().() JointClan/MellowClan ().() Part Nine ().() The True Light -Updated-

((Hehe. Probably not.))

Fernclaw sighed quietly, pricking her ears. She wondered if he could tell if she tried to read his mind.. She shook that thought off and concentrated on findingprey.

Clawflower picked up the yellow-and-black finch he had just caught. "This should be enough... four servings for two cats?"

Fernclaw nodded, and unburied her vole. She picked it up and started back to camp quietly.

((I like that word. "Unburied." Heh.))

Clawflower led her back to the MellowClan camp and deposited his fresh-kill. He turned around and waited for her.

Fernclaw followed, dropping her prey on the pile without meeting his eyes.

Clawflower watched her for a heartbeat more, and noticed that she was never looking directly at him, like she was purposely trying to avoid his duckling-colored gaze. He wondered about that, but ignored it for now. Instead of thinking about it he turned and padded towards where he thought Mistress might be: the leader's den.

Mellowstar's head picked up from it's lazy position, laying right over her paws. "Good hunting, Clawflower?" She asked, sitting up and curling her tail around her paws. She noticed Fernclaw wasn't with hiim.

Clawflower nodded. "To feed four cats, but that's not all on the pile." He stood there for a moment, wondering if she was going to tell him something.

Dawnfrost stretched quickly, watching as Raincloud padded out of the warriors' den. "Lightningstripe got a thorn in his pad," she explained, her tail twitching. "Can you go out and collect some marigold? We need more for a poultice."

For a moment, her mother paused, her blue eyes thoughtful. "And yarrow. We need that."

Dawnfrost was stunned for a moment; she stayed silent as she stared at her mother, with not so much as a twitch of her tail tip.

Raincloud sighed, her tail dropping. "I'm sorry. That's a lot of work." Her ears twitched, and she seemed to cheer up a bit. "Take Croweyes with you."

A smile quickly grew against Dawnfrost's face, and she dived into the warriors' den.

Mellowstar nodded, smiling. "Are you and Fernclaw getting along well?"

Clawflower shrugged. "Not too bad. We're not total friends, but as you can see we're not ripping each others' pelts off, so ... yeah."

Well, that was at least good. Mellowstar thought. "How long do you plan on staying, Clawflower?" She asked.

Clawflower moved his head in a circle. "Depends on how long you want me to stay. If I have some sort of purpose being here, I may as well stay, but if I'm only a hindrance then I can leave."

"You can stay as long as you like, I'm always welcome to visitors." Mellowstar smiled.

Fernclaw was irritated with herself, completely. She had missed that catch, and in front of Clawflower. She was irritated with herself, but she couldn't understand why she was THIS angry with herself.

((Do we have three warriors available for apprentices in JointClan? I don't know how Brackenheart would go with an apprentice, since he tends to be a bit... thoughtful and unsocial.))

Clawflower stood up a bit straighter. "Well then, I might as well be here for a while. If for some reason we get an attack from another Clan or rogues, then we'll have one more warrior to assist us."

((We should, I do have a few warriors open myself. And Pinkpupgal might be open for one! =D ))

Mellowstar nodded, looking serious. "Yes, that JointClan has always been a problem for us," She sighed, flicking her tail. "Why don't you go eat, you'vebeen out hunting half the morning it seems."

"Croweyes," Dawnfrost said, noticing that the dark-colored tom was just heading out of the den. Her ears were pricked with excitement. "Raincloud wants you to come with me. I need someone to help me to collect herbs." Her tail swished from side to side calmly, but was quite energetic at the same time, betraying what she was thinking.

Croweyes's ears twitched, as if he weren't completely satisfied, but then he nodded silently.

The duo headed out into the forest, Dawnfrost sniffing frequently to look for herbs. Her ears were slightly relaxed, although she was being wary. There was a faint scent of marigold, and her tail pointed in one direction. With a glance at the dark brown tom behind her, she began to head towards the scent. Immediately, she sped up, wondering what was pulling her there. The sunlight in her eyes was brighter... as if there were a clearing.

