Chapter 5

When Maplepaw and Deerfoot came back to camp, Maplepaw saw that her littermates were already eating, so Maplepaw grabbed a mouse and went to join them. "Wasn't the territory so cool?" Maplepaw mumbled through her mouse.

"It sure was!" Cloudpaw replied.

"The river was so beautiful!" Cloverpaw added.

"I saw three Windclan cats!" Maplepaw bragged.

"Wow! Who was it?" Cloudpaw asked enviously, his green eyes wide.

"Crowfeather, Larkwing, and Featherpelt," Maplepaw replied.

"I wish it had been me!" Cloverpaw said, "I don't think I'll be able to meet cats from other clans until we're aloud to go to the Gatherings!"

"I wonder when we'll go?" Maplepaw wondered.

"Well, not to tonight's gathering," a voice said. It was Sorrelpaw who spoke. She, along with Fernpaw and Hollypaw were returning to camp after hunting all day.

"You're too newly apprenticed and Bramblestar said that Fernpaw, Hollypaw and I could go," Sorrelpaw continued.

"Who asked you?" Maplepaw thought indigently.

"We know," Cloudpaw replied wistfully, finishing the last of his sparrow.

Maplepaw heard Bramblestar yowl from across the clearing. "It's time for us to go," Fernpaw said quietly.

"Have a nice evening!" Sorrelpaw said cheerfully as she followed her littermates.

When they were gone, Maplepaw said indigently, "Well, Sorrelpaw has quite the nerve!"

"She didn't need to brag so much," Cloverpaw murmured.

Later on that night, Maplepaw and her littermates tried to stay up to wait to hear about the Gathering from Sorrelpaw, Fernpaw, and Hollypaw, but sleep soon overcame them.

The next morning at dawn, paws shook Maplepaw roughly. "Time to get up!" Cloverpaw whispered.

Maplepaw hopped to her paws. It was her first day of training! Outside her den, Deerfoot was waiting. "What are we doing first?" Maplepaw asked, bouncing around his paws. Deerfoot looked at her, his amber eyes warn with amusement. "I'm going to teach you how to hunt," he purred.

There was a rustling at the dens entrance and Sorrelpaw slipped out. She let out a purr of delight and ran to him. "Hi, Deerfoot! I'm soooo happy to see you! Guess what! I'm being made a warrior!" Sorrelpaw purred.

"That's cool," Deerfoot said, looking as though he was staring off into space.

"Sorrelpaw!" Sorrelpaw's mentor, Bumblestripe, was calling.

"Bye!" Sorrelpaw purred, completely ignoring Maplepaw.

Deerfoot said nothing but started to walk towards the exit of camp. Maplepaw followed him into the forest. They were both silent until Maplepaw tentatively said, "So, you and Sorrelpaw, huh,"

Deerfoot look startled, "Has she been spreading that around?" he stammered.

Maplepaw let out an amused purr, "It's no secret! The whole clan can see how she feels towards you!"

"I don't feel like that towards her at all!" Deerfoot exclaimed.

Glorious relief soared in Maplepaw's chest. She was about to say more, but a rustling in the bushes behind her halted her. Deerfoot drank in the scent and sighed, "Come out! I can smell you!

"Mouse-dung!" a kit squeaked.

The bushes rustled again and Patchkit, Redkit, Larkkit, Honeykit stepped out. "It's your fault that we got caught!" Patchkit said furiously to Redkit, "If you weren't squirming so much!"

"That's enough!" Deerfoot said sternly, "Maplepaw and I are going to take you back to camp."

"Aww!" the kits complained.

"I don't wanna!" Patchkit wailed, "We only wanted to watch your training session!"

"You'll be apprentices soon," Maplepaw promised.

"Yeah, in two moons!" Larkkit complained.

"It's better than waiting four moons like Sparkkit and Alderkit, isn't it?" Maplepaw reminded them.

"I guess," Redkit said mutinously.

"Now let's go," Deerfoot cut in.

Maplepaw and Deerfoot herded the kits back to camp where Lilyheart ran to meet them. "Thank Starclan!" she cried, "I go to the dirtplace for a moment! Thanks so much Deerfoot and Maplepaw!"

Then she turned to her kits. "No more play for today! And you have to go take an afternoon nap like Sparkkit and Alderkit!"

"That's no fair!" Honeykit wailed, "Naps are for little kits!"

"What's not fair is that how you kits worried me like that!" Lilyheart shot back, "Just wait until Snowstorm hears about this! Back to the nursery! All of you!"

Lilyheart nodded her thanks to Deerfoot and Maplepaw and herded her kits back to the nursery.

"Well, now that that's over with," Deerfoot said, "Let's go and teach you how to hunt."

When they got back to the forest, Deerfoot stopped and said, "Here's the basic hunting crouch." Then he fell into the correct position and said, "Now, you try."

Maplepaw fell into the exact position as Deerfoot, while he gawked in amazement, "How did you do that?" he exclaimed, "No apprentice has ever gotten the crouch on their first try!"

"I don't know," Maplepaw admitted. She had just done it. It was like her muscles knew exactly what to do.

Then she lied, "I guess it's from watching the apprentices do it when I was a kit."

"How about you try it on prey?" Deerfoot said and then twitched his ears to where a mouse was nibbling on a seed a few feet away.

Maplepaw stalked towards it and neatly pounced. "That was perfect!" Deerfoot said, impressed, "When Bramblestar hears about this, I'm sure he'll agree!"

Maplepaw proudly picked up her fresh-kill. "How about we head back?" Deerfoot suggested, "I have to join a hunting patrol."

"Can I come with? Please?!" Maplepaw begged.

"Alright," Deerfoot relented, "But I expect you to bring back prey like the rest of us!"

"I will!" Maplepaw promised.