Sparks fly (c)

Despite only being an apprentice for a few days, Sunpaw was already pretty much over it. The novelty of having new privileges and freedoms had quickly been bogged down with an annoyingly massive workload as his mentor ordered him about. He'd spent most of his time since his ceremony picking fleas off the elders and doing endless chores for the medicine cats. He knew he should probably be grateful that he was strong enough not to be sick– unlike many of his clanmates –but at the same time, he couldn't help but feel annoyed. It had been a long and frigid Leafbare day, the kind where frost seemed to cling to Sunpaw's whiskers when he went to fetch moss and water from the lake's edge. To make matters worse, the fresh-kill pile had been practically barren, and any prey that looked good had already been delivered straight to the nursery. This was possibly the worst day of his life. The golden tom was curled up sullenly in his nest, tail-tip flicking to make his frustration evident to anyone who might walk by. He sighed loudly, rolling over and reaching out to stretch his aching muscles. How he missed his mother and the quiet, fun-filled nursery days he'd left behind!

With the right apology, Sunpaw was willing to gracefully overlook the fact that the young molly– who, for the record, he had never even noticed before –had run directly into him. His golden tabby fur spiked indignantly as her face twisted into an expression of rage rather than sheepish regret. Evidently, things would be going a different way. Muddy green eyes narrowing, he gazed up at her as she searched for the right words to say, already preparing himself to fire back a sharp retort. He was in no mood to cater to the behavior of clumsy apprentices, no matter how sick they acted. That is, if she even was sick– Sunpaw wouldn't be surprised if she were only faking to dodge the grueling work that he had to do.
Finally, she spoke. As her muddled words reached his ears, Sunpaw's face broke out into joyful disbelief. He spluttered momentarily, shocked at the golden opportunity that had fallen into his lap. "What did you say?" He stared up at her with his mouth agape. Stars, how embarrassing for her. Did her mother not take the time to teach her common language? The molly was clearly mortified– she looked like she was going to be sick with shame.
Eyes widening, Sunpaw had a half-moment to comprehend what was about to happen before she spewed vomit all over both him and his nest. For a second he froze in utter shock, stunned as the acrid liquid soaked into his fur. Above him, a satiated look crossed the molly's face as she sighed in relief. His lip curled in disgust. If her completely odd behavior wasn't enough, she had just ruined any chance of redemption.
"What is wrong with you?!" He cried, loud enough to hopefully garner the attention and sympathy of any on-looking clanmates. "She threw up on me!"
The stocky tom drew himself to his feet, leaning away from the she-cat in obvious disgust. "Are you sick? What in the world are you doing here? You could get us all sick– why weren't you in the medicine den where you belong?" It would be just his luck to fall ill now when so much of the clan depended on hardworking apprentices like him to pick up the extra slack. Learning closer, his eyes narrowed with suspicion. "Do you even understand what I'm saying?"