Hopeful Hunting [closed]

Amberpaw found herself shivering terribly when she woke in her nest in the medicine cat's den. Despite the pale sunlight of dawn streaming through the entrance and casting a bright glow all over the forest, frosts crept around, and soon there would be snow - or so all her Clanmates said. The young golden tabby's body trembled fiercely, and she thought, Oh, StarClan, how on earth does anyone survive leaf-bare when leaf-fall is already so cold? Reluctantly she stood and began to stretch, hoping that moving her muscles would help warm her up quickly.

Once she had finished her routine, Amberpaw glanced to the back of the den where she and Mintwhisker stored all their herbs. They had been spending a lot of their time organizing the herb store by throwing out old herbs and counting which collections needed more. Leaf-bare brings kittencough, whitecough, and greencough, Amberpaw thought darkly, remembering hearing older warriors talk about the various illnesses that could destroy a Clan during the cold seasons. However much watermint, catmint, coltsfoot, chickweed, and tansy they had would be much needed, and then some.

The frosts had been growing thicker, and lasting longer. There were likely very few herbs left, but anything was possible until it snowed. With that in mind, Amberpaw decided what she would do: she would find another apprentice and go take them to collect more herbs with her. Mintwhisker would be really happy with her if she managed to find some catmint.

The golden tabby apprentice trotted out of the den, her tail up, and looked around for someone to accompany her. The thought of having to give them an assignment to help her, however, made her stomach knot with anxiety.

Eaglepaw was hopping around near the medicine den, practicing hunting skills on dry, crackling leaves. He enjoyed the way they sounded when he pounced on them. Looking up after another sucessful "catch", then again, it was easy when they didn't run, he spotted the medicine cat apprentice, Amberpaw. "Hi, Amberpaw. Whatcha doin'? Can I help ya out?" He groomed down his ruffled fur. His mama always said he should appear clean and well-groomed if he wanted to gain friends among the Clan. And asking others if they needed help didn't hurt, either.

A light crunch caught Amberpaw's attention, and the golden tabby turned her head with a start to see a dark tabby tom with white patches crouched over a leaf. For a moment he seemed focused on and proud of his catch, but a moment later he looked up and met her gaze. For a split second, there was uncertainty in Amberpaw's gaze, but then the tom sat up and mewed a warm greeting before lapping at his ruffled fur. The apprentice stared at him for a second, trying to remember his name - she had helped with him when he was a newborn kit and had seen his apprentice ceremony - and then it came to mind.

"H-Hey, Eaglepaw," Amberpaw greeted, dipping her head a little awkwardly. She looked up at the tom again, and went on hesitantly, "Well, ah, actually yeah, you could help, if you want to - if, ah, you're not busy. I was just going to go out of camp and do one last search for herbs by the Halfstone, um, before it snows. I would love an extra paw or two if, uh, you have time..." The medicine cat apprentice gave him a friendly smile, but she thought, What if he thinks I'm bossing him around?

Eaglepaw perked up, eyes lit. "Awesome! Of course I'll come! Exploring and defending my medicine cat on patrol, what could be cooler?" He paused for a moment, catching himself. "Uh, I mean, I'm honored to come. You're a nice cat to chat with, I think. You look nice, at least." The brown tabby mewed, remembering his manners. Oh, stars. Why can't I think of the proper thing to say? He smiled lightly, trotting after Amberpaw.

As if reading Amberpaw's mind, the young tom immediately replied that he would be glad to go with her; the little she-cat had forgotten that some cats considered it an honor to help the medicine cats. Surprised, but pleased, Amberpaw purred, "Great! Ah, thank you. Shall we, then?" Feeling encouraged, the golden tabby led the way out of camp and into SkyClan's territory.

As they walked towards their destination, Amberpaw asked, "So, Eaglepaw, do you like being a warrior apprentice? What do... What do you do?" The medicine cat apprentice had gone right into medicine cat training, and she never felt like she was missing out. She'd hated wrestling with the others as a kitten. Her hunting skills were alright, but she still cringed whenever the creature had the chance to scream in pain (her solution to that was simply to become a great hunter).

Eaglepaw trotted behind the pretty golden tabby, smiling. "Oh, yes! Being an apprentice is great! Except when you have to pick the ticks off the elders. Even they have great stories, though! Tinystar is an awesome mentor, you could imagine my surprise when I was given to him, and it's so much fun exploring, and learning to hunt and fight, and.." He paused to catch his breath, then laughed. "I do get carried off, don't I? Is it fun being a medicine cat apprentice? Do the herbs stink? Have you ever eaten any catmint? I heard it tastes really good!"

Despite her own feelings towards warrior apprenticeship, the she-cat was unsurprised to hear Eaglepaw praising it excitedly. Amberpaw knew that there were more warriors than medicine cats for a reason, and it wasn't just for fair distribution of power. It was because it was supposed to be in every cat's nature to hunt and fight, to be able to defend themself from predators if nothing else. It sounded as though Eaglepaw were one of those to whom it came naturally. Amberpaw purred at his excitement, and purred louder when he seemed to realize he was talking a lot.

