Hello Again! Sorry i t has taken me SO long to update! I have been busy with homework and traveling ball, but some of it is probably laziness. Any ways, Thanks you again to my reviewers Queenofthecatz, Sunstarlover13, and many others! Hope you will like the chapter!
********************************************Flamepaw's POV*********************************************
Flamepaw trotted towards the Rippleclan border. Moss again! How many more times am I going to get in trouble before I am a warrior?! This is so mouse brained! Flamepaw had been playing with the kits again and Wirefur just happened to be there.
" Flamepaw, if you are going to act like a kit then you are not going to be a warrior anytime soon! You can count on it." Wirefur had growled at him.
Flamepaw snorted and shook his head. Wirefur had noticed and stomped up to him, a whisker from his face, " DON'T, hold your breath! And while your just standing around why dont you go get some bedding for Riverstar! " Wirefur shouted at him. Flamepaw just nodded and walked away from his temperamental mentor.
Why doesn't he just do it himself! Flamepaw thought as he kicked some pebbles angrily. Then he noticed that he was beside the Rippleclan river and headed down toward the Elder Tree, where moss grew especially thick on one side. Then he noticed a Rippleclan petrol coming to check the borders and found himself eager to see if Leopardpaw was there. Leopardpaw! Oh Starclan! I forgot about Leopardpaw! We were supposed to meet at the quarter moon! Ugh! Flamepaw groaned to himself as he remembered the agreement. I'll have to remember to tell her I forgot! Hmm, or maybe it's better this way, just dont talk to her at the gathering and everything will be fine, Yes! Thats what I'll do ! I can just let her be... It be best. But even then Flamepaw knew he wouldn't be able to do that.
Flamepaw caught the scent of the Rippleclan cats and instantly knew she was not with them. But then he came across another smell, a sweeter but less bold than Leopardpaw's. He looked up and noticed the cats. They were Tigerheart- who was leading the patrol- Runningriver, Lynxfur, and... who was it? Jadepaw or something? OR SOMETHING! That's Leopardpaw's sister! Is that her scent? Maybe she knows if Leopardpaw is still mad at me. Flamepaw thought to himself for a moment. Then he set off to the narrow part of the river in search of more information about the beautiful golden she cat and already breaking the thought of staying away from her.
*************************************Leopardtalon's POV *********************************************
Leopardtalon looked up at the horizon. She and Jadewhisker had been sitting here all night, sitting vigil. A moment later Tigerheart came out of the Warrior's den and walked over to them and stared at them in amusement. Leopardtalon tilted her head and he stood up.
"You can go to the warriors' den now, its almost dawn and I'll be leading a patrol of warriors. Go ahead and take some moss for a bed and get some rest." Tigerheart nodded to the den in which Leopardtalon and her sister were now going to sleep. Jadewhisker's eyes brightened and she jumped up too quickly for her joints and stumbled a bit before regaining her balance. Leopardtalon let out a mrrow of laughter and got up more slowly than her sister. I'm So Stiff! Leopardtalon groaned to herself.If this what its like to be a warrior than there are going to be a lot of long hunts! Leopardtalon stretched.
Leopardtalon yawned and started to walk over to the warriors' den but Tigerheart started to speak. " Whats wrong? You look a little sore!" He laughed at the two sisters. Jadewhisker turned around and laughed. " Ha I shouldn't feel like this until I'm an elder!" She mewed.
Just then Sandtail came out of the den. " Or at least until your a senior warrior, like me." She mewed loud enough for the others to hear. They let out a mrrow of laughter and Tigerheart began to talk to Sandtail. Leopardtalon turned to her sister.
" Come on let's get some rest." She mewed and headed to the warriors' den, her sister following her. Leopardtalon was surprised by how spacious the den was, even with the other warriors in it. Jadewhisker came in behind her and looked around with wide eyes.
"Wow... it just goes to show that as warriors get older they get fatter! Thats why they need so much room you see. Too many mice. I wont do that though. Not me" Jadewhisker whispered with a yawn trying to keep a sense of humor. Leopardtalon just snorted to show she didn't believe that and raked together some moss and lay down. In no time she was asleep, dreaming once again. Not of Flamepaw, but the life of a warrior she and her sister would share.
~***~
Something prodded Leopardtalon in the side and she popped her head up to see Splotchpelt standing over her. Leopardtalon rolled over and remembered she wasn't an apprentice anymore. She sat up and yawned.
" You know I'm not your apprentice anymore." Leopardtalon laughed. Splotchpelt looked amused. " Well, you know what they say, old habits die hard." She mewed as she rested her tail on her former apprentice's shoulder. "I thought we could hunt! As WARRIORS together, it will be good for you to stretch your muscles out after last night." Splotchpelt mewed to her. Leopardtalon eyes lit up.
