The heat was unbearable. Minkstar has gotten a heat exhaustion and Logpoppy treated him in the cool shadows of the medicine den. Falconthrift was dismissed earlier this moon because her wounds from the fox had completely healed.
As the sun began to rise in the morning, Nightingalepaw stretched lazily and trotted over to Dawnchest and Pouncecatcher. The two cats were sunbathing on the small elevation above the elders den. She could see that Pouncecatchers fur was ruffled as she approached them. Dawnchest had her teeth bared as she spoke to Pouncecatcher: "And you think you would be a better deputy? You were hardly an apprentice when the rogues attacked us! Falconthrift is doing her best and it's a hard situation for all of us. The whole clan needs time to getting used to all of this." Nightingalepaw stopped in her tracks. Was this the wrong time to be in the mood for a little small talk? Then, Pouncecatcher looked up und discovered her. With her tail, the light grey she-cat, called Nightingalepaw to accompany them. Dawnchest licked her over the head and Nightingalepaw returned the favor happily. She purred as she sunbathed with the older she-cats, waiting for her mentor to wake up.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw as Minkstar stepped out the medicine den and looked around. Her leader looked somewhat ... uncomfortable? She wondered, if something was up. Were the rogues back? Nightingalepaw turned around to Dawnchest who was grooming her long grey fur. She marveled the ambitious and helpful warrior. Every cat in the clan liked Dawnchest. Even Logpoppy - who complained every day about another cat - appreciated Dawnchest. "Will you spar today with me? Crickettooth mentioned you are a very sleek fighter." Dawnchest nodded, her chest puffed out at the compliment.
Minkstar saw Nightingalepaw, Dawnchest and Pouncecatcher taking a sunbath. He flicked his tail at them and worry clouded his eyes. The clan couldn't afford that more warriors get heat exhaustion. Especially because the Sunning Steam was drying out and twolegs left more trash in the bed. Logpoppy followed his eyes and hissed at the three cats laying lazily in the sun. "Move to the shadow or get soaked moss for the patrols!" Minkstar watched proudly as Nightingalepaw jumped to her paws and ran eagerly out of the camp, a huffing Dawnchest closely behind.
As Nightingalepaw and Dawnchest gathered moss to soak it in the stream, they had a little mock battle and pranced around in the high grass. Soon, it turned into a sparring session. "When you raise your paw like that, you give your enemy the opportunity to easily attack your belly." Dawnchest demonstrated the move and slid under Nightingalepaw, putting her hindlegs under the younger cats fluffy belly and catapulting her across the small meadow. All the air was squeezed out of her lungs as she landen on the hard ground. The sun burned down on them mercilessly. Abashed, Nightingalepaw shakily stood up again. Dawnchest purred at the dishelved fur on the apprentices back. "No worries, Crickettooth will teach you this move soon enough." Comoforting, she licked the right ear of Nightingalepaw.
"What are you doing out here?" As the two went deeper into their territory, Crickettooth emerged behind a small bush. Nightingalepaw stopped right in her tracks. She shouldn't be out without her mentor. Apologetic, she looked to the ground. "Logpoppy ordered us to get soaked moss for Minkstar. We were on the way to the stream." Dawnchest flicked her tail invitingly at Crickettooth. "Come with us, maybe you can catch something and not miss the prey like the other day when you jumped too far, right over the voles head!" Nightingalepaw looked with wide eyes, as her otherwise so calm mentor, wacked a clawless paw over Dawnchest ears. "You catch something first in this heat!"
They actually found some water in the dryed out stream and thanked StarClan for this miracle. After this, they ran back to camp, the soaked moss carefully placed between their teeth. As they came back, Pounecatcher gave Dawnchest a cross look and turned demonstratively her back on them. Confused, Dawnchest ran to her friend, the moss forgotten on the dry ground. Hastily, Nightingalepaw picked it up befor all the water seeped into the sand. With her short legs, she struggled but she managed to bring it to her leader who laid in the shadow of the medicine cats den. Minkstar blinked thankful at her and drank from the moss.
Nightingalepaw yawned, as she stepped out of the apprentice den. Fuzzpaw was already gone hunting with Falconthrift and Pouncecatcher.
She was scheduled to go on the morning border patrol with Dawnchest, Crickettooth and Coldwatcher. Her fur bristled, as she thought about the possible threats that lurked behind the safe wall of twoleg rubbish.
The sun was just stretching over the distant hills when her patrol heard a pitiful meowing nearby. The ground was cool from the night and her paws were thankful for this pleasant change. Dawnchest stood still with pointed ears and hushed the others. "There, from right behind the border. I think, it's a kitten!" Right as she said that, the small meows became louder. Nightingalepaw didn't even think and dashed right towards it. The warning cry of her mentor in her ears as she crossed the borders. The clan thought that what was happening behind their borders was none of their concern. But Nightingalepaw couldn't let an abondoned kitten die of hunger and thirst.
She jumped over the invisible odour marking of her clan and landed on smooth paws as she searched for the kitten. Dawnchest and an angry Crickettooth followed her. "When I give you orders, you listen." Nightingalepaw could feel the burning stare of her mentor in her fur. She flicked her ear at her mentor, Crickettooths hurt feelings were not of importance now. "Here!" Coldwatcher stood over a small bundle of white fur.
"What if it's an ambush? It could be the rogues!" Dawnchest rolled her eyes at the paranoia of Crickettooth as they all looked down on the kitten. "Even if it is, we can't let the kitten die. It is against the warrior code! You yourself preached it to me." Nightingalepaw stood protectively over the kitten. Even if it were the rogues, she knows how it feels to get left behind.
With a sigh, Crickettooth gave in and carried the kitten back to camp while Dawnchest and Coldwatcher finished the border patrol. As she looked down on her small apprentice, Crickettooth felt pride bubble in her chest. She was a good one, standing in for the weak.
Back at camp, Minkstar looked disapprovingly at the kitten and expressed the same thoughts as Crickettooth. "We don't even have a queen who can nurse it." Nightingalepaw stepped forward, her chest puffed outward and confidence in her eyes. "I will look after it. I will work harder than any apprentice before me!" Minkstar looked taken aback, but took her offer. "I will take you by your word, Nightingalepaw. If this kitten causes trouble, you will be accounting for it." Crickettooth could see that Nightingalepaw was wavering briefly in her demeanor but then the confidence came back and she looked her leader straight in his silver eyes.
