Time for chapter dos!!!

Chapter 2: Cedarpaw

"Hey!" I yowled. "What are you doing on our territory?"

The white she-cat froze, her eyes wide with terror. I had been placed on watch duty by Bramblestar, the leader of my Clan, RushClan. So far, the day had been rather dull. There weren't any other Clans around here except for CoveClan, and they didn't come into the forest very much. And then the white she-cat with odd, pale blue eyes came along. This had to be the most exciting part of my day so far. I almost didn't see the trespasser, as she blended in with the snow, a clear, chalky white. The only part of her that gave her away was her set of pale blue eyes.

"I..." the she-cat stuttered. "I...I'm...I..."

"Well," I growled. "Come on then. Out with it. You're...?"

"Palepaw," the she-cat spat out.

"And why are you here, Palepaw?" I asked.

"One of my Clanmates has an infection in his hind leg," Palepaw explained. "And we're all out of dried oak leaves. I'm the medicine cat's apprentice, and I wish to speak with your medicine cat, if you will allow me."

I growled, narrowing my eyes suspiciously at her. "And how do I know you're not lying?"

"Go ask Smallstar," Palepaw challenged, her polite air dissolving. She, too narrowed her eyes and growled. "I don't lie."

We both stood our ground, our eyes locked as we glared. My stomach felt it would just about burst with fury, so I gave up. "Fine," I muttered. "I'll take you to Bramblestar." Without a word, I slipped through the thorn barrier that surrounded the camp entrance. I heard Palepaw's soft steps as she followed me.

"Cedarpaw," Bramblestar's familiar growl greeted me as I padded into the RushClan camp. "Why are you back? I've not yet sent out another cat to take your place."

"I've brought a trespasser," I meowed, stepping out of the way to reveal Palepaw, who slid timidly out into the open. "She claims to be Palepaw, the medicine cat of RushClan."

"Ah, yes," Bramblestar growled, staring down at Palepaw. "I seem to recall your face. You and your brother Scumkit were trying to hold us off when we attacked you three moons ago."

"His name is Shadowpaw," Palepaw corrected the leader sharply. Bramblestar lashed out at Palepaw with an unsheathed paw, scoring a long claw mark down the side of her muzzle. I flinched, expecting her to screech in pain, but she did not move a muscle. She stood perfectly still, breathing in and out evenly as blood seeped from her cut and onto the dusty floor of the camp.

"I've had worse injuries," Palepaw meowed evenly.

"Why have you come?" Bramblestar demanded.

"I wish to see your medicine cat," Palepaw replied. "My mentor, Midnightshadow, is in need of dried oak leaves, and we have none at our camp, and we were hoping that perhaps you might give us some."

I was rather shocked at how politely the young medicine cat was now acting, that is, if she even was a medicine cat. She just had a major mood swing, I thought as I stared at the side of her head, watching blood drip down her muzzle, staining her white pelt scarlet. She-cats can be so temperamental!

"And why doesn't your lazy mentor just get off her haunches and gather some oak leaves herself?" Bramblestar snarled.

"Because," Palepaw meowed calmly. "We have no oak trees in our vicinity. If we needed to collect oak leaves, we'd have to steal them from your territory. And I know how much leaders hate it when other cats steal from them."

"Fine," Bramblestar meowed. I noticed a smug grin on Palepaw's face. She turned to me.

"Good day," she meowed. Then she turned to Bramblestar and dipped her head. "Good day to you as well, Bramblestar. My Clan thanks you for your generosity." Then the white apprentice padded off, leaving both Bramblestar and I in the snow.

"What just happened?" Bramblestar asked, turning to look at me.

"I'm not sure," I replied slowly. "But one thing I know is that she's got quite a temper."

"Cedarpaw!" Bramblestar yowled. I jumped, my head shooting straight up.

"Yes Bramblestar?" I mewed, yawning.

"You're not to fall asleep on duty anymore," Bramblestar growled. "Do you understand me? You were supposed to see that apprentice off while I slept, but since you decided to sleep instead, I was the one who had to escort her all the way back to her Clan!"

"Oh," I meowed, looking at my paws. "Sorry about that. I promise it won't happen again."

