I Fell In Love With My Apprentice 2: Mocking Jay

Chapter 8: Snakes

A Poem by Wolfkit

Moonfeather, where did you go?

I think only Starclan knows

Lilypool told me you were lost

But

She had that glimmer in her eyes

The one she gets

When she tells a lie

Petalpaw pushed her way back through the camp entrance, feeling very strange. Ever since she had seen Lilypool, Jaystorm and Talonstrike in Greenclan, her heart had twisted up painfully. She remembered the horrified expression on her mentors face when she had seen them, indicating that something was very off.

Something is very wrong here.

And I don't have the slightest clue why.

"Petalpaw!"

Petalpaw was distracted from her thoughts as Lionpaw called her, and she snapped back to reality as she saw her brother and sister running over.

"How'd you do?" Mintpaw asked breathlessly, eyes shining. Petalpaw felt anger run through her for a heartbeat. They both look so excited, so oblivious to what I saw. Of course something weird had to happen on my assessment.

Why me?

"I think I did fine," Petalpaw mumbled, unable to share her sister's happiness. "I caught a lot."

"Then why do you look as if you just watched someone die?" Lionpaw scoffed, giving her a weird look. "Jeez, Petalpaw. You look miserable."

"I'm fine," Petalpaw whispered, wondering in her mind if she should tell them what she had seen. "I just… I don't know, I saw something kinda weird."

"I'm sure it can't be any weirder than what I had to witness," Lionpaw broke in. "I saw snakes everywhere. Freaked me out, I'll say."

"Yeah, but-" Petalpaw started.

"How did that go, by the way?" Mintpaw interrupted, staring at her brother with wide eyes. "I completely forgot that you had to hunt snakes! Was it scary?"

"Nah, I showed them who's boss," Lionpaw puffed out his chest proudly. "Once I started pouncing on them they stopped hissing and started fleeing for their lives."

Petalpaw nodded impatiently, waiting for Lionpaw to hurry up and stop talking about snakes so she could tell them what she had seen on the Greenclan border. Lionpaw seemed to be in for the long haul, describing in detail his entire hunting experience. She found it very hard to focus. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see four cats pushing their way into the camp.

It was Jaystorm, Talonstrike, Lilypool and Amberpelt.

Well it's apparent she met up with them! I wonder what she said… and what they said back… and the big question remains

Will they tell me what's going on?

Petalpaw tuned Lionpaw out and watched the warriors closely, studying their body language. Lilypool looked low, her tail was hung between her legs and her head was slumped down. Jaystorm looked as though he had far too much energy, his tail was all bunched up and he was reacting with quick movements. Talonstrike stood very still, as if he had suddenly turned to stone. Amberpelt was the exact opposite, she kept moving around as if she found it impossible to stand still. And while the four cats were all acting completely different from one other, Petalpaw noticed right away that they were all doing the same thing.

They were looking around, as if they were trying to find someone.

"Petalpaw, you're being totally rude," Lionpaw snapped, startling Petalpaw. She jumped and turned to face her brother, feeling bad at once. Ugh, I should have been listening. This is a big moment for all of us and I'm sitting here analyzing my dad and his friends.

"I'm sorry," Petalpaw apologized sincerely. "To be honest, I'm finding it really hard to concentrate."

"I know why," Mintpaw said kindly, looking encouragingly at Petalpaw. Petalpaw felt her heart leap. "You do?"

"Yeah," Mintpaw nodded her head. "You're nervous, because you're wondering if you did good enough on the assessment. I understand. I'm nervous too."

"At least you guys didn't have to hunt freaking snakes," Lionpaw put in. "I should get bonus points for that, don't you think?"

"Definitely," Petalpaw said quickly. She was still watching the warriors, and she flinched as Amberpelt caught her eye. At once she started walking over, followed by the others. It was obvious they had found who they were looking for.

Sometimes snakes don't just slither on the ground. Those four are acting sneakier than the snakes in the forest. And now they're coming over here, slithering towards me in a big group.

I think I'm a part of this now.

Does this make me a snake too?

"How'd I do?" Mintpaw asked as soon as Amberpelt was in earshot. "Were you able to watch both of us at the same time?"

"Of course," Amberpelt said quickly, still staring at Petalpaw. "You two did very well, I must say. I was really impressed. And Lionpaw, Gingertail is with Leafstar right now, in case you were wondering where she was."

"Right on," Lionpaw grinned. "They're probably in there discussing what my warrior name will be."

"Did any of you see Moonfeather while you were out?" Mintpaw asked, with a concerned look on her face. "Everyone's starting to get a little worried."

"No," Amberpelt said dully. Mintpaw looked crestfallen, clearly wondering where her mentor had gone. Petalpaw, however, found her heart twist yet again. She hadn't stopped studying the warriors, and how they were acting. At the mention of Moonfeather, Amberpelt and Lilypool had kept the same guarded gaze. Jaystorm and Talonstrike on the other hand shared an uneasy glance that lasted no longer than half a heartbeat.

I saw that

No one else did, but I saw that

"Petalpaw, I'd like to talk to you for a moment about your performance today," Amberpelt said suddenly. "Can we speak in private?"

"Okay," Petalpaw mumbled. Mintpaw and Lionpaw stared at her with wide eyes, clearly thinking that she didn't hunt well enough and was going to be told she wouldn't be a warrior.

"It's all good," Petalpaw mouthed the words at them before turning to follow Amberpelt away from everyone else. I hope.

