A/N: Apologies for the (slightly shorter) delay, and expect the next chapter within a month. Enjoy!
"Hey, um… Dovepaw?"
"Yes?" She replied distractedly, not looking away from the rays of sunlight striking the clouds near the sun. It was always so beautiful. She felt a stab of envy towards the birds; they must have an excellent view. Maybe they could even fly to the sun! she wondered, with a touch of excitement.
"Couldyoushowmehowtodoahuntingcrouchplease?" the small, wavering voice mewed, shaking her out of her reverie. She glanced down to see Waspkit looking at her shyly, his fidgeting paws giving away his excitement.
"Of course!" Dovepaw answered cheerfully. She leaped up from her position, and guided the brown tabby kit over to a clear patch of grass, long shadows accompanying them. The sun would be setting soon. She could see a large cloud swiftly approaching the sun, and a steady breeze had risen up. Woollytuft and Beetlewing were sitting outside their den, soaking up the remaining sunlight. I think they're going to go inside soon! she thought. This breeze is cold! Or at least, they always seem to think so!
Waspkit looked up at her, curiosity showing in his yellow eyes. Dovepaw gazed at him. He's gotten so big since I left the nursery! "You ready?" she asked, feeling excited.
The kit nodded. "Y-yes!" he mewed, stammering out of nervousness.
Dovepaw nodded. "Pay attention!" she ordered gently. Waspkit tried to hold still, watching her intently. She glanced at him, used her tail to point to a stray leaf that was nearby, then turned toward the leaf. She dropped into a hunting crouch, and began to creep up on it, her gray tail trailing just above the blades of grass.
"Are you gonna pounce?" Waspkit mewed. Dovepaw jolted a little, as her concentration was broken.
She flicked an ear in the kit's direction, silently begging him to be quiet as a mouse… no, those squeak a lot. Maybe a rock? No, those make loud sounds when you hit them. Moss? That's pretty quiet… oh! She glanced down to realize that she had crept off-balance to the leaf, and was now just a fox-length or two away from it. Oops! Dovepaw quickly corrected her stance, crept another mouse-length forward, and then pounced in one quick movement, slamming her forepaws down on the leaf with a satisfying crunch.
Dovepaw turned around to look at Waspkit, her tail in the air and the leaf clenched between her teeth. "Wow!" he mewed, an amazed expression on his face. Then his gaze fell on something off to the side, and he paused, looking shy.
What's he looking at? Dovepaw wondered. She followed the kit's gaze, and spotted Darkfur watching the two of them with a delighted expression. Oh! "Hi, father!" she called out, the leaf falling to the ground. She walked over to him with a spring in her step. Darkfur nodded, and shyly beckoned with his tail for Waspkit to join them. The kit hesitated for a heartbeat, but quickly scampered after Dovepaw.
"That was a good hunting crouch!" Darkfur praised. "You c-could've done it better, but it was good!" he continued. He looked at the two of them with pride. "A-and Waspkit, good of you to show interest in what the apprentices learn!" Waspkit beamed at him, chest puffed out. "N-now run along and go teach that to your littermates. Shellkit's been watching us this whole time."
The two younger cats turned. Dovepaw saw a flash of beige fur disappear into the depths of the nursery. Beside her, Waspkit let out an embarrassed squeak. "Wha – but I can't – h-how do you expect me to –"
"H-how about you ask Mistyshade to help explain it?" Darkfur suggested, a mixture of surprise and guilt upon his face.
"O-oh, okay!" Waspkit mewed. "Thanks!" He raced off towards the nursery, attracting an amused glance from a nearby Mossystar. The Clan Leader looked at them, gave Darkfur a wink, then returned to sharing prey with Poolfern and Larchnose. Darkfur's expression became indecipherable as he stared after the brown tabby kit.
Why…? Dovepaw wondered, confusion swimming through her head. Oh, wait, maybe… "Are you gonna mentor –"
"M-maybe!" Darkfur interrupted her. "I-i don't know yet, so don't go spreading it around!" he mewed, twitching an ear.
