CHAPTER 1
Featherwind was just finishing sitting vigil for her warrior ceremony. She was exhausted. Her former mentor, Hawksight padded up to her.
"Your vigil is finished. You can go to the warriors den and get some sleep."
The warriors den! Featherwind thought. Excitement flared in her pale blue eyes. Hawksight must have seen her excitement because as he stalked away he muttered to himself.
"It's not that exciting" But Featherwind could hear the amusement in his mew. She was not fooled but his grouchy tone. She stood up and almost fell over with exhaustion but quickly regained her balance and padded off to the warriors den. Featherwind looked around the half empty den, Streamspark, Swiftrain, and Ambersong, -Featherwind's mother- were still curled up in their nests. Streamspark, a blue-gray cat with white flecks looked up from her nest.
"Congratulations, you're a full warrior now." She said as she stood up right and arched her back in a long stretch. Featherwind dipped her head to the older warrior. Streamspark pointed with her tail to her nest. "Here you can sleep in my nest until we can make you one."
"Thank you, Streamspark" Featherwind didn't even look up at her and just collapsed into the nest. Almost no time had passed and she was asleep.
Featherwind woke up to a paw prodding her in the side. She lifted her head to see a brown and black patched tom looking down at her with amber eyes. Featherwind groaned.
"Get up Featherwind you get to go on evening patrol with Brightpaw, Cedarfrost, and I." He meowed.
"Yes, Oakfur, I'm coming" She replied drowsily. Featherwind staggered to her paws and squeezed from under the bramble bush that was growing in the side of the cave. Across the clearing Brightpaw a calico she-cat waited beside a brown tabby tom with a frosty white underbelly.
"Are you coming, Featherwind?" The tabby asked.
"Yes, Cedarfrost." Oakfur scurried over to the deputy with Featherwind hard on his paws.
"Right then, let's go." The evening patrol headed thought the narrow tunnel and out of the cave that was their home. Featherwind followed the patrol though the tunnel to stare out at the back of a roaring waterfall. The mist sprayed Featherwind in the face making it hard for her to breath. The patrol followed along a narrow path. Featherwind peered over the edge of the cliff. She became dizzy looking down at the lapping water.
"Hurry up! What's going on?" Brightpaw called in frustration over the roaring of the waterfall. Featherwind hadn't realized she had stopped when she was looking down at the hungry water.
Featherwind hurried along the cliff side. The path gave way to solid ground and grass. Featherwind breathed in the mountainside forest air. Behind them mountains loomed over the patrol. Brightpaw padded alongside Featherwind with Oakfur and Cedarfrost in the front. The patrol veered off the path and toward the mountains. The cats walked through the undergrowth in silence. Brightpaw's ears perked at the sound of rustling in the leaves under a beech tree. Oakfur glanced back at Brightpaw and nodded to her in approval. Featherwind watched as Brightpaw stalked of in the other direction. The rest of the patrol started to break up and look for prey.
Featherwind padded through the undergrowth way from the others. She listened hard and saw a squirrel gnawing on a nut underneath a maple tree. Featherwind dropped down into a hunting crouch and glided forward. She had almost made it when...
Fox dung! She thought as her tail brushed a leaf. The squirrel sprung up the tree. Featherwind darted forward, and leaped into the tree. Just snagging the squirrel's tail with a claw, she brought it down with a swift bite to the neck. She proudly dropped her prey on the ground and buried it with leaves.
She then padded off in the other direction. She then scented the air for any more traces of prey. Featherwind saw a thrush fluttering on a low branch of a tree. She dropped into a crouch once again and crawled forward. This time she brought her prey down easily, with a massive leap into the trees. Featherwind carried her prey back to where the patrol was waiting. Cedarfrost had caught a wood pigeon; Oakfur caught a huge rabbit, while Brightpaw only caught one scrawny mouse.
"Well done, Featherwind, what a great catch!" Cedarfrost's golden eyes glowed in the setting sun.
"Thank you, Cedarfrost." Featherwind mewed in response. Oakfur just looked at his apprentice with disapproval in his eyes. Brightpaw's head was down, looking at her paws. Featherwind padded up to her and brushed against her pelt.
"Oakfur hates me. He thinks I'm useless." She whispered.
"Did he tell you that?" Featherwind replied softly as they started to go again leaving their prey to collect for later.
"No but I can see it in his eyes. Can't you?" Brightpaw challenged. Taken aback, Featherwind didn't reply. The patrol, scent marked the border between MoonClan and their Clan, BreezeClan. Oakfur and Cedarfrost meowed quietly to each other while they headed toward the spot where they left the prey. The patrol headed back to camp with their catch.