Wolfkit padded out of the nursery, stretching each leg and yawning. Oh look, Lilypools over there! Wolfkit spotted his mother's dark brown pelt at once, standing out against Jaystorms yellow fur. He started walking towards her, noticing he didn't feel wobbly on his legs anymore. He looked down at his paws, realizing that his claws were bigger, less kit like. I'm gonna be an apprentice before you know it, he thought happily to himself. It can't be much longer now! I'm so excited!

"Hey mom," Wolfkit greeted her, wondering why she looked feverish when she looked at him. His happiness turned to concern within seconds. "What's wrong? Are you sick?"

"I'm not feeling well," Lilypool said, leaning down to nuzzle her head against his. "But I think it's just because I'm tired. Where's your brother?"

"He's listening to stories in the elders den," Wolfkit replied. "They wanted me to listen too but I wanted to have a nap instead. I wanted to be fully rested so I can watch Jaystorms kits become warriors!"

At the mention of his name, Jaystorm turned and looked over at Wolfkit. Wolfkit stared at Jaystorm, his blue eyes mirroring his own in the exact same shade.

"Hey, buddy," Jaystorm said after a moment's pause. "Did I just hear that you had a nap in the middle of the day?"

"Yeah, gotta make the best of it while I can," Wolfkit said proudly. "I'm gonna be an apprentice soon, and then there will be no more time for naps."

"That's my little guy," Jaystorm smiled at Wolfkit. "Not taking anything for granted, that's exactly what I would have done."

When Jaystorm smiled, Wolfkit thought again about how much he looked like himself and Foxkit. Jaystorm looks and acts like our dad way more than Moonfeather does. Moonfeather acts like he doesn't even know us sometimes.

"Baby, I need to talk to you," Lilypool whispered at last, voice cracking. Panic and fear ran through Wolfkit as he looked at his mother.

"Why? Is everything okay?" Wolfkit asked in alarm. He hated it when Lilypool was upset.

"There is actually something wrong," Lilypool said quietly. "And I need you to act like the strong little warrior you are, and listen to me and Jaystorm, okay?"

"Okay," Wolfkit said slowly, feeling very strange and icky. Oh, I hope I'm not in trouble! What if they found out Foxkit and I snuck into the medicine cats den yesterday? Oh no!

At this point Talonstrike had walked away, leaving Jaystorm and Lilypaw alone with Wolfkit. Wolfkit wondered for a brief second where Moonfeather was, but he pushed it away without a thought. Probably paying attention to someone who's not Foxkit or me, like always.

"I need to talk to you about Moonfeather," Lilypool said, voice hoarse. It reminded Wolfkit of an elder's scratchy voice after they'd just woken up. "I'm afraid he is lost… and not coming back to us."

"Lost?" Wolfkit narrowed his eyes in confusion. "How did he get lost?"

"He was very sick, mentally," Lilypool said, voice barely audible. "He went mad, Wolfkit. He tried to hurt me."

"Did he?" Wolfkit demanded at once, unsheathing his little claws. No one hurts my mom. I'll claw them one, even if it's my own dad.

"No he did not," Lilypool explained. "That's why he ran away… he knew if he stayed here, he would cause harm to us."

"I don't understand," Wolfkit was finding it very hard to process what Lilypool was saying. He shook his head a few times to clear it a bit. "Moonfeather ran away… forever?"

"I'm afraid so," Lilypool whispered. "Oh, Wolfkit. I'm so sorry… are you okay?"

Wolfkit shrugged, wondering why this information wasn't upsetting him very much. "Maybe he'll be happier in his new home," he said at last.

"He will," Lilypool leaned forward and pressed herself against her son. ""I know this must be very hard for you, I want you to tell me what you're feeling."

"Honestly," Wolfkit struggled as he mentally tried to put words together in his mind. He knew that losing Moonfeather should have triggered an unthinkable sadness, a life changing feeling.

But there was none.

"Tell me what you're feeling," Lilypool begged.

"I had a feeling he wasn't all there in the head," Wolfkit said at last. "I mean, he smeared honey all over his head all the time… only crazy cats do that, right?"

Lilypool just stared at him, looking terribly worried and upset.

"How are you feeling, little guy?" Jaystorm asked gently, looking at Wolfkit with a deep concern. "Are you alright? I'm sure this is a lot to take in."

Wolfkit stared at Jaystorm, appreciating the genuine concern that showed in his eyes. He really cares about me… I've never seen that look in Moonfeathers eyes before. Jaystorm has always been here for me and Foxkit. Moonfeather never is. Or was, I should say.

"I'm not a kit anymore," Wolfkit said, addressing the both of them. "I'm starting to understand things more and more every day. I knew that Moonfeather had issues, I always knew."

"You're growing up so fast," Lilypool whispered. "Sometimes I forget how strong you're becoming, both you and Foxkit. You're both turning into little warriors before my eyes, time is moving so quickly."

"I'm very relieved that you're handling this so well," Jaystorm said kindly. "It shows a lot of courage and strength, Wolfkit. I'm proud of you."

"That's it," Wolfkit jumped as Jaystorm said the word he was looking for.

"What?" Lilypool asked.

"Moonfeather is in a better place now, where he can be happy," Wolfkit said. "I'm not sad; I feel relief that he is finally where he belongs. I'm relieved."

"Oh, Wolfkit," Lilypool said gently, staring at him with love in her eyes. "So are we."