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A Patch's Flames cover
The Blurb[]
A Patch's Flames is a fan fiction written by FallingPetals.
The following story is rated Moderate for some scenes of violence/death.
In a forest full of clearings and a churning river lives a small clan called SwiftClan. These cats are known for their quickness and for their founding leader, Swiftstar. However, recently, there have been many creatures lurking in the darkness, ready to strike and destroy the clan. Patchkit, a tortoiseshell she-cat, born along with her two brothers, is just a normal kit living in SwiftClan...or is she? Patchkit may have a destiny far greater than any other's cats destiny before her. She must blaze through the forest in her clan's time of need, or die down with it.
Allegiances[]
Leader: Bumblestar - Silver tabby tom with a white chest and paws and amber eyes
Deputy: Foxcloud - Ginger tabby tom with white paws with amber eyes (Mentoring Duskpaw)
Medicine Cat: Ivylight - Light gray she-cat with green eyes
Warriors: Blossomleg - Dark ginger tabby she-cat with a white tail-tip and green eyes
Hawknose - Dark brown tabby tom with yellow eyes
Swallowstrike - Gray tom with green eyes
Beetletail - Dark gray and white tom with a black tail and yellow eyes (Mentoring Ashpaw)
Shadepetal - Gray tabby she-cat with amber eyes
Grayleap - Light gray tabby she-cat with amber eyes
Tawnystripe - Golden brown tabby tom with green eyes
Goldenpelt - Golden tabby and white she-cat with amber eyes
Apprentices: Duskpaw - Dark gray tabby she-cat with blue eyes
Ashpaw - Gray tom with amber eyes
Queens: Frostpool - Light gray she-cat with icy blue eyes, mother of Foxcloud's kits (Barkkit - Brown tabby tom with white paws and amber eyes, and Jaykit - Gray she-cat with blue eyes)
Sorrelflower - Tortoiseshell and white she-cat with green eyes, mother of Tawnystripe's kits (Tallkit - Light brown tabby tom with long legs and green eyes, Patchkit - Tortoiseshell she-cat with a white paw and amber eyes, and Rowankit - Small ginger and white tabby tom with green eyes)
Elders: Shrewfur - Dusty brown tom with a graying muzzle and amber eyes
Prologue[]
The sun was held high in the somewhat cloudy sky, brightening the forest with its dazzling light. The towering oak trees and flowering fields were filled with the occasional chirping of a cardinal, which was perched in a low branch, as the Greenleaf air began to warm up. Suddenly, the red bird took off as the crackling of a stick startled it. Two felines, one with golden brown tabby fur, and another with tortoiseshell and white fur, strolled side by side through the thicket of trees into a small clearing full of daisies and marigold. The she-cat seemed strangely plump compared to the tom, whom was now staring into her leaf-green eyes.
"Remember how we used to play here as apprentices?" the tabby tom asked, his own light green eyes twinkling as he began to remember something.
The she-cat replied with, "Yes, Tawnystripe. Remember that night you asked me to be your mate?"
"I would never forget it." Tawnystripe licked the tortoiseshell on her muzzle as she let out a purr. "I bet our kits will be beautiful, Sorrelflower."
"About the kits," Sorrelflower sighed as she glanced down at the ground, "Shouldn't I be at camp? Ivylight said my kits are due any day now."
"Don't worry," Tawnystripe reassured as his mate looked up at him. "That shouldn't happen, and if it does, the border patrol is out. They could get Ivylight."
"Well, I feel like they're coming soon, it's just-"
"Stop worrying," Tawnystripe meowed as he closed his eyes. He placed his tail on his mate's haunches as he said this. "You'll be fine. The kits will be fine. Nothing is going to happen."
"Well, okay," Sorrelflower said, still with a bit of uncertainty in her voice. She then leaned in and placed her cheek on Tawnystripe's muzzle. Tawnystripe closed his eyes and purred for a moment. Suddenly, the tom heard a screech pound against his ear. He flickered his eyes open just to see Sorrelflower fall onto the ground with another shriek.
"The kits...! They're coming!" the queen exclaimed before she let out another yowl of pain. Tawnystripe stared in shock and then snapped back into reality.
"I'll be right back!" He yowled before turning and dashing off into the trees. "I promise!" Tawnystripe began racing through the forest, sill hearing the shrieks of his mate in the distance. The smell of cat and water began to hit his nostrils and the tom began to run even faster. He burst into a clearing where a stream ran. There were three cats, all of which raised their heads as Tawnystripe bolted toward them. The golden brown tabby screeched to a halt and stood there, panting.
"Tawnystripe, what's going on?" Foxcloud, the clan deputy, asked calmly to the panting warrior.
"Sorrelflower...kits...herbs..." Tawnystripe panted in an effort to regain his breath. "Sorrelflower's having her kits!"
"What?!" Beetletail, another cat on the patrol exclaimed before looking down at a small, gray tom standing beside him. "Ashpaw, go fetch Ivylight!" The apprentice nodded his head and took off toward camp.
"Come on, we better make sure she's alright," Foxcloud meowed before dashing off into the trees. Tawnystripe pushed ahead of the two cats to show them where to go. Beetletail tried to run ahead of the two, but he just kept trailing behind. The wails of his mate got stronger and the patrol burst into the meadow with Sorrelflower in it.
"Sorrelflower! Are you okay?" Tawnystripe panted.
The she-cat looked up to him and meowed, "I'm fine-" She was suddenly caught off by her own screech of pain.
"Here, bite down on this," Foxcloud meowed as he ran over toward a stick the tom grasped it in his jaws and ran back over. The queen quickly yanked it out of his mouth and bit down into it. Beetletail gave his deputy a glare and looked back at the queen. Tawnystripe saw her contractions ripple her fur as the queen bit down harder into the stick.
"Come on, Sorrelflower, you can do it!" The tom yowled.
Suddenly, Sorrelflower let out a screech as a tiny bundle slid out onto the grass. Foxcloud dashed over and bit open its sack and began to lick it. The kit let out a gasp as its lungs filled with air, but Foxcloud kept licking it to make it dry.
"It's a tom," Foxcloud announced as he stopped licking, revealing a light brown tabby tom with long, slender legs. The cats had no time to celebrate before Sorrelflower's scream ripped the air. Another bundle slipped out and Tawnystripe rushed over toward it. He bit open the sack, just like how Foxcloud did, and began to rasp his tongue over it. It let out a gasp as he finished licking it dry. Tawnystripe examined his kit and saw sleek, tortoiseshell fur covering its fragile body.
"It's a she-cat!" Tawnystripe exclaimed, pride in his voice. One last shriek came from Sorrelflower and one last bundle came out. Beetletail padded over and crouched. He nipped the sack open and immediately spit something out.
"That tastes awful!" the warrior complained.
"Don't complain, Beetletail," Foxcloud ordered. Beetletail grumbled something under his breath and reluctantly began to lick the kit. The warrior stopped once the kit let out a gasp. That kit was smaller than the others, probably the runt of the litter.
"Another tom," Beetletail sighed as he tried to get the taste out of his tongue. Suddenly, Ivylight and Ashpaw dashed into the clearing.
"I heard Sorrelflower was having kits, and I came as soon as I could, and-" Ivylight stopped in her tracks as she saw the bundles of fur that the toms were now moving over to their mother's belly. The kits began to suckle as they felt the queen's warmth.
"Two toms and a she-cat," Sorrelflower purred as she looked up at the medicine cat.
"That's wonderful, but you should eat these," the she-cat meowed as she placed some borage leaves down. Tawnystripe watched as his mate ate the bitter leaves without complaining.
"Your kits are beautiful," Foxcloud meowed.
