#pepperpaw

RUSTLE!

He pounced, but the mouse was already skittering away. He made one last clumsy swipe after it, but it nimbly evaded him and darted into a hole. Cursing under his breath, he whirled around, ready to give whoever had interrupted him a piece of his mind.

To his surprise, a figure was standing there silently, watching him. He couldn’t make out more than the silhouette in the darkness, enough to see it was bigger than Graypaw, smaller than Lionheart, and just as fluffy as the two of them combined. “Who’s there?” He asked cautiously, stepping forward to try and get a better look.

The creature stared at him a moment longer before dashing away into the undergrowth in a flash of red, moving faster than any cat Firepaw had seen. “Hey! Wait!” He called, about to chase after it-

WHAM!

Something slammed into his shoulder, throwing him aside. He barely managed to keep his footing as he staggered into a tree, gaze darting around to catch who had done it. The forest, however, was empty. After a few tense moments, he started to relax, thinking whatever it was had surely gone by-

WHAM!

Firepaw startled awake to see Cinderpaw standing over him, blue eyes shining brightly despite the half light. “You’re finally awake! I thought you were gonna sleep for ages and ages, you were really out cold there!”

“Starclan, Cinderpaw, would you give him some room to breathe without your stinky breath in his face?” Graypaw yawned as he stretched out, clearly woken by the commotion. “What’s the rush, anyways?”

“I do not! You’re the one with the dog breath!” Cinderpaw snapped, whirling around to glare at her brother. “Oh right! Bluestar’s about to call a meeting! C’mon, c’mon, we’re gonna miss it if you two keep snoozing away all night! You’re lazier than... uh…” She glanced awkwardly over at Firepaw as she trailed off.

“About to? How do you know?” Graypaw grumbled, his eyes half-lidded until his sister’s last words, when they suddenly snapped open. “Hey, watch your tongue.”

It didn’t take a genius to realize what Cinderpaw had been about to say, but Firepaw didn’t let on as he eyed her carefully. “Yeah, how do you know? Has she called everyone together?”

She pouted as she looked between the two of them. “Well, no, but she’s in her den with Whitestorm and Spottedleaf right now! And it’s almost moonhigh! She’s gotta make a decision soon!”

“Define almost.” Graypaw padded over to the entrance of the den, squinting up at the sky outside. “Huh, it is almost moonhigh. And- Firepaw, Cinderpaw, c'mon! Bluestar’s coming out of her den!”

In a flash, his sister was already pushing her way past him, bolting out of the den. Firepaw and Graypaw were right on her heels, emerging from the den just in time to hear Bluestar calling out over the camp.

“Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather beneath the Highrock!”

She hadn’t needed to call them together; the entire camp had been merely waiting for the signal to gather. They slipped out from the shadows, much as they had when Firepaw had first arrived; now, however, they solemnly assembled around the body in camp. Carefully, they avoided those still mourning, who turned to watch Bluestar through tear-filled eyes.

“As you all saw, Ravenpaw was grievously wounded in the fight with Riverclan. However, I have spoken to Spottedleaf, and she believes that he will survive the night.” There were sighs of relief across the camp at the mention of the tiny black apprentice. “He will be staying in the healer’s den until his wounds have healed. May Starclan grant him a speedy recovery.”

Firepaw glanced towards the healer’s den to see Spottedleaf sitting there, quietly looking on. Even as far away as she was, he could tell that she was exhausted; all the excitement and fighting must have taken a toll on her. Her ears and eyelids drooped, and she swayed slightly in the breeze. Nonetheless, she dipped her head in acknowledgement as the Clan directed gratefulness and well-wishes her way.

“As the code dictates, a new deputy must be chosen before moonhigh. Before I do, however, I wish to thank Redtail for his courage and sacrifice defending our borders.” She raised her gaze to the stars above, searching the bright lights as though seeking some sort of sign. “May he sit with great honor among the stars.”

A hush fell over the crowd as they watched the sky, above. Firepaw searched as well, unsure what they were waiting for. His eyes followed the bright streak of stars above - the Startrail, as Graypaw had called it. He blinked in surprise as a red one close to the edge caught his eye. Each star is a warrior that has joined them. Could it be?

