Chapter 22

Whitestream's POV

Whitestream awoke in the warriors den and looked around. Not many cats were there. They must still be sitting vigil. The white warrior meowed.

He walked out of the warriors den to see Graystorm, Flamefrost and Heatherleaf slowly taking the two warriors out of camp with Blossomheart and Leaffire helping. It was just dawn and Birchheart walked over to the three warriors. He mumbled something to them and they got up. When they neared the den Whitestream smiled.

'I'll help you find a nest.' He meowed and then whispered to Birchheart. 'We need to expand the den.' The warrior nodded.

'I'll get some warrior to start that today.' He promised and walked away.

The White warrior led the way into the den and flicked his tail over to two piece of moss bedding.

'No one sleeps there, you are welcome to it.' He meowed and left the den again.

He heard rustling for a few moments and then it stopped. Whitestream found Dustpaw walking towards him.

'What are we doing today Whitestream?' The apprentice asked.

'Oh no.' Whitestream meowed. 'You were up all night; we will train tomorrow, for now you need sleep.'

'But I'm fine!' Dustpaw objected.

'Sleep, now if you're lucky I may take you hunting later.' Whitestream meowed. 'But only if I see you in that den asleep.'

With that the Light Brown she-cat went over to the apprentices den. Just then Mossheart walked over to him.

'Did you send Dustpaw to go and get some sleep?' He asked.

'Yeah, she was up taking a vigil for Stormheart.' Whitestream meowed. 'It's better if she sleeps.'

Mossheart nodded. 'I remember when my first mentor died.' Mossheart meowed. 'She died from Greencough, nasty thing.'

'We also don't want to see Greencough in camp.' Whitestream meowed. 'Do you want to come hunting with me?'

'Sure the clan could use it.' Mossheart meowed.

Whitestream followed the warrior outside of camp and into the forest. It was warmer but not by much.

'The warmer weather should make the prey come out.' Whitestream meowed.

Mossheart nodded.

Suddenly Whitestream heard something in the bracken and he crouched. He sniffed and realised it was a mouse. He leaped at it and finished it off with a bite on its neck he walked out of the bracken to see Mossheart had waited.

'Good catch!' The warrior meowed.

Whitestream dropped it by his paws. 'It didn't even see me, I don't think.' Whitestream meowed.

Suddenly the leaves rustled again and an Orange bur ran past them. Whitestream sniffed.

'It's cat.' Mossheart meowed.

Suddenly the blur appeared again, but this time Whitestream leaped onto it. He fell onto the ground with a she-cat. They rolled over in the dirt a few times but then Whitestream recognized the cat.

'Flamepaw!' Mossheart exclaimed. 'What are you doing here?'

Whitestream got up and Flamepaw scrambled after him. 'I saw you and Whitestream heading out of camp so I followed you.' Flamepaw meowed.

'Well you did a good job.' Whitestream meowed. 'But we had better keep hunting.'

Whitestream picked up the mouse and walked away with Flamepaw by his side. Soon enough he found some bracken and placed his prey under it. He turned around to see Flamepaw had a vole in her jaws and Mossheart had a mouse. They placed their prey with Whitestream's.

Soon enough Whitestream had caught his second piece of prey, it was a wood pigeon. It wasn't fat but it wasn't skinny either. He looked up at the sky before turning to his clan mates.

'I better go.' He meowed and dropped the fresh-kill at his paws. 'I promised Dustpaw I would take her hunting, if she went to sleep.'

'But it's only just past Sunhigh.' Flamepaw meowed.

'Yes but I want to go and get the rest of his prey, I'll come back and bring Dustpaw with me.'

The white warrior picked up the wood pigeon and ran off through the forest. He quickly picked up the two mice and the vole and took off towards camp. When he entered he saw Dustpaw was still sleeping. The fresh-kill pile was low too.

Good thing I'm taking Dustpaw hunting. The warrior thought.

Just then Birchheart appeared at the mouth of Stonestar den. He spotted Whitestream and walked over to him.

'I see you have gone hunting.' The deputy meowed. 'I'm sure the Queens would love the mouse and the wood pigeon.'

Whitestream nodded and headed over to the nursery. When he entered he saw that Lakepool, Blossomheart, Leaffire and Silverfire were talking. When Silverfire noticed her brother she meowed a greeting.

