#palewhisker

"I did id!" Weaselpaw bounced his tree limb up and down, the young tom brimming with excitement as his jaws still clutched to the warm body of his first kill. Fat and fluffy, a large squirrel hung limb from the tom's maw, tail swishing back and forth as Weaselpaw continued to bounce and cheer.

"Okay ya got it! Now get off yer high branch and come on down here, the patrol is leaving without us." Sure enough, from where he was sitting, Weaselpaw could make out the dark shapes off his clanmates stalking through the territory, all but one shecat who waddled up behind, belly round and plump, keeping her at the rear of the patrol.

"Aw man. Even Hailsweep is ahead of us!"

"See what I mean?" Palewhisker snorted. "Told ya not to climb up that far, you're lucky I wanted a bit of hunt'in for myself." The pale tabby begun trotting off in their clanmates direction, eyes casting a final glance to Weaselpaw who in turn begun to claw is way down the tree, claws grappling the bark surprisingly well as he skid down to the bottom, rump hitting first and earning a tiny "oof!" from the brown and white tom before he sprinted after his mentor.

Next to Palewhisker, Weaselfoot was a scrap. The short little tom's belly hung so low that with each pawstep his long stretch of white fur begun to turn dark and dirty, collecting every bit of grime between there and Frostclan camp. "So when will Brittlepaw get to come with us, huh? I want to show him how to climb a tree." A long moment of silence followed until finally Palewhisker answered, eyes not leaving the path ahead. 

"Don't think it'll be anytime soon there, champ. He's gotta lotta training to do to strengthen up before Stormstar let's the fella outa camp." Besides a small sigh of frustration, Weaselpaw took this with mostly silence, shifting about to awkwardly re-position the squirrel draped over his back. Palewhisker glanced downwards, blue eyes on Weaselpaw with a look of great befuddlement. "Thought I told you how'ta bury yer kill? We're gonna come back for it you know." Weaselpaw gave a little huff, white dabbed chin raised up high in defiance of this.

"You did! I just don't wanna let any mangy rouges get to it... This Squirrel is special."

"Special, yeah, I gotcha. First kill n' all."

"That's right!" He purred, happy to have such an understanding mentor. "I'm gonna bring it back to Crowface and Brittlepaw, but first I want to show it to Timberfall."

Cutting off their discussion, up ahead called the sweet voice of Hailsweep, Frostclans only resident queen. "Oh where has my poem run off too?"

"Poem?" Weaselpaw looked up to Palewhisker, searching for an answer. He was met with a "Shh!" And a big meaty paw coming down to bat the smaller cat with a stern form of play. Clearly though, Weaselpaw was not the only one curious about what had been going on. Up ahead, Timberfall and Pearstripe swapped confused glances.

"Poem?"

"A sonnet?"

"A lymric?"

"Haiku!" through a bed of dried reeds emerged the lithe and powerful form of a strange first. Hailsweep had run to greet him, their faces pressed against eachother as purrs rumbled from either cat's chest. Weaselpaw flared with alarm, the toms fluffy, kitten fur poofed out as he sneered aggressively towards the intruder, all of the other's however, remained flat.

"Why aren't you attacking him!" The tom wailed ahead, brown eyes narrowed in accusition to his father Timberfall and their other clanmate. It was Palewhisker that answered, whiskers twitching as he chortled on.

"That's Hailsweep's mate. He's the one we came looking for." A second glance was cast in the cats' direction. The fact that they were together apparent. His dark dappled coat pressed into the side of Hailsweep's own flowing, silver, fur. 

"I don't get it."

The three older toms all exchanged looks, grinning at Weaselpaw's comment. Their eyes all speaking the same thing. Kids. Once more it was Palewhisker that answered him, taking on the role of educating Weaselpaw had been a large one, though not without benefit. The dark furred tom was eager for knowledge. He fed off of every fact given and worked hard to make his body adhere to what Palewhisker had to say.

"Haycoo"

"Haiku." The dappled tom corrected, dipping his head with embaressment. "Sorry.."

"- Haiku..." Palewhiskers eyes went from the loner back to his apprentice. "Will jus' be livin with us and helpin out with some huntin until His kits are born then he- uh..."

"We haven't decided yet.." Hailsweep broke her silence, nuzzling fondly against her mate's shorter pelt. "Until then he will be filling a warriors role, helping around the nursery and bringing me and any other queens freshkill."

"Not exactly a warriors role." Pearstrripe grumbled into Timberfall's ear, earning a chuckle from both him and his son.

"Exactly that!" The pale tabby concluded with a nod of his head. "Not all tha' fair to keep a father away from his kits. 'Long as he does some work Stormstar seemed okay with lettin the guy hang around fer awhile." Still not completely convinced, Weaselpaw trusted in his mentor's reasoning and begrudgingly nodded his head. He seemed willing enough to accept this fact until strange cat begun to step forward.

"That's right lil snapper." He purred ina jovial sort of way. "I ain't gonna do you no harm. If anything itll just be like having an extra... ahuh- apprentice around. To deal with the kits and cleanup." Weaselpaw had backed away, fur pressed up against his mentors pale, striped coat.  He flashed tiny white teeth, lashing out at the older cat  only to be pulled away by the scruff. 

"Hold it, champ. I don't think your future clanmates will take kindly to you shredding their father." For a moment's time, Weaselpaw waited for a comment 'Like he could.' 'With those tiny paws?' or any of the other numerous things he had heard from his clanmates under their breath, as if he couldn't hear. Haiku spoke nothing, in fact he had been smiling, murmuring something off to Timberfall. "Is that you're little one then? Awful lot of spirit."

Weaselpaw decided, this cat was okay.

"Well we better get moving." Pearstripe stood, paws ready to get a move on. "Let's get this one back so I can take out my midday patrol."

"Midday patrol. Midday patrol. That's all Iv'e heard all morning." Timberfall shouldered his friend in jest, chuckling out an amused tease. The two of them went off bickering side by side with Haiku and Hailsweep following after. Weaselpaw scurried about, looking for his squirrel that had fallen off his back in all the commotion about Haiku.

"Ahh! Ive gotcha!" He brushed his nose under the fuzzy pelt, scooping it once more onto his back before trotting off in a rush to pick up the pace and once more walk beside Palewhisker. He admired the strong young warriors powerful gate and did his best to mimic it, finding soon enough that long pawstepts were not his thing and quickly replacing it with the former bunny hop he had used previously just to keep up.

Weaselpaw told himself again and again to not let his size get to him. He knew someday through much encouragement by his mother, Crowface, that he would be a brave and powerful warrior! Just like Timberfall! Sometime though, it was a burden to be so strong and also so goofy. There was in fact a reason the young tom tried so hard to appear serious and complex when clanmates were about. He heaved a sigh, feeling the weight of his squirrel pressing his belly closer yet to the ground. Just as he begun to think, think seriously about such sad things, a voice pulled him away.

"Hey." Palewhisker had turned to watch the confident young tom turn his muzzle down to the ground. He spoke again, simplicity in a shrug piquing Weaselpaw's curiosity.

"Keep you're nose high. You did good today." 

He was perplexed, for only a moment. It seemed a second later though, Weaselpaw had picked up on the deeper meaning. He puffed out his chest, turning his muzzle level and ahead, instantly finding his returned- albeit forced, confidence to lift him higher than he had been before. Screw not being tall. He didn't have to be a big warrior like Palewhisker to be great like him. He would be everything else. Strong, and brave, and above all confident in who he was!