Sundown

Chapter Two(year one, moon three)

Coyotepaw slunk after his mentor, a wiry ginger rosette she-cat, as they approached the large, towering mountains.

His mentor didn't speak or acknowledge Coyotepaw as he started to lag behind, his legs much shorter than hers.

Once they reached the long tunnel that stretched up towards their camp, made in a hollowed mountaintop, the wiry she-cat shoved him in front, taking up the rear so he couldn't try to run.

"Scarletwillow!" Coyotepaw's mentor called toward a muscular, long-furred dark ginger tom sunbathing on top of a large rock once they reached the top.

The tom opened his blue eyes and slid off the rock, tilting his head when he saw the ashamed apprentice.

"I need to speak with Sandystar about a disobedient apprentice," she demanded, gesturing toward Coyotepaw.

"Right away, Fawncreek," Scarletwillow meowed, rushing up a rock and into a small cave above them.

Behind the dark ginger tom, a tall, marbled mackerel ginger tabby tom took a few steps out, his cold, mismatching eyes focused on Fawncreek.

"Sandystar, my apprentice failed to complete the assignment I gave him and got caught by two AshClan cats," Fawncreek mewed, dipping her head in deep respect.

"The filthiest of clans," the mackerel tom grumbled. "Fawncreek, seeing as this is this young cat's first, and hopefully only, time getting caught, how about we let him off light? What do you suggest?" The tall tom's amber and green eyes glimmering with malice as he flashed the two cats a toothy grin.

"Yes, Sandystar. I think, if his punishment is to be light, he should clean the medicine den for two moons," she meowed richly, flashing a small glance at her apprentice.

"Ah, quite a fitting punishment. Go, apprentice, see what needs to be cleaned in the medicine den," Sandystar meowed harshly, pointing his tail to a large crack in the stony walls of the camp.

Coyotepaw, very grateful he got off easy, dipped his head and rushed away, his tail curled around his hind leg.

"Coyotepaw, what brings you here? Is it Sandystar?" asked a scrawny, spiky-furred gray and white tom, his tone quickly turning disapproving as he mentioned the ginger leader. He paused in his menial task of soaking moss to listen to the large tom.

Coyotepaw shifted his paws, unsure whether the medicine cat would agree with his punishment or not. "He, uh, punished me for getting caught on another clan's territory," he murmured, staring at the ground in shame.

A short, ginger tabby she-cat with a heavily scarred muzzle poked her head out of a different crack in the den, a few stray leaves on her head. "This punishment again, huh?"

"Again?" Coyotepaw thought he had gotten off surprisingly easy. It made sense that this would be a common punishment.

"Shellpaw's short legs aren't great for stealth, so she gets caught more often than not. She's become somewhat of a normal part of our life," the first tom explained, soaking another mossball.

"Coyotepaw, why don't you start on Cardinalpaw's nest? He's been out collecting herbs since dawn and will be grateful for a fresh nest," the she-cat suggested, ducking back into what Coyotepaw figured was the herb storage.

He nodded and walked past the tom into yet another crack in the wall, this room full of only nests.

"Which one is his?" he called through the crack, unable to differentiate through the muddled scents of herbs.

"The one decorated with flowers. He enjoys the smell while he sleep."

As Coyotepaw worked, carefully taking the flowers out of the nest and rolling the dirty moss up, a new scent entered the den, smelling of murky water.