Tadpoledrift's Mistakes

Chapter Ten

She walked around the unfamiliar camp she paused, noticing two toms in the burrow that Kestrelwing said was the Medicine Cat Den. A cat she was familiar with, and likely the only kin other than her own littermates that she fully knew, was sitting in the den sorting herbs and talking to the other. The tom that she knew, Jayrain, was a fellow Medicine Cat, she had seen him every Half-Moon at the MoonPool and knew him at least a bit more than the rest of her kin in WindClan or Thunderclan.

"You've spotted Jayrain and Crowhail I see."

Tadpoledrift's ears pricked up and she lifted her head, a white and pale gray she-cat with curly fur was walking towards her and her oldest sister.

"Good morn' Sheepstar, you've come to see the newcomer I'm guessing." Kestrelwing dipped her head to her leader.

The elderly she-cat had a soft smile on her face as she looked from Kestrelwing to Tadpoledrift. She could see the sympathy and pity in her eyes.

"I'm sure your kin have already welcomed you in, but I as the leader shall formally do so. Welcome to WindClan, a clan of misfits who have no place else to go, we welcome you as a new warrior of our clan." Sheepstar nealed down, her tail gently swaying.

Tadpoledrift's ears pricked up when she heard a tom groan quietly, leaning over to the side to see a tom that looked similar to Sheepstar walking up behind her.

"I'm just skipping over to greeting then and I get right to everything else." The tom's tail twitched.

Once he got closer she could notice how tall he was, as well as how tall Sheepstar was. It might have just been how short she was compared to them, but looking over to her lanky sister she noticed that they were also taller than her.

"Hi, I'm Lambear, and yes I am Sheepstar's youngest son that she dislikes talking about." His tone was laced with annoyance and Sheepstar turned to look at him with a glare.

She looked away from the white duo and around the camp, it felt larger then RiverClan's camp was but that could have just been the flat moor making it seem larger. Jayrain and Crowhail trotted past them and Tadpoledrift watched them walk out of camp together, the tip of Jayrain's tail wrapped around Crowhail's.

Her attention turned back to Sheepstar as she coughed, her eyes turning up with concern.

"Ma'am, maybe you should go back to your den and rest." Kestrelwing stood up and gently pressed a paw onto the leader's shoulder. "I'll get Jayrain whenever he comes back from his walk."

Sheepstar weakly nodded her head and padded to her den, head hung low and tail dragging on the ground.

"We'll be going to the Nursery next, I'm sure you just want to sit down and rest by now. I'm sure Mothflight will also be there playing with his kits."

She dipped her head and yawned, her tired paws wobbled as she waddled to the den.

Just outside of the den sat a silky furred snow-white tom, his silvery patches seemed to match her own in a few places. Near to him, a red-furred kit was creeping towards his tail as he flicked it.

She felt a small smile slowly form on her face but then slowly fade away as she felt a pang of sadness in her chest. She didn't want her kits to know there father, she didn't want them to be like him mostly.

She slowly walked towards the tom, whose eyes seemed to light up a bit when he noticed her.

"Tads!" He leaped from where he sat, making the small she-kit trip and fall into the glass below them.

"Daaad!" The red she-kit complained.

The tom quickly turned back to his kit, helping her up and leading her over to where Tadpoledrift and Kestrelwing were standing.

"This is your aunt Squirrelkit." The snowy tom pointed to the two she-cats.

Squirrelkit looked up at her dad with an unamused look in her eyes.

"Dad I know she's my aunt, who's the other one?" Her head tilted to the side when she looked to Tadpoledrift.

"Oh, that's also your aunt." The tom chuckled. "Her name's Tadpoledrift and she's lived all the way across the lake in RiverClan for most of her life, so be a bit soft on her."

Squirrelkit pouted and slumped onto the ground, her tiny cheeks puffed out as Tadpoledrift walked into the Nursery.

Walking into the den she noticed a black and white she-cat alongside three kits. One, a ginger and white tom, was peaceful while another was biting the third's ear.

Tadpoledrift looked around for a bed, noticing one was already made with flowers and feathers lay on the top of it.

"Mothflight made you a nest as soon as he heard you were now living here in WindClan, I hope you don't mind two chaoti-" The black she-cat was cut off by her kits.

"C'mon Hollykit! I wanna go outside and play but mom says I can't go on my own!" The small tortie kit had stopped biting her brother's ear for a moment but quickly went back to it.

"I don't want to! Go play with Squirrelkit instead of me Maplekit!" The fluffy blake tom kit squeaked and pushed his sister, making the she-cat fall over onto her back.

The black and white she-cat sighed and flicked her tail, looking over to Tadpoledrift like she was asking for pity.

Tadpoledrift curled up into her nest, resting her head onto her paws and looking out of the den, her eyes slowly closing as she steadily fell asleep.