Patience had yielded very little so far, Crowpaw saw no sign of being made a warrior. Though he was at least getting more training. Mudclaw had no excuse to leave him in camp when there were other apprentices to do chores. The worst part though was sitting next to Gorsetail during training, knowing that rather than be training alongside Gorsetail he was supposed to be trained by Gorsetail.
The Gathering had come and gone, Leopardstar letting them drink at the river was a blessing, but it wasn't enough. The moor was drying up and the prey was leaving to find water. Morningflower, Pidgeonwing, and the other elders were looking much thinner, almost as though it was leaf-bare rather than Greenleaf, sacrificing their food for the kits.
So when he, Mudclaw and Onewhisker were approaching the river and he smelled a vole, he immediately dropped into a crouch. He could bring that to Morningflower.
"What are you doing?" Onewhisker demanded, Crowpaw ignored him, stalking after the vole. It hadn't noticed him, not yet. He lowered himself further, preparing to pounce. It was still nibbling on the seed, one more step…
"Crowpaw!" The vole ran, and Crowpaw shot after it. He leapt over a fallen branch, landing on the vole, killing it with a quick bite.
He stood up, the vole dangling from his jaws in time for Mudclaw and Onewhisker to arrive. Onewhisker looked furious, but Mudclaw… Crowpaw wasn't sure what to think of the fact his mentor looked proud.
"That's a RiverClan vole," Onewhisker lashed his tail, "we shouldn't-"
"RiverClan is hardly going to miss one vole in Greenleaf," Mudclaw cut him off, "not bad Crowpaw."
Crowpaw flicked his ear, Onewhisker looked disappointed in him, but Crowpaw wasn't going to feel guilty. He was going to give this to the elders.
"And we're in ThunderClan territory now," Onewhisker added, looking around, "we shouldn't stay long."
"I'm surprised you don't want to stay and see Firestar," Mudclaw remarked, Onewhisker flinched, Crowpaw flattened his ears. He knew Onewhisker and Firestar were old friends, Morningflower still spoke fondly of the ThunderClan leader as well. He knew his mother had lost a litter when they'd been driven out by ShadowClan, before Firestar and Graystripe had brought WindClan back, and how much his Clan owed the current ThunderClan leader.
Onewhisker opened his mouth to reply, but Mudclaw turned away, padding off, back towards RiverClan territory.
Crowpaw glanced at Onewhisker before hurrying after his mentor, Onewhisker followed after them after a heartbeat with a sigh.
"Hurry up," Mudclaw growled, "I can smell ThunderClan."
"I wonder why," Crowpaw jerked his head to see a brown tabby tom standing to side, staring at them. Dustpelt, a senior ThunderClan warrior.
Two more cats leapt out, a large brown tabby tom with narrowed yellow eyes, and an orange she-cat, clearly an apprentice, her green eyes bright and eager for battle. This would be an easy fight, if he sent the she-cat running before helping Onewhisker and Mudclaw.
"I'm sorry Dustpelt," Onewhisker spoke, he looked ashamed, "that's not a ThunderClan vole, it ran across the border."
Dustpelt's eyes narrowed, the other ThunderClan tom tilted his head.
"But even if that's true you're still stealing," he pointed out, his tail flicking back and forth behind him, Crowpaw sank his claws into the dirt. Never mind, he was going after this tom. He wouldn't be eating voles if he could help it, "you're allowed to drink from the river, not take prey."
"Mind your own business!" Crowpaw dropped the vole and lunged for him, he was a bit smaller than the warrior, but not by too much, he bowled the tom over, sinking his fangs into his neck fur.
Before he could get a good blow in something pulled him off, Onewhisker shoved he way into the fight, knocking him away from his opponent.
"That's enough Crowpaw!" Onewhisker stared at him, furious, "Attacking a ThunderClan patrol when we're already trespassing? What's next?"
Crowpaw tried not to flinch, Robinwing's father stared at him, he lashed his tail and growled back, "he called us thieves!" It wasn't his vole it was none of his business!
