Nightfrost's Choice

Chapter 14

Nightpaw settled down on her paws next to Dewpaw as Sparrowheart reported the news. Everything on the MountainClan border was fine, apparently, and Fernstar paced anxiously, her tail flicking.

"We will solve this." She decided. "Get back to work, all of you. If Froststar really wants a battle, he'll get one."

Nightpaw felt fearful as Squirrelkit and Silverkit tumbled out of the nursery, laughing and purring as they played.

If ForestClan hurt them...

She looked down as Squirrelkit tumbled into her paws.

"Sorry!" He squeaked, his green eyes lighting up as he saw Nightpaw, and Nightpaw purred softly.

"It's alright." She meowed, gently picking his scruff and dropping him on his feet again. She watched him play for a few heartbeats, but turned when she heard Dewpaw giggle behind her.

"Hoping to get kits with Firepaw?" Dewpaw teased, and with a playful battle cry, Nightpaw pinned her down.

"Getting ready to have kits with Thrushwing?" Nightpaw taunted back, flicking her tail in the brown warrior's direction, and Dewpaw blushed visibly.

"Let me up!" Her sister growled, and Nightpaw stepped aside to let her up. But when she did, Dewpaw immediately sprang onto her, her claws pricking Nightpaw's shoulders lightly, tickling her ribs.

"Stop it!" Nightpaw puffed, trying to dislodge Dewpaw, but Dewpaw just laughed and had enough time to cuff her ears before Nightpaw kicked her off.

"Nightkit, want to go hunting?" Swiftblaze called teasingly, padding over to them with Fogpelt and Thrushwing at her side.

Nightpaw looked up, her paw in the air from when she was going to swipe at her sister.

"If it's ok with Lionmane." She meowed, and her mentor, who had heard, looked over and nodded, biting his starling.

"Come along, Dewpaw." Thrushwing added, and Dewpaw's blue eyes lit up.

"When you two love birds are done snuggling, Nightpaw and I are going hunting!" Swiftblaze announced, and Nightpaw laughed when both cats blushed.

She padded alongside her friend as they stepped out of camp, waving to Snaketail and Starlingtail, who were guarding the camp.

"Where do you want to go?" Swiftblaze asked, and Nightpaw thought hard.

"The ForestClan border." She decided, and she was partly hoping she could see Firepaw again. Dewpaw noticed, because she nudged her and teased,

"Hoping to see your mate, Firepaw?" She teased, and Swiftblaze looked over.

"Who's Firepaw?" The ginger cat asked, and Nightpaw groaned to herself.

She was worried her clanmates would doubt her loyalty now, or tell  Fernstar!

"One of my ForestClan friends. Don't worry." She added when Swiftblaze shot her a questioning look. "I barely know him."

"If you say so." Fogpelt joked, and Nightpaw blushed as every cat started to laugh, but then she froze.

"Look!" She hissed. A couple of wood mice were sitting at the enterance of their burrow, squeaking loudly in plain sight.

Dumb mice! Nightpaw thought triumphantly as she darted forwards and caught on with a swift blow to its neck, snapping it's neck. She pinned down another one and bit it's throat, the blood spreading on her tongue as Thrushwing and Dewpaw both caught one each.

She looked up, but she didn't see Swiftblaze.

"Where's Swiftblaze?" She fretted instantly, but the bushes rustled and Swiftblaze came out, a huge rabbit dangling from her jaws, her eyes gleaming.

"Nice catch!" Nightpaw purred immediately, and the other cats praised her too.

"Thanks." Swiftblaze set down the rabbit and scraped earth over its burying it to the ground. Nightpaw did the same with her mouse.

Hunting is good in the clan. Nightpaw thought cheerfully. I can't wait till I'm a warrior...

The mini patrol caught a bit more- Nightpaw caught a starling, Dewpaw and Thrushwing caught a squirrel, and Fogpelt caught a robin.

Feeling proud as they carried the prey back to camp, pride surged through her even more as Fernstar eyed the prey. "Impressive." She admitted, pawing at the huge rabbit and the mice. Her eyes gleamed with warmth. "We might have to ask you five to automatically hunt every day." The leader joked, and Nightpaw smiled to herself as she carried the rabbit to the elders den, where Hazelleaf and Lightningwhisker waited.

The ginger elder's eyes widened as she saw the rabbit, and she nudged Lightningwhisker. "What a catch!" Hazelleaf praised, already tucking into the rabbit, and Nightpaw asked,

"What about Mousetail?" Hazelleaf glanced at her friend, who was sleeping peacefully, his tail over his nose and his paws tucked under his chin.

"Don't wake him." Lightningwhisker decided, and the elder's whiskers twitched when she saw the rabbit. She winked at Nightpaw. "Better save the best for ourselves, eh?"

Hazelleaf let out a purr and gave Nightpaw a reassuring look. "Don't worry." Hazelleaf added. "We'll save him his share and wake up when he's hungry."

Nightpaw dipped her head to the former senior warriors. "Ok." She agreed, and turned to pad out of the den. She met Dewpaw on the way out, who was eating the mice with Thrushwing.

"Come join us!" Her sister meowed cheerfully, waving her tail invitingly. Nightpaw's mouth watered as she sat down and ripped a bite of the mouse. It tasted good and felt warm in her belly, finally replacing the empty feeling she had felt all day.

As she ate, Squirrelkit bounced up to her and Nightpaw was surprised to see him looking... Bigger. As if a whole moon had passed and suddenly he was ready to become an apprentice. His fur spiked up and his green eyes gleamed as he stood up tall, his nose level with Nightpaw's.

"Silverkit is so stupid. She wants to teach me fake battle moves." Squirrelkit scoffed, waving his tail towards Silverkit, who was pouncing on leaves and shredding them with her claws. He straightened up again, tipping his head to one side. "Can you teach me some real ones?"

Nightpaw glanced at Dewpaw, who purred. "Go on." Her sister urged, and Nightpaw heaved herself to her paws. She then realized that she wasn't much older than Squirrelkit.... Only by a bit less than a moon or so. For a secondl her mind flashed to Firepaw, but she shook that thought away.

"Ok, listen close, young pupil." She joked. "I'm going to teach you the belly rake. Pin your opponent down, and to make sure they don't get away, scrape your hind paw against their belly, like this-" Nightpaw pounced on Squirrelkit and gently brushed her hind paw against his belly, careful to keep her claws sheathed.

Squirrelkit nodded, getting up and knocking Nightpaw over with his weight. "Ok, so, like this-" He pinned on anightpaw so fast, she didn't have time to flip around as he scraped her belly with his hind paws. His claws barely pricked her fur, but she was impressed by how much strength Squirrelkit had.

"Exactly." She nodded. "A way to avoid this in battle, is by flipping over on your back and pushing up, arching your back so you push your enemy off. Try the belly rake on me again." Squirrelkit nodded and charged at her, and when he pinned her down, she flipped over on her belly and stood up, throwing Squirrelkit to the ground.

But he recovered quickly and used the paw swipe Nightpaw has taught him- catching her on the muzzle and knocking her to the ground. "I'm so sorry!" Squirrelkit squeaked fearfully, but Nightpaw shook her head, feeling pride spark her body like a fire.

"Good job!" She praised.

If this is what it feels like to have an apprentice, then I love it! She thought warmly, watching Squirrelkit bound back to the nursery, his tail spiking with pride.