"It'd better not," Bramblestar growled. "Now, get to your paws. We're going hunting with Squirrelflight and Narrowpaw." Bramblestar spat out Squirrelflight's name like it was a piece of maggot-infested crowfood he had bitten into. I didn't quite understand it. Squirrelflight was a wonderful warrior, and she was a joy to be around. And so was Narrowpaw. I almost drooled as I scrambled to my paws in the blanket of snow in which I had slept. Narrowpaw, the brown tabby she-cat with sparkling blue eyes. She was so bouncy and full of fun. I loved her so much, and I wanted to be with her forever, but I just didn't know how to tell her that I loved her. Maybe today I could. I mean, we were going to be warriors in about five moons, which wasn't a very long time. Then, we could settle down and start a family together. Maybe...

"Cedarpaw!" Bramblestar meowed. "Are you even listening to me?"

"Wha?" I shook my head.

"I said," Bramblestar repeated his instructions. "Squirrelflight and I will go hunting in the direction of the ShadowClan border, and you and Narrowpaw can go toward the CoveClan border. Catch as much prey as you can. We'll meet at the Sky Oak at sunhigh."

"Alright," I meowed, dipping my head as Squirrelflight and Narrowpaw padded out into the clearing.

"Good morning, Cedarpaw!" Narrowpaw mewed, bounding to my side.

"Morning!" I meowed in reply.

"Squirrelflight," Bramblestar dipped his head to the lovely ginger she-cat.

"Bramblestar," Squirrelflight almost growled, narrowing her eyes.

"Let's go," Bramblestar meowed, turning to me. "You know what to do." Then, the leader turned and padded off. Almost reluctantly, Squirrelflight followed.

"We're hunting CoveClan's territory," I meowed to Narrowpaw, then turned and lead her in the direction of the frozen stream that divided the two territories.

"I'll bet I can catch more prey than you before sunhigh!" Narrowpaw challenged.

"I doubt it!" I scoffed playfully. "Alright then, here are the rules: We'll each take a separate path. I'll go in the direction of the Moonpool, and you go toward WindClan's old camp, but there's no crossing the stream, even if the prey you're chasing crosses it. At sunhigh, we'll meet up and count our prey, then return to the Sky Oak."

"What does the winner get?" Narrowpaw asked.

"Let's see..." I murmured, already deep in thought. I wanted to make it something good, so that when I won, I'd be able to enjoy it. "Whoever catches the most prey gets to...stay in the apprentice den all night and have the loser tend to their every whim."

"Seems fair," Narrowpaw replied smugly, dipping her head. "Now then, let's get started." She flicked her tail, signaling for the competition to start, and bounded away from me. I turned and headed in the other direction. I wondered what the Moonpool looked like. I myself had never seen it, I'd only heard stories. But I imagined it was beautiful. I shook my head and bounded down the stream, my nose in the air, searching for the familiar prey scent I scented usually right before I made a kill. Then, a sharp smell hit the scent glands at the roof of my mouth. Squirrel! I looked up at the tree that stood before me, a tall, spiny pine tree. On the second lowest branch of the tree sat a squirrel a big, brown nut in its paws. I dropped into a hunting crouch, trying to remember how to climb just as swiftly as a WindClan cat ran. For a heartbeat, I envied Narrowpaw. Her father was a WindClan warrior, so she was definitely the fastest of the two of us. I blinked, clearing the cloud of envy that surrounded my head and focused on my kill. I crept forward as slowly as I could, unsheathing my claws and preparing to jump for the trunk of the tree. When I was about a rabbit length away from the base of the tree, I jumped. I flew through the air for less than a heartbeat before slamming into the trunk of the tree. The squirrel, losing its balance and its nut, fell out of the branch and onto the ground. I jumped off of the tree and followed the squirrel as it shot through the undergrowth. Luckily, I caught up quickly, as the squirrel tried to leap for a tree and missed, landing on the ground right in front of my paws. What luck! I thought as I scooped the furry creature up with a sharp, hooked set of claws and threw it into the air. It landed on the ground with a crunch, and I killed it quickly, to keep it from suffering. I buried it at the base of a beech tree.

I heard another scuffling sound under the bushes and scented the air again. It smelled like a vole. Dropping into a hunting crouch, I pulled myself slowly forward, preparing to pounce. I unsheathed my claws when I was a mouse length away and prepared to pounce.

