| abstract | - "LIONPAW! HAILPAW!" The earsplitting screech rouses me from a deep sleep. I leap to my paws, turn in every direction, run into the wall of the apprentice's den, and stumble out into the clearing. Two FlameClan toms are standing in the middle of the camp; as my vision clears, I distinguish the sheepish, guilty expressions on their faces. Well, on one of their faces. The other one just looks sullen. Darkfang stands facing them, his yellow eyes blazing. Beside him is Fishleap. The two mentors size their apprentices up angrily. Darkstar pads out, watching the fiasco with a raised eyebrow. Rosewing, who just recently became a warrior, watches while hiding a smirk. "What happened?" I ask Northpaw, who's standing nearby. Before he can answer, the bane of my existence, Redpaw, butts in. "Ewwwwwww. Rainpaw, what on earth happened to your pelt? It looks like someone exploded a bomb in it." "Yeah, well at least my head isn't a hollow cavity," I snap back, lashing my tail and turning my back to her. "Hailpaw and Lionpaw were out on a hunting assessment, when Lionpaw had an idea," Northpaw explains. I wince. Everyone knows about Lionpaw's "ideas." They never turn out good. "See, they stumbled upon a fox trail. But instead of leaving it be, Lionpaw had the brilliant idea of collecting the grossest things imaginable; river mud, fox-dung, rotten crow-food, and bile, and dumping it on the fox." "To make a long story short," interrupts Driftpaw. "They miscalculated and dumped it on themselves. Then they got chased by a fox, embarrasing themselves and the whole Clan in front of a BirdClan patrol, and fell into the river." I widen my eyes. "Yikes." Then I smirk. "I can't wait to torture Lionpaw about this." Just then, the two apprentices pad by, tails drooping. We wrinkle our noses at their fur; the bath didn't wash out all the smell. "Shut up," Lionpaw mutters. "We didn't say anything. Yet," I chirp with malicious glee. Hailpaw's blue eyes meet mine, and he looks genuinely sorry for the whole incident. Probably also sorry that he ever met Lionpaw. "Don't worry," I purr. "Someday Lionpaw will fall into a ditch, and you'll be free." "Huh?" he blinks. "Never mind." "Whatever," Redpaw says. "Rainpaw, when you finally get over treating toms like a kit would, maybe you'll snag one not covered in fox-dung." I make my tone as sweet as possible as I retort, "And Redpaw, dear, when you finally get over yourself, maybe you'll realize that no tom has ever cared for you, or wants you for a mate." Turning on my heel, I stalk off into the woods to hunt. It's not that I don't notice toms. Some are admittedly cute, and not half-bad. It's just... I only think of them as friends. Having a mate would be giving my heart away to another, and I prefer being independent. I don't need anyone, much less some tom. Maybe some day, I would find a tom who was worth it. Maybe. Until then, I was fine with just me, and having everyone else as friends. After all, toms beat Redpaw and Driftpaw any day for companionship. That's all. Really. The moonlight gleams off Red Rock, turning it to scarlet fire against the pitch-black sky. I smile with excitement, happy to be out for my first Gathering. Lionpaw wasn't allowed to come for obvious reasons, but Hailpaw was, since he's a newer apprentice, and this is his first time. Also, everyone knows it was Lionpaw who started the fox incident. It's always Lionpaw. Glancing around the clearing, I look for someone to talk to. Almost all the FlameClan apprentices are busy. Redpaw is twirling in the midst of a bunch of BirdClan toms, Thunderpaw is sitting off to the side with a PetalClan she-cat(it's his first time too), and Driftpaw is chatting with Northpaw. Only Hailpaw is alone, his eyes fixed on the large red sandstone, reflecting it back in their sky-blue depths. Shrugging inwardly, I pad over. "Hi Hailpaw. What did Fishleap do to you about the fox thing?" His gaze travels to my face, and he smiles shyly. "Oh, hi Rainpaw." He flushes. "Nothing. I mean... we have to clean out the elder's den for a moon, but Lionpaw got the worst of it." "As well he should-" Just then, Spottedstar, BirdClan's leader, begins the Gathering. I face forward again, but my thoughts aren't on the leader's words. I watch Ashflight and Skymist purring next to each other, and two PetalClan cats, Roaringburn and Gentlewing, as they sit side by side. Will I ever be like that?
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