Warriors: Dissension By The Marsh

Chapter 7

  The cold winds of leaf-fall surrounded the young tom as Ghostglare trekked through an endless forest. He sensed trees surrounded him, but he managed to not run into one. The grass under his paws was barely felt, he practically glided over the stalks as he wandered aimlessly. Suddenly, a large force pushed against his side, covered in soft fur, it felt as if a giant cat rubbed against Ghostglare like how his friends would. The cat smelled of morning dew and herbs, as if all the herbs in the medicine den were mixed together and into the form of a feline. It whispered a wordless mew against his ear and disappeared into nothingness. Before Ghostglare could properly take at the moment, the sound of a loud, agitated yowl invaded his ears.

"Ghostglare! We know you're in there! Come out!" The voice came from one of the apprentices.

Ghostglare took in his surroundings and realized he was still in the medicine den, and was caught in a deep slumber. He had been sulking for days since he spoke to Bravehare and went out on his own, he hadn't properly worked in ages. The dream slowly faded as he reluctantly rose to his paws and stretched like an elder, before finally emerging from his bed and greeting the apprentices. He scented Rubblepaw, Daisypaw, and Maplepaw, sitting patiently in the medicine den.

"How long have you three been waiting for me?" Ghostglare's voice was a little hoarse, still groggy.

"Since the sunrise, it's almost sunhigh now." Daisypaw purred.

"Sorry you three, I haven't been myself lately...what do you need? Are you hurt? I'm sure Fernwillow can help you." Ghostglare yawned.

"Well Fernwillow is in the nursery, we actually wanted to see you!" Rubblepaw commented.

Ghostglare gazed aimlessly at the apprentices, sighing a bit before getting comfortable. He flicked his tail, signaling them to speak.

"We wanted to see you because we hadn't seen you in a while, and we were worried, well Clovermist was worried, but he's busy right now, so he sent us to talk to you." Rubblepaw explained. "Are you still bumped out from falling in that ditch."

Ghostglare flinched a little. "I'm not necessarily bumped out, deep down I knew whatever I was trying to achieve wouldn't work out, but I'm still embarrassed."

"You shouldn't be embarrassed, I wouldn't of gotten half as far if I was you, I'd be too scared!" Daisypaw chimed in.

"Don't sell yourself short, you seem pretty fearless, all of you."
Though he couldn't see their expressions, he could tell they were beaming. The apprentices were always eager for praise, they must be ecstatic to get it from Ghostglare, especially since he doesn't speak to them much. Come to think of it, he rarely speaks to them aside from when they come in for minor injuries. He knew nothing about them.

Ghostglare wanted to get to know them. "Hey, how's your guy's training going? You'll be warriors in a couple moons."

"It's amazing! Emberstep is an incredible warrior!" Daisypaw started. "She's so cool and talented and strong! She's always out training, and she takes me with her a lot, it can be exhausting, but I like the experience."

He had to admit, Emberstep was an incredible warrior. Despite how young she is, she's on par with a lot of the other older cats in the clan, she works hard every second of the day. He remembered how her sister, Redrunner, mentioned she wanted to become deputy, and that her and Hornetclaw are basically rivals. He hated to admit it, but he wished Emberstep became deputy over his own friend, he felt that while Emberstep works hard to try and achieve her goals, Hornetclaw is going to get there anyway because of her natural skills, as well as Timberstar and Gravelpatch's favoritism towards her.

"What about you Rubblepaw? Clovermist giving you any trouble? You can always tell me, and I'll beat him up for you." Ghostglare teased.

"He's great! He's very easy to talk to, he actually treats me like any other cat! I want to be just like him when I become a warrior, could you imagine it? Rubblemist!" The younger apprentice yowled in excitement.

Ghostglare chuckled, amused, he always knew his friend would make a good mentor. Despite being the oldest out of the group, he was somehow one of the most immature of them, but deep down he had the potential to be a great mentor. Ghostglare pointed his head towards where he smelled Maplepaw, the small apprentice sat further away than everyone else. He blinked affectionately, waiting for him to speak.

