Stormclan's Wish (Part one) 'Before the Begining'

Chapter Four

Whisperpaw jumped out of the apprentice den. "Come on Strawberrypaw!" She call over her shoulder. "Blackeye told me that we were hunting today!" It had been nearly a moon since they had gotten their apprentice names. Goldenpaw was working her paws to the bone with Willowtail as the fastly approaching leaf-bare began to set in. In fact, it wouldn't be long before the first frost. "Hurry up!" Whisperpaw called again for Strawberrypaw. Whisperpaw caught a sight of Icefur's white tail as she disappeared out of camp.

Her mother never paid any attention to them anymore, Leopardflower had told her it was because her and her sisters looked and acted to much like Thissleyowl. Rumors spread through out the clan about how the only reason Icefur had cared for her kits was from the comforting words of Willowtail. Leopardflower, had told Brightpaw they were true and Brightpaw being who she is told the whole clan. Whisperpaw pawed a pebble on the ground. Didn't she love us? Strawberrypaw interrupted her thoughts. "I'm up." she yawned.

"About time!"  Whisperpaw nudged her toward their mentors, Blackeye and Frozenleaf who were sharing a squirrel by the nettle patch. Whisperpaw stopped in front of her own mentor, Blackeye. "You promised we go hunting today!" She reminded him. "Aaaand you also said that Strawberrypaw and Frozenleaf could come too." Blackeye sighed. "It's to early, the prey will still be in it's dens."

"But you promised!" Strawberrypaw was speaking now. "If we go out to early then there will be no prey to catch." Frozenleaf told Strawberrypaw gently. "We'll go out at sun-high, until then. Willowtail and Goldenpaw have their paws full. Go see if they need any help." Blackeye would finish.

Whisperpaw's ears pricked at the mention of her sisters name, she almost never got to see her anymore. " 'Kay." Whisperpaw nudge Strawberrypaw. "Come on, lets go." She'd say happily. "Oh, and Whisperpaw, Your're not going to help by distracting Goldenpaw from her duties." Blackeye flicked her ear with his tail playfully. "Go on now."

Whisperpaw made a dash from the medicine cat den she could hear Strawberrypaw's paw steps following and the made their was toward the bramble entrance. Whisperpaw felt pieces of her thick fur be torn out as she tore through to the main den. A heartbeat later Strawberrykit was at her side. "Willowtail!" Whisperpaw call along with Strawberrypaw. The small light brown she-cat popped her head out of the crack in the den. "Yes?" She asked walking over to the young she-cats.

"Blackeye asked us to help you." Whisperpaw mew searching the den with her eyes for the familiar golden pelt or blue eyes of her sister.

"She's out collecting some Tansy," Willowtail would say practically reading Whisperpaw's mind. "Smallsky has a bad cough." Willowtail would mew with a small sigh."It's going to be a rough leaf bare." Willowtail mumbles before heading over where she keeps the extra moss. "Can you change the elders bedding?" She wouldn't even wait for an answer as she dropped a huge wad of moss at Strawberrykit's paws. "Off you go, Goldenpaw will assist you when she returns." She'd nudge them toward the entrance. And Whisperpaw would turn to help Strawberrypaw carry some of the moss.

Strawberrypaw paused halfway across the clearing and dropped her moss on the ground. "She was in a hurry to make us leave."

"That's because the first frost is coming up, She's probably just busy." Whisperpaw mumble around a mouthful of moss. "Hurry, the longer we stand here the crankier the elders get." Whisperpaw waited for Strawberrypaw to gather her moss and then they continued to the elders den.

~*~*~

"Hey, Strawberrypaw." Whisperpaw would mew quietly. Softpaw and Brightpaw were fast asleep and the only sound in the den was the soft snoring of the sleeping apprentices. "Strawberrypaw." Whisperpaw would nudge her sister. "Huh? What?" Strawberrypaw would stir.

"Goldenpaw has been acting kinda strange don't you think?" Whisperpaw would say followed by a long silence of Strawberrypaw thinking. "You haven't noticed? She's been alot more... Umm... Whats the word..."

"Unsocial?" Strawberrypaw would mew "I was thinking more along the lines of Disconnected." Whisperpaw replied. Whisperpaw thought for a second. "She's only like that when somethings bothering her. I mean, most of the time I can't shut her up!" Whisperpaw mew quietly to Strawberrypaw who, by now, was half asleep. Whisperpaw let herself slowly ease herself into sleep. 'I'll ask Goldenpaw tomorrow.' She thought before letting herself sleep more soundly.