Flamepaw's Destination

Chapter 37

Flameclaw padded out of the woods alongside Barkfern, carrying a dead squirrel in her jaws. They had spent the afternoon hunting for the clan, giving them some quality time together. It made Flameclaw miss the times they would spend in RiverClan together as apprentices, back before they had warrior duties.

But Flameclaw enjoyed being a warrior here, and she enjoyed being with her family here even more. It had been several moons now since her kits had become warriors, and she couldn't help but take pride in their accomplishments.

They had adapted to warrior life very well, and they seemed to get along with their mates even better. It was hard to imagine that they had once been slightly larger than Flameclaw's paw. Goldnose and Daisyfern were both larger than her now, though she and Snowripple were about the same size.

Flameclaw turned and glanced at Barkfern. He carried a dead mouse in his jaws. It was significantly smaller than Flameclaw's kill. She had teased him about when he first killed it, which had led to some laughter and fun. It reminded Flameclaw of her apprentice days again.

Barkfern spit out his mouse and glanced at his mate.

"Why are you staring at me?" he asked.

Flameclaw chuckled. "No reason."

"If it's to make fun of my kill..."

"It's not. Don't worry," she teased. He retrieved his mouse and continued walking alongside her until they came into the opening of the camp. They quickly found their way to the fresh-kill pile and dropped their prey.

"Not a bad catch," Barkfern told her as he stared at the dead squirrel.

"Oh, now you say so," Flameclaw replied, shoving a paw against him.

"Hey, no wrestling here," Barkfern warned. "Or else we're as bad as the kits in the nursery."

Flameclaw rolled her eyes. "You're no fun."

She glanced over toward the nursery where several kits played. Her heart warmed as she heard their tiny shrieks of laughter and watched them bound around with their tiny legs. She had at one time considered another litter, but she was content now. Her mind now drifted to the possibility of her children having kits of their own.

"Hey, Flameclaw, Barkfern," came a familiar voice.

Flameclaw spun around and recognized Goldnose.

"Can I talk to you guys for a second?" he asked.

"S-Sure," Barkfern stammered, taken aback.

Goldnose led them to an empty corner of the camp and sat down. Flameclaw and Barkfern sat down across from him and waited for him to speak. The tom appeared to be nervous though as he suddenly stood up again and began pacing in front of them.

"Is everything okay?" Flameclaw asked.

"Goldnose?" Barkfern spoke up.

"Oh," the tom replied, realizing they were waiting for him to speak. "Yeah. Everything's fine. Great actually. Hazelstream is expecting kits."

Flameclaw let out a shriek of excitement, so loud that Goldnose jumped.

"Congratulations," Barkfern purred.

"Thanks," Goldnose replied quietly.

"Everything all right?" Flameclaw asked.

"I'm just nervous," Goldnose admitted. "I wasn't expecting to have kits so soon. Hazelstream is excited, but I don't know if I'll be a good father or not."

"You should talk to your father," Flameclaw said, eyeing Barkfern.

"I didn't think I was ready either," Barkfern explained. "And for us, it was so much more difficult. We were clanless when your mother discovered she was pregnant, and we worried she'd have the kits before we even reached a clan. But you are in a stable and safe clan here. All of us will work together to make sure your kits are safe and well taken care of."