The Prince of Howlclan
Ebonystar was sleeping peacefully in his den. Was. Until his apprentice stormed into the den and woke him up.
"Come on! You said I could do my warrior assessment today!" Ratpaw whined and continued to nudge Ebonystar. Ebonystar groaned and opened his eyes.
The black tom looked so eager and was up earlier than any other cat in the clan. Ebonystar wasn't sure if the apprentice even slept.
"Okay..okay. Get Ravensong up for me and then we can go." Ebonystar agreed as he reluctantly got to his paws.
"Yes!" Ratpaw mewed excitedly, not waiting a heartbeat to run out of the leader's den and straight to Ravensong in the next den over.
Ebonystar shook loose bits of feathers and moss from his pelt. It would take some time to get used to clan life again but the leader was ready and willing. He couldn't let down Starclan or his family.
The dark tom padded out of his den and into the soft morning light where he saw a grumpy Lightningthroat who had joined only a couple days ago after finding his brother, Ebonystar himself. The larger cat was chewing out Ratpaw while Ravensong tried to calm him down, obviously failing.
Lightningthroat didn't care for the rank difference of him and Ravensong and as soon as the trio spotted Ebonystar, Lightningthroat opened his jaws.
"Tell your apprentice to not wake the whole camp up! It's hardly sunup." The warrior snapped sending a glare toward Ratpaw.
Ebonystar replied calmly. "Lightningthroat please don't intimidate my apprentice. He meant no harm."
"Batscar is able to control his apprentice, it should be no problem for you to keep yours quiet, leader." Lightningthroat interjected with a bitter tone.
That's when Ravensong stepped in. "I'll take things from here Ebonystar, you and Ratpaw have an assessment to do. I'll watch over the clan and make sure everyone stays in line." The deputy sent a look toward Lightningthroat.
Ebonystar motioned for Ratpaw to follow him and left Ravensong to do her work. The two walked in silence through the territory until Ratpaw spoke up.
"I'm sorry Ebonystar. I didn't mean to make Lightningthroat upset." The small black cat said softly.
Ebonystar stopped and looked at his apprentice in surprise. "There's nothing to be sorry about Ratpaw! Lightningthroat is giving me a hard time is all. Besides today is your day. Don't let a grump like him bring you down."
Ratpaw smiled and was about to speak when a loud yowl interrupted him.
"What was that?" Ratpaw asked, his fur standing on end.
Ebonystar stepped closer to Ratpaw and perked his ears. "I don't know, but it sounds like a cat is in trouble."
The two toms looked at each other and made their way toward the direction the yowl came from. They didn't make it too far before a pale-furred cat burst through the forest trees several fox-lengths away and headed straight toward them. Ebonystar unsheathed his claws and prepared for a fight but instead, the cat stopped before getting too close.
He was bleeding from a fresh cut in his ear and had several scratches along his flank.
"Don't tell me you're a part of the group back there?!" The cat hissed obviously panicked and scared.
Ebonystar shook his head. "No. I don't know the group you're talking about."
Then another yowl came from the forest. "Hey, housecat get BACK HERE!" The cat who had yowled didn't move from the edge of the forest. "Coward! Fight ME!" The cat spat.
Ebonystar walked up to the pale kittypet. He didn't realize how big the cat was until he had approached him. Luckily the pale cat wasn't the enemy.
"If you want to fight anycat fight me!" Ebonystar called calmly.
The forest cat seemed to be taken aback. "If I see you again housecat I'll rip your ears off!" The cat growled not paying any attention to Ebonystar then headed back into the forest.
"Thank you! You're obviously a well-behaved feline." The pale tom said to Ebonystar.
Ebonystar looked up at the large long-furred cat, confused by his words. "Um..sure. What are you doing so far from your twolegs?" Ebonystar questioned exchanging looks with Ratpaw.
It was the large cat's turn to look confused. "Twolegs? You mean my owners?"
"Yeah..sure."
