Mudpaw walked out of the elders den and headed towards his mentor, Sunblaze.
"Good you're done," Sunblaze meowed. "Now I want you to come with me and gather some seashells for the nests."
"Another boring task," Mudpaw sighed as he rolled his eyes. "When are we going to get to do something interesting, like exploring our territory, teaching me battle moves, teaching me how to hunt or swim."
"Sometime that is not now," he replied. "Now let's get those seashells."
Sunblaze headed towards the camp's entrance with Mudpaw on his tail.
As soon as they were about to reach the entrance, Falconpaw stood in front of them with Blueberry's body laying in front of him. He was shaking badly.
"Blueberry, h-he..." Falconpaw stuttered. "Blueberry is…"
"Calm down Falconpaw," Sunblaze mewed. "We can see that Blueberry is dead, now go rest in the Medicine Cat's den until you are ready to tell us what went on while I carry Blueberry's body with Mudpaw's help"
Falconpaw nodded and headed towards the Medicine Cat's den.
I hope Falconpaw is going to be alright. Mudpaw helped Sunblaze carry Blueberry's body.
"What's going on?" Ripplestar questioned. "How did Blueberry die?"
"We're not sure," Sunblaze calmly replied. "But I'm sure Falconpaw knows the answer."
"Well once he's ready to tell us," Ripplestar meowed. "I'll get him to tell us what went on. For now I want you, Sunblaze to go get Meadowsong to prepare Blueberry's body for burial and find another cat to comfort Falconpaw."
"I'm doing better now," Falconpaw spoke up. Meadowsong was standing next to him.
Meadowsong then got up and carried Blueberry's body to her den.
"Are you ready to tell us what went on, Falconpaw?" Ripplestar kindly asked.
"Y-yes," he hesitated.
Ripplestar gestured him to go on.
"We were nearby the river and he was teaching me how to fish," Falconpaw began. "I wasn't getting any luck for a while, but when I was finally about to catch a fish, that's when the…the…the rogue showed up and attack Blueberry! I stumbled into the river a bit and got up real quick and ran and then hid behind some bushes. I-I was so too scared to face the rogue. When I finally came out of the bushes the rogue was gone and I saw Blueberry lying unconscious in the river, my…my heart began beating fast as I saw Blueberry's blood flowing in the river. I ran up to him to see and hope if he was still alive, but when I approached him, his throat was badly torn out and was limp. I-I started shaking like a leaf and my heart started to beat uncontrollably. I'm such a coward!"
Falconpaw started to shake again.
"You're not a coward, Falconpaw," Ripplestar mewed softly. "We have all have times when all we want to do is runaway."
"Can you tell us what the rogue looked like?" Mudstrike asked.
"The rogue…" Falconpaw meowed quietly. "…I-I'm sorry. It was all a blur. I-I…I couldn't even get a good view of that…that…that dreaded so called cat!"
"It's alright," Raindapple mewed softly as she licked his flack, causing him to twitch. "It's just good that you are safe and sound."
"Let all cats that are old enough to swim gather around the gather around the tree stump for a clan meeting!" Ripplestar meowed.
The clan started to gather around. Meadowsong had just finished preparing Blueberry's body for burial and had it placed in the center of the clan.
"We gather here today for the burial of Blueberry," he meowed sadly. "He would be dearly missed, but at least he would be swimming with Starcan this night. Also Otterstripe will be Falconpaw's new mentor."
"Seriously?" Otterstripe questioned. "Well if you say so."
Otterstripe walked up to Falconpaw and touched noses with him.
"Otterstripe! Falconpaw! Otterstripe! Falconpaw!" The clan cheered.
After the cheering was done Ripplestar had dismissed the clan, Mouseshadow, Otterstripe, and Falconpaw had gathered around Blueberry to share tongues with him one last time.
Mudpaw turned towards his brother. He had never been so frighten before in his life.
The next morning Mudpaw had woken up early and as he walked out of the apprentice den, he saw the elders carrying Blueberry's body.
"Can I help?" he asked as he ran up towards them.
"No can do," Pipwhisker answered.
"This is elders work," Ratfur meowed with a triumphed of pride.
"Thank you for the offer though," Duckfeather meowed. "You sure are up early this morning."
"I was starting to get restless," Mudpaw quietly answered.
Duckfeather nodded.
The elders then continued to carry Blueberry's body to be buried.
"Good you're up," Sunblaze meowed as he approached his apprentice. "Mudstrike wants us to go on Dawn Patrol along with Shadelight and Raindapple."
"Is Mudstrike even sure it would be a good idea to have a cat going on a patrol so soon after leaving the nursery recently?" Mudpaw questioned.
"Mudstrike knows what he's doing," Sunblaze replied. "Your mother is going to be alright. Didn't you want to do something more exciting?"
