The Fox : Beginnings (Ongoing)

Chapter 10

"I'm an apprentice!" Frostpaw yowled, running circles around the camp, dodging the cats sharing tongues by the fresh-kill pile. It was sunhigh, and Oakfur's kits had just been apprenticed. Though the sun was sitting atop the trees, and its light beat down on the ThunderClan camp, it was a cold light, almost blue. The breeze was cold as well, sending chills down Foxpaw's spine as she laid beside Emberpaw. His fur was warm; not nearly as warm as Brightmoon's, but warm.

"You're quiet as a shadow." Foxpaw purred, dragging her paw across Emberpaw's chest as she rolled onto her back.

"I try not to be as loud as Frostpaw." Emberpaw mewed with a soft, monotone voice. "She can be, insensitive."

"Is it about Twigkit?" The young she-cat had run off during her littermates' apprentice ceremony, for she wouldn't be included. "I told you, you should be way more excited than you are."

"I know I should be," Emberpaw started. "but Twigkit should be allowed to with me."

"Relax!" Foxpaw flicked her tail irritably. She thought it was cute, by some means, that he cared so much about his littermate, but it was frustrating how stubbornly compassionate he was. "You're Lionstar's apprentice. Do you know what an honor that is?"

"Yeah." Emberpaw purred begrudgingly. "I know."

Foxpaw tilted her chin to look up at Emberpaw. His brown fur shimmered with dewdrops and bits of freshly fallen snow. It was odd how large he had gotten- but once again, Foxpaw was a very small cat, and both of them would look like mice beside Marigoldpaw, Brightpaw, or Darkpaw.

Wrapping her tail around Emberpaw's broad shoulders, Foxpaw meowed; "Try to keep your mind off of her, will you?" After a moment of silence between them, she continued. "You can't not have fun your first day as an apprentice."

"Emberpaw!" Lionstar's call made Foxpaw's gaze break away from Emberpaw's olive green eyes. "It's time for you to leave the camp for your first time!"

Even Lionstar sounds excited. Foxpaw thought. He must not have had an apprentice in a while. But why pick Emberpaw?

Sunmask, Ravengaze, Poppyspots, and Jaggedclaw stood at the thorn barrier as Briarpaw, Marigoldpaw and Brightpaw padded over to meet them.

"Ravengaze, you take Foxpaw to the WindClan border with me and Emberpaw." Lionstar meowed, receiving a respectful nod from the old black tom. "Sunmask, you take Briarpaw to the ShadowClan border with Poppyspots and Marigoldpaw."

"What about us?" Darkpaw and Frostpaw padded over to the group, disappointed looks on their faces.

"You guys might not be so lucky." He glanced at them with sympathy. "I had to search the elders for ticks on my first day as an apprentice."

"I did too." Marigoldpaw retorted. "Have a fun first day."

Darkpaw and Frostpaw glared at the older apprentices, then their mentors. "Oh come on!"

"Alright, alright." Lionstar butted in on the teasing. "Jaggedclaw, you and Brightpaw will hunt at the abandoned twoleg nest."

As the cats split into hunting patrols, Foxpaw threw sideways glances at Emberpaw. He was quite stocky, with short fur and strong, muscled legs. Not nearly as much muscle as Darkpaw, but somewhere between Brightpaw and Frostpaw. Emberpaw had broad shoulders. It was odd, because Oakfur was a very small, thin she-cat, but all of her kits had grown to be very large and blocky. Foxpaw, however, couldn't even see over a hazel bush. Emberpaw's eyes were a beautiful forest green, with small flecks of a frosty gold.

He was a very handsome tom, Foxpaw flicked her tail in annoyance at the thought. Why does it matter? It's just Emberpaw; hunting for the clan is actually important.

...

Foxpaw stalked through the forest beside her mentor; they were coming up on the WindClan border. The snow and old brown leaves were dappled with sunlight, making small amounts more mushy than usual, with a texture of seasons old crowfood. The leaves underpaw were slimy by the tree trunks, but Foxpaw prefered it over the cold white sheet that lay over the ground. As the trees thinned out, however, the ground became lumpier, and the piercing wind brought the occasional green strip of grass peeking through the surface of the snow.

A snap followed by loud crunch tore Foxpaw from her wandering thoughts.

She turned her head just in time to see Emberpaw stumble into a snow drift, letting out a small gasp. Suppressing a mrroww of laughter, Foxpaw padded to the edge of the clump that her denmate had collapsed under his paws.

"Are you okay?" Foxpaw and Ravengaze asked simultaneously. Lionstar just looked on, embarrassed. 

Leaning down, whiskers twitching, Foxpaw watched as Emberpaw heaved himself from the ditch he had made.

"Do you want to head back or hunt?" Lionstar gazed down at Emberpaw.

"I'll still hunt." He replied calmly. "A little snow isn't going to stop me!" Raising his head, Emberpaw stalked on before slowing to match Foxpaw's pace.

Before long, he stopped, parting his jaws to taste the air. "Remember when Poppyspots taught us the shrew crouch?" He purred, looking over his shoulder at Foxpaw.

"Of course!" She answered with a flick of her tail. Scenting the air, Foxpaw looked in the direction her denmate was. A plump mouse sat on an unbroken sheet of snow, eating at the little nuts that fell from the ancient oak. "Go on," Foxpaw purred. "You found it, you catch it."

Emberpaw dropped into the hunter's crouch, and Foxpaw quickly corrected him, lowering his tail before he crept towards the mouse. By this point, Lionstar and Ravengaze had circled back for them, Lionstar carrying a squirrel.

Distracted by her leader's catch, Foxpaw missed Emberpaw kill the mouse, but when he returned with it, he mentioned what a sloppy catch it was.

Foxpaw wasn't surprised that her and Emberpaw had both caught something their first tries, because they were the only kits -besides Darkpaw of course- that had learned the crouches before they were apprenticed.

...

Foxpaw, Emberpaw, Ravengaze and Lionstar padded through the thorn barrier, shaking snow from their pelts and dropping their prey on the fresh-kill pile. Foxpaw carried a shrew that her mentor had killed, because her hind leg was still wrapped in leaves and such, so she couldn't catch anything herself.

Glancing across the clearing, she saw where Emberpaw had already wandered off to greet Frostpaw and Darkpaw, carrying his mouse.

"What did you guys do?" Emberpaw meowed, setting down the mouse temporarily. 

"What do you think?" Darkpaw asked. He turned his side to Emberpaw to show him the sticky leaves scattered across his flank.

"Looking for herbs?" Emberpaw questioned, cocking his head to the side. "That isn't so bad."

Frostpaw's fur bushed up. "Says you, you got to hunt!"

Darkpaw pushed his sister aside and his amber eyes gleamed. "We did get to see the territories though! The ShadowClan border is stinky!"

"That's the spirit!" Emberpaw smiled and purred as his litermates padded off to the fresh-kill pile, before bringing his mouse to Twigkit in  the elder's den.

Foxpaw sat down on in a patch of ground where the snow had been cleared away, and ate the squirrel Lionstar had caught. The hollow was looking beautiful, little clumps of snow clinging to the branches overhead, and the sun turning them to stars as they shined in the sunlight. A cold breeze breached Foxpaw's fur, and she shivered.