She looked at him with wide, innocent eyes and nodded. I'm totally telling Sootpaw and Cloudpaw about that later! "I won't!" she replied.
Darkfur studied her for a moment, assessing whether she was telling the truth. "I guess you can tell your mother and siblings. No one else, okay?"
I was already planning on that! "Yes, father!" Dovepaw responded.
He nodded. "Good." He paused for a moment, gazing at where Waspkit disappeared into the nursery. "Well… I know I'll probably mentor one of them. I've thought about whether he's a good choice," he started. "He's very shy. I was like that as an apprentice." Dovepaw tilted her head, listening curiously. "But I don't know if I'd be able to encourage him enough."
The apprentice paused for a heartbeat, thinking. "But you've always been able to encourage me!" she mewed, giving her father a sincere look. "Sootpaw and Cloudpaw, too!"
"T-thank you for saying so," Darkfur replied. "But it took me a while to figure you three out, and I still don't understand you some days. If Waspkit's going to be my apprentice, then I need to be quicker," he pointed out. He glanced up at the clouds approaching the sun. "M-maybe I should take Cherrykit instead. She seems like she'll make an easy apprentice."
Dovepaw thought for a moment. "But Waspkit is so nice, and eager to learn! He really likes it when we show him what we've learned!"
Darkfur nodded. "That's true. I'm just too unsure," he mewed quietly. "Well. I've got another moon before I have to decide. N-no need to pick one now…" He twitched his tail. "So, umm…" He paused to think of what to say. "I hear that you were on a hunting patrol earlier."
"Yes!" She felt a rush of excitement pass through her; she was still impressed with herself for catching that squirrel. "I caught a really big squirrel!"
Darkfur let out a mrrow of amusement. "G-good work!" he praised. Then he looked at the crumpled leaf that Dovepaw had pounced on. "D-do you want to show me some of your hunting techniques?" he asked, looking curious.
She replied with an eager "Yes!" Then, she tilted her head after a realization. "Some of them are tree hunting techniques, what should I do?" she asked.
Darkfur narrowed his eyes. Then his ears pricked towards something on the far end of camp. Dovepaw turned to look, and spotted Cloudpaw and Sootpaw chatting near the fresh-kill pile while Pounceheart and Iceblossom shared a blackbird nearby, their white pelts pressed close together. Not far from them, Brackenbelly was stretching in the remaining sunlight. That's the evening hunting patrol that Cloudpaw is supposed to be on! Dovepaw realized. She noticed Flamefall calmly observing them, then getting up and padding over to Brackenbelly.
"T-there's still a little bit of time before the dusk patrol," Darkfur pointed out. "Want to ask if we can tag along with them for a little bit?" he suggested. "I-i'm sure Snaketail would be okay with it."
Dovepaw only needed to think about it for a heartbeat. Cloudpaw's going to be there! Maybe I can show off in front of her, too! "Yes!" she meowed, nodding. "Can we ask them now?"
Darkfur nodded back. "That's a good idea." He turned and began to walk towards the gathered patrol, twitching his tail at Dovepaw. She followed after him, and noticed Sootpaw and Cloudpaw glancing at them as they approached.
Brackenbelly paused in her conversation with Flamefall, and turned towards Darkfur. "Hi, Darkfur and Dovepaw," she mewed, sounding slightly exasperated. "You two looking to wish my apprentice good luck?" Flamefall looked at them with narrowed eyes, his gaze calculating.
"A-actually, I was going to ask if we could tag along with your patrol for a little while?" Darkfur requested. "I'll have to leave partway through for my patrol, but Dovepaw wants to show me some hunting techniques."
Brackenbelly nodded. "Yes, you can. We might need the extra paws; this sky doesn't look friendly to filling our bellies." She flicked her fluffy tail at the clouds approaching the sun.
"Thank you!" Darkfur responded. "We'll do our best to help out."
"Yes!" Dovepaw chimed in. "I'll catch plenty of squirrels!"
