Welcome to the first chapter of Pawsteps of the Tribes. Each chapter will alternate between the three tripes' (no, wait, tribes') point of view.
Tribe of Rushing Water POV (now officially TRW POV, okay?)
Chapter One
Sundapple stretched and padded out into the sunshine. His golden fur was dripping with water from the Waterfall, but he was getting used to that. So was the rest of his Tribe. Just thinking the word gave Sundapple a thrill of excitement. He was the Healer/leader of an organized group of cats called the Tribe of Rushing Water. Their territory covered all of the mountains from which the lake could be seen clearly. Being this high up didn't give the Tribe of Rushing Water any benefits over the others, for they had hid their camps equally well. Try as he might, Sundapple could not see a single sign of the Tribe of Rolling Hill's camp, even though their territory was wide and open.
Sundapple gave a tremendous yawn and looked around. Now that he had a whole territory, it was time to do a bit of exploring, and he needed to catch prey for the Tribe. Some prey had been caught the day before while there was still time before everyone went to sleep, but it was all gone now. Padding over the rocks, Sundapple searched for a good place to hunt.
Scenting the air, Sundapple picked up the faint traces of mouse. Creeping forward, Sundapple found the creature sitting up and sniffing all around it, tiny nose twitching as it poked through some low-growing bush. Awkwardly, Sundapple settled into what they had taken to calling hunting position, if you were catching small prey such as mice. For birds there was a different position.
Sundapple was a tail-length from the mouse. Wiggling his rear slightly, he shifted his weight subtly so that it was evenly distributed through all four paws. Hunting in this area was hard, for there were loose stones and some rocks were less solid than they looked. Sundapple lifted off the rocky ground suddenly, using all four paws to lift his body into the air, seeming light as a feather. He had also gently pushed himself forward as he sprung, so that he curved delicately over, landing on the mouse. Sundapple batted it into the air, so that it fell neatly on the ground, stunned, where Sundapple killed it with a swift bite to the neck.
Sundapple pushed the mouse behind the bush and kicked some loose stones over it so that it was hidden from view. Going on over the mountain, he came to a large, open area, where the hawks were wheeling. Hiding behind a large boulder, Sundapple waited in his bird crouch, which was lying in a coiled sitting posture, leg muscles taut and ready to spring. One hawk dove, and just as it was fixing to swoop out of its dive, it came too near Sundapple, who shot off the ground in a sudden explosion. The hawk squawked with surprise, and in a great tumble of feathers and fur, they landed on the other side of the boulder, but this time there was no need to deliver a killing bite. The hawk's neck was twisted at an odd angle, and its eyes were glazed over. Sundapple picked it up and walked back to where the mouse was hidden. He uncovered the mouse, tucked it under his chin, and set off for camp. It was hard, for he had to look down when he walked, and still not lose a grip on either of his prey. Finally, the roaring of the Waterfall grew near, and Sundapple flung himself through with such gusto that barely any water landed on the prey.
Several cats opened their eyes and sniffed the air. Eagerly they headed straight for Sundapple. Dropping the prey, Sundapple nervously stepped over it.
"STOP!" he yowled. The cats hesitated, and their paws kneaded the ground anxiously, but they stopped. Looking over the cats, Sundapple spotted a few cats that were extremely old, and one that was heavy with kits.
"I'm going to give the prey to the old and the queens first," Sundapple explained. A few grumbles arose from the gathered cats, but they parted to let the old cats and the queen through. Sundapple nudged the hawk toward the old cats, and the mouse towards the queen.
"It's alright to eat it. If you're still hungry afterwards, you can see if there's any meat left on the hawk, okay?" he asked the queen. The queen, who had already picked up the mouse, nodded and padded over to where she had been sleeping. She took a bite out of it, and after some thought, walked over to another cat and offered them a bite. The cat accepted, and they passed the mouse back and forth until all the meat was gone. Then they carried the mouse bones outside to the edge of the mountain, said a little prayer of thanks for its life and the meal it gave, and tossed the bones over the cliff.
The two came back inside and sniffed around. The old cats had left a little meat on the hawk, and they offered it to some other cats. Sundapple watched this carefully. Sharing food was a new concept for the Tribes, for in the old days, everyone had guarded their prey viciously, and no one even offered a bite to anyone else before they finished. They still said a prayer to the Tribe of Endless Hunting, though, even then.
And now, suddenly, the Tribe of Rushing Water was one giant family, and new ideas were being introduced. Sundapple marveled at this, and proclaimed to his Tribe that from now on, the proper custom for eating food was to take one bite, then pass it to another, who also took a bite, then passed it back to the original eater. He announced that kits, queens, and old cats were to be fed first, and everyone else second.
The next step was organizing a hunting party. Only a couple cats had gotten food, and they needed a lot more if they were to live. Sundapple sent them out to different areas of territory, to hunt, set a marker for the farthest boundaries, and check for any threats, such as wolves, bears, badgers, foxes, and others. As Sundapple watched the hunting parties head off, his heart swelled with pride. The Tribe was coming along nicely, and he didn't really see any reason why they should have any problems.
This book will be one that might have a sequel, if enough people like it, but for now, Pawsteps of the Tribes is about how the three Tribes began, their different customs, and also the struggles of their beginning years. Stick with them, and it will get more interesting, I promise! Don't forget to Review!