ThunderClan's Loyalty, Book One

Chapter Nineteen

This chapters illustration is the result of an art collab between myself and my very best friend, TheMarshes. I did the lineart and the colors of the background and they did the rest. If you use Wattpad, go give them a follow! ^^
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

-September 4th-
Daisypaw is 7 moons old-
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Daisypaw awoke to a slightly rainy day, the drops hitting the brambles and leaves overhead and giving the air a nice musty smell.

   She was almost tempted to just stay there and listen to the drizzle outside for a while, but an energetic Nightpaw obviously wasn't going to let that happen.

   “Daisypaw! Come on, get up! Petalfern and Mallowfang will be waiting!” he exclaimed, his large black paws prodding her in the side.

   The white she-cat lifted her head and blinked at him. “Yes, of course,” she mewed to be polite, though not very enthusiastic about it. She had been battle training with Tulippaw and sparring with her father and her mentor the day before. It had been a bit of a struggle and she was still sore in the joints from it.

   “I've got tree hunting! Like I need it after catching that sparrow,” Nightpaw joked. “What are you doing today?”

   Daisypaw shrugged. “I'm not sure. Petalfern likes to keep it a surprise,” she mewed, getting up and arching her back in a long stretch, her splayed paws kneading the moss.

   “Alright,” Nightpaw mewed, beginning to groom himself, licking his paws and passing them over his head to smooth out his fur.

   Daisypaw gave her coat a few quick licks, not really caring if it was thorough, she wasn't particular.

   She waited for Nightpaw, they waited for Tulippaw to wake, and they exited together, finding their mentors talking together a few fox-lengths before them in the clearing.

   “Birchwhisker, are we doing something exciting today?” Tulippaw asked, stepping up to stand beside him. Birchwhisker purred down at her.

   “We're to learn tree hunting with Mallowfang and Nightpaw,” he answered. Tulippaw and Nightpaw exchanged excited glances.

   Daisypaw felt a strange spark inside her at seeing her father and her friend looking at each other like that.

   The look Birchwhisker gave Tulippaw was similar to the look he gave Daisypaw herself, almost too similar, and Daisypaw concluded that the sparks in her belly had to do with that fact.

   He's her mentor, she reasoned. I'm definitely close to Petalfern already, but that doesn't mean I love her more than Creamnose. Not even close!

   She also thought it might have something to do with Tulippaw and Nightpaw, but she quickly dismissed it, knowing that little could get between Nightpaw and her.

   “Are we going with them?” Daisypaw asked Petalfern expectantly.

   Petalfern gave her a kind yet apologetic smile. “Actually, I'm sending you hunting to work on your technique. I know you like to train with your denmates but I believe I can't tree hunt today; there's something strange I'm feeling that makes me hesitant about leaping so recklessly. I'll be better off hunting on the ground,” she mewed, surprising Daisypaw.

   Her mentor had a way with words and seemed to notice and think of things that no others could. What made no sense to Daisypaw, seemed to make sense to Petalfern, which Daisypaw admired and was fascinated by.