Chapter Text
The sun crested the hills in the far distance, blanketing the sky in a weird combination of colors. It had snowed during the night and the group of cats had been covered in snow.
Squirrelpaw stirs, eyes cracking open and she blinks a couple times. She shifts to lay on her stomach, yawning. The sun beats down on her fur and warms it despite the coldness of leafbare. She misses Greenleaf, even though she was a kit at the time.
Something moves against her side and Squirrelpaw turns her gaze to Crowpaw. His raven-black fur was shimmering in the dawn light like it was infused with the morning sun itself. It was mesmerizing. They’d fallen asleep a couple tail-lengths away from one another but it seems the tom had been freezing and searched for warmth. Why he did not cuddle up with Feathertail, Squirrelpaw does not know.
Squirrelpaw tilts her head and decides to lay it back down, not feeling in the mood to embarrass Crowpaw, for now. Her ears swiveled as she heard shuffling.
Turning her gaze once again, she finds Tiny watching the sun as it rises. His tail is snaking in a wide, languid arc as if hypnotized. His blue eyes reflect the cold sky like deep pools of water that would drown you the moment you stepped foot in them.
When Squirrelpaw thinks about it, Crowpaw remind her so much of Tiny. Not just their fur and eye color, but their personalities. They were both awkward when forced into conversation and they both had quite a short temper. Squirrelpaw would’ve found it endearing if she wasn’t usually at the other end of said temper.
The apprentice lays her tail sneakily over Crowpaw’s body to keep him warm. He was after all the cat with the shortest fur of the group. Squirrelpaw shifted and stuck her nose into Crowpaw’s neck to warm her freezing nose.
Brambleclaw laid with Tawnypelt in a kittish pile and Stormfur was cuddling up beside Feathertail. Squirrelpaw yearned to lay beside her own sister once she gets back home. She hadn’t told Leafpaw where she went, no doubt the medicine cat apprentice was worried.
The shared warmth slowly lulls Squirrelpaw back into sleep.
Squirrelpaw watched helplessly as a giant yellow monster tore the trees down. Its deafening growl rumbled through the forest like thunder. Cats yowled in fear and the starved ones were caught in the monster’s teeth. Their fur and skin were being mauled in its jaws and the screams fell silent as the forest ran red.
Squirrelpaw woke with a cut-off scream of desperation, fur bristled and pupils dilated. Her chest heaved as she assessed her surroundings and remembered she was still with the group. A dream, then.
Tawnypelt was sitting watch, tail flicking occasionally. The tortoiseshell’s ears were angled backwards, listening intently to Squirrelpaw.
The apprentice slowly rose to her paws and shamefully approached the Shadowclan warrior with her tail dragging. Squirrelpaw sat beside Tawnypelt awkwardly, tail curling around her paws.
“What’s up?” The warrior spoke, a bit awkward herself. Squirrelpaw cleared her throat.
“Just a nightmare.”
“Hm, I get those sometimes.” Tawnypelt says, seemingly thinking. “Of my father.”
Squirrelpaw looked up at Tawnypelt, head tilted. the warrior seemed bothered by her own words.
“Your father.. was Tigerstar, right?” Squirrelpaw says slowly, not wanting to overstep. She intensely watches Tawnypelt’s face for any change in expression.
Tawnypelt nods, muzzle curling in contempt. Her yellow eyes seem to almost glow with silent hatred. But underneath that hatred, was longing.
“He was horrible. He would injure loners when he was conspiring with Bloodclan. He took pleasure in the pain he caused others. And yet.. he remembered my favorite prey at the time and always brought me some when he was free. He would even threaten any cat who doubted me.” Tawnypelt vents, face knitted into a pained expression. “When he died, I was conflicted on how to feel. On one paw, he was the bloodthirsty killer who almost doomed the clans, but he was also my father.”
Squirrelpaw sat silently, letting Tawnypelt speak. She awkwardly shuffled closer to the warrior and pressed against her fur, not knowing how to proceed with this information.
“I’m.. my condolences.” Squirrelpaw chokes out, cringing at her words. She rests her tail over her paws and grimaces.
Tawnypelt sighs, shaking her head. She presses herself against Squirrelpaw once before standing up.
“We need to hunt before we set out again.” She says, resting her tail on Squirrelpaw’s flank. “Care to join me?”
Squirrelpaw’s tail lifts happily as she nods, following after Tawnypelt as the Shadowclan cat pads over to her brother.
Tawnypelt nudges Brambleclaw awake with her paw. The tom stirs with agitated grumbles and finally cracks his eyelid open.
“What..?” He mumbles, voice heavy with sleep.
“Me and Squirrelpaw are going hunting, can you take watch?” Tawnypelt says, gesturing towards Squirrelpaw.
Brambleclaw blinks himself awake, yawning. He mutters a ‘sure’ before padding closer to the sleeping cats to keep watch. As he does so, Tawnypelt beckons Squirrelpaw along.
“Do you have any places in mind?” Squirrelpaw inquires, blinking curiously. Tawnypelt hums thoughtfully.
“I saw what appeared to be some bushes not too far away. I thought it might be easier for you to hunt there.” Tawnypelt said, picking up her pace to a trot instead. Squirrelpaw hurried after her, paws sinking into the snow.
“Well, surely prey should be hiding away in those places, right?” Squirrelpaw asks, forcing her tail to lay low. Tawnypelt shrugs.
“I suppose we’ll have to see.”
See they did, as Squirrelpaw triumphantly held three mice by their tails. They hadn’t burrowed deep enough, making it easy for Squirrelpaw to dig them out. Tawnypelt was carrying a squirrel, tail held high.
The tortoiseshell nods at Squirrelpaw approvingly, before gesturing for them to head back. Squirrelpaw purrs loudly as she bumps into Tawnypelt’s side affectionately. Tawnypelt swiped her tail over the apprentice’s back gently.
The sun had started warming the ground slightly, melting a few layers of snow. It was less unbearable to walk in now.
The trek back was short, and the other three cats had fully woken up by then. Stormfur’s eyes lit up as he saw the prey.
“Thank Starclan, I’ve been starving!” He says gratefully, waiting patiently as Squirrelpaw and Tawnypelt place their prey down.
“We need to share thoughtfully.” Tawnypelt instructed, an amused glint in her eye as she watched Brambleclaw.
“Well, I suppose us who stayed back can share the mice, and you two can take the squirrel.” Brambleclaw suggests, blinking slowly.
“Sounds fair.” Stormfur agrees, tail held high as he practically buzzed with the urge to eat.
“Well, dig in!” Squirrelpaw encourages, before hunching down by the squirrel and carefully picking off the worst of its fur. Tawnypelt sat beside her, patiently waiting for Squirrelpaw to finish preparing the squirrel, before carefully tearing off a fair chunk for herself.
Squirrelpaw could see Feathertail urging a stubborn Crowpaw into eating his share of the mouse she’d decided to bring to him, while Brambleclaw and Stormfur had their own mice to themselves.
They’d have to continue their journey soon. But for now, Squirrelpaw wanted to relish in this community.