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Squirrelpaw'southward Secret

"Squirrelpaw, where are you going?"

Sandstorm'southward caput jerked up as she heard the exasperated call of Dustpelt. Squirrelpaw was always getting into trouble, and Firestar figured a firm cat like Dustpelt would exist able to handle the boisterous young cat. However, in the curt moon that he'd been mentoring Squirrelpaw, he'd get increasingly frustrated with the younger cat's inability to focus. Sandstorm barely caught a glimpse of her son earlier his ginger pelt disappeared into the brush.

"Squirrelpaw!"

Dustpelt was nigh to go after his apprentice, but Sandstorm leapt to her paws and halted him. Dustpelt stumbled back.

"He'due south giving y'all trouble over again?" Sandstorm sighed.

"As per usual," her one-time friend grumbled. "I'm doing my best, Sandstorm, but it never seems to exist enough with him. He won't listen to me. Perchance Firestar should give him a different mentor."

Sandstorm had considered this before, though something told her that Dustpelt wasn't the problem here. In spite of the rocky relationship Dustpelt and Firestar shared, the tabby tom had never been cruel to Firestar'southward kits. In fact, Dustpelt had seemed excited to mentor Squirrelpaw. Squirrelpaw had no reason to exist then uncompromising with his mentor.

"I'll become speak with Squirrelpaw," Sandstorm stated. "He has to listen to his mother."

"Skilful luck," Dustpelt scoffed.

The tom turned around, and headed directly for the nursery. He took every opportunity he could to visit Ferncloud and their newborn kits. Sandstorm turned the other way and ventured into the wood. She raised her cage and sniffed the air for her son'southward scent.

"Squirrelpaw?" She called as she patrolled the woods.

Finally, Sandstorm caught sight of Squirrelpaw's striking ginger pelt. He was hunched over a puddle, his thick tail coiled tightly around his paws. Sandstorm stepped gingerly over to him.

"There you are! I've been looking all over for y'all. Don't you know to come to your mother when she calls you?" Sandstorm scolded.

"Deplorable," mumbled the younger cat.

"Don't apologize to me," snapped Sandstorm. "Apologize to Dustpelt. He's been trying everything to train you lot, and you won't even permit him help you lot!"

Squirrelpaw shut his eyes tightly. Sandstorm sighed. She could tell he was distraught, and decided that reprimanding him wasn't going to help him correct now.

"Squirrelpaw, this isn't like you. Yous were such a happy kit. A pawful, sure, merely y'all were always sweet. Now all y'all practise is option fights — Brambleclaw, Dustpelt, Spiderpaw — the list goes on. What happened?"

Squirrelpaw turned to face his mother, his green optics wide and glassy.

"Mom, do you lot think Starclan makes mistakes?"

Sandstorm flicked her ear, taken aback by the question. "What?"

"Dustpelt says they don't," Squirrelpaw went on. "Leafpaw says so, too."

Sandstorm considered for a moment. She'd been raised to believe Starclan e'er had the clans all-time involvement at centre, that everything they did was for a reason. But at that place were certainly times when she'd failed to empathise their reasoning.

"I don't know," Sandstorm finally replied. "I'grand no medicine cat."

Squirrelpaw turned back to the puddle, gazing intently down at information technology. He wrinkled his nose and flicked his paw into their h2o, sending ripples through it and distorting his reflection.

"Why do you ask?" Sandstorm pressed.

"Maybe some toms," Squirrelpaw'south voice became strained. "Aren't meant to be toms."

Sandstorm blinked. "Squirrelpaw?"

"I don't want to be a warrior if I'grand going to be a tom," Squirrelpaw explained softly. "Information technology isn't right."

"Oh," Sandstorm mewed. "Then…?"

"I'm a she-cat," Squirrelpaw alleged.

"Is that what this is all most?" Sandstorm shook her caput. "Squirrelpaw, you lot could have told me before."

"I thought you'd call up I was crazy," Squirrelpaw mumbled, flicking a pebbles across the forest floor. "I overheard some Riverclan apprentices at the last gathering talking about cats like me. They say I'chiliad defying Starclan's will."

"Since when do yous mind to the likes of a agglomeration of fishbrained Riverclan cats?" Sandstorm swatted Squirrelpaw's ear playfully, merely received piffling response. "They're incorrect."

"How practise you know?" Squirrelpaw asked, looking up at her mother with a tired face.

Sandstorm hated seeing her daughter similar this. She hated that she hadn't realized what was going on before and so that she could have been supporting Squirrelpaw. Sandstorm wrapped her tail around her kit and licked her ear affectionately.

"Do yous remember the plant nursery tales I used to tell y'all and Leafpaw well-nigh my father, Redtail?" Sandstorm asked.

Squirrelpaw nodded.

"He was like yous, also. He was born a molly, but he realized that wasn't who he really was. And so he told Bluestar that he was a tom — that he always had been — and y'all know what she did?"

"What?"

"She thanked him for telling her, and somewhen, fabricated him her deputy. He served with Bluestar for many moons, and was one of Thunderclan'south wisest and bravest warriors. Practice you lot think Starclan would have given him the strength he had if they didn't approve of him?"

"I guess not," Squirrelpaw conceded.

"Nonetheless," Sandstorm continued. "Starclan doesn't control you, Squirrelpaw. They may guide you, merely you're the only 1 who can say who y'all are. And if I know my daughter, I know she's never been one to heed to anyone just herself."

Squirrelpaw chuckled quietly.

"When you're set, nosotros'll tell your begetter and the rest of the clan. Okay?"

"Okay," Squirrelpaw agreed.

They were silent for a moment before Squirrelpaw buried her muzzle into her female parent's breast.

"Give thanks you, momma," Squirrelpaw mewed.

Sandstorm pressed her nose to her daughter'south head lovingly. "I'm proud of yous."

They sat nestled together in silence for a moment, and so Sandstorm piped up.

"Don't recollect you're off the hook, though. You are going to take a long talk with your male parent and I nearly your behavior and you lot are going to apologize to Dustpelt."

"Okay," Squirrelpaw nodded against her mother'southward chest.

Sandstorm was surprised by her daughter'south oddly agreeable attitude, but she certainly didn't heed it.

"Are you ready to go dorsum to military camp?" prodded Sandstorm gently. "I'll let you pick something from the fresh kill pile and tell Dustpelt you'll exist ready to railroad train once more tomorrow."

"Can we stay hither a little longer?" Squirrelpaw asked.

"Okay."

Sandstorm licked her girl'southward head, then rested her chin on it. She close her optics, curling her tail effectually Squirrelpaw. In that moment, she swore had caught a drift of her begetter's scent.

(A/N: I hope y'all enjoyed this mini set nigh Sandstorm and Squirrelpaw! If you don't know, I headcanon Squirrelflight as trans mtf, and I idea it would be absurd for Sandstorm, who's dad was trans, to react to Squirrelpaw being trans too. She's a adept supportive mom.)