Thank you to Snowfeather5, my only reviewer
A sheathed paw prodded Falconpaw, breaking her deep sleep. Falconpaw yawned and raised her head, blinking drowsily into the sun that was perched low in the sky. "Wha-, oh, hi Thistlepaw".
"Wake up, lazypaws!! Robinwing and Gorsetail are going to show you WindClan and the best places to hunt. Tallstar told them to make you useful while you were here."
"Gorsetail?"
"Your new mentor, mouse-brain! Come on, they're waiting right by the entrance." Thistlepaw shifted impatiently.
"Ah, right. Are you coming with us?" Falconpaw mewed, shaking scraps of moss off her mottled fur as she stretched.
"No, I'm going hunting with Tornear. See you later!" With that, Thistlepaw bounced off to the camp entrance where Tornear was waiting with another brown she-cat. When Thistlepaw reached them, Tornear flicked his tail, and the three cats bounded off onto the moor.
Falconpaw yawned one last time and then padded off toward the camp entrance. Before she reached it though, a dark gray tom planted himself in front of her and growled, "Out of my way, spy!" Falconpaw flinched and then creeped to his left. Just as she started to go forward, the tom moved so that he was directly in front of her again. "I said, get out of my way!" he spat, thrusting his muzzle threateningly into Falconpaw's face until she could feel his angry breath.
As Falconpaw scrambled for what to do next, a new voice called out sharply, "Webfoot! We're going on patrol. Get out of her way." Falconpaw looked around and saw a small white she-cat that was sitting next to Robinwing glaring at Webfoot, her neck fur bristling. Gorsetail!
His ears flattened, Webfoot growled one more time at Falconpaw and then stalked away toward the fresh-kill pile. Gorsetail flicked her ears at Falconpaw and mewed, "Don't worry. Some cats are just too loyal to their Clan."
"And that makes them mousebrains sometimes." Robinwing added, her eyes sparkling with mischief. Gorsetail flicked her tail, amused, as Falconpaw blinked gratefully at them.
As the three cats padded onto the moor, a strong wind uncomfortably buffeted Falconpaw's fur and made her eyes sting. She blinked and looked at the two WindClan cats, but they seemed unaffected. Gorsetail caught her eye and mewed, "Don't worry, you'll get used to it. Since you already know the RiverClan border, we'll patrol the ThunderClan border and then go hunting. Do you know how to hunt?"
Robinwing purred. "Of course she does. If her mentor hadn't taught her by now, Hawkfrost would have." Gorsetail's whiskers twitched in a silent laugh as Falconpaw nodded agreement. "We'll have to teach you to hunt rabbits though." Gorsetail mewed. "You'll learn."
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Falconpaw padded into the camp at sunhigh with a rabbit and a mouse that had strayed from ThunderClan territory clamped in her mouth. Her first rabbiting attempts attempt had been miserable – 3 rabbits had gotten away. On her fourth try, she had startled a rabbit and killed it with only a few seconds of chasing it. Her belly grumbled. Falconpaw had not eaten since the day before, and her long sprints after the scrawny rabbits had sharpened her hunger almost unbearably.
Falconpaw dropped her catch into the swelling pile, trying to ignore the tempting scents wafting up from it. She kept one rabbit and trotted to the elders den where the two elders, Morningflower and Logpelt, were chatting amiably. They broke off as Falconpaw entered the den. Morningflower greeted her with a friendly flick of her tail, but Logpelt stared at her with unconcealed hostility. "Come back with mouse bile." He snapped, "I have some ticks I can't reach." Falconpaw flinched as she wordlessly dropped the rabbit by Morningflower, ready to burst with anger. Couldn't they just say a simple "Thank You?"
As she turned to leave the den, Morningflower mewed, "Don't bring back mouse bile, Falconpaw. Logpelt just wants a reason to annoy you." Logpelt glared at her, but Morningflower just purred.
Her eyes pools of burning anger, Falconpaw stalked off toward the fresh-kill pile, for herself this time; she had seen Mosspaw take fresh-kill to the queens. As she neared it, she saw Rockpaw grab a mouse, and her heart leaped. At last, someone who would treat her like a normal cat. But as she opened her mouth to call him, a lean brown tabby padded toward Rockpaw and sniffed the mouse. "It smells like that spy, Rockpaw. Put it back."