He dismissed the thought as Bluestar began to speak again. “I say these words before Redtail and Starclan, so that they may hear and approve of my choice.” She searched the crowd below, and Firepaw looked to them to see that every cat was hanging on her words, waiting to hear her decision.

“Quickflash will be the new deputy of Thunderclan.”

The crowd immediately erupted into whispers, gossiping amongst themselves about what they thought of her announcement. Firepaw searched the crowd to see the pale tabby that Graypaw had pointed out earlier, who seemed shocked at the decision. Beside him, a silver tabby - Willowbranch, Firepaw remembered, Graypaw’s mother - gently brushed her cheek against his in support.

“I- I am honored, Bluestar.” Quickflash finally spoke, standing as the rest of the Clan looked to him. “I could never possibly hope to outshine Redtail. He was the best deputy a Clan could ask for.” The lengthy tom glanced to the rest of the Clan, angling his ears to hear their murmurs of support. “But I will do everything in my power to serve you, and Thunderclan, Starclan willing.”

Bluestar gave a satisfied nod at his words. “May it be Starclan’s will.” With that, she leaped nimbly off of the rock, the warriors at the base parting to let her pass. As she walked by Quickflash, she briefly touched noses with him, before walking over to Redtail’s body and laying down beside it once more.

Quickflash stood as well and moved towards the warrior’s den, but he only made it a few steps before he was surrounded by Clanmates. “Wow, Dad! I can’t believe you’re deputy now!” Firepaw heard Graypaw’s words above the rest, and he smiled at seeing the genuine delight in Graypaw’s face. “Congratulations! I know you’re gonna be the best deputy ever!”

The older tom smiled and nuzzled his son affectionately. “I hope so.” He agreed, casting a look behind him to Redtail’s still body. “I have some big paws to fill.”

“You can do it, Dad! You’re the best warrior Thunderclan’s ever had!” Cinderpaw chimed in, practically prancing in place beside Graypaw. “Probably the best warrior in all the Clans!”

“I wouldn’t say that.” Despite his words, Quickflash was beaming as he looked down at his daughter. “Don’t think you’ll be getting out of any apprentice duties just because your old tomcat’s the deputy now. I’ll make sure Mistspring pushes you twice as hard as everyone else.”

“Don’t you worry about a thing. I can’t be going soft on my niece, Willowbranch would never forgive me.” A pale, almost white molly spoke up from behind the apprentices; Mistspring, Firepaw assumed. “I’ll make sure that the deputy’s daughter grows up to be just as good a warrior as her father.”

Quickflash dipped his head to the molly. “I’ll hold you to that.” With that he nudged his son and daughter towards the apprentice den. “Now you two best go get some sleep. Sunrise isn’t far away, and you won’t want to be tired for training tomorrow.”

As he turned to accept more congratulations from the rest of the Clan, Graypaw and Cinderpaw bounced their way over to Firepaw. “I can’t believe Bluestar made Dad deputy! I thought for sure Pepperpaw was right and she’d choose Whitestorm. He’s practically deputy already!” Graypaw mewed to the other two, his whiskers twitching in surprise.

“Even I can be wrong, brother dearest.” Pepperpaw cut in dryly as she made her way over to them. “Dad is a good choice, though. Bluestar gave him Dustleap as an apprentice for a reason; he’s rational, dependable, and disciplined. I can’t think of anyone better to mentor a deputy’s kit, or become deputy himself.”

“If you’d asked me, I would’ve totally told you it was gonna be Dad! He really is the best warrior ever! Much better than Tigerclaw or Whitestorm.” Firepaw watched as her siblings rolled their eyes, clearly used to Cinderpaw’s boasting. “None of you guys ever ask me anything, though. Even when I’m clearly the best at predicting things, ever!”

“Yes, yes, it’s almost like Starclan themselves whisper in your ear.” Pepperpaw’s sarcasm seemed to go unnoticed by Cinderpaw, who nodded enthusiastically at her words. “I’m gonna stay out here and wait for Dewpaw. You guys better get some rest, we’ll be in in a bit.”

