Disclaimer: I obviously don't own warriors. I do own the characters, though! ^^
A/N: Haha, all of you guys who read my fanfictions probably thought this would be an Alice in Wonderland fanfiction. Sorry if I disappointed you. D:
Anyways... this takes place in the old forest, pre-Bluestar's Prophecy. So all of the characters are old. xD Enjoy!
She was drowning.
Hazelpaw's paws churned through the dark waters, trying to find a pawhold. But there was nothing, the rushing water stretched on forever. A black wave pushed its way over her head, and she went under. The water invaded her eyes, nose, mouth, and ears. She kicked furiously with her hind legs, and pulled herself above the water, coughing and spluttering. Her paws flailed uselessly in the water, as the black, ominous, neverending water swept her farther away. She tried to glance back, opening her mouth to yowl for help. No sound came out. Hazelpaw was pushed under again. She was going to die.
. . . .
Hazelpaw woke up with a start, coughing and hacking. Glancing fearfully around the apprentice's den, she laughed nervously. It was only a dream. And yet, Hazelpaw couldn't shake off the feeling that the black churning water was going to sweep through the den, and pull her away. Away from her sister, away from Tawnyfur and Sleetstorm. Not able to fall back asleep, Hazelpaw stretched, and padded out of the apprentice's den, careful not to wake up any of her denmates. The sun has started rising, and a few cats were in the clearing, including Thrushpaw, Tawnyfur, and Bluefall. She padded over to the deputy. "Hi, Hazelpaw." Bluefall purred.
"Hi." she responded, dipping her head to Bluefall. "Could I join the hunting patrol?" she asked her mentor.
"Of course." Bluefall responded, flicking her tail over the younger cat's muzzle. Bluefall then called the hunting patrol. "Hazelpaw, Thrushpaw, Ravenclaw, Whiteheart, and Sweetpelt. I'll lead." the patrol slipped through the gorse tunnel, and out into the lush forest. "Where do you think we should go?" Bluefall asked the two apprentices.
"The Great Sycamore." Hazelpaw replied automatically, thinking of the lush tree, and all the mouthwatering prey that lived near it. She could practically taste it on her tongue. It was one of her favorite hunting spots in all of ThunderClan territory.
"Very good." the blue-gray warrior purred, leading the patrol towards the Great Sycamore. Once they reached the tree, they heard the calls of birds above their heads. Suddenly, Hazelpaw saw a brown, bushy tail peek through the grass. Squirrel!
She dropped into a hunter's crouch, her cream-colored tail lifted slightly so that it wouldn't drag through the grass and leaves, her paws barely touching the ground, as if they were desperately trying to float. She slowly gained on the unsuspecting squirrel, urging herself to not jump out and chase it. It would probably scamper up a tree if she did that, and that wouldn't feed her clan.
Once she was about a tail-length from the squirrel, she pounced. She raised her paw up, and drove a fatal blow on its neck. "Well done!" Sweetpelt congratulated her, purring. Hazelpaw nodded as a 'thank you', picked up the plump piece of prey in her jaws, and continued onward.
"Wow, that was really cool!" Thrushpaw said in awe, bouncing slightly next to Hazelpaw. Thrushpaw, who was about 3 moons younger than Hazelpaw, was a new 'paw, so everything fascinated him. He probably hadn't caught anything that large yet, so to him the squirrel was a huge catch.
"Thanks." Hazelpaw said around the squirrel, her words muffled. Her jaws ached slightly from carrying the squirrel, even after only a few moments, but she would bear it. She was a clan cat, and a warrior, after all. Not like those kittypets who can do nothing for themselves, she thought in disgust.
. . . .
By the time the patrol was heading back, they had a good load of prey. Since it was greenleaf, prey was thankfully running well. Sweetpelt and Ravenclaw had caught a rabbit together, and were carrying it back. Sweetpelt seemed to practically be a WindClan cat, since she could run quicker, and was more agile than any other ThunderClan warrior. Ravenclaw had helped to kill the rabbit with his massive size. Bluefall had caught a starling, and Thrushpaw had caught a good-sized vole. His chest had puffed out with pride as Hazelpaw congratulated him. Hazelpaw had also caught a mouse. Most of the clan thought she was destined to be a great hunter, since she usually brought at least two things back from every hunt.
Thrushpaw and Hazelpaw padded side by side, behind the rest of the patrol.
On their way back to ThunderClan camp, the patrol passed the river that marked the border with Riverclan. Hazelpaw shuddered. Even though the waters were clear and calm, she still could feel the invisible waves pressing against her, constricting her. Her chest tightening, she shook it off. Get a grip, Hazelpaw! she scolded herself, for fearing something that wasn't there. She bounded away from the river to catch up Thrushpaw, but not before sparing a fleeting glance back at the river.
So, what do you think? This will probably be a multi-chapter story. I know for sure that it is definitely not a one-shot. Her upcoming "prophecy" might seem similar to Bluestar's, but I'll try to make it different.
Sorry if I messed up on anything, I don't have the book with me right now. As you can probably tell, Hazelpaw is the main character.
Just to clear things up, Tawnyfur is her mother, Sleetstorm is her father, and her sister's name is Fernpaw. The other cats will be described in other chapters, but Hazelpaw is basically a cream-colored she-cat with darker stripes and a light tail tip, paws, and underbelly. She has hazel eyes.
Thanks for reading!
~Mirana