Whitefox woke up to the dawn's light shining in his face, warming up his fluffy white fur. Greenleaf was here, and the young white tom was feeling the effect of the hot sun. The white warrior yawned, trying to go back to sleep, but he was prevented from doing so by his brother jabbing him in his flank with his large paw. "Wake up you lazy mousebrain," Whitefox heard Blueclaw meow.

"Go away Blueclaw," Whitefox lashed out his back paw.

Blueclaw snorted. "I would, but we have to go on patrol."

Whitefox hissed in annoyance, rising to his paws. "Fine, just let me eat."

Whitefox shook out his white fur, quickly licking all the moss out of it, and trotted to the fresh-kill pile. He picked out a mouse and bit into it. He finished his mouse; glancing around he spotted Blueclaw waiting for him at the thorn barrier with Ryetail, and her apprentice Brightpaw. Whitefox grunted a greeting and led the patrol towards the ShadowClan border. He automatically began resetting the boundaries, and the patrol made their way to the edge of the ShadowClan border. Whitefox noticed a white flower past the boundaries; he stopped and stared for a few heart beats.

"Whitefox, we're leaving," a cheerful chirp came from Brightpaw; the young ginger she-cat was gazing up at him with big yellow eyes. Whitefox was aware that Brightpaw had a crush on him, and so did every other cat in the Clan. Brightpaw had been mooning over Whitefox since they were both apprentices. Whitefox found it very annoying, and wished she would stop. The Clan had lots of kits; Ivypool had just kitted Mousewhisker's kits, but he had died just before they were born. Mousekit, Tigerkit and Hawkkit would be enough. Plus every cat knew that ThunderClan's deputy, Dayflower would be moving to the nursery anyday now, expecting Larkfeather's kits. Whitefox didn't need a mate. It was bad enough that every cat forced him to follow the rules, the white tom would not allow the Clan to force him to choose a mate too.

Whitefox just blinked at the annoying apprentice, padding away. He hoped that Brightpaw would sense his displeasure towards her, maybe then she'd leave him alone.

"Oh c'mon Whitefox, leave the poor she-cat be," Blueclaw mewed softly into his ear. "It's obvious she admires you. I say give her a shot. She's a pretty she-cat."

Whitefox could hear the teasing note in his brother's voice, and he tensed up. "She's an apprentice, Blueclaw," he snapped quietly, "and for StarClan's sake, I'm not interested in a mate."

"Why not? I mean, if she and Cedargorse weren't so in love, I'd become mates with Mossypool." Blueclaw stated.

Whitefox flattened his ear. "You don't need a mate to be happy." He growled.

"Oh and you're so happy?" Blueclaw retorted.

"Oh I'm peachy!" Whitefox spat, running past his gray brother, and almost running into his mother, Honeypetal.

"Whitefox, watch where you're going," the white-and-yellow she-cat chided her son. "Aren't you supposed to be on patrol?"

The white warrior nodded.

She sighed. "Brightpaw again?"

Whitefox nodded again. Honeypetal knew that Blueclaw and Whitefox bickered over the topic often. Blueclaw was highly enthusiastic about getting a mate and having kits with her, but Whitefox thought it was pointless. Kits were annoying to him. He'd much rather jump into the lake and swim all the way to RiverClan than become a father to annoying brats.

Honeypetal sighed. "I understand that you aren't interested in Brightpaw, but do you have to keep ignoring her like you do? Do you even tell her you aren't interested?"

Whitefox shook his head no. He didn't waste his time trying to let down the younger cat gently. He didn't care.

Honeypetal snorted. "I highly suggest you do, or else Brightpaw will keep padding after you, and Blueclaw will keep pestering you about it."

Whitefox knew his mother was right, but he didn't admit it. He just stared at her, no emotions whatsoever in his yellow eyes.

Honeypetal sighed. "It's your choice." She warned while padding away.

"I'm well aware of that." Whitefox muttered to himself.