New chapter for you awesome readers!
Icepaw yawned, blinking as the sun shone in his eyes. That nap was what I needed! I shouldn't have stayed up so late...
He stretched, yawning once more before exiting the apprentices' den.
'' Icepaw! There you are! I was just about to go in and wake you, but I see you're already up and about!" Mudpelt cheerily exclaimed, waving his tail in a friendly way.
Icepaw nodded. "Thanks for the nap by the way. I needed it."
"No problem!" Mudpelt meowed, turning and heading toward the sandpit. "Come on, time to pracice some more battle moves."
Icepaw followed close behind, glancing about for a glimpse of his mother, sister, or Tawnypaw. Seeing none of the three she-cats he wanted to see, he sped up, coming up beside Mudpelt.
"So, how was last night?" Mudpelt meowed, bumping Icepaw's shoulder gently. "Oh! Um, it was fine... I guess..." Icepaw awkwardly meowed, his fur heating up.
"Tawypaw is a nice cat, and she seems to like you well enough." Mudpelt purred, holding back a chuckle.
"Is it that obvious?" Poor Icepaw's fur heated up even more, and he stared at the ground.
Mudpelt couldn't help it. He laughed at Icepaw's misery. "Not really. I only know because I saw you guys together, so I guessed."
"We're here!" Icepaw said, entering the sandpit to avoid talking about last night any more.
Tawnypaw and Longtail were already there, practicing. "Ok, now, you've got the shoulder bump down pat, so we can practice another move." Mudpelt said, ignoring the pair of cats at the end of the pit.
Icepaw focused on his mentor's words, blocking out the scuffling at the pit's end.
"Now, if a cat has knocked you down, you need to know how to escape it before he can hurt or kill you." Mudpelt was explaining.
He motioned Icepaw to lie down on the ground, then he held Icepaw down by the shoulders. "Now, try to escape before I 'kill' you,"
Icepaw wiggled, using his hind feet to push against Mudpelt's stomach in a attempt to knock the bigger, heavier cat off.
Mudpelt smacked Icepaw gently across the throat. "Dead. Slashed throat. Try again."
Icepaw aimed for Mudpelt's hind feet this time, as they braced Mudpelt on the sandy ground. He knocked them out from under Mudpelt, causing Mudpelt to fall to the ground with a "oof!"
Icepaw leaped on top, holding mentor down the same way. "Dead!" He announced, patting Mudpelt's throat.
"Nice!" Mudpelt praised, rising to his feet.
Icepaw suddenly noticed Tawnypaw watching, and his fur heated. "T-thanks." He muttered.
"Aw, come on, Icepaw!" Mudpelt meowed. "Just ignore her. It's not that bad."
"Then you won't mind teaching me in front of Dawnfeather." Icepaw sad smugly. "W-what!? Your mother is watching?!" He spun, nearly tripping in the loose sand.
"Aw, come on Mudpelt! It's not that bad!" Icepaw said, laughing.
Mudpelt's fur heated, then he began to laugh alongside Icepaw. "Touche, my apprentice! Okay, let's try to practice our battle moves."
Birdpaw pulled a few dandilions up, using her claws to cut the roots and leaves off. Placing them on the stack beside her, Birdpaw sighed. I've been doing this all afternoon! Surely Cinderpelt has enough medecine herbs!
Birdpaw took the latest stack back to the medecine den. Gentle snores echoed, and Birdpaw scowled. There she is, SLEEPING in stead of sorting these out! Lazy head!
Birdpaw kicked a pebble across the room, where it clattered against the wall. "Huh?" Cinderpelt woke with a gasp. "What time is it?"
"Noon." Birdpaw grouched, placing the stack of roots and leaves in front of Cinderpelt. "Oh my Starclan! I've overslept!"
Birdpaw ignored her, preparing to stomp out into the fields and pick more herbs. "Thank you, Birdpaw, for continuing to pick the herbs and waking me before it got to late. I was up all night helping Brightheart give birth."
Instant guilt assaulted Birdpaw. "You were helping Brightheart all night?"
Cinderpelt nodded, beginning to sort the dandilion leaves and roots. "One kit. Female."
"I'm so sorry!" Birdpaw said, tears filling her blue eyes. "Why? What'd you do?" Cinderpelt said, looking with concern at her apprentice. "I thought you were lazy for sleeping all morning, and I was mad at you because I thought you were just making me do all the work for you so you could nap!"
Cinderpelt's eyes widened. "Birdpaw! I would never do that to you!"
