“I don’t think I’m doing it right,” Thorn whispered to no one in particular.
Despite the bustling of the kitchens, Plum still heard the young apprentice. Without turning around, she called over her shoulder, “All you’re doing is mushing the pumpkin. You need to have faith in yourself.”
Thorn miserably looked down at the trampled mess that was once pumpkin guts placed carefully into a bowl-shaped rock. No matter what she did, it was never as smooth as when Rabbit did it, nor did it taste as good as when Plum did it. “Okay…” She had wanted to bring a snack to Rattlestrike to celebrate her friend becoming a warrior, but there was no way she could bring such a sad mess as a present.
“Do you think I can carry this all the way to ReefClan?” Thorn tentatively asked, glancing at the other cats working in the kitchen.
Frost snorted derisively and said, “You shouldn’t go to ReefClan at all.”
Plum was a little more tactful. “They may not want you to hang around, little one. I know you’re friends with…”
“Rattlestrike.”
“Right. That one. But the rest of the Clan aren’t exactly friendly to us.”
“Not like we need them,” Frost muttered. She turned around and pushed a rounded loaf of crab meat, bell pepper, and corn. “Eat this. I used a duck egg and powdered potato to bind it together.”
Thorn didn’t like crab, but she took a polite bite anyway. “It’s very…”
“Spit it out if you don’t like it!” Rabbit appeared like a ghost, nearly making Thorn jump out of her skin. The tom batted the crab loaf away and placed a leaf-wrapped bundle before Thorn. “Here! Eat this instead. Frost, take your… thing back.”
“It’s a crabcake,” Frost snapped, but she used a deft paw to pull the loaf back. To Thorn’s immense relief, the queen didn’t seem too upset.
“What it is, Frost, is strange,” Rabbit pushed the leaf bundle to Thorn again before trotting off to the ingredient storage.
Thorn glanced between Frost and Rabbit, then nudged the leaf bundle. To her delight, it unrolled to reveal a small feast of peeled hazelnuts, dried salmon, and cranberries. “Can I… eat this?” She nervously asked, swallowing back the drool forming in her mouth.
“That’s what it’s for,” Rabbit called back.
Scooping the leaves up, Thorn scurried out of the kitchen and found a soft pelt that wasn’t being used in a quiet corner of the canteen. Around her, cats were chatting while they ate. As Thorn bit into a cranberry, the sweet-sour berry bursting in her mouth, she let her ears wander.
Doe and White were gossiping about a new forest Clan, with Gentle trying to persuade the two she-cats that it was a good thing. Meanwhile, Light and Ghost were bragging about their most recent hunt. Thorn couldn’t help but quietly giggle as she listened to the apprentices try to outdo each other with increasingly outlandish tales.
“You’re overthinking again,” Wanderer’s voice caused Thorn to jump. She hadn’t heard the older she-cat approach at all. The kindly queen was round with kits and should definitely have been resting, but she always made time for Thorn.
“I wanted to make a gift for my friend, but nothing is working out,” Thorn admitted. “All of my food is just… unpresentable, even if it tastes good.”
Wanderer settled down beside Thorn and groomed the top of the apprentice’s head before saying, “Do you think your friend wants something lavish?”
Thorn thought of Rattlestrike before shaking her head. “Not really… she’s not that type of cat. But,” she added on hurriedly, “I wanted something to give to her! But… I can’t really do much except…” Trailing off, Thorn blinked as she looked down at her pile of snacks.
“Oh?” Wanderer hummed as Thorn sat up straighter. “What have you thought of?”
“Maybe I can bring her some simple snacks, and we could spend the day together?” Thorn asked hesitantly. She was worried the idea was too immature, but, to her delight, she saw Wanderer’s eyes glow warmly.
“That sounds wonderful, Thorn.” The queen purred. “Take your friend on a picnic.”