"Yes without a doubt!" It would be even more exciting if I get to do learn some battle skills so I could use them on enemy cats!
"Let's head on then."
Sunblaze and Mudpaw had then joined Shadelight and Raindapple to leave out for the patrol.
The four cats had headed up to the border that was nearby Windclan territory.
As the cats were marking their border four Windclan cats walked their way.
"What's Windclan doing here?" Shadelight questioned.
"So it's okay for Riverclan to mark their borders," The light brown tabby she-cat spat back. "But when Windclan does it, it's wrong?"
"That's not what I meant," Shadelight hissed. "I just don't see why you had to choose now of all times."
"Let's not start a fight over nothing now," Raindapple spoke up. "They're only following the code, just like us."
"I've been wondering," It was a pale ginger tom that had bright ginger stripes that spoke up this time. "Which sticks worst the fish or the Riverclan cats themselves?"
"More like fishstunkclan," The light brown tabby she-cat joined in.
"We do not stink!" Mudpaw spat.
"Enough everybody," The black Windclan tom spoke up. "Let's stop fighting and mark our borders already so we can head on back."
"You're a new apprentice aren't you?" A light grey tabby she-cat asked that was roughly around Mudpaw's age.
"So what!" Mudpaw hissed. "Aren't you too!?"
"I figured so," she purred ignoring his anger. "It's okay I'm one too."
"Why you," he growled as he unsheathed his claws.
"Oh you want to fight?" the light grey tabby apprentice questioned as she tilted her head.
"Mudpaw don't you even dare," Sunblaze meowed in a stern tone. "You don't even know any battle skills."
"You don't know how to fight," the light grey tabby mewed. "Well what do you know, neither do I!"
Mudpaw started to his hiss and claw at the ground.
"That's enough, Mudpaw!" Sunblaze meowed strictly. "You should know better and we need to get going!"
"But she-
"I told you that's enough!" Sunblaze spat. "Now let's get going before any of us shed any unnecessary blood."
Mudpaw just muttered as he joined the other Riverclan cats and headed on back to camp.
"I won't forget about you!" he hissed as he turned to the light grey tabby she-cat.
"Oh I'm sure you won't, Mudpaw," she purred.
"That was uncalled for," Sunblaze meowed with anger in his eyes.
"What do you mean!? Mudpaw questioned angrily. "That she-cat was the one that was in fault."
"How?" he questioned. "By being nice and friendly?"
Mudpaw just grunted.
"There is nothing wrong if a cat from another clan trying to be nice to you."
She wasn't doing that. She was taunting me.
"Once we returned to camp I will have a talk with Ripplestar and he will decide your punishment."
Mudpaw lowered his head in shame.
"Can you hurry up and get this tick off of me!" Ratfur hissed. "It's making me go mousebrain not being able to reach it!"
"Hold on," Mudpaw replied while pulling off the last tick that was on Pipwhisker.
When they had returned to the camp, Sunblaze had a talk with Ripplestar about Mudpaw's behavior. For Mudpaw's punishment, Ripplestar had decided to have him check the elders for ticks and clean their nests.
"Can you hurry it up!?" Ratfur complained. "You're slower than a turtle on its back!"
"I'm coming, I'm coming," he meowed.
"Be patient," Duckfeather meowed. "He's on his way."
Ratfur just started muttering to himself.
"Where exactly is it?" Mudpaw asked.
"What are you blind!?" Ratfur spat. "Their rights there in front of you on my back, nearby were my tail is!"
Mudpaw looked over to where Ratfur told him where the tick was. Mudpaw saw that the tick was on Ratfur's back, next to were his tail was, just a little bit underneath.
I have to pull it off there!? Mudpaw had made a disgusted face as he looked at the 'place' where the tick was. Luckily for him none of the elders saw the look on his face.
"Hurry up and get it off already!" Ratfur hissed.
Mudpaw grabbed some of the mouse bile and quickly shut his eyes as he removed the tick from Ratfur.
I'm going to need drink some water when I'm done, a lot of it.
"Do you have any ticks on you, Duckfeather?" Mudpaw asked.
"Just one right here on my shoulder," she replied.
Mudpaw nodded and went over to Duckfeather and pulled the tick off of her.
Once Mudpaw was done removing the ticks from the elders, he began to clean their nests.
It took some time, but eventually he was done.
"Have you learned your lesson?" Ripplestar asked Mudpaw as the young apprentice walked out of the elders' den.
"Yes," Mudpaw answered as he slowly nodded.
"Good," Ripplestar replied. "You are still a young apprentice, Mudpaw and still have a lot to learn. So the only thing you can do is to learn from your mistakes and move forward."
"I understand," Mudpaw meowed.
Ripplestar just nodded and went on his way.