Outcast

“Look what I’ve got!” Hazelpaw’s voice sounded gleeful and also half stifled, as if she was speaking around a piece of prey gripped in her jaws.

Jaypaw didn’t bother to point out that he couldn’t look at anything. Besides, the strong scent of vole told him what Hazelpaw was carrying.

“This is my last hunting assessment.” The apprentice’s voice was clearer now; she must have put down her prey. “If we do well, Berrypaw, Mousepaw, and I will be made warriors today.”

“Great.” Jaypaw tried to sound enthusiastic, but he was still annoyed at her for distracting him from ancient cats.

“I’m sure Dustpelt will be pleased with me,” Hazelpaw went on. “This vole is huge! It’s enough to feed both of Daisy’s new kits.”

“Daisy’s new kits can’t eat vole yet,” Jaypaw reminded her.

Is she completely mouse-brained? “They were only born four sunrises ago.”

“Well, it’ll do for Daisy, then.” Hazelpaw still sounded excited. “She’ll need to eat well now that she’s feeding kits. Have you visited them yet? They’re the sweetest things I’ve ever seen!

Daisy told me she’s named them Rosekit and Toadkit.”

“I know,” Jaypaw mewed shortly.

“I can’t wait until they’re old enough to come out of the nursery and play,” Hazelpaw went on. “Do you think Firestar might let me mentor one of them? I’ll have warrior experience by the time they’re ready.”

“They’re your half brother and sister,” Jaypaw meowed discouragingly. “Firestar probably won’t—”

“Hazelpaw!” A sharp voice interrupted, and Jaypaw heard the rustle of Hazelpaw’s mentor, Dustpelt, pushing his way through bracken. Annoyance was rolling off him in waves.

“Are you hunting or gossiping?” he demanded.

“Sorry. Have you seen my vole, Dustpelt? It’s enormous!”

Jaypaw heard Dustpelt pad up and sniff the vole.

“Very good,” the warrior mewed. “But that doesn’t mean you can sit back and wash your tail. There’s lots more prey in the forest. I’ll take this back to camp, and you can carry on.”

“Okay. See you later, Jaypaw!”

Jaypaw remembered to call out, “Good luck!” as Hazelpaw bounded away, but his mind was already drifting back to the ancient cats. Their silence troubled him. Have I done something wrong? Are Rock and Fallen Leaves angry with me? His mind gnawed at the problem while he found a clump of mallow and bit off the stems to carry back to camp.

“Well done, Jaypaw.” Leafpool’s voice came from behind him as he was finishing the task. “Let’s go.”

Jaypaw gathered up the bundle of stems in his jaws. It was a good excuse not to talk. As he padded back through the forest behind his mentor he was still absentminded, hardly noticing the scents of prey or the scuffling of small creatures in the undergrowth. He was far away, trying to walk in the paw steps of those ancient cats.

Then a bird let out a sudden alarm call. Jaypaw started at the fierce beating of wings right in front of his nose, dropping his mallow as he jumped back.

“Hey!” Berrypaw’s indignant yowl came from a few tail-lengths away. “That was my thrush you just scared off.

Couldn’t you see I was stalking it?”

“No, I couldn’t see that.” Guilt and annoyance at his own clumsiness made Jaypaw savage. “I’m blind, in case you hadn’t noticed.”

“But you can do better than that,” Leafpool meowed crossly. “Keep your mind on what you’re doing, Jaypaw.

You’ve been scattier than a rabbit all morning.”

“Well, I hope he hasn’t messed up my assessment,” Berrypaw muttered. “I’d have had that thrush if it wasn’t for him.”

“I know,” Brambleclaw meowed.

Jaypaw picked up the ThunderClan deputy’s scent a little farther away. Mousepaw and his mentor, Spiderleg, were nearby, too. Oh, no! Has all of ThunderClan been watching?

“There’s no point in wailing over lost prey,” Brambleclaw went on, padding closer. “And a warrior doesn’t get worked up over one little setback. Come on, Berrypaw, see if you can find a mouse among the tree roots over there.”

“Okay.” Jaypaw could tell that Berrypaw was still angry, in spite of what his mentor had said. “Jaypaw, just keep out of my way, will you?”

“No problem,” Jaypaw shot back at him.

“Yes, it’s time we got back to the clearing.” Leafpool gave Jaypaw a nudge with her shoulder. “This way.”

I know where the camp is, thanks!

Jaypaw collected his herbs and padded behind his mentor through the thorn tunnel and into the stone hollow. Brushing past the screen of brambles in front of the medicine cats’ den, he deposited his bundle in the cave at the back.

“I’m going to get some fresh-kill, okay?” he mewed.

“Just a moment, Jaypaw.” Leafpool set her own herbs down and sat in front of him. Jaypaw could sense her impatience and frustration. “I don’t know what’s gotten into you lately,” she began. “Ever since you and the others found the WindClan kits by the edge of the lake…”