CricketBounce's Story [discontinued]

Chapter 6

Shuffling noises sounded next to where Cricketpaw was marking the Windclan border, she glanced around and spotted a mouse. Cricketpaw finished marking the border and crouched, slowly inching forward. The mouse froze, it darted towards a hole in a tree. Cricketpaw pounced, missing the mouse by a whisker-length. The mouse scuttled into the hole, disappearing from her sight. Leaves rustled from where the mouse had just been, as if they were taunting her.

Cricketpaw sighed padding towards another bush she could mark. She gazed up into the sky as she marked a few more grasses and bushes. It had been a week since Dainty had arrived at Riverclan. The air was starting to take on the frosty scent of leaf-fall. This was going to be Cricketpaw's first leaf-fall and she was pretty exited. She had heard that the trees leaves turn beautiful orange, brown and red colors and fall from the sky like rain. She just couldn't wait. The sun had just barely came up, streaks of light shone through Riverclan territory. Cricketpaw sighed, oh how she loved Riverclan. Cricketpaw began to pad back towards the other cats in her patrol, tail wavering.

Leaves crackled and breathy whispers sounded behind her. She padded up as quietly as she could and gazed out onto the Windclan moors. She stared out into the slightly foggy hills. A laugh sounded from up ahead and two cats sped up and right over the border line. "What do you think your doing?" Cricketpaw hissed loudly. Two heads poked out from behind a tree, Arcanepaw and Rainpaw? Cricketpaw rolled her eyes. What were they doing here? Again?

"Oh uh, sorry about that". Arcanepaw meowed scratching the back of his head. He and Rainpaw trotted back over the border, skidding away.

"Wait! Come back here!" Cricketpaw meowed after the Windclan apprentices. Arcanepaw and Rainpaw turned around and padded back over. They sat two tail lengths from where Cricketpaw had just marked. She sat as well, glancing at the two of them.

"What?" Rainpaw meowed, tilting her head. Arcanepaw gazed at Cricketpaw, concern in his eyes. He whispered something to Rainpaw. She shook her head and gazed back at Cricketpaw.

"We were doing nothing, it was an accident we passed over the border, we are just on pre-dawn patrol marking this side of the territory". Rainpaw meowed speedily.

"Oh that's cool, and I didn't mean to be rude, I'm just super bored and you guys are pretty cool. I'm also on pre-dawn patrol". Cricketpaw meowed, smiling at the cats. A holler over the hill caused Rainpaw to perk her ears.

"Sorry that's my mentor gotta run, Arcanepaw don't be rude". Rainpaw meowed over her shoulder running off.

Arcanepaw rolled his eyes "siblings, am I right?" Cricketpaw laughed, "yes and especially when they act like they're your parent".

"Yeah that too". Arcanepaw mrrowed, letting out a laugh. The two cats sat silent for several seconds until the awkwardness was at peak. "Sorry about that first time we met.. I was kinda rude". Arcanepaw meowed, finally breaking the silence.

"Oh and don't forget about the day after, when you kept calling me CricketKit". Cricketpaw laughed, easing the tension. "I was so irritated my mentor, she's the calmest cat in the world, very patient too, had to tell me you were just an apprentice!"

"Oh yeah, and that". Arcanepaw laughed. "Also I overheard what Enderwing had said about me being 'just a Windclan apprentice', I was pretty heated, not gonna lie". Arcanepaw smiled, the memory flashing before his eyes. "That also kinda reminds me of this one time where I saw a mole on the fresh-kill pile as a kit, and then the very next day another mole that looked the same was in the same exact place". Arcanepaw laughed. "I thought it was an omen or something but Weedpatch, my mother had to break the truth to me". He paused to laugh. "It was the same mole!" He purred with laughter. Cricketpaw liked this new Arcanepaw. And she felt at ease with him.