Warriors: Creamtail's Virtue

Chapter 2

"Creampaw!"

Heavy paws kneaded into Creampaw's side, forcing her to wake up. Her hazel eyes blurred for a moment, trying to take in the scenery. A heavy weight suddenly pressed itself against Creampaw's chest, and she groaned in discomfort. A few seconds pass, and a second voice muttered, "You're still alive; get up." Creampaw begrudgingly opened her eyes, and stared up at the two figures beside her. A took her a moment to recognize who had been speaking: Ashstep and Venompatch. Ashstep was pacing around her, sniffing every inch of her. Venompatch, on the other hand, looked vaguely annoyed, as if doing his job as a medicine cat is just too much for him to handle in one night.

Wait, Venompatch?

Creampaw heaved her onto her paws and glanced around. Fuzzy memories swirled around her head, trying to slot themselves into order. But as Creampaw turned towards the pond, her mind slid into a stop.

The way the wind whispered into her ears.
The way her paws seemed to move on their own.
The vicious memories of the screaming silhouette.

She shivered, digging her thin claws into the ground. She instead focused her attention on Venompatch. "Ashstep, did you run all the way to the clan to bring me Venompatch?" Ashstep smiled, a bit flustered. "Well, that was the plan, but I didn't. He just appeared out of nowhere!"

Venompatch licked his chest. "I was keeping an eye on you. I always do." Creampaw twitched her tail, a bit startled.

"Wait... are you always stalking me!?"
Venompatch shrugged.
"Great Starclan!"

Venompatch purred in amusement, beginning to stand. "You're obviously well enough to walk back. Let go."

The pale moon was high above them, illuminating the world below. The faint stars twinkled in the cloudless sky, and for a moment, Creampaw wondered if the ancestors of the old clan were watching over them. She was thankful for the silence and peace between the three of them. Venompatch has never gotten along with Ashstep...

"Creampaw- would you rather die by drowning or by falling?"
"Huh-"

Creampaw whipped her head towards Ashstep, who was giggling at her reaction. "T-that's a little morbid, don't you think...?" Ashstep rolled her eyes, as if Creampaw was acting ridiculous. "I say it's a fair question. Now- drowning or falling?"

Creampaw glanced uneasily to Venompatch. If he was listening, he made no reaction. Then she looked back at Ashstep, who had a smirk on her face. "Well... my duty as a medicine cat drives me to avoid death at any situation. Falling is a tricky subject since it has so many variables. A drowning cat can be saved if treated quickly enough. And I'm pretty sure we all know how to swim, or at least how to paddle. So- in a twisted, prideful, way- I'd say falling. It's quicker."

Ashstep blinked, as if she didn't expect the lengthy, well thought-out response.

Tsk tsk. And it only took me moons of training to come up with that answer.

"Well, first off, good response. I've taught you well. Second of all," he straightened himself up, exciting the two she-cats beside him.

"Like you said, falling has a lot of variables. But that also means that you might not die and end up surviving with all of your legs horribly broken. And sometime you do end up dying, but very slowly. Drowning, on the other hand, is simple and painless."

He paused, thinking.
"And less messy."

"...you say that like you're speaking from experience."
"Sure."

Ashstep and Venompatch let out a howl of laughter as Creampaw leaped in surprise. Venompatch softly purred, looking more happy than Creampaw had ever seen him.