It was midnight, and the tall grasses of the moorland were coated with an iridescent light, stalks swaying as a soft breeze whistled through them. The night sky had only a single cloud floating across it and from behind that cloud peered the full moon, as if it were hesitantly observing the earth below.
It was on this moorland and on this night that a dark form appeared quite suddenly, as if sprouting from the ground. One second, there was nothing there; the next, a cat was crouched amongst the grasses. She scented the air with a pink nose, finding it crisp and fresh and smelling of thawing earth and budding leaves - a promise of newleaf that hung just out of reach. Believing herself to be alone, she travelled forward a couple of paces, before turning back around as another scent appeared and, with it, another cat.
"Heatherpaw, what are you doing?" the newcomer hissed. It was a fawn-coloured she-cat, with the lightest of brown stripes running along her sleek coat. Her amber eyes were stretched open wide, observing Heatherpaw with an almost anxious look.
"Just going for a walk," Heatherpaw replied nonchalantly before she was off again, her own light brown fur disappearing momentarily in the stalks.
Deerpaw went after her, padding as silently as she could over the hard brown earth of the moor, afraid that she might wake the sleeping cats beneath it. While most of MoorClan was attending the Gathering with SeaClan on the night of the full moon, there were still some who had stayed behind in the abandoned underground burrows where the Clan made their camp.
Heatherpaw took no notice of this, moving along the ground as she normally would with long, quick strides, her lithe body moving swiftly through the grasses of her home. If she was fast enough and made herself as small as she possibly could, it was almost as if she were not disturbing her surroundings at all; just a ghostly figure, making its way across MoorClan territory.
"You're going to get us in trouble again, Heatherpaw!" she heard Deerpaw call after her, but she did not heed her sister's words.
"No one asked you to tag along!" Her paw steps became more swift and she was suddenly running, moving past the Dusty Hollow where she had so often trained with her mentor, and onwards over the moorland. She stopped only when she reached the edge, an unnatural border between the grasses and a tall, brown wall of wood that separated the Clan from what lay beyond.
Deerpaw had finally caught up and her sharp intake of breath upon seeing the wall told Heatherpaw that the she-cat had not expected to end up here tonight. Before her sister could stop her, Heatherpaw rose to her paws, preparing to leap.
"No, Heatherpaw!" Deerpaw cried, pouncing onto her sister and knocking into her just she took off. The two she-cats landed in a heap on the ground.
"What in StarClan's name are you doing?" Deerpaw spoke first, having already gotten to her paws.
"I'm just trying to get over the fence," Heatherpaw growled vaguely, shaking out her dust-spotted fur.
"What for?" The fawn coloured she-cat's eyes were narrowed, two amber slits that glowed in the night.
Heatherpaw sighed, knowing that getting away from her sister's natural suspicion was nearly impossible. Deerpaw had always been the more sensible and careful one of the two of them.
"I want to get my warrior name," she mumbled.
The two sat in silence, Heatherpaw unable to meet her sister's gaze. Though she did not regret her decision to leave the MoorClan camp in the middle of the night, she felt sort of silly sitting by the wall of the Twolegplace. It was as if she was just waiting to get caught.
"Why now? It's the middle of the night." Deerpaw had a point, but Heatherpaw was full of energy and adrenaline and the question set her off.
"Because we're fourteen moons old, Deerpaw! We should already be warriors! Antstrike got his warrior name when he turned thirteen moons old, but Sootfall and Juniperheart were warriors at twelve moons. Why are we the odd ones out? I just want to do something that will show the Clan I'm worthy of a warrior name."
She paused, green eyes glowing fiercely in the dark. This time, it was Deerpaw's turn to look away. Another awkward silence emerged between the two, this one broken by the chirping of a cricket.
Unable to take the nervous butterflies in her stomach, Heatherpaw turned back to the wall. Bunching her long limbs beneath her, she sprang and, for a moment, she was sailing through the air. The flight was over all too soon and her claws hit the rough wood of the wall. Scrabbling against it with her hinds legs, she hoisted herself up onto it.
"What's your plan?" came a voice from below. Heatherpaw glanced down to see the small form of her sister looking up at her.
"I was going to go find some catmint for Greyleaf's stores," Heatherpaw called back. "We've lost three cats to greencough this season and still there's no catmint. No one's been to the Twolegplace in a while." Shrugging her shoulders, she went to leap down onto the other side of the wall, but was stopped by her sister's form appearing beside her.
