Warriors Escape From The Dark
Chapter 1
Several moons had passed since Chestfall, Swiftleap and Splashheart had disappeared and cats were beginning to lose hope. Lightwhisker had been the most determined to find her kits but no cat would help her. Wolfheart had tried a few times but he had given up trying because he knew where they were, they were stuck in the dark forest with the rest of the rejected Starclan cats. Daisyheart had given birth to two beautiful kits called Dewkit and Russetkit but they were both apprentices now along with Ashclaw's kits Grasspaw and Ravenpaw. Rosetail and Icebreeze had both been crushed by a falling beech tree during a border patrol on the Breezeclan border a few moons back and most of the clan had stopped grieving but others were still upset about their unfortunate death and no cat had forgotten what Lilysnow had said at their vigil either.
"Ravenpaw, can you come here please?" Wolfheart called to his apprentice, who was helping to repair the elders den with Russetpaw and his mentor Hopeflight. She quickly stopped what she was doing and came over to Wolfheart.
"What is it?" Ravenpaw responded.
"I need you to come with me on a hunting patrol," Wolfheart explained.
"I thought Screechclaw had already taken one of those?" She wondered aloud, Wolfheart rolled his eyes in annoyance and looked at his apprentice.
"We need as much prey as we can get, it'll just be me and you," Wolfheart sympathized. Ravenpaw perked up with glee at the idea.
"Are we going to catch a fox?" She burst out. Wolfheart admired the young cat's imagination but he knew that foxes wouldn't be out now.
"We could but I highly doubt any foxes would be out in leaf-bare," Wolfheart replied. Ravenpaw's body drooped at the comment but then perked up once more.
"It's ok we still get to go out and hunt," Ravenpaw meowed.
"If we can find anything to hunt," Wolfheart added. They both padded over to the entrance and went out into the forest, Ravenpaw wrinkled her nose as the sudden coldness of the forest hit her nose.
"It's a lot chillier out when you aren't in a group," she admitted. Wolfheart gave a snort of amusement at the little she-cat's comment.
"It wouldn't be much better in group because we would all end up splitting apart anyway," Wolfheart pressed.
The she-cat shuddered her body before nodding and sprinting towards a tree, she quickly realised that she wanted to stop but when she tried to her paws flailed around beneath her and she slipped straight into the bottom of the trunk. Wolfheart tried his hardest to suppress a mroww of laughter but he couldn't hold it in. Ravenpaw slowly turned her head around and glared at her mentor. Wolfheart padded up to her and placed his tail on her shoulder before quickly slamming his paw against the trunk causing an avalanche of snow to pour onto his apprentice, she quickly shook her way out of the mound and leaped to escape from it.
"You did that on purpose!" She shouted, spitting with rage.
"Of course I did," Wolfheart chuckled. Ravenpaw jumped toward him, shoving him to the ground as she landed, he stared at her and then pretended to be injured.
"Behold, the great and powerful Ravenstar!" Ravenpaw called.
"Oh great Ravenstar, what is your order?" Wolfheart played along with her little game, by bowing at her paws.
"I command you to-"
"What's this?" Ravenpaw and Wolfheart immediately stood up and turned around to face the sudden new voice. Wolfheart realised that it was Screechclaw's patrol, his pelt went hot with embarrassment and he quickly gave his chest fur a few swift licks.
"We were just…practicing our hunting crouch," Ravenpaw lied; Screechclaw and the rest of his patrol including Appleskip, Shredflame and Leafclaw stared at them with amusement pouring out of their eyes.
"And hedgehogs fly," Shredflame chuckled. Wolfheart looked at Ravenpaw who was sheathing and unsheathing her claws as if she was ready to pounce, Wolfheart placed his tail on her shoulder and shook his head.
"Yes, hedgehogs do fly," Wolfheart retorted, the two nodded their heads at the same time and turned around so they could walk away from the patrol. They didn't bother to face the patrol as they walked away in line with each other as they made their way deeper into the forest.
"That was pretty embarrassing," Ravenpaw muttered, Wolfheart gave her ear a slight cuff with his paw.
"It was funny though," Wolfheart joked.
"Did you see the look on Shredflame's face when you replied with 'Yes, hedgehogs do fly'?" Ravenpaw ranted. Wolfheart gave the apprentice a cheeky smile.
"Yeah, I left him speechless," Wolfheart purred in satisfaction.
"We have to do that more often," Ravenpaw proposed.
"We can but right now you have to show me your hunting crouch," Wolfheart demanded. Ravenpaw obeyed his order and immediately dropped into her crouch, Wolfheart placed his paw on her back signalling he wanted her to lower it.
"Is that good?" Ravenpaw asked her mentor. He nodded causing her to slowly creep forward and disappear behind a bush, she came back soon after with a skinny mouse in her jaws, her gaze filled with doubt.
"It will have to do," Wolfheart praised. She dropped her frail mouse on the ground and padded up to Wolfheart, his pelt went hot and he began to feel uneasy.
"Are you sure?" Ravenpaw doubted.
"It's good enough," Wolfheart suddenly saw Ravenpaw leaping towards him. He shuffled sideways and then proceeded to jump onto her, he managed to land his paws on her shoulders and hold her down, they stared at each other for a moment before Ravenpaw reached her neck up and gave Wolfheart's cheek a quick lick he let her go and sat back.
"Ah… sorry, that was mouse-brained," Ravenpaw stammered. She quickly sprinted past him and picked up her catch before racing off back to camp, leaving him alone in the clearing.