Warrior Cats #1

Chapter Twenty - Cloudpaw

The sun slowly moved from the top of the sky downwards. Clouds covered the sky and small raindrops drizzled onto camp. Many cats sheltered inside their dens, but Cloudpaw and Coalfur were still out training.

~

"Look, i'm on top of the whole world! I'm on top of everything!" Cloudpaw mewed excitedly as he padded across the slippery tree branch. He made himself seem invincible as his claws sank into the damp bark.

"Be careful Cloudpaw!" Coalfur snapped from below. He watched his apprentice walk along the branch.

"I'm fine!" Cloudpaw insisted confidently. He swished his white tail and made his way across the thick branch and onto the next tree.

"Don't fall, i don't know what mentor Robinstar would think i am if i let you fall from a tree." Coalfur growled to himself grumpily. He had a gut feeling Cloudpaw wasn't going to stay up for much longer in this weather.

"Coalfur I'm getting wet!" Cloudpaw moaned as he crossed another branch and disappeared into the leaves of another tree.

"Lets go then!" Coalfur urged, following underneath the branches Cloudpaw padded across.

Cloudpaw scrambled to the trunk of the tree. "This one is to thin." He grunted, and made his way into the next tree.

"Careful, this one doesn't look that safe." Coalfur warned Cloudpaw, who jumped onto the branch below. He took another step down, but the branch snapped under paw and Cloudpaw came tumbling down in a heap of white fur and kicking paws. Cloudpaw yowled as he landed softly into a patch of ferns.

"Oh Starclan, that hurt!" Cloudpaw howled and struggled in the ferns like he was trapped somehow. He sighed.

"Hey, you alright?" Coalfur darted pver to the ferns and lifted Cloudpaw out by his scruff. The warrior looked down at Cloudpaw. They were both soaked to their bones and were freezing.

"Why do we need to do this, we're not squirrels." Cloudpaw commented grumpily. He flashed a stern look to Coalfur then squinted his eyes up at the sky where rain fell.

"Because Robinstar said, now lets go back to camp!" Coalfur snapped back annoyed. "And cheer up Cloudpaw." Then, Coalfur set off back to camp followed by his miserable apprentice.

"Blah blah, do this Cloudpaw, blah blah, because Robinstar said Cloudpaw!" Cloudpaw imitated his mentor behind him quietly and in a high tone.

"What was that?" Coalfur asked, irritated. Cloudpaw noticed his fur starting to rise in annoyance.

"Oh, er, nothing!" Cloudpaw insisted. Coalfur seemed to be getting more scary and much more grumpy.

The two cats padded through the forest in silence. They walked beside the stream seperating them from Breezeclan. It trickled alongside Cloudpaws paws quietly, which made him purr happily. Streams always made Cloudpaw happy, even if the rqain was freezing him.

"Hey, wait up!" A voice called behind them. Coalfur spun his head around and halted. Behind them, also running up the side of the stream was Robinstar and Sparrowpaw.

"Hey Cloudpaw! We heard a crash, are you alright?" Sparrowpaw asked. She never actually heard a crash. While she walked across the fallen tree she sensed him tumbling down and nesrly slipped down into the stream.

"Yeah, i just fell from a tree." Cloudpaw ran to his sister and gave her a affectionate nuzzle. She started to purr alongside her brother. Coalfur and Robinstar stood beside them.

"We better get back to camp, its moonrise." Robinstar mewed softly. Sparrowpaw sighed. Cloudpaw glanced over to her. She doesn't look very happy. Cloudpaw told himself. He cocked his head as he tried to think.

The cats arrived back in camp when a quarter moon was rising. They all seperated into their dens. Cloudpaw and Sparrowpaw walked side by side until they reached the apprentice den and settled down in their nests.

"Are you alright, Sparrowpaw?" Cloudpaw asked quietly and anxiously. He flattened his ears to his skull. He always hated asking his sister these questions, she was so rebellious and could lash out any second.

"What? Why would you ask I'm perfectly fine!" Sparrowpaw snapped back. Clouadpaw hesitated, then gave his sister a worried glance as shs settled her head down.

"I-Is there something you need to tell me?" He asked, even more quiet than the last question and his mew filled with fear.

"No, there's not." She answered. He noticed his sisters body tense. I'll ask in the morning. He suggested, then fell asleep.