Warriors: Tainted Paths

Chapter 2

"Bleh! It got in my mouth!" Wolfpaw quivered in distaste as she felt a piece of mouse bile hit her tongue. She could hear the raspy chuckles come out of one of the elders she was trying to help.

Since being caught with her little stunt, her mother punished her with being the only one to help out the elder's tick problem until she reached the age of a warrior.

"Stupid new-leaf, stupid ticks..." Wolfpaw grumpily said to herself as she gently placed a piece of mouse bile on a tick that was grappled onto the fur of a patched white and brown tom.

"Aw, don't be so grumpy Wolfpaw, that's our job to be like that." The cheery voice came from Rabbitleap, the same tom that Wolfpaw was treating with the tick problem.

"Don't try and coddle her Rabbitleap," said a white gray tom with clouded white eyes. "This apprentice could've been given a much harsher punishment than what she's facing here. Especially with that stunt, she tried to pull."

"You know about that Icemask?!" Wolfpaw said with a shocked look, but it was clear that he wouldn't be able to see it.

"Of course, I may be blind, but I'm not deaf like Rabbitleap over there."

Wolfpaw could spot Rabbitleap's unamused expression once Icemask brought it up. Though it was over once a sweet chuckle brought up the mood.

"Oh, Icemask, don't be so rough on her. We were all crazy at her age. Including you, might I remind you of the badger den scene?"

"No— you don't need to bring that up Riverstep." Icemask lowered his head to his paws for what seemed like embarrassment. This caused Rabbitleap to join the sweet elder's chuckle fest.

"Good. Now once you're done with Rabbitleap, your mind doing mine again. I just know there's one somewhere under this fur." Riverstep asked with a gentle smile that could never be denied. And she knew it.

Wolfpaw let out a sigh, still with the mouse bile in her mouth. "Fine. But there better be one and not one of your guesses again. I don't want this in my mouth any longer than I have to." She could hear the cheeky chuckle escape the elder, which caused the apprentice to pout even more than she already was.

"Wolfpaw." The young she-cat's ears perked up once hearing the familiar voice from an older she-cat. Turning her head ever so suddenly she came to see her mother, Dawnflower, waiting outside the entrance of the elders' den. "Finish up on Rabbitleap, Heavyclaw just appointed us to go on a border patrol, so hurry up." Before leaving she dipped her head in respect, and a little bit of an apology for any possible interruption, for the three elders in the den, finally moving away leaving the apprentice along with the elders again.

Wolfpaw's eyes gleamed with excitement once her mother said those words, then again she would've been excited about having to do anything other than what she was doing right now.

"Ah, it'll be fine Wolfpaw, just go ahead and catch up with Dawnflower, I'll be good," Rabbitleap said to Wolfpaw's surprise.

"Are you sure? I can still check for any ticks that are on you—"

"No, no," Rabbitleap interjected, a raspy chuckle followed afterward, "I'll be good, if anything I can just nag on the other mentors to have their apprentices treat us while you're on patrol. Now go along, shoo." The patched tom waved his paw away, making the young she-cat spring up with a big smile on her face.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Wolfpaw sang happily, almost wanting to jump in joy, but controlling that side while in front of the three older cats.

"Just don't forget to check on me whenever you come back, you hear me?" Riverstep said with a giddy smile.

"I won't, promise!" Wolfpaw said, all the while leaving the elder's den.