"Sure let me wake Jadewhisker!" She turned to where her sister had fallen asleep last night but she wasn't there. Where? She turned towards Splotchpelt but her old mentor knew what she was going to ask.
"She went out on the sunhigh patrol with Tigerheart, Lynxfur and Runningriver. She should be back soon in fact she should be here any moment... I dont know whats been taking them so long. Anyways lets go out and hunt, she'll be here when we come back." Splotchpelt answered her thoughts. Leopardtalon nodded and they left the den. It's past Sunhigh! Jadewhisker should be back by now, did something go wrong? Leopardtalon quickly pushed the thought out of her head and followed Splotchpelt to the fresh-kill pile and chose a plump fish and gulped it down in a few bites. Then Splotchpelt lead the way out of camp.
Leopardtalon had done good so far, they had a few pieces of fresh-kill between them. Splotchpelt had caught two water-voles and Leopardtalon had a mouse, but since they were heading towards the river Leopardtalon didn't worry about her lack of prey. Splotchpelt stopped by the riverbed.
"Here, you go out on the riverrock and try to catch a few fish, while I go downstream a few fox lengths." Splotchpelt ran off without an answer and crouched by the edge of the river downstream, searching for a fish. Leopardtalon nodded to herself then plunged into the water and swam towards the riverrock- a boulder in the middle of the river that was large enough for a couple of cats to lay on.
Leopardtalon moved towards the rock with great agility in the water. Once she had gotten a paw on a foot whole she clawed her way up and out of the water, onto the boulder. Leopardtalon felt the warm stone under her paws, it felt great as the sun's heat soaked into her body. In no time at all her fur was dry and she waited patiently for a fish to come near enough by the boulder for her to catch.
A moment or two of waiting and Splotchpelt had a fish, a plump one too. She gave a triumphant meow and set back to fishing. Leopardtalon noticed how young she looked out here, not being a mentor , but a friend. She was never old, it just seemed like it because she was always righting my wrongs and telling me what to do next, now she is just herself. A new Splotchpelt for me to get to know. Leopardtalon sighed and looked down into the river, it was then that she noticed a fish tail moving around under the boulder. Leopardtalon leaned over and looked over the rock to get a better look, a fish tail! It was a huge fish tail! along with a humongous fish! How am I going to catch THAT thing? It's so big! I'd have to pounce on it to get it out of the water! Thats what I'll do! I'll jump on it, It cant be that hard can it? Just wait for it to get out fro under you, wait for it. Leopardtalon sat there ready to pounce for a moment, then another moment and another. It felt as if it was moons before the large fish finally popped out from under the rock and started to head down stream. Leopardtalon pounced with her claws unsheathed and plunged into the water. At first she didn't feel anything but the sting of the water hitting her stomach but then a second later something slithered under her. The Fish! Leopardtalon stuck her claws into its side and tried to get a firm grasp on the fish. And she did. And it started swimming at such a speed it felt like wind was parting her fur. Leopardtalon couldn't breath and was starting to feel the shortness of breath but she hung on to the fish. I have to kill it! I can't stay here forever! she thought to herself then remembered the death bite. I need to get to it's throat! Leopardtalon worked hard to pull herself up to the neck her prey but with it swimming so fast even the water was against her. She'd have to let go. Her lungs were screaming for air, but she kept trying. I have to get air without losing the fish! Then Leopardtalon thought of something. She Kept her claws in place and brought her hind legs up on the back of the fish. Then she used all the power in her legs to jump up and out of the water, while pushing the fish down so it would lose it's speed.
Leopardtalon burst through the water and gulped the air as she jumped out of the river. She opened her eyes to take everything in, it was if time had stopped for that one moment. She looked down at the fish. It nearly as big as she was! And it had trails of blood bleeding from it's sides where she had hung on. Leopardtalon then noticed she completely out of the water and was falling back into the river right on top of the fish. Splash! The river flooded around the golden she cat. Leopardtalon found herself ahead of of the fish. Turn around! She yelled to herself. She whirled around in the water. A second later something slammed into her body. Whoosh! The air bubbled out of her as the fish collided into her body. But it was just as stunned as she was and she took the advantage. She kicked the water and lunged for its throat, a moment later blood mixed with the water around her and Leopardtalon knew she had killed it.
Leopardtalon grasped the fish in her teeth and kicked toward the surface. Where is the surface? Leopardtalon panicked, she couldn't see a thing and found her lungs, yet again, screaming for air. Leopardtalon searched for something to kick off of but she found only water. Starclan help! She started to swim upward, or at least what she thought was upward. Then she stopped. I should've never came after the fish! Starclan! Help! Leopardtalon found herself sinking yet again and tried to kick. Nothing. Nothing.
