Warriors

Into the Wild

Chapter Three

RiverClan

"Come on out you lazy fur ball!" the deep mew made the reeds quiver.

One yellow eye opened lazily in the darkness of the den before shutting again. The gray tabby tucked her tail tighter around her as she snuggled into the warmth of Shellpaw's fluffy coat. Her mentor could wait a little longer.

"Runningpaw."

On second thought maybe he'd waited long enough. Yawning lethargically she stretched out her sore, tired limbs before shaking herself thoroughly. She really hated late-day patrols. They were never early enough for her to be awake, yet late enough for her to be as sleepy as a dormouse. In her opinion it was very unnecessary, even if her mentor was one of the greatest warriors in the forest. Of course being a former deputy's kin had to come with its perks. Her whiskers still quivering in amusement at the thought she burst from the den hoping to surprise her mentor. Instead she was greeted by a cuff around one of her black-tipped ears and a face-full of pebbles and dust.

"That's not fair!" she whined, alternately spitting out the debris and licking her fur furiously.

"And you made me wait," the fox-colored tom growled good-humoredly.

"Oakheart," she complained before batting his strong shoulder pitifully with one of her black paws.

"Runningpaw," he mocked her, flicking her with his tail.

Their eyes locked for a moment before a deep purr rose for her mentor. His broad frame seemed to shake with amusement at the sight of her hopeless expression.

"Come on you crazy mouse-brain. We're going to check out the new border over by Sunningrocks. We need to make sure ThunderClan doesn't get any ideas about our new territory."

"Who else is coming?" she chirped, her earlier tiredness already forgotten.

"We'll be fine with just Heatherears. You get some fresh-kill while I wake her," he instructed before padding away towards the warriors den with a brisk sweep of his tail.

Runningpaw flicked her ear in silent acknowledgement before rushing to the neatly stacked pile of prey. She eyed the fresh-kill for a moment before seizing a particularly plump fish from beneath the more haggard looking pieces.

"Perfect," she mumbled through the mouthful of scales.

Tucking her paws under her she took one claw and skillfully sliced open the fish from gills to tail. Shortly after becoming an apprentice she observed the strange way in which her mentor ate and quickly picked up the habit. It hadn't taken Runningpaw long to realize that this way was of eating was much more convenient. And tasty. It didn't take too long for her to finish the fish and before she knew it she was standing outside the camp beside Heatherears. Heatherears fidgeted nervously, flicking her long pale gray tail while her white paws kneaded the ground. Runningpaw paid her no mind; after all most cats were anxious when they patrolled with someone as important as their Clan deputy. Heatherears had still been an apprentice when Runningpaw turned six moons old, so she was still one of the less experienced warriors in the Clan.

"We'll head over to the Twoleg Bridge and work our way down the border from there," Oakheart ordered as he turned from the island. It was easy for Oakheart to leap the small stream that separated the camp from the rest of RiverClan territory, but it proved more of a challenge to the half-asleep Runningpaw and the jumpy Heatherears.

It was a while before the three cats finally spoke again, any conversation up until that point being stifled by the peaceful air.

"Runningpaw," Oakheart addressed his apprentice, "what can you smell?"

Runningpaw, excited to show her mentor what she had learned in the past half-moon, wasted no time in pinpointing the warm smell of water vole drifting from the rushes along the bank of the river.

"Very good," Oakheart praised her, "now how about you show me that stalking technique that Blackclaw showed you last time?"

"Okay," she agreed her tail waving happily as she dropped into position.

The RiverClan crouch wasn't nearly as effective or skilled as those of their rivals across the river, but it was usually enough to make a successful kill. Runningpaw's eyes narrowed to slits as she strained her ears to pinpoint her prey. She wasn't disappointed. In what seemed like no time at all she was able to spot the scuffling brown shape darting among the cattails. Her body tensed suddenly as another scent drifted to her scent glands.

ThunderClan!

What did those thieving squirrels want now? Abandoning her prey she focused with new intent as she drew herself slowly to the bank. The rushes were barely parted where she peeked through, successfully concealing her from her enemies. How dare they! Rage surged through her as she spotted them, a dark tortoiseshell, a large tabby, and a small black cat, lounging on Sunningrocks. Her fur bristled and she fought the urge to leap across the churning river and claw them all herself. I can't…she realized pitifully. Despite her hostility something about them made her curious. They weren't patrolling or hunting, instead it seemed like they were waiting.For what though? Determined to answer her own growing curiosity she stood, revealing herself to the ThunderClan warriors. Almost immediately the tortoiseshell perked up, his bushy ginger tail swishing in excitement despite the controlled look in his brown eyes. The tabby eyed her with a mixture of apprehension and disgust as his ears twitched impatiently. The black tom though, an apprentice she guessed, looked absolutely terrified and nearly fell from the rock where he was perched.

"Are you from RiverClan?" the tortoiseshell addressed her with authority.

She answered with a nod, her eyes never leaving the aggressive tabby.

"I am Redtail, deputy of ThunderClan. May I speak with one of your warriors?"

Internally she struggled for a moment. If this was an ambush then she may be leading Oakheart and Heatherears into danger; but if Redtail really did have a message for RiverClan it may be too important to miss. After what seemed like a lifetime she answered back with as much courage as she could muster.

"Wait there."

Redtail nodded to her in appreciation before settling back down, his paws tucked elegantly beneath him. The title of deputy suits him well, she mentally noted to herself that he seemed to possess the same power that Oakheart did. Was it something that all deputies had? She shook her head as Oakheart's tail finally came into view.

"Oakheart!" she panted, slightly out of breath.

"There you are Runningpaw. I was beginning to wonder if that vole caught you instead," he purred.

"By the way Runningpaw where is the vole?" Heatherears sniffed at her disappointedly.

"I didn't catch it. I—"

"That's such a disappointment. I didn't get to eat anything before I left!" Heatherears grumbled as her ears sagged.

"Runningpaw, is something wrong?" Oakheart finally noticed the tense energy radiating from his apprentice.

"There are ThunderClan cats on Sunningrocks. I was about to say that I didn't catch the vole because I scented them," she snapped glaring harshly at Heatherears, "Redtail is there, and he says he wants to speak with you."

Oakheart's eyes narrowed before he spoke in a deep voice, "How many are there?"

"Two warriors and an apprentice," she answered recounting their faces, "one is a big tabby and the apprentice is a jumpy black cat."

"Tigerclaw, and by the sound of it his apprentice."

"Are we going to meet them?" Heatherears suddenly sounded nervous and uncomfortable.

"We are evenly matched, though Tigerclaw will cause some problems. Runningpaw, I sent out a hunting patrol around here. Leopardfur is there with Swallowtail, Mosspelt, and Brightpaw. Tell them to come here and back us up if there is a battle."

"But then you guys will have fewer cats! What if there is a fight?" she was distraught, as she imagined never seeing her mentor again.

"Don't question me," he snapped, causing her to shrink back in alarm, "I will come back." Suddenly his gaze softened as he brushed his muzzle against hers comfortingly. "I promise, and we'll be hunting by the willows this time tomorrow."

"O-okay," she nodded her head before returning the gesture.

As she turned to run, she couldn't shake the feeling that this was the last time she'd ever see her beloved mentor again.

Oakheart…don't you dare break your promise…

I do not own any of the characters mentioned in the original warriors series. I do not own Warriors it belongs to Erin Hunter.