Creamfluff's Hope

*/\* Chapter Four */\*

Creamkit woke up a while later when the sun had set, and the moon had risen. Rainspeck was sleeping in the same spot as earlier, and Aloeheart wasn't in the den. Moonlight flowed into the nursery and into Creamkit's eyes. She shakily stood up and got to her tiny paws. She followed the moonlight out into the camp where two warriors were quietly talking to each other.

"Why would Acornstar let a loner in the Clan?" A young gray and white tom whispered ever so softly, making Creamkit lean forward to listen. This cat seemed familiar... Clover-something, right?

"You've nothing better to talk about?" A calico she-cat hissed quietly. This cat seemed familiar too. "It's been a few nights since that decision. Why not talk about leaf-bare and our prey?"

The tom shrugged. "I just want to know why our leader made the choice he did."

"And I want to know why you even became a warrior," the she-cat replied. The tom had a look of shock on his face, the shock mixed with... anger?

The tom was speechless, but his eyes were indeed lit with anger. He hissed something Creamkit couldn't make out from where she stood. The calico glared at him and hissed something back. "If all you care about is a kit in MistClan, and not something more important like the season's prey, you can speak to Acornstar himself about it."

"You aren't my leader, deputy, or mother," the tom growled, his voice at a normal tone.

"You're right, Cloverpetal," she glared at him. "But you are acting like a kit." Cloverpetal! Creamkit thought. That's his name. Cloverpetal now had his fur bushed out, looking two times his size. His eyes were still alight with anger, the moon shining down on the two cats. Cloverpetal hissed loudly and held up a paw as if he was going to swat at the she-cat.

"What is going on?" The angry tone of a she-cat came from the warriors' den. Cloverpetal turned to look at the den, his fur still fluffed up. The she-cat came forwards into the moonlit spot, now recognizable to Creamkit as Blizzardspots. She stopped besides the two quarreling cats with a hiss. "Are two Clanmates fighting?"

Cloverpetal responded with a growl. "Why would we be fighting? Amberstorm just angered me, that's all." His paw was lowered but still in the air, something glimmering upon it. Blizzardspots directed her gaze towards his paw and let out another hiss.

"If you aren't fighting," she turned to look at the young warrior with a glare, "why are your claws unsheathed?" Cloverpetal slowly lowered his paw all the way to the ground, claws still unsheathed.

"They're unsheathed because I was... checking if they had dirt stuck in them." He hesitated when responding. His excuse didn't seem believable to the Clan deputy, for she let out a growl.

"Don't think I'm going to believe that." Blizzardspots gave a furious lash of her tail. "I know you two were fighting and Acornstar will know about it."

Amberstorm gave a nod without any protesting as Cloverspots narrowed his eyes. He dug his claws into the ground as Blizzardspots turned in the direction of the leaders' den, a den inside of the stone walls with a bramble arch around the entrance. Creamkit took a step backwards. Cloverpetal and Amberstorm had been fighting over her. Now she'd gotten them in trouble. She felt responsible for whatever punishment they might get, even if she'd done nothing but watch.

A few moments later, Blizzardspots returned with a drowsy Acornstar. In between yawns, Creamkit could see his eyes glowing with the same anger as Blizzardspots. Amberstorm looked calm and innocent with Cloverspots trying to smooth his fur.

"Two warriors fighting each other?" Acornstar hissed. "Surely you know better than that. Amberstorm and Cloverpetal. Pfft, more like Amberpaw and Cloverpaw." He stopped to let out a yawn. Creamkit stared at Amberstorm and Cloverpetal worriedly. Did she make two warriors into apprentices as well as get them into trouble?

She looked over at the warriors' den to see two or three cats exit it and sit down to watch what was happening in the clearing. The moonlight was getting fainter, and the light of the sun was making its way into the sky. Creamkit noticed the cats who'd woken were Sageflame, Heatstep, and Mistpuddle. Nightpaw, Mistpuddle's apprentice, could be seen exiting the apprentices' den with a yawn.

"Amberstorm," Creamkit heard Acornstar say. "You know better than to fight with a Clanmate, but I'm not so sure about Cloverpetal." The kit turned her head to look at the tom and noticed his eyes wide with shock.

"Wha- why?" Cloverpetal exclaimed. Acornstar hissed at him quietly and continued.

"Cloverpetal, you won't be attending the Gathering tomorrow night." Acornstar meowed, the anger in his eyes dying away. "You'll be cleaning the elders' den instead without any help from fellow warriors."

Cloverpetal gaped at his leader before glaring at him and hissing. He turned towards the camp entrance and started walking towards it. Once he was halfway out of the camp, Acornstar meowed something to him. "While you're out, I'd suggest getting fresh moss."

Blizzardspots was staring at Acornstar with rounded eyes and open jaws. "Acornstar... you just gave him an apprentice job... just like that?" She exclaimed dumbfoundedly. Her response from the leader was a simple nod and a walk back to his den. More cats had been watching while the sun made its way into the sky.

The deputy turned to face the spectating cats with a sigh. "Okay... Heatstep, Mistpuddle, Nightpaw, go on a hunting patrol and bring back as much prey as you can." The two warriors nodded and Nightpaw bounded over to them.

"Juniperseed, Amberstorm, Snowypaw, go out on a border patrol." Amberstorm nodded from behind Blizzardspots and Juniperseed ran to the apprentices' den to wake Snowypaw.

"And Thrushwing and Mapleleaf will come with me on a second border patrol." She gave a flick of her tail for the warriors to come over to her, as both of them already fully awake. Creamkit frowned while Blizzardspots organized patrols. She had gotten Cloverpetal in trouble and now he couldn't go to the Gathering tomorrow. Aloeheart had told her about Gatherings. They sounded super fun, and she wanted to go super badly, but Rainspeck wouldn't let her.

Creamkit turned to enter the nursery again. She hadn't slept for the rest of the night since she'd been watching Cloverpetal and Amberstorm argue. She entered the nursery, noticing both queens were asleep. She waddled over to Rainspeck's nest, shaky on her tiny legs, and curled up besides Rainspeck, falling asleep a little bit later.