"You don't think I'd let you go in there alone, do you?" Deerpaw twitched her whiskers at the other apprentice and Heatherpaw couldn't help but twitch her own in return.
Together, the two she-cats leaped down from their perch, landing quietly on the soft green grass below. Not too far ahead, there was another wall, this one made of an unnatural white wood, and Deerpaw clambered onto it first, Heatherpaw not far behind. From here, they could see the red tops of the Twoleg nests and a network of white walls, stretching as far as their eyes could see.
"How big is this place, exactly?" asked Deerpaw. Heatherpaw didn't reply, as she did not know herself. The idea of finally getting her warrior name had been first and foremost in her mind; detailed planning as to how her general plan would be executed had not even been considered.
Using what little knowledge she had of catmint, Heatherpaw scented the air to see if she could pick up any traces of the sharp scent it carried. What she received instead was a nose-full of acrid ones that killed the smells of everything else around her. Even the trees in the closed off field before her stank of Twolegs.
Determination burning within her, Heatherpaw began to move along the top of the white wall, putting one paw neatly in front of the other. She kept her eyes wide open, in case she caught sight of the leafy green plant that could mean life or death for a Clan cat in leaf-bare.
All around her were unfamiliar sights and sounds, but the she-cat continued on. Though the feeling of confusion grew, the desire to receive her warrior name outmatched it and spurred her forward. Once or twice, she feared she might have lost Deerpaw somewhere along the way, but every time she turned around, her sister was right behind her, scanning what little foliage there was for signs of the elusive herb.
The moon was beginning its descent when Heatherpaw's eyes finally fell upon the plant, half-hidden by the low branches of a cedar. Without thinking, she leaped down onto the grass, moving purposefully towards the catmint. All that was left to do now was grab the leaves and return to camp.
But that would have been too easy. It was only when she was halfway to the herb that the foul smell of wet fur and slobber hit her nose. She froze, fur suddenly standing on end. Turning very, very slowly, she came face to face with a giant beast.
"Heatherpaw!" she heard Deerpaw screech from somewhere above her. The shout was cut off by a bark from the dog before her and then its massive teeth were closing around the spot where Heatherpaw had been moments before.
Paws thundering against the ground, the she-cat ran as fast as she could in the direction of the wall where her sister was sitting. She could feel the dog's hot breath on her tail and terror began to wash over her as she realized that it was gaining on her. Getting ready to spring, she bunched her muscles beneath her but, just as she was about to leap, the sound of a higher pitched barking distracted her.
It was enough of a pause for the other dog to reach her and Heatherpaw felt its giant paw come slamming down on her back. Yowling in pain, she twisted, unsheathing her claws and scraping them over the black hound's face. It growled deep in its throat, but let go of her.
Shooting out from under its paw, the she-cat realized that there was another dog before her, this one a small white pup. She hissed at it, arching her back and it hesitated for a moment, giving her enough time to leap over it and continue towards the fence.
Then, she remembered the catmint and the reason why she had come here in the first place. The apprentice turned so quickly that she ripped up some grass as she went. She now understood why the Clan had been out of catmint, but refused to let it hold her back from receiving her warrior name.
"You're going to get yourself killed!" screamed Deerpaw, but Heatherpaw's ears were throbbing with the sound of her own heartbeat and the thudding of the dogs' paws as they came closer and closer.
Pelting across the length of the enclosed green space, she reached the catmint in record time. Clamping her jaws around it, she pulled with all of her might and the plant came up, roots and all. She raced away, running so fast her vision blurred and tears sprang to her eyes as the sharp scent of the catmint engulfed her.
The nearest wall was only a couple of foxlengths away and Heatherpaw used this knowledge to spur herself on, the muscles in her long legs burning in protest as she pushed herself. She could feel the wind in her whiskers, even through the leaves in her jaws, and knew with certainty that she had never run this fast before.
With a great leap, the she-cat soared over the last couple of mouselengths that separated her from the wall. The dogs were jumping up behind her, the big black one's jaws snapping closed repeatedly as it tried to catch her tail between them. The smaller white one was barking itself into a frenzy, beady black eyes watching Heatherpaw as she hit the wall.
