Warriors: Silent

1

      A small cluster of feral cats trekked along the StoneClan border. Flowers bloomed and their aroma lingered in with the earthy, musky scent of decaying leaves. The day was clear and breezy, and the towering pine trees cast shifting shadows to the chill ground. The nettles beneath Frostpaw, a small white she-cat, felt dewy, and they dampened her soft pink pads.

  Her ears twitched at the birds, who sang noisily above her as they fluttered between the tree branches. A squirrel, she could hear, turned up leaves as it pelted away from the cats. Her claws itched to give chase, but she knew better than to leave a border patrol to hunt.

  "Keep up!" Needlepelt snapped, turning his head towards his lagging Clanmates, "This is a Patrol- not a morning stroll!"

  To keep herself from rolling her eyes, Frostpaw cast her gaze to the ground and away from the brown and black-striped tom. She flicked her tail in irritation, but picked up her pace nonetheless. She hated going on dawn patrol with such a grumpy warrior, but at least his short temper no longer made her jump out of her fur. As a kit, Frostpaw avoided Needlepelt at all costs, fearful she'd be batted with a sheathed paw. Though after her third moon as an apprentice, she'd grown more annoyed by his attitude than scared.

  "How do his den mates not leave wasps in his nest?" Mosspaw whispered teasingly to her friend.

  Frostpaw gave an amused purr, but didn't add to the joke after Sunfur cast back a warning glance. Instead, she turned her attention towards her mentor; a long-legged light-brown tom, who padded several strides ahead of the apprentices. "What do you have planned for today, Cricketlegs?"

  Cricketlegs looked over his shoulder. "Dawnheart said Warmheart's kits are due any day now. You'll be cleaning and reinforcing the nursery with Buckpaw and Littlepaw while it's still empty." He answered simply.

  "Oh." Frostpaw mewed, disheartened with the news. She fully understood the importance of such dull chores, but she couldn't deny that she'd rather be hunting, or even practicing battle moves with Mosspaw. And Cricketlegs had so much energy she would bet a rabbit he would rather be out too.

  "At least we're on patrol together." Mosspaw said, as though she read Frostpaw's thoughts.

  Playfully, Frostpaw bumped into Mosspaw, tripping her. "You mouse-brain!" Mosspaw chirrped, bumping back into Frostpaw.

  "Enough, you two!" Needlepelt ordered without turning around.

  Cricketlegs and Sunfur each came to a halt, Mosspaw and Frostpaw stopping after. Frostpaw's tail dropped slightly after a glance at her mentor- his posture stiff in agitation.

  "Cricketlegs-" Frostpaw started, desperately wanting to change the subject. But Sunfur ordered silence with a lash of her tail, and Frostpaw dropped her head.

  Needlepelt continued to pad forward for a moment before he, too, came to a stop. He turned to face the patrol.  "What?" He asked. His ears shifted back in irritation.

  "You have no right to talk to my apprentice like that." Cricketlegs stated firmly.

  "I'm the leader of this patrol." Needlepelt countered. "She should be checking the borders, not playing with her friend."

  "You are not her mentor," Sunfur said with a cool confidence. She stood delicately, her soft yellow and orange-spotted fur swayed with the morning breeze. "Nor are you Mosspaw's."

  Needlepelt's eyes darted between the two warriors. Frostpaw's feet suddenly felt cold and she glanced at Mosspaw, hoping to catch her eye. But her friends brown gaze was already intently focused on the warriors ahead.

  Frostpaw stepped forward, "Cricketlegs, it's really ok-"

  The tom flicked his ears at her. Another order to stay quiet. Frostpaw stared at her paws, her pelt felt like it would scald from embarrassment. Why did she have to cause such a scene? "I wouldn't have to tell your apprentice to stay focused on border patrol if you were mentoring her properly." Needlepelt said with a spiteful lift in his chin.

  Frostpaw's heart lurched. The old tom was obviously just trying to agitate Cricketlegs now. Her mentor was such a playful and eager tom that, to Frostpaw, it was almost frightening to see his fur bristle. She'd never seen him so worked up before and it made a sharp stone settle in the pit of her stomach. Mosspaw pressed her flank into Frostpaw's, and she pressed back, eager for the comfort her friend provided.

  "Cricketlegs is a wonderful mentor." Sunfur said coolly, resting her fluffy tail on the tom's back gently. His fur began to flatten upon the praise.

  "How would you know what a good mentor is?" Needlepelt spat, turning his rage to the she-cat now, "How many moons have you been a warrior? And still no apprentice?"

  "Mothstar is wise. He'll make me a mentor when he sees fit." She said without looking away. And there's no kit that needs a mentor! Frostpaw added mentally, but new better than to add herself into the argument a third time.

  Needlepelt had started hissing, but stopped short upon the wind shifting. The patrol became quiet as the arid, dry smell that was StoneClan suddenly engulfed them. Frostpaw felt like all the moisture left her throat as she inhaled the scent and she looked desperately for the source.

  Then there, across the border and in a patch of brush, was a StoneClan patrol watching the heated argument. Upon being caught, one warrior stepped out into plain sight and gave a mocking laugh.

  Several other cats followed his lead, then the patrol all trotted away with their tails high. "PineClan cats!" One cackaled as they disappeared.

  "StoneClan cats." Needlepelt growled under his breath.