Frondflower's Trust

Chapter 2

"Frondpaw, wake up." Frondpaw's dream was cut short at the sound of her brother's voice and she opened her eyes to see Brackenpaw standing in front of her. "Good morning, sleepy paws." He purred. "Get up, the others are waiting for us outside."

"Others?" Frondpaw croaked, still half asleep as she pushed herself to her paws and yawned, stretching out each claw until she felt more awake.

Brackenpaw nodded. "Yeah. Poppywish said Nightflame wanted Palepaw, Duskpaw, and Tulippaw to have some more battle practice before they get their warrior names." He scratched one ear with a hind paw, and Frondpaw shook out her fur. "We get beat up while the others get to prepare for assessments. Seems pretty fair to me."

"Hurry up, Brackenpaw!" Brindlestalk called sharply from outside the den, the impatience clear in her voice. "We don't have all day!"

Brackenpaw jumped and hurried out of the den, calling. "Coming, Brindlestalk!" With Frondpaw hot on his heels. Once outside the den, her brother led her toward the rather large group of apprentices with their mentors.

Poolpaw was sitting with a rather neatly-groomed Parsleyfrost, talking about hunting later on in the afternoon when it cools down.

Tulippaw was chattering with her mentor- Parsleyfrost's brother- Pigeonpool and showing off how she could beat any other cat in battle with her claws sheathed without getting tired.

Morningpaw, Rosepaw, and Fidgetpaw were all messing around with each other while their mentors, Eagleheart, Brindlestalk, and Fidgetpaw's new mentor Grayriver watched with amusement in their eyes.

And finally, Palepaw and Duskpaw were competing over who would clean out the nursery based on their skills in combat. Their mentors- Nightflame and Flowerpetal- were deep in conversation with their tails twined and their eyes glowing with affection.

Frondpaw breathed in the crisp morning air as a gentle breeze ruffled her fur, giving her a surge of energy. Only a half-moon into her training and Frondpaw was loving being an active member of the Clan. Scanning the rather empty camp, Frondpaw was surprised when she didn't see Swiftheart emerging from any of the dens. Padding up to Parsleyfrost and Poolpaw, her tail tip twitching. "Where's Swiftheart?" She asked.

Poolpaw pricked his ears and waved a paw at her. "Hi, Frondpaw!" He chirped and pranced around her, seeming in higher spirits than the clouds.

Parsleyfrost waited until his apprentice to get close before playfully swatting at him with a paw. Poolpaw instinctively dropped to the ground and rolled over, his fur sticking up all over the place when he got to his feet. The mentor chuckled and looked at Frondpaw. "I don't know where Swiftheart is," he meowed, sounding apologetic. "I'm sure he's just running a little late."

Brindlestalk wandered over, her ears flicking with annoyance. "I don't care where he is," she meowed, sounding brisk as she surveyed the camp swiftly. "He's late and it's setting a bad example for his apprentice."

Duskpaw padded up to Brindlestalk and brushed against her side, his eyes glowing flirtatiously. "Lay off, Brindle," he purred and the look on the she-cat's face made Frondpaw choke back laughter. "Swifty's probably just chasing Weaselheart through a field of flowers and forgot about the time. Frondpaw will be fine. Besides, you are in charge of today's training session. I think we'll be okay without him."

"I- well...I- uh..." Brindlestalk stammered and Frondpaw purred with amusement.

Duskpaw let out a mrrow of laughter and winked charmingly at the she-cat as she struggled to form a coherent sentence. "Come on, Brindle. Let's get this going!" He leaned against the she-cat and whispered something in her ear that Frondpaw couldn't catch before bounding toward the camp entrance.