"I agree," Ashpaw said.
"Thanks," Tawnystripe and Sorrelflower meowed in unison.
"We'll let you name them," Ivyflight meowed as she and the other cats backed away and sat down. Tawnystripe felt nervous as he felt the responsibility of naming the kits.
"Why don't you name the first one?" the tom asked his mate.
"Sure," Sorrelflower meowed as she looked at her son. "He has long legs, so he might be tall. We'll name him Tallkit."
"Good name," Tawnystripe purred as he looked at the tortoiseshell. "She's covered in patches, I guess I'll call her...Patchkit."
"I like that name," Sorrelflower meowed as she strained to see her last kit, which was a ginger and white tabby tom. "He reminds me of rowan berries, so he'll be Rowankit."
"Tallkit, Patchkit, and Rowankit," Tawnystripe purred the names of his kits out loud. "They're perfect."
Chapter 1: The Camp[]
"Shouldn't their eyes be open by now?"
Patchkit was forced to listen to the constant bickering between her mother, Sorrelflower, and Frostpool about when she and Rowankit were to open their eyes. "I mean, Tallkit already opened his eyes yesterday."
Patchkit heard her mother sigh at the other queen's words and then reply, "Yes, but my kits will open their eyes when they're ready."
"Well, they're obviously not as strong as my kits," Frostpool bragged on. "Barkkit and Jaykit opened their eyes a day after they were born."
How long are they going to go on? Patchkit thought to herself as she let out a small sigh.
"It's been a quarter-moon, Sorrelflower," Frostpool said, her voice seeming to get closer to her. "You should take them to Ivyflight."
Patchkit heard her mother sigh and then reply with, "My kits are fine, Frostpool. They'll open their eyes when it's their time."
Yeah! Patchkit thought to herself. What she said!
"Whatever, my kits will always be stronger."
"Mom," a small voice came from a distance, "Stop talking about me please."
"Jaykit, this has nothing to do with you," Frostpool meowed, "go play with Barkkit."
"Barkkit doesn't want to play with me. He says playing is for 'little kits'."
"I'll be right there," Frostpool meowed. Patchkit heard her mutter something under her breath, but didn't catch what she said. "I'll be back." Patchkit heard footsteps fade away as the queen padded away. Suddenly, something tapped the kit on her side. Patchkit lifted up her head and recognized the cat's smell as Tallkit, her older brother, poking her with his paw.
"Patchkit, open your eyes! Everything's great!" Tallkit encouraged. "Mama won't let me play with Barkkit or Jaykit until you or Rowankit open your eyes."
"Tallkit, leave your sister alone," Sorrelflower ordered, "She doesn't want to open her eyes right now."
But I do want to open my eyes! Patchkit thought to herself as her brother trailed away. It must be great, like what Tallkit said.
Patchkit heard her stomach growl at her and the kit realized she was hungry. She crawled around in the darkness until her paws trended on something fuzzy. A low growl from underneath her indicated that the she-kit had accidentally stepped on the tail of her brother, Rowankit. She backed out of the way, but tumbled down as she did. Patchkit let out a small cry as she flailed her paws around uselessly to turn off of her side.
Help! she thought in her mind, too busy mewing to actually say it. Suddenly, something nudged her a bit and brought the kit back to her feet. Patchkit immediately recognized it as her mother's muzzle. The small kit staggered blindly over toward the smell and licked the queen's nose. Sorrelflower just responded with a purr and moved her head away. Patchkit crawled quickly over toward the smell of her mother and flopped down next to her warm stomach.
"You'll make a great warrior someday," Sorrelflower complimented as Patchkit began to suckle for her sweet, warm milk, "You're brave. You're not afraid to take risks, but you're not afraid to ask for help either."
"What about me?" Tallkit asked, which caused the queen to chuckle.
"You too, Tallkit," Sorrelflower purred.
Patchkit stopped suckling and curled into her mother's stomach. As the kit began to fall asleep, she heard another cat enter the den and Tallkit exclaim something, but all of the noises began to become obscure as she drifted off to sleep. The kit let out a small yawn and fell into a dreamless sleep.
Patchkit woke up the next day to something landing on top of her, causing her to growl. She realized it was Tallkit, whom must have tripped over her, and tried to scramble out from under his weight. As she rolled onto her back, her eyes flickered open for the first time. The den was so huge! It was a dark den with mud-covered walls around them. However, the only thing that Patchkit saw was a light brown tabby with kitten blue eyes staring back into her's.
"Mama! Patchkit opened her eyes!" Tallkit exclaimed as he looked toward his left. He got off of his sister just as a huge, tortoiseshell and white she-cat padded over and looked down at Patchkit with affectionate, green eyes.
"You finally opened your eyes, Patchkit," the queen purred with pride.
Patchkit? I heard that name, but I never knew it was my name!' the kit thought to herself as she rolled over onto her belly. I like it.
"Mama?" Patchkit said a bit slowly as she glanced up at the queen again.
"Good job," Sorrelflower purred, "I'm Mama." Patchkit tried to get to her paws, but stumbled back down. Sorrelflower grasped her by the scruff and lifted her back up.
"Can we see camp now, please?" Tallkit begged.
"I want to see camp!" Patchkit exclaimed, a bit slow.
"Alright, you can go, but don't lea-" Sorreflower was about to finish her sentence when Tallkit and Patchkit raced out of the nursery. As they went up the tunnel to the entrance, Patchkit stumbled a bit, but she was getting better at walking. Tallkit had already sprang out of the entrance by the time Patchkit got to the top. The kit dug her paws into the grass above the hole and dragged herself up out of the den.
Patchkit's jaw nearly dropped as she saw how huge the camp was. It was a huge dip in the ground, which was surrounded by towering oak trees. Some of the dens were burrows, like the nursery, but some were made out of brambles, sticks, and other plants that were connected. The she-kit glanced upwards and saw puffy, white clouds floating through the clear blue sky. The sun began to burn her eyes and Patchkit looked back at the camp again. There were a few groups of cats sitting in the camp, either sharing tongues or having conversations with one another. The cats didn't seem to take notice of the two kits, whom were now standing side by side.
"Woah," was the only word that managed to escape Patchkit's maw.
"I know, right?" Tallkit exclaimed, the siblings glancing at each other as he spoke. "Let's go see the apprentices!" The tabby tom raced off before giving Patchkit a chance to speak.
Who are the apprentices? Patchkit thought to herself as she tried to keep up with her brother. The two kits came to a halt in front of two, young-looking cats, whom were eating some strange creature in front of them. One of the cats, a gray tom with soft amber eyes, glanced up from his meal and looked at the kits.
"Hello!" the tom exclaimed with a flick of his tail, "I'm Ashpaw, one of the apprentices."
"I'm Tallkit!" the light brown tabby greeted as he walked up to the two cats.
"I'm Patchkit." Patchkit padded alongside her brother and stared up at Ashpaw as she introduced herself, not as slow as the last time she spoke. He seems nice, she thought to herself as Ashpaw looked over at the other cat, whom was a dark gray tabby with gloomy, dark blue eyes.
"This is Duskpaw, my sister," Ashpaw meowed as the other apprentice glanced down at the kits. Patchkit saw no emotion in her expression, but saw pain in her piercing eyes. Duskpaw just glanced away at something else.
"Hi," Patchkit meowed, lifting up a paw to the tabby apprentice, trying to get her attention, but to no avail.
"Um," Ashpaw meowed awkwardly, "Why don't you guys visit Shrewfur? He might tell you a story."
"Okay!" Tallkit exclaimed before dashing off again. He came running back and asked, "Where's Shrewfur?"
Ashpaw chuckled a bit and meowed, "He's in the den on the right of the nursery, where you guys live."