'You brought prey!' Lakepool meowed.

Very carefully Whitestream placed the prey down and then Rosekit ran out and took a mouse and ran back behind Blossomheart and Leaffire.

'Sorry, Rosekit and Willowkit aren't being very responsive today.' Blossomheart meowed.

'Kits, will be kits.' Whitestream meowed and left the den. He went over to the apprentices den and saw that Firepaw was coming out.

'Oh hi Whitestream, Dustpaw is still sleeping.' He meowed and walked passed him.

'I know.' Whitestream called after him and entered the den.

Dustpaw was at the back of the den, her breathing was shallow and her ear twitched. Whitestream prodded her with a paw.

'Dustpaw come on.' Whitestream meowed.

The apprentice groaned and opened an eye. 'What is it Whitestream?' She asked.

'You wanted to go hunting, so let's go hunting.' Whitestream meowed.

Dustpaw jumped to her paws and blinked the sleep out of her eyes. 'Let's go!' The she-cat meowed and followed her mentor out of the den.

Whitestream stopped outside of the camp and waited for Dustpaw. When the she-cat appeared Whitestream started to run through the forest.

'Come on, if we are lucky you may be able to hunt with Flamepaw.' Whitestream meowed.

'Okay.' Dustpaw meowed and ran paw step by paw along with her mentor.

When Whitestream had spotted the warrior and apprentice they were near the stream. He skidded to a stop almost landing in some brambles and walked over to them. Mossheart looked at him.

'You made it back.' He meowed.

Whitestream nodded and looked behind him. He blinked. 'Dustpaw?' He asked.

Suddenly the she-cat ran out of the brambles with a vole in her jaw.

'Good catch!' Mossheart purred.

Dustpaw's eyes gleamed. Just then Flamepaw appeared with a mouse in her jaws.

'Great catch!' Whitestream praised.

'Thanks Whitestream!' The she-cat meowed.

'Put your prey under there.' Mossheart meowed and flicked his tail towards some leaves.

The two apprentice did as they were told and then turned to their mentors.

'What can you smell?' Whitestream asked.

Flamepaw sniffed and Dustpaw followed. 'Leaves, Bracken, faint scent of Sunclan, maybe for yesterday.' Flamepaw meowed.

'Stale scent of prey and - Mouse!' Dustpaw exclaimed.

Whitestream swept his tail over Dustpaw's mouth and sniffed. He then crouched and stalked towards the scent. When he saw the mouse poke its head out of some brambles he leapt towards it and killed it with a quick bite to the throat. He went back over to the cats and dropped it at his paws.

'Good catch Whitestream.' Mossheart meowed.

'Thanks.' Whitestream meowed.

Whitestream entered the camp. He held two voles and a mouse in his jaws. Mossheart, who was in front of the white warrior, had two sparrows and a vole. Flamepaw and Dustpaw both had two mice each. They dropped the prey onto the fresh-kill pile and Whitestream turned to the apprentices.

'Make sure the Elders are fed then you may have some.' Whitestream meowed and picked up two voles. 'I'm going to go and take these to Icepaw and Icewhisker.'

He walked over to the medicine cats den and entered, Mistystorm was still in the moss and Icepaw was near her.

'Fresh kill!' She exclaimed.

'I thought you might be hungry.' Whitestream meowed and placed a vole at her paws. 'Where is Icewhisker?'

'Oh he is over by his nest.' Icepaw meowed and crouched down to eat.

Whitestream headed over to Icewhisker's nest and saw the tom twitching in his sleep. He placed the vole next to him.

'Icewhisker.' Whitestream meowed and prodded him with a paw. A moment later the tom jumped up and looked at the warrior.

'W-What is it?' He asked.

'You were twitching in your sleep, and I brought you some prey.' Whitestream meowed and left the medicine cat.

'Thanks!' Icewhisker called after him.

Whitestream got a wood pigeon off the fresh-kill pile and went and sat outside the warriors den. The clan was in their dens escaping the cold. But Whitestream didn't mind it. He happily ate his wood pigeon and went inside. He found Brackenflight was asleep near Bluedream and Birchheart was washing his fur near Mossheart. Whitestream padded through the cats and towards his bedding. He curled up, wrapped his tail around his nose and closed his eyes. For a few moments he listened to his clan mates breathing before drifting into the dreams of Starclan.