The Truth About The Squirrel

## Prologue

The mouse snoozed quietly, squeaky snores echoing around the round wooden chamber in which it slept. Moonlight filtered through a hole in the slowly decaying wood above, shedding a silvery light on it’s silky pelt, softly rising and falling. Its snout twitched idly, dreaming of consuming seeds or running from cats or whatever mice dreamt about.

Suddenly the mouse bolted upright, quivering in terror as pawstep’s vibrated the wood above it. A silver paw plunged through the hole in the roof, plunging the hollow into darkness. The mouse crouched back against the wall, ears flat. The gigantic paw groped around the borders of the little room, claws out.

“Silverpetal, wait.” The claws sheathed and the paw pulled out of the hollow.

“You still can’t kill these things,” a higher pitched, more delicate sounding voice responded.

“Sometimes.” An amber eye peeked into the hollow for a moment and the mouse pressed back up against the wall. “Not here. Not like this.”

“I’m sorry.”

The mouse’s acute ears picked up a soft brushing of pelts.

“It’s alright. We’ll just have to hope no one names any kits Squirrelkit or we’lll have a problem.”

A warm rumbling noise echoed into the mouse’s wooden chamber. It peeked out of the hole, curious. Two cats were sitting at the end of the log, tails entwined and pelts brushing. They didn’t *seem* dangerous. But they were cats. Cats were dangerous.

Confused, the mouse dashed quickly into the woods.

\*\*\*

“Speaking of squirrels,” Silverpetal purred, leaning her head on Thorntail’s shoulder. Her blue eyes had a teasing glint in them. “Are you ever going to tell them what *really* happened with that one squirrel in particular?”

“*Starclan*, no,” Thorntail snorted, licking her ear. “I’ll just let them craft their own wild, embarrassing, or idiotic theories. That’s a secret I’ll carry with me to my grave.”

Silverpetal flicked him with her tail.

“*I* could tell them. I’m sure Frondshade, Fallowdrift, and Rabbitscratch would love to hear the true story of their heroic grandpa’s monster squirrel…,”

“Isn’t that a pretty picture,” Thorntail grumbled. “...Yeah, no. Frondshade already thinks I’m an idiot.”

“You’ll always be *my* favorite idiot.”

“You’ll always be my favorite idiot too,” Thorntail chuckled, staring off into the forest. Fireflies flickered and crickets chirped. A light breeze blew, gently swaying the ferns and rippling the shadows. “...Everything used to be so simple.”

“Would you go back? If you could?”

Thorntail didn’t answer for a while, remembering…

## Allegiances

Leader: Molestar (Dark brown tom with green eyes, Mate: Rosefeather, Kits: Rabbitpaw)

Deputy: Rosefeather (White she-cat with amber eyes, Mate: Molestar, Kits: Rabbitpaw, Apprentice: Chesnutpaw)

Medicine Cat(s):

* Ebonyrain (Dark russet tom with black points and blue eyes, Apprentice: Tawnypaw)
* Tawnypaw (Calico she-cat with blue eyes, Parents: Rowandapple & Briarfern, Mentor: Ebonyrain)

Mediator: Hazelwing (Light reddish brown she-cat with blue eyes, Mate: Rainstorm, Kits: Chesnutpaw)

Warriors:

* Rodentsnap (Brown tom with green eyes, Mate: Pineconedapple, Kits: Weaselkit)
* Steelwind (Gray tabby tom with green eyes, Mate: Dawnfrost, Kits: Thornpaw)
* Dawnfrost (Ginger tabby with amber eyes, Mate: Steelwind, Kits: Thornpaw, Apprentice: Silverpaw)
* Beechfire (Silver tabby tom with amber eyes, Mate: Fawnleap, Kits: Silverpaw, Apprentice: Thornpaw)
* Fawnleap (Tabby she-cat with blue eyes, Mate: Beechfire, Kits: Silverpaw)
* Rainstorm (Light gray tom with amber eyes, Mate: Hazelwing, Kits: Chesnutpaw, Apprentice: Rabbitpaw)
* Nightfox (Black tom with amber eyes, Mate: Sporecloud, Kits: Maplepaw)
* Sporecloud (Tortoiseshell she-cat with green eyes, Mate: Nightfox, Kits: Maplepaw)
* Badgerflash (Black and white tom with yellow eyes, Mate: Ivytail, Kits: Bearpaw)
* Ivytail (White and gray she-cat with green eyes, Mate: Badgerflash, Kits: Bearpaw)
* Beebuzz (Golden tabby tom with green eyes, Mate: Blacklight, Kits: Goldenpaw & Honeypaw, Apprentice: Maplepaw)
* Hawktalon (Cream she-cat with amber eyes, Mate: Oaktuft, Kits: Windkit, Apprentice: Bearpaw)
* Thrifttail (Grayish-brown she-cat with amber eyes)
* Rowandapple (Calico she-cat with amber eyes, Mate: Briarfern, Kits: Tawnypaw)
* Briarfern (Tabby tom with blue eyes, Mate: Rowandapple, Kits: Tawnypaw)
* Acornmask (Black tom with brown speckles and yellow eyes, Mate: Goldensnap, Siblings: Sporecloud)
* Goldensnap (???, Mate: Acornmask)