Brackenbelly let out a mrrow of amusement. "I sure hope you do." She then narrowed her eyes; Poolfern was approaching the group. The deputy touched Pounceheart on the shoulder with her tail as she passed, and the white tom looked up at the congregation of cats.
"Brackenbelly, I'd like it if you could let Pounceheart return to camp early from your patrol," she started. "He's needed on the dusk patrol, and we'd rather not keep the rogues waiting."
Brackenbelly gave her a nod, briefly meeting Pounceheart's eyes. "We'll send him back with Darkfur when the time comes, then." Poolfern glanced at Darkfur, then dipped her head in acknowledgement, and padded away to rejoin Mossystar and Larchnose. Pounceheart glanced at Iceblossom, then the two siblings resumed eating their blackbird.
Darkfur met Dovepaw's eyes for a heartbeat, then walked over to Sootpaw and Cloudpaw with a spring in his step. Dovepaw followed him. Maybe we can get Sootpaw to join us as well! she thought hopefully.
"Er – hi, father. And Dovepaw too, I guess," Sootpaw mewed as they approached. "Are you two going out with Cloudpaw?" he asked.
"Don't you need to lead that border patrol soon?" Cloudpaw added, sounding skeptical.
"Y-yes!" Darkfur confirmed. "I'm going to head back to camp early, so I can do it." He then looked at Sootpaw. "Do you want to come?"
The dark gray apprentice narrowed his eyes. "No. I'm also on that border patrol. And our mentors took us out training earlier," he said, ending in a short huff. "And I don't feel like hunting in the rain." He flicked his tail at the clouds overhead, then continued in a quiet, annoyed voice. "Why did I have to think to myself that at least it wasn't raining during the dawn patrol?"
Cloudpaw gained a mirthful glint in her eyes. "Aw, were you trying to cheer yourself up?" she mewed. Darkfur awkwardly looked away and shifted his paws.
"Are you a sunflower, Sootpaw?" Dovepaw asked. That's probably as far as I should go…
Her brother gave her an unamused look, seemingly questioning why she had to exist. "Why must you two be like this?" he asked, shaking his head. "I'm going to go rest inside the apprentices' den for a little while. See you later," he mewed, and then turned and padded away.
Dovepaw heard a small sigh, thought it was the wind, and then realized that it had come from Darkfur. "C-could you two try to be a little nicer?" he meowed. "He's your brother. I'd rather if you three didn't get into any serious arguments." He fixed her and Cloudpaw with an imploring gaze.
"Are we all ready to set out?" Brackenbelly's voice interrupted the moment. Darkfur jolted momentarily in surprise; then glanced at Dovepaw and Cloudpaw. They both nodded. Then he turned around, nodded to Brackenbelly, and the three of them got up and headed for the camp entrance.
As she passed underneath the thorn tunnel, she noticed her surroundings suddenly grow darker; the cloud must have blocked out the sun, like it had been threatening to do since the second hunting patrol returned. Dovepaw shivered. If it rains, it's going to be a lot harder to show off my hunting techniques! Guess I'll have to be quick. With that, she emerged into the forest with the rest of the patrol. Iceblossom was surveying the trees while Brackenbelly had turned to face them.
"We're going to be hunting not far from here, a little ways from where some of the abandoned tunnel entrances are," the ginger tabby meowed. "We'll split up into pairs once we get there. Flamefall tells me that the second patrol had good hunting nearby." With that, she flicked her tail, and padded off into the trees. The five other cats followed behind her.
Dovepaw found herself lagging slightly behind, in order to talk to Cloudpaw. "Hey! I heard you were in the elders' den earlier!" she mewed. "What stories were they telling?" she inquired.
"Beetlewing told me about the time when SkyClan tried to go back to the gorge," Cloudpaw responded. She looked up at the sky. "It's… probably not the best tale to tell in this weather."
"Oh." With that, Dovepaw quieted down, and resumed following the patrol, listening to the crackle of dried leaves underfoot.
Dovepaw's forepaws slammed into the ground, encircling a terrified mouse. Leaning down, she gave it a clean bite to the back of its neck. It squeaked once, then fell limp in her claws. She grabbed it in her teeth and stood up, turning to face Darkfur with her tail held high in the air. He nodded at her, eyes shining with pride. "Good job, Dovepaw!" he mewed.
