Fawnpaw

I woke up to a sharp pain in my leg. To my dismay, a cat was biting it. I heard a sharp *CRUNCH* before I had time to do anything about it. Once I was actually awake and able to process things, I tried to lunge at the cat. It didn't go so well. My lunge turned into a flop as my now broken leg crumpled beneath me. I prepared for a brutal fight between me and the cat. I knew that I was at a severe disadvantage, what with not being able to stand up and all, but I could handle it. I was an apprentice, after all. The cat reared up to attack again when another cat burst into the barn.

The cat was a beautiful white cat, the color of snow. He easily took down the other cat and started biting it and scratching it. His fur was quickly covered in red, and despite my pity for the losing cat, I smiled. I knew that the majority of the blood was coming from my attacker, and not my defender. It impressed me how few wounds the snowy cat received in the battle. That'd teach the new cat to break my leg when I'm in my father's care.

"I'm Snowy," the cat said as soon as he had chased away the attacker. "You're Fawnpaw. Your dad told me about you." It was a tad creepy that my dad told a stranger things about me, but it also endeared me towards my father. After all, my dad had never even met me and he was telling his friends about me. My dad must really love me. That would show Speckletail.

"Where's my dad?" I inquired, worried that he had gotten hurt. My dad wouldn't just up and leave me in the care of a cat I didn't know. I could get scared by that, and my dad wouldn't want that. He cared about me too much.

"Your dad's running an errand. He'll be back soon enough. For now, I'm watching you. I'll do my best to make sure nothing like that happens again, but you have to be careful. There are rogues around here now, more than there were yesterday. If you do exactly as you're told when you're told, you should be safe. For now, just rest and try to let your leg heal. Your dad will take you back to camp when you're ready." That answer satisfied me. I knew Dad was doing something great, like hunting for an injured cat. It seemed like something he would do.

I nodded, taking it all in. I had been passed off to another cat in my sleep! It was a bit creepy, but if Snowy was Dad's friend, I could deal with it. "Ok. Did dad ever catch any prey?"

Snowy looked down at the ground. "Sorry, I forgot about that. I'll go get you some food," he promised before he ran away. I trusted him. Snowy seemed like a cool guy. After all, he saved my life. If it wasn't for him, I wouldn't be around to think he was a cool guy. Even if he was a bit creepy, that got him major points. Besides, he was an epic fighter. He didn't even seem sore from the battle. He held his head high and I couldn't see him bleeding at all. That was quite some skill.

Snowy returned surprisingly quickly with a mouse in his jaws. "Hope you like mouse, it's all we have nearby. I can't go very far because I have to guard you. Make sure no one else attacks you. Your dad will be sad enough with a broken leg, we wouldn't want to add a broken neck," he explained hurriedly. I figured he thought that I would assume he was lazy, but he didn't have to worry. He was my savior. For all I cared, he could've brought me crowfood. It was better than being left alone defenseless.

"All right, I'm fine with that," I consented. "Mice are delicious." I dug into the mouse. I hadn't eaten since sunrise the day before, and I was famished. I finished the mouse in a couple of gulps, and I was still hungry. I quickly decided that I would deal with it, however, since I didn't want to disturb Snowy again. I was grateful that he was protecting me, and I didn't want to make him leave his post again. It was scary when he wasn't around.

It turned out, sitting around all day got boring. I drifted in and out of sleep, trying to ignore the stabbing pain in my injured leg. I thought my leg would heal, and I hoped with all of my strength, but I wished it would head faster. Broken bones hurt, and mine wasn't leaving. Sudden jolts of pain would randomly jerk me away when I was dreaming, and it was getting frustrating.

Finally, Snowy nudged me. "It's time to get up. Your dad's back."

I rolled over for a second before I understood what he said. When I managed to realize that my dad was back, I was awake in an instant. I tried to stand up, but quickly crumpled. Another shot of pain went up my leg, so I surrendered myself to waiting until he could come to me. I knew that my dad would do everything he could to fix my leg. He would take the pain if he was capable of it. I felt bad that he wouldn't be able to, since I knew that would make him feel bad. At least I could smell Mom with him. I grinned excitedly. He had convinced her to forgive him after all. Maybe now we could be a family for once.

My dad said something to Snowy that I could hardly make out. I could hear mutters about my broken leg and the attacker. I was worried Dad would get mad and try to attack him, but he didn't. He seemed somewhat... grateful?

I'm not trying to write like everything's super amazing, I'm just trying to make it seem like Fawnpaw is an easily impressed apprentice.