"Congratulations on your apprenticeships, and I hope to see you all succeed in what you do." Cloudtail dismissed the Clan from the meeting with a flick of his tail.
Sootpaw looked around at the seemingly-empty camp, and remembered when he and Twigpaw were kits. They had bounced around the camp, greeting the elders and yielding for the warriors. He remembered when they had snuck into Firestar's den and Jayfeather had been so worried because apparently Firestar was sick.
He sighed, remembering that things had changed and that there was no time for small, joyful moments, nor was there time to remember them.
Cloudtail was sitting atop Highrock, staring down at Sootpaw. He suddenly felt eyes boring into his back, and he turned around to see who was staring at him.
The deputy jumped down from Highrock and bounded over to the small grey apprentice. He flicked his tail and then rested it on Sootpaw's shoulder.
"You look upset. What's wrong?" Cloudtail seemed completely unaware that Bramblestar had removed him from the SandClan patrol.
"I'm just upset that Bramblestar took me off the trip to SandClan so that Gingerpaw could go with Molepaw. I mean, why should she get to go and not me? I just feel so… left out. First, it was Twigpaw that was more special than me, and now it's Gingerpaw that's more important!" Cloudtail nodded and listened patiently while Sootpaw vented his feelings.
"Sootpaw, you are just as important to this Clan as everyone else, no matter what anyone says. Gingerpaw just needs to feel like she fits in here, because right now, she doesn't. That's why Bramblestar put her on the patrol instead of you." Sootpaw knew that Cloudtail's job was to make everyone feel important, not take sides. Sootpaw had always felt left out by everyone-except Thistleclaw. Thistleclaw made him feel needed.
"I hope I helped. Why don't you get something to eat and go have fun with the other apprentices? They're going to go to the stream soon, maybe you could join them," Cloudtail mewed. He walked away, not waiting for a response from the apprentice.
Sootpaw walked over to the fresh-kill pile and picked a scrawny starling off the top since he wasn't very hungry. Then he made his way over to where Cherrypaw, Snowpaw, and Bluepaw were eating and sat down with them.
"Hey Snowpaw! How's being an apprentice so far?" Sootpaw greeted the new apprentice with a smile.
"Amazing! The apprentice den is so much bigger than the nursery!" Bluepaw bit angrily into the vole she was eating, obviously upset at something.
"Hey, Bluepaw! Something wrong?" She looked up at him and her irritation vanished.
"No, nothing's wrong. Sit," she mewed, rubbing the ground next to her with her tail. He smiled at her and sat next to her.
"So I heard you three were going to the stream after you were finished eating. Mind if I join you?" The three apprentices looked at each other and then nodded.
"Sure," Cherrypaw chirped. "We don't mind!"
"The more the merrier!" Sootpaw finished off the starling in a few bites and waited for the other apprentices to finish their meals.
When Snowpaw, Bluepaw, and Cherrypaw finished their food, the four apprentices left the camp, promising Cloudtail they'd be careful, and headed for the stream.
Snowpaw jumped into the stream and sent water spraying out at the other cats.
"Hey!" Bluepaw jumped in after Snowpaw and splashed water at her. "You know you can't do that and get away with it," Bluepaw teased. Cherrypaw stuck her front paw into the water slowly and then yanked it out. She backed away from the water.
"Cherrypaw, what's wrong?" Sootpaw looked at the small apprentice backing away from the water.
"It's… so… cold!" Bluepaw laughed.
"Oh, come on, Cherrypaw! Just jump in and you'll be fine!" Cherrypaw looked unsure, and before she could back away any more, Sootpaw shoved her from behind. Cherrypaw yowled in fright as she flailed her legs and tried to keep herself from going into the water.
"Sootpaw!" Cherrypaw yowled his name right before she went into the stream head first.
Bluepaw, Snowpaw, and Sootpaw all started cracking up laughing. When Cerrypaw's head surfaced, the hair slicked to her head and her ears angled backwards in disgust and anger, she was NOT happy.
"Why would you do that, Sootpaw?" She clambered out of the stream and shivered as a gust of wind swept through the trees. "I'll be lucky if I don't catch whitecough!
She stormed away into the trees and back towards camp.
"Don't mind her, Sootpaw. She's always grouchy when we come down here," Snowpaw reassured him. Sootpaw jumped into the stream, shaking off whatever feelings of guilt he had for making Cherrypaw angry.
"I wonder why…" Sootpaw pondered the explanations for why she's always grouchy.
"Well, she's not grouchy every time we're down here. It's only when we have a tom with us." Hmm… Sootpaw dismissed the subject with a flick of his tail.
The apprentices played in the stream until the sun was nearly set.
"Come on! We'd better get back to camp before the sun sets!" Snowpaw bounded away into the trees. Bluepaw and Sootpaw followed her scent back to camp and slipped back into the apprentices den.
Bluepaw curled up into her nest and Sootpaw curled up into the nest next to her since it was the only one left. She purred and twitched her tail. Soon, her breathing slowed and she was asleep. Sootpaw relaxed and fell asleep, too.