Tangletuft's Mistake; (complete)

Chapter thirty nine

Hush sat politely next to her train Patch. The two stared out into the distance, which wasn't all that far as trees covered their view.

"Where did you used to live?" Patch asked, looking up at Hush.

She looked back down, and gave the young tom a kind glare "In a moor. An open landscape where you could be free and run and smell the fresh air around you, feel the wind in your fur and see as far as your eyes could go. I loved it."

"Why did you leave then?" Patch asked another question, and Hush's face went from kind to serious faster than a heartbeat.

"I needed to meet my family," Hush genuinely meowed "I knew I wouldn't be able to cope with passing this opportunity up."

Hush began to think which question the train would ask next, when Patch's shoulders began to slouch and his ears began to relax. He let out an awkward sound before continuing "I understand. I couldn't imagine not having Forget and Clear in my life."

Hush nodded before perking her whiskers to the slight sound in the undergrowth "I hear prey." She whispered, entering a hunter's crouch -which looked awkward in the forest landscape- and began stumbling forward, almost tripping on tiny roots or pebbles in the grass.

Focusing more on where she was putting her paws than the prey she had heard, her tail swept against the bark of a tree. Hush heard the leaves bristle on the bush before a mouse darted away from her. She cursed under her breath.

"Oh well," Patch gently padded up to Hush. His voice was its usual bright and happy "We're not hunters anyway."

Hush slowly nodded, remembering only now that the FourSpirit group was far different than WindClan.

"Come on," Hush meowed as she slowly regained her mental state "Let's explore and see if we find any cats willing to join us. That's what recruiters do right?"

Patch nodded, letting out a mrrow of amusement "It feels like you're the train now."

Hush playfully swatted him with her paw "You're always the train. No matter what."

•••

With one paw in the forest, one on the cut green grass, Hush padded forwards, feeling different textures in her paws with each step.

"Having fun there?" Patch asked, giggling a little.

"What?" Hush trailed off before tripping on another root. She felt hot under her pelt before padding now only on the cut grass "Yes I am having fun."

Patch began to stifle a laugh before Hush playfully swatted him with her paw once again. He swatted her back, and Hush began to laugh. The two began to play-fight.
On both of their back paws, Patch swatted at Hush's head. She ducked and stabbed a paw at Patch's stomach. He fell backwards onto his paws and Hush placed a paw on his neck, and the other on his shoulder. She pressed down with effort, yet not too much to hurt the tom.

"No fair!" Patch whined, trying to keep in a laugh "You're bigger than me and you've been trained to fight!"

"I still won." Hush purred, licking her chest fur and giving Patch a mocking glare.

"No you didn't." Patch squealed before kicking upwards and Hush lost her balance, tilting to the side. She slowly regained her balance and by that time Patch was standing again in a kit-fighting stance. He giggled as he charged at her and she easily sidestepped to the side and Patch tripped, falling forward. Hush quickly raced to the train and placed a paw on the square of his back, and letting out a mocking laugh.

"Yes I did win."

"Fine fine just let me up." Patch commented and Hush released her grip.

The train hauled himself upward, licking his paw a few times before running it on his ear.