It had been three sunrises since Twilightstar had lost her first life, and since Silverweb was welcomed into the Clan.
'Welcomed' was a polite way of putting Silverweb's addition to SaltClan. A lot of cats were standoffish towards her, and Hollowclaw's warnings of distrusting the stranger instilled a sense of fear into almost every cat. Even Seaheart, it seemed, had taken to keeping an eye on the previously RootClan she-cat. Greenpaw was a little more than disgruntled about this; Twilightstar seemed to put all the babysitting duty on her deputy.
This meant that Silverweb often accompanied Seaheart and Greenpaw whilst training. Shellstream and Sunpaw had taken to joining them as well, which made it not quite as bad. Shellstream explained that she would like Sunpaw to get a varied training schedule; Seaheart praised Shellstream for this, and received the duo completely. While Greenpaw was nothing but excited at the prospect of spending more time with Sunpaw, she questioned Shellstream's true motives. Greenpaw saw the way Shellstream looked at the deputy when she didn't think any-cat was paying attention.
This morning, Seaheart had woken Greenpaw bright and early for a dawn patrol with Silverweb, Shellstream, Reedtail and Sunpaw, to be followed by battle training. The group had just reached the Saltmarsh when Seaheart instructed the cats to hunt, in order to keep up their strength for battle training. "An empty belly is a busy mind, and a busy mind is no good for battling, lassies." He mewed wisely, speaking that jargon that sometimes took Greenpaw some sitting down and thinking about to understand.
And so they broke off into groups: Silverweb and Reedtail were to do some hunting on their way back to the Clan, to finish the patrol with a quick beach sweep; Sunpaw and Greenpaw were to hunt the Saltmarsh; and Shellstream and Seaheart doubling back to the dune scrub. Seaheart promised that they would return soon for battle training. He warned them that if they didn't catch anything, they'd be battling with not only tired paws, but empty bellies.
As they watched the warriors pad away into their respective groups, Shellstream mewing to Seaheart animatedly while Reedtail and Silverweb silently made their way to the beach shore, Greenpaw slumped down into the wet sand surrounding the edges of the Saltmarsh. "Oh, finally." ohe mewed, feigning exhaustion. "I thought they'd never leave!"
Sunpaw licked her on the top of Greenpaw's gray head. "To hunt, you minx."
Greenpaw rolled onto her back and swatted at Sunpaw's chest which sheathed paws. "Or so Shellstream can go moon over Seaheart in private!"
Sunpaw purred, laying down next to Greenpaw. "She does seem rather infatuated, doesn't she."
"Infatuated," Greenpaw snorted. "She follows him around like a kit! Great, strong Shellstream. Who would have known she'd be batty over our deputy!"
Sunpaw suddenly jumped up, and pounced on Greenpaw, pinning her down. "Hey!" Greenpaw exclaimed in surprise. "No fair!"
"Don't underestimate your enemy," Sunpaw quoted, still purring, licking the top of Greenpaw'd head again.
"Some enemy you are," Greenpaw purred back as Sunpaw let her up. Greenpaw shook clumps of sand from her pelt.
"Oh, ferocious I can be, Greenpaw," Sunpaw teased, bounding away into the Saltmarsh waters. She entered the water with her front paws forward and her head tipped down, her body following seamlessly, making only a few ripples in the deep water as she went under. Shellstream had taught the two how to dive yesterday. Sunpaw picked it up properly after her second or third try. When Greenpaw took her turn, she had picked a spot much too shallow and ended up with yet another mouthful of sand.
Greenpaw bounded after Sunpaw, not risking the dive. Greenpaw, with her luck, would fall in a tangled mess and disturb the tranquility of the Saltmarsh, and scare away all the prey. When Sunpaw emerged from the water on a shallow island, some fox-lengths away from where she had entered, she had a few killifish struggling in between her teeth. Sunpaw crunched down, and they were still.
Greenpaw swam over to join her, pulling herself onto the submerged island with ease. She loved the water, every bit of it. She just wasn't nearly as graceful as Sunpaw was.
As Greenpaw pulled herself to Sunpaw's level, Sunpaw stuck her head out, tipping her chin up, offering her a fish. Greenpaw shook her head. "You were lucky to find something that fast," Greenpaw mewed. "You can have them; I still have time!"
And with a few crunchy chews, Sunpaw had finished the little fish. She licked her yellow muzzle. "Bony as they may be, they are my favorite."
They continued into the Saltmarsh, wading through the paths of water grasses slowly and quietly. Greenpaw kept her ears pricked. She didn't much feel like fish this morning, and kept her ears out for something warm-blooded.
