Warrior Cats: New Beginnings

Chapter 3: A Quarrelsome Queen

Rosepetal slipped through the reeds, the willows' leaves rustling in the wind above her head. She stopped for a moment, and pricked her ears. She could hear something else rather than the gurgling of the river nearby... 

There! She turned and followed the pitter-pattering sound, cautiously stalking through the underbrush. She came across a small clearing, where a squirrel darted here and there, looking for food. She crouched, shifting her weight to her haunches. Come on... A little closer, please... The squirrel took a few steps closer to her, chittering as it picked up a leaf. 

She leapt out of the bushes, pinning the squirrel's tail to the ground with her paws. Terrified, it shrieked a warning call before Rosepetal slashed her claws on the squirrel's neck. It went limp between her paws. She glanced around, and sighed. Guess that'll be the end of hunting today. 

She picked up the squirrel and made her way out of the small willow forest. It was always abundant with prey, since Riverclan only fished in the river. Rosepetal often went by herself and hunted there, usually bringing back one or two pieces of prey. 

She ambled into camp, and padded toward the fresh-kill pile. As she dropped the squirrel she heard tiny footsteps and squeals behind her. "What's that?" Rosepetal turned and saw Kelpkit, along with her brother and sister, staring at the squirrel. 

She purred in amusement. "You've never seen a squirrel before?" she mewed. Pebblekit shook her head solemnly. "It's so furry." Rockkit mewed, poking its tail with his paw. He nibbled the squirrel's tail, and promptly spat it out. "EWWWW! That's disgusting!" he mewed indignantly. 

Rosepetal laughed, giving the tom-kit a light and gentle nudge with her paw. "You tried to eat the wrong part. Here," she carefully cut the squirrel up, leaving small chunks of meat in front of the kits. "Try this instead." Kelpkit tried it first, not even hesitating for a moment. Rockkit watched his sister, and then slowly bent down and nibbled it. Shy Pebblekit poked it with her paw, and looked to her sister, who was now devouring the whole chunk. 

Soon, all three kits had eaten their portion of the squirrel. "That was SO GOOD!" Kelpkit squealed, her siblings mewing their agreement too. Kelpkit looked up at Rosepetal with wide, curious eyes. "How did you catch it? Was it swimming in the water?" Rosepetal laughed, and gave Kelpkit a playful smack with her tail. "No! Squirrels don't swim!" 

Pebblekit cocked her head. "Then how did you catch it?" She mewed, confused. Rosepetal thought for a moment, and then said: "First, I had to hunt it down. The squirrel was so careful that I could barely hear it! Then, I waited for it to come really close to me. I leapt on it, and gave it a killing blow." The kits ooed and awed at her story. "Can you show us the move you used?" Stonekit asked. 

Rosepetal nodded. She picked up the squirrel and put it at one end of the fresh-kill pile, and then went to the other side of the pile. Bunching her haunches and shifting her weight, she leapt at the dead squirrel. 

And then sprawled into the dirt, overshooting her target. The kits giggled and laughed, and Rosepetal couldn't help but add her purring to their hysterical squealing. "Some move!" Rockkit mewed, eyes full of amusement and laughter. Kelpkit ran up to Rosepetal. "Do you think WE can learn that move?" the little she-kit mewed. Would Clearstar allow that? She thought, doubtful. 

"If Clearstar lets me. And only when you're apprentices." She touched noses with Kelpkit. "Which is very soon." Kelpkit's tail was lashing with excitement. "I want to be YOUR apprentice!" The young kit exclaimed. Rosepetal purred with amusement. "That's not for me to decide. But, I hope that you'll be my apprentice, too." She mewed warmly, giving the she-kit a fond lick between the ears. 

The reeds rustled as a patrol of her clanmates marched into the camp. A dark gray she-cat with silver splotches broke off from the patrol of cats, her amber eyes full of fury. "What are you doing?" The silver she-cat hissed at the kits. 

Rosepetal sat down and flicked her ears uneasily. "Calm down, Silverscale. I was just showing them what I had caught today." Rosepetal muttered, slightly annoyed by the queen's reaction. "Yeah!" Rockkit squeaked and then bounded up to his mother. "She showed us a SQUIRREL!!" Silverscale narrowed her eyes as Kelpkit chimed into the conversation. "And she let us eat it too!" 

