Morning Rays

Chapter 4

I felt like speeding the story up. You didn't want to hear Purdy-like elders grumbling for ten chapters straight, did you?

"Moonpaw! Sunpaw! Moonpaw! Sunpaw!"

In the past moon and a half, Moonkit and Sunkit, now Moonpaw and Sunpaw, had decided to continue visiting the elders just for the stories they told. Sunpaw especially liked listening to Shyspeck, who was always kinder to them, as she was his father's mother.

Jasminebloom had kitted since then, giving birth to Muskkit, a gray tom-kit with green eyes, Frozenkit, a silver-eyes white she-kit with gray ears, and Bramblekit, a golden she-kit with blue eyes. They were still young, and Sunpaw had been too large and rough for the tiny beings.

Newleaf had come, and the ground had thawed, leaving damp spots around the camp. The leaf-bare had been milder per usual, and the Clan had been grateful.

Jolting back to the present, Sunpaw glanced around the clearing. It was empty, besides Timbertree, who was Sunpaw's new mentor, and Featherear, Moonpaw's mentor. By the close way the two mentors stood, he recalled that they were littermates, though Featherear had been born to the preceding litter. Being the older cats in the Clan, both cats' other siblings had already passed.

Sunpaw figured he should go and ask Timbertree what he was to do today. The air was warm, and Sunpaw knew the older tom would want him outside of camp.

As Sunpaw padded over, he was joined by Moonpaw. He realized with a jolt, he realized how much alike they both looked. He and Moonpaw were about the same size, with Sunpaw having a bit more muscle, and their fur colors were different. Other than that, the markings on their fur were placed the same, they had the same dark underbellies, and their eyes were the same deep green.

Moonpaw licked his shoulder, purring.

"After the trouble we got in about a moon ago, I doubted we would even become apprentices!" she exclaimed to him. Sunpaw mumbled his agreement.

"And I hope you won't get in the same trouble again," Timbertree broke in, having finished up his conversation with Featherear. He stepped closer to the littermates. "Today, Featherear and I have decided that we will take you on a tour of the territory. Tomorrow, we will practice hunting."

The apprentices nodded, just happy to get out of camp for the first time.

As the patrol swished through the undergrowth, Sunpaw remembered from his previous 'outing', and he half-expected what how the forest unfolded before him. Breathing deeply, he breathed in the scents he had smelled on the fresh-kill pile, only sharper and more mouthwatering. He heard rustling in the undergrowth, and turned to see an unsuspecting thrush pecking as some seeds on the ground.

Timbertree signaled for the patrol to stop by waving his tail sharply, and began stalking towards the prey. He waited until he was only a few tail-lengths away from the bird, and then pounced. Snapping it cleanly, he carried it over to the base of a decent-sized tree and scraped some leaf dirt over it.

Timbertree licked his whiskers in satisfaction. "That's how it's done, apprentices. You'll learn how to do that tomorrow."

He turned and began heading towards the boundary. Featherear came up behind them.

"We're headed to the EchoClan border," she explained quietly. "It's important to memorize all the other Clans' scents. In battle, sometimes that's the only way you can tell an enemy cat apart from your own Clanmates."

Sunpaw nodded. Speeding up a bit to catch up with his mentor, he felt a strange smell flow into his nose.

He halted, glancing around anxiously. Timbertree had looped back around, standing next to a circle of ferns while he waited.

"What's wrong?" Timbertree asked, staring at him.

"I smell something weird." Sunpaw realized his answer sounded like a kit's, and he shuffled his paws.

Timbertree nodded. "So you should. That's EchoClan scent; we're only a few monster-lengths away from it."

Moonpaw and Featherear caught up with the two toms. "I was just telling Moonpaw about EchoClan," she said.

Timbertree nodded. "Now apprentices, tell me what you smell. What about EchoClan scent is familiar?"

Sunpaw scented the air, then licked his lips. He felt like he should remember the scent, but as the answer flashed in his mind, he immediately forgot it.

"They smell a bit like rocks," Featherear answered for them when neither apprentice answered. "Can you guess why?"

"Because they eat rocks?" Sunpaw blurted out the first answer that came to his mind.

Timbertree snorted, and Featherear's tail curled up.

Moonpaw shoved him, and muttered in his ear, "Mouse-brain!"

Sunpaw's ear tips turned red with embarrassment. "Oops," he muttered.

Timbertree rolled his eyes and sighed. "Oh, apprentices and their ideas," he murmured, raising his eyes.

Tumbertree and Featherear toured them around the entire territory; they passed the river, an herb gathering spot, Gatheringplace, the Hollow Oak, a small patch of boulders, and a pond. The mentors even let them explore for a little while by themselves. By the end of the day, Sunpaw's paws were ready to fall off.

Featherear and Timbertree led them back to camp, and let them have their choice of fresh-kill before sending them off to their dens. The whole time, Moonpaw had seemed a bit awkward and dreamy.

Sunpaw had tried to ask her several times what was wrong, but the silver she-cat always said she was just tired.

That was before he picked up the scent on her pelt.

By the smell of her, she had tried to wash it off, but she apparently hadn't gotten rid of all of it. Under the usual BlazeClan scent, there was something else, something Sunpaw couldn't quite recall smelling, but did at the same time.

He shook his pelt, telling himself he was just having deja vu, but couldn't help but feeling Moonpaw was hiding something from him, something big.

While this chapter may seem filler, it actually has a reason. (What!?) You'll find out soon enough what it is ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)