Chapter One
Hawkpaw chased after a leaf playfully. Stormpaw and Lionpaw bounded after him happily, batting the seeds off of dandelion puffs, chasing green leaves that were blown by the wind- normal apprentice fun. Hawkpaw's brown pelt blended with the hard rock of the terrain they were getting into. Mercury Clan didn't have the most comfortable napping spots, but it was fun to camouflage with the rock to scare his friends. Hawkpaw pricked his ears. He heard the noise of another cat's paws on the stone.
"Hawkpaw, Stormpaw, Lionpaw, I'm very disappointed. All day your mentors have been looking for you, and here I find you chasing leaves. Very disappointed." The meow came from Dustytail, an experienced Mercury Clan warrior. Hawkpaw dipped his head in respect.
"I'm sorry, Dustytail. I shouldn't have been so mouse-brained. Is it too late to train?" Hawkpaw mewed as appreciatively as possible. The gray warrior's leaf green eyes surveyed him thoughtfully, then they flashed back to a stern gaze.
"Wise words, young apprentice, but that does not mean that we'll let this go with no further punishment. Ashstar can decide what it is."
"But Dustytail, we sort of were practicing, after all, chasing leaves is like hunting prey." Lionpaw interjected, His eyes gleaming with anticipation.
"That won't lower your punishment. And I doubt Oceansky has assigned chasing leaves for practice, has she?" Dustytail stared at Lionpaw's face, expecting a straight answer.
"No, sir." Lionpaw grumbled, his golden tail drooping. Dustytail turned his gaze to Stormpaw.
"Well? What do you have to say?"
Stormpaw's gray-brown tabby head moved down. He looked at the ground in disappointment. "I should have asked you, mentor. Sorry, but they forced me into it! I'd never played like this before, and…." His voice trailed off. A tiny surge of anger went through Hawkpaw's body. Stormpaw shouldn't have blamed him and Lionpaw, even if it was just a little. Hawkpaw shot him a slightly angry glance, and he looked at him back apologetically. Hawkpaw instantly forgave his best friend.
"Well, go on then. I'd like to see you tell your leader what you were doing all day." The three apprentices swiftly obeyed, heading towards the leader's den. He saw Rainflower, the deputy, standing by the rock-bordered entrance.
"There you are!" His mentor's voice was cheerful, but the sternness mixed in was heard, "If you three need Ashstar, you'll have to wait. He's talking to Tealheart now, and I have a short message for him that I need to say next. And Hawkpaw, could you come to the tree stump when you're done in there? I'd like to talk to you." Her mew was dark at the end, all cheerfulness gone. Hawkpaw's tail drooped. He hated disappointing Rainflower in any way.
Tealheart padded out of the den, completely ignoring the cats outside of the entrance. Rainflower then entered without a word, and Hawkpaw squirmed with nervousness. Lionpaw saw this, and mewed, "I wonder what we'll have to do…."
"Donno," Stormpaw meowed, seeming to recover a bit from Dustytail's scolding. He looked around slowly, as if he had never seen his clan's camp properly before. Lionpaw and Hawkpaw looked at him, confused, and he replied, "It's nothing…..I'm just a bit scared."
"Okay." Lionpaw replied, still searching Stormpaw's tabby face.
Rainlower trotted out of the den. "Go on. Good luck to all three of you." And with that, she padded away toward the tree stump in the forest. Hawkpaw's stomach twisted into a knot. He hoped that the leader wouldn't be too disappointed in them. After all, It was an innocent mistake. Stormpaw was also devastated when he let down any warrior. Hawkpaw begged to Star Clan that Ashstar wouldn't be too hard on them.
Lionpaw made the first move to dive down into the den. Stormpaw came next, and Hawkpaw followed swiftly. The den was amazing. The walls were carefully lined with stone, each one shining brightly. Moss was under his paws, still damp. Small holes in the abandoned fox den had shed light into the space, making the stones in the mud walls glimmer. The leader sat on a bed of long, green grass, and it looked like the ultimate sleeping spot, as light shone in directly on it.
"I want to know where you were all day." The black warrior spoke sternly, yellow eyes piercing.
"We were at the rock valley, chasing…." Lionpaw's voice trailed off. "Chasing leaves and dandelions," He sighed, clearly awaiting a direct punishment.
"Why didn't you ask?"
"I….we- well, I'm not entirely sure." Hawkpaw meowed truthfully.
"Think next time, apprentices." Ashstar paused before continuing, "The punishment is not much. Hunt prey for the two elders every day until the next full moon." Not much? That was a whole moon! Yes, there were only two elders, but it would definitely get in the way of his training.
Hawkpaw nodded, concealing his feelings. "You may go." Ashstar meowed. Hawkpaw climbed out of the den instantly, ignoring his friends and heading for the tree stump. Rainflower was sitting on it, roughly licking her fur clean.
