Writing Exercises

The Gift

Hey guys! Sorry for not updating, but I took on a bunch of contests at the same time and have been frantically writing to get them all finished by their due dates. I wrote this fic for my friend @TigerShadow24_SC and wanted to post it somewhere. I know its a Warriors fic, but hey, its a short story and I did write it based only off of the prompt Warriors and Birthday Surprise, so I'm counting it as an exercise. I also finished it in one night, so I'm proud because it is pretty long. So enjoy, and hopefully I'll post more soon!

This story is for Warriors, and features all of the WattyWarrior's admins as well as some personal Warriors facts for Shadow. I did my research before writing :)

Short Story: The Gift

"Tigertail! Tigertail! Tigertail!" The Clan rained praise upon the proud ShadowClan she-cat. The brown tabby stood in front of the highbranch, head raised high and chest proudly puffed. Blazestorm's loud cries joined the din as she cheered gleefully for her friend.

Blazestorm pushed through the crowd, joining the small circle of family around Tigertail who were eagerly congratulating her on her promotion.

"I did it, Blazestorm! I'm a Warrior too!" Tigertail squealed upon seeing her friend. Blazestorm nudged her friend happily.

"It was only a matter of time! All we have to do is wait for Whitepaw and Shadepaw to become a Warrior, and then all of us will be extra-awesome!" Blazestorm said. Her cheerful exclamations had Tigertail giggling, still riding on her self-congratulatory high. Tigertail's parents moved away from the two of them to allow the rest of their group of friends to join their happy circle. Silentstorm, Shadepaw, Whitepaw, Lightningstrike and Tigerheart padded forward with exclamations of congratulations.

"Hurry up and grow already, you newbies!" Blazestorm teased their apprentice friends. The other cats of the Clan stared fondly at the strange group.

Blazestorm and Tigertail had been friends since Tigertail was a kit. Blazestorm remembered their first meeting fondly, when Tigertail, then Tigerkit, had pounced on her while she was cleaning the nursery. The fierce she-kit had demanded that Blazepaw teach her the battle moves that she was learning, and of course Blazepaw had agreed. A few sessions later, Lightningpaw, Tigerpaw, and Silentpaw had joined the group, and soon they were inseparable.

Funnily enough, after Tigertail became an apprentice, she took a liking to newly born Whitekit and Shadekit, and quickly added them to the group. The odd Warrior-apprentice-kit group had been inseparable in the Clan ever since, defending each other, teaching each other, and loving each other fiercely.

"Blazestorm, stop daydreaming!" Lightningstrike mewed sharply, knocking Blazestorm from her reminiscing.

"Sorry! I was just thinking about how we all became friends." Blazestorm admitted. Lightningstrike's ears perked fondly and she purred.

"Oh Lightningstrike, leave Mom alone. We all know how sappy she gets when thinking about us, her little kittens, all grown up." Tigertail teased. Blazestorm sighed and rolled her eyes even as she began to purr as well. For some odd reason, the group had taken to calling her 'mom' after seeing her keep them on task and focused.

"I just can't believe you're finally a Warrior!" Blazestorm pretended to sob happily, wrapping her tail around Tigertail and burying her face in her shoulder. "You all just make me so proud!" Tigertail let out a little giggle.

"Tigertail, say goodbye to your friends. It's time for your vigil." Mousewind, Tigertail's previous mentor, said from behind the group. Tigertail nodded, eyes still shining even as she stepped up to the Clan entrance in preparation to keep watch during the long, cold night.