Here we are with chapter two. I just really like this story and can't stop writing it ;U;
Tigerpaw awoke in the Apprentice's Den, a nice change from the nursery. Pride swelled within him as he realized he was no longer a kit, and was going to be a warrior in six short moons! Standing up, he stretched his small, kit-like body out, feeling the tension in his legs build up when he crouched down. Man, he was worn out from yesterday's training!
He glanced across the den. Fuzzypaw, Sagepaw, and Sandpaw were nowhere to be seen; it was expected, since the three would become warriors soon, especially Sandpaw.
He looked down at Stoatpaw. His body was still pudgy from when he was a kit, and his ear twitched while he slept. Tigerpaw shook his head; his younger brother would need to get out of the kit world if he ever wanted to become deputy!
Deputy. Leader. Tigerpaw felt something swell inside him, pushing past the pride and making his body tingle in an unbelievably pleasant way. The thought of being respected by his clanmates as leader tempted him. He wondered if the same feeling reached Stoatpaw's heart.
"Tigerpaw!" a voice called, and the tom swiveled his head to the entrance of the den. Shiningeyes was their, her split face glowing in the greenleaf sunlight that fell from the mouth of the cave. "Mossfang put me on a hunting patrol. Would you like to join me? I'll teach you the hunting crouch!"
"Yes, Shiningeyes!" Tigerpaw meowed, walking towards her when he remembered Stoatpaw. He looked back at him.
"Want me to ask Leafclaw if he wants to come and bring Stoatpaw along?" Shiningeyes purred, and Tigerpaw whipped his head around, nodding furiously. Shiningeyes cracked a smile and left the den.
"Stoatpaw!" Tigerpaw meowed, bowling over his brother. "Wake up! Leafclaw and Shiningeyes are going to teach us how to hunt!" Stoatpaw lifted his white head, blinking the grogginess out of his eyes.
"Tigerpaw?"
Tigerpaw nodded, swatting his brother with his paw. "Yeah, so you'd better wake up!" he turned around, speeding out of the den. He almost ran into Rowanleap, who was walking out with Fuzzypaw. "Sorry!" he mewed quickly as he whizzed by, coming to a halt at the warrior's den.
"Tigerpaw, wait up! I just woke up and you're already speeding like your tail's on fire!" Stoatpaw shouted, and Tigerpaw gave a flick of his tail, telling his brother to hurry up. Shiningeyes suddenly appeared at the entrance with Leafclaw, who looked just as tired as Stoatpaw.
"Wow, Tigerpaw. You sure do seem eager to learn about the hunting crouch!" Leafclaw mused, his eyes shining. He then whipped his head up and saw Stoatpaw struggling to keep up, and he rushed over to help his apprentice. When the two met up with Tigerpaw and Shiningeyes, the warriors nodded and headed over to the wall.
"See you up there!" Shiningeyes called in a sing-song voice, before scrambling up the side of the cave along with Leafclaw. The way they did it so effortlessly filled Tigerpaw with energy.
"We have to climb this again?" Stoatpaw whined, his voice quiet as he began to curl in on himself. "I can't do this. Tigerpaw, I-I don't think I'm cut out to be a warrior. This... it's too much!"
"C'mon, Stoatpaw! You've only been an apprentice for a day, and you already don't wanna be a warrior?" he asked, bewilderment crossing his face. Tigerpaw became thoroughly shocked when Stoatpaw looked away guiltily.
Tigerpaw narrowed his eyes determinedly, and got down on all fours. "Here, Stoatpaw! Climb up on my shoulders, I'll help you get up!"
Stoatpaw put one paw on one of the ledges and the others on Tigerpaw's shoulders, and together, the two toms made it up the wall. Even Tigerