&Chapter Two;
Excitement flickered in my eyes as I bounded at a rapid pace behind Whisperpaw, my tail twitching wildly with anticipation of having a good time with Whisperpaw out here in my beloved woods that belonged to the DawnClan cats. As I surveyed the surroundings that made up the territory of the DawnClan cats, a sense of pride welled up in me, and a new feeling of contentedness rushed over me. Still, there was one cat that remained in my life, one cat that would forever bug me until the day of his death: Thornpaw. He was, metaphorically, a thorn in my side, as his name somewhat suggested.
There he was, padding alongside Whisperpaw. I listened to their conversation, hearing the same old comments about how beautiful and stunning she was coming from Thornpaw. In order to cancel out what words the two were trading with each other, I recalled the scene that had happened in Camp just before this one out in the forest.
Whisperpaw padded up to me, giving a slight greeting as I turned around suddenly at the familiar sound of her voice. "Hello, Stonepaw," she murmured softly, gazing at me with that gaze I held as absolutely beautiful. "Doveflight told me to tell you that you, Thornpaw, Icepaw, and I are to go on our assessment to begin warriors!" When she exclaimed those words, her eyes lit up with excitement. "Duskfall, Stormgale, and Whiterose are also going to be assessing us."
I couldn't exactly particularly remember anything beyond that. I can't exactly remember my reaction, but I know that I didn't totally botch things up, because I was here, on my assessment. I knew that somewhere amongst the DawnClan territory that Doveflight, Whisperpaw's mentor, Duskfall, my mentor, Stormgale, Thornpaw's mentor, and Whiterose, Icepaw's mentor, were out there, testing us to decide if we were fit to become warriors.
The four of us soon came to a clearing in the middle of the numerous trees that were growing everywhere to form the DawnClan forest. "This is where we separate," Whisperpaw meowed quietly. We all stood there, looking around at each other. For a fleeting moment, my eyes locked with Whisperpaw's, and my breath caught in my throat. Sadly, Thornpaw's loud and annoying voice had to cut in to the moment. Figures that he ruins something even when he doesn't know what it is.
"All right! Off I go to catch the biggest prey in the forest and to pass this assessment with flying paws!" Thornpaw exclaimed, sticking out his chest for a moment before turning away, and with a gallant leap, bounded away. I looked at Icepaw, wondering what my brother was thinking about Thornpaw's little expression of 'flying paws.' Noticing that he seemed just as bewildered as I, I gave a slight purr of amusement that could somewhat be the equivalent of your human chuckle. With that, I myself turned, and I can't quite say that I didn't try to show off just like Thornpaw when I turned to dart away. Behind me, Icepaw and Whisperpaw exchanged rather bemused glances before separating their ways as well.
Nervous feelings had sunk deep in my belly, and now my mind was recalling them back again, one by one, so that they twisted together to form one great block of anxiety. This was my time to become a warrior. I would pass this examination as well as I could. I knew I had the skills – I just had to apply them right. Besides, in order to beat Thornpaw to Whisperpaw's attention, it would make no sense to allow Thornpaw to become a warrior and leave me behind to still be an apprentice. No, that wouldn't do at all.
Trying to clear my head, I turned my thoughts to hunting. Crouching down low near a cluster of rocks that were a gray color, which hid my pelt rather well, I succumbed to listening to the sounds of the forest that surrounded me. It's amazing how much you can hear by just clamping your jaw shut to prevent words from spilling out unbidden. Thornpaw should learn how to do it. Maybe then he would realize Whisperpaw's reluctance of receiving his affections.
I padded about the area, my senses aware as I kept an eye out for any sign of prey scuttling about in the area. I was absolutely set on catching one of the biggest pieces of prey that the Clan had ever seen – that type of feat would likely allow me to grasp some of Whisperpaw's attention, something that I had had a desire for ever since I first laid eyes on her in a different way than one of my best friends. Even though my belly hadn't felt the pains of growls in a while, my mind often suffered hunger pains like that – pains of longing. Longing for Whisperpaw to notice me for a few more seconds, for me to hear her sweet, clear voice murmuring at barely an audible tone.
There was one word to describe my feeling towards her.
Obsession.
No matter how hard I tried to run away from that fact, I could immediately sense that this was true, even though I truly didn't want to believe in it. No. I couldn't be obsessing over her—but I was. Was I no better than Thornpaw, then?
It was just… Everything about her – the eyes that shimmered with her current emotion, the graceful arch of her slender neck, how everything on her was perfectly proportioned to fit her dainty frame – was something that drew me to her even more. Still, it wasn't all about the looks. Her personality – noble and elegant and regal as well as exceedingly patient, yet she proved herself as a normal cat by having the tendency to get a little vain and to give the silent treatment to those she's rather frustrated with, once she can get the point across that she's frustrated with them, of course (Thornpaw?). Even her flaws, however, were what made me love her. Well, it was more of admiration, but the hints of love were now beginning to blossom.
Suddenly, a faint rustle startled me out of my thoughts. Hunting! How could I have forgotten? Instinctively, my eyes flickered up to the sky to determine the position of the sun. Well. I had some time left before I had to report back to Camp with my prey. Looking around, I firmly told myself that it was time to begin hunting. If I wanted to be a warrior, after all, I had to pass this assessment, didn't I?
Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted a mouse skittering about back and forth at a rapid pace, looking as if it were collecting seeds and whatnot. Instantly, I went in to a hunter's crouch, careful to keep my tail down so that it didn't stick straight up and throw the foliage. Keeping my steps light and easy and making that I was downwind from the mouse, I crept forward. Falling back and putting my weight on my haunches, I watched the movements of the mouse until it had seemed to halt in its doings for a few moments. Not even bothering to pause and reconsider whether I would get the mouse or not, I sprang up, and landed easily on top of the small creature, taking its life quite easily.
It went on like this for a few more catches, stalking the prey and then capturing its life. Every time I succeeded, I dug a shallow hole in the dirt and stuck the piece of prey in it, tossing a few dead leaves over it.
All of a sudden, overhead, I heard a flurry of feathers as wings beat rapidly. The noise then stopped abruptly. Looking up and around, trying to locate where the sound came from, my gaze suddenly rested on a creature that I had never seen before, but had heard of. Even though I had never truly laid eyes on one, the descriptions of the elders were true enough. It was an eagle.
All of a sudden, I don't know what overcame me. Maybe it was that desire, not at all tranquil, which I succumbed to, making me mad in the head and charging up towards the eagle, claws unsheathed? I don't exactly know what was wrong with me, but I knew that I was being one thing.
A mouse-brained furball.
Still, I was acutely aware of that and I wasn't really bothered by it. If I could just bring back this eagle to Camp as a piece of fresh-kill, then not even Thornpaw could ignore the fact that I had been the one to capture this eagle and bring it home. Besides, I had always wondered what eagle tasted like.
Nearing the short tree trunk in which the eagle had paused to maybe rest for a few moments, I slowed down slightly, my mind planning some type of strategy, and not finding any. Well, there was only one way to find out what eagle tasted like, right?
Throwing caution to the winds, I sprang up, determined to take that eagle as prey back into the DawnClan Camp.
