Ghosts of the Clans

Chapter 11

"Hey, Antpelt! You haven't asked me about training these days!" Swallowpaw bounded up to him, waving her dark gray tail in the air. Letting out a short purr, Antpelt let her take a bite of the rabbit before inquiring, "All right. So, what have you done?"

Her mouth full of the flesh, Swallowpaw swallowed before telling him, "Willowclaw's such a great mentor! She's gentle but can really teach well! My hunting skills have improved so much since five sunrises ago, when I was newly apprenticed. She says that my fighting skills need some work, so I should spend the afternoon training them. Also, do you want to train with me later? You're such a great fighter; I'll learn so much from you!"

Amusement bubbling in his chest, Antpelt purred, "Whoa, slow down. Of course I'll practice with you, Swallowpaw." Her pretty sky-blue eyes sparkled as she bumped his shoulder affectionately with her head. "Thanks, Antpelt! By the way, you're so lucky to have Willowclaw as your mother!"

"Really? Oh, StarClan, have I been a bad mother then?" Gorsetail teased, emerging all of a sudden. Swallowpaw let out a squeal of surprise, then threw herself at her mother, nuzzling into her pale gray-and-white tabby fur lovingly. "Of course not! I mean, except for the whole Beechfur-is-our-father thing." Sedgepaw meowed from where she was sharing prey with Thistlepaw nearby.

The clearing suddenly fell silent as the Clan waited to see how Gorsetail would react. She shifted her mottled paws uneasily and her light blue eyes held a trace of hurt in them, but her voice was clear and calm. "Now now, my kits. Of course I loved Beechfur, your father, but I love WindClan more! Otherwise you'd be in RiverClan now-could you imagine it? Eating fish and swimming all day?" She wrinkled her nose. "Yeah, we hate swimming," chirped Thistlepaw.

Antpelt was impressed by the way Gorsetail defended both her actions and her Clan, and by the look on his Clanmates' faces, he could tell that they did, too. He also remembered that once, when Swallowpaw, Sedgepaw and Thistlepaw were still kits, they had went to the lake and built a camp when a huge wave crashed over them. Heathertail, Breezepelt, Lionblaze, Hollyleaf and Jayfeather had saved them. At least, that was the story they'd told.

"Antpelt, what are you waiting for? I want to take a walk then go for training!" Swallowpaw called. "Okay, bossypants!" Antpelt yowled back, a teasing glint in his amber eyes. "How dare you!" laughed Swallowpaw, and began chasing Antpelt.

"Oh, StarClan, help me! I'm being chased by big and ferocious O Great Swallowpaw!" Antpelt pretended to be scared, and let himself be chased to the training clearing.

When they had left, Willowclaw and Gorsetail exchanged an amused glance. It was far too obvious that the two young cats were more than just friends