Her heart dropped into what felt like the pit of her stomach when she realized that she had misjudged the jump. Digging all of her claws into the white wood, Heatherpaw hung from the wall, tucking her tail in to her body. The hound stood right below, angry eyes watching her, just waiting for her to fall.
The she-cat knew that she had to move; her claws could not hold her here for much longer. Yet, any movement would cause her to slide down and even the smallest of distances would bring her closer to the great black thing below.
Deciding to take her chances, Heatherpaw tentatively stuck a paw forward, trying to get a good hold on the wooden wall. She found herself shaking, both from fear and exhaustion, and sinking her claws in higher up proved to be a challenge for her aching body. The apprentice felt herself beginning to slide, her muscles cramping up as she desperately tried to hold herself in place.
Then, Heatherpaw felt teeth closing around her scruff and a feeling of relief spreading through her as she was lifted up to safety. She found her footing on the top of the wall slowly, her paws unsteady and her mind feeling foggy.
Dropping the catmint onto the top of the wall, she turned to Deerpaw, eyes alight with triumph. Heatherpaw opened her mouth to thank her, but was cut off by the look on her sister's face. She was shaking her head, amber eyes flicking between her sister's form and something else behind her. The feeling of relief was gone, replaced by dread even before Heatherpaw turned around to meet the stern gaze of her mentor.
She gulped upon seeing the hard light in the Lightningfang's amber eyes and found herself staring down at her paws in shame, the cause of this expedition suddenly foolish in her mind. Was it really so bad that she and Deerpaw were not warriors yet?
"I'm not sure what exactly you were expecting to accomplish tonight, but rest assured that a punishment for your infraction will be arranged," he snarled, his tail lashing. Behind her, Heatherpaw could feel Deerpaw's body trembling, though she herself was not phased by her mentor's tone. She was used to his harsh growls.
"Harestar will want a word with you when we get back to camp," said the much calmer voice of Deerpaw's mentor, Sagefang. This time, Heatherpaw did shiver, thinking of the strict MoorClan leader and the inevitable disappointment she would express when hearing of the night's events.
The dogs below were growing louder, the sight of four cats driving them wild, but the two warriors paid them no mind. They were focused on their apprentices, looks of disappointment and worry etched onto their faces.
"You could have been killed!" Lightningfang continued. "If our medicine cat and our warriors haven't been able to get to the catmint, what made you think you could?"
Deerpaw remained silent, cowering behind Heatherpaw, but her sister was much more bold. Swaying slightly as she got to her paws, the bruise the dog had given her only now beginning to make her ache, she kept her green eyes level with her mentor's as she flicked her tail towards the catmint.
She did not know what reaction she had been expecting, but it was not quite the one she received. Though Sagefang's eyes widened in astonishment and Lightningfang cocked his head upon seeing the herb, neither said anything. Below, the dogs continued to yammer.
"You got lucky," Lightningfang finally said, before turning in the direction of the MoorClan camp. Sagefang just nodded, swishing his tail to show that the two apprentices should follow. Picking up the catmint, Heatherpaw did so obediently, trailed by her drooping sister.
The trek back to camp seemed to drag on, much like the apprentices' paws dragged over the dusty ground. The tall stalks of grass were slowly turning gold in the light of the rising sun and, though the scents of newleaf were still present, they no longer held the same enticement as they had before.
Now that the adrenaline of the night was gone, the she-cat felt incredibly tired and her whole body ached from the beating she'd taken. She was amazed that nothing was broken, or that none of her muscles had been pulled during her sprint.
Yet, Heatherpaw did not feel as if she'd accomplished anything, though the sharp scent of the catmint continued to remind her that her expedition had not been completely in vain. She was angry with herself for believing that warrior names could be so easily earned and, worst of all, for dragging her sister into it.
Maybe her mentor was right - she was just lucky tonight. One thing she knew for certain, and it was that she wasn't a warrior.
A/N: This is my very first one shot for my own forum, The Clan Cat Cafe! The topic of this particular challenge centered around an apprentice who was tired of waiting for their warrior name and decides to take things into their own paws - a theme I hope this story encompassed in a way that was easy to understand and enjoyable to read. This was also my first time writing about the cats of MoorClan, SeaClan's neighbour (for those of you who have read 'Against All Odds' or 'The Best Warrior').
What do you think happens to Heatherpaw and Deerpaw after their expedition? Let me know in your lovely reviews!
- Spirit