I woke up to the sound of Sandfur's snoring, and let out a small sigh. The swelling in his eyes had gone done, and his leg was no longer hanging at an awkward angle. I stood up and stretched briefly, before padding out of the den and into daylight. Sunlight filtered into the clearing, it's warm rays sinking into my skin. I let out a loud yawn and shook my head. It was good to know the hard days of Leaf-bare were over.
"I see you finally decided to wake up." A low growl sounded from beside me. Tigerstar stepped out from behind me, a sinister glare in his eyes.
"And I see you finally decided to groom yourself, though you didn't do a very good job." I remarked, my patience already beginning to wear. He opened his mouth to say something back, but was interrupted by Sandfur.
"Beautiful morning isn't it?" He meowed, obviously trying to cover up for me.
"Yes. Enjoy it while you can." Tigerstar hissed, before turning away and stalking off.
"Are you trying to get yourself kicked out of the clan? Or even worse, killed?" Sandfur hissed, as soon as Tigerstar was out of earshot. I rolled my eyes, and flicked his ear with my tail.
"Stop being so worried. I can handle myself." I replied. He stared at me with worried eyes, before letting out a sigh.
"Sorry..." He mumbled. I gave him an affectionate lick on the ear, and stood up.
"Come on Sandfur, lets get some fresh-kill before Tigerstar eats it all." I meowed. He let out a 'mroww' of laughter, and followed me over to the fresh-kill pile. It was pitifully small, and Tigerstar seemed to be to busy speaking with Flametail, a very attractive reddish-brown she-cat, to assign any patrols. I knew Flametail was smart enough not to get involved with Tigerstar, but something about the way he looked at her made anger boil up inside of me.
"Here, i picked out a vole for you. It was just calling you're name." Sandfur purred, pushing the small creature over to me. I gave him a grateful glance, and sank my teeth into the juicy animal. I had only taken two bites, before Tigerstar called out to me.
"Thistleclaw, when your done stuffing your face, you and Sandfur can go hunt for the elders." Tigerstar yowled out to me. I unsheathed my claws and sank them into the dirt. That was an apprentices job! How dare he.
"Anything for my precious leader. Do you need me to groom your fur for you as well, since you're obviously to weak to do it your own?" I called back in the sweetest, most innocent voice i could muster. Fury burned in the Tigerstar's eyes, which bored into mine. Everything about his expression screamed "I'm gonna kill you!". I wasn't scared though, something about it amused me.
"Thats enough Thistlepelt." Sanfur's anxious voice sounded. I turned to look at him, and mumbled a sorry. I finished the rest of my vole, and left the camp with Sandfur.
"I'll hunt near the dead oak tree, you can take the pines near Thunderclan territory." I told Sandfur, already walking away from him.
"Ok, and remember, be careful, please." He replied, staring at me with big green worried eyes. I promised, and trotted off into the woods.
Scents of the forest wafted around me, and i picked up a mouse around a bush. It didn't take me long to pin-point the creature, whom was nibbling on some sort of seed. I dropped into a hunters crouch, and crept forward ever so silently. I pounced forward and landed a swift blow to the mouses head, dispatching it easily. I sniffed the mouse victoriously, and covered it in dirt, saving it for later.
All of a sudden, a heavy weight crashed into me, driving the breath out of me and knocking me to the ground. A familiar scent drifted up to my scent glands, and anger burned through me when i realized who it was.
Tigerstar.
:O cliffhanger... I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, and sorry for the late update, i've been busy getting ready for school. I'M STARTING 7th grade! Isn't that terrifying...x]. Anywho, i'll post the next chapter tomorrow, meanwhile leave a review on this one. Constructive critiscm is encouraged by the way. :)
Love,
Cherryblossom/Spiritpool