Warriors: Silent

36

      "Urgh!" Frostcloud groaned jokingly. It was sun-high now and she and Smudge had just finished their third race- Smudge had won the majority.

  "You won the first race." Smudge consoled, bumping into Frostcloud and tripping her.

  She rolled her eyes, "It's all these rocks! Just race me in the forest, we'll see who wins then."

  Smudge pretended to be displeased, "Excuses, excuses!"

  Frostcloud flicked her tail before leaping, tackling Smudge into the grass. He yowled, then gently chewed at her shoulder while she kicked his underbelly with her sheathed hind feet.

  They rolled over in the gravel, and Frostcloud leapt off Smudge only to tackle him again when he got to his paws. "Ah! Ow!" He yelped.

  Frazzled, Frostcloud climbed off the lean tom, "I'm sorry! Are you okay?" She asked quickly, sniffing over Smudge. Did she push him into a sharp stone? Her pelt became hot in guilt as she searched for a wound.

  "Yeah, I'm fine. Why?" He asked, cocking his head to the side and pricking his ears. His mischievous yellow eyes glowed, and Frostcloud returned his joke by gently batting his ear.

  "Mouse-brain!" She chirped.

  A loud purr welled in Smudge's throat and he pounced, wrapping his legs around Frostcloud's neck as they fumbled back into the dirt. She rolled her head, giving a gentle bite to his ear.

  The tussle lasted for a few heartbeats more before Smudge rolled onto his back and Frostcloud sat upright, licking her paw and running it over her whiskers. "I didn't think I'd meet another fun cat out here." She said.

  "What do you mean?" Smudge asked.

  "Well, I wrestle with Mosspool- my friend- back in PineClan." She explained.

  "I forget you live with a lot of cats." Smudge commented.

  Frostcloud shrugged, "Not a lot. Our Clan almost died before I was kitted. But two queens had their litters two seasons ago, so there's more cats now."

  "How many?" Smudge asked.

  "Well- there's our leader, Whitestar. And his deputy, Crowfur. My mother Riverpelt, and then my friends Mosspool and Littlefern. Our medicine cat is Dawnheart, and my old mentor- Cricketlegs. Then there's Sunfur and Warmheart, and their kits-"

  "You don't consider that a lot?" Smudge asked with and amused twitch in his whiskers, "It's like a rat colony."

  She dropped her eyes to Smudge, who returned her gaze steadily. "What made you become a loner?" She asked.

  He pricked his ears, "Well, what made you become a Clancat?"

  "I- I was born in the Clan." Frostcloud blinked, like she didn't understand the question.

  "Well," Smudge explained, "I was born to a loner and her mate. So when my siblings and I got old enough, we went our separate ways."

  Frostcloud shook her head, "Why didn't you stay together?"

  "We took care of eachother till we were strong enough to be alone." He elaborated.

  "Well," Frostcloud said after a moment of thought, "I can't imagine what it's like to live without a Clan."

  Smudge rolled onto his feet before shaking out his coat, sending clouds dust into the air.

  Scanning the horizon, Frostcloud spotted a tree just some distance away. "Last one over is crow-food!" She blurted before hurtling in the trees direction.