Morning Clouds

Chapter 1

"Hunting!" Slash called. "Beetle, Mist, Woody, Apple! Go!"

Echo yawned and rested her head on her paws. She couldn't wait  to go out hunting! She pawed the ground in excitement. She was already a moon and a half old. Soon Slash would have to let her hunt!

She didn't understand why Mist, Woody, Apple, and most everyone never seemed excited to hunt. Maybe they're tired of it. I'll never be tired of hunting! 

Echo glanced around the camp. Some cats were already out, but most lounged around, talking or grooming. Her brothers, Flame and Lightning, play-fought in a corner. Shell, Apple's sister, padded up to the patrol and touched noses with Apple.

And Splinter was doing... something with his claws.

He was flexing them, but that would be an understatement. He examined each one, sharpened them, tugged them in all directions...

Echo had no idea why he would do such a thing, so she looked away and pushed it to the back of her mind.

Instead, she bounded over to Bamboo, who was grooming. "Tell me a story!" she pleaded.

"Stories are for kits," Flame snorted, overhearing.

"I am a kit!" Echo shot back. "And so are you!"

Flame rolled his eyes and turned back to Lightning with a huff.

Echo turned back to Bamboo, her green gaze losing its annoyance and hope flitting through it.

Bamboo smiled. "All right. How about I tell you about the time my friend Branch ran into a group of foxes and completely outwitted them?"

Echo nodded eagerly. "Yes!"

Bamboo smiled. "It all began one day when Branch was out hunting..."

//-//

"Where are we going today?" Splashing Creek asked Dappled Pelt eagerly.

Her mentor purred at her eagerness. "When the badger attacked, it trampled our supply of horsetail. We're going out of the territory."

Splashing Creek flinched at the mention of the badger, but it was soon forgotten. "Out of the territory?! Wait till Feathery Clouds and Spider Paw hear about this!"

Dappled Pelt smiled. "Come on."

They crossed the river and padded through the territory. After what seemed like forever, they reached the border into unknown, uncharted land. Splashing Creek bounced on her paws in excitement.

Dappled Pelt turned and faced her apprentice. "Now listen. I know you're excited, but we are leaving familiar territory. RiverClan has no claim to this land. That means no wandering off, understand?"

Splashing Creek nodded seriously.

"Also," Dappled Pelt continued. "There might be foxes or badgers. We'll do our best to avoid them, but there may be an accident. Run. There also may be other cats, some hostile." Her mentor's eyes glazed, swimming with many memories. "We're not here to fight, so don't."

Splashing Creek nodded again. "Is that all?"

Dappled Pelt purred in amusement. "All right, come on."

Splashing Creek's eyes lit up as she crossed the border, excitement warring with Dappled Pelt's warnings in her mind. I have to watch out for foxes and badgers and hostile cats. And also herbs. I wonder if any different kinds of herbs grow here? But also I have to watch out for badgers. 

They walked for a while, seeing nothing. No badgers or foxes. No cats, hostile or not. No sort of herbs. Just trees, bushes, a puddle here and there.

So of course Splashing Creek was completely unprepared for her mentor suddenly freezing and tasting the air, ears pricked.

Fear wormed in her belly. Badgers! It must be badgers! They killed my brother! They're going to kill me! 

Dappled Pelt glanced sideways at her. "It's not badgers."

Splashing Creek tipped her head, confused. "Then what is it?"

Her mentor waved her tail. "Nothing. I just thought I smelled something, but it can't be that. Let's keep going."

Splashing Creek shrugged and padded on.

Aside from that, their herb-hunt was pretty uneventful.

They found what they needed and went back to camp. That was it.

Splashing Creek yawned and padded over to her sister, Feathery Clouds, who was talking to Spider Paw.

"Get some food and rest, okay?" Dappled Pelt meowed, padding up to Riverstar and Night.

Splashing Creek nodded and settled down beside her sister. "Hey!"

"Hi," Feathery Clouds purred. "Share?" She pushed a rather large trout toward Splashing Creek.

She nodded and took a bite, relaxing with her sister and friend.

And everything was happy and peaceful.

For now.