Cloudy Adders

This story is a collab by IcewrathXFeatherswirlXCraneheart, writing Adderpaw's chapters, and Mistybird, writing Cloudypaw's chapters.

Blurb
Adderpaw longs to be a warrior. His friend, Tigerflame, has already become one. He waits patiently to be a warrior, but unknown to him, Cloudypaw likes him. Cloudypaw must try to win his heart and together they follow the path of a warrior.

Chapter 1- Adderpaw
Adderpaw yawned and stretched in his nest, staring out into the frosty wind. He got to his paws and shook his pelt, grooming his brown tabby fur carefully.

"Adderpaw, the sunhigh patrol is waiting for you," Tigerflame meowed, bounding over.

"Fine," Adderpaw shrugged. He didn't know where his mentor was. He never seemed to be around, which was probably why Tigerflame was a warrior already. Much to his dismay, Tigerflame had started to take over his training. He knew Tigerflame was just trying to help him become a warrior faster, but he didn't like the fact that his best friend was now his mentor.

Tigerflame and Adderpaw headed off to where Ashflight, Hazelclaw, and Aquatail were waiting to go on patrol.

"Let's get going," Hazelclaw meowed, "Stormstar wants us to hunt as much as possible."

Duskleaf led the way out of camp and they followed him to the pune copse. It was blanketed in snow. Aquatail sniffed the air.

"It doesn't smell like there's much prey here," she commented.

"It may look that way, but yesterday when my patrol came by here, there was a nest crawling with mice under a tree root," Ashflight replied.

"Let's find it!" Tigerflame's eyes lit up, "Maybe if we catch enough, Adderpaw can be a warrior!"

Hazeltail shrugged, "Maybe, but not many apprentices become warriors by merely catching prey."

Adderpaw flicked his ears in annoyance and sniffed around a tree root, uncovering a large hole in the ground.

"Look he found it!" Tigerflame called. Ashflight, Aquatail, and Hazelclaw hurried over and watched as Adderpaw stuck his paw into the mouse hole and slashed his claw around. He felt his claws hit many small, warm bodies, a sharp sting, and a sticky substance on his paws. He scooped out a pile of dead mice the size of a pheasant.

Adderpaw gazed at the other cats, his chest puffed up with pride and he swiftly licked his stinging paw.

"One of them bit you," Ashflight observed.

Adderpaw nodded and meowed, "Look at all the mice."

"Let's take the mice back to camp," Hazelclaw meowed, "You can have your paw treated, I will tell Stormstar of your catches and Aquatail, Ashflight, Tigerflame, and I can go back out. You can rest."

"You can gossip and catch me up later," Tigerflame added.

"But..." Adderpaw protested.

"No 'buts'," Aquatail meowed gently.

"You can talk tomy daughter, Cloudypaw," Ashflight suggested, "Her mentor gave her the day off today."

Adderpaw heaved a sigh, grabbed a few of the mice and led them back to camp. They put the mice on the pile. Adderpaw took two and headed to the medicine cat's den, feeling miserable.

''Might as well talk to Cloudypaw after this. It seems like the only thing I can do''.

A spark of anger surged through him, I'm never going to be a warrior at this rate!