Warriors: The Fall of the Clans: Sunlight

Chapter 4

Dawnpaw sniffed at Stormpaw as he tumbled to the ground. "Let's see you do better, you prickly thistle of a cat!" Her brother snapped, annoyed, restless and tired. Dawnpaw scoffed. "Fine. I will." She mewed, walking to the centre of the small island on which they were training. Skynose was monitoring them both, as Stonewhisker was busy helping Cloudsky with Foxpaw. Dawnpaw felt slightly bad that she'd told on Foxpaw, betraying his secret, but she adamantly stuck to the belief that it was his own fault, not hers, that he now had to get specialized dry-paw training. "Go on. We need to know how to hunt and fight on land as well. If we are ever attacked on the island, we can't just all swim away." Skynose had pointed out when she'd complained.

Dawnpaw tensed her haunches, lowering her shoulders, and raising her tail a bit off the ground. She wiggled a bit as she prepared to pounce, bounding off with her front legs and widening her eyes as she lost balance and fell. Stormpaw snickered. "Niot so smart, are we?" He mewed teasingly. Dawnpaw huffed. "Go eat a leaf, Stormpaw." She retorted, grumpily plopping on the ground. She wished Foxpaw were here. At least then he'd be the one everyone laughed at.

Skynose was about to intervene when a shout disturbed them. It was Moonpaw and Snowpaw, with Dusklight and Froststar intow, swimming from the main island towards the training one. Moonpaw soon reached the shore, shaking out her fur, and padding past her. "Hello Stormpaw! What're you doing?" She asked, ignoring Dawnpaw.

Dawnpaw felt a prickle of annoyance. Moopaw had held a little arguement as a grudge over her head for two days now. Who does things like that?! She knew that she didn't. Dawnpaw stifled a sigh and turned to Skynose. "Why're they here?"

Snowpaw answered before Skynose could. "We're practicing with you all." He mewed, turning around and scanning the clearing. Dawnpaw waited for him to say anything else.

Silence.

Dawnpaw shook it off, turning back to Skynose. "Why didn't I make that pounce?" Skynose rolled his eyes. "You don't bound with your fore legs. Ever. Use your back legs to propel you forwards, and your front legs to catch whatever you're pouncing at." Dawnpaw ignored his bored, obvious tone, and settled herself again into the same positiong. This time, she forced all energy into her back paws, pouncing. Her claws were out, and she imagined flying, catching a fish high up. Skynose nodded. "Better." He mewed, twitching his ear and turning his head suddenly. The water that breached into the Lake was sent trhough a small cghannel on this little island. The border with Thunderclan was right behind it. Dawnpaw followed Skynose's gaze, seeing five figures in the distance. "A border patrol." Skynose mumbled. "Carry on." He said dismissively, turning to the toehr mentors.

"Not satisfied with leeching all the lake prey, fish-pelts?"

It was Redtail's voice, and made Dawnpaw freeze. She turned slightly. Skynose looked up. "Do you have business with RiverClan?" He mewed coolly. "Don't need any. Copying our moves, stealing our prey. Where does your leeching end?" Skynose stiffened. "We don't leech!" Dawnpaw shot back, her temper flaring up yet again. the burly tom turned his head towards her. "And what would a puny kit know about such things?" He sneered. "I'm not a kit, I'm an apprentice, and you a piec-" Skynose muffled her words by placing his tail against her mouth. "Mind your own, redtail. I trust prey is well." Redtail snarled. "Like you don't know it isn't!" He was bristiling.

"Redtail!"

A tom approached, with an air of leadership about him. He stared at Redtail. "Enough." He turned. "Skynose, I apologize. Redtail has been a bit dizzy due to lack of prey." He mewed, not caring to hide the hidden message within his words. Skynose merely returned his gaze with a calm and collected one. "Right." He kept his tone cool. "We'll see you at the Gathering Blazewing." Froststar mewed,s tepping out past Skynose. Blazewing's eyes widened a fraction. "Indeed." He mewed. The tom, Blazewing, gestured with his tail, leading the Thunderclan border patrol on.

A moment of silence ensued.

"Skynose?" Dawnpaw's menotr turned to Froststar. "Yes?" Froststar sighed. "Lead them all back towards camp, or Foxpaw. I'd like to deal with this. I'll bring one apprentice woth me as well." He glanced around, and hope flared up in Dawnpaw's mind. Would it be her? Would she get to go with the leader?

"Hm. Moonpaw." He mewed, turning tail and leaving. Moonpaw bounced on one paw. She was grinning widely and eagerly. Dawnpaw shot her a small, tight smile, but walked past her before Moonpaw could question it.

Dawnpaw walked a ways away from the others, sitting down near the top of a hilly outcrop over the water. Her tail curled over her paws, Dawnpaw sighed, looking up at the cloudy sky. She thought about all that had happened in a number of days, and sighed. "What a mess..."She murmured to herself.

Skynose padded towards her, resting his tail on her shoulder reassuringly. "Relax. This is Clan life, Dawnpaw." She nodded. "It just...it's only been a moon and a quarter since I was a kit, and south has happened." Skynose smiled. "So much more will happen. Now come along. We're leaving to go get Cloudsky, Stonewhisker, and Foxpaw." He turned towards her once, smiling. "At least you'll see Foxpaw." She rolled her eyes.

"I told you already I don't have a crush on him!"

"Mhmm."

"I'm not lying!"

"Mhmm."

The entire conversion repeated itself, as they reached the base of the hill. The others were a bit ahead, closer to shore. Dawnpaw argued with Skynose the entire way back. Skynose only said one word in response:

Mhmm.

By the time they reached the others, Dawnpaw had given up, lapsing unread into a stubborn silence.

Skynose turned to Dusklight. "Shall we?" Dusklight nodded. "Come with me." He mewed once, leading the way to the water. Moonpaw and Stormpaw followed him, while Snowpaw paused to get something. When he looked back up, Dawnpaw saw that he'd stopped to pick up a nettle.

She internally sighed.

•+*•+*•+*•+*•+*•+*•+*•+*•+*•+*

Swimming helped Dawnpaw relax. She fell into the rhythm of the waves lapping across her pelt a she pushed ahead, moving the water. It was nice. One paw in, the other out. She sighed as she swam, peaceably.

Her thoughts were far from her mind, but she kept seeing Redtail's hissing face, and Blazewing's cool demeanour. Would there be a battle between the two Clans?

She shrugged such thoughts away.

"Hey mossbrain!" Her brother called, making her shoot an annoyed glance towards him. "What?" She asked. Stormpaw smirked, glancing towards the mentors before swimming closer. "Moonpaw, Foxpaw, and Snowpaw are going to go swim in the Currents at moon-high. We should too." He whispered discreetly.

Dawnpaw tilted her head. "Currents? They say those are dangerous..." Stormpaw shrugged. "Anyne who doesn't go obviously can't swim better than a kit." He mewed justifiably. Dawnpaw's thoughts turned to Foxpaw. She was certain he couldn't swim better than a kit yet. How would he manage? She sighed, nodding. "Alirght."