“Okay! Don’t worry, we’ll do our best to save a spot for you. Unless Cinderpaw hogs all the moss first!” Graypaw winked at Firepaw and turned away, ignoring Cinderpaw’s raspberry behind him. “Good night!”

Pushing his way inside, Firepaw returned to his crudely constructed nest, watching as Cinderpaw scraped together her own next to Graypaw. It wasn’t long before Dewpaw and Pepperpaw joined them, shortly assembling a pile of gray cats inside the den.

Firepaw’s whiskers twitched in amusement at his friend’s demeanor. His friend, he realized with a grin to himself. “I know that, Graypaw. How do you think I got in?” He asked with a roll of his eyes, turning back to survey the camp. Already, even though such little time had passed, he was already beginning to think of this place as home.

“Oh. Right.” Graypaw looked subdued for a moment, and he had to feel a little bad for deflating his tour guide’s bubble. But it was only a few heartbeats before his friend had brightened up again. “Well, it doesn’t hurt to have a refresher, right? Wouldn’t want you forgetting with everything that’s happened!”

Firepaw couldn’t find a reason to argue with that, and so he nodded agreeably. “I suppose that’s true. If you’re showing me stuff I already know, then, why don’t you introduce yourself? Or tell me about Highrock?” He had intended that to be teasing, but privately, he realized that he didn’t know much about his new friend; or about the sacred rock Bluestar had stood on.

The fuzzy gray tom chuffed in amusement. “You can’t introduce yourself to someone who already knows you!” He tilted his head for a moment in thought. “At least, I don’t think you can.” He shrugged, clearly not bothering to think too deeply on it, but instead turning his gaze to the giant rock that loomed over camp. “Highrock is where the Clan leader makes their announcements from, as you saw. See that hole at the base, there? Covered in lichen? That’s the leader’s den. Not that you’ll get to see the inside of it for a long while, yet!”

Firepaw stared at the darkened den, all but hidden by strands of moss. “Do you think I’ll ever get to?” He asked quietly, trying to imagine what lay within.

“Oh, sure. Every cat gets called inside Bluestar’s den, at some point. You just gotta hope you’re not in trouble when you do!” Graypaw shuddered at the thought, before winking back at the new apprentice. “But if you don’t get in trouble, you’ll be fine!”

Easier said than done, he supposed. Though everyone seemed to be alright with him now, he had to imagine it wouldn’t take much to get tempers rising once again. “Alright, then, what’s next?” He asked, trying to move his mind to brighter things.

The dark gray tom nodded to the space between the Highrock and the bramble entrance, which was covered by a fallen tree, its' far branches stretching up towards the edge of the ravine. “Underneath that tree is the elders' den. It’s usually the driest spot in camp, not that you’d think it listening to how they complain!” He caught himself quickly as a graying brown tabby tom laying near the entrance spared a glance at him. “But they deserve it, for serving the Clan faithfully for many, many moons! It’s their right to complain as much, or as little, as they want.” The older tom harrumphed at that, looking to a small white tom next to him and muttering something Firepaw couldn’t hear.

“I assume there aren’t many elders.” Firepaw noted, remembering how hard Bluestar and Lionheart had said that Clan life was.

“Only four, at the moment. Halftail - that’s the brown tabby, there - Smallear, One-eye and Rosetail. You’ll meet all of them, in time. One of the duties of apprentices is to attend to the every need of the elders, including changing their bedding and getting rid of their fleas and ticks.” Firepaw nodded thoughtfully as he watched the two elderly toms conversing. “And trust me, you don’t want to get assigned to elder duty.” Graypaw hissed in his ear - the most discrete the young tom could get, he supposed.

Firepaw shrugged in response. “I’ll do anything to become a real Clan warrior, even if it means changing a hundred thousand beddings.” The brown tabby tom flicked an ear towards him, but didn’t turn to look. “Besides, I’m sure they could teach me a few things.”

“In that case, you can take elder duty for me!” Graypaw suggested eagerly, laughing as the ginger tom gave him a good-natured shove. “Lionheart’s been telling me that there’s wisdom in the elders’ words, but personally, I can’t say I hear anything besides complaining. If you do, well, more power to you.”