"Hello," Hawkpaw said glumly.
"Oh, hello Hawkpaw. I need to ask you something," Rainflower mewed, Hawkpaw nodded, staring into the deputy's ocean blue eyes. "Why didn't you and your friends tell anyone where you were going? We were all worried, and we had also wanted to train you apprentices. You aren't allowed to do that." His mentor looked at him sternly. "Now what was your punishment?"
"We all have to catch prey for the elders for a moon! That's really unfair, don't you think?" Hawkpaw exclaimed. Rainflower showed no signs of sympathy.
"That's not much, Hawkpaw. When I was an apprentice my punishment was to line the leaders' den with those rocks. Shiningstar was much harsher than Ashsstar- who used to be Ashheart."
Hawkpaw's eyes widened. "You did that? And I have two friends to help me... I guess my task isn't anything compared what Shiningstar made you do…"
"You're correct, Hawkpaw. I'm glad you understand what I'm trying to get through to you. You're a very wise young cat. I couldn't be more proud to have you as an apprentice." Rainflower's eyes glinted with pride.
"You're the best mentor I could have, Rainflower." Hawkpaw beamed.
"How about some training?" Rainflower suggested, digging her sharp claws into the ground. Hawkpaw nodded in agreement. "Open your mouth. What do you smell?"
Hawkpaw opened his jaws slightly. There was a scent he didn't know. "I don't know what it is. It sure doesn't smell like any cat in Mercury clan, or prey. I also don't scent Oak Clan or Sunset Clan. What is it?"
"It's Dawn Clan. You should tell a warrior if you scent that. I'll show you their territory before the day ends. Now follow me." Hawkpaw had heard of Dawn Clan before, but he had never seen their clan or any of the cats before. "Wait, Hawkpaw. Before we head out, I want you to follow the sent." Wasn't that a bit extreme? If he was supposed to tell a warrior if he scented them, than why was he being told to follow the scent? All the same, he nervously obeyed. He sniffed the air for the scent. It was near the rock terrain. Hawkpaw trotted after it all the way across the rock, to the river. He was right on top of the scent.
There was quiet breathing right in front of him in the bushes across the river. Hawkpaw stiffened, and sank down into the rock, blending. "Go on, Hawkpaw." Whispered Rainflower. She obviously hasn't noticed that the warrior was in front of him. He hissed at the cat in the fiercest tone he could find. The cat's breath was caught as it realized that a cat had found him.
"I know you're there! Now get out, you mouse-brained fool! You can't trick Mercury Clan!' The cat had held it's breath, trying to stay hidden. "Afraid?" The cat hissed angrily.
"I'm not afraid!" A dark gray and brown tom cat came out of the bushes. Hawkpaw's fur stood on end.
"Hawkpaw, get over here! I'll take care of him!" Fear was in her voice, and Hawkpaw instantly came back. Rainflower stepped up to the Dawn Clan warrior, blue-gray pelt bristling angrily.
Rainflower let out a long hiss, her mouth in a snarl. "What business do you have here, Thornclaw?"
Thornclaw ignored her, and meowed, "I see you've got an apprentice. He's pretty big-mouthed.." Hawkpaw let a growl escape his jaws.
"Shut your trap! You have a pretty big one too if you need to say that!" Rainflower shot him a glare. The tom looked to him.
"Trying to be brave, are you? I bet I could skin you, furball!"
Hawkpaw ignored Rainflower's glare. "Say something else and I'll tear your throat out!"
"I'd love to see you try." Hawkpaw threw himself at the warrior with full force. He sank his claws into his shoulders as hard as he could, alternating paws to scrape across his back. Hawkpaw took a hard swipe at the cat's ear, claws fully unsheathed. The delicate skin ripped, and blood dripped out of the ear. Thornclaw let out a yowl of pain, then bucked Hawkpaw off and pounced on him. "I'll rip your-" he was cut off. Rainflower had pounced on the warrior. Her claws had gone through his other ear, and Hawkpaw could see the tips.
"Get out!" Rainflower yowled, taking swipes at the cat fiercely. The tom yowled, running quickly away, Hawkpaw gasped for breath, watching him run away.
"HAWKPAW!" He winced, then turned to Rainflower. Her face had no trace of the usual joy. "Don't ever do anything like that again! You could have gotten killed! You know what? After this moon, you're feeding both elders by yourself for another whole moon. Understand? Training all day tomorrow, no talking to Lionpaw or Stormpaw! You have to learn to control yourself! Now go to camp now, and no dinner tonight or tomorrow morning! You stay away from your friends and get to the medicine den immediately! There's a reason we're born with brains, Hawkpaw." Without a word, he obeyed the commands.