She stopped by a bush of yarrow, looking back at Croweyes. "I'll carry these until we find marigold." After pulling up a couple of stalks, she turned her head with the force that had pulled on her. The sight surprised Dawnfrost.

They had stopped right by a huge clearing that was filled with sunlight.

"It's... this place. The Dawnfield."

((Okay, that works. Can you give me a list so I -- *ahem* Larchstar can choose? :D?))

Mellowstar looked kind of serious all of a sudden. Clawflower ignored it. "JointClan... hm. Fortunately I was fortunate enough not to meet them on the way here, as you make it sound like they pick on you too much." He waved his tail dismissively as he exited the den.

Clawflower picked a piece of prey from the bottom of the fresh-kill pile; no one would be eating it anytime soon anyway. It turned out to be a black mouse. Not that the color mattered... he just ate.

((Well, in JointClan, Larchstar has her three kits... there's a rule that their mother can't mentor them, but their father sure can.))

((Mm'kay, well I know I have Stripepelt, Bashwind, Pufflefeather.. Which reminds me, Stripepelt shall retire soon, I think.))

"You could say that." Mellowstar muttered darkly as he left, knowing he probably couldn't hear her. She flicked her tail, and sat down again.

Fernclaw glanced up, spotting Clawflower atthe fresh kill pile.

((All right, might as well give Stripepelt one last apprentice... but I can't give you, Branch, too many apprentices to handle or you'll forget which is which. I might need to use Brackenheart for this.))

Clawflower was eating unnaturally slowly. Mellowstar was right; he was bushed from all the hunting and searching for Fernclaw.

--

"May all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather here beneath the [umm... what is it again?] for a Clan meeting," Larchstar called. Her ears flicked as her three kits dashed out of the nursery, followed slowly by their father Brackenheart from the warriors' den.

((Highrock, I think. xD And yeah, I think just Stripepelt should ahve the apprentice, of the charries I play.))

Stripepelt padded to look up at the leader, as she stood, looking out upon the cats. Brackenheart, and his three kits scrambled up to the top with Larchstar, and Stripepelt smiled slightly.

Fernclaw sighed, and padded over to the fresh kill pile. She got a small mouse, and then looked at Clawflower. "Sorry about before.."

Raincloud slid out of the medicine den as soon as Larchstar got to the word "prey." Her tail twitched as she slipped towards the front, sitting a few tail-lengths away from Brackenheart. Larchstar had been a childhood frend; Raincloud smiled with the memories. But as she turned to see Lightningstripe and Dusktalon emerge from the warriors' den, her eyes narrowed with frustration. "Where have Dawnfrost and Croweyes gone?" She hadn't forgotten that Croweyes was originally a kit from MellowClan... had they gone back?

****

Dawnfrost was mystified by the sight. "This is the... Dawnfield. It's where..." she stopped as the words caught in her throat. The pieces fell together into a terrifying pattern. Wait... my mother met my father here when she was a medicine cat. She began to feel a rush of hot embarrassment under pelt that made her shiver.

"Something wrong?" Croweyes asked in a normal voice, noticing that Dawnfrost had dropped the yarrow.

((In which case I'll need ONE more warrior... is one of Raincloud's kits open?))

Clawflower heard Fernclaw's voice and looked up. She was apologizing... for her attitude? Lost for words, he looked at his mouse. "I accept your apology," he said quietly and took another bite.

--

Larchstar scanned the crowd. "As you may or may not know, we have three kits who have reached the age of six moons, and thus are ready to become apprentices. I will call them in no particular order, in case you were wondering, Rillkit." She glanced at the fluffy gray cat, whose ears relaxed.

"In that case; Sorakit, please step forwards."

The little white kitten gulped slightly, and shook as he approached his mother. His blue eyes were nervously glimmering against his cream-colored face.

"Although you may be shy, your potential shines through like the stars. From now on you will be known as Sorapaw; Stripepelt will mentor this apprentice. She looked to the crowd, as if she had detected the warrior from the start. Sorapaw followed her gaze.

((Sure. Why not Lightningstripe?))