She let out a small purr, then padded over to a nearby beech tree, buried the mouse at its roots, then darted off into a thick patch of undergrowth. "C'mon, let's find some more prey!" she called out. Darkfur dove into the patch beside her, moving silently through the dense branches. Let's see if I can't find a third piece of prey before you have to go! she thought to herself. Then she glanced up at the cloud-covered sky, or what little could be seen of it beyond the darkened canopy. …Or before it starts raining, I suppose.
Darkfur suddenly paused, sniffing the air. "…I t-think I smell a rabbit," he whispered, pointing with his tail. Dovepaw gazed out into the forest, and spotted the creature nibbling on the stem of a drooping flower. She turned to look at her father; he tilted his head at her.
How do we sneak up on it? she wondered, scanning the area around the rabbit. The area directly behind it was covered in thorny undergrowth, about a fox-length wide… Ah! Dovepaw pointed with her tail to the softer undergrowth in front of the rabbit, directing Darkfur to take position there. She crept behind the patch of thorny undergrowth, and crouched, preparing to spring. Then she flicked her tail at Darkfur, and –
A loud meow rang out. "Darkfur! We need to go back to camp!" The black tom flinched, glancing behind him, while the rabbit froze for a heartbeat, then began to dash away.
It's getting away! Dovepaw chose that moment to spring, clearing the thorny undergrowth and landing just behind the rabbit. She winced as her tail was scraped by the thorns, but quickly reached out, claws extended, and pulled the rabbit towards her, killing it with a blow to the neck.
Leaving the rabbit where it fell, she pulled her tail free from the thorns, and looked up to see Pounceheart emerge from the trees behind Darkfur. The white tom's eyes widened as he noticed Dovepaw's tail. "Are you okay, Dovepaw?" he asked.
Dovepaw nodded. "Yes!" she replied. I hope Darkfur saw me do that jump!
Darkfur looked at her in concern. "Good catch!" he praised, then his expression became serious. "But p-please try to be less reckless. Your mother and I would be devastated if anything happened to you," he stated.
The gray apprentice shuddered, and nodded. Pounceheart glanced at her, then at Darkfur. "We'd best return to camp now," he meowed. He then turned to leave, but looked back over his shoulder. "I left Iceblossom alone not far from here. Could you meet up with her?" he asked. Dovepaw nodded again.
Darkfur tapped her shoulder with his tail. "You've hunted r-really well so far. I look forward to seeing the fresh-kill pile when the dusk patrol is over." He turned and followed Pounceheart into the trees.
"See you later!" Dovepaw called out, sitting down. She looked absently at her scratched-up tail, then at the rabbit. She picked up the rabbit, carried it back to the beech tree, and buried it beside the mouse. Her mouth watered, and she recalled the time earlier that day, where she shared prey with Sootpaw and Cloudpaw. Then she remembered Cloudpaw's insistence that she should not wake up Sootpaw, and her brother leaving her and Cloudpaw behind after they teased him. Does Sootpaw want to avoid me? she wondered. Then a memory arose of her and Sootpaw by the lake, spraying each other with mud, dust, and water, Sootpaw chasing after a hapless dove, and inane teasing shared between them. I know he likes me. So why avoid me?
Feeling saddened, she decided to go join Iceblossom. As she walked through the trees, she glanced up at the sky. I can't see the sun through these clouds, but it's close to dusk. Sootpaw's going to be on that patrol, and they're going to meet the rogues. She paused, sniffing the air. A puzzling scent found its way to her. Maybe I could ask him about it afterwards? It was familiar, and yet very unfamiliar at the same time. …What is that?
A drop of rain fell onto her ear. Dovepaw jumped, shivering. She glanced around the darkened forest, feeling suddenly alone and vulnerable. More drops began to fall, and she quickened her pace. Yet the abnormal scent lingered, seeming to grow stronger. Don't scents get obscured in the rain?
