(Outdated) Warriors: Clouded Skies #1 - The First Storm

Chapter Twelve

This chapter takes place in about the middle of the last one.

Ravenpaw watched Jaypaw sleep soundly by their terrified sister, his gray muzzle rested on her white shoulders, while her black head was hidden beneath her dark paws. He could still remember her horrified face as she quietly explained what she had seen on the patrol. He shivered at the thought of seeing such a thing.

"Ravenpaw, she'll be fine." Mossrain walked up next to him and flicked his apprentice's back with his short tail. "We need to get going; we don't want to leave Sandflight waiting." The gray tom turned and padded off on confident paws. "You'll like her, Sandflight. She can be a little rude at times, but she's sweet at heart. Afterall, you can't be a medicine cat if you don't care about others. Though, Sandflight's mentor, Finchnose, definitely had some problems with caring about her patients' feelings. She was a little harsh most times!" Mossrain purred happily.

Ravenpaw let out a small huff through his nose, his tail flicking lightly. He was getting scared about meeting the medicine cats for the first time. He would meet up with them at least twice a moon; once on the journey to the Star Cave, and the other on the full-moon Gathering. He would grow up alongside these cats, get advice from them on how to heal his Clan. And one day he would have to go there by himself...

"Let's head out, shall we?" Mossrain padded quietly to Willowpaw and sniffed her ear, then he turned and trotted from the den. Ravenpaw paused to look at his littermates, praying to StarClan that Willowpaw would brighten up again. Then he followed his mentor into the clearing. The dark moonlight shined down on him, lighting his jet black pelt with silver streaks. He rolled his shoulders in the cool air, then he followed Mossrain.

A few warriors were still resting in the clearing, most having fallen asleep after eating. Ravenpaw followed his mentor over to the fresh-kill pile and watched him pick through the leftover prey until he found a plump mouse. Taking the mouse in his jaws, he headed for the forest entrance. "Why are we bringing prey? Didn't you eat earlier?" He recalled the vole scent on his mentor's blood-stained muzzle.

"It's not for me," the tom replied, his mew muffled, "It's for Sandflight. She doesn't like to talk about it, but BatClan is having some problems with prey. I always bring her something to eat, to help her to the Star Cave."

"Is their whole Clan hungry?" Ravenpaw murmured, his tail flicking.

"Sadly," Mossrain replied.

Ravenpaw paused. They were almost down the pathway, and he watched Mossrain jump onto the grass, turning his head back to look at him curiously. Flicking his ear, the apprentice turned and bounded up back into camp, heading over to the fresh-kill pile and finding a large squirrel. Taking it in his jaws, he hurried back to Mossrain. He didn't say anything as his apprentice jumped down next to him, but he did nod approvingly before starting off.

Ravenpaw kept his grip on the prey soft so he didn't break the skin. Whoever had caught it had broken its neck without drawing blood, so it would stay fresh during the night, allowing Sandflight to bring it back to her Clan. Hopefully, he could help them a bit. If they would accept it. He knew many cats would be too proud to accept help from others.

The black apprentice decided to stay quiet as they traveled through the forest, his paws stepping softly on the orange and yellow leaves that were slowly floating down to the ground. Mossrain was right in front of him, bouncing happily over roots and skipping through small gaps in the undergrowth. Ravenpaw couldn't help feeling joyful at his mentor's mood, and soon he was pouncing after Mossrain, pawing down the leaves he threw up with his paws.

Noticing this, Mossrain purposely pawed a few leaves high into the air, and Ravenpaw stretched high to bat them down back to the ground. His mentor purred with amusement, then he leaped away and disappeared behind some brush. Ravenpaw's anxiety rose for a moment until he could see his mentor's gray coat again.