Stolen (Book 1 of the Outcast Quartet)

Chapter 15 (Wisppaw)

I lay, stretched out beside my three closest friends, as I started to nod off. My muscles were sore from my excruciating training with Sandpaw. Due to the fact that Shellfang was away, meeting with our spy Hailfall, as the oldest apprentice the sandy-gray tom took it upon himself to oversee our training. So, despite being a newly appointed ‘paw, I was thrown into the midst of spy training. It was only thanks to Petalpaw that I managed to make it through the session, since she toned down the rough training bout as well as explained some of the basics to me. Without her, I don’t think I would have been able to learn anything today.

            “So how’s training going?” Amberpaw asked as she stretched out beside me. My brown tabby friend had been saved from a vicious thief Clan and so she decided to become a rescuer so that she could follow her role models’ paw steps.

            “I don’t know half the stuff we were going over,” I sighed while lying my head down. “Since both of our spies are away, Sandpaw was our teacher today…”

            “That must have been tough,” Heatherpaw murmured in sympathy. Another kit rescued from a thief Clan, my wiry brown friend had decided that it was her destiny to track down any evil cat and so thus became a searcher’s learner.

            “It could have been worse,” I shrugged. “Petalpaw really helped me out.”

            “I couldn’t just let you flounder about,” Petalpaw meowed her whisker’s twitching. “But that Sandpaw he should have let you learn some basics before throwing you in a middle of something important.”

            I didn’t respond as I silently watched the Clan around me, my two siblings returned from training with Emberpelt who was a ginger rescuer. An ice cold loneliness crept into me as I watched Blazepaw and Lifepaw talking together but I quickly suppressed it. I had my friends, who were practically like sisters to me. They were soon joined by Sunpaw and Sweetpaw, both of whom were training hard to become warriors. Sunpaw started to talk on about something animatedly and soon the four of them were laughing loudly. The other two apprentices our age, Bluepaw, a blue she-cat, and Tigerpaw, an orange tom with black stripes, joined them to see what the commotion was about. Both cats had been rescued from the same Clan and were as close as any siblings would be.

            “Wisppaw, play with us!” Shadowkit, a two moon old black tom with yellow paws, called and dashed over to us. He was the Goldenfleck and Solarflare, and seemed to have his mother’s friendly personality while having his father’s muscular build. I could already tell that once he got older, he would be a strong and proud cat.

            Flightheart and Runningstorm’s litter soon joined him, clambering for us to play. Moonkit, who was a dark gray she-cat with lighter stripes, leapt up onto Petalpaw’s back while lightheartedly pulling at her ear. Duskkit, a dark gray she-cat with a yellow underbelly, soon joined her sister while pressing her paws against my white friend’s head. Sparkkit was the only one who kept her composure. The bright yellow she-cat with darker spots was unusually calm for a kit and would often enjoy hearing stories instead of playing.

            “Alright, alright we’ll play,” I purred while my whiskers twitched in amusement. “What do you want to play?”

            The four kits started to clamber on about different games, each protesting the other’s idea, when an earsplitting howl of fear startled the camp into silence. The scent of blood filled the air and everyone’s attention turned towards the figure standing at the entrance. It was Shellfang and he was practically unrecognizable from the many cuts that covered his body. His usually glossy silver pelt was ruffled and blood stained, and he clearly had to fight to stay on his paws.