The large cat sat back dramatically and raised a paw. "Those horrible children of theirs catnapped me and threw me out here in the wild with these awful rude wild cats!"
"Rude wild cats huh?" Ratpaw said as he tried not to laugh. "Ever thought we were wild cats too?"
The pale tom looked shocked and backed away quickly. "You mean. You live out here?!"
Ebonystar nodded. "Yes. We do. If you need help we can take you back to our camp and show you how to live out here, or escort you back to your twolegs."
"I would never live out here! I'm a prince! THE Prince!"
Ratpaw didn't hold back this time and started laughing which got him a cuff from Ebonystar. "Be nice." The leader scolded.
"So, will you come back to camp with us..err..what's your name?"
The cat looked slightly offended. "My name is Prince."
Ebonystar nodded toward Ratpaw. "That's Ratpaw and I'm Ebonystar."
Prince scowled slightly. "You have some weird names, wild cat. Who would want to be named after a disgusting pest?"
Ratpaw flinched and looked down at his paws. Ebonystar laid his tail on the young cat's shoulder. "Our names may be strange to you but they have importance and meaning to us. 'Disgusting pest' isn't one of them." Ebonystar nudged Ratpaw and started to head back to camp.
"If you want you can stay with us for a little while," Ebonystar said not waiting for the kittypet to catch up. He could learn on his own.
"Hey! Wild cat! Wait for me!" The cat said running to catch up. Prince looked at Ebonystar with curious kitten-like green eyes. "What would I be named if I were a wild cat too?"
Ebonystar looked him up and down. "Dawnblaze. Dawn for your dawn like coat and blaze for the length and white of your fur."
"Huh. I would call myself...hmm Dawnprince! Because I am such a lovely cat. Maybe I can become your leader?"
Ebonystar laughed loudly at this. "The current leader will either have to die or retire."
Prince smiled smugly. "Maybe I can convince him with my charm?"
"In your kittypet dreams." Ebonystar said winking at Ratpaw who was now smiling. The look on the kittypet's face later would be worth it.
"Come on! You said I could do my warrior assessment today!" Ratpaw whined and continued to nudge Ebonystar. Ebonystar groaned and opened his eyes.
The black tom looked so eager and was up earlier than any other cat in the clan. Ebonystar wasn't sure if the apprentice even slept.
"Okay..okay. Get Ravensong up for me and then we can go." Ebonystar agreed as he reluctantly got to his paws.
"Yes!" Ratpaw mewed excitedly, not waiting a heartbeat to run out of the leader's den and straight to Ravensong in the next den over.
Ebonystar shook loose bits of feathers and moss from his pelt. It would take some time to get used to clan life again but the leader was ready and willing. He couldn't let down Starclan or his family.
The dark tom padded out of his den and into the soft morning light where he saw a grumpy Lightningthroat who had joined only a couple days ago after finding his brother, Ebonystar himself. The larger cat was chewing out Ratpaw while Ravensong tried to calm him down, obviously failing.
Lightningthroat didn't care for the rank difference of him and Ravensong and as soon as the trio spotted Ebonystar, Lightningthroat opened his jaws.
"Tell your apprentice to not wake the whole camp up! It's hardly sunup." The warrior snapped sending a glare toward Ratpaw.
Ebonystar replied calmly. "Lightningthroat please don't intimidate my apprentice. He meant no harm."
"Batscar is able to control his apprentice, it should be no problem for you to keep yours quiet, leader." Lightningthroat interjected with a bitter tone.
That's when Ravensong stepped in. "I'll take things from here Ebonystar, you and Ratpaw have an assessment to do. I'll watch over the clan and make sure everyone stays in line." The deputy sent a look toward Lightningthroat.
Ebonystar motioned for Ratpaw to follow him and left Ravensong to do her work. The two walked in silence through the territory until Ratpaw spoke up.
"I'm sorry Ebonystar. I didn't mean to make Lightningthroat upset." The small black cat said softly.
