Warriors: Solemn Wishes (Warrior Cats Fan Story)

Chapter 9

"So the fox is gonna be allowed to roam around again?" asked Rootstump uneasily, as the resting queen watched the silhouettes of her kits play in the entrance of the nursery.

"That's what I've heard," sighed Hopfoot, curled around her much younger kits as she confirmed what she'd told her friend. "And I wish it wasn't happening."

"I heard from Grazepelt that Waveclaw told him that the fox messed up a bunch of prey on the fresh-kill pile," Rootstump mumbled. "Tore them open, scattered them everywhere, made them inedible. I can't believe Bronzestar hasn't punished him for that."

"Touche," Hopfoot sighed wearily. "But apparently they're not gonna."

"What? Why?"

"Something about 'not enough evidence'," Hopfoot grumbled in irritation, rolling her eyes. "Like, what evidence do you need?"

"I know! Who'd trust a sniveling fox over an upstanding cat Clanmate?" Rootstump complained.

"Exactly, exactly. Totally outrageous."

Just then, the kits' silhouettes disappeared from the entrance as they ran off deeper into camp, and Rootstump perked her ears, standing up. "I gotta go," she sighed. "Those kits can never keep themselves out of trouble."

As Rootstump trotted to the entrance, Hopfoot called out to her, "Wait a heartbeat!" The muscular flame-point queen turned her head around just before exiting. "While you're out there, can you ask Gravelpaw how his training's been doing? I've barely seen him around here lately!"

Rootstump smiled. "Yeah, I can do that. Melodyforest is a brutal mentor; I'm sure he's just busy."

Hopfoot nodded with a grin, and watched Rootstump exit the nursery.

*          *          *

Whitesilver purred, "I don't think apprentices are even allowed to do that anyway, dear."

"Who knows what the apprentices are doing nowadays?" Lonelyblue half-laughed, half-fretted. "ShadowClan's been lenient lately! You never know what the leaders have agreed to!"

Whitesilver leaned her head on Lonelyblue's shoulder, patting his leg with her paw. "Bronzestar would never send his apprentices to train in ShadowClan territory. He's too proud!" She laughed a bit.

Lonelyblue bit his lip. "I guess...Interforestization still worries me, though."

"What's that again?" Whitesilver inquired, still smiling with blissful calmness and only half-attention.

"You know...More integration between Clans," Lonelyblue sighed. "Younger generation's been all about that lately."

"Younger generation's always 'all about that'," Whitesilver purred, leaning harder against him. "Then they meet each other in battle and are less all about that."

Lonelyblue sighed, giving in and resting his head on hers. "I guess so. But they can be stubborn."

"Reminds me of a certain tom," Whitesilver chuckled, pushing against him with a paw, prompting hefty laughter from the sweet-smelling, small tom.

As her mate cheerfully laughed, Whitesilver glanced around with a smile and caught eye of a certain fox. Redwhisker was semi-napping on the far side of camp, keeping his eyes half-closed and seeming to be as far away from the center of camp and any nearby den openings as possible. It appeared to be rather uncomfortable, with many little stones lodged in the dirt here and there, some of which he was no doubt laying on. He seemed to be mostly at peace, though.