Swiftstar's Prophecy - Unofficial version

Chapter Sixty-six

"You took long enough," Hawk commented once Swiftblossom and Flaxpaw reached him. The medium-sized brown tabby was standing guard between the two bramble bushes that hid the den. If Swiftblossom wasn't expecting to see the tom there, he would've been invisible. But it amazed her immensely; he was amazing at hiding. Hawk had chosen the correct angle to hide in, with the bramble leaves covering his brown pelt enough not to make it suspicious. The shadows complimented him and he was the right size to remain in the front of the bushes yet had a mask of brambles on. Any cat who walked by wouldn't notice him, but Swiftblossom did. Meanwhile, Flaxpaw jumped once he heard Hawk's voice, arching his back and his fur bushing.

The calico let out a small purr of amusement as she padded towards him, her tail lifted high and her tail-tip flickering. "Sorry, Hawk. Oh, and here is Flaxpaw, my brother and apprentice. Say hi, Flaxpaw," she meowed, her tail motioning over to the frightened tom. The apprentice took a moment to try to find Hawk, his green eyes wide, and when he saw the hidden tom he stammered, "Uh, hi."

Hawk blinked slowly before he emerged from the brambles, stepping out as if he wasn't bothered by the prickles of the thorns. "Nectar and Gold are inside with the kits. We have some hours left before the sun is at its highest peak." Hawk meowed, his ears flickering behind him. Swiftblossom felt Flaxpaw brush up against her but the calico eagerly asked, "May I see them? And your daughters?" The brown tom kindly beckoned them with the twitch of his whiskers, and Swiftblossom padded forward, a cautious Flaxpaw behind her. Hawk sidestepped past the bushes and lightly called, "Nectar, Gold, she's here."

Swiftblossom could hear rustling from the den and Flaxpaw's ears perked attentively. A gentle voice meowed from the tree den, "She's finally here? Thank goodness, I thought she couldn't come." It was the voice of a sleepy Gold. Hawk closed his eyes and informed Swiftblossom, "Gold and Nectar couldn't sleep last night. They were quite excited to see you again and to have a new life." Swiftblossom lightly chuckled, her heart swelling when she knew they anticipated her arrival. It gave her hope. "Well, I hope they have enough energy for today. I'm not sure how the rest of the day will unfold, but it will be tiring." The calico told the tom before she turned to her brother.

Flaxpaw was examining the dead tree that made the rogues' den. His tail swayed from side to side and his ears remained perked. Swiftblossom was about to speak when Hawk told the apprentice, "Flaxpaw, head inside and stay with the others. Swiftblossom and I must remain outside."

The apprentice tilted his head, about to ponder why he had to go inside, but he meowed, "Alright...u-um, Hawk, it was nice to meet you." The thin ginger tom then cautiously entered the den, letting out a soft meow of greeting to that inside. Swiftblossom watched him get swallowed up in the darkness before Hawk brushed past the she-cat. For a second, she stared after Flaxpaw, a bit amused that Hawk even agreed to her idea for Flaxpaw to meet everyone else, before she turned around to follow Hawk. 

The two cats now sat in front of the bramble bushes, guarding the cats inside. Swiftblossom circled her spot then sat down, wrapping her tail around her paws. Hawk sat down and he turned to the young warrior, "Your brother... he's quite, well, polite, in a sense." The slightly larger tom explained, trying to find the words to describe Flaxpaw. Swiftblossom chuckled and reassured Hawk, "That's nearly correct. Once he begins to open up to you, he's more of a happy chipmunk than a cat." 

He chuckled at her comment and his amber eyes shifted to the forest in front of them. Swiftblossom kept her eyes down at her paws, itching to talk to him more. Hawk was mysterious and she wanted to know more about him. But whenever she opened her mouth, nothing came out. The calico flattened her ears against her head. Though they were on friendly terms, Swiftblossom didn't want Hawk to feel awkward around her. Behind them, Swiftblossom could hear two excited kits talking with Flaxpaw about birds-- Flaxpaw wasn't too intrigued to communicate with them. He sounded annoyed by them, but it wasn't hostile; he was annoyed by how many questions they asked him. But whenever he would respond, he would tell them as kindly and as clearly as he could, with only minor knowledge of birds. Swiftblossom could eavesdrop on their conversation and she heard Nectar and Gold chuckling at Flaxpaw.