Rockpaw flinched, but he dropped the mouse only to speak. "It shouldn't matter who caught it, we should respect the prey StarClan gave to us. " he protested, his tail flicking back and forth nervously. The tom's eyes flared and he flattened his ears threateningly.
"Listen to warriors, Rockpaw. Put that back. We should respect our prey, but StarClan doesn't say to let apprentices from other Clans catch us prey." Another smoky gray warrior padded forward and nodded at Rockpaw.
"Yes, Crowfeather." Rockpaw picked up a rabbit and headed to the far side of the camp where another ginger cat was eating without noticing Falconpaw. Falconpaw dashed behind a boulder in the WindClan camp. Crowfeather!! Swallowtail had told her of the Great Journey, and how Crowfeather had been one of the chosen. How could such a, a mean cat be chosen by StarClan?! Peering out from behind the boulder, she saw that Crowfeather and the other cat had left. She creeped forward and grabbed the rejected mouse, and then bounded to where Rockpaw was eating.
Rockpaw looked up from his rabbit. "Hi Falconpaw! Good hunting? Here, meet Creekpaw." he babbled, though Falconpaw could see it was taking him an effort.
The ginger apprentice nodded coolly at Falconpaw. "Greetings, Falconpaw. I hope you enjoy WindClan while you're here." Rockpaw nudged her heartily. "Oh, stop being all superior just because you're going to be a warrior soon." Creekpaw batted him with a sheathed paw, and Falconpaw was her visibly relaxing. "Oh, you'll feel like this one day, so stop complaining."
As Falconpaw settled down besides Rockpaw, she murmured into his ear. "I saw what happened, Rockpaw. Thanks for standing up for me." Rockpaw muttered something incomprehensible.
"He'd do the same for any cat in any Clan, but Crowfeather's his mentor" Creekpaw explained, her green eyes glowing as she prodded Rockpaw. "Ha, anyone but you!" Rockpaw purred as he nuzzled Creekpaw affectionately.
Falconpaw felt a stab of jealously at their closeness, which she irritably pushed away. She had no right to envy them, she thought as she forced herself to relax.
Just then, Rockpaw spotted Thistlepaw squeezing through the entrance with a hunting patrol, and he grabbed a rabbit and bounded up to them. Instead of settling down, he pushed over Falconpaw, who pushed over Rockpaw, and they all fell on Creekpaw, who squealed and pushed Rockpaw off her.
They all erupted in purrs as Creekpaw glared at Thistlepaw and then pounced on him. Thistlepaw let out a mock yelp as the two scuffled around in the moorland grass. Laughing until her sides hurt, Falconpaw realized she had never been this happy. In RiverClan she had not been this close to any apprentice, but here, in a hostile Clan, despite certain cats, she was happy. Falconpaw forced the thought away. At the next Gathering she would return to RiverClan and forget about WindClan. She was a loyal RiverClan cat.
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"Ah, come on! Four healthy apprentices sitting around camp like dead mousse!" a small reddish she-cat who Thistlepaw had pointed out as Roseheart padded up to where they were laying lazily in the sun, sharing tongues. "Rockpaw, Crowfeather went on the sunhigh patrol. You can go catch up to them. Creekpaw, you can go help Mosspaw clear out the elders den. Come on, this might be your last time before you become a warrior. Thistlepaw, you're coming with me and Robinwing to go hunting. Falconpaw, I'm sure Gorsetail can think of something for you." Flicking her tail at Thistlepaw, she padded to the camp entrance where Robinwing was waiting.
Falconpaw was the last of the apprentices to disperse. She reluctantly stood up and stretched lazily, feeling the sun warm her mottled coat. She yawned one last time and trotted to the warriors den, poking her head in. Ignoring a glare from Webfoot, whom she had learned to avoid, she called her mentor.
Gorsetail stirred. "Oh, Falconpaw, I was dreaming about being me being a squirrel and I was hunting this cat called Gorsetail."
Falconpaw purred. "Maybe it's a sign that squirrels will eat you if you don't take me out." Gorsetail yawned enormously for such a small cat and then sprung up.
"Well, I certainly don't want squirrels to eat me, so we're going battle training!"