"...Birdbreeze is nice." His voice was like a soft kit's. "He's been teaching me about ambushing. I'm a very good hunter."

"I bet you are." Ghostglare mewed gently.

Surprisingly, he really enjoyed talking with the young apprentices. He had never been close to many others aside from Clovermist, Redrunner, and Hornetclaw. He never really connected with Emberstep, and he never spoke to the twins, Coldsong and Cloudblink. Ravenflame was also a warrior by the time he became an apprentice, so he really only had his small group. He smiled to himself, before telling the three stories from his own time as an apprentice.

He spoke about when Redrunner ran into a bush and scarred her face. He mentioned when Clovermist almost drowned in the marsh trying to impress Coldsong. He remembered when Hornetclaw left camp on her own and sent everyone into a panic, and she had to clean after the elders for moons. Ghostglare loved telling stories about his friends and all the stuff they'd get into, sometimes he misses those times, when they were young and naive. He and the apprentices spoke for hours, sharing stories and tales, until suddenly a new scent invaded his nose. He perked up and scented Cloudblink, who was practically panting.

"Ghostglare! Fernwillow needs you, Bravehare is kitting!" He blurted out.

Ghostglare's heart fluttered, time stopped for a moment when he registered the news. His siblings are coming. The group raced across the clearing and into the nursery, the smells and sounds of various cats swirled around him as he approached. Bravehare groaned and spat as she complained, she couldn't relax, especially with Fernwillow telling her to do so. Ghostglare had never helped a queen's kitting, when Sweetburr had her kits, Fernwillow ordered him to stay in the medicine den. He started to panic a little, before taking a deep breath and following his instincts.

He stepped around Bravehare and laid against her back, resting his head on her shoulder and purring. He closed his eyes as he listened to his mother slowly calm herself, getting back to her senses. Ghostglare blocked out the murmurs and mews of the other cats in the nursery, he shut out all their scents and smells, until it was as if he and Bravehare were the only ones there. Ghostglare's purrs rang in his ear as he nuzzled himself against her fur more, until she was purring as well. He almost felt at peace, the visions of his siblings hunting without him which plagued his mind were muted for a moment. Just for a moment. It was the first time he relaxed in moons.

He laid against her for what felt like forever, until he finally snapped back to reality. He opened his jaws to taste the air, he smelled Lakewhisker on the other side of Bravehare, Hornetclaw and Ravenflame watching, along with Cloudblink and Gravelpatch. He also scented Birdbreeze, though he was further away from the crowd of cats, as if he didn't want to see. Finally, he scented the fresh smell of two new kits, their little troubled mews were faint. Ghostglare sighed sweetly, purring to himself. He kept himself against Bravehare, speaking to Ravenflame.

"Are they okay?" He huffed.

"They look fine to me, two beautiful new cats, I'm excited to see how they grow." Ravenflame mewed.

"...what do they look like?" His voice was a little shallow, he wished he could see them properly.

"They're both she-cats. One's a small red tabby, with cute little white paws." Ravenflame purred, before her words trailed off a bit. "And the other looks like you. Soft black and white fur."

The hair on his back bristled as he imagined his sisters. Though colors weren't his strong suit, he had a vague idea. He imagined one kit, hotter than the sun itself, and the other kit, cool and dark like himself. He was actually excited, he couldn't wait to meet his new sisters, maybe even one of them would want to be a medicine cat, and he'd teach him all that he knew. He affectionately licked Bravehare, everyone was showering her in love and attention, Fernwillow appeared with poppy seeds for her, Ghostglare didn't even realize the medicine cat left. Tonight, the wind sat still, the moon shone brightly over the marsh as Ghostglare slept by the side of Bravehare and Lakewhisker, as if he was protecting them. He slept alongside his new sisters, kits who were ready to experience a life under StarClan. All he could do was wish them the best.