"And he was right wasn't he?" Onewhisker shot back, before turning his back on him, Crowpaw glared at him, they could've taken them in a fight! He silently seethed the entire time Onewhisker talked with the ThunderClan patrol, not moving until Mudclaw nudged him, with one last bitter look at the patrol he grabbed the vole and race after his mentor and Onewhisker.
The patrol traveled in silence back to camp, Crowpaw was grateful. He'd been glaring at Onewhisker the entire way back, almost sinking his teeth into the vole several times in his rage.
"Crowpaw take that to the elders," Mudclaw ordered, Crowpaw broke away from the two warriors, head held high as he headed for the elder's den.
He could tell by the curious glances he got that the elders were wondering where the prey had come from, but they were also too hungry to ask. He ignored the looks Morningflower and Pidgeonwing were giving him. He'd told Robinwing that the Clan needed to be cared for, and he meant it. He would do what he had to.
Onewhisker and Mudclaw were talking with Tallstar, the leader looked tired but nodded as he listened to them talk. Crowpaw pricked his ears to try and hear what was being said, but Mudclaw turned his head and Crowpaw padded away, pretending he hadn't even noticed them.
He sat down and began to groom his pelt, his thoughts wandering to the odd dream that still pestered him every so often. He hadn't gotten to go to the Gathering, but something urged him to head to Fourtrees. Well if the cats weren't in WindClan, which he'd ruled out, then they had to be in other Clans.
Fox-dung. He thought to himself, grooming his pelt, he'd have been happier if the other cats had been Gorsetail and Robinwing or something like that.
He groomed his chest fur, smoothing his almost black fur down, on the night of the new moon he'd go to Fourtrees. If he had to meet with three other cats it might as well be there. Hopefully they were all smart enough to think of that.
And hopefully Tallstar wasn't going to punish him for catching the vole.
/
Crowpaw slipped out of the den, glancing around the camp. There was no sign of any of his Clanmates. He knew Tornear was somewhere, keeping watch that night. He keep his ears pricked for the senior warrior, but snuck out without issue. He, Gorsetail and Robinwing had done it a few times before to explore and hunt at night.
He trotted over the moor, it was close to midnight but he didn't worry too much. He'd make it in time. He parted his jaws to draw in air, with any luck he'd find a piece of prey to bring back.
He didn't have any luck with that, but he made it to Fourtrees in short time, the dry heather rattled in the night wind.
He could hear voices, and stopped in the bushes to observe the clearing before approaching.
His fur rose slightly, there were several warriors standing around, two he knew were RiverClan warriors, the tortoiseshell he didn't recognize, but the two ThunderClan cats he did. He swallowed back a growl, and stepped out.
"This doesn't make any sense," he looked around, "Deadfoot said there'd be only four of us."
He made six. And he was the youngest, if it wasn't for the ThunderClan apprentice. Wasn't she Firestar's daughter? He thought she was, with the dark ginger pelt.
"You!" The tabby tom glared at him, he stared back at him, curling his lip.
"Yes, me." He looked over the other cats, why were they all here? Had two groups met up at the same place by mistake?
"This is the WindClan cat?" The tortoiseshell looked unimpressed, "rather undersized specimen isn't he?"
He almost hissed, he wasn't that small. He wasn't full grown but he was bigger than the ThunderClan apprentice.
"He's an apprentice," the brown tabby meowed, he almost seemed smug, "his name is Crowpaw."
The fluffy silver she-cat stepped forward, "so you had the dream too?"
Crowpaw's breath caught in his throat, she was beautiful, before he swallowed and turned his attention away from the ThunderClan cats.
"I saw Deadfoot, the previous WindClan deputy," he left out the part where he was also Crowpaw's father.
The silver she-cat looked relieved, meanwhile Crowpaw was trying to figure out who everyone was. He was willing to bet a moon's worth of prey that the tabby was Brambleclaw, which meant the tortoiseshell, who was built like a ThunderClan warrior, would be Tawnypelt, his sister. That fit, with only the RiverClan cats unidentified. He decided that they must be Stormfur and Feathertail, leaving him the only cat without ThunderClan blood.