They continued in silence, Sunpaw occasionally wrapping her tail around Greenpaw's affectionately. Greenpaw decided that this was her favorite time. While she loved being in the middle of grand adventures, and being surrounded by interesting cats she was now sworn to protect, Greenpaw really enjoyed the quiet moments she got with her best friend, padding around the Saltmarsh, when conversation wasn't important. Greenpaw also decided that she wouldn't rather be doing it with any other cat than Sunpaw.
Eventually, after some quiet wading, Greenpaw froze. She heard a pitter patter of small feet on rock. Sunpaw was stopped next to her, completely immobile. Greenpaw sniffed the air. Water vole.
She swiveled her head to the left. There was a flat stone surrounded by some tall water grasses, and Greenpaw could just barely see the plump little body through the reeds. He was chewing on a thick flower stem. Greenpaw approached slowly, oh so slowly, as to not disturb the water around any more than it needed to be. No warning; nothing suspicious…
She circled the stone slowly, until a break in the water grass gave Greenpaw a clear view and a line of attack. He was even larger than she thought the vole was, a fat little thing, sitting precariously on the stone edge opposite of Greenpaw. But he wasn't facing her, and had no view of her stealthy approach from behind.
Greenpaw padded carefully up to the edge of the stone. She could pounce from the edge with her back-paws in the water, but Seaheart told her that if she could avoid attacking while any body part was in the water, she should. Otherwise the prey would have that much more warning to dart out of the way. And water voles were tricky little things; they ate close to the edge of something, like the stone island, close to the water in order to make a quick escape if needed.
Greenpaw slowly lifted one paw out of the water at a time, and put all of her weight on her hunches. She leaned forward into her hunter crouch, shifted her weight a few more times, and pounced.
Greenpaw swept the vole away from the edge of the stone with an unsheathed paw. She dragged him to her mouth quickly, and it was done. Sunpaw approached from behind her with a single bound. "That was a wonderful catch," she purred, licking Greenpaw's cheek, underneath her whiskers.
Greenpaw pushed it towards her with her nose. They both closed their eyes for a moment, dipping their heads, thanking StarClan for it's life. Seaheart had instructed her and Sunpaw to take a few moments after a kill, in order to thank their ancestors for the food – it was not only a part of the warrior code, he expressed, but a duty to be thankful for the world they lived in.
Sunpaw, who had already eaten a few killifish, only took a bite from the fat vole. Greenpaw was plenty hungry enough to finish it herself. When only bones were left, Greenpaw licked her muzzle clean, satisfied, and laid down on the stone, which was slowly warming with the rising sun. Sunpaw lay next to her, and they shared tongues for some moments before Seaheart's loud yowl called them back to the training island.
Bellies full, the duo took a little more time making their way to their mentors than they normally would have. "I'll bet Silverweb out-caught old Reedtail," Greenpaw remarked as they waded back through the marshes. "She's a much sharper claw than he is."
And it was true. Since Silverweb was spending so much time with them, Sunpaw and Greenpaw both had seen her hunting in action many times. She often demonstrated Seaheart's teachings, and occasionally even added to his lessons. Silverweb was a smart cat; Greenpaw would give her that much. And a vivacious hunter. She could probably even out-hunt Seaheart, but Greenpaw would never say so.
"She is," Sunpaw agreed. She was quiet for a moment. "I've had some doubts about her…"
Greenpaw glanced at her, surprised. They had never really spoken about Silverweb before, and Sunpaw was normally so accepting of every cat; even grumpy Coralclaw and mean old Hollowclaw. She never had anything bad to contribute about any cat in the Clan, and always saw the best in them.
"What about, Sunpaw?"
"It's just a feeling I have," Sunpaw admitted. "I just don't like her being around all the time."
This was news to Greenpaw. She felt her fur begin to bristle. If Sunpaw didn't like her, Greenpaw was now absolutely sure the silver she-cat could not be trusted.
"Then we should –"
"There ye be, lassies!" Seaheart interrupted them. Shellstream had a reproaching look on her face. "Ye took yer sweet time, did ye?"
Greenpaw glanced up at him from the water, embarrassed. It was true. She carried so much of the fat vole in her belly that she knew she was dragging Sunpaw behind as well. Sunpaw hadn't complained, nor would she ever; but it was Greenpaw's fault that Sunpaw had been reprimanded, too. "Sorry, Seaheart. Shellstorm." Greenpaw mewed hastily. "It was my fault. Sunpaw was just keeping my pace."
"Ay, ye'll be more sorry in a moment, young ones!" Seaheart mewed, but not disdainfully. He somehow always managed to keep warmth in his mew. Stern warmth.
"We'll be working on partner fighting today," Shellstream explained, flicking her tail and gaining a hint of her regular enthusiasm in her eyes. "Seaheart and I will be battling the two of you before we head back to camp, after practicing. We'll see how you fare on that walk back."
"We've seen the two ye lasses battle together, an' ye almost instinctively fall into partner fighting al'ready," Seaheart added, eyeing Greenpaw specifically. She wondered why. "By tail or claw, ye lassies fight better together."
"But we're going to fine-tune those instinctive moves and add to your battle account." Shellstream finished. "Now, the two of you. Attack me. Seaheart will observe."
Greenpaw felt her fur prickle in surprise. Instructions were usually given before the battle. This was the first time she would be battling and then evaluated. Shellstream was not joking in any way – in her moment of hesitation, Greenpaw watched Shellstream raise her paw for a front paw blow to Greenpaw's face, but then Sunpaw's paw batted Shellstream's away from Greenpaw.
Shellstream jumped back into a defensive position, just out of range of any counter-attack. Greenpaw felt the sand crunching around her paws as she and Sunpaw brushed each others' sides before slowly moving away from each other – Greenpaw going widdershins, as Seaheart would say: to the left – and Sunpaw moving deosil, to the right.
Greenpaw kept her eyes on Shellstream, who was shaking her head from side to side, keeping eyes on both cats. When Greenpaw and Sunpaw were almost close enough to lash out at Shellstream, Greenpaw saw Sunpaw flick her tail out of the corner of her eye.
Greenpaw took no more than a moment after to attempt to leap atop Shellstream. But as Greenpaw came crashing down, Shellstream dropped and rolled away form her – and, unluckily enough, away from Sunpaw as well. Shellstream rolled to the very edge of the island, the tip of her tail dipping into the Saltmarsh.
Shellstream jumped up, but all of the sudden, Sunpaw was on top of her back, successfully. Shellstream rolled again, now pinning Sunpaw under her, but Greenpaw leapt one more time and landed on Shellstream. Greenpaw felt Sunpaw give a great "Oof!" of surprise from the sudden extra weight, but Greenpaw wasted no time and no hesitation to rake Shellstream's belly with sheathed claws, and to press her nose near the nape of Shellstream's neck as a faux bite.
Seaheart called them off, and Greenpaw allowed Shellstream to get up, who, in turn, allowed Sunpaw. Sunpaw looked a little frazzled, but Greenpaw saw the triumph in her eyes, too, the same that Greenpaw felt. Ha-ha, Shellstream! Take that!
Greenpaw licked the top of Sunpaw's head, who was still looking a little disheveled with sand dispersed throughout her pelt. Sunpaw gave a little shake, spraying Greenpaw with the little grains, but Greenpaw just purred. "We won!" she announced.
"So ye did," Seaheart meowed, his tone amused. "Two against one, I'll remind ye."
"But what does Sunpaw think of the battle?" Shellstream asked, looking her apprentice dead in the eye as she padded over to Seaheart's side. Seaheart eyed Sunpaw curiously as well.
But Sunpaw merely met their eyes in silence. What did they mean? Just because she got stuck under Shellstream? But Greenpaw won the battle and rescued her!
"Crushed, I'm sure the young one feels," Seaheart mewed bemused. "Greenpaw, lass, ye did nothing but add to the weight an' pressure placed on Sunpaw. Ye not be fully grown, yet, lassies. Should ye be full grown, 'twould be a dangerous way to win, all right. A dangerous one indeed."
"You could have broken Sunpaw's bones, Greenpaw." Shellstream added. "You must look for opportunity but keep your Clanmates safe as well."
Greenpaw was suddenly dumbfounded. But she won!
Then, Greenpaw's mind suddenly wandered to images of Beachflower, of Shrimpkit, of Pearlpelt. Of Stormrush and Sandflame, Hollowclaw and Froglegs. Even Sharkpaw and Reedtail, Tidepaw and Riverpaw. Coralclaw, Rosekit and Bluekit. The cats she had grown to not only feel the need to ferociously defend, but to feed for, care for, and love. Especially Sunpaw. She didn't ever want to hurt them.
And suddenly, Greenpaw understood why Seaheart had made her meet all of the Clan cats. She understood why it was so necessary to not only swear to defend them, but to know what and who she was fighting for. Now, she got it.
"Now, enough chat an' blame, that didn't ever help a cat. What you should have done, lass…" Seaheart went on, describing the proper techniques and how to handle precarious situations with a partner. Greenpaw listened closely, her head high and her tail wrapped around Sunpaw's.
She had a clan to protect.