#blazepad

Blazepad: lol look, Myrtle is cleaning Alder's fur again! He's like a servant to the hairball or something!

Myrtlewing, who was cleaning off blood Alder forgot to get rid of: haha yeah it's so annoying. Right, Alder? You know how annoying it is, Alder? For me to keep having to clean your fur from--sand? For you to not notice that sand is there. Huh?

genetics kinda go out the window with this one, unless Blaze carries the gene for black fur (and if it’s dominant, let’s say she’s an anomaly). Or maybe Birchcloud had some black on him

“Everything’s going to be okay, Russetnose,” her leader promised, pressing comfortingly against her shoulder. “Myrtlewing knows what he is doing. Lionkit is in good paws.” 

Russetnose knew he was right, and let herself weaken, falling into his support as her son was taken into the medicine den. The poor little fool had snuck out while Russetnose and Blazepad were trying to settle a dispute between Flickerkit and Birdkit, only for it to rain. Really, it had only drizzled, but it was enough to give Lionkit a cold. Stars– Russetnose hoped it was only a cold.

“How was he when you found him?” she had asked. Alderstar had been out on a lone patrol, as he often did, when by chance he found Lionkit shivering beneath a fern leaf he was trying to use as shelter. 

“Well enough to ask if he was in trouble,” Alderstar replied with a hint of laughter. His comfort in being able to laugh as well as his confidence in the medicine cat calmed Russetnose. She was grateful for her leader, even more so after he had rescued her kit. She dared not think what could have happened, had he not been where he was when he was. 

It was only three moons ago that he went to the Moonstone to receive his nine lives after his father, Stonestar, had died in the terrible storm. It had been a tragedy, and sudden too. Alderstar wouldn’t speak to anyone but Myrtlewing for the whole day, not even to respond to congratulations, only hanging his head solemnly. The first time he did speak had been raspy, and it was to name the new deputy.

Russetnose smiled at her leader. He had been a kit when she was a warrior, and still he seemed so young for so much responsibility. But he was handling it remarkably well. Russetnose dared say he was doing better than his father, whose word was always final, to the other Clans as well as his own Clanmates.

Russetnose didn’t realize how long she had been sitting with her thoughts until Myrtlewing reappeared, a polite smile across his muzzle. “Lionkit’s fine, although you may want to rename him Shiverkit.”

Russetnose huffed. “I certainly might after today! What was he thinking?”

“According to him, he was thinking he could catch a frog and scare Birdkit with it. And apparently, Birdkit called him a ‘fur-brain with the dashing looks of a toad.’” 

The three couldn’t hide their laughter at that, and snortled. “At least she’s clever!” Russetnose finally said after regaining her breath. “I’ll be having a strong talking-to with her, too.”

“Cleverness could be useful,” Alderstar thought aloud. “I’m sure once she grows out of the name-calling, she will grow into quite the resourceful worker. And Lionkit is very brave. You have your paws full with good futures.”

Russetnose dipped her head. “Thank you, Alderstar.” The she looked at Myrtlewing, and back again. “Thank you both.”

—-----------------------------------------

“Thank you for agreeing to let me come,” Alderstar said.

Russetnose looked at him with surprise, padding through the forest beside him. “You’re the leader,” she pointed out.

“I protect the Clan, not command its every move,” he responded. “I have as much right to ask you to watch the training sessions as you do denying me.”

Russetnose smiled. Little more than a year had passed since Alderstar received his nine lives, and still he had yet to give anyone doubt in his abilities. Their paws crunched on the snow. “Perhaps waiting for a warmer day would’ve been better.” 

Alderstar kicked through the snow as they walked. “This might be the warmest day for the rest of leaf-bare.”

As promised, when they got to the clearing, Alderstar watched in silence, observing politely, only giving advice when the mentors asked for it. And when it was over, he congratulated the apprentices on how well their training had grown– making them look at each other with star-shattering delight–and then he praised the mentors for how amazingly they were handling the troublemaking furballs.

“Do you have any advice?” Russetnose asked, letting her apprentice run along back to camp with his sister and her mentor. She felt an old leaf stick to her cheek, and pulled it off between her toes. Alderstar looked to be in thought.

“Nothing springs to mind,” he responded. “Their fighting moves are exceptional for cats who’ve only been training for a few moons. How is their hunting?”

“Better, I expect,” Russetnose responded, then shrunk a bit, hoping she didn’t sound like she was bragging about her skills as a mentor to her leader. Then she remembered his words, he was just another Clanmate. “We focus a lot on it in leaf-bare, with the lack of food.”

Alderstar dipped his head. “Perfect, that’s what I like to hear.”

Snow began to fall, softly drifting down in delicate flakes. “We should probably return to camp before this light cold turns freezing,” she joked, fluffing out her fur. “Care to walk with me?”

“Thanks, but I’ll stay out for a while longer. The prey-pile was a bit thin when we left.”

Russetnose realized he was right, they should be hunting. “I should hunt too,” she decided. 

Alderstar stopped her with a paw. “After how hard you had just been working? Go back to camp, and give yourself some rest.”

Russetnose was about to take his request, then hesitated. “No, I’ll think I’ll come, too.”

Alderstar tilted his head in a friendly manner. “What if it’s an order?”

—-----------------------------------------

“From this day on until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Birdpaw. Your mentor will be Oakfringe. Oakfringe, you are ready to take on an apprentice. You have received excellent training from Pinesong, and you have shown yourself to be patient and courageous, and I hope you pass on all you know to your apprentice.”

As Oakfringe went to touch noses with the quivering Birdpaw, Russetnose, too, shook with pride from her spot in front of the crowd. “They’ve grown so much,” her mate, Blazepad, spoke softly beside her.

Russetnose agreed, purring in delight, not taking her eyes off of the ceremony. “I know! It feels like yesterday when Lionkit snuck out of the camp and got cold, or when Birdkit sprained her paw, or when Flickerkit had that bought of ticks!”

“Their mentors are going to have their paws full!” Oakfringe, Dawnmoth, and…. Russetnose scanned the crowd, wondering who would mentor her sweet runt.

“Flickerkit,” Alderstar continued as if on cue, “you have reached the age of six moons, and it is time for you to be apprenticed. From this day on, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Flickerpaw.” A pause. Russetnose held her breath. “I will be your mentor.”

Russetnose pulled her jaw from where it had dropped onto the floor. The leader training one of her kits! What an honour!

Flickerpaw was bouncing on his paws so hard, he had obviously forgotten that he still needed to touch noses with Alderstar, and rushed over, moving so fast that he bumped into the golden tom. Russetnose’s heart swelled so much, she was sure it would burst out of her chest at any moment. All wonderful mentors, dedicated to their Clan, and kind to the young ones.

Russetnose caught Alderstar’s eye. She knew Birdpaw and Lionpaw would no doubt complain, and in a way, they were right. Alderstar was so much more than a good leader. Flickerpaw was the luckiest apprentice in all the Clans.

===========================

--We don’t see her reaction just yet to Alder being revealed, cause I didn’t want it to be too long. 

But you know..... if you want to write that yourself....

--You may recognize Dawnmoth’s name!

--Bonus fact! Alderstar had just killed someone before finding Lionkit, and was again going to kill someone after watching the training (probably arranged to meet with Myrtle prior to leaving to watch the training), which is why he told her “no, leave.”

--Since Russetnose and Blazepad were mates and raising their kits together, I imagine that at least one of them could still train their apprentice while their kits were in the nursery.