Warriors: Cobwebs

16. The Mischievous Kitten

     "Why are cobwebs mixed in with the borage leaves?" Webpaw hissed under his breath, his lips curling into a snarl. "There's a deathberry in here! What in StarClan's name is happening?" He removed the toxic yew berry, and pulled borage leaves off of the cobwebs as best as he could. "Who even did this?" he growled, tail lashing.

     A soft giggle gave away the hiding Ashkit who huddled behind a rock and watched as the apprentice grew frustrated. Webpaw's ears perked, and he turned his head to stare at the kitten with his one eye, filled with anger. Too often did this mischievous kit ruin his work, or screw something up.

     "I did it!" Ashkit squeaked, clearly not aware of the danger of her prank. Webpaw was not amused in any way, shape, or form. His fur bristled and he stomped up to the kit. And as he came close, the cheerful look on Ashkit's face vanished.

     "Do you have any idea of the extent of danger you put cats in?" Webpaw fussed hatefully, his tail lashing back and forth. "Deathberries kill cats!"

    Ashkit didn't blink, her eyes wide in a sort of guilty fear, and she whimpered. "I.. I'm sorry-" she mewled, "I didn't mean any.. anything bad-" True guilt and shame was visible in the kitten's facial features, and Webpaw sighed and shook his head. She was just a kit, and kits made mistakes; and Webpaw assumed she'd learned her lesson.

     "Look, Ashkit. You can't mess with our herbs," Webpaw told her in a calmer yet stern tone. "Now go and play outside or something so I can do my work."

     Ashkit breathed in slowly, and she sat up straight. "Yes, sir," she croaked, clearly still combating tears, "I'm sorry.. for the herbs." And with that, she walked out with paws dragging a little. She would brighten up in only a few minutes, Webpaw was sure, and he began sorting everything out.

     The herb store was rather full, surprising the cat. But he had found remnants of more Ashkit-related destruction , some of which he shook his head and smiled at. Poppyseeds were sprinkled in with catmint; oak leaves were in the moss storage hole; and thistle was underneath the moss as well. Everything was an absolute mess, like a kitten-tornado had struck, until it was cleaned out and sorted. And by the time he was finished, it was midday, and Goldpaw would likely be on a hunting trip now. Rarely did she take part in hunting parties, her preference being to hunt alone, and most cats respected that, especially Webpaw who would prefer to work alone. 

         He padded through the camp, glancing around to watch his clan mates. Clearwhisker could be seen in the shade of a massive boulder, chatting in silence with Tigerstripe and Froststrike. He seemed almost frustrated, Froststrike smug. And Tigerstripe was glowering at the warrior. Webpaw blinked and shook his head, sighing. Froststrike was always rude to just about any cat, except for Tawny, and few things bothered the apprentice more. 

    He continued through the camp and slipped into the tunnel, his fur brushing the walls of dirt and brambles. And he emerged, and stood in the sunlight momentarily still, blinking to adjust his sight. All was blurry for a few seconds, but his vision cleared and the forest was bright. He trekked onward, heading Southwest towards the FireClan border. Squirrels were common in the trees along the border, and were a favorite to Goldpaw. So he figured she would be there.

     The forest was lively enough, with birds chirping and chipmunks chattering to each other in social manners. No longer did Webpaw have an urge to track down prey like before, since it was caught by the warriors. He almost hated himself for it, for losing his natural instinct, but the constant scent of herbs blinded his sense of smell, and he no longer had the need.

    A smell struck him and he cringed, stopped in his tracks, and turned around. And standing behind him was a little grey form, splotched with a nasty, clumped-up substance of brown. It stared at him with yellowish eyes, and blinked before offering a nervous smile.

     "Ashkit!" Webpaw groaned, dropping his head and raking the ground with clear claws. The kitten laughed anxiously. 

    "I fell in fox dung.. following you," she mewed, then trying to appear innocent. "I wanted to help you gather herbs!" Webpaw stared at her, conflicted on how to feel. She had snuck out of camp, risking her conduct, just to help him fix something she caused. It was touching, actually, and Webpaw almost smiled at the kit's revelation that she had done wrong, and fix her mistake. But he had to be stern, and he hated it. 

    "Look, Ashkit, you can't be out here," he told her, "we'll clean you off and take you back, okay?"

     "Who's out here?" called a voice, and the brush behind Webpaw snapped and crackled, and broke as a cat leaped through the brush. Ashkit cried out and stumbled back, and Webpaw turned and unsheathed his claws. Standing before him was Goldpaw, her fur dirty and peppered in leaves.

    "Oh," she mewed, "hey."