A/N: Hi guys! I just got short story of mine published in an anthology, just wanted to brag a little bit. Anyway, I am exquisitely disappointed that I got one, count it, ONE review for my last chapter! Spottedfire, thank you very very much. *Tosses a Russetpaw plushie to Spottedfire* Oh, and by chance, have you read my story Hunted? Just asking given your username... I am currently writing yet another story with my buddy, so this may have spacey updates. They will be even more spacey if I continue to get so few reviews! *glares at everyone but Spottedfire* And I checked my traffic; 53 visitors since I posted Chapter 2! And I'm sorry but 1/53rd percent of reviewers is almost depressing. C'mon guys! The button is lonely! Click it! One plushie of your choice to all reviewers! Just pick one of my charries... AS YOU REVIEW! Unless of course, you want Nightstar to come back and eat you. Your pick.
Hollyflower's gray pelt disappeared through the camp entrance, and Russetpaw hurried after her mentor, her dark russet legs struggling to keep up. The marshy ground was damp and squishy, making her paws wet but not sore. She saw a mouse nibbling on an acorn under some oak shrub, then it dived into its hole. The ginger apprentice grinned as she explored her new territory.
She looked at her mentor's gray and white pelt, and it struck her how much she looked like Cedarstar. As they came to a stop next to a stream to drink, Russetpaw hesitantly asked, "Hollyflower? C-can you tell me about Cedarstar?" The warrior turned to her, her piercing green eyes full of pain. Russetpaw was struck that she even had the same color eyes as her father; as her. "He was a very brave warrior, Russetpaw. Ever since we were kits, he wanted to be just like Brackenfoot. Brackenfoot was the deputy, and our mother's littermate. He got Nightstar as a mentor, while I got Brackenfoot, but never once was he jealous. Not even when Nightstar proved to be just about the worst mentor the Clans have ever seen," she growled.
"Nightstar, I believe, was an evil cat. She was an awful mentor and there was always something about her... And yet, Cedarstar turned into a great warrior nonetheless. He had a strange knowledge of herbs and came up with fighting moves no ShadowClan cat had ever seen before. Every cat respected him, except perhaps Nightstar. Then when WindClan attacked, we all saw how well Raggedstar, his apprentice at the time, could fight though he was still a very new apprentice. He proved to be a great mentor. And then when both Nightstar and Brackenfoot were both killed, StarClan told Runningnose that Cedarleaf was to be leader...No one was really surprised.
"And then he took Crowtail as a mate, and he had been quite depressed up until then for StarClan knows why, but then he became happier. Perhaps the stress of becoming leader and the loss of so many cats hit him hard. But he brought Littlepaw and Blackfoot to the Clan, and they are as valuable to the Clan as any cat. He taught everything to Raggedstar, which is half the reason he's such a great leader today. I trust his judgement in bringing in those two rogues. Anyway, Cedarstar's life ended so early, but he'd met his kits and I believe he was truly happy, and if he doesn't earn his place in StarClan, I'll eat my tail. " She finished with a small smile.
Russetpaw sat in silence. Could she ever be as great a warrior as her father had been? If she wanted to become leader, she'd have to be. She felt a burning pride for her father mixed with ambition. Hollyflower stood and stretched, then continued on, Russetpaw right behind her. A foul stench filled the air, and Russetpaw wrinkled her nose in disgust. "Hollyflower, what-" the gray warrior interrupted, "Carrionplace. Sometimes, I'm afraid in Leafbare we don't have as much prey as the other Clans, and we can go here and find food. It's difficult to find any that's good, but we can get lucky. But only in dire times of need will we ever come to this place." She eyed Russetpaw warily, then smiled at the look of solemn understanding in her gaze.
A dark gray tom appeared from the other side of Carrionplace, and Hollyflower bristled protectively until she realized it was only Archeye. "Father! Join us. I'm showing Russetpaw the territory. Her first time out of camp." She looked a bit proud of her new apprentice. "Sure. Has she seen the Thunderpath yet?" Russetpaw shook her head timidly; Archeye was a respected senior warrior. Hollyflower said cheerfully, "That's where we're off to next." The kin set off, Russetpaw struggling to keep up with the two gray warriors, who were laughing and talking amiably. They soon neared the daunting wide Thunderpath.
There was a small, lean dead pigeon on the path. Archeye made as to fetch it, but Hollyflower held out her tail in warning and stopped him. "It's too scrawny. Not worth getting hit by a monster for. It's leaf-fall and we have plenty of prey now." Her father glowered a tiny bit but saw her reason and did not continue. Hollyflower winked at Russetpaw and said, "Across this path is ThunderClan territory. You can smell their scent markers; aren't they gross? Remember the scent anyway, because- " Russetpaw interjected, "What's that?" A bright ginger shape was slinking through the woods towards, Russetpaw realized with a jolt, what was a dark brown tabby kit.