Queens

* Pineconedapple (Dappled cream tabby she-cat with amber eyes, Mate: Rodentsnap, Kits: Weaselkit)
* Blacklight (Black she-cat with green eyes, Mate: Beebuzz, Kits: Goldenkit & Honeykit)
* Oaktuft (Tabby tom with green eyes, Mate: Hawktalon, Kits: Windkit)

Apprentices:

* Thornpaw (Gray tabby tom with amber eyes, Parents: Steelwind & Dawnfrost, Mentor: Beechfire)
* Silverpaw (Silver tabby she-cat with blue eyes, Parents: Beechfire & Fawnleap, Mentor: Dawnfrost)
* Rabbitpaw (Gray ticked tom with green eyes, Parents: Molestar & Rosefeather, Mentor: Rainstorm)
* Chesnutpaw (Light reddish brown she-cat with amber eyes, Parents: Hazelwing & Rainstorm, Mentor: Rosefeather)
* Bearpaw (Black tom with yellow eyes, Parents: Badgerflash & Ivytail,
* Maplepaw (Black she-cat with ginger flecks and amber eyes, Parents: Nightfox & Sporecloud, Mentor: Hawktalon)

Kits

* Goldenkit (Black tom with gold markings and green eyes, Parents: Beebuzz & Blacklight, Siblings: Honeykit)
* Honeykit (Golden tabby she-cat with yellow eyes, Parents: Beebuzz & Blacklight, Siblings: Goldenkit)
* Windkit (Cream she-cat with green eyes, Parents: Oaktuft & Hawktalon)
* Weaselkit (Brown tom with a cream chest and amber eyes, Parents: Rodentsnap & Pineconedapple)

## Chapter One

Thornpaw crept softly forward, eyes fixed on the squirrel up ahead, studying its every motion. Its back was to him, but from the way it stood and the crunching noises emanating from its position Thornpaw could tell it was munching on an acorn, contentedly and blissfully aware of his presence. But if that changed, it could be up the tall oak tree behind it in seconds.

Thornpaw drew in a calming breath, narrowing his focus until the world was empty except for him and the squirrel. Then he launched himself forward… And either the squirrel had eyes hidden in the back of its head or the wind changed because it let out a chitter of alarm and scurried up the trunk. Thornpaw let out a hiss of frustration

Beechfire strolled up idly, silver pelt shining in the dappled sunlight streaming through the trees.

“It’s alright,” Thornpaw’s mentor meowed casually. “The wind shifted at the last minute, could have happened to anyone.” His tone seemed to imply that this was somehow Thornpaw’s fault despite his words saying that it wasn’t.

“Well, it happened to me,” Thornpaw grumbled.

“How astute of you,” Beechfire remarked dryly.

Thornpaw scowled, resisting the urge to roll his eyes.

“Why do you put so much effort into specifically catching squirrels anyway?” Beechfire continued airily. “They’re Silverpaw’s favorite prey. It’s a funny coincidence.”

“Indeed,” Thornpaw muttered, forcing his tone to remain polite as his pelt grew warm. *I wish he would just tell me he doesn’t approve of my having a crush on Silverpaw instead of continuing to make poorly veiled cynical comments about it. She doesn’t even know, and at this rate we’ll be elders by the time she does.*

“Don’t mumble at me,” Beechfire mewed sharply. “Either you want me to hear something, or you don’t. Make up your mind.”

“Sorry.”

“Don’t apologize, just don’t do it again,” Beechfire grumbled with an exasperated sigh. Thornpaw considered calling him on being a hypocrite but thought better of it. “Come on, let’s collect the prey and head back to camp. I’d like to take you out for some battle training this afternoon; before then you should take a break and get something to eat.”

The two walked in silence back to camp. Thornpaw, as per usual, had caught a rather average amount of prey for an apprentice his age, which Beechfire managed to sniff at with thinly veiled contempt.

*I’m going to catch two enormous squirrels someday,* Thornpaw told himself. *One to give to Silverpaw, and one to see the look on Beechfire’s face.*

\*\*\*

“I’m going to enjoy this,” Rabbitpaw noted absently, licking a paw and drawing it over his already perfectly groomed ears. He was not in a battle stance like he should have been, but Thornpaw had been forced to do this enough times by Beechfire that he knew it wouldn’t matter.

*But you’ve done it so many times that it ought to bore you by now*, Thornpaw grumbled internally.

“That isn’t why we train, Rabbitpaw,” Rainstorm interjected with a nervous flick of his tail before Rabbitpaw could respond.

“Like foxdung it’s not,” Rabbitpaw scoffed.

