Sootpaw awakoke in a shadowy forest he didn't recognize.
"Hello?" The only answer to his mew was an owl hooting in the distance. He looked around and spotted sunlight coming through the trees. Sootpaw raced as fast as he could toward it, wanting to be out of the darkness.
When he was about to burst out of the trees, a mottled grey tom with a long tail stepped in front of him and he skidded to a halt.
"W-who are you?" Sootpaw began to back away. The tom stared down at the apprentice.
"My name is Thistleclaw. Who are you?" Something about this cat scared Sootpaw, but he was determined not to show it.
"Sootpaw of ThunderClan." Thistleclaw thrust his muzzle into his face and his rancid breath stung Sootpaw's eyes. The grey apprentice flinched. Then the tom backed out of his face and smoothed the ruffled fur on his shoulders.
"Do you want to see something cool?" Sootpaw was hesitant. "I've seen how jealous you are of hour sister." The apprentice stiffened. "I could help you make it different, though. I could make your sister jealous of you." Sootpaw perked up.
"Really?" Thistleclaw sneers at Sootpaw, but he didn't notice.
"Of course. Follow me." The tom led him back into the swamping darkness that he'd just escaped. They padded along in silence, and Sootpaw could hear every pawstep, every claw that scraped on rock, and every leaf that fell from the trees. Suddenly, those noises came to a dead stop.
Sootpaw felt the eerie silence crowd in around him, and it felt like he was standing in a river, the current tugging at his paws.
"No! Don't go yet! I wanted to show you…" Thistleclaw's voice trailed away as Sootpaw let the current sweep his paws from beneath him. He was exhausted, and he let sleep engulf him.
"…Sootpaw? Sootpaw?" He felt a paw prod him in the side. Blinking away the sleep in his eyes, he looked up at the cat nudging him.
"Sootpaw, you were supposed to go hunting with me this morning, but you were asleep." He could smell the forest on his sister's fur.
"Sorry."
"Sorry doesn't catch prey. You should have been up for patrol." Dustpelt shouldered his way into the den. "Since you weren't, you'll have to make up for it. You're caring for the elders today. That means you are giving them herbs for their aches and needs, fetching their prey, and listening to their stories," Dustpelt meowed. Sootpaw flattened his ears to his head and he felt hot with embarrassment.
"Sorry," he muttered.
"Go to the elders' den and see if there's anything you can do for them. If not, then go to Jayfeather and ask him if the elders need checked for ticks or something. If there's still nothing to do, listen to some of the elders' stories. It will make them feel useful." Dustpelt flicked his tail and padded away.
"Don't worry. I'm sure there will be something to do." Twigpaw made her way out of the den cautiously, and Sootpaw went to the elders' den.
"Hi. Dustpelt said I should come see if you needed anything." He looked at Mousefur and Purdy.
"I'm in the mood for a shrew," Mousefur grumbled. Sootpaw nodded and turned to Purdy.
"Do you want anything from the pile?" Purdy looked up at him and smiled.
"Nah. I'll get something later. But my joints are aching a little bit. Could you get some herbs from Jayfeather?" The grey apprentice turned and left the den. He went to the medicine den and told Jayfeather that Purdy needed some herbs.
"He said that his joints are aching." Jayfeather nodded.
"It seems that they're always aching lately. I'm afraid he may not be able to walk soon if this keeps up." He gathered up some herbs and went to the elder's den while Sootpaw picked a shrew from the fresh-kill pile. He took it to the elders' den and sat it in front of Mousefur.
"Apprentices. They always pick the scrawniest piece of prey from the pile for the elders," Mousefur grumbled as she took a bite of the shrew.
"Don't mind her, Sootpaw. Mousefur's always grumpy," Purdy's mew rumbled with a hint of a purr. Sootpaw smiled. He liked Purdy. The elder seemed to be the only cat that saw he and his sister equally. "Go on. I'm sure you'd rather be out hunting or playing with your friends than be here."
"Actually, I'd like to hear some stories." He settled down onto his haunches and waited for Purdy to start one of the stories from when he was younger.
"Well, there was this one time when I was a youngster, probably no older than you, and I really liked this one kit. Her name was Ginger, and she was the prettiest she-cat I'd ever seen." As Purdy rambled on, Sootpaw's mind drifted back to the eyes he'd seen in the forest a few sunrises ago. What cat did those eyes belong to? Maybe he could identify them at the next gathering.
The sun was setting outside, and Purdy told Sootpaw to get some rest. The apprentice's paws felt like boulders as he lugged himself into the apprentice's den for the night. In the back of his mind, he thought about the forest he'd visited in his dreams last night.
He hoped he could visit Thistleclaw again tonight.