Warriors: Tales from Within
Curiosity Killed the Cat
Moonpaw padded through the forest stopping briefly to smell for prey. The mouth-watering aroma of squirrel filled her nose and she stealthily followed the scent. The squirrel hopped about some roots of an oak tree searching for nuts a few fox-lengths away from Moonpaw.
Moonpaw dropped into a hunter's crouch and slid like a snake across the forest floor. Her paw slipped and snapped a twig and the squirrel perked up alert for predators. "Mouse dung," she mewed under her breath as the squirrel noticed her and ran for a tree.
Moonpaw pelted after it and scrambled up the tree after it. She heard something moving around in the foliage on the branch above her. "Gotcha," she meowed. Moonpaw leaped and slammed her paw down on the squirrel and quickly delivered the death blow. She jumped from branch to branch until she was close to the forest floor and leaped out of the tree.
She scratched dirt over it so she could collect it later. Moonpaw heard something rustling among the leaves and noticed a plump blackbird hopping about. She dropped again into her hunter's crouch careful not to make any mistake until she was within jumping reach.
She sprang at the blackbird which gave off a loud alarm call right before she killed it with a bite to the throat. Moonpaw quickly caught a vole, a mouse, and a rabbit after that and went to collect all of her prey. She lugged it back to camp and dropped it on the fresh-kill pile.
Moonpaw's mentor padded towards her to tell her well done on her heavy haul of prey and brought the rabbit to share with his mate, Rosepetal. Moonpaw took the blackbird she had caught and went to sit with the other apprentices. She sat down by her best friend, Mousepaw.
Mousepaw greeted her with a cheery mew while he tore away hungrily at a thrush. Adderpaw was telling Crowpaw and Pantherpaw about all of the battle moves he was learning in his dreams. Moonpaw's ears perked up she listened intently but he wouldn't reveal who or what was training him.
The sun began to sink behind the treetops and Moonpaw yawned loudly and her eyes started to slide shut heavy with exhaustion. Moonpaw got up and slowly padded away to the apprentice's den and collapsed in her nest, tired from a day's work.
Instantly, her mind went fuzzy and the wind blew through the trees with a starry sky. Am I in Starclan's hunting grounds? Moonpaw continued on through the strange forest searching for some sign of the starry cats.
Is this an omen that Starclan will abandon us in the tough times to come? I wonder what Adderpaw was talking about, he's so lucky getting trained by mysterious cats in his sleep. I wish I could see what he's doing. Moonpaw padded through the forest until the wind died down and the stars vanished from sight.
She peered through the bushes and saw cats sparring and clashing with tooth and claw in a clearing. This must be what Adderpaw was talking about. A dark tabby tom with fierce golden eyes stood out the most to Moonpaw. He instructed and sparred with the young cats gathering, some of which she realized, she knew personally.
Adderpaw was tussling with the strange tom next to the bushes she was hiding in. Adderpaw quickly duplicated the move that the tom had shown him on another tom that looked exactly like him but with piercing blue eyes. Adderpaw asked the tom, "Like that Tigerstar?" "Yes but you need to react more quickly throw in a little of your own style to surprise Hawkfrost," replied Tigerstar. Moonpaw's blood chilled when she heard the two names spoken.
Tigerstar and Hawkfrost aren't those cats that betrayed their clans to fuel their ambition. She remembered that Tigerstar murderer too. Tigerstar mewed for the others to gather around and that tomorrow night they are going to start learning advanced battle moves for their invasion.
Tigerstar excused them to return to a deep slumber and regain their energy. Tigerstar and Hawkfrost started talking when Moonpaw was about to turn to leave and she turned around to pick up what they were saying. "The Clans will be brought to their knees when we take over once more and we will gradually expand the borders to keep the population under control," Tigerstar yowled to the cats that had remained behind. "Firestar will fall to our teeth and claws and Starclan will be imprisoning us to this awful place," added Hawkfrost.
The cats yowled in triumph and appraisal for Tigerstar's plans. Moonpaw felt a sense of emptiness inside her, these cats wanted to take everything from her and destroy Firestar and Starclan. They had to be stopped. As she turned to leave, Tigerstar stood there blocking her way of escape. ""Going somewhere," asked Tigerstar.
Moonpaw backed away and Tigerstar's claws slid out and he slashed at her. She awoke in the apprentice's den covered in blood. She limped over to the medicine cat's den and collapsed from blood loss. Jayfeather quickly grabbed some poultice and tried to seal up the wound. Moonpaw rasped to Jayfeather, "T-Tigerstar m-must b-b-be st-opped." Moonpaw shuddered and lay still for eternity.