“Don’t talk to me that way.”

“Yeah, yeah…,” Rabbitpaw rolled his eyes. “Can we start already?”

“Go ahead…,” Rainstorm muttered with a resigned sigh.

It did not seem fair how quickly Rabbitpaw went from slouching boredly to slamming into Thornpaw with a velocity it didn’t seem like he should have been able to muster so quickly, pinning him to the sandy ground with a force that Thornpaw did not think necessary.

“Ow,” Thornpaw  muttered, squirming ineffectively under Rabbitpaw’s paws. “How are you this strong?” He forced a grudging admiring note into his voice.

Rabbitpaw’s chest puffed out smugly, mouth curling into a contemptful smirk.

“Well, y’see runt, I just-,”

Thornpaw slapped right in his smug face, and, feeling his grip loosen in surprise, rolled out from under him and hit him in the flank with no apparent effect. Rabbitpaw let out an irritated hiss and turned to pursue him, but Thornpaw neatly hooked his paws out from underneath him before he could turn all the way an planted a paw on his chest while Beechfire looked on with an aggrieved expression.

*Thought he’d beat me again, huh?*

“That was a cheap trick, runt,” Rabbitpaw growled, thrashing frustratedly. Thornpaw pinned him with another paw.

“Really? Seems to me like you paid for it,” Thornpaw snickered.

Rabbitpaw’s eyes flashed with rage and suddenly Thornpaw was staggering sideways, something warm and sticky dripping into his ear. Before he could recorrect from the blow, another one followed, and another until Thornpaw was slumped on the ground, unable to do anything about it but whimper.

“Seems to me that you’re paying more,” Rabbitpaw growled, turning to stalk away and stepping into the tall shadow of the warrior standing behind him.

“You were saying,” Dawnfrost drawled, and Rabbitpaw’s knees didn’t even have time to tremble before she punched him and he tumbled across the clearing, coming to rest softly at the base of a tree. He did not immediately get up.

“*Mom*,” Thornpaw groaned, getting painfully to his paws. “You didn’t have to do that.”

“You’re right, but it felt good,” Dawnfrost mewed, cleaning some of the blood off of his face. “Are you alright?”

“Yeah… but you *really* didn’t have to do that.” Thornpaw shot a covert glance across the clearing to where Maplepaw and Silverpaw had paused training and were both staring at him and Rabbitpaw.

Dawnfrost patted Thornpaw carefully on the shoulder, sighing dramatically.

“Oh, I’m sorry if I embarrassed you by punishing that numbskull for beating the snot out of you,” she mewed sweetly. “Silverpaw I think that’s rather enough training for today, we’re going back to camp. RAINSTORM, DISCIPLINE YOUR IDIOTIC APPRENTICE. BEECHFIRE, DISCIPLINE YOUR IDIOTIC SELF.”

“What’d I do?” Beechfire asked sourly while Rainstorm nodded mutely.

“You let your apprentice get beat up for um,” Dawnfrost glanced at the approaching Silverpaw. “Petty reasons.”

“*Mom*,” Thornpaw hissed quietly.

“*What*? I wasn’t *that* obv- Oh, Silverpaw, you’re standing here now, you walk quickly- LET’S GO.”

“You wouldn’t take my apprentice back to camp without asking me, would you?” Beechfire mewed sarcastically.

“I would, deal with it,” Dawnfrost snapped, brushing past him in a rather passive-aggressive manner. Thornpaw followed more timidly, Silverpaw trailing behind. She stopped and exchanged a few quiet words with Beechfire before the two of them fell into step next to Dawnfrost and Thornpaw, Beechfire scowling intensely.

“Hey,” Silverpaw greeted Thornpaw quietly. “I saw what you did back there with Rabbitpaw… It was impressive.”

Beechfire’s expression was murderous; Thornpaw would have smirked were his pelt a little cooler. Luckily, Dawnfrost smirked for him.

“Oh, i-it was nothing,” Thornpaw mewed sheepishly. “Once Rabbitpaw starts gloating he forgets about everything except how awesome he thinks he is.”

“Well,” Silverpaw nudged Thornpaw amiably, to Beechfire’s very evident anger. “Next time he starts throwing his annoying weight around, I’ll help you pummel him.”

“You’ll do no such thing,” Beechfire interjected sharply. Silverpaw rolled her eyes.

“C’mon Beechfire, let the kiddos have their fun,” Dawnfrost purred. “You haven’t really lived until you’ve punched Rabbitpaw.”

“Is it not beneath an esteemed warrior such as yourself to engage in the petty politics of apprentices?” Beechfire asked loftily, enough ice in his voice to freeze a river. Silverpaw rolled her eyes again and mouthed the words along with him, doing a near perfect imitation of his expression.

“Ha!” Dawnfrost barked. “That’s rich coming from y-,” She shot a very obvious glance at Silverpaw and Thornpaw. “Uh nevermind.”