Warriors: A Dawn Rising

Chapter Ten

             The next morning there was a light drizzle of rain, Dawnflight groaned. Her nest was soaked and her limbs ached with dampness. The kits were already awake, suddenly kicking Willowmask. "Go outside!" She scolded, they then ran outside.

             "I don't know how you do it." She purred. "Three kits is enough to handle." If I don't, who will? Dawnflight slid out of the den, Thunderkit and Flamekit were bombarding Cedarheart with questions.

             "Was the battle cool?" Flamekit asked, unsheathing his claws.

             "Dangerous, yes." He replied awkwardly, then caught Dawnflight's eye. She purred in amusement, then headed off towards Ivylight.

             He was just sending off the last of the morning patrols when he dipped his head to Dawnflight. "How are you?" He asked.

    "Fine, I suppose," she glanced across the camp to where Cedarheart was sharing prey with Leopardblaze, she remembered what Cedarheart had told her last night. "the kits seem to be doing well." He nodded.

    "New-leaf came quick. I think we're all thankful." He meowed finally then padded off to join a patrol, Dawnflight sighed as she wondered what she could do.

         Padding up the ridge behind camp, she scented the air. She wanted to go on a solo hunting mission, no ThornClan cat would be mouse-brained enough to attack her after fresh battle. She slid down the ridge, landing in the mud as it sloshed around her paws. Hissing in disgust, she padding onwards. Suddenly a twig snapped behind her and her ears pricked, she turned to see a pale ginger she-cat leap out. She knocked Dawnflight over, claws digging into her fur. "This is what you get! This is your punishment!" She snarled, anger was flaring bright in her eyes. Fear pulsed inside of Dawnflight.

             "I'm sorry, I deserve this." Was all she choked out, the she-cat growled, slashing a clean cut on Dawnflight's nose. "But don't do this. You won't like the feeling of knowing you killed a cat." The she-cat recoiled, staring at Dawnflight in surprise.

           "He-he was my father..." She muttered, pain breaking her voice. Dawnflight took her vulnerable chance and unsheathed her claws, slashing her shoulder and pinning her down, claws fixed at her limbs. "You don't understand what it's like! To lay beside your father's dead body! To feel him grow cold, to know you'll never see him again."

            "I don't," Dawnflight admitted. "but I do know you wouldn't want that for any other cat." The she-cat stared at her as Dawnflight slid off of her. "I'm truly sorry about your father, but if he wasn't killed, the Clans would never be freed from his reign."

           "I know." She murmured, staring down at her paws. "He was such an amazing father back then, I have no idea what happened." She turned and padded off, Dawnflight licked away her wounds and slipped back into camp, going into the medicine cat den.

             "What happened to you?" Leafshine asked, dabbing cobwebs on her scratch.

              "Fight with a ThornClan cat." She admitted, sighing. Leafshine finished treating her wounds. "How are you?" Dawnflight asked, her sister shrugged.

             "It's been okay, for the most part. I had a dream from StarClan about the Clans being more organized. What do you think it means?" Leafshine wondered.

             "Perhaps bring it up with the other medicine cats tonight." Dawnflight suggested, she padded out, her muzzle scratch still stung. "Kits!" She called, finding her bundle of seven play-fighting. "I was wondering if you wanted to learn the hunter's crouch."

             "Oh, yes please!" Cloudkit mewed in excitement, lashing her tail. The kits quickly crouched down, Dawnflight purred in amusement at how awkward they all looked.

            "Try balancing out your weight, and don't move your tail so much." She advised, the kits fixed their stances and Dawnflight got a piece of moss, placing it a few tail-lengths in front of them. "Okay, one at a time, I want you to try and pounce on this piece of moss."

             "I'll go first!" Flamekit meowed immediately, padding forwards. He crouched down, then leaped and landed square on the moss. The other kits stared in awe. "Hah, I might as well just be the greatest cat here!"

            The other kits tried and didn't do so good, but Dawnflight encouraged them. "Will I ever be a good warrior?" Honeykit asked doubtfully.

             "Of course you will, sweetie, you just need some more practice." Dawnflight murmured soothingly, flattening their fur. Leafshine was watching from afar, pain in her gaze.

      
     Four Moons Later...

  
                "All cats old enough to catch their own prey, gather here beneath the Highrock for a Clan meeting!" Robinstar called, Ivylight had moved into the elders den, the new deputy was Spiderclaw. Dawnflight couldn't wait for the time when her own kits were up there as Mousekit, Snowkit, and Whitekit padded into the crowd. "From this day forwards, you shall be known as Mousepaw. Lionflame, you have proven yourself worthy of having an apprentice, Ivylight trained you well, I hope you pass on all you know."

         "Mousepaw! Mousepaw!" The Clan chanted as the young, pale brown tom touched noses with Lionflame.

           "From this day forwards, you shall be known as Snowpaw. Cedarheart, Spiderclaw has taught you well, I hope you pass down those skills to Snowpaw." Robinstar meowed, the white tom and dark gray tom touched noses. "Finally, from this day forwards you shall be known as Whitepaw. You have decided that you wanted to be a medicine cat. Leafshine, Mossybriar taught you well despite his early death, I know that you will pass on all you know to young Whitepaw."

            "Whitepaw! Whitepaw! Whitepaw!" The Clan chanted, Rosefall padded over to Dawnflight.

            "That will be your kits soon enough." She purred, sitting next to her friend. Dustpaw had fully healed from his accident and was now training with Thrushpaw once more, the three apprentices ran off to their mother and father. Dawnflight remembered when she was excited on her first day as an apprentice, it was so long ago.

             "I hope Mousepaw, Snowpaw, and Whitepaw contribute all they can. Green-leaf has started and it's already so hot during the day." Dawnflight commented, flicking her tail and heading off to sleep.