(untitled) Chapter Two (part one)

Frostpaw awoke to the sounds of a small kit. She opened her eyes to Runningkit, staring back at her curiously. Frostpaw sat up. "What are you doing here?" Frostpaw hissed.

Runningkit smiled. "I 'wanna' see what the apprentice's den felt like!" She whispered. "It's awesome!" She meowed, and looked around.

"You need to get back into the nursery!" Pearlpaw meowed quietly. "Roseclaw must be worried sick!"

Runninkit shook her head. "Nope. She's asleep with Blackkit and Talonkit. I just ran over here, and nobody saw me!" Runningkit mewed excitedly.

Dawnpaw turned over in his sleep. Frostpaw lowered her voice. "Okay, but you still need to go back into the nusery before anyone notices you're gone!" She meowed, with a hint of a laugh in her voice.

"Okay." Runningkit sighed.

Frostpaw smiled. "You mean not even the night gaurd saw you?" Frostpaw asked.

"Actually, Rabbitears was asleep." Runningkit yawned.

Frostpaw ushered her out of the Apprentice's den, and back into the nursery. "Don't worry. You'll be an apprentice in a couple of days!"

Runninkit smiled. "Okay." She mewed excitedly, and she disappeared into the nursery.

Frostpaw padded into the apprentice's den, feeling much better ever since the fight with CloudClan. She curled up beside Owlpaw, and rested.

When she awoke, sunlight was just pouring into the apprentice's den. Frostpaw got up, stretched, and walked out. She padded past the Medicine Cat Den and heard whispering inside. Frostpaw crept forward and listened quietly.

"You mean I'm right?" A voice mewed. It was Sparkletail.

"Yep." Whisperstream meowed. "Should be due in less than a moon." She continued. "But you never know. Sometimes they come earlier, sometimes later. It's hard to tell exactly." Whisperstream finished.

"Okay, thank you." Sparkletail, replied, and padded out. She bumped into Frostpaw. "Were you-?"

Frostpaw interupted. "So, less than a moon huh. We need a couple of extra cats around here. Apprentice's jobs are tough!" Frostpaw said in one breath.

Sparkletail smiled. "Stonemouth doesn't know. Please don't tell him! I want it to be a secret." She pleaded.

"No worries." Frostpaw replied. "My lips are sealed." She smiled.

Sparkletail nodded thankfully.

Frostpaw nodded and moved on towards the fresh-kill pile. She took a mouse, squirell, and a vole up in her jaws. She walked back to the apprentice's den.

Frostpaw dropped a mouse by Dawnpaw, and a squirell next to Owlpaw. She nudged them both awake. Owlpaw yawned, and looked at the squirell. He smiled greatfully, and dug in. Dawnpaw stretched and started eating the mouse.

"So what are you guys doing today?" Dawnpaw asked with a mouth full of mouse.

Frostpaw swallowed. "Stonemouth's taking me to the Rabbitholes today. I hope I can catch a bunch of rabbits." Frostpaw meowed.

"I'm gathering moss, and branches for the elder's den." Owlpaw meowed. "Waterfoot says he feels too cold at night." Owlpaw rolled his eyes. "Well, I better get to it." He sighed, and stood up.

"See you later Owlpaw!" Frostpaw meowed to him, and Owlpaw flicked his tail.

Dawnpaw finished eating his mouse. "Sparkletail said we'd probably hunt today, maybe we can hunt with you!" He pointed out. "If not, we'll probably go to the stream near CloudClan." His eyes grew dark. If any CloudClan cat steps onto our territory, I'll claw it's eyes out!" He meowed. "Especially that small grey apprentice you told me about, what was his name again?" He asked.

"Leappaw." Frostpaw hissed the word after she had finished her mouse.

Dawnpaw brightened. "Well, bye for now." He meowed, and left the apprentice's den. Frostpaw followed him out.

Sunstar was outside talking to Flamefur. Frostpaw dipped her head respectively, and smiled giddily remembering last night's talk. Sunstar smiled at her, and Flamefur walked over.

"Have you seen Dawnpaw?" She asked Frostpaw.

"Yep, he's right over there." Frostpaw meowed, and pointed with her tail.

"Thanks." She meowed warmly, and she bounded over to him.

Frostpaw walked over to Stonemouth who was washing his paws. She smiled a little remembering Sparkletail. "Are you ready to go?" She asked him, her paws bouncing with anticipation.

"Yes." He said. "Flamefur and Dawnpaw are coming with us," he paused, "I'm worried about Sparkletail, she said she's been having belly pains." He meowed worriedly.

Frostpaw held in a laugh. "So Flamefur is mentoring Dawnpaw for now?" She asked.

"Yep." He sighed, and stood up. "Here they come now. Let's go." He meowed, and padded out of camp. Frostpaw smiled, and followed him.