He supposed that, given his new friend had been born and raised in Thunderclan, he would be used to such things; but Firepaw wanted to know all of it, even the boring parts. Still, he didn’t say that out loud, lest Halftail hear him. “So that’s the elders' den, and leader’s den. What next?” The new apprentice asked his guide, taking in the camp to see if he could spot the next den.

“The most important part of camp!” His eyes widened at that, and he made sure to give Graypaw his attention. “Right there, on the other side of the Highrock, can you see it?”

Firepaw’s eyes searched for the sign of a den entrance, but he couldn’t see anything close to the Highrock. “No, what?”

“The freshkill pile, duh!” The rusty tom had to keep himself from rolling his eyes at Graypaw’s excitement. Of course, he should have guessed. “My littermates and I made the biggest contribution of the morning, though of course it’s the duty of every warrior to catch prey for the Clan.” His forest-born friend gave the new apprentice a side glance. “You still haven’t tasted mouse, have you?”

His stomach rumbled at the thought. He still hadn’t eaten since last night, before he went into the forest. “No.” He admitted begrudgingly.

“Don’t worry, there’s plenty to share today! If Cinderpaw hasn’t eaten all of it, yet.” Graypaw assured him with a friendly head bump.

“Cinderpaw?”

“My sister. Don’t worry, you’ll meet her in a bit.” The subtle groan in his voice made Firepaw curious what Cinderpaw was like, but for the moment, he didn’t dare question it. “Now, you see that crack in the rock next to the freshkill pile? That’s Spottedleaf’s den.”

As Graypaw pointed it out, a brown tabby slid out from the entrance and trotted towards the freshkill pile: Firepaw realized belatedly that it was Dustleap. “Who’s Spottedleaf? Why was Dustleap in there?” He hissed to the other apprentice, careful to avert his gaze before the ill-tempered tom could catch sight of them.

“Oh, that’s right, you haven’t met Spottedleaf yet. She’s our healer, she takes care of our wounds and cures illnesses. You’ll love her when you meet her; everyone does.” Graypaw’s eyes seemed to look past the horizon, a small smile on his face. “You should go see her, get those scratches looked at.”

Firepaw dared a glance towards the freshkill pile, where Dustleap was still poking through with a paw. “I’m fine.” He lied, ignoring the sting of a particularly fierce cut on his shoulder.

“Suit yourself. Just don’t be surprised if Spottedleaf comes to find you later. She takes her duties very seriously.” Graypaw shook his head, his smile lingering for another moment before he grew serious again. “On the far side, there, where those thick brambles are? That’s the nursery entrance, where all the kits stay until they’re old enough to become apprentices.”

Firepaw stared into the wall of brambles at the far end of the ravine, but he didn’t see any movement. “Are there any kits right now?” He asked, considering what Bluestar had said about the nursery being near empty.

“Just one. Snowkit, Speckleflight and Dappleshine’s son. He was born only a moon ago, so he’s still too small to move around.” As he spoke, a pale golden queen stepped out of the nursery, quickly met by a white molly that touched noses with her before taking her place inside. “That white queen was Frostfur, and then that’s Speckleflight. The last queen is Goldenflower - she’s Frostfur’s mate. Together, they take care of all the kits in the nursery, whether they currently have any or not.”

Firepaw’s nose twitched in disgust as he watched her walk over to Dustleap and give him a motherly lick. “I see.” He said simply, trying not to let his dislike for the brown tabby cloud his judgement. “So are they the mothers of everyone in the Clan? Which one’s your mom?”

“More or less, unless they’re old or weren’t born in the Clan. My mom’s Willowbranch, though. She’s returned to being a warrior, now that we’re apprentices.” Graypaw gestured to a shady corner near the entrance, where a black-striped tom was sharing a rabbit with a silvery molly and a skinny pale tabby tom. “That’s her, along with Quickflash, my dad, and my uncle Longtail, with the dark stripes. I’d introduce you, but they seem a bit busy. You’ll get to know everyone anyway, in time.”