Birdpaw looked sadly at her paws. "I know that now. But I'm sorry! You can go back to your nap, and I'll finish all the rest of the work."
Cinderpelt smiled at her apprentice. "No, it's fine, I have had enough sleep for today. You can go take a break if you want."
Birdpaw shook her head. "No! I can at least help you."
"Fine. But it might get rather boring."
"I don't care!"
The medecine den was silent for the moment, then Cinderpelt said, "Want to hear the story on how I became a cripple?"
"Sure.. if it's okay with you..."
"It all started with Tigerstar saying that Bluestar had to check on something near the Thunderpath..."
Dawnfeather lapped water up from the stream, sighing as the cold water soothed her sore throat.
She looked at the minnows that lazily glided through the stream, and her stomach rumbled. Those fish are too small for a snack even. Dawnfeather thought, turning and heading back to camp.
Maybe I should hunt for myself, instead of taking some prey from the freshkill pile. It would probably be quicker... Dawnfeather began to silently prowl through the ferns that lined the stream.
A croak alerted her to a frog, and she silently parted the rushes, leaping onto the frog and swiftly killing it.
Crunching it down, she continued along the bank, veering into the forest slightly to catch shrews.
Two shrews and a mouse later, Dawnfeather was full. "Ah, that feels better." She said to herself, wincing at how loud her voice sounded in the still forest.
The small animal noises all stopped, and Dawnfeather strained her ears at a peculiar sound.
A battle!
Dawnfeather ran full out toward the battle sounds, charging straight into a battle at the Thunderclan camp.
Dawnfeather leaped at the first enemy cat she saw, clawing it's side ferociously. The brown cat screeched, turning on her. Dawnfeather dodged a flying paw bristling with claws. As soon as it had passed she bowled herself into the cat, knocking it down as she slashed its throat.
She saw Icepaw and Mudpelt fighting side by side against three dark-colored cats. The pair was holding their own well, but Dawnfeather leaped at the third cat, grabbing him by the tail and pulling him away.
Yowling, they slammed into each other, clawing and larger male cat held Dawnfeather down, and she ripped at his stomach before kicking his legs out from under him.
As the cat went down, Dawnfeather leaped on top of him, grabbing his ears and shredding them.
The cat squalled and ran from Thunderclan camp. Dawnfeather looked about for more cats. They seemed to be leaving now, but a few still fought fiercely.
A shriek from the nursery had five cats instantly converge on it. Dawnfeather being the closest, she slipped inside, seeing Brightheart standing above her kit, bleeding and hissing angrily.
The smallish black cat growled at her, feinting to the left and grabbing at the small white kit that lay limply in the nest.
The black cat never reached it, however. Two angry she-cats lit upon him, causing fur and flesh to fly.
He was tossed uncerimoniously from the nursery, dead.
"Are you all right, Brightheart?" Dawnfeather asked her friend anxiously.
"Yeah, I'm fine, thanks for asking." Brightheart wrapped herself around her kit, begining to lick it lovingly. "What's her name?" Dawnfeather asked, licking Brightheart's wounds.
"Whitekit. She's perfect." Dawnfeather nodded in agreement, cleaning herself up, done with Brightheart's superficial wound.
Cloudtail burst in, eyes wide, fur bristled. "Where is he?" He growled, wrapping his tail around his mate and kit. "Dead. Outside." Brightheart said, nuzzling her mate.
Cloudtail sighed, laying down beside the pair.
Dawnfeather left silently, looking for Birdpaw and Icepaw. Her kits were fine, helping the stronger cats take care of the wounded. "Place these on any bleeding wounds." Birdpaw was instructing Icepaw and Mudpelt, handing them each a ball of cobwebs.
"Mom!" Birdpaw said, spying Dawnfeather hurrying toward them.
"You're all right!" They said at the same time.
"I was hunting when I heard the fight. Who was it, and what caused it?" She meowed, cocking her head.
"It was Shadowclan. They accused us of stealing prey from their territory." Firestar said, coming up behind them.
Icepaw nodded solemnly. "But from what we know, it wasn't any of our cats. Perhaps it was Windclan, or Riverclan?"
Firestar shrugged. "We don't know for sure, but next Gathering, we will bring it up."
The listening cats nodded, turning back to their work as Firestar walked away.
Maybe clan life isn't as good as I thought it would be? Dawnfeather thought to herself.
Five enemy cats were killed, and one of theirs. "Whose the dead cat?" Asked Cloudtail.
"Mousefur."
A/N: I'd thought I'd add a battle because there hadn't been any action really for a while.
Hope you enjoy!