Owlstar's Mentor
The night was dark and not even the light from the stars pierced the unblinking darkness as a slight breeze shifted the leaves from their holds on the trees that rested outside the camp. Owlpaw lay awake in his nest, thinking about how his mentor, Oakbreeze had tested him just that sunhigh but, as usual, Grasspaw, that clumsy mouse brain, had scared away a plump vole which he had set his sights on. He had had the perfect stance, tail low, shoulders hunched, just as Oakbreeze had taught him but then a breeze blew up and blew Grasspaw over with it.
She had been chasing a small crow and had started running messily after it, kicking up leaves and sending prey fleeing left and right. Owlpaw groaned and rolled his eyes as he remembered that that prey had included the vole that he had been expertly stalking.
Owlpaw switched his gaze Grasspaw's pelt beside him. He silently imagined running his claws through her pelt. He also imagined Grasspaw's cry for mercy but he would give none. Not after she had ruined his test that would have meant that Thunderstar would have given him his warrior name the very next day. But no! Grasspaw had to ruin it! Owlpaw unsheathed his claws and studied them. I wonder if I could actually do that. He thought. He looked back over at Grasspaw again and the desire to rake his claws down her flank and slit her pretty little throat almost overcome Owlpaw and he instead took out his anger on the moss which his nest was made of.
He imagined that it was Grasspaw and sketched the outline of Grasspaw's delicate form into the moss, his unsheathed claws leaving dents in the moss where he had sketched. He concentrated on the heart breaking shock which had then turned to merciless anger when Oakbreeze had told him that he had failed his test. Owlpaw gritted his teeth and then struck down on the moss, tearing the sketched Grasspaw apart. First he struck the neck.
He imagined the blood streaming from it and her pitiful yowl for mercy and the thrashed down on Mossy-Grasspaw's flank, leaving gaping would be wounds deeply imprinted in her slender tortoiseshell form. The imaginary tangy scent of hot blood rushing from the wounds filled his mind with satisfaction as he stared down victoriously at the wrecked moss nest. He attempted to calm down and go back to sleep but his mind refused to let him, flicking through memories of Grasspaw and how much of a failure his mentor had thought of him as.
Owlpaw growled and pulled himself up. He looked around at the other apprentices, Grasspaw among them and gave a silent hiss. He scowled and padded out of the apprentice den, dodging sleeping apprentices and only just preventing himself from raking his claws down Grasspaw's flank.
The cool night air refreshed him and he gave a sigh of relief. "It's so much better out here then in there." He murmured, waving his tail towards the apprentice den. He saw Silveroak in the middle of the camp. He had been given his warrior ceremony just yesterday.
He crept past the light grey warrior and slid along the bramble bushes indulged in their shadows. He stepped on a twig and Silveroak's head spun around and he looked directly at Owlpaw. He narrowed his eyes and walked towards the brambles. Owlpaw hissed and stepped out into the open. Silveroak's expression softened and he smiled. "Go on Owlpaw. Go practise. I know what Grasspaw did. I only got my warrior ceremony because I caught my catch before that blustering mouse brain scared it away. If I had a say in all this, I'd have you up here tonight with me." He smiled at Owlpaw. Owlpaw smiled back. He licked his best friend's ear and ran off into the forest, the shadows engulfing him.
Once he was past the borders of the camp, Owlpaw smiled and headed towards the Owl Tree. A little while ago, he had seen an owl take a RiverClan kit and he wanted to catch it.
After a while, the line of forest stopped with only small bramble bushes growing in an open area. In the middle of it on the river line was the Owl tree. He ran towards it and clawed his way up it, just the way Silveroak had showed about a moon ago.
The hole in the trunk was clear from where Owlpaw was and he put on a burst of energy to climb up into it. He turned around and sat on the edge of the hole and stared out at the vast expansive forest that lay below him. He smiled proudly. He, Owlpaw, was the first cat in clan history to climb up the Owl Tree.
A hooting came from behind him and he froze. An owl appeared beside him. Owlpaw sat, frozen to the spot as the owl looked him up and down. It hooted and spread its wings before taking off towards the forest. Owlpaw smiled and leapt down the tree after it, jumping down silently onto the forest floor.
The owl hooted from above his head and he looked up. It was staring down at him. He smiled and started running, his paws skimming the ground making no sound at all. He gasped and the grinned. A squirrel was eating a nut a little way ahead of him and he quickly dropped to a hunters' crouch and began stalking it.
The wind blew in his face blowing his scent behind him and the mouse's towards him. He made no sound as he crept up on it. When he was close enough, he pounced.
The little furry being didn't even squeak as Owlpaw gave it a quick bite to the neck. He looked up triumphantly. The owl was sitting in a nearby beech tree watching. He smiled at it and it hooted. It spread its wings and swooped back to the Owl Tree.
Owlpaw grabbed his mouse and sprinted silently back to camp. He was going to become Owlstar someday. It was his destiny.