CotS #1: The Dark Path (currently being rewritten)

Chapter Ten

"Mistfur! Duskypelt! Morningclaw! Sunnyheart! Mistfur! Duskypelt! Morningclaw! Sunnyheart!"

The Clan cheered the new warriors' names as loudly as possible. I hoped I was among them. After all, they deserved some support. But not that I loved Duskypelt or anything, they were just the Clan's newest warriors and they always got support from the Clan. My warriors' ceremony had been quieter than this, with only a few people nervously chanting my name. But here, the Clan was full-out, excited. Duskypelt was looking at me happily, his cheeriness infectious, but...

I couldn't love him. Never. He was likable, but not my type. I hated having two toms padding after me. Absolutely ridiculous. And I hardly knew Cloudysky too. He'd barely known me before he started padding after me, and I still didn't know him very well. Not that I was making the effort. I wished they would stop, but toms would be toms. They were always so stubborn, it was infuriating.

I headed to the nursery before turning back. I didn't want to have anything to do with Wheatpelt anymore. But I grabbed a few pieces of prey for the queens and went there. After all, the apprentices were always neglecting their duties. I rolled my eyes as I saw Lilypaw and Oakpaw play-fighting under the sun while the queens were quietly unfed and hungry. Almost giggling to myself, I brought the prey to the queens.

The queens all purred gratefully, but Wheatpelt accepted hers quietly, shooting me an odd look. I didn't know what that was about and ended up discussing Browntail with Appledawn for some reason.

"He's very overbearing," Appledawn told me. "Dawnkit doesn't like him. Chivekit is the only kit here who's okay with him."

"What a trashy father," I said. Then realizing what I said, I gasped, "Oh! Sorry!"

Appledawn just laughed. "It's fine. I kinda miss Goldenwind ... we used to hang out a lot. But she's so engrossed in warrior duties! I used to think my brother padded after her, but now he loves a silver she-cat." It was already a dead giveaway before she added, "Who has purple eyes."

"Oi! What?" I demanded as she laughed.

"Both my brothers, actually," she said. "Duskypelt and Cloudysky. Have you picked yet?"

"What?" I could feel my pelt growing hot. "No." Why was she talking about love, with me? All this nonsense about love. Browntail, about her, first, and now the cats who had crushes on me? Appledawn really couldn't tell when a subject was touchy, could she?

"They've been padding after you for ages, especially that Duskypelt," Appledawn informed me.

"For an unfathomable reason," I mumbled under my breath. Appledawn laughed again, a short, slightly high-pitched laugh.

"You're bold and a good fighter, as well as pretty and young. That's attractive," she informed me matter-of-factly.

"I'm not interested," I responded. She sighed and turned back to her own kits.

After that, I said a quick farewell to the queens and left to get a meal of my own.

"Hey, Stormdawn..."

"That sounds so childish, you mouse-brain!"

"How about this, Hey Stormdawn, d'you wanna share prey, cos I'm really cool and stuff"

"NO, Cloudysky, that's ridiculous!"

"Hey, why are you judging me? I'm the one sharing prey with her, not you!"

"Shush, you! She's standing in front of us!"

"Huh?" I looked around, confused. Who was arguing about sharing prey with me? The voices were evidently Duskypelt's and Cloudysky's, but I had no idea why they were fighting over who could share prey with me. I mean, I was obviously not going to share prey with either of them. With toms, I was awfully anti-social.