Warriors Super Edition: Archstar's Nature

-Chapter 5-

Archpaw awoke briefly with aching muscles as if he had been taking a tour around the territory for the billionth time. He flexed his claws before stretching out his forelegs and his tail and he slipped up to his scrawny paws. Shortly after Archpaw stood, Toadpaw and the rest of the apprentices had blinked their eyes open briskly. Jaggedpaw's scent remained strong, which meant he had just recently left the den. Archpaw brushed his tail over Toadpaw before bounding outside of the den. The stinging in his muscles began to fade away as he pushed through the bramble and thistle, and narrowed his eyes as the dawn light reflected from the objects of his surroundings and into his eyes. Hardly any of the cats had left their dens, as the only cats outside were Cinderstar, Cedarspring, Jaggedpaw, and Hawktail, who was eating a sparrow. Archpaw hissed something under his breath as he staggered over to the fresh-kill pile, and lifted up a pigeon, as well as a salamander. He gazed over at Toadpaw as he slipped through the bramble, and arched his back in a long, deep stretch. He'd trot over to Archpaw.

"Mornin', Archpaw," the dark gray-and-white tom yawned before his tail fell side-swept at his right. "You actually are that hungry to be eating a pigeon and a salamander?" the senior apprentice then teased.

"Actually nope. The pigeon is for you. I'll stick with the salamander," Archpaw recommended. He'd drop both the bird and the reptile and sat beside his older friend, as the dark gray-and-white tom mimicked his actions. They had been seated close enough for their pelts to be brushing against one another. Cedarspring then trotted over to Archpaw and Toadpaw as they feasted on the pieces of fresh-kill.

"Archpaw, Toadpaw, I'd like you both to go on a dawn patrol today. Toadpaw, you haven't been on a dawn patrol in a while, and Archpaw, you haven't even been on a dawn patrol ever. I'd like to gain experience with it." Cedarspring flashed a quick, small smile as he saw a tiny glow illuminate in the tabby apprentice's eyes. "You'll be leaving after Cinderstar calls this morning's meeting." The ginger tom blinked before turning his paws and bounding into the leader's den.

"I'm glad I get to go on a patrol with you, Archpaw," Toadpaw smiled. "You know what to do on a territorial patrol, correct?" Toadpaw's mews were muffled by him having a large mouthful of pigeon meat in his jaws.

"I'm glad as well. And yes, I do know exactly what to do; stop, listen and smell for any scents that don't belong to a Shadowclan cat, and only allow that cat to pass if they are the leader or medicine cat of another Clan," Archpaw grinned. "Timberhawk told me what to do when I was just a kit."

"Nice that you know these things," Toadpaw purred, "I'm glad I don't have to explain things to you. I'm the worst cat at explaining things in the entire Clan," Toadpaw joked, wiping a paw over his muzzle in order to remove blood from the pigeon he had completed.

"Don't break a sweat over it, Toadpaw. I'm not great at explaining things myself either, and I often tell cats who ask me for an explanation about something to ask someone else so I could avoid taking a moon to think of something good to reply with."

"Or you just want to avoid using that brain of yours," Toadpaw taunted with a sweet giggle. He winced as Archpaw flicked his whiskers with his large claws.

"Hush, I'd actually use my brain better than you, ya little flea-brain," Archpaw retorted before sheathing his claws once more. Soon enough, the two broke out into laughing and snorting messes. They hushed their tone down when a cat from the warriors den hollered for them to shush down. Toadpaw was on his back from laughing too hard, with an aching gut.

"I just realized how much your pelt needs to be brushed down, Archpaw. It's fluffing out a little too much," the dark gray senior apprentice reminded before rolling over onto his belly, twisting, and sat back down. "You'd always want to look nice for a meeting."