"Thanks!" the two kits chorused before Tallkit took off again.
"Bye!" Patchkit meowed as she turned away and ran after her brother. She glanced over her shoulder quickly as she ran and saw Ashpaw staring at her while Duskpaw was just grooming her paw. As the two kits rushed toward the den made up of brambles, a pale gray she-cat with moss in her mouth stepped out of the entrance. She spat out the old moss onto the ground and stared down at the two kits.
"Are you Shrewfur?" asked Tallkit, his pupils getting wider as he asked. Patchkit just looked up at the she-cat with her kitten blue eyes.
Is that who Shrewfur is? the kit thought to herself.
"No, I am Ivylight, the medicine cat," the light gray she-cat replied, "Shrewfur is asleep and doesn't want to be bothered and your mom told me to get you. So off to the nursery you go." The medicine cat began to nudge the kits back to their den.
"Hey! Hey!" Patchkit just kept repeating the same phrase as she was pushed along. She heard her brother say something like 'Aw, come on!' and 'I don't wanna go!'
Who does she think she is? Patchkit thought to herself as she was finally pushed inside of the nursery. The small kit saw her mother with another queen and two kits, whom were standing beside her. Patchkit reluctantly crawled over to Sorrelflower along with Tallkit. The kit focused her eyes on a ginger tabby and white kit, whom was even smaller than her, that was staring at her with half-opened eyes.
"Hello, Ivylight," Sorrelflower greeted the medicine cat.
"Hi, sis!" Frostpool, the other queen, exclaimed. The two she-cats looked exactly alike - except for their different eye colors. Frostpool had ice blue eyes, while Ivylight's eyes were more of an emerald green. The two she-cats began to get into a conversation, but Patchkit just ignored it as she let out a yawn, tired from exploring camp for the first time. The kit flopped down at the same time as Tallkit and the two fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.
Chapter 2: A Nasty Suprise[]
It had been about two moons since Patchkit and her brothers opened their eyes. They were much bigger now and were better at talking and running. Tallkit and Rowankit both shared the same leaf-green eyes, while Patchkit had amber eyes. It was strange, especially since her parents both had green eyes, but her father, Tawnystripe had told her that Goldenpelt, his sister, had amber eyes just like her's. The kits also had different personalities. Tallkit was the playful, kind one, Rowankit had the grumpy, lazy personality, and Patchkit was selfless and brave.
The kits had become acquainted with most of the cats of SwiftClan, especially Frostpool's kits: Barkkit and Jaykit. Jaykit was shy, but nice to the three. Barkkit, on the other hand, tried to ignore Patchkit's brothers, but he talked to her. He was stubborn and a bit proud, but not arrogant like his mother. Patchkit also played with Ashpaw when the apprentices weren't training. Patchkit loved the clan and all of the cats in it.
"May all cats old enough to chase their own prey, please meet at the Oak Stump!" The call of Bumblestar, the leader of the clan, rang out through the camp during a drizzle. Cats reluctantly padded into the clearing, but Barkkit and Jaykit dashed out happily into the rain.
That's strange, Patchkit thought to herself as she sat in the nursery, under the watchful eye of her mother, Jaykit never runs like that. The tortoiseshell looked over at her brother and her mom.
"What's going on?" Tallkit asked Sorrelflower.
Sorrelflower looked down at her kit and replied with, "You'll see." Tallkit looked back at the crowd and Patchkit looked back as well. It was hard to see over the cats, but Bumblestar's voice was loud and clear.
Bumblestar began to announce again. "Barkkit and Jaykit, you have reached the age of six moons, and it is time for you to be apprenticed. Barkkit, until this day on, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Barkpaw. Your mentor will be Grayleap. I hope she will pass down all she knows on to you. Grayleap, you are ready to take on an apprentice. You had received excellent training from Blossomleg, and you have shown yourself to be loyal and strong. I expect you to pass on all you know to Barkpaw.
Jaykit, until this day on, you will be known as Jaypaw. Your mentor will be Hawknose. I hope he passes down all he knows onto you. Hawknose, you are ready to take on another apprentice. You were a great mentor to Tawnystripe, and you have shown yourself to be patient and honest, and I expect for you to pass on all you know to Jaypaw."
"Barkpaw! Jaypaw!" The cats in the clearing began to cheer the new apprentices' names.
"Does that mean they won't play with us anymore?" Patchkit asked her mother. The kit was disappointed, especially since she loved having other kits around.
"They'll still be able to play, but they have more duties now that they're apprentices," Sorrelflower meowed, looking down at her kit as she spoke.
"It's good that they're apprentices," Rowankit grumbled, "More room for me!" The tom's remark caused a mrrow of laughter from Sorrelflower.
"I hope we become apprentices soon!" Tallkit meowed. Patchkit just nodded her head and stared out into the clearing again, where Jaypaw and Barkpaw were in, running toward the nursery. The two new apprentices stopped in front of the cats.
"We're not little kits now!" Barkpaw exclaimed.
"Congratulations," Sorrelflower purred. Rowankit just sighed and padded off.
"Good job!" Tallkit exclaimed as he jumped up to Jaypaw. Due to his long legs, he was half the size of her.
"Congrats," Patchkit meowed.
"Thank you," Jaypaw replied in her soft voice.
"Thanks," Barkpaw meowed shortly after his sister. "Come on, Jaypaw, I want to see the territory!" Jaypaw just nodded her head and the siblings turned around and padded toward their mentors.
I can't wait to be an apprentice, Patchkit thought to herself.
"Hey, Patchkit." It was afternoon and Patchkit was trying to take a nap. Her annoying brother, Tallkit, kept tapping her and whispering in her ear.
"What?" Patchkit finally replied, opening her eyes to look up at her sibling.
"Do you want to see the forest?" Tallkit asked.
"We can't leave until we're apprentices," Patchkit told her bother as she closed her eyes again, "Remember?"
"But, we're big enough!" Tallkit protested. He would not stop until his sister agreed. "Please please pleeeeeeeeaaaaaaaase?"
"Fine," Patchkit groaned as she rolled into her paws, "It might not be that bad."
"Great!" Tallkit barely gave his sister time to talk before he raced out of the den. Patchkit just rolled her eyes and followed him.
I hope we don't get into trouble, Patchkit thought to herself. Sorrelflower was out stretching her legs and the camp was almost empty, except for a few cats sharing tongues. None of them seemed to notice the two kits slip right through the entrance. The forest was huge with towering oaks and tall ferns everywhere. The kits just walked around, a few leaves and branches crackling under their paws. The plants had lush, green leaves sprouting off of their branches. The trees trapped the sun so that the Greenleaf heat didn't bother the kits, but light was still visible through the treetops.
Tallkit rushed over toward a fluttering butterfly and began to chase it, while Patchkit decided to explore a log. The tortoiseshell looked up at the massive log, which was covered in lichen and mushrooms. She tried to leap up and climb it, but ended up crashing back onto the forest floor.
The wood is too slippery, Patchkit thought to herself as she got back onto her paws, still trembling a bit from the pain in her shoulder. A strange scent hit her and the kit began to explore. She padded over toward one of the dens, which had a large hole in it. As she padded in, she saw a strange lump in the middle of the log. Patchkit padded up to it and the lump began to get up.
"Hi?" Patchkit asked as the creature got onto its paws. It stared at her with cold, amber eyes and began to snarl.
"I'm not scared of you!" Patchkit shouted bravely, puffing out her chest fur. However, the kit backed away quickly as the creature snapped its long, narrow jaws in her face. The tortoiseshell she-kit suddenly realized that this creature was definitely not a cat.