Hollyflower jumped to her paws. "Fox! Come on, you two, cross NOW!" She ordered as there was a break in the slow trickle of monsters that were zooming past. Russetpaw streaked past, straight towards the kit. He was playing with a feather, blissfully unaware of the danger he was in. His bright amber eyes widened as he saw Russetpaw rocketing toawrds him, but his attention was snapped back to the present as the fox snarled viciously. He bristled up to twice his size (though it still wasn't much) just as Hollyflower crashed into the fox's side, hurling herself headlong at its neck and chest. Her face was a mask of rage.
The fox threw her mentor off, though she picked herself up and lunged back at the fox. Before the gray she-cat could intercept the vile creature again, it had reached Russetpaw, who was standing over the kit protectively. She twisted in air as it snapped at her, managing to rake her claws down its muzzle. It growled, fire flashing in its eyes as it tried yet again for the dark brown kit. Russetpaw dove underneath its belly and sank her teeth into the soft flesh of its belly, silently praying to StarClan for help; she had no idea what she was doing, just following her instincts, and she was already tired.
Her prayer was answered as Archeye tackled the fox, sending it toppling off of her, but the beast was much larger than him and he was old. She dove back into the fray, clawing and kicking biting wherever she could until finally it backed off as Hollyflower landed a vicious blow on his face. The three ShadowClan cats stood panting and bloody as the ThunderClan kit looked at them with awe. "I-I'm Tigerkit! Th-thank you for s-saving me. Who are you?" Tigerkit stammered and the two adult cats didn't both to answer, so Russetpaw replied, "I'm Russetpaw, this is my mentor Hollyflower, and her father, Archeye. We are from ShadowClan. Perhaps you should go back to camp?" She didn't feel very comfortable ordering around a cat from another Clan, but he was a kit, and she had just helped save his life, after all. And there was certainly wisdom in her words.
He nodded, surprisingly unshaken from his near-death experience. "Okay. ShadowClan will always be my friends! Thank you!" He turned and ran into the depths of the cool woods. Russetpaw wondered vaguely why he'd been out there on his own, but from the elders' tales, ThunderClan didn't really pay attention to the Warrior Code. Hollyflower led the way back to the Thunderpath and waited for a space to run past. Hollyflower said quietly, "Russetpaw, you fought like a warrior today, even though you've never even trained. You were fair and kind and didn't question putting yourself in danger for a ThunderClan cat. You've inherited your father's spirit. I am very, very proud of you." She smiled warmly, though the effect was diminshed by her ravaged pelt. Russetpaw felt as though she could fly with the praise her mentor had given her.
They traversed tiredly back to the camp, their wounds stinging painfully. As the entered the camp, several cats froze; Foxpaw was standing outside the elder's den, moss hanging from her mouth comically. Raggedstar and his brother, Ashfur, hurried over and demanded, "What happened?" Archeye replied, "Fox on ThunderClan territory. It was about to kill a kit, so we saved it." Hollyflower added kindly, "Russetpaw fought like she'd trained for moons." Raggedstar's expression flickered into a smile, then back into the somber acceptance with which he recieveed the news. "You three'd best go to Runningnose, Yellowfang, and Littlepaw." He said this loudly so all the cats that were gathering in the vicinity could hear; it might have been his way of letting the Clan know that Yellowfang was a medicine cat.
They padded to the medicine den and Littlepaw immediately began sniffing them over, no questions asked. "Pick a nest and clean those wounds, if you will," he requested and disappeared into the back of the den to fetch herbs. Yellowfang sat watching them curiously, paying attention as Littlepaw applied herbs to their wounds, surreptitiously murmuring their names without offending the older she-cat. "Goldenrod, for wounds..." He applied the soothing herb to her stinging pelt. "Dock..." He spoke in a louder tone. "Dawncloud had her kits while you were gone. Four healthy kits, surprisingly easy birth. They're all fine." He smiled in a self-satisfied way, and Russetpaw guessed that he had delivered the kits himself.
"What did she name them?" asked Hollyflower interestedly. "There were three toms and one she-cat. She named the she-cat Brightkit, and the toms Clawkit, Nightkit and Stumpykit." Archeye raised an eyebrow. "Stumpykit?" he asked incredulously. Littlepaw shrugged. "He had a pretty short little tail." Russetpaw giggled without meaning to, then quickly shut up and yawned. Hollyflower murmured, "Get some sleep, Russetpaw. You deserve it." With those words, the dark ginger she-ct drifted into swirling dreams of fighting, foxes, and handsome, dark-furred toms.
A/N: Huh? Huh? Good chapter? Bad chapter? Does Russetpaw have a crush on Tigerkit? And shut up, it isn't gross, he's only a moon or two younger! Lol Anyway in Code of the Clans it said the patrol that saved Tigerkit from the fox was Hollyflower, Archeye, and Brackenfoot, but as I already killed off Brackenfoot, that would be rather strange if he reappeared... lol. Please review! You'll get a plushie!