He slowly became aware of the fact that Squirrelpaw was speaking, unfortunately. Something about the dreams not being real.
"Well how would you explain it then?" Brambleclaw snapped,
"Stuffing yourself with too much freshkill?" Squirrelpaw offered.
Crowpaw's stomach twisted with longing at the thought of food, the past few days the fresh-kill pile had resembled Leafbare more than Green-leaf.
But that meant even if ThunderClan could lay in the woods with their mouths open and get fat on mice and voles, that didn't explain his dream. And who was she to challenge them? She hadn't had the dream.
"Who asked you anyway?" Crowpaw hissed at her, his hackles raising.
Squirrelpaw stared back at him defiantly, "I can say what I like, I don't need permission. You're not even a warrior." Did she think she could do what she wanted just because she was a leader's daughter? And he'd be a warrior, if Tallstar and Mudclaw, would just make him one already!
"Nor are you," he fired back, and added with a derisive sneer, "what are you doing here, anyway? You didn't have the dream. No cat wants you here." See how she took that, believe it or not, just being Firestar's daughter didn't mean everyone liked you.
"I don't see them falling over themselves to welcome you either!" she replied, StarClan she just would not take a hint, would she? He flattened his ears and bared his teeth, he'd make her listen if he had to!
As he spat at Squirrelpaw, he saw movement in the corner of his eye, but the blood was rushing in his ears, and all he could think about was shutting Squirrelpaw up. He lunged for her, intending to give her a few wounds to remember him by.
Something heavy slammed into him, and he found himself pinned down under Brambleclaw.
"Back off," the large tabby growled, and Crowpaw could feel himself going limp. His stomach hurt from hunger, fueling his anger, but Brambleclaw was, unfortunately, right. This was not the time to be fighting. He scrambled away the moment Brambleclaw let him up.
Squirrelpaw immediately tore into Brambleclaw for not letting her get mauled, he almost felt sorry for the warrior, being stuck with her constantly must be awful.
He angerly washed his pelt for a few heartbeats, because otherwise he might say something and start another fight.
"It must be passed midnight now," Tawnypelt, cut into Brambleclaw and Squirrelpaw's argument, she looked up at the sky, Crowpaw's eyes wandered up as well despite himself.
It wasn't easy to see the moon, but he found it after a moment, it was passed the height of the sky. It was after midnight and no sign was coming.
Crowpaw's stomach plunged, he pinned his ears back and snarled, "we were fools to come," He got to his feet, he could've stayed and camp and slept rather than have some apprentice insult him, and not even get a good rematch with Brambleclaw, "there's no prophecy, no danger - even if there were, the warrior code would be enough to protect the forest." He could rely on his Clan, his family, his friends, and StarClan, not some prophecy and strangers from other Clans, to keep WindClan safe. Over his shoulder he added, "I'm going back to camp."
"Good riddance!" He flattened his ears at the sound of Squirrelpaw's voice before running off. Good riddance indeed, he was free of them. He wove through the heather, snarling with frustration at how the night had gone. He stopped running to catch his breath, he thought he caught a hint of rain on the wind but that was probably wishful thinking. He could've stayed home. He was going to be tired tomorrow, and all for nothing. There was no danger, the worst that was happening was the drought in WindClan and that would be solved as soon as it rained.
He flattened his ears, and if there was a prophecy and danger, why had Deadfoot chosen him? The others were warriors, he was the apprentice that WindClan refused to make a warrior. He was the odd one out, no relation to ThunderClan, only an apprentice, the others had their siblings, or friends but he knew none of them.
There hadn't even been a sign anyway. What a waste of time, maybe Squirrelpaw was right. If there was a problem StarClan would've said something to Tallstar. He lashed his tail behind him and stalked towards camp, lowering his head and ignoring the wind that pulled on his fur and whiskers.
And we move into more canon territory, and we leave Crowpaw and his point of view behind for now. We're going over to RiverClan next.