Chapter One
The next day, when Jaypaw was in his nest, there were hurried paw steps coming into the medicine cat den. He lifted his head, sleepily, wishing that whoever it was hadn't waken him up. With a small pang of guilt, he realized that it was his brother, Lionpaw.
"What is it?" Jaypaw asked with a yawn. He heard a small squeak and then felt Lionpaw was looking at him.
"Thorn…! Paw…! Ouch!" Lionpaw complained. Jaypaw sighed and got to his paws, stretching. Leafpool was still sleeping, and Jaypaw didn't feel like waking her, so he took on Lionpaw's case by himself. He grabbed a few cobwebs and laid them beside Lionpaw.
"Okay, where is it?" Jaypaw asked.
"This paw," he replied, lifting his right paw and placing it in Jaypaw's. Jaypaw felt around for the thorn and plucked it out with his teeth, the salty scent of blood hitting his nose instantly.
"Ow!" Lionpaw snatched away his paw and began to lick it.
"Stop," Jaypaw told him. "Just put these cobwebs on it!" Annoyed at his brother's immaturity, he grabbed the silky webs and wrapped them twice around his paw.
"There," Jaypaw meowed. "Just keep that on for a while, and I'll come get you when you can take it off. Alright?"
"Okay," Lionpaw agreed. "Thanks." He walked out of the den after nudging Jaypaw quickly with his nose to show gratitude. He suddenly heard something stirring behind him.
"Well done," Leafpool purred. Jaypaw spun around with his fur bristling.
"I thought you were asleep!" he meowed indignantly.
"I was, but then I woke up," she told him with a small giggle. "I saw how you helped out Lionpaw. Very good! You're getting better and better as the days go by!" Leafpool purred happily.
"Thanks," Jaypaw muttered. By now, Leafpool was used to his sour attitude, and didn't flinch when he showed disinterest. She stretched and then padded out into the main clearing, leaving Jaypaw alone. He decided to go out into the main clearing, too, bored to be in the den already. Soon, he would tell Lionpaw to remove the cobweb. But until then…
"Jaypaw!" He turned his head as he heard his name being called across the clearing. His heart warmed when he recognized whose voice it was.
"Hi, Cinderpaw," he meowed as the gray she-cat padded up to him.
"Want to come on a patrol with us?" she asked. "I just heard Leafpool telling your mom that you were low on catnip and I was wondering if maybe you could come with us. We'll be passing a place where there's some." I didn't know we were low on catnip, Jaypaw told himself.
"Alright," he meowed.
"Good! We should get going now, then," Cinderpaw informed him, and went to join a few other cats. Jaypaw followed her scent, and then also smelled Cloudtail (Cinderpaw's mentor), Honeypaw, and Sandstorm (Honeypaw's mentor), guessing that they would be coming, too.
"Jaypaw's going to come and gather some catnip with us, is that alright, Cloudtail?" Cinderpaw asked the white warrior. Jaypaw felt Cloudtail's eyes on him for a second, but then the feeling faded.
"Yea, sure," he told her. The patrol left right after that.
Along the way, Cinderpaw occasionally bushed against Jaypaw's pelt to guide him around fallen trees and roots. The whole time, he cherished her sweet scent as he padded next to her. Suddenly, the air tensed and Cinderpaw dropped into a hunting crouch beside him. A strong scent of mouse came to his nostrils, and he kept quiet, not wanting to scare away the prey. Jaypaw felt a whoosh of air blow against his fur as Cinderpaw pounced, and then the muffled shriek of the mouse as it was killed by her sharp fangs.
"Good job!" Cloudtail praised. "I didn't even smell that one." Cinderpaw happily buried her prey to be recollected later, and then walked on with the rest of the group.
"Nice catch," Jaypaw meowed to Cinderpaw as they walked on.
"Thanks," she purred, making Jaypaw's paws tingle.
Finally, they reached the old, abandoned Twoleg nest near which the catnip grew. The smell of catnip hung strong in the air and lead Jaypaw to a small patch of it. He collected some and took it in his mouth.
"We're going to go remark the borders," Sandstorm told him. "If you want you can bring that catnip back to camp?"
"Alright," he meowed. He knew he should get it back as soon as he could so that it could be properly stored.
"Do you need someone to come with you?" Sandstorm asked. Jaypaw's muscles tightened.
"No," he said flatly through a mouthful of catnip.
"I'll take him," Cinderpaw offered.
"Are you sure?" Sandstorm meowed. "Do you know the way back?"
"Yea," Cinderpaw replied. "It'll be good practice anyway." Doubt filled the air as Sandstorm thought for a moment.
"Alright," she finally agreed. "But you're to head straight back after you get him to the camp, got it?" Cinderpaw's ears pricked.
"Yep," she purred. "Got it!" She turned to face Jaypaw and meowed, "Ready?" He nodded and she led him to the direction of the camp. Again, she brushed up against his side a few times to steer him away from obstacles. He could feel happiness drifting off her pelt and warm his.
"Nice catch earlier, by the way," he meowed, trying to spark a conversation.
"You already mentioned that," she said with a giggle, veering him away from a rabbit hole in the ground.
"Oh," he mumbled. A purr of amusement rose in her throat as she spoke again.
"Want me to help you carry those?" she asked.
"No, I'm fine," he told her.
"Alright, if you say so," she sighed playfully. Then she said, " We're almost back at camp."
"Okay, thanks," he meowed awkwardly.
"I'll see you later," she meowed, stopping in front of the bramble entrance.
"Sure," he said back. "Later." She pressed her nose to his shoulder briefly and then dashed away into the forest. Jaypaw, every mouse-length of his body flowing with energy, stepped in through the bramble entrance to the camp and headed straight to the medicine cat den. He was surprised to find Lionpaw's scent hit his nose again.
"… so you can go now," Leafpool was telling him. A thought suddenly hit Jaypaw like a lightning bolt—he had forgotten to tell Lionpaw to take off the cobweb!
"Thank you," Lionpaw meowed to Leafpool, and walked past Jaypaw to the main clearing.
"Where were you?" Leafpool demanded.
"I went with Cloudtai's patrol to fetch some catnip," Jaypaw explained, wondering why Leafpool was getting so angry.
"We didn't need any catnip!" she snapped. "We have enough to last a quarter moon." Not wanting to bring Cinderpaw into this, he thought quick.
"Sorry, I guess I missed it," he meowed.
"Well, the next time you go out, just come and see me, okay?" she said.
While organizing the catnip later on, Jaypaw became lost in thought. Why didn't I rat her out? Then I wouldn't be in as much trouble—she would be. He winced at the harshness of his thoughts. He would never want anything bad to happen to Cinderpaw! But he also couldn't let her get in the way of his responsibilities. What if it had been something really serous that Lionpaw had, instead of just a cobweb to be removed? Jaypaw wouldn't allow himself to be distracted so easily. I have enough problems with cats thinking I can't handle myself just because I'm blind!
Forget about her.
Sorry everybody! I posted the wrong chapter! Promise it won't happen again XD