"Ahhh!" Patchkit screamed as she ran out of the log, the creature hot on her heels. The sun revealed the creature to be a ginger animal with black legs and a bushy tail with a white tail tip. Patchkit didn't pay attention to where she was running and slammed head first into Tallkit, whom was stalking a leaf. The two fell down onto the ground and stared up in horror at the strange creature. The kits both screamed and closed their eyes. Patchkit unsheathed her claws and flailed them around, but she couldn't hit the creature. She just dropped her limbs and became stiff, awaiting the crunching of teeth in her body, which would instantly kill her.
It never came. The only thing Patchkit heard was a yowl from a cat and the screech of the strange creature. She opened her amber eyes and saw Ashpaw, raking his claws on the ginger creature. She just watched in amazement as Duskpaw, Foxcloud, Blossomleg, and Beetletail slammed theirselves in the beast. The whole fight became a blur of colors: the creature was slammed into trees and cats were flung everywhere. Suddenly, something grasped Patchkit's and Tallkit's scruffs and began to run. Once they they reached camp, the thing placed them down and Patchkit recognized who it was.
"Ashpaw!" Patchkit exclaimed.
"No time to explain!" Ashpaw shouted, glancing over his shoulder quickly and returning his gaze to the kits. "Get back into camp, now!" The gray tom turned away and rushed back into battle. Patchkit just seemed to drift off as she stared at the brave apprentice.
"Patchkit...Patchkit!" the tortoiseshell suddenly snapped into reality as her brother called her, "Come on, let's go into camp!" Patchkit just got to her paws and the two raced into the entrance, never wanting to look back.
"You could have gotten killed!" Sorrelflower scolded, her two kits bowing their heads in shame. Rowankit just stared at his older siblings and made fun of them.
"That's enough, Rowankit," the queen meowed.
"You never let me have fun," Rowankit huffed before padding away. He made one last face at Patchkit and rushed back into his nest.
"We just wanted to see outside of camp..." Tallkit trailed off, looking at his mom. Patchkit just sighed and licked her one white paw in embarrassment.
What did we do? she thought to herself in shame.
"You guys should know better than to run off like that, I was worried sick about you!" Sorrelflower exclaimed, "You're just lucky the patrol heard you and fought off that fox...but with a price." The tortoiseshell and white she-cat glanced out of the den at the cats sitting vigil for Blossomleg. She had been one of the senior warriors and was one of the oldest cats in the clan, next to Shrewfur, of course.
"You were also lucky that Bumblestar went easy with your punishment. You can only leave the nursery to make dirt for a whole quarter-moon."
"That's not fair!" Patchkit exclaimed, slamming her paw down.
"It is fair," Sorrelflower sighed, "He could have kept you from becoming apprentices for a whole moon!" Patchkit just looked down in embarrassment.
"Now, please get some sleep, I'm going to sit vigil," Sorrelflower meowed as she got to her paws.
"Can we come?" Tallkit asked.
"Cats only sit vigil if they really know a cat well, and I need you to go to sleep," Sorrelflower meowed. "Goodnight."
"Goodnight," the two kits chorused sadly as they padded to their nest. Tallkit fell asleep in just a few heartbeats, but Patchkit found it hard to sleep. All of the thoughts and doubts kept filling her mind as she lay on the moss.
What if Blossomleg didn't die? What if the fox ate us? What would the clan do? Why did we even leave? Eventually, Patchkit grew tired and fell into a deep sleep.
Chapter 3: Naming[]
"Four healthy kits!" Ivylight exclaimed this as Shadepetal looked down at the lumps of fur suckling at her belly. Patchkit saw each of them perfectly from her place in the nursery. One was a gray tabby like her mother, one was a blue gray and white tom, one was gray like his father, Swallowstrike, but a few shades lighter, and the last one was a pure white she-cat.
"I thought Duskpaw and Ashpaw were enough kits from you!" Grayleap, Shadepetal's sister, chuckled jokingly.
"I can never have enough grand kits, Grayleap," Bumblestar purred, staring at his two daughters proudly as he spoke.
"What's the whole deal about new kits?" Rowankit asked as he rolled his eyes. Immediately, everyone's gaze fell on him. "What? They'll just take up more room and be more mouthes to feed! And how is Bumblestar your dad? Don't you need a she-cat to have kits?" Bumblestar and his daughters just lowered their heads in sadness at the tom's words.
"Rowankit!" Patchkit hissed at her brother, "What is wrong with you? Don't you know when to shut up?" The tortoiseshell just got to her paws and stormed off, outraged.
How could he say something like that? she thought to herself as she padded into the clearing. Usually Patchkit was a nice cat, but she was getting tired of her brother always having something to say about everything. Sometimes she wished that he could go mute so she couldn't hear his insults.
The she-kit just flopped down near the heart of camp and began to look around, trying to take her mind off of the incident. The trees surrounding camp now had different shades of reds and brown leaves instead of green. These leaves would sometimes blow off of the oaks and fall into camp, allowing Patchkit and her brothers to practice some hunting moves on them. The air was slowly getting chillier and Patchkit knew that her pelt was getting longer for the season known as "Leaf-fall."
Patchkit and her siblings had turned four moons old only a couple of sunrises ago. Shadepetal had found out that she was expecting another litter of Swallowstrike's kits only a few sunrises before that and moved into the nursery with them. Patchkit knew it wouldn't be long until they finally became apprentices.
"Patchkit?" Sorrelflower's voice suddenly cut off Patchkit's admiring as she turned toward the queen, "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine," Patchkit sighed, "But I wish Rowankit could keep his mouth shut."
Sorrelflower's face suddenly filled with a smile. "Oh, Bumblestar took care of him personally. Since you and Tallkit were punished all those moons ago, he now has to stay in the nursery for a quarter-moon!" Patchkit up suddenly smirked and chuckled a little bit.
Finally, that little brat got what he deserved! she thought to herself. Patchkit didn't hate her brother, but she thought that it was sad that Rowankit wasn't punished after her and Tallkit snuck after camp, especially when Rowankit kept making fun of his older siblings.
"He also has to go the rest of the day with no food," Sorrelflower meowed. Patchkit noticed that her mother thought for a moment and then remembered something. "Since Shadepetal can't name her kits, why don't you go help her name one?" Patchkit felt excitement rush through her at the thought of naming a kit.
"Of course!" she exclaimed as she burst onto her paws. The kit then followed her mother back into the nursery. Bumblestar and Grayleap were just sitting by Shadepetal, while Swallowstrike was lying in front of her face. Tallkit was busy looking at the bundles that were mewing softly while Rowankit sat in the corner of the den, sulking from being punished. Patchkit rushed over toward Tallkit, who greeted his sister with a warm smile.
"I see you're not grumpy anymore!" the tom said happily
"Nope," Patchkit replied, "I just needed to clear my head."
Tallkit just nodded his head. "That's good, now help me make these kits!"
"We already named the gray tabby Willowkit and the blue-gray tabby Bluekit," Swallowstike meowed in his rough voice, "You two can name the white she-kit and the pale gray tom."
"I wanna name the tom!" Tallkit meowed as he rushed over to the kit. Patchkit watched as he examined the kit and then looked at a little pebble on the ground, right next to the nest. "I know! I know! Pebblekit! He can be Pebblekit!"
"Good name," Sorrelflower purred, before looking at Patchkit, "Alright, your turn." Patchkit padded over to the queen and looked down at the little, white kit that was lying on top of Bluekit. Her fur was as white was the clouds that drifted in the sky.
Should I name her Cloudkit? Patchkit thought to herself as she glanced at Shadepetal, and then the kit again. No, it just doesn't really fit. Her fur is white, though. Maybe...just maybe..."
