Paws of a Stoat

Chapter 2

"Wake up."Meowed a quiet and excited voice."Our mentors will be expecting us!"StoatPaw pawed at the evil voice that dared to wake her up so early.

"Noo."She groaned drowsily."Let me sleeeeeep!"The response from the voice was to shake her more with fluffy paws."Nooooooooo."

"Yes,now up!"As she fully opened her eyes she saw a fluffy grey-lavender face blinking at her and also pocking her rudely with an unscathed claw."LocustWind and ShatteredOak await!"FalsePaw announced.Her tail flicking StoatPaw's face."No time to waste!"

With that StoatPaw was unwillingly dragged out of her den,groaning and pawing at her captor to let her free."You two took your time!"Meowed the voice of her uncle cheerfully.

"Sure did."LocustWind said with calm eyes.StoatPaw had seen the she cat before the incident happened.She use to be as cheerful and bright as he sunshine of an uncle before her best friends died."Now let's not waste a moment,your first patrol should be..."

"May all cats old enough to climb the trees that line our camp gather for patrols!"Yowled Vine'Rush.

"Right on cue!"StoatPaw exclaimed.Her mentor gave her a brief smile before padding off to Vine'Rush for patrols.

"I'm sooooo excited!"She whispered eyes shining.She gone one other patrol,two sunsets after WillowStar's death and had fallen in love with them ever since.She really hoped ShatteredOak would pick her to go with the group.

"Me too,but no need be bouncing off the trees."FalsePaw responded in her usual I'm-very-mature way.

"ShatteredOak,you'll be the leader,pick your cats for hunting patrol."VineRush ordered,with a nod.

"FalsePaw,LoucustWind,and StoatPaw."ShatteredOak declared,beaming.

After a few eternities they were off.StoatPaw could barely contain her excitement,near tuning right off the cliff over looking the Valley of Thorns,which she was pretty sure was the border between their clan and BeachClan."Watch where you step!"LocustWind yelped,before StoatPaw could even talk LocustWind had devolved into doubts.

"Hey!Breath."ShatteredOak suggested in his relaxing voice."It's not your fault."

"Do you see that glint in his eyes?"FalsePaw asked sitting right next to StoatPaw."I think that means loooove."

StoatPaw shared a giggling fit with FalsePaw for a few moments before the patrol continued."See that bird?"ShatterOak asked the apprentices."We'll be showing you how to catch it!I'll do climbing!"

"And I'll do the leaping and catching the bird part."LocustWind said calmly."Let us start."

After quite a lengthy explanation and demonstration,they actually let the two apprentices try.Leading StoatPaw to discover that where she could climb well FalsePaw was simply pathetic.

"Looks like there is something between us!"She teased,"Multiple branches!"She declared with a laugh.

FalsePaw smirked."Try to get down."StoatPaw scoffed and looked around for a way down,only to realize,I'm stuck!"Always one step ahead Weasel."FalsePaw teased.

"Alright,alright let me help you down."ShatteredOak dropped LocustWind the squirrel he'd caught and looked up at the readily.

The rest of the training and patrol went by in a breeze with StoatPaw and FalsePaw competing.Where StoatPaw was agile and quick FalsePaw was clever and rational-or at least mildly rational-and before she knew it she was trotting right back in camp with her second mouse.

"Well that went by way too quickly!"StoatPaw sighed,dropping the mouse into the fresh kill pile.FalsePaw shrugged.

"I'm going to see my sister and nephew in the nursery."FalsePaw informed,trotting toward the nursery.Which was a large burrow near the medicine cat's den.StoatPaw decided to join in to see her little siblings.