Flames At Night: Book 1: A Shattered Path

Chapter Five

Dolphinpaw

"...and Plumgaze and Marmotwhisker have become warriors," Bluebellstar finished, stepping back to let Softstar of FrostClan speak.

Dolphinpaw watched intently as the cream she-cat reported on her Clan. There was not much to say, other than a few new apprentices being made. He cheered their names along with the rest of the cats.

"Hiiiii!" squealed an almost white she-cat, popping up next to him. He jumped back a little, then shuffled his paws in embarrassment. The apprentice continued, oblivious. "My name is Echopaw, and this is Patterpaw, my sister!" She gestured to a black and white she-cat standing a short way behind her. "This is our first Gathering, we didn't get to go to the last one even though we were already apprentices. What's your name?"

"Dolphinpaw," he replied, slightly disturbed by her enthusiasm. "I'm from WaveClan."

"Okay!" said Echopaw, grinning. "We're from SparkClan! What's swimming in the ocean like? Is it fun? Have you ever been attacked by a shark?"

"A shark?" Dolphinpaw stared at her. "Do you think any cat could survive that?"

"I don't know! Larchwhisker told me a really scary story about a shark. He says they're gigantic and mean!"

"I've never seen a shark," Dolphinpaw said carefully. She seems kind of like Cloverpaw, except more hyper.

"Oh, too bad," Echopaw sighed. "Well, bye! I'm going to go make some more friends! Come on, Patterpaw!"

Her sister stepped to the side. "No thanks, Echopaw."

Echopaw stuck her tongue out at Patterpaw, then dashed off towards a group of other apprentices.

The small black and white she-cat sighed and sat down next to him. "You have no idea what it's like living with her."

Dolphinpaw stifled a snort of laughter. "I've got a sister too. But nowhere near as... active as she is."

"I have a little brother as well," Patterpaw continued, poking at a tiny shell in the sand near her paws. "But I can't really call him my little brother. He's almost as big as me now."

The dark gray tom looked at Patterpaw. Her head hardly came up to his shoulder, and she had short legs which must have made it hard to run. "You know what?"

She glanced up at him in surprise. "What?"

Dolphinpaw gazed out over the river. "My sister Cloverpaw was just like you. Some of the older apprentices would tease her for being so short."

"Even my sister teases me," Patterpaw sighed.

"Really?" the tom asked. She nodded in confirmation. "Well, tell Echopaw that she's a mousebrain."

They both laughed. "Thanks," said an amused Patterpaw. "I will."

"Anyways," Dolphinpaw continued, "Cloverpaw was shorter than me for moons. She still is, by a little. But I can tell you, she would beat me in a fair land fight any day."

"Echopaw's way better than me at fighting," Patterpaw meowed. "And she's faster. But my mentor says I'm better at hunting on the ground," she added, thinking hard. "And kits like me."

"Is it just kits, or do warriors like you too?" Dolphinpaw asked, looking at her sideways. She giggled a bit.

"I'm not sure. All I know is that kits like me better!"

The leaders were done speaking, and were now mingling with the crowd of cats. Dolphinpaw spotted his mother talking to Rubystar of DustClan. He remembered that he was kin with several cats in DustClan, due to being Rubystar's grandkit. He turned back towards Patterpaw.

"You know, Cloverpaw was adopted," he mewed, keeping his tone light. "Blossomwhisker wanted another kit, after Rainkit... died."

Patterpaw looked at him compassionately. "Is Blossomwhisker your mother?"

"Yeah." Dolphinpaw stared down at his paws. "And Rainkit was my sister."

"Patterpaw! Time to go!" A fluffy red tom was standing near the path to the bridge. Dolphinpaw thought that he had been sitting with the medicine cats, but he wasn't sure.

"I have to leave," mewed Patterpaw, glancing towards the tom. "See you next Gathering." She turned to go, then paused. "My other littermate died too," she whispered. "His name was Bluekit." Before Dolphinpaw could reply, she fled back towards her clanmates.

The gray tom watched her leave. Bluekit. I'll remember that.