𝐁𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐒𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐬 𝐅𝐥𝐞𝐰 ◈━◈━◈ 𝐚 𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐫𝐬 𝐟𝐢𝐜

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐓𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐞

✵ Chapter Three ✵

     Swanpaw shifted in her nest. Sunlight falling on her eyelids caused her to open them. Briarpaw was next to her, with her tail curled around her body, and breathing softly. The other apprentices were also asleep. She opened her jaws in a yawn, and blinked her sky-blue eyes. She licked Briarpaw on the ear, and her sister opened her eyes. Briarpaw yawned, then her bright blue-green eyes popped wide open and she stared into the distance. Swanpaw looked at her worriedly. "What is it?" She asked softly.

     "I— um, nothing... I just, had, a... strange dream last night." Her sister mumbled, staring off still.

     Swanpaw looked Briarpaw over. "You went out hunting last night, didn't you?" She sighed. Briarpaw looked down. "Well... Yes. I promised the queens, and—" suddenly Briarpaw gasped, recoiling from something. Swanpaw gave a small laugh. "You brought a mouse in here with you? Shouldn't that be on the fresh-kill pile?" A fat, brown mouse sat at Briarpaw's paws. "I— I— yes, it should... I must've been, uhm, too tired last night to realize what I was doing and brought it in here."

     Swanpaw tilted her head at Briarpaw. Briarpaw was acting strange. "It's all right, you can just go put it there now. What else did you catch?"

     Briarpaw took a deep breath, and grabbed the mouse, mumbling through it, "Rabbit."

     Swanpaw's eyes brightened. "Good job! The queens will be glad for that one."

     Briarpaw nodded, stepping over her denmates to get out of the hazel bush which formed the apprentice's den. Swanpaw followed her sister out, and sat by the fresh kill pile which now consisted of the single mouse that Briarpaw had caught. Swanpaw shivered. It was cold, and she was hungry. Her white fur did not help hold any heat in. Sometimes she wished she had a nice, thick, black pelt, to keep her warm in Leaf-fall. Swanpaw wrapped her bushy white tail around her paws. Briarpaw came over and sat close to her.

     Warriors were beginning to emerge from their den, and a queen poked her head out of the nursery. A few yawning apprentices staggered out of the den, moaning about how cold it was. The leader, Jaystar, prowled out of her den, long silvery gray fur already groomed to perfection. She surveyed the camp with pale blue-green eyes.

     Swanpaw looked back at her sister, who was furtively glancing at Jaystar every few seconds, as if she were debating telling the leader something. "You okay?" Swanpaw asked. Briarpaw nodded quickly, mewing, "Yes. I'm fine."

     That did not convince Swanpaw, but knowing she would not get anything more from her sister, she sighed and got up. "Okay... You can tell me about it later. I'll go do something else."

     Briarpaw nodded absently, muttering, "Yes—later."

     Swanpaw shook her head slightly, and padded off. She headed toward the nursery to look for some cute kits to play with. Poking her head inside the milk-scented den, she looked around for her favorite kits. It was still shadowy in the den, and she saw three queens curled up around their kits, and a rabbit sitting near them. That must be the one Briarpaw caught, she thought. A couple of kits sat upright, and blinked at her. 

     "Swanpaw!" One squeaked. Their mother looked up tiredly, and blinked at Swanpaw. "Wanna come out?" Swanpaw mewed. The kits jumped up, and stumbled out after her, squeaking.

     Swanpaw sat down and faced them. "So, Mousekit, would you like to start us off on a round of mossball?"

     A ginger kit giggled. "No, my name's Maplekit!"