"Hey!" A familiar voice cried. My head shot up. The vole scurried away. It was Palepaw.

"What are you doing here?" I asked. "I thought we got rid of you at dawn."

"CoveClan's territory just so happens to be right across this stream," Palepaw replied.

"Well thanks for scaring off that vole," I muttered. "Now I'm going to have to tend to Narrowpaw's every whim!"

"Oh," Palepaw mewed, looking down at her paws. "I'm sorry." Then, her head shot back up. "Wait!" she cried. "I have an idea!" She pointed with her nose toward the birch tree where I had buried my squirrel. "Would you like to trade a squirrel for five mice and a thrush?"

"Would I!" I exclaimed. "All that for just a measly squirrel?"

"Well, my Clan never really gets squirrels, so if I only take one squirrel instead of five mice and a thrush back to Smallstar, she'll be so pleased, and she might even let Shadowpaw out for training instead of keeping him cooped up in the elder's den changing their bedding."

"My Clan always gets squirrels," I mewed. "And they always get mice and thrushes, too, but if I bring all this home and maybe a vole or two," I made sure to put stress on the word vole. "I'll win the contest for sure!" I bounded over to the birch tree, dug up the squirrel, and bounded back, spitting the squirrel at Palepaw's paws.

"Just a moment, please," she mewed, turning and padding off. "I'll have to go unbury mine first. Please, continue your hunting while I'm gone."

I nodded and scented the air again. The smell of vole was still strong and fresh, but this time it was under a holly bush instead of a bramble bush. I crouched and crept toward the holly, unsheathing my claws. Right as Palepaw returned, I pounced, killing the vole with a swift bite to the neck.

"Wow," Palepaw whispered as I trotted up to her with the vole in my jaws. I looked up at the sky. Sunhigh was just around the corner, and the Sky Oak was quite a distance away. Palepaw nudged the five mice and the thrush to my paws, picked up the squirrel, and bounded off. Now, I just had to figure out a way to carry all this prey. I picked up the mice by their tails, the thrush by its tail feathers, and stuck the vole right into my mouth so that the head and half of its body was hanging out. I breathed through my nose, not wanted to moisten the prey, as I bounded through the forest in a race against the sun as it climbed higher and higher. Finally, right as the sun reached its highest point, the Sky Oak came within view. I quickened my pace and sprinted down to the oak where my mentor was waiting with Squirrelflight and Narrowpaw. I dropped my catch on the ground and took in a deep breath through my mouth, glad that the prey was gone, and that I wouldn't be tempted to swallow it all whole now. Then I noticed something. Squirrelflight looked quite distraught and angered, glaring right at Bramblestar who just looked the other way as if nothing was wrong.

"How'd you catch all that?" Narrowpaw asked in awe as she looked down at her two water voles and a scrawny squirrel.

"I'm just good," I shrugged.

"Excellent job, you two," Bramblestar meowed. "Now, let's get back to camp.

"Wait," I mewed, looking down at Bramblestar's paws. "Why didn't you two bring back any prey?"

Bramblestar turned to Squirrelflight, as though willing her to keep her mouth shut. "We had something else to do," he meowed. Then he and Squirrelflight each picked up half of the prey in my pile, leaving the vole for me to carry. Narrowpaw tried to stuff her two water voles into her mouth, but the squirrel was in the way. I trotted over to her.

"Here," I mewed, taking the squirrel from her mouth. "Let me help you."

"Thanks," her mew was muffled by the two water voles, but I could still tell what she was saying.

As we trotted back to camp, I tried to figure out what Bramblestar meant by 'we had something else to do'. Wasn't hunting more important than 'something else'? And if that 'something' was so much more important than hunting for the Clan, then why didn't they tell us about it? Then, I thought of something else. No less than a moon ago, Bramblestar took Whitetail out hunting with us, and he sent me in the other direction. At the half moon, she moved into the nursery. I stopped, my body rigid with fear. Why was he doing this to poor Squirrelflight, too? Did he want the whole Clan to be filled with his kin? Then it hit me. He did want the Clan to not only to be filled with his kin, but he wanted the Clan to be filled with his kin only. If I didn't do something about it, soon, every tom in the Clan who wasn't his kin would be killed, and every she-cat would be forced to bear his kits!