Cherrypaw’s Big Chance Part I
by Audrey Smith
(Columbus, Ohio, America)
Cherrypaw is just an ordinary apprentice-until today. Cherrypaw was eating a red squirrel, her favorite, at the fresh-kill pile.
“This is delicious,” she said through a mouthful of squirrel.
“I prefer birds to squirrels,” sniffed Maplepaw, another apprentice.
“That’s your choice,” growled Grasspaw, yet another apprentice. The two sisters, Maplepaw and Grasspaw, were fighting over an apprentice they both had a crush on, Hawkpaw.
“Come on guys, can’t we all just get along?” asked Cherrypaw. “I think that Hawkpaw doesn’t even like either of you. It’s obvious he only has eyes for Whisperpaw.”
“No,” announced Grasspaw. “He likes me.”
“No he doesn’t,” countered Maplepaw. “He likes me!”
Cherrypaw left them to it, to go and ask her mentor, Stripeymint, if there was anything she could do to help the clan, besides getting bickering sisters to like each other.
“Hi Stripeymint. Can I-” she broke off as a piercing shriek sounded from the nursery.
“Help! Help! My kits! Oh, Where did they go?!” a very anxious Sandfall burst from the bramble bush that was their nursery, her eyes wild.
“Calm down, calm down. We’ll find your kits. can you tell us exactly what happened?” Brownstripe, their deputy padded up.
“W-well I went to the medicine-cat den to get some borage leaves for Belltail, but when I got back, my kits weren’t there! I’ve searched the whole camp, and they’re not here!” Sandfall exclaimed.
“They can’t have gotten far. Stripeymint, take Cherrypaw, Owlbeam, and Leafsky, and patrol as far as the RedClan border.”
“Right. come on, let’s move out!” Stripeymint order his patrol. Cherrypaw felt a rush of excitement as she pounded out of camp. Wow! her first real mission!
“Hey, Stripeymint, can I stop and see if I can find a scent?” asked Leafsky.
“Of course. Let’s all try,” responded Stripeymint, and began sniffing the ground, looking for traces of kit-scent. (to be continued in ‘Cherrypaw’s big chance part two’)
Audrey Smith
