catching her apprentice's eye. "Good work today. You can take what you want out of the pile, and then get some rest. I expect you to be in good shape for the Gathering tonight." She meowed expectantly, narrowing her eyes at him in the bright sunlight.
The black apprentice nodded wordlessly and selected his mouse from the pile before bringing it over to the old long fallen tree trunk that served as the elder's hollow. He then flopped onto his side and closed his eyes, relishing the rare quiet moment. All day, Silversun had been badgering him to catch more, crouch more, think more, and be more. It was driving him crazy. Why couldn't she simply accept him for who he was and accept the fact that he wasn't perfect? She definitely wasn't… He smirked as he recalled an earlier incident that day in which the silver warrior had leapt over a log to land in a puddle of mud. He opened his eyes, curious to see whether the deputy still had dark brown crusted fur on her belly, to find that she was gone. He sniffed haughtily and rolled over. Perhaps she had gone to talk to Brownstar and inform her of their days hunting, and of the patrol they'd done earlier.
Soft steps from behind him caused him to look over in alarm. Leafpaw stood before him, holding a wren in her mouth. "Mind if I join you?" She asked softly through her catch. Wingpaw blinked and thought for a moment before shrugging and smiling for a few seconds. "Sure."
"Thanks." She purred loudly, her friendly warm green eyes meeting his red ones. The black apprentice felt a small nudge of embarrassment and shook his head. "No problem." He beckoned for her to sit, and she did, dropping her prey in front of her paws. She leaned down and took a bite out of it. Feathers hit the ground as she chewed, and Wingpaw couldn't help but remember that he hadn't talked to her for a long time. He struggled to think of something to say, but she beat him to it.
"How's training? I've heard that Silversun is very impressed with your hunting ability. She says that you…" She paused and thought for a moment as if trying to recall the deputy's exact way of wording before continuing. "She says that you seem to soar through the air when you leap, and the way you simply snap down on their necks and pin them down makes her think that you will become an expert someday." She mewed, before taking another bite of her prey and chewing once more. In the silence, Wingpaw's heart gave a few louder quick beats of sudden fear. Did Silversun know his secret? He was sure that he had hidden his wings well before leaving… Perhaps she had spotted his wings that time that he had caught the rabbit. It had been hard to chase, so when he had been almost sure that she was out of sight, he had let his wings out just a smidgeon to glide slightly over the grass and speed towards his prey.
Leafpaw seemed to notice his awkward silence and then meowed. "But no cat can fly, of course. I asked her, and she said that it was highly impossible for anything but a bird to fly." She rolled her eyes, not noticing Wingpaw shudder with relief. "I wish that I could fly, or actually see a cat that could. I guess it is impossible, but I can't help but believe that somewhere in the world, cats can fly…"
Wingpaw grinned, poking his muzzle into his paws. What Leafpaw didn't know was that she was sitting beside the almost only cat for sure in the world that could fly. He purred and lifted his head, his berry black eyes gleaming. "I'm sure you'll meet one someday. Believe in it, and you'll find that your dreams will come true." He meowed.
The pretty brown apprentice laughed, her eyes twinkling. "That's what I plan to do."
Suddenly, Wingpaw didn't feel so alone anymore. He felt his tenseness leave him, and he seemed to settle down and become calm. Leafpaw was so easy to talk to, he didn't mind being with her as much as he did being with Thymepaw and the others. She seemed to understand him, and she always seemed to start up conversations with subjects that he felt comfortable talking about. She was a really neat cat, that's for sure. He thought, watching her chatter on and on. He purred and let her voice wash over him.