"Promise not to make fun of her, Lilacpaw?" Otterpaw twitched an ear, uninterested in the quiet conversation between Lilacpaw and one of the League Mentors. Sunset light streamed through the tall pine branches, and a light cool breeze ruffled through a small group of young cat's fur.

"Yeah, sure, Russetleap. I'd never!" The light creamy brown she-cat ruffled her chest fur. Otterpaw sniffed, knowing the other apprentice was lying.

      "Otterpaw, you gonna talk to her when she gets here?" A dark brown tabby she-cat padded over, tufted ears pricked. Otterpaw turned her head to the white-muzzled she-cat.

      "Obviously at some point, Minkpaw." Otterpaw looked to her paws, and Minkpaw gave an annoyed sniff.

"I'm going to ask Pinerock if I can be the one to welcome her in." Minkpaw purred. Otterpaw blinked with shocked green eyes. She wasn't sure if she could ever put herself out like that... To offer to do something so.. weird. Lilacpaw would say that's weird: to actually offer to do something like that.

"Good luck with that." She mumbled, trying to smooth down her white chest fur with wet licks. Minkpaw gave her a side glance, golden-green eyes flashing.

      "Anyway, Copperwing'll be back any moment now with Magpiepaw," the firm-muscles she-cat noted as she looked to the sky at the setting sun. Bright oily reds and oranges were streaked across the sky, fading to a pink, sort of like the wild roses that grew near the border.

      "..okay." Otterpaw continued to groom her fur. Minkpaw seemed to bristle, her eyes narrowing.

       "...don't you want to come with me? To be the first cat to greet Magpiepaw?"

       "It's not like we didn't know her as kits. I remember her. She was bossier than Bumblepaw and was always stuck to her brothers' side." Otterpaw flicked an ear.

      "Well, she could be different now..! We haven't seen her since she became an apprentice. I heard her League's camp was in the Creek Valley area! Wouldn't that be a cool place for the Mistletoe League?!" Minkpaw purred.

       The white-chested apprentice shrugged, earning a frustrated growl from her sister.

        "You never want to do anything fun..." She whispered, then much louder, "I'll ask Kitepaw if she wants to come with me to meet up with Copperwing and Magpiepaw. I can always count on her." Otterpaw shrunk back at the sharp final sentence, and her darker tabby sister spun around in search of the ginger tailed apprentice.

       "Hey, Otterpaw! Come practice with me!" She heard a call, and she recognized it as Nettlepaw. His leaf-green eyes were bright, his grey fur ruffled from practice fights. Otterpaw rocked forward on her paws, ready to go, when the creamy brown form of Lilacpaw moved in.

        "I will, Nettlepaw. Otterpaw won't get you very far in training." The green eyed she-cat shot a look to the slightly larger brown tabby apprentice. Otterpaw opened her mouth in protest before deciding it was best to shut her mouth. She noticed Minkpaw and Kitepaw, a white she-cat with a flame red tail, as they spoke to Russetleap, presumably getting permission to run ahead to meet Magpiepaw. Guess they couldn't find Pinerock. I'm not surprised. 

"I'll practice with you, Otterpaw." Otterpaw and Lilacpaw both blinked in shock. Thymepaw stood before Otterpaw, tail high. He  was slim and had softened features, much like one would expect on a beautiful she-cat.  Otterpaw knew from experience though that the dark stormy gray tom was much stronger than his narrow, sleek frame seemed. She knew there was firm muscle beneath the dark fur. She flicked her tail dismissively.

       "I'm fine." She averted her gaze so that she didn't see his dejected expression. She felt a tinge of pride, reveling in it. After what he caused... This isn't nothing compared to that.

       "You two get along now," Russetleap called awkwardly from a large gray rock that stuck out of the soft pine forest floor, his reddish tabby fur blending with the reddish brown nettles. Lilacpaw flicked her ear.

"Thymepaw, you should come over and help Nettlepaw and I anyway." Lilacpaw's voice cracked slightly as she called the tom over. Otterpaw looked over, watching him make his way over to his sister's side. It's like she doesn't want any she-cat to be close to her brother except herself.

      Nettlepaw was bouncing up and down, his mind running too fast for his mouth to catch up as he explained a fighting move. Otterpaw moved to the rock that Russetleap was laying on, and she leaped up to sit behind him, her eyes watching for a sign of the cats bringing back the new apprentice.

      By the time the wind carried fresh scents of cats, the sun was just below the horizon. Deep dusk light flooded the sky, making it harder to spot the dark forms of coming cats. Russetleap had already scented it and was leaping down the rock before Otterpaw realized what was happening.

      "Hey Otterpaw, come say hi!" A loud voice called, and the brown tabby immediately recognized the voice as Kitepaw, Minkpaw's best friend. At least Minkpaw even has a best friend. You're best friend is.. Yourself. Otterpaw breathed in deeply, sliding down from the boulder, relishing in the soft pine nettles as they met her paw pads. The other apprentices had gathered, Nettlepaw sitting by his brothers and Thymepaw watching Otterpaw. She glanced at him from the corner of her eye, but turned her attention to the coming cats.

Minkpaw was walking proudly next to a thick furred black she-cat, and Otterpaw had to take a step back. She hadn't seen Magpiepaw since she was a scruffy little kit, but now she was a huge. There were small splashes of white on her muzzle and chest, but her pelt blended well with the shadows, and Otterpaw was afraid to see how big the she-cat was in full light. Kitepaw was trotting happily ahead, her bright ginger tail high. Copperwing, the second League Assistant Mentor, was leading up the rear of the patrol.

"What was their camp like--" Nettlepaw mrrowed to the tortoiseshell mentor, but his smaller and darker gray brother Fernpaw poked him.

"You mean, what was your camp like. Magpiepaw will know all about the camp, even more than Copperwing!" Nettlepaw nodded with understanding, turning to the huge black apprentice. Otterpaw stood firm, her eyes wearily looking the cat over. She seemed... Mysterious. None of the apprentices knew the reason she had been transferred to their league, the Mistletoe League, but they had been guessing for the last few days. Everywhere from "I bet she failed a test! You know how strict the Wasp League is about those?!" to "I bet she killed another apprentice!" Nobody had liked that idea, since nobody wanted to be the next victim.

"Otterpaw, why don't you go say hi?" Minkpaw strode up, her pelt enveloped with shadows.

"Ah, she looks a little too bombarded with questions as it is.." Nettlepaw, Fernpaw, and Kitepaw were all surrounding Magpiepaw, their voices loud.

"She didn't really talk to Kitepaw or I either. We were the first ones to meet her and she barely even said hi...!" Minkpaw pouted.

"Maybe she doesn't want to be here?" Otterpaw watched the mysterious cat as she dodged questions with shrugs and "I don't know"s.

"Well she's gonna have to suck it up, because she stuck with us until we all become warriors. Copperwing said so!" Otterpaw was quiet. Welcome to the Mistletoe League, Magpiepaw. StarClan probably hates you.

FIGHT  OR  FLIGHT

AN

With 4 to 0, flight will be next!

Okay so here's my attempt at Otterpaw. I do realize this is far from my best work. But. Um. Here. Also for future readers, I had a super hard time writing this chapter

If you don't understand "leagues," they are literally just like school grade levels. Like 5th grade, 6th grade, etc. Since the clans are so big, they apprentices kits who were born in the same moon (once they're six moons old) all as one league. So the Mistletoe league are all 10 moon old apprentices. There are one mentor and a few Assistant Mentors to one league, and each League has a name (Wasp League, Mistletoe League, etc.) the name might be in honor of another cat or just to signify strength.

Also I drew the Mistletoe League a while back lol