TCL, Book Two

Chapter Two

-October 5th-
-Nightpaw is 8 moons old-
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Nightpaw left the nursery, all smiles from playing with his new siblings. Swiftkit had acted up at the end however and he found that she should take a break from him. “You spoil those kits so,” Cloudpaw had told him one day. He could still feel the pinpricks made from tiny claws engraved in his shoulders.

   That morning, Mallowfang had let him hunt —and when that fell through, train— then given him the rest of the day off, with the promise of a day of advanced battle training tomorrow, which he was excited for. Soon he'd be ready to join in a fight when RiverClan finally worked up the courage to attack again.

   He trotted to the kill-pile and picked out a mouse, as he had not eaten yet, and gulped it down in a few bites.

   Nightpaw wished he could spend the day play-fighting with Daisypaw, but the snowy she-cat hadn't quite been herself since the Gathering. She hunted and trained just fine but once her paws weren't busy, she seemed to drift into thought and only answered with simplicity when he tried to engage in conversation. Why, just now Daisypaw was lying outside the apprentices' den beside Tulippaw, who seemed to be coaxing her to talk. After watching for a moment, Nightpaw saw that indeed Daisypaw did begin to converse, as her head lifted and her mouth moved slowly.

   His ears drooped. Was it something he had said? Did he do something? Did those bullies at the gathering do something to her? he wondered. But why stop talking to me? They were best friends, weren't they? Yet he couldn't think of anything plausible.

   He turned his gaze away from the two she-cats until they landed on the medicine den. Icetail was soaking up the sun among the orange leaves beside a swath of wet nettles, while Cloudpaw sat beside him and kneaded his shoulder with her claws and chattered to him despite Icetail's obvious disapproval.

   Nightpaw remembered how Cloudpaw, Tulippaw, and Fernkit would chatter to each other at night back when they were kits despite Softpelt's constant attempts to get them to shut up. He was fond of those memories, back when they were small and Fernkit had been alive.

   Maybe he would visit Cloudpaw once she was done being busy. Icetail certainly didn't look like he wanted to listen to her nonsense for much longer and soon enough he nudged her off his side and retreated back into the den. Cloudpaw wore a satisfied smile as she lay down where he had and soaked up the patch of sun herself. Nightpaw found himself getting to his paws and walking over to meet her.

   He narrowly avoided Squirrelkit and Barkkit —who were clasped together in a tussle and tumbling over and over through the leaves into his path— before he reached her.

   She was spread out and upon finding his scent, nose twitching, scooted her fluffy head across the grass to look at him. “Hey, Nightpaw,” she greeted. “Daisypaw still being weird?”

   Nightpaw nodded and sat down at her head. “I can't think why,” he admitted.

   Cloudpaw lifted her head and hoisted herself up to her chest. “Well the gathering was pretty exciting, and it was late, maybe she's just having trouble getting her sleep in order?” she suggested.

   Nightpaw shook his head. “No, I can hear that she's always asleep before me, and she doesn't look tired, just like she might be irritated at me for something and thinking of other things besides us.” He sighed and lowered himself onto his belly.