He was grateful for that. So many cats and so many names, he was worried he would mix them up and make a fool of himself. “I hope they’re as kind as you.” He said aloud softly, glancing anxiously to his new friend.

“I’m sure Mom will. If anything, I’m the one that’s got to be worried! She’s always told me she’s wanted a different son…” At Firepaw’s shock, the gray tom laughed. “Of course, that was only when I was getting into trouble. We get along fine now that I’m not always under her paws!” He grinned to himself, surely remembering past chaos he’d caused. “As for Quickflash, well, as long as you’re a good apprentice, he’ll like you fine. The only thing he doesn’t like is a lazy cat!”

For a moment, that only caused the new apprentice more anxiety, until he remembered old Henry. If he wasn’t that lazy, he figured, he’d probably be fine, right? “Speaking of lazy, where do the warriors sleep? And where do we sleep, for that matter?” He could certainly use a nap after all the running he’d done - a nap, and some food.

“Ha! Well, the warriors sleep in that grove of bushes, next to the nursery. I’ve never been inside myself, but I hear it’s even bigger under there than it looks!” Firepaw eyed the giant cluster of leaves and branches that easily seemed big enough for a hundred Lionhearts. It was hard to imagine it being even bigger on the inside. “As for us apprentices, we sleep in that pile of ferns, next to the tree stump. It might look small, but there’s quite the hollow under there.”

He had to wonder at that, given how small the pile of ferns seemed. He could make out an entrance underneath them, but they seemed barely large enough to fit Lionheart and Whitestorm together - then again, given that apprentices were generally a bit smaller than full grown warriors, perhaps that was the point.

“Is one of those gray cats next to the apprentice den your sister?” He asked, noticing three differently colored gray mollies next to the tree stump; one that was mottled with all shades of gray, another that was a bright silver, and a third that was the same color as Graypaw. Privately, he assumed it must be the latter of them, though he didn’t want to make a guess and offend his new friend.

“All three of them are.” He could hear the grimace in Graypaw’s reply, though he didn’t look at his fellow apprentice. “Come on, they’ll kill me if I don’t introduce you. Just don’t let them eat you alive, alright?”

With that ominous warning, his guide stalked across the camp, tail low. Firepaw steeled himself before following, trying not to let any fear come across.

“Finally, he introduces himself! Were you just planning on hogging the new apprentice all day?” The dark gray molly was the first to speak, jumping up and all but racing the last few paces to meet them. She was bouncing back and forth on her paws as she eagerly extended her nose to sniff Firepaw, who didn’t try to stop her. “Hi, by the way! I’m Cinderpaw, Graypaw’s best sister! You put up a great fight, by the way, it’s about time that someone showed Dustleap he’s not all that!”

“Cinderpaw!” The spotted molly chided her sister, who didn’t seem to notice it at all. “Give him some space, you’re scaring him!” She rolled her eyes and grinned sympathetically at Firepaw. “Nice to meet you, by the way. I’m Pepperpaw, and this is Dewpaw. You’ll have to forgive her if she doesn’t speak much, she’s always been a bit shy around new cats.”

“Am not…” The final sister spoke up now, if only at a murmur, from where she was crouched next to Pepperpaw. As soon as she met Firepaw’s gaze, however, she looked down to the ground, taking a quick bite out of her mouse as an excuse.

“You know it’s true, Dewpaw!” Cinderpaw piped up from beside Firepaw, giving him a thorough once-over. “Is it true you were raised a kittypet? Did you really only eat rabbit droppings? And do kittypets actually make dirt in a tiny box, or is that just something One-eye made up? Oh, how-”

“Cinderpaw, would you get off?” Graypaw snapped, batting at his sister as she moved ever closer. “So, yeah, these are my sisters. They’re all pawfuls… Cinderpaw, especially.” He added with a pointed hiss at his hyperactive sister, who was still hovering around them.

“Of course I am! It’s no fun laying around all the time like you do.” She stuck her tongue out at them, before hopping back to take a seat by Pepperpaw. “It’s nice we get to have a new face around here finally! I was so worried it was going to be all boring, with only these lumps for my whole apprenticeship.” She rolled her eyes and nudged Pepperpaw, who only rolled her eyes silently in response.