Once they reached the rabbitholes. Stonemouth stopped. Flamefur breathed in deeply, and followed the scent of rabbit, Dawnpaw followed. Stonemouth started stalking a squirell that had wandered out into the moor. Crystalpaw followed, and they hunted.

After the two warriors and apprentices were finished, they had caught 3 rabbits, and one squirell. They carried them back to camp. After Frostpaw dropped her rabbit on top of the fresh kill pile, she padded over to the Elder's Den to see Owlpaw.

"Hello?" She called into the small den.

"Come in." Waterfoot growled.

Frostpaw padded in. "Where's Owlpaw?" She asked the grumpy elder.

"He left a few minutes ago to get some moss for me." He meowed tiredly.

Frostpaw sat down. "Will you tell me a story." She asked him.

Waterfoot smiled a little. "Sure. I'll tell you about how when we first came here. I was just a young warrior when we traveled. My mother had stayed back near our old territory, but my father came with us." He meowed.

Frostpaw laid down. "What was your old territory like?" She asked him.

Waterfoot strained to remember. "I don't really know, there were four territories, like we have today, but they were becoming crowded, and the prey was scarce, so some of us, one from each clan, left to find a different place to live." He licked his lips. "Sunstar, who was Firepelt, became leader of our clan when we arrived. He was a young warrior like me, but very kind and intellegent. I remember the other leaders too. Moonstar was once Lightsong, Treestar was Mouseears, and Cloudstar was Whitestripe."

Frostpaw listened intently.

"They each changed their names, to match the area in which they lived in." His eyes grew clouded. "I do remember a cat, very faintly that I was fond of, Leaffall, no that wasn't it, Leafnose?" He said, troubled.

Frostpaw nodded. "It's okay." She said, and smiled.

Waterfoot continued his story. "So after we arrived, we followed the same warrior code the other clans had, and shared the same beliefs." He finished.

Owlpaw padded in with a mouth full of moss. He lined it around Waterfoot's nest. "There you go." He said, and stepped back.

Waterfoot purred. "Thank you."

Owlpaw nodded, and Frostpaw stood up. "Thanks for the story Waterfoot!" Frostpaw meowed, and she headed back into camp with Owlpaw.

"I'm going to go rest, that moss was really hard to find! I had to go all the way near Big Rock to get it!" He meowed.

Frostpaw smiled. "Okay." She meowed, and watched him go into the Apprentice's den. A moan came from inside of the Medicine Cat's Den. Frostpaw ran in. Sparkletail was lying down in a nest, and Whisperstream was next to her, encouraging her to eat some small berries. Whisperstream looked up at her with tired eyes. "Can I help with anything?" She asked her.

"No, she just has a bellyache." Whisperstream meowed, looking at Sparkletail.

"She knows." Sparkletail meowed.

Whisperstream smiled. "The kits will come a lot sooner than I thought. A couple of days I'd think. You know you really should tell Stonemouth." Whisperstream told Sparkletail.

Sparkletail nodded. "Okay." She said, and tried to stand up.

"No, I meant I would go get him for you." Whisperstream laughed, and started to head out.

"I can." Frostpaw spoke up. "We just came back from the Rabbitholes."

Whisperstream nodded, and Frostpaw bounded off. "Stonemouth." She called.

Stonemouth looked up from a mouse he was chewing. "What?"

"It's Sparkletail in the Medicine Cat's Den, she-" Frostpaw started, but Stonemouth was already half way to the Medicine Cat's Den. Frostpaw followed him.

"Sparkletail, what's the matter?" Stonemouth asked worriedly, he turned to Whisperstream. "What's wrong?" He meowed.

Sparkletail laughed. "Nothings wrong." She meowed. "I'm going to have kits." She meowed excitedly.

Stonemouth shook his head. "You are?" He asked. "Yes! This is wonderful!" He turned back to Whisperstream. "When are they due?" He asked her.

Whisperstream smiled. "About 2 or 3 days." She meowed.

Stonemouth smiled broadly. "I'm going to be a father!" He said happily.

Whisperstream spoke. "She really needs to rest though."

Frostpaw and Stonemouth nodded, and they both exited the Medicine Cat's Den. Stonemouth smiled. "I'm going to be a father." He sighed.

"Uhh, what about your mouse?" Frostpaw asked, amused.

"Oh yes. My mouse." Stonemouth said happily, and he bounded over to it like a kit.

Frostpaw laughed, and looked up at the sky. It was getting darker already. She went into the Apprentice's Den, and laid down next to Owlpaw, feeling oddly tired. She thought about Runningkit, Talonkit, and Blackkit, who would be apprentice's soon. Frostpaw smiled, and fell asleep.