Warriors: Sun and Moon - Into the Town

Chapter 2

  Moonpaw waggled her haunches, staring at the leaf before her.

"Not so viciously," Ravenswoop teased, "you're going to knock yourself down if you don't calm your tail!"

Embarrassed, Moonpaw felt warmth flood her face and radiate out of her ears. She gave her chest fur a lick before trying again, this time crouching steadier.  

"Better," he meowed. 

Taking the next step, Moonpaw stalked around the clearing, keeping away from her brother and sister, who were practicing the hunter's crouch as well.  

Ravenswoop approached and put his muzzle near Moonpaw's ear, his face turned away from the others. "Why don't you sneak up on Sunpaw? She could be your first catch!"

Jumping up in surprise, Moonpaw meowed, "But that's mean!"

He rolled his green eyes and commented, "It'd be an easy catch; a lot easier than your first real catch."

"Brother!" Sunnyface hissed, "How dare you speak so negatively of my apprentice?"

By now all the cats were looking at each other. The apprentices glanced between themselves and their mentors.  

"Look, she's going to be a pathetic warrior, if she even lives that long," Ravenswoop spat, "you're wasting your time and energy mentoring her instead of being a real warrior."

"You're wrong," Sunnyface said, "My mentor, Milkpetal, is deaf and I turned out just fine!"

Retaliating, Ravenswoop hissed, "Only because Cloudeye refuses to leave her side! He's the one who actually trained you; and don't try telling me otherwise because I was there!"

A cream tom with red rotary spots stepped between the young warriors, "Both of you, stop it."

"No, Leaoprdflame," Sunnyface said sternly, "This has gone on long enough! He's been talking about Sunpaw like she's dirt since she was in the nursery."

Moonpaw caught her sister's gaze and saw unhappiness in her blue eyes. After a heartbeat, Sunpaw raced into the brush.

"Come back!" Moonpaw cried out.

Aspenpaw, still in shock, only watched.  

"Deaf cats should never go out alone," Leopardflame commented.

"Maybe a hawk will pick her off," Ravenswoop said, "You know, that'd be StarClan's way of bettering the clan."

Sunnyface's cream ears laid flat on his head, tabby tail lashing, and yellow eyes flashing with fury. But no words came for him, instead, he leapt into a run and followed the trail his apprentice had taken.  

Moonpaw turned on her mentor, "Why are you so mean to my sister?"

"She holds the clan back," Ravenswoop told her strictly, but with a hint of gentleness, "You need to learn that only the strongest keep the clan alive and everyone else is a nuisance. Look at Milkpetal: she can barely make dirt by herself, let alone tend to regular warrior duties. How can she defend camp when she cannot hear a threat approaching?"

"She's a wonderful queen," Moonpaw suggested.

Ravenswoop snorted and rolled his eyes, "So you're saying deaf cats should just spend their lives in the nursery, making more of themselves?"

"Well, no," Moonpaw meowed, "but-,"

He interrupted, "But what? Maybe if one was called to be a medicine cat, it'd be different. Maybe. But otherwise there is no use. Certainly no need. And-,"