eternal: hyacinth || warrior cats

chapter 12

snakepaw

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FOXSTORM'S EYES WERE UNREADABLE as Snakepaw padded over.

"Listen, I know what you're going to say," Snakepaw started.

Foxstorm ruffled his fur. "Oh, do you?"

The gray tom nodded eagerly. "Yes, I know you're very disappointed and angry, and I promise I'll never do anything like that ever again. I'll take any punishment you give me."

Hopefully that would spare him the shouting.

However, to Snakepaw's surprise, Foxstorm shook his head. "That's not what I was going to say at all."

Snakepaw's ears twitched. "Huh?"

"I'm proud of you, Snakepaw."

At those words, Snakepaw felt his chest puff out. "Proud?" he echoed. He'd never heard those words used for him before.

"Very," Foxstorm answered with a grin. "You didn't just sit and wait around. You took initiative to try and help the Clan. That's exactly what I would've done when I was your age. You're on the right path."

Snakepaw felt that if he got any happier, he'd burst. So, all he managed to do was choke out a, "Thanks."

The ginger warrior chuckled, swishing his tail. "I can tell, you've got a lot of promise in you. Though you didn't know how to fight, you had the spirit. Next fight, you'll dominate the battlefield. Well, go on, go finish eating."

Snakepaw was absolutely brimming with joy as he gave his mentor a small nod and padded over to Viperpaw, who had just been dismissed by Sandstrike.

"So?" Viperpaw mumbled gloomily. "What task did Foxstorm assign you? Sandstrike's making me take care of the elders completely for a moon, ticks and everything."

Snakepaw gave his brother a sheepish look. "Um... Well, Foxstorm didn't give me a punishment."

Viperpaw's ears stood up. "What?" he yelped in surprise. "No punishment? How is that possible? During the time I just spent with Sandstrike, he spent half of it complaining about you."

Snakepaw let his brother's words roll easily off his pelt; Sandstrike's disappointment hardly mattered when Foxstorm was proud of him. "I guess Foxstorm has different views than Sandstrike. He's happy we took the initiative and joined the battle instead of just sitting around."

Viperpaw frowned, but didn't say any more as the brothers made their way over to the half-finished rabbit; Mintpaw and Frozenkit were still sitting around it awkwardly, neither of them speaking.

Mintpaw stood up right as her brothers approached. "Thanks for the rabbit, but I've got to go, Clearfrost needs my help," she meowed briskly, turning around and padding away without waiting for an answer.

Snakepaw stared after her, tail-tip twitching. There was something wrong with her, but he didn't care to figure it out; she probably wouldn't tell him, and he hadn't had a good conversation with her in moons. He had no idea why Viperpaw invited her to sit with them in the first place.

"Mintpaw's acting kind of weird," Viperpaw commented as he sat down, staring after his sister worriedly. "Do you think we should ask her?"

"Don't bother," Snakepaw replied breezily. "It's not like she'll tell us anyway."

"Maybe not, but you guys are her brothers." Frozenkit's melodic voice joined into the conversation, and Snakepaw found himself sitting up taller. "Even if she won't say, it'll probably still make her feel good to be asked."