Ashpaw bounces cheerily at the mouth of the ThunderClan medicine den, gazing out at the camp.
Cats congregate around the fresh-kill pile, taking their pick of the suspiciously full supply of prey and seating themselves wherever.
It upsets Ashpaw that her Clanmates are fine with stealing, but she supposes that everyone being fed is all that matters.
"You ready to get going?" Starlingclaw mews to his apprentice, coming up behind her and flicking her shoulder with his tail.
"Yep!' Ashpaw chirps, bouncing up on the tips of her paws.
"I want to say bye to Dad first, though," she adds, looking around for Cindercloud and finding him seated underneath a tree with a black-and-white tom.
"Alright," the ThunderClan medicine cat replies with a chuckle.
"I'll be waiting at the tunnel."
Ashpaw nods to her mentor as he bounds off and pauses to have a word with the deputy, Meadownose, seated on a rock near the camp tunnel.
The light gray she-cat pads over to where her father is seated, catching murmurs of the conversation he's having with his companion before their exchange pauses.
"Hi, Dad!" Ashpaw mews, beaming up at her father.
"Hey, sweetheart," Cindercloud replies with a purr, licking his daughter's head.
"Hi, Goosedown," the medicine apprentice adds, glancing past her father at the black and white tom seated beside him.
"Oh- hey," he replies, chuckling nervously.
Goosedown glances between Cindercoud and Ashpaw with a sheepish smile on his face before glancing down at his paws.
"Me and Starlingclaw are about to go to the Moonpool," Ashpaw pipes up, gaze flickering back to her father.
"I wanted to tell you bye first, though."
Cindercloud chuckles heartily, giving his daughter's head another lick.
"Okay, Ashpaw. Have fun."
Ashpaw nods, reaching up to nuzzle her father's cheek.
"I will! Tell Momma I'll be back too, okay?"
The light gray tom nods.
"Alrighty."
Ashpaw gives a little bounce, padding away with a flick of her tail.
"Okay, bye!"
"Proud of you," Cindercloud calls after her with a purr before returning to his conversation with Goosedown.
As she bounces toward the camp entrance, Ashpaw pads past the nursery and the elder's den.
The light gray she-cat reaches her mentor's side and smiles up at him, flicking her tail from side to side.
"Let's get going," Starlingclaw mews, slipping through the tunnel; Ashpaw follows on her mentor's heels, a purr rumbling in his throat.
Ashpaw trots after her mentor, gazing up at the reddening sky with a purr.
Starlingclaw walks ahead, ears swiveling in all directions; he's always sort of jittery, and Ashpaw finds his unease confusing.
Her mind wanders to the other medicine cats; her favorite out of all of them, barring Starlingclaw, of course, is Hailwatcher.
Ashpaw thinks he's a tad cute; she finds his shy, bashful demeanor endearing.
YOU ARE READING
𝚂𝚒𝚕𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚂𝚑𝚊𝚍𝚘𝚠𝚜 || 𝚂𝚑𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚍 𝚂𝚎𝚌𝚛𝚎𝚝𝚜 #1
AdventureForced to assume the position of his mentor after her death, ShadowClan's lonely young medicine cat receives a message from StarClan warning him of a traitor lurking in ShadowClan's ranks. This caution proves grimly accurate in due time- a gruesome...
