Warrior Cats: The New Course (STILL UPDATING)

Chapter Fifteen

By the time Dewkit finished eating a mouse he'd chosen from the fresh-kill pile, Berrypaw and Shadepaw, the two newest apprentices, trotted into camp carrying even more fresh-kill. Their pelts were sticking up on ends, ruffled from a morning of action probably caused by an exciting chase of prey. Flameheart and Crowflight, their mentors, followed in close behind with prey of their own dangling from their jaws. They must have come back early from their hunting patrol due to the heavy rain clouds rolling in from the distant sky.

Dewkit stood up from his spot and trotted up to the apprentices as both Flameheart and Crowflight dispersed to the warriors' den. Though it's been nearly a moon since they were named as 'paws, it was still hard getting used to the fact that Berrypaw and Shadepaw were not his denmates anymore.

As Berrypaw dropped two mice on the pile, and Shadepaw a squirrel, he cleared his throat from behind.

"Hi, Berrypaw," Dewkit mewed, touching his nose to her tail in greeting. She whirled around, surprised.

"Oh, Dewkit! Hello," she said back. They both looked at Shadepaw, but the gray tom shrugged them off and trotted to the apprentice den, where Bloodpaw could be found grooming himself. "Sorry about him. Grumpy as ever, I suppose."

Dewkit sighed. "At least some things don't change."

"Yeah, right," Berrypaw said sarcastically, pointing with her nose to where Ravenkit was. Though Silverleaf protested this at first, Ravenkit found herself sitting at the top of the leader's den quite often, keeping a watchful eye on the camp. Nobody seemed to mind, as long as she was finally out of everyone's fur. But it still felt strange to Dewkit at how much she's been keeping to herself for the past moon . . . And not to mention, how much the camp atmosphere changed.

"I guess with you and Shadepaw gone, there's nobody to play with anymore," Dewkit explained, trying to come up with the best possible reason as to why his sister seemed so distant.

Berrypaw looked at him. "Surely she could play with you, right?"

Dewkit shrugged, feeling a bit embarrassed. "She's never liked to play with me. I'm not as strong as she is."

"Well, I guess she's still shocked about what happened with the rogue. But I personally think she should be happy," Berrypaw meowed as she began walking towards the apprentice den. "You know, with newleaf here and all . . . The Clan's not so hungry anymore. And it's finally warming up." She paused. "At least that should cheer her up."

Dewkit nodded. "It should."

"I'm going to go and join Shadepaw and Bloodpaw for some fresh-kill, though, since the Clan has already eaten," she said with a dip of her head. "See you later, Dewkit."

Dewkit's tail dropped as he watched her turn away after her brother, who was immersed in conversation with Bloodpaw. "See ya'," he murmured, mostly to himself.

I guess they're not that interested in me anymore, he thought with disappointment, returning his gaze to Ravenkit up on the Moonrock. With all the changes recently from how busy Icestar and the other warriors have become, to the weird atmosphere in camp, and to the loss of his friendship with Berrypaw, the changes that hurt the most sourced from Ravenkit.

She didn't come up with schemes anymore, didn't cause trouble anymore, and he almost forgot what it was like to be in trouble for following around in her antics. He didn't realize how important her company was to him, now that Berrypaw and Shadepaw were apprentices.

Not that Shadepaw used to want to hang out around me anyway, he thought with a sigh.

A crack of lightning flashed in the distance, and he looked up into the dark clouds of the sky. Although warm season finally arrived, good weather had ceased to bless the forest. The swirling aftermath of the sudden lightning was followed by a jolt of booming thunder and Dewkit jumped at the powerful noise, the fur on his body sticking up with shock and fear.