"That's the stream. It winds throughout the whole territory. If you get lost, just follow the stream back to the camp," Smokewind said, flicking his tail towards the clear stream just ahead. Redpaw nodded, bounding over to it. The stream gurgled softly, the melodic sound of running water soothing to Redpaw's ears. Tentatively, Redpaw bent down, gazing at her reflection. Although distorted and warped, she looked different than she had in the stagnant puddles back at camp. Bigger, stronger somehow.
Purring, Redpaw flicked out her tongue to take a drink.
She gasped. "It's cold!" The frigid water slid down her throat, and Redpaw turned around to look at Smokewind. The tom stood a distance away, laughing.
"It's fresh," he said.
And Redpaw agreed. The water was distinctively different from the puddles and moss of camp. She stuck out her tongue again, lapping eagerly at the stream. She stood, water dripping from her whiskers, and padded over to Smokewind.
He laughed, gesturing with his tail for her to follow. Redpaw shook her head quickly, sending drops of water arching through the air, catching the light in a dazzling way. Smokewind was a few tail-lengths ahead of her, and the eager apprentice broke out into a small trot to catch up.
"Take a whiff here, Redpaw," Smokewind meowed, stopping abruptly. Redpaw halted, sticking her nose up in the air as though it would help her. She inhaled deeply, tasting the air. Something slightly like the stream they had left filled the air, although it was different somehow.
"All I scent is the stream," Redpaw stated, sniffing some more.
"That's alright," Smokewind. "It's easy for me to scent because I'm used to smelling for it. Let's get a little closer." He padded away, heading in the direction of the stream-but-not-stream scent. Redpaw followed, demoralized at her inability to scent what Smokewind wanted her to scent. She half-heartedly sniffed the air ever other step, trying to please Smokewind.
Finally, Smokewind came to a halt again. His nose was slightly wrinkled in disgust as he inhaled deeply. "Try now, Redpaw," he said.
Redpaw, desperate for approval and success, sniffed as deeply as she could, feeling as though her lungs might explode. She coughed. Gagged. Wheezed.
"What is that?" she cried, shaking her head disgustedly.
Smokewind let out a mrrow of laughter. "That's Lakeclan," he said. "They live on a small, marshy island close to the shore of the lake just over that way. They eat fish; that's what you're scenting from their scent markers. This is the border to their territory."
Redpaw scented the air again, trying to imprint this scent in her mind forever. She nodded. "I'll shred any cat that crosses that border!"
"Just make sure you don't cross it yourself," meowed Smokewind sternly. "We don't want to cause unnecessary trouble."
"I won't," Redpaw promised.
"Good. Let's follow the border a ways so you learn it. I'll point out the landmarks as we go."
Smokewind set off at a brisk pace, forcing tiny Redpaw to trot to keep up. Smokewind was silent as he walked, a lone gray shadow, whereas Redpaw was loud. Her paws crinkled every leaf, snapped every branch, and her pelt got stuck in every bush they passed. By the time the pair met up with the stream again, Redpaw was panting heavily.
"Need a drink?" Smokewind asked. Redpaw only nodded, bowing her head to savor the delicious freshness that accompanied the clear stream.
"I thought we already passed the stream," Redpaw noted, lapping at the water greedily.
"We did," Smokewind confirmed, nodding his head once. "The stream winds throughout the whole territory. If you ever get lost out here, just follow the stream and you're sure to run into the camp eventually."
Redpaw rolled her eyes away from Smokewind so he wouldn't see. Who did he think she was, a tiny kit in the nursery? She wasn't about to get lost. She didn't need to follow the stream. How dumb. She smirked at her reflection in the stream before standing, lashing her tail. "Let's go!" she said.
Smokewind laughed, taking off at the same quick pace as before. Redpaw followed, eager to prove herself once again. It wasn't for another few minutes before they came upon the next major landmark.
"What do you smell?" Smokewind asked.
"Not like Lakeclan," Redpaw observed, "but a scent marker. Whose is it?"
"Swiftclan," Smokewind said with a growl.
Redpaw felt her hackles raise. Swiftclan was Rainclan's greatest enemy. The stinky, territory-stealing, prey-snatching, fox-hearted cats were always fighting with Rainclan, whether it be over prey or over territory.
"Swiftclan lives in the meadows, moors, and plains over there. It's pretty flat, so whenever another clan tries to attack them, they Swiftclan cats see them coming. Not to mention all the cats over there are exceptionally fast. They hunt rabbits and such, so they have to be. Never turn your back on any enemy, but especially don't turn your back on a Swiftclan warrior. They will kill you without thinking twice," Smokewind said.
"I'll claw their pelts off," Redpaw snarled.
"No reason to get upset," Smokewind said sternly. "They haven't done anything for a while. Just be cautious, and never impede on their territory. We don't want to give them a reason to attack us."
Redpaw nodded again, wrinkling her nose at the border before bounding after Smokewind as he padded away. The two walked a while longer, enjoying the weather. Smokewind called out everything they passed.
"That's where the stream curves away, and over there is a clump of oak trees. You can usually catch loads of mice and voles in there if you want, but it's a little close to Swiftclan to be for a younger apprentice unless you're with a warrior. In fact, for a while at least, you'll want to give this whole side of the territory a wide birth."
"Huh? I can't even be on my own territory for fear of the fox-brained Swiftclan crow-food eaters of attacking me?"
"Not necessarily. You don't know the territory so well yet, so it's just best for you to stay close to me and the camp for a while. It's nothing personal, we just don't want a young apprentice unintentionally starting a war with Swiftclan."
Redpaw didn't respond. I would never cross the border, and I'll claw the face off of any warrior who tries to come on our lands! I can handle myself just fine, Smokewind. I'll show you, sometime soon. I'm not some weak-minded kit in the nursery, you know.