"Oh, I didn't mind," Amberpaw reassured him, and then he asked her about her life. She had so much to learn, but she had learned so much already! The golden tabby thought about it and answered, "It's a lot of work, to be honest." At his other questions, Amberpaw laughed. "Well, some of them do," she admitted. "Like garlic. None of them taste very good, either, but they do a lot of good."

The golden tabby laughed and added, "I'm not supposed to eat the catmint because it's a valuable herb, but... well, sometimes a little piece gets caught in my teeth." She giggled and looked sheepishly away from the tom, hoping she hadn't just said something embarrassing. She didn't get to spend time with cats her age very often...

Eaglepaw laughed. Amberpaw was so sweet, and funny, without even realizing it! Grinning, he continued to trot alongside her. "So, what does a medicine cat apprentice do for fun?" He bounded ahead momentarily, striking at a fallen beechnut and sending it flying into the brush. He only laughed harder when there was a clunk, and a startled sparrow flew up into the trees. "Look! I got a bird! And I totally hit it on purpose!" Continuing to chuckle, he fell back to the young medicine cat's side.

Amberpaw was happy that Eaglepaw had been there to come along with her; he was good at making conversation, and already she felt a little more comfortable. He asked what she did for fun and she blinked. "Well, ah, sometimes I play moss-ball with myself in the medicine cat den." She watched the tom leap ahead and grimaced, feeling pathetic about her lame response, but she was immediately distracted by the flung beechnut and the distant commotion. She laughed with him, delighted by his excitement and by the sheer luck of having hit such a small, distant, unseen target.

"That was really awesome!" Amberpaw purred, bumping into Eaglepaw's shoulder with her own. "Do you usually do that sort of stuff for fun?" The scenery around them had begun to change and Amberpaw realized that a few fox-lengths ahead was their destination: the Halfstone. It was a warmer part of SkyClan's territory, and the large rock had clefts which could shelter various herbs. The medicine cat apprentice listened for the tom's response, and then she would tell him what they were looking for.

"Yep! Well, when I'm not training with Tinystar. Most of my games I make up and play myself. I don't have many friends." Eaglepaw paused for a moment. "But I guess I made a new one today! You're pretty cool, Amberpaw." His ears perked at her moss-ball comment, the game was more fun than most cats thought, and could get really intense if played right! He noticed a tall rock looming in front of them, and his first thought was to climb it. The mixed scent of herbs, like the kind from the medicine den, hit his nose. Laughing, and being careful not to disturb the plants, he used the clefts to scale to the top, looking down. "Hey, look! I can see everything from up here! Up until the trees start, that is."

Amberpaw sympathized with the other apprentice when he mentioned he didn't have many friends, and she lit up when he corrected that she was his friend. She purred, delighted, "Me too, Eaglepaw! I mean, about you. We're friends." She stopped awkwardly and grinned at him, hoping he wasn't bothered by how weird she sounded. I guess I don't really talk to many apprentices, just other medicine cats, she realized. But he's being patient enough - more than enough.

Eaglepaw began to spring up the Halfstone, and Amberpaw watched with glee as he scaled it easily. "Yes, it's wonderful up there!" she replied, though her eyes drifted to the herbs at the base of the stone. We can come back for them; there's time. The golden tabby looked back up to where Eaglepaw was and carefully climbed her way up to stand beside him, taking in the view. The leafy trees were becoming skeleton-like, while pines in the distance stuck out like dark green teeth in the distance. It was not yet leaf-bare, but it would be soon.

Amberpaw looked at Eaglepaw and mewed, "What's it like to train with Tinystar? He's my grandfather, you know." Then she chuckled and added, "I guess he has a lot of grandkits, though."

Eaglepaw smiled wider as Amberpaw joined him atop the rock. Sitting down in a more comfortable position, he ran a paw over his again ruffled head fur. "He's great. Really laid-back, friendly, playful, all qualities you don't really expect from a leader, but he's also not afraid to push me hard, and encourage me to step outside my comfort zone." He chuckled, shaking out his glossy brown fur. "Sometimes it seems like I'm the only cat in the Clan not related to him!" His green-and-amber eyes glittered with mischief as he looked out at the pines. "What if they're the teeth of a giant cat, coming to eat us all?" At the word eat, he playfully lunged at Amberpaw, coming just short, his paws ever so slightly brushing her golden tabby pelt.

Amberpaw listened attentively to Eaglepaw's answer as he groomed himself lightly. Everything he said of Tinystar sounded right; she herself had gone to him for encouragement a few times, and in times where she needed a little push he was always willing to provide it. Amberpaw laughed at her friend's joke, and then she followed his gaze out to the pines. She was already thinking about how to respond to his silly question when suddenly he leaped for her. The golden tabby let out a surprised and excited squeal and leaped into the air, her tail bristling instinctively.

Once she realized what Eaglepaw had done, the little tabby she-cat leaped for his shoulders, steering them away from the edge of the rock and more towards the center. Wrestling? she thought as she tried to hold onto her friend's shoulders, I can barely catch a mouse! We're supposed to be hunting herbs, but this is so fun!