Warriors New Rivals
Chapter 23
"I smell a storm," Splashheart told Redfeather who was sitting beneath highcliff looking at the camp.
"We have storms all the time," Redfeather replied sternly, not gaining eye contact with Splashheart.
"This one smells big," Splashheart warned, parting her jaws to get a better scent.
"Try not to worry about it too much," Redfeather advised.
"Pippaw get off me!" Daisypaw's yelp sounded from behind the apprentices den.
"How dare you!" Splashheart had gone to see what had happened and saw that Honeyfern was scolding Pippaw.
"I was just playing…" Pippaw muttered, lowering his head in shame.
"It didn't feel like a game!" Daisypaw hissed padding off toward the fresh-kill pile
"Honeyfern, you shouldn't be so hard on him, you were an apprentice as well and you made mistakes," Splashheart joked.
"Don't play so rough next time," Honeyfern growled to Pippaw, ignoring Splashheart's comment, before following Daisypaw to the fresh-kill pile.
"Don't worry about her; she just feels the need to protect every she-cat in the clan." Splashheart padded over to Pippaw and laid her tail on his shoulder, trying to cheer him up.
"But Daisypaw and I are friends; I don't know why she lashed out at me like that," Pippaw whined.
"Daisypaw is kin of Brindlestar which means she is very contained and doesn't like many toms going near her." Splashheart recalled the time that Brindlestar had been jumped on by Birchthorn and she had lashed out and left Birchthorn with a nasty scratch on his eye.
"But I like Daisypaw, a lot," Pippaw replied.
"Really?" Splashheart didn't want to hurt the young tom's feelings but she didn't know how else to react to what Pippaw had just told her.
"Well yeah, she's so beautiful, her bright blue eyes and pretty cream coat and she's so talented, have you seen the way she fights and hunts…" Pippaw's voice trailed off as he stared at the ground beneath him, Splashheart could tell this tom was truly in love.
"She can definitely defend herself well," Splashheart had watched one of Daisypaw's training sessions with Pippaw and she had done extremely well.
"Well I better go, I have to go on a border patrol soon," Pippaw stood up and gave his chest fur a couple of quick licks before padding out to the clearing.
"Argh!" Splashheart's stomach rippled and she felt a sudden jolt of pain run along her spine.
"Splashheart?" Chestfall's meow sounded from in front of the apprentice's den.
"I'm fine!" Splashheart shouted back.
"Are you sure?" Chestfall's paw steps began to come closer.
"Just a little stomach ache," Splashheart quickly climbed through a gap behind the den and sprinted out into the forest.