The feeling of curiosity welled up inside stopped, scanning her surroundings. She spotted a place about a tree-length off of her path, where there seemed to be a downwards slope, and a pair of massive oak trees looming behind it. Surely a quick look can't hurt. Veering from her route, she padded silently up to the place where the slope dropped away, pushing her way through a thick clump of soggy ferns. She stepped out from the ferns, and shook her head, before she looked down and –
Dovepaw let out a scream of pure horror, rending the still atmosphere with a wave of distress.
Iceblossom lay at the bottom of the slope, half-sheltered underneath a bramble bush and covered in stray leaves. Her once-bright white fur was so completely stained with both mud and deep red blood, to the point that Dovepaw could not count the number of wounds on her. The blood had stained the grass and dirt beneath her, and swirled in a once-clean pool of water nearby, the she-cat's silky tail trailing in the water.
The apprentice walked slowly and shakily down the slope, and touched a paw to Iceblossom's chest. A few traces of warmth remained, but the flutter of a heartbeat was absent. The warrior was dead. Dovepaw let out a wail of grief, backing away a few paces before falling to the ground. Memories of her interactions with the kind warrior entered her mind, and she stared at Iceblossom's corpse, feeling forlorn. Why didn't I go to her sooner?!
The sound of hurried pawsteps caused her to snap her head up, attention forced back to the present. "Dovepaw? Where are you?" a voice called out, and she was surprised to recognize it as Mossystar. Her Clan Leader appeared at the top of the slope, visibly freezing as her gaze fell on the scene below her. "Oh, great S-starClan…" she mewed, eyes fixed on the sight below her and filled with dread.
A dark shape appeared at her side, pausing briefly, then rushing down the slope to crouch beside Dovepaw. "Dovepaw?" Sootpaw sniffed at her. "Dovepaw, are you okay? Sis?" he stressed, amber eyes blinking in concern.
She nodded at him, about to say something when a white blur came pounding down the slope. A second wail of grief rose as Pounceheart skidded to a stop beside his sister's corpse, fur standing on end. "No!" he cried out. "StarClan, no!" He glanced frantically around, distraught blue eyes landing on Dovepaw. "W-what happened? Did you see who did this?" he asked rapidly.
"N-no… S-she was already…" she trailed off, choking. It hurt too much to say. Pounceheart's eyes softened, then he looked away. Mossystar had joined them, staring absently at Iceblossom; Dovepaw could see Larchnose and Darkfur appearing behind her, while Dapplemouse and Hollybriar hung back at the top of the slope. Darkfur hurried to Dovepaw's side, sitting and trailing his tail over her spine, despite the look of shock and terror on his face. So the dusk patrol is here… she realized. Larchnose had moved forward, and was looking at Mossystar, waiting for orders.
Sootpaw, meanwhile, was distracted, sniffing the grass nearby. Then his eyes widened, and filled with dread. He glanced at Hollybriar, who seemed to have reached the same conclusion, then they both looked at Mossystar. The Clan Leader padded over to a pile of leaves, giving them a sniff. "There's rogue scent here," she mewed. Then she turned and nodded at Larchnose. "We need to figure out who's responsible for this."
Silence hung over them, as every cat considered the implications of the murder. Pounceheart was stumbling around, looking down at Iceblossom in shock, not seeming to care that he was stepping in her blood. Dovepaw looked down; her own paw was stained as well. She shuddered, and pressed closer to Darkfur and Sootpaw, feeling cold as the rain soaked into her fur.
Where's Cloudpaw and Brackenbelly? she wondered. Dapplemouse seemed to have the same thought; the tortoiseshell spoke quietly with Hollybriar, and, receiving a nod, disappeared into the trees.
Dovepaw looked down at the ground, feeling drained. It was all too much for one day. It had been going so well earlier, and now there was a murderer loose and a group of rogues near their border. After knowing peace for all of her life, it was jarring. Something bad is going to happen. She thought of Sootpaw and Cloudpaw. Are any of us going to be safe? With a shiver, she tried to redirect her focus to the wet leaves at her feet.