~ Rising Tide ~

~ Chapter 4 ~

Cloudpaw weaved among his friends and Moon, a purr rumbling in his throat. They all were exchanging looks of pride as the clan chanted their names. Lionpaw and him bumped heads, making Cloudpaw's cheeks happily redden with blush. Lionpaw playfully grabbed the crystal woven into a vine that hung around his neck. Cougarpaw tackled him with a hug and C loudpaw then stood up to nuzzle his sister after he was finally allowed up. Their clanmates scattered out when the chanting faded, leaving the apprentices and their mentors. Cloudpaw's mentor, Moonstrike, twitched her whiskers in disapproval as she stared at the sky.

"Your ceremony was late. It's getting too dark." She muttered. "We have to start training tomorrow."

"Aw come on Moony! Lighten up!" Pebblepaw's mentor, Sunbeam, laughed.

Ivysong gazed affectionately at her mate, then gazed at Moonstrike. "Yeah, we might not be able to see the whole territory. However, we might be able to practice a hunting crouch or two. Maybe a game or something?"

Moonstrike glared at the two. "A game?"

"Yeah." Ivysong blinked.

Moonstrike snorted. "They aren't kits anymore."

Sunbeam sighed. "You can stay, we can take Cloudpaw."

"I'll come." Moonstrike snapped. "He's my apprentice."

Cloudpaw blinked, then followed his furious mentor out of camp. Lionpaw eventually caught up to him, lowering his head.

"You good?"

"Yeah... a ride?" He asked hopefully.

Lionpaw groaned, then crouched down. Cloudpaw triumphantly crawled only his back and watched Lionpaw stand up again. Cloudpaw felt the slow rock of Lionpaw walking behind Moonstrike. Sunbeam and Ivysong too trotted up to walk alongside them, gazing in amusement at them.

"That's the best thing I've seen any whole life." Sunbeam chuckled.

"How so?" Cloudpaw asked.

"No reason." Ivysong purred, exchanging an amused glance.

Cloudpaw narrowed his eyes suspiciously, then turned his gaze back to Moonstrike, who had stopped. Lionpaw let out a small mrrow of amusement and stopped abruptly, making Cloudpaw jolt forward and hit his head on Lionpaw's head.

"Wha- Hey!" Cloudpaw yelped. "No!"

Lionpaw let out another mrrow, then let Cloudpaw slide off his back. Cloudpaw grumbled quietly, then turned towards Ivysong.

"What game are we playing?" He asked.

She licked her chest fur thoughtfully. "I don't know, any ideas?"

"Tackle!" Cougarpaw cried out, leaping at Rainsweptpaw.

The grey she cat ducked swiftly, letting Cougarpaw soar over her and crash into the ground behind her.

"Ow!" He complained, heaving himself up.

Ivysong padded over to her apprentice, nudging him up on his paws. Cougarpaw grumbled, sounding annoyed.

"Any other ideas?" Ivysong laughed.

"Uh... mouse tag?" Cloudpaw suggested, earning a glare of disapproval from Moonstrike.

"Sounds like fun. I remember that game as a kit." Ivysong mewed, nodding.

Sunbeam chuckled. "Sure."

He narrowed his eyes playfully at Ivysong then slapped her with his tail. "You're it!"

Cloudpaw felt a big grin form on his face as Ivysong lunged towards him. He dodged to the side and scampered away, tail waving. He felt a paw land hard on his side as Ivysong tagged him. With a frustrated growl, he lunged at the closest cat to him. Cougarpaw yelped, scrambling out of the way just in time as Cloudpaw skidded past the golden tom. He whirled around to give chase after Cougarpaw. He could hear the blood roar in his ears as his paws thrummed on the ground. He took another lunge at him, missing once more. However, instead of landing in the grass, he crashed into a thorn bush just beyond him. The thorns stuck to his fur, piercing his flesh and causing sparks of pain over his whole body.

"Cloudpaw?!" Came a horrified cry as he heard pawsteps thud against the forest floor and a golden shape reach his side.

Cloudpaw blinked, making out Lionpaw and Pebblepaw's worried faces. He tried to reassure he was okay, but whenever he so much as twitched a muscle, there was more pain than before.

"Don't worry Cloudpaw." His sister said gently. "We'll get you out of there."

Cloudpaw could only look at her gratefully as she gripped one of the thorn vines with her sharp teeth. He let out a sharp cry as she yanked the vine away from his fur. She flinched.

"Sorry!" She yelped. "Lionpaw help me."

"Please." Cloudpaw winced.

The tom nodded, which he stopped when Moonstrike hurried up.

"Could you help soothe him enough for me and Pebblepaw to get the vines away?" The black furred she cat asked.

Lionpaw hesitated, glancing at a suffering Cloudpaw before nodding again.

"Hello-o!" Cloudpaw yelped. "Still stuck over here!"

"Sorry." Moonstrike grunted, walking up to him while being closely followed by the rest of the cats.

Lionpaw gently placed his nose to Cloudpaw's cheek, sending a happy buzzing noise through his head. He winced when he felt more thorns being pulled from his flesh and Lionpaw only made more comforting gestures towards him. Finally, Cloudpaw was able to roll away from the prickly vines. He collapsed onto his side, panting as he laid in the grass. He spotted the looming shape of black fur as Moonstrike gazed down at him then looked back up.

"You, Lionpaw. Seeming you two do this often, give him a ride back." The black she ordered.

"Er- okay?" The golden furred tom answered in a startled tone of voice.

Cloudpaw was aware of Lionpaw crouching beside him as he raised his head. He heaved himself to his paws and climbed upon the tom's back. The ride back full of golden fur and steady walking. He blinked open his blue eyes when darkness surrounded them for a moment as rocky walls closed in on them. Cloudpaw looked up as more light shone through as they reached the main cave. Mountainclan cats were scattered around the cave, some sitting out in front of the cave dens and some out on patrol. Burntstar turned his head towards the returning cats, his orange eyes flashing as he studied Cloudpaw.

"What happened?" He asked, leaping down and padding over to them.

"Cloudpaw ran into a thorn bush." Moonstrike grunted.

Burntstar shook his head with a small smile. "He reminds me of his father as an apprentice."

The words startled Cloudpaw, as if they had kind of been pulled out of thin air and flung at his face.

"Anyways, bring him to Scarletflame and Moon." Burntstar meowed, as if completely ignoring his past words.

Cloudpaw couldn't help but stare at her as they passed the dull orange tom, his eyes questioning his leader's words. He didn't have time to ask him before he was pushed into the Medicine Den. Moon looked up with a gentle smile, which would've swayed any other cat but Cloudpaw's heart.