Featherstar's Destiny

Chapter 6

"Good battle move! I love how you added that extra nipping action", Lionfur meowed. Lionfur was showing Featherpaw some new battle moves in the training clearing. Mintnose and Stormpaw had joined them a few moments ago. Dawnmist's kits had followed the cats and now were watching from afar.

"I want to see another move!", Thornkit demanded with bright eyes. 

"I'll show you one", Mintnose meowed. He flicked his tail for Lionfur to face him.  Suddenly, he leaped and twisted in the air, landing on Lionfur's back. The two fought until Mintnose was on top of Lionfur. 

"That looked awesome!", Thornkit mewed in excitement. He tried to balance on his hind paws and fell onto his stomach. "Oof!", he mewed. "I'm okay!", he protested when Stormpaw tried to help him up.   "I want to see you and Featherpaw practice", he mewed. 

Stormpaw flicked his tail for Featherpaw to face him. Featherpaw waited with concentration in her narrowed blue eyes.  Stormpaw leaped and Featherpaw moved out of the way and stretched her  sheathed paw out to trip Stormpaw. The dark gray tom fell and the two tussled. Stormpaw leaped to his paws and charged for her again. 

"Twist to the left", a voice meowed in her ear.  Featherpaw obeyed and Stormpaw fell flat on the ground. Featherpaw waited for the gray tom to get up. "Jump over him when he charges at you", the voice ordered. In response, Featherpaw leaped over Stormpaw when raced forward , quickly knocked him over with a bump of her muzzle, and planted a paw on her brother when he fell.  "Good", the voice purred. 

A dark gray silhouette moved silently past Lionfur, who was watching his apprentice with approval. Featherpaw blinked at it gratefully.

"Great moves", Mintnose purred.

"Thanks", Featherpaw licked her paw. Oakpaw padded into the clearing with Berrypelt following closely behind the medicine cat apprentice.

"Just like her father", Berrypelt mewed with sparkling blue eyes. He pricked his ears forward when he saw the ghost in the trees. The apparition was watching the tom with wise amber eyes. Berrypelt had shook his fur and looked away.

"Look", Oakpaw was telling his mentor. The cream-colored tom looked at the red-brown tom with a knowing look.

A bundle of flowers and herbs were beside the training trunk. The cream-colored medicine cat sniffed it.

"It smells of Smokepaw", Berrypelt meowed. He looked at Featherpaw with amusement in his eyes.  Featherpaw felt a cold paw touch her shoulder. She looked behind her and saw Whisperstar looking down on her with her head shaking gently. Recognition flooded Featherpaw's mind as she remembered this cat had visited her as a kit.

"You can't have a mate as part of your destiny", Whisperstar growled softly. 

A mate? She was only an apprentice and Smokepaw was older. He'd most likely get his warrior name before her.

"I know",  Featherpaw finally sighed. 

Maybe the ghost would leave if she agreed with it. Whisperstar looked at her with narrowed amber eyes and padded back into the trees before Featherpaw could say anything else. Berrypelt nudged Oakpaw and they grabbed the herb and flower bundle. 

"So,  Smokepaw likes you?", Stormpaw asked. 

Featherpaw almost jumped out of her fur.

"I guess",  Featherpaw looked away with a blush across her sliver face.

"How about we practice some more battle moves?",  Stormpaw asked. 

Thornkit was still there, and Tawnykit had joined in. Patchkit was beside her and was watching the cats with a watchful gaze.  The she-kit's ginger splotches shone in the bright sunlight. Tawnykit's golden tabby fur blended well with Thornkit's golden-brown fur which shone like  forest leaves. 

"Attack me!", Lionfur ordered Featherpaw.  The silver tabby leaped and twisted in the air. She landed on his back and pawed at him with sheathed paws.  Landing lightly to her paws, she turned and crouched in wait to see what her mentor would do.  Lionfur leaped into the air and Featherpaw was ready for him when he landed on her.  She rolled him over and he fell limp as if he was defeated. Featherpaw jumped back from her mentor and waited for him to get up.  He moved onto his back and she looked up at Featherpaw. Instantly knowing what he was trying to do, she leaped and he kicked back at her with a four paws.  She fell to the ground on all fours  and waited for Lionfur's next move.  Instead of lunging at her, he stood up and shook his fluffy pelt out. 

"That was great!  You're doing really well", Lionfur meowed with pride in his warm amber eyes.

Lionfur noticed that his kits were still there and he nudged them to their paws. 

"Hey!", Thornkit mewed in protest. 

"Your mother will be wondering where you there are", the golden warrior meowed. He dipped his head to Featherpaw, Stormpaw, and Mintnose. "The session is over with", he meowed and called for his kits to follow him. 

When Featherpaw arrived to the camp,  Smokepaw met up with her at the camp's entrance.  "Let's go hunting tomorrow", he whispered, his amber eyes serious.

" Um. Sure," Featherpaw meowed and watched as Smokepaw padded off with a look back at her.

A paw prodded Featherpaw in her side. She turned to see Willowclaw glaring at her.  "He wants to be in love with you", the mottled she-cat meowed.  "Just watch what you say to my younger brother", she hissed and stalked off.   

Featherpaw watched her go with wide eyes. She knew that Smokepaw's sister meant that threat.
The next day,  Featherpaw waited for Smokepaw outside of the camp entrance.  It seemed as if moons had passed before the pale gray tabby trotted up to her. His amber eyes were filled with that same emotion as yesterday.  Suddenly, he took off without saying a word, leaving Featherpaw to catch up. The silver apprentice let out a burst of speed and finally overtook him. She stopped beside the stream and huffed with a laugh.

" You're fast!" she meowed.

"So, I have to talk to you", Smokepaw meowed. The tom had ignored her compliment. He moved closer to her and rubbed against her side. 

Featherpaw moved back from him with a grunt.

"I heard everything from Willowclaw",  Featherpaw meowed with narrowed eyes.

"She told me", Smokepaw sighed.

"So, what do you need to tell me?", Featherpaw asked, her tail tip twitching with annoyance.

"I really like you", Smokepaw meowed. Whisperstar appeared and shook her dark gray head. Featherpaw eyed her coldly and turned to Smokepaw. She wanted to know what the tom was getting at.

"You do?", she asked, trying to keep her voice steady.

"Yes", Smokepaw replied with affection in his amber eyes.

Featherpaw felt a weird emotion inside of her. Maybe this could work. She happily purred and licked the striped tom's cheek.

"Let's go back to camp before they miss us," she meowed as she flicked his striped shoulder.

As she walked back to camp with him, Whisperstar's voice whispered in her ear.

"This is not your destiny",  the dark gray ghost meowed and disappeared with a sigh.

Featherpaw let out a grunt. This was getting annoying and now that she knew how the tom truly felt maybe this destiny wasn't for her after all.