Then Leopardtalon felt pebbles. Pebbles? Kick up! Kick up! Leopardtalon did so and a few seconds later broke the surface. She tried to breath out of her nose since the Fish was still in her jaws. It didn't help. She opened her eyes and found her vision blurred, but she could just make out a side of land and she kicked and paddled towards it.
A moment later she felt grass beneath her paws and collapsed on the ground letting go of the fish. She lay there for a minute, -two, three even,- gasping for air. Leopardtalon opened her eyes. The Fish she had worked so hard to get was lying in front of her. I'm safe. oh, my head. Leopardtalon's head rung and her throat stung from gulping water. She found herself exhausted and wanting to go to sleep when a yowl came from upstream.
"Leopardtalon! Leopardtalon! What were you thinking?!" Splotchpelt was by Leopardtalon's side in no time. "Are you okay? Leopardtalon! Leopardtalon!"
Leopardtalon felt a heavy wait on her chest and it pushed down hard a coupled of times. Leopardtalon coughed as water spewed from her mouth and came out of her lungs. She lay there again not moving. Splotchpelt repeated the process and again Leopardtalon coughed the water up. A moment later she opened her eyes to see Splotchpelt standing over her. She lifted her head, but put it back down quickly as her neck ached.
" Thank Starclan! Leopardtalon can you hear me? Are you okay? Come on, lean on my shoulder. Leopardtalon." Splotchpelt mewed in a worried voice.
Leopardtalon shook her head. I almost drowned two seconds ago and your asking if I'm OKAY? Leopardtalon tried to get up but plopped down again. She was suddenly thankful that Splotchpelt gave her a shoulder to lean on. Once Leopardtalon was up Splotchpelt slowly guided her farther up the bank.
"Here, sit down." Splotchpelt mewed. Leopardtalon did so. She felt better, that was a good sign. Thank you Starclan, thank you. Leopardtalon mewed a prayer to herself.
" Splotchpelt?" Leopardtalon asked in an unsteady voice.
" What is it? You need some water?"
Anything but. Leopardtalon flicked her tail towards the fish. " Get that thing will you?"
Splotchpelt nodded and ran over to pick up the fish, but instead had to drag it. She set it down a tail length from Leopardtalon. " Leopardtalon, you caught this? Thank starclan you weren't hurt, but you caught this? I can see now why you FELL in." Splotchpelt laughed. Leopardtalon looked at it with pride. She had survived a fish the size of an apprentice, not only that...she caught it!
Leopardtalon nodded and stood up. " Yeah. Or I think I did anyways." Leopardtalon sniffed it. Mmm. Splotchpelt snorted. " I'll take that as a yes, I can't wait to see the look on everyone's faces! Astonishment! I am so proud of you. And dont forget I was your mentor. "
Leopardtalon laughed, but stopped because it hurt her throat. Splotchpelt noticed and mewed " Come on, lets head back to camp.
~***~
Splotchpelt and Leopardtalon picked up their other prey as the headed back to camp. Leopardtalon, refusing to let go of her fish, was awfully tired when they reached the camp entrance.
As soon as they walked through the ferns, every cat looked at them. Then after a moment of shock rushed over to look at the cat sized fish. Flowerstem pushed her way through the crowd. Every cat was murmuring and talking or congratulating Leopardtalon for such a catch.
Flowerstem looked so happy, she was about to yowl in triumph for such a LARGE piece of prey.
" Larkstar! Larkstar! Come now!" Flowerstem yowled across the clearing. A moment later Larkstar came out of his den.
" What is Flowerstem I was ju- " Larkstar stopped as soon as his eyes met the prey. He stood there for a few moments, everyone was silent now, then he walked up to the giant fish. He didn't look away from they creature. " You caught this Leopardtalon?"
Leopardtalon meowed in a cracked voice. "Yes" Leopardtalon noticed all eyes on her as if asking, why?, how?, when?, that thing?. She straitened up and began telling the story of her and the large piece of fresh kill.
Once Leopardtalon was done telling her story everyone was silent, but not for long. They started shouting her name like they had yesterday when she became a warrior.
"We shall celebrate!" Larkstar shouted to the clan. The clan cheered. But a moment later a Yowl cut it off and Tigerheart came through the camp entrance limping. Followed by Jadewhisker, Runningriver, and Lynxfur. All of which had battle wounds. What had happened?
Cliffie! well, sort of! Flamepaw's POV was the same morning Leopardtalon caught the fish...in case you were wondering. Find out what happened next chapter! Thanks for R&Ring
~Leopardtalon Cat~