Smokewind gave Redpaw a toothy grin before padding away, smoke-gray pelt blending easily in with the shadows of the trees. Redpaw followed, sulking at her mentor's apparent lack of faith in her abilities as a warrior.
The pair walked along the Swiftclan border for a while longer, Redpaw mapping out the invisible line in her head and committing the stench to memory. After what seemed like an eternity, Smokewind turned away from the thinning treeline of Swiftclan and leaped into the underbrush, disappearing. Eager for some real action, Redpaw followed.
Smokewind was waiting for her on the other side, and one nod from his brown eyes was all she got before he took off again, weaving in and out of the trees easily. Redpaw bounded after him, wide green eyes watching him effortlessly navigate the vast Rainclan territory.
This time, Redpaw scented the foul odor before Smokewind asked her to try to. "What is that?" she asked, halting.
Smokewind purred. "Good scenting, Redpaw!" he said, flicking his tail. "Let's get a little closer though, so I can show you the border." Redpaw nodded, pelt fluffed out in pride. She trotted after Smokewind, who slowed to a halt after only a few tail-lengths of walking.
"This is the Shadeclan border," Smokewind explained. "See how close together the trees are over there? They provide shadows and places of darkness for the Shadeclan cats to hide in. Most of them are dark-pelted, so it's a perfect place for them."
"I'll turn any Shadeclan cat who crosses the border into crowfood!"
"While I admire your enthusiasm, you've said that to all the cats in any other clan. I respect your eagerness to defend your territory, but staying alive might be a better strategy."
Redpaw bristled.
"As I was saying, Shadeclan is pretty private. They don't come out to fight much, but when they do, they're strong and ruthless. The only major time a Shadeclan cat is seen is at the Gatherings, but you might see a patrol pass by the border. Usually they'll just keep going and ignore you, unless you cross the border, so don't do that. And don't taunt them. We really, really don't want to fight that battle."
Redpaw stayed silent, still fuming at Smokewind's implication that she couldn't handle herself in a fight against another clan. "Staying alive might be a better strategy", she thought to herself. What a bunch of crowfood. I can't believe he would say that! I'll show him…
"C'mon, Redpaw," Smokewind called. "There's still a bit of territory to explore." Grumbling, Redpaw leapt into the underbrush after her mentor.
Smokewind showed her the pond, the huge oak tree, the maples, the rock pile, and anything else of any significance he could show her. By the time the pair trudged back to camp, Redpaw had to admit to herself that she was exhausted. The territory was so big! She had no idea that there was that much out there. A thrill of excitement still went through her whenever she thought about it.
"Go ahead and build your nest," Smokewind said. "The apprentice's den is right over there. Familiarize yourself with the camp, maybe try to make friends with the older apprentices. Just don't get underpaw. If a warrior asks you to do something, do it, no matter what it is. I have to go on a few patrols, so I won't be back for a little. Try to stay awake, it'll help get used to your new schedule." He turned to walk towards the Dust Rock where Darkstar was preparing to leave with a small patrol. "Oh, and get something to eat!" he called as he bounded out of camp with Darkstar.
Redpaw simply stood in the middle of camp, watching her mentor leave. The sand underfoot was less gritty than she remembered, and was actually soft and comfortable. She yawned. Smokewind had said not to sleep. She shook her head, clearing it of most of the cobwebs. After a moment's hesitation, she padded into the apprentice's den.
Inside, the den was well-lit, but still dark enough to sleep in if you so chose. There were only a few nests that appeared to be occupied, but plenty of old, drying moss in already dug-out places. Redpaw padded in, sniffing around the den. She finally selected an open-ish area with room for two nests, hers and Bluepaw's.
Redpaw scooped the sand into the already-dug hole in the floor, smoothing everything over. She wanted the nest to be new, belonging only to her. When she left the apprentice's den, she knew she'd be ripping out the nest.
She then sheathed her claws so she wouldn't get sand in them and began scooping out pawfuls of sand. She dug a deeper basin that most of the other nests have, and then curled up inside. Perfect. Her body was beneath the wall of sand around her, with only the top of her back and head visible when she slept. Standing, the red apprentice stepped carefully from her nest.
Redpaw trotted outside the camp, going through the rock and bramble tunnel and emerging on the other side. She bounded over to the nearest source of moss and sniffed it. Dry, due to a few days lack of rain. She tentatively unsheathed her claws and began gently scraping the moss from the tree, careful not to rip it. She set it down in a pile, then went off to find more. When she had finished, she had a large pile of soft moss ready for use. Barely able to carry it all, Redpaw trotted back into camp.
In the apprentice's den, Redpaw set the moss down inside her nest. Carefully, so as not to disturb the perfect walls, she began placing the moss across the sides to prevent sand in her fur. She put a thick layer along the bottom of her nest to cushion her when she slept. When the last piece was in place, she crawled into her nest, turned three circles, and lay down.
Redpaw furrowed her brow. She stood, padding out of the den and then out of camp, heading into the woods again. She brought back more moss to line her nest with, and then tried to curl up again. Perfect. She sighed in contentment, purring softly. Her eyelids began to droop, and she wondered if maybe, just maybe, Smokewind would even have to know if she took a nap…
No.
She stood, shaking herself, and bounded out of the den.
Hello, I'm StrawberrySilver... and this is Hearbeat! The first few chapters of any fic are boring, so just bear with me, 'kay? Anyway, this story is all about Redpaw and her journey through life as a warrior. Probably a stand-alone, unless my brain comes up with something nutsy that has to go in a sequel!
Thank you for reading this, please leave a review with comments, suggestions, critiques, or new ideas! I love reading them all!
Hugs!