Silverscale lashed her tail with rage. "A true RiverClan warrior hunts fish! Not smelly squirrels. What are you, a ThunderClan cat?" She hissed at Rosepetal. "I was a ThunderClan kit," Rosepetal spat, fur bristling. "But now I'm a Riverclan warrior!" Silverscale huffed in mistrust, gathering her kits with her tail. 

Just as Rosepetal opened her mouth to give an angry retort, a night black tom with white paws slid in between the two she-cats. "What's all the fuss about?" Coldfur mewed, icy blue eyes narrowed as he watched the argument unfold. "She was teaching my kits how to hunt squirrels. Like ThunderClan warriors!" Silverscale mewed, casting an angry glare at Rosepetal, who lashed her tail in response. 

The aloof tom sat back, gaze flicking from Silverscale to Rosepetal. "Well, Silverscale, those skills could be useful in leafbare, when the river freezes over. But.." he turned to Rosepetal. Pebblekit opened her mouth to speak, but her mother gave a light tap on the head. "... she shouldn't be flaunting her skills, and showing kits how to hunt before they become apprentices." Coldfur continued, gazing around at the other cats. 

Rosepetal seethed with rage, flexing her claws as she stared at sly deputy. I wasn't flaunting my skills! And those kits are as good as apprentices by now. She glanced around, suddenly aware of the crowd around them. 

Snowdapple leaned forward, eager to hear the argument, while Minnowfoot watched with scorn in her gaze. Mossystep was sharing a piece of prey with Jaggedslip, and was obviously acting like she wasn't listening. She even saw Ravenwing poking his head out of the elders' den. I shouldn't be causing a scene. She took a deep breath, squashing her anger. "I'm sorry, Silverscale. If it matters that much to you, than I won't do it again." 

Silverscale huffed, but her fur smoothed. She turned, trotting into the nursery with her kits reluctantly following at her heels. Coldfur nodded, satisfied, and trotted away, entering the Clearstar's den as the crowd dispersed. Rosepetal sheathed her claws, smoothing her fur. 

After several deep breaths, she trotted over to the fresh-kill pile, and selected one of the fish there. She glanced around, and spotted a secluded spot. She settled down in the sunny patch of grass, trying to ignore the other cats' stares. 

A shadow fell over her. Glancing up, she saw Ashcloud, who sat next to her. "Quite the pickle you got yourself into." He mewed as Rosepetal nibbled her fish. "I suppose." she mewed expressionlessly, swallowing her feelings of bitterness. Silverscale is such a drama queen! 

After a few moments of silence, the light grey tom mewed: "Why are you sulking? Aren't there better things to do?" She gave the tom a rueful glare. "It's already obvious why." 

Ashcloud narrowed his eyes. "To others, maybe. But I don't think you're sulking because you lost an argument." He flicked his tail. "So why? Why so angry over a fight?" Rosepetal blinked. Why am I so upset over this? She stayed silent, and as she searched her feelings, she suddenly found it. 

"It's because... I don't feel like I belong. That they still don't trust me." she said slowly. She looked to the light grey tom, and saw approval in his gaze. "I thought so." he mewed. 

 With his tail, gestured to the walls of camp, and lands beyond it. "You're a smart warrior, Rosepetal. You know how to pick your battles, and how to be flexible. Surely you're smart enough to know that staying here isn't going to help you." What? Leave RiverClan? 

She blinked in shock, ears pricked in surprise. "You're saying I should leave RiverClan. My only home. What would I do, join another Clan?" Ashcloud gave her a disapproving look. "Why are you asking me? It's your decision, not mine." He paused. "You have talents. It's not like you're a slug that can't do anything." 

As Ashcloud finished his meal, Rosepetal pondered what the tom had said as she cleaned her whiskers. She had always had great respect for the tom and his advice. But RiverClan is my home. They just don't accept me yet. But they will. Determination rose in her chest. I'll show them. And one day they'll finally trust me.