Snowpaw
The Dead Wakedream Partridge
I do not own the Warriors.
This is for the LawlClan 12 Days of Christmas Writing Challenge.
You will realize that I have introduced a new Clan. It just makes it easier to insert new ideas in a new Clan.
Wakedreams are just daydreams.
Enjoy the story, if you wish.
I closed my eyes, breathing in the scent of leafbare. It was a sharp, cold day. My breath hung in the air, a mist swirling around me. My thick fur clung to my thin body, making me warmer than most cats in Forest Clan. I scuffled through the snow. Everything was white around me.
Focus, Snowpaw, you have a warrior assessment to do. Why would they assess me in the middle of leafbare? There is no prey to catch, and if there is they know I probably won't catch it easily. No time to stop and wakedream now. I shook my head trying to clear it. There was no time for speculative thoughts.
Breathing in deeply I tried to scent any sort of prey. The more prey I catch the better chance I have of becoming a warrior.
Clean, crisp air silenced my thoughts, making me shiver. It even smelled cold. What shocked me was that even though the forest was splattered with paw prints, none of the scents were fresh.
Great. How am I supposed to hunt if there isn't anything to hunt?
As I was wakedreaming a strange looking bird flew down from the sky and started to peck at the ground two tail-lengths away. It was peculiar, brown, black, and white. The feathers around the neck were arranged in such away that resembled stripes. It looked like a fairly healthy bird, with strong wings.
That bird is huge. It could feed over half the Clan. I would definitely get my warrior name then. Now how am I going to catch it?
I looked around getting a sense of my bearings. The nearest tree was three tail-lengths away, from both the bird and me, which would the perfect escape for the bird, if it ever got there. It was a pine tree, so every branch I climbed would alert the bird that I was coming. So if it gets there I can say goodbye to my clan's meal and my warrior name.
I got down in the hunter's crouch and felt the wind. I would be fine going in between the bird and the tree. That bird isn't getting to that tree, not while I am here.
A twig snapped behind me and the bird took off in the air, headed straight towards me. I was startled and nearly forgot what I was doing. I leaped in the air and snagged the bird.
The many heartbeats it took to finally kill the bird were a blur, but the bird was dead. I was panting hard, my fur was wet and I had a few scratches where the bird must have pecked my face trying to get free.
"Good job, Snowpaw," Goosefang, my mentor said, with a hint of disappointment in his voice. He was standing beside the pine tree.
Why is he disappointed? This is the biggest prey I have ever caught. Isn't he proud of me? Shouldn't he be proud of me?