Ebonystar stopped and looked at his apprentice in surprise. "There's nothing to be sorry about Ratpaw! Lightningthroat is giving me a hard time is all. Besides today is your day. Don't let a grump like him bring you down."
Ratpaw smiled and was about to speak when a loud yowl interrupted him.
"What was that?" Ratpaw asked, his fur standing on end.
Ebonystar stepped closer to Ratpaw and perked his ears. "I don't know, but it sounds like a cat is in trouble."
The two toms looked at each other and made their way toward the direction the yowl came from. They didn't make it too far before a pale-furred cat burst through the forest trees several fox-lengths away and headed straight toward them. Ebonystar unsheathed his claws and prepared for a fight but instead, the cat stopped before getting too close.
He was bleeding from a fresh cut in his ear and had several scratches along his flank.
"Don't tell me you're a part of the group back there?!" The cat hissed obviously panicked and scared.
Ebonystar shook his head. "No. I don't know the group you're talking about."
Then another yowl came from the forest. "Hey, housecat get BACK HERE!" The cat who had yowled didn't move from the edge of the forest. "Coward! Fight ME!" The cat spat.
Ebonystar walked up to the pale kittypet. He didn't realize how big the cat was until he had approached him. Luckily the pale cat wasn't the enemy.
"If you want to fight anycat fight me!" Ebonystar called calmly.
The forest cat seemed to be taken aback. "If I see you again housecat I'll rip your ears off!" The cat growled not paying any attention to Ebonystar then headed back into the forest.
"Thank you! You're obviously a well-behaved feline." The pale tom said to Ebonystar.
Ebonystar looked up at the large long-furred cat, confused by his words. "Um..sure. What are you doing so far from your twolegs?" Ebonystar questioned exchanging looks with Ratpaw.
It was the large cat's turn to look confused. "Twolegs? You mean my owners?"
"Yeah..sure."
The large cat sat back dramatically and raised a paw. "Those horrible children of theirs catnapped me and threw me out here in the wild with these awful rude wild cats!"
"Rude wild cats huh?" Ratpaw said as he tried not to laugh. "Ever thought we were wild cats too?"
The pale tom looked shocked and backed away quickly. "You mean. You live out here?!"
Ebonystar nodded. "Yes. We do. If you need help we can take you back to our camp and show you how to live out here, or escort you back to your twolegs."
"I would never live out here! I'm a prince! THE Prince!"
Ratpaw didn't hold back this time and started laughing which got him a cuff from Ebonystar. "Be nice." The leader scolded.
"So, will you come back to camp with us..err..what's your name?"
The cat looked slightly offended. "My name is Prince."
Ebonystar nodded toward Ratpaw. "That's Ratpaw and I'm Ebonystar."
Prince scowled slightly. "You have some weird names, wild cat. Who would want to be named after a disgusting pest?"
Ratpaw flinched and looked down at his paws. Ebonystar laid his tail on the young cat's shoulder. "Our names may be strange to you but they have importance and meaning to us. 'Disgusting pest' isn't one of them." Ebonystar nudged Ratpaw and started to head back to camp.
"If you want you can stay with us for a little while," Ebonystar said not waiting for the kittypet to catch up. He could learn on his own.
"Hey! Wild cat! Wait for me!" The cat said running to catch up. Prince looked at Ebonystar with curious kitten-like green eyes. "What would I be named if I were a wild cat too?"
Ebonystar looked him up and down. "Dawnblaze. Dawn for your dawn like coat and blaze for the length and white of your fur."
"Huh. I would call myself...hmm Dawnprince! Because I am such a lovely cat. Maybe I can become your leader?"
Ebonystar laughed loudly at this. "The current leader will either have to die or retire."
Prince smiled smugly. "Maybe I can convince him with my charm?"
"In your kittypet dreams." Ebonystar said winking at Ratpaw who was now smiling. The look on the kittypet's face later would be worth it.
1091 words