“Anyways, Firepaw, you still haven’t had mouse, right? Why don’t we share this one together, since my sisters have eaten everything else.” Graypaw nudged the tom beside him in a not-subtle hint, who eagerly nodded in response. It was nice meeting the other apprentices he would be sharing a den with, but Cinderpaw especially was a bit overwhelming in her excitement.

“Aww, are you sure you don’t want to-”

“Yes, definitely.” Graypaw cut his sister off before she could say anything else, picking up the last mouse and trotting it over near a patch of nettles. “We’lf shee you latersh.” He mumbled around the mouse to his sisters as he passed, Firepaw quickly following along.

“So it’s the five of us?” The new apprentice asked him quietly, keeping his ears down to ignore the chattering of Cinderpaw to her sisters. “That doesn’t seem so bad, though I guess I understand why you were excited to have another apprentice around.”

“Oh, it’s not just us. There’s Ravenpaw, too, but he’s out on a special mission right now with Redtail and Tigerclaw, the lucky duck!” Graypaw set the mouse down between them, nosing it a bit more towards Firepaw. “You can have the first bite, since it’s your first taste of real food! Just make sure to leave some for me.”

“Redtail? Tigerclaw?” Tigerclaw, he remembered, was someone Graypaw had mentioned last night. Glancing down at the mouse, his nose was filled with the scents of the wild, the sensation causing the fur on his back to rise a bit. His first real food! He bit gingerly into it, savoring the blood spilling from his fangs. It was juicy, tender, and every bit worth all that he’d overcome to get here.

“Redtail’s our deputy, which means he was chosen by Bluestar to succeed her as leader. He takes care of a lot of things around the Clan, like assigning patrols. Whatever mission he’s on, it’s bound to be important. I wish I could’ve gone!” He shook his head in envy. “How’s the mouse, by the way?”

“Delishoush.” Firepaw mumbled through his mouthful of mouse. “And Tigerclaw?” He asked before quickly taking another bite.

“Well, move over, let me have some, you big lump!” Graypaw purred, gently shoving against Firepaw. At the reminder of Tigerclaw, he blinked and nodded. “Oh yeah! Tigerclaw’s the biggest and strongest warrior of Thunderclan - bigger than Lionheart, even, and covered in scars! He and Redtail used to be mates, I hear, but they’ve been fighting for as long as I’ve been alive. Whatever mission they’re on, it must be important for them to set aside their differences.”

Firepaw gladly moved aside, chewing on both what Graypaw had said as well as the mouse. “What about-”

He never got to finish his question, as a loud yowl rang out across the clearing, causing all heads to turn towards the entrance. “Shmallear shmellsh trouble!” Graypaw cried, coughing a bit through the mouse he’d eaten.

He barely managed to finish his sentence before a black blur slammed through the entrance of camp. As it halted close to the Highrock, he was able to see it was a cat; about the same size as Tinyfrost in height, but longer and skinnier. The only color he could see was from the cat’s wide, panicked green eyes; the rest of it was as dark as a moonless night from head to toe. Except, he realized, for the currently bushed tail tip, which was a small puff of white.

“That’s Ravenpaw! But what’s he doing back alone? Where’s Redtail and Tigerclaw?” Graypaw was already making his way across the clearing, as were many of the other cats, and Firepaw had no choice but to follow.

As he got closer, he could see that Ravenpaw was in rough shape. His right foreleg was thick with blood from a deep cut near his shoulder, and his coat was heavily ruffled, as though he’d been dragged by his tail backwards through the bramble tunnel. From how heavily the skinny tom was panting, it was clear he’d run a long, long distance to get back to camp.

“Ravenpaw? What has happened?” Bluestar stepped forward from the assembled cats. Though her words were calm, the tip of her tail flicked anxiously, and he could see the heavy clouds of fear in her eyes.

Ravenpaw’s sides were heaving, and it was clear he was getting dizzy, as he tilted back and forth as though the world was rocking beneath him. For several tense moments, the camp was silent, all eyes on the black tom as he struggled to catch his breath. Just as blood was beginning to pool beneath his paws, he finally managed to struggle out a single sentence.