Falconpaw followed Gorsetail onto the moor until they reached a dip in the ground where they were partially protected from the merciless wind. Gorsetail faced Falconpaw. "Who was your mentor in RiverClan?"
Falconpaw blinked. RiverClan seemed so long ago. "Mosspelt" she replied, a flash of anger racing through her as she remembered how Mosspelt had done nothing to stop Falconpaw from being exiled.
"How much battle training did she teach you?" Gorsetail asked a little gentler, as if she had seen Falconpaw's anger. Falconpaw's mind scrambled as she thought. "We had a session, was it was really short because we went to go hunting. It was in leaf-bare."
Gorsetail purred. "Now I can teach you from the beginning. Attack me." With that, she stopped pacing and stood directly three foxlengths in front of Falconpaw.
Falconpaw narrowed her eyes. Since Gorsetail was small, she might be able to overpower her. No, Gorsetail was still stronger than her. And she was bound to be fast. Falconpaw would have to use her wits and be on the defensive side. Come on! She urged herself. Do something she doesn't expect.
"Come on, Falconpaw," Gorsetail hissed, her eyes gleaming, "what are you waiting for?" Enraged, Falconpaw sprinted straight toward Gorsetail, but at the last second she swerved to the right and nipped at Gorsetail, but Gorsetail wasn't there. She instinctively knew Gorsetail was behind her and turned around to see Gorsetail on her hind legs, towering over her. Falconpaw lunged at her unprotected belly, but Gorsetail dropped onto her, squashing her against the ground. "Well, Falconpaw," Gorsetail mewed as she stepped off her, "I might be small, but I'm still bigger than you!"
More seriously she added, "So I'm still bigger, stronger, and faster than you, but my mother always said I wasn't the brightest in the litter. Do something that will totally surprise me." With that, Gorsetail dropped into a crouch and waited for Falconpaw.
Do something that will totally surprise me… With Gorsetail's words ringing in her head, she leaped at Gorsetail. When she landed, Gorsetail wasn't there, but Falconpaw had been expecting that. Knowing again that Gorsetail was behind her, she braced herself, pushed off with her front paws, and flew backwards into Gorsetail. She flipped over and raked sheathed paws over her mentor's belly. Suddenly Gorsetail went limp. Worry flashed through Falconpaw. Had she hurt her? Then Gorsetail sprang up and flew Falconpaw off of her. A trick!!
"I thought you said you weren't the brightest in the litter!" Falconpaw complained as she scrambled into a sitting position. She felt so exhilarated! Even practicing battle soared her spirits, and all her troubles were forgotten in this happy moment. Gorsetail purred. "My mentor taught me that one. Besides, Falconpaw, you did much better this time. Much better. But when you feel someone go limp like that, prepare yourself for when they jump up, so you can jump up with them. Let's try it."
Before Falconpaw had time to respond, a tortoiseshell she-cat stepped into the dip, closely followed by Mosspaw, who was probably her apprentice. She had seen this cat before… Tawnyfur!! The WindClan deputy! Falconpaw dipped her head respectfully as Tawnyfur nodded at her.
As Tawnyfur whispered urgently in Gorsetail's ear, Falconpaw's curious gaze traveled to Mosspaw. When Mosspaw caught her eye, she gave out a satisfied smirk, and Falconpaw itched to leap at her and claw the look off her face. How could a cat like this be related to Rockpaw?
Then Tawnyfur called her name sharply, and Mosspaw followed quickly with her tail held in the air. As soon as they had disappeared, Falconpaw bounded over to Gorsetail.
"What did she say?" Falconpaw was more annoyed at being interrupted than curious at what the deputy had to say. Gorsetail looked away and shuffled her paws, embarrassed. What was bothering her? When she spoke, it sounded like the words were slowly being dragged out of her throat. "She said that you coul- she said to go hunting." With that, Gorsetail leaped out from the dip and onto the moor without seeing if Falconpaw was following.
Falconpaw followed a little slower. She was sure Tawnyfur had not come to tell them to go hunting. In the middle of green-leaf, prey was running well and there were already several hunting patrols out. Falconpaw glared at the ground. Gorsetail was lying to her. Why? And what had Tawnyfur said?
Haha if you knew what Tawnyfur actually said you would say I was being a tad bit dramatic. That's k though…