Lion and Tiger: Paw prints (A Warriors Fanfiction)

{chapter 8}

A/N: I'll write two special editions -- Roseheather's Wish, Robintuft's Revenge, and two novellas -- Darkpool's Destiny, and Rabbit-(spoiler suffix)'s Rain. The fourth one comes after this book, but the rest come before, so I might write them before I finish this because I'm so impatient. Thanks for 99 reads!

Lionpaw padded up to Littlepaw, who was annoyed. He didn't do anything, and might have missed his siblings' birth.

"It's okay, Littlepaw," Lionpaw consoled, "Maybe they haven't been born yet."

"Sure," Littlepaw mewed, entering the tunnel to the ThunderClan camp.

"Roseheather!" Lionpaw heard a cry coming from the clearing. He pounded into camp, finding Russetfoot dashing into the medicine cat's den.

Littlepaw's eyes grew big, and he followed his father quickly. The small cat brushed against his father.

Roseheather stuck her head out. "Is Tinyblossom having her kits?"

Russetfoot nodded urgently. Littlepaw smiled a little.

"Littlepaw, come with me. Russetfoot, stay outside the nursery."

"Bu--."

"No buts, Russetfoot. Shush." 

Russetfoot stayed close to the nursery, tearing grass and flexing his claws.

Soon after, four scraps of fur tumbled out.

"What a bundle," Russetfoot breathed. "Let's name this one Nightkit," he meowed, indicating a little black she-cat.

"And this one Sparrowkit," Tinyblossom meowed, resting her tail gently over a little tabby brown tom with bright green eyes.

A fourth kit, golden-brown, opened his eyes and mouth. "Aww," Roseheather purred.

"Lynxkit."

Finally, a small, brown tom with little white paws mewed. 

"Molekit," Russetfoot added gently, and Tinyblossom nodded her head.

Littlepaw purred. "I feel like squeezing them! They're all so cute!"

Tinyblossom flicked her tail. "Don't squeeze them, Littlepaw!"

"There are so many kits and queens in ThunderClan!" Russetfoot smiled proudly.

"Lionpaw!" Acornfeather called from behind Lionpaw. Lionpaw whipped around.

"Hunting," the she-cat meowed. Lionpaw grinned and ran across the clearing.

Lionpaw twitched his nose. He smelled a rabbit. The tom spotted the animal nibbling on a piece of grass.

Lionpaw stalked his prey, until he stepped on a crunchy leaf. The rabbit turned its head and ran into the forest.

"Fox dung!" Lionpaw yowled. Acornfeather placed her tail on his shoulder. "It's okay. That was just some bad luck. Let's go closer to the ShadowClan border.

Lionpaw wrinkled his nose when a scent marker neared him. They headed closer to the edge of the territories, near the Twoleg nest.

Acornfeather sniffed the air. Lionpaw hoped she didn't notice his stale scent here.

"Ooh, a vole. Do you want to catch it?" she meowed quietly.

"Um, you can catch it," Lionpaw answered nervously. His legs were tired from hunting all over the territory from nearly sunhigh. 

"Okay then," Acornfeather flicked her tail and bent into a hunter's crouch.

Lionpaw turned his head towards the nest. The full grown Twoleg was watching his other kit. Lionpaw leaned in closer.

The kit was training! Lionpaw gasped. Twolegs didn't have apprentices!

Lionpaw pawed closer to the nest. A bowl was filled with kittypet food.

The apprentice Twoleg noticed Lionpaw and yowled, pointing her fur-less paw at him. Lionpaw cowered. The Twolegs gazed at the bowl.

Should I take a little taste?  Lionpaw thought. He decided to give it a go.

The food wasn't that bad! It had the tang of Twolegs, and left a taste at the back of Lionpaw's mouth, but it was good.

"Lionpaw?" A muffled voice called.

Lionpaw pushed the bowl closer to the nest with his paw and cowered back to Acornfeather.

Acornfeather was scraping earth over her vole. "StarClan, you smell like Twolegs," she retorted.

"You'll never believe what I saw!" Lionpaw proclaimed. "There was an apprentice Twoleg!"

Acornfeather wrapped her tail around her paws. "I don't believe it!"

"The Twoleg was training!"

Acornfeather narrowed her eyes. "Show me."

Lionpaw nearly yelped, No! You'll see the kittypet food!

"The Twolegs stopped, I think," Lionpaw meowed quickly.

"Okay," Acornfeather mumbled, "but show me next time."