"Whitekit." Patchkit just meowed the name out loud as she looked at the other cats. She was a bit worried that the cats would hate that name, but she tried to stay strong.
"That's a great name," Shadepetal purred. "Willowkit, Bluekit, Pebblekit, and Whitekit." The other cats nodded their heads in agreement while Tallkit just ran up to his sister.
"Good name, sis!"
"Thanks," Patchkit meowed as she looked back at Whitekit. Whitekit, what a perfect name...
Chapter 4: Finally Apprentices[]
I can't believe it! Patchkit thought to herself in excitement as Sorrelflower ran her tongue against the she-kit's tortoiseshell fur. We're finally going to be apprentices! Sorreflower had told the kits that they would become apprentices that day and that they needed to be groomed. Patchkit didn't mind, as long as she looked nice for her ceremony. As she felt Sorrelflower's tongue leave her soft fur, she heard the hisses of Rowankit as the queen began to groom her.
"Stop it!" Rowankit meowed as their mom tried licking a tuft of fur sticking up on his head. Patchkit and Tallkit couldn't help but let out snickers as their brother tired to move from his mom, but kept getting groomed. Sorrelflower pulled away quickly and Rowankit dashed over toward his siblings.
"This isn't funny!" Rowankit growled. His lips were curled in such a way that it made the ginger spot on his mouth that was inside the white stripe on his face twist.
"For you," Tallkit meowed, rolling his eyes, "You need to lighten up."
"Yeah!" Patchkit agreed.
"I don't care, I just want to get away from all of the queens," the ginger and white tabby meowed as he padded out of the den.
Who made dirt in his fresh-kill? Patchkit thought to herself as she rolled her eyes in amusement. Alongside her brother, the tortoiseshell kit padded out of the den proudly. The clearing was full of fallen, red and brown leaves that have dove down from the wind slamming again the towering oak trees. Some of the younger ones were even swaying their branches around from the power of the wind. It blasted against Patchkit's pelt, but it didn't ruin it too much. The tortoiseshell looked up and saw the sky being covered with huge, gray clouds.
She just looked back cat camp where Bumblestar was now leaping onto the Oak Stump. His fur was sleek and shiny against his thin body. However fragile he might have looked, his speed seemed to make up for it, especially at his age. Some white fur was beginning to grow on his muzzle as a result of that, but he still had a few more lives with him.
"May all cats old enough to chase their own prey, please meet at the Oak Stump!" The acts began to flood the clearing and Patchkit felt herself began to pick up speed as she tried to push to the front of the crowd, only to be beaten by Tallkit. Rowankit was already there, sitting right in front of the stump with his head held high. Patchkit just glanced at Tallkit, who glanced at his sister and smiled. The she-cat looked over her shoulder and saw Sorrelflower and Tawnystripe sitting right next to each other. By the looks on their faces, she knew her parents were proud.
"Tallkit, Patchkit, and Rowankit." Bumblestar's rough voice snapped Patchkit's attention as she stared at her brother, who just looked up to the leader. She then glanced at Rowankit, no rose to his paws with his white chest fur fluffed out with pride. Patchkit then looked up at her leader, who was staring down with hard, amber eyes.
"You have reached the age of six moons, and it is time for you to be apprenticed. Tallkit, until this day on, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Tallpaw. Your mentor will be Goldenpelt. I hope she will pass down all she knows on to you. Goldenpelt, you are ready to take on an apprentice. You had received excellent training from Hawknose, and you have shown yourself to be kind and loyal. I expect you to pass on all you know to Tallpaw.
Rowankit, until this day on, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Rowanpaw. Your mentor will be Frostpool. I hope she will pass down all she knows on to you. Frostpool, you are ready to take on an apprentice. You had received excellent training from Applepelt, who know rests in StarClan, and you have shown yourself to be strong and determined. I expect you to pass on all you know to Rowanpaw.
Patchkit, until this day on, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Patchpaw. Your mentor will be Swallowstrike. I hope he will pass down all he knows on to you. Swallowstrike, you are ready to take on an apprentice. You had received excellent training from Shrewfur, and you have shown yourself to be thoughtful and enthusiastic. I expect you to pass on all you know to Patchpaw."
It was the SwiftClan tradition for a new apprentice to touch noses with his or her mentor after the leader finished announcing. As the silver tabby backed away, the three new mentors stood to their paws and padded over toward the new apprentices. Patchpaw felt her heart soar with happiness as Swallowstrike, the father of Ashpaw, and the cat the young apprentice got his personality and most of his looks from, padded up to the tortoiseshell she-cat. She saw the gray tom's grass green eyes full of so many heartwarming emotions as he stopped in front of her. Patchpaw extended her head out and touched her black nose to Swallowstrike's pink one.
I can't believe I'm an apprentice! she thought to herself, feeling like she was about to burst with joy. As she pulled her head away, she heard the chants of her and her brother's names from the crowd. The tortoiseshell turned her head toward Tallpaw and Rowanpaw, who were standing beside their mentors.
They got perfect mentors for themselves, Patchpaw thought to herself as she gazed at them with amber eyes.
"Patchpaw!" the tortoiseshell turned her head and saw four, little kits scurrying toward them. "Tallpaw! Rowanpaw!"
"I wanna be an apprentice like you guys!" Willowkit squeaked as she tried to extend her legs to seem taller.
"All that fighting?" Bluekit questioned. "No thanks!"
"Tallkit- I mean paw," Pebblekit meowed as she stared up at the light brown tom, "Will you teach me some moves pleeeaaaase?"
"Of course," Tallpaw chuckled. Rowankit just rolled his eyes and groaned at the sight of the kits. Whitekit just padded around in a circle, confused about what was going on. She had white fur and blue eyes, the two things that usually caused a deaf cat. Patchpaw felt bad for her, but there was nothing she could do. However, Whitekit was able to read lips, but she wasn't that good.
Poor kit, Patchpaw thought to herself as Whitekit just stared at Patchpaw and jumped around, trying to signal her to play. The white she-kit tripped over a rock as she jumped forward and fell with a squeak. Willowkit rushed to her sister's side and helped her up.
"Fine," Whitekit managed to meow, having seen many cats say it before. However, she sounded a bit shaky and was slow as she said it.
"Kits! Kits!" Shadepetal called, looking around until she spotted the little ones. She dashed over and meowed, "Kits! The new apprentices need some space, they'll play later."
"Aww!" the kits all meowed together but they finally gave in. As the kits began to pad off, Whitekit stopped in her tracks and looked at Patchpaw.
"Bye!" she squeaked before turning around and bolting off, almost tripping again as she ran.
What cute kits, Patchpaw thought to herself, looking up at the cloudy she as she though, I wonder if-
"Come on, we should take you to see the territory." Goldenpelt's sweet, yet bold voice cut off Patchpaw from thinking as she spoke. The apprentice looked at the golden tabby and white she-cat who began to pad off.
"They've probably already seen the territory," Frostpool remarked, staring at Patchpaw with cold eyes. "Well, at least some of them did. I think we should take them battle training."
"Yeah!" Rowanpaw meowed, unsheathing his claws and jumping a bit as he spoke. Patchpaw felt her hackles rise at her younger brother's enthusiasm. Usually the thought of fighting wasn't really exciting, but it seemed to interest the smaller tom in some sort of way.
He's probably just excited about training, Patchpaw thought to herself, still with a bit of doubt in her, before looking at the bickering mentors again.
"Guys, please don't argue," Tallpaw pleaded, but they just ignored him.
"We should at least show them so they're familiar with the territory," Goldenpelt meowed, a bit of anger combining with her honey-sweet voice.
"Well," Frostpool hissed in her ice cold voice as she stuck her muzzle in the tabby's face, "They need to learn how to defend the clan."
"They need to see the territory!"
"They need to train!"
"Territory!"
"Train!"
"Territory!"
They're going to shred each other soon! Patchpaw thought to herself as she flattened her ears to her head and closed her eyes. "STOP!" The she-cat realized that she actually yelled the command out loud as she flicked open her amber eyes. She was given stares by the mentors and even her own brothers. Some cats nearby turned their heads and glanced at Patchpaw. The tortoiseshell just lowered her head in embarrassment and backed up a bit.
"Patchpaw's right." The comment by Swallowstike caused the apprentice to look up once again.
At least someone agrees with me, she thought to herself as she stared up at the gray tom speaking.
"We need to compromise, not tear each other's ears off," Swallowstrike joked, but was still trying to be serious at the same time, "I agree with Goldenpelt with seeing the territory, but maybe we can take them battle training later?"
Frostpool just huffed and then gave in. "Fine, let's go see the stupid territory."
"I can't wait!" Tallpaw exclaimed before bolting right out of the camp.
"Wait for us!" the mentors seemed to meow around the same time as they chased after him. Rowanpaw just rolled his eyes and strolled after them. Patchpaw glanced at the entrance of camp and was brought back the memories of when she was just a curious kit, unaware of the dangers of the outside world. However, she took a deep breath and bravely padded toward the entrance.
I'm an apprentice now, no fox is going to scare me! Patchpaw thought to herself with confidence, Even if we do get attacked, our mentors will be there to help us. Plus, we'll learn plenty of battle moves anyway. No fox will want to make their den here after I'm through with them!
The tortoiseshell stepped into the huge world full of towering oaks and fluttering, red leaves. The grass seemed to crackle as she stepped on it, but some blades managed to stay intact. A chilly breeze ruffled up her fur and brought a few leaves to her paws.
It's not as green as I remember, Patchpaw thought to herself as she glanced up at a maple, which was standing alone in the maze of oak and some different types of trees. Patchpaw got the flashback of when she was just a young kit. Everything was green, the air was more humid, and nothing cracked when she stepped on it. She only snapped back into reality when Swallowstrike slowed down to get beside his apprentice.
"That's the Old Maple," he whispered in her ear, "It's called that because it's one of the oldest trees in our territory." Patchpaw just stared up at her mentor and nodded her head to let him know that she hears him. She then glanced at the gnarled, yet beautiful, tree once more before taking off to catch up to Tallpaw. She let out a giggle as she listened to him pester his mentor.
"What's that? Are we at the border yet? What's that strange smell?" Tallpaw just kept bombarding Goldenpelt with questions that she was was rushing to answer. Rowanpaw just kept silent and glared over at Patchpaw. She looked into his cold, green eyes that seemed to say, "Why did you have to yell?" She just ignored cut and looked around once more. They had stepped into a clearing full of different assortments of flowers.
"This is Herb Fields," Swallowstrike began, "This is where-"
"Medicine cats get their herbs. They get it, they get it," Frostpool rudely interrupted the tom and glared at him with icy blue eyes. However, her voice was a lot faster than it normally was. Patchpaw just stared at the light gray she-cat and knew exactly why she spoke so fast.
She wants to rush so she can train us, Patchpaw thought before looking at Rowanpaw, Well, Rowanpaw anyways.
"Well, let's go see the River, shall we?" Goldenpelt meowed, hissing the last part at Frostpool. The warrior just rolled her eyes and began to pad off to the right of the clearing. The small patrol followed, and once again they were enclosed by the thicket of trees. Once in awhile, they managed to step into a small, sandy clearing, which Frostpool would say was a great spot to rest, but Goldenpelt and Swallowstrike kept urging her to stop trying to get them to train. Frostpool would argue a bit, but eventually gave in. Like she always did.
A rushing noise hit Patchpaw's ears and began to get louder and louder. Soon, the cats stepped into a clearing that had a sandy ground instead of a grassy one. Then Patchpaw saw it. It was a huge, somewhat wide dip in the ground that was full of churning water. It was surrounded by gray pebbles and there were probably more at the bottom of it. Once in awhile, a stone would slide into the water brand be consumed by its quick current.
"Welcome to the River!" Swallowstrike exclaimed.
"Wow!" Tallpaw meowed, slowly padding up to the body of water.
"No!" Goldenpelt quickly snatched her nephew's scruff and dragged him back toward the patrol. "Don't get too close, you can die from just falling in!" The tabby tom just looked down at his paws in embarrassment.
"I bet I can swim it!" Rowanpaw exclaimed.
"No, you can't!" Patchpaw meowed playfully as she lightly hit her brother with her white paw. I don't think anyone can...
"I could too!" Rowanpaw yowled.
Patchpaw just rolled her eyes. "Whatever you say," she meowed with a bit of sarcasm in her voice. She was just playing around with her rbtiehr, the she-cat had no intentions of hurting her brother. Suddenly, a drop of water hit her on the nose.
Is the current that strong that water flies everywhere?" Patchpaw thought to herself before looking at her paws, where a couple droplets of water fell onto. A couple more hit her on the back. The tortoiseshell looked up at the sky with confused, amber eyes and saw a menacing, dark cloud above her, with rain drops diving down onto the ground. She saw a birght light flash inside the cloud quickly and soon heard the rumbling noise of thunder.
"We should go back to camp," Swallowstrike meowed as the few droplets began to turn into a drizzle.
"It's just a little rainstorm," Frostpool meowed, "Nothing to be scared of." For some reason, Patchpaw didn't really believe the she-cat's words. Suddenly, flash of lightning illuminated the dull sky with its magnificant light. A booming sound of thunder caused the gray cat to begin trembling.
"Okay, maybe we should go back."
Huh? When did she get so scared? Patchpaw thought to herself, but pushed it to the back of her mind when she saw Swallowstrike signal with his tail to leave. As she began to pad away, Patchpaw glanced over one last time at the River, its churning water now darker from the sky's reflection.
"Don't let water consume you," a small voice whispered in her ear, causing her to perk her ears with surprise.
Patchpaw turned her head dude not, expecting Tallpaw or Rowanpaw to be there, probably trying to mess with her.
"I know you're-" Patchpaw froze as she saw that no cat was beside her. The tortoiseshell turned her head the other way, wondering if they has snuck over there when she wasn't looking. Still nobody.
"Patchpaw!" Swallowstrike called, causing the apprentice to look behind her, "Come in, the rain's getting heavy!" The tom was right. The small drizzle from easier had turned into a fury of falling water. The tortoiseshell took one last look at the River, which was being pummeled by the raindrops, before turning away and bolting into the trees.
Even though the trees offered protection, it was no good with the water pouring down onto the cats. They rushed by oaks and bushes in their pursuit for camp. A flash of lighting and the ground-shaking boom of thunder would often haven't Frostpool trembling, but she shook her head and ran after the cats.
By the time they returned, Patchpaw's short, soft fur had been drenched to her sides by the water. Rowanpaw let out a snicker at the sight of her, but the she-cat knew that her brother looked just as bad as she did.
"Go to the apprentice den!" Swallowstrike yowled, having to yell so he could be heard over the roar of the water. Tallpaw hissed his head and led the way toward the den. Patchpaw, Tallpaw, and Rowanpaw dove into the den made out of brambles and other plants just as the rain began to pound harder. Patchpaw looked up and saw all of the other apprentices: Barkpaw, Jaypaw, Duskpaw, and Ashpaw. Especially Ashpaw.
"Are you okay?" Jaypaw asked.
"We're fine, we just need to find our nests," Tallpaw meowed as the new apprentices got to their paws, "This storm won't be ending anytime soon!"
Jaypaw giggled and meowed, "I'll show you guys your nests." The gray she-cat led them toward a corner in the deepest part do the den and showed them three nests made out of moss and feathers, just for them.
"Thanks!" Tallpaw meowed as he leaped into the biggest nest there. A couple feathers went flying in the air and caused some of the cats to laugh. Patchpaw and Rowanpaw just padded into theirs normally and lied down.
"Thanks," Patchpaw meowed, while Rowanpaw just began snoring, obviously asleep. Jaypaw dipped her head and padded off.
"Hey, Patchpaw!" Barkpaw called, "Want to share a mouse? I caught it all by myself!"
"No thanks, I'm just tired," Patchpaw yawned loudly.
"Oh, okay," Barkpaw sighed, a bit disappointed. He just pushed it away and began eating it himself. Patchpaw heard the other cats talking, but the sounds began to blur in her ears as tiredness crept up on the she-cat. Before the she-cat knew it, she was fast asleep, drifting off into the dreams of being a great warrior.
Chapter 5: Surprise[]
Patchpaw woke up to the jabbing of a cat's paw at her side. The tortoiseshell opened her amber eyes and stared into the deep, warm amber pools of Ashpaw's. She was confused about why he was waking her up at first until she noticed the bramble walls enclosing them.
I'm an apprentice! Patchpaw remembered in just a heartbeat before getting up onto her paws.
"Swallowstrike told me to wake you up, he wants to take you on border patrol with me and Beetletail," Ashpaw meowed, finally breaking the long silence between the cats.
"O-okay," Patchpaw stuttered as she looked at the tom. Suddenly, her gaze was set on the nests nearby, which contained nothing but the stale scents of the other apprentices. She had obviously slept in. The tortoiseshell just looked back at Ashpaw, who was now outside of the den with his head poking in.
"Come on, it'll be new-leaf by the time you get out here!" he purred jokingly before disappearing from sight. Patchpaw just let out a mrrow of laughter and dashed after him. At first, the rays from the leaf-fall sun had burnt her eyes, but the apprentice's eyes soon adjusted as she stepped into the clearing.
"Well, it's about time you showed up," Beetletail hissed as Patchpaw padded over toward the patrol, his fluffy, black tail high in the air. The apprentice just rolled her eyes playfully at the tom's impatience.
"Come on, I want to show you the borders," Swallowstrike meowed, "You never got the chance with all of that rain."
Yes, I get to see the borders! Patchpaw thought to herself, excitement tingling her pelt. "All right."
"We'll show you the northern border first," Swallowstrike meowed before padding off. Beetletail just glanced down at the two apprentices and began to follow the tom, tail high in the air. Ashpaw then raced after his mentor and father until he was next to them. Patchpaw just watched and followed behind the toms. Beetletail just glanced at the she-cat with cold, yellow eyes, and turned away with a "humph." Beetletail was odd-looking compared to the other cats, with his fluffy, black tail standing out against his sleek, dark gray and white body. Patchpaw just decided not to think about it so much and hurried ahead to catch up to Ashpaw.
Ashpaw just looked at Patchpaw and smiled before looking forward once again. Patchpaw remembered all of the surroundings as they walked through the forest. They passed by the Old Maple and even walked through Herb Fields that time. However, the small border patrol didn't go to the River that time. The she-cat didn't care, she just enjoyed the peaceful woods full of the songs of a few birds that didn't migrate yet and the crunching of leaves and frost under their paws.
It's so beautiful out, Patchpaw thought to herself as she tried to get closer toward Ashpaw. She knew that the tom would probably not want her leaning on him, so the tortoiseshell just stayed close enough for his gray pelt to lightly brush against hers as she strolled along. She wanted to let out a purr, but Patchpaw just kept silent, scared of what the other cats would say. They all just kept quiet, other than the few murmurs from Beetletail if a tuft of his fur got stuck in a bramble or if a leaf under his paws scared away a mouse he had his eye on.
Soon, the land under their paws began to get higher with each step they took and the trees were really thinning out, even though the forest wasn't too crowded anyways. The patrol stepped out and paused at the edge of a steep, sandy cliff. The drop wasn't too far down and could probably be climbed from a fallen tree leaning on it. However, a cat could probably get badly injured if they were to fall off. Out in the distance was a small cluster of towering dens with strange colors on them. There were even stranger creatures stomping around on two paws and riding in the bellies of some shiny things on a sandy path.
That must be one of the Twolegplaces I heard about, Patchpaw thought to herself as she eyed the area, And those must be the Twolegs and their monsters.
"This is High Cliff, and that is the Twolegplace," Swallowstirke meowed, "That shiny thing in the center with that different-colored rag on it is the Moon Pole. It was used by Swiftstar to communicate to StarClan long ago, and medicine cats and leaders still use it today." Patchpaw stared out at the small, almost desolate ares with awe in her amber eyes.
"Why don't you tell your apprentice about that?" Beetletail meowed in his usually nasty tone as he pointed his fluffy tail at a Twoleg nest about a couple fox-lengths away from them. It was full of cracks and was dull in color. However, there were an assortment of different herbs growing around it that were not present back at Herb Field.
"Oh, right," Swallowstrike meowed as he padded a bit closer to it, "That's the Abandoned Twoleg Nest, it once stood tall with a family of Twolegs inside, but one day, they disappeared. We still get some herbs that they used to grow around it." Patchpaw padded a bit closer with curiosity in her gaze. The tortoiseshell thought she saw a flash of gray in the corner of her eye, but when she glanced over there, nothing was present.
Must just be my imagination, she reassured herself as she looked at her mentor. She decided to tell him about how interesting the Twolegplace was to her. "It's so strange, but it makes sense," she managed to meow, managing to get the words out. Swallowstrike nodded his gray head and turned back to look at it.
"Why don't we collect some herbs, you know, for Ivylight?" Ashpaw asked as he glanced at his father with pleading, amber eyes.
"Of course you-"
"Yeah, yeah, let's get those stupid leaves and get out of here," Beetletail complained, looking behind his shoulder as he padded toward the Abandoned Twoleg nest. He padded up to one of the herbs and began to pluck of some of the leaves. The tom spat them out in disgust and then grabbed some more in his jaws. Patchpaw just padded a bit closer, wanting to help, but not shaking off the sudden nerve that something was going to happen.
Suddenly, a gray flash leaped out of a hawthorn bush nearby and tackled Beetletail onto the ground. The warrior was about to her out a screech before a white paw smushed his face into the dirt. What stood over him was a skinny, long-haired gray and white rogue with mint green eyes.
"Get off of my land," he hissed as he bared his yellowing fangs at the patrol, causing Patchpaw to shrink back in from the rogue's intimidating appearance.
"SwiftClan, attack!" Swallowstrike yowled before quickly turning his head to his apprentice. "Patchpaw, try not to fight, just go get Bumblestar! He's at the River!" The gray tom, with his matching son at his side, then leaped forward into battle.
Patchpaw felt her paws leave the ground as she begin to dash off before she heard an ear-deafening screech. The tortoiseshell whirled around quickly and saw the gray and white loner with a gray lump under his paws. The she-cat froze in horror as she realized who it was. Ashpaw.
The apprentice rushed over toward the rogue, not even noticing the tom pushing the other cats off of him. Just as the tom lunged toward Ashpaw's throat, Patchpaw leaped on top of the other apprentice. Teeth sunk into her tail and pain shot through her body. As Patchpaw distracted the loner, Ashpaw wiggled from underneath her and bolted off toward the side of the cat, where he leaped up and snagged his claws into the tom's gray fur. The rogue yowled and Patchpaw felt the pain disappear from her tail.
Her paws didn't feel like they touched the ground as Patchpaw bolted off, the yowling fading away in the distance. Her tail felt a bit slimy where the tom had bitten her, but the apprentice ignored it the best she could. The tortoiseshell heard the trickling of The River and hurried over toward, shifting directions pretty roughly.
Patchpaw burst into a clearing full of damp stones and rushing water and saw a silver movement in the corner of her eye. The she-cat turned her head and saw a silver tabby with a ginger tabby right beside him, staring at her with confused eyes.
"Rogue!" Patchpaw exclaimed, her voice cracking a bit as she yowled. Bumblestar and Foxcloud exchanged glanced and nodded their heads. The three then took off back into the thicket of trees.
I hope Ashpaw is okay, Patchpaw thought to herself as she ran, branches brushing against her pelt as the memory replayed in her head. The sounds of screeching began to get louder and louder as it pounded against her ears.
The cats dashed into the clearing at the border, which was now full of the scent of blood and tufts of fur on the ground. Beetletail, Swallowstrike, and Ashpaw had the long-haired rogue pinned to the ground, whose long, gray-and-white fur was stained scarlet and missing patches of it. The sight kind of disturbed Patchpaw, but she just shook her head quickly.
I have to get used to these kinds of things, she thought to herself as she took a paw-step closer. Foxcloud placed his bushy tail on the she-cat's one white paw and caused her to glance up. The tabby just had a look in his eyes that said "Don't get any closer" that Patchpaw understood. She just dipped her head in silence and looked at the patrol, Bumblestar now padding over toward it. The apprentice felt a lump go down her throat as she saw the rogue let out a shriek and swipe a paw at the silver tabby.
"What's going to happen?" Patchpaw croaked with worry in her amber eyes.
"Bumblestar will deal with it, he is a wise leader," Foxcloud meowed, not taking his own eyes off of the others, "But for now, we need to get you back to camp and deal with your tail.
"What about my-" Patchpaw cut herself off as realization hit her like a towering wave. She quickly swiveled her head to look at her mostly black tail, which had a part near the center of it where the fur was caked in dry blood. "Oh yeah..."
"Come on, let us leave," Foxcloud turned around and began to pad off, not bothering to look over his shoulder to see if the apprentice was following. Patchpaw watched as he began to stroll off and took one last glance at the patrol. Beetletail looked like he was in a heated debate with Bumblestar, while Swallowstrike and his son, Ashpaw, held down the rogue. Patchpaw thought she saw a glimmer of pride in her mentor's eyes. The tortoiseshell turned around and took one last glance before leaping into the undergrowth and dashing up to Foxcloud. He just gave her a brief look without saying anything before looking forward once more. As Patchpaw padded off, she thought she scented the faint smell of milk mixed among the scent of blood. However, she just ignored it and padded back to camp.
"Ivylight, I'm fine, honestly." Patchpaw was starting to get annoyed by the she-cat's constant pestering about her tail. The medicine cat had kept putting fresh herbs on it and meowed things like "Are you okay?", "You need to be more careful!", and "Are your cobwebs too tight?" It was beginning to irritate the apprentice, but she would never snap at a cat at a higher rank than herself. Not unless it was absolutely necessary.
Why is she so crazy over me? Patchpaw thought to herself as she watched Ivylight applied another cobweb to the wound. Ivylight wasn't so jumpy about Ashpaw's wounds. The shiny, gray tom was lying in the nest across from her, tired from the battle. He had a deep scratch in his shoulder, but Ivylight had managed to patch it up before it became a problem. The other apprentice had returned to camp after Bumblestar had sent him back. Ashpaw had managed to catch up to Foxcloud and Patchpaw as they returned to camp.
"Is Patchpaw going to be okay?" Ashpaw asked, his amber eyes full of worry.
"I hope so," Ivylight meowed, trembling a bit as she took a step back.
Of course I'm fine! It's just a bite! Patchpaw wanted to screech, but she just kept her jaw clamped shut and her eyes on Ashpaw. The rays of the setting sun drifted into the den from a small crevice in the bramble ceiling and landed on his glossy, gray fur perfectly. The tortoiseshell felt her ear tips get warm and the she-cat just looked away at a busy Ivylight sorting some herbs.
"Goldenrod, poppy, alder..." the medicine cat spoke the words out loud as she organized her herbs, not even bothering to say them in a specific order. Patchpaw just flicked her tail-tip and glanced away, her eyes meeting Ashpaw's.
"H-hi," Patchpaw managed to say, not usually bring one to talk, even rarer for her to start a conversation.
"Hi," Ashpaw meowed before looking at something, "That's some nasty bite you got there." Patchpaw just looked at her tail and sighed.
"My first battle wound," she heard herself whisper, her eyes full of excitement that she couldn't express with words.
"Thanks." As soon as she heard the word, the tortoiseshell swiveled her head and met Ashpaw's gaze once more.
"Oh...you're...welcome..."
You can do better! Patchpaw yelled at herself in her head, but the she-cat just blocked out the insult.
"I guess it was just...well...umm...now we're even," Patchpaw meowed, finally coming to words. It was hard for her to concentrate when she was concentrating on Ashpaw's golden-amber pools inside his eyes instead of her own thoughts.
Now we're even? Who says that? the mocking voice in the apprentice's head still seemed to go unnoticed by her as she tried to scoot closer toward the gray tom.
"Nah, that rogue was nothing!" Ashpaw meowed in a mocking, tough guy voice, "I'm strong!" He then did a joking flex of his claws and a little wink and go at Patchpaw, which caused the she-cat to giggle. Ashpaw then rose to his paws and pretended to fight some invisible enemy, but instead slipped on his own moss. That caused Patchpaw to burst out into laughter.
"May all cats old enough to chase their own prey, please meet at the Oak Stump!" The two cats snapped back into reality at the sound of Bumblestar's voice. Patchpaw, not having known that the leader returned, stuck her head out of the medicine cat den and looked up at the tabby on the stump. The tortoiseshell wrinkled her nose at an unusual smell and saw two strange cats: one that was a tabby, but had gray and cream patches instead of the usual ginger and black ones, and one, which was the size of a kit, who had cream fur like the other cat's spots.
Who are those? Patchpaw thought to herself, drowning out the sound of cats murmuring around her.
"Cats of SwiftClan: some of you are aware of the rogue attacking the border patrol earlier. Gladly, he has left our territory. It turns out he was guarding his mate and kit. However, his mate and kit decided to join our clan since they have nowhere else to go." An uproar began in the crowd.
"But they'll just be extra mouths to feed!" a voice yowled. Patchpaw recognized it as Frostpool's.
"We barely had any fresh-kill to spare with Leaf-bare coming!" Another voice yowled, but was suddenly drowned out by arguing felines.
"ENOUGH!" All of the cats suddenly glanced at Patchpaw, who shrunk back with embarrassment.
How did I do that? the apprentice thought to herself as she looked up once more.
"Well, as I was saying," Bumblestar began, "Candace and Gorse, you are welcome to stay with us, but you need to change your names. Candace and Gorse, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to defend your clan, even at the cost of your life?"
"I do," a tiny voice meowed.
"I do!" an even tinier voice squeaked.
"Then by the power of StarClan, I shall give your warrior names. Candace, from this moment on, you shall be known as Spottedlight. Gorse, until you become an apprentice, you shall be known as Gorsekit."
"Spottedlight! Gorsekit! Spottedlight! Gorsekit!" Patchpaw couldn't even stay awake for the cheering, due to being tired from all of the sudden stress. The tortoiseshell curled up in a moss nest in the medicine cat den and instantly fell asleep.
Chapter 6[]
TBC...