Fawnpaw

Being an apprentice was amazing. My mother was our leader, so I got the best possible mentor other than the leader herself. Fernfrond, our deputy, was my mentor, and she was epic. She showed me the entire territory in two days, and taught me how to fight. Most apprentices had to gather moss or something lame their first training day, but I was put straight to fighting.

Today, Fernfrond had sent me to go hunting on my own. My favorite place to hunt was the field near the Twoleg barn, so I went there right away. My mom didn't seem to like the field very much, but I thought it was great. The grass was perfect for hiding in, and if you accidentally made noise, prey would pass it off as swishing wind. It was wonderful for hunting.

I could see Specklenose walking over to me and I tensed up. My mom never liked him, but she would never tell him why. She always got uncomfortable around him. Not angry or anything, just kinda scared. I tensed when he was by me because he picked on me for not having a dad. I knew that the Clan was my dad, but he thought otherwise. "What are you doing in a Clan? A Clan is a big family, and you know nothing about families."

"Obviously, since I am welcoming, I know more than you do. Anyways, I have a greater experience with family, since I recognize anyone as a family member. Wouldn't you agree?"

He shook his head. Apparently it sounded like I had made a good point, when in reality I just put on a fancy tone and used some fancy words. Some cats could be easily tricked. He stared at me for a second and then left, which was more than I would've hoped for. Usually he stuck around for a while.

I finally reached the field, and I promptly started trying to catch a scent. This was my first solo hunting mission, and I wanted to make Fernfrond proud. I knew I wouldn't do very well, since I was a somewhat new apprentice, but I could try my darnedest. I wanted to catch at least one piece of prey before I went back to camp, and I was ready to spend all day doing it.

I caught a scent other than prey and went to investigate. I saw a cat stalking prey on our territory, seemingly lost. "Hey, you! What are you doing on our territory?"

The cat stared at me for a second, and then walked closer. "Lillystar?"

"How do you know Lillystar?"

"She's my mate."

I smiled. "Dad? Oh my goodness, I thought I didn't have a dad! Mom never talks about you!"

"You're Lillystar's kit? It's clear, you're her spitting image. Anyways, I'm Speckle. I guess I am you dad."

"Why didn'y you join the Clan? You should come with me! I'm sure you'd be welcome there! Mom's probably dying to see you!"

"Naw. Your mom and I live our own lives now. I'd be happy to help take care of you, though. Do you want to see where I live?"

I nodded excitedly. "I'd love to! Do you know Speckletail? It doesn't matter. He's always teasing me because I don't have a dad, but now I do! What're you like?"

He seemed to consider his answer for a long time. "Well, I try my best to be friendly. I've always wanted somebody to look up to me, so I try to be a good cat. I help out others a lot, and I would'nt hurt a fly. Even when I see cats hunting where I live, I let them. I figure if they hunt so close to Twolegs, they probably need it."

"Cool! You seem great. I wonder why Mom didn't talk about you more?"

"Well, your mother and I had an argument. She didn't like me as much after that. I tried to patch it up, but I couldn't no matter what I did. She left, and while my heart was broken, I adjusted a little. It still hurts, but I'm happy I get to know my kit even if I can't know your mom anymore."

I looked at him with sorrow filling my eyes. "I'll talk to her when I get home. Maybe she'll forgive you if I ask her to."

"Oh, you would do that for me?" He asked, shocked. "That would be lovely. Thank you so very much!"

"Of course! It's no problem at all," I replied without a second thought. "I'd love to help."

We kept walking until we hit a neat little barn. "This is where I live," he informed me before walking in. "It's nice and cozy, do you want to see?"

"Sure!" I walked into the barn and saw that he was right. There was a soft covering on the ground, which he explained to be hay. It crunched a little bit when you walked on it, but it was soft once you spread your weight. He led me over to his den, and it was even better than the rest of the barn.

His den was covered with feathers and moss. Beside it was another den lined with wool and feathers. "It was Lillystar's," he explained. "I was never able to get rid of it. It would've made me too sad."

"It's lovely! It seems so soft!"

"You can sit down in it, if you like," he offered. I happily took him up on his offer, plopping down on the soft nest. I sank into it considerably when I sat down, it was so full of soft things.

"This is so cool!"

"Thanks. It's just my home to me. It's getting late, you had better stay the night. You can sleep in that den if you'd like, and I'll get us some prey and then keep watch. Making sure nobody attacks us. 'Course, I wouldn't attack them, but I gotta protect my only daughter."

I spread out on the nest and yawned. "Thanks a bunch! I know I'm safe with my dad."

He grinned and walked out of the barn. I saw him enter the field and fell asleep before he returned.

Little author's note: I'm tentatively continuing this story. I might write a whole thing of like, five-ten chapters, but if I lose inspiration I might ditch.