Darkpaw slowly crept up on an unexpecting vole. He jumped, and landed square on it. "Great catch!" his mentor, Stonecloud, praised.
"For a rogue." His friend, Sageleaf teased.
"Stop that, even if it is just a joke." Stonecloud growled.
"I am the one who found you." Sageleaf added.
Darkpaw shivered in remembrance of his mother and sister, of a different litter's, deaths, five moons ago. His sister had just had Nightkit days before. Darkpaw had lay down for a snooze when they were attacked. He never saw or scented the attackers, supposedly badgers, because he had hits his head on a rock, and he was unconscious. "I was almost certain that I heard other cats out there."
"Well, we scented Badgers, and they left dung." Stonecloud told him.
"But, the patrol never found them." Sageleaf began, "I was part of that patrol. We searched until sun high the next day."
Darkpaw wondered why they looked so long. Stonecloud interrupted his thoughts, "Gather up your kills, Darkpaw, and take them to the elders."
Darkpaw picked up the vole, and two mice he had caught earlier, and padded back to camp. Once inside, he went straight to the elder's den. Nightkit and Silverkit were listening to one of Hawkblaze's stories about the old days.
"And then Redstar told Rockstar to leave with his warriors and never come back!" Hawkblaze mewed.
"Did they?" Nightkit squeaked
"Not when Rockstar was leader. But," he added, "Tallfeather, the deputy at the time, died in that battle. Shadestar became deputy. Hello Darkpaw is that for us?"
"Yes, it is. Shrewpaw should be back soon with more." Darkpaw dropped the prey, and Hawkblaze, Mudpelt and Mousestalker each took a piece. "Not hungry, Brighteyes?" Darkpaw mewed.
"No." Brighteyes mewed in a gentle way. That's weird. Darkpaw thought. Usually Brighteyes was grouchy. Mudpelt was Darkpaw's favorite elder.
"You go eat something yourself!" Mudpelt told Darkpaw.
"Okay Mudpelt, bye!" Darkpaw walked up to the fresh kill pile and picked up a mouse. Soon after, Shrewpaw came over.
"Hi Darkpaw, how was hunting?"
"Good. I caught a vole and two mice. You?"
"A rabbit, a Squirrel and a pigeon."
"Wow!"
"Tinyberry wasn't impressed, as usual. She said Mousestalker could have caught the pigeon, it was that dumb."
"You are her first apprentice-"
"Don't even go there. Look," Shrewpaw hissed, "Our mentors are talking to Shadestar."
Tinyberry and Stonecloud padded over. "Sleep well tonight," Stonecloud advised, "you two are getting evaluated tomorrow."
"Be ready at dawn." Tinyberry added. The two walked off.
"Grouch." Shrewpaw hissed.
Suddenly, Mudpelt came sprinting out of the elder's den over to Darkpaw. "It's Nightkit." The old tom mewed, panting.
The Medicine Cat's den, unlike the other dens that were enlarged badger sets covered with moss, was a cave.
"What's wrong with him?" Darkpaw asked Whitewhisker.
"Greencough. First case this leaf-bare."
"Will he-"
"As long as he rests, he'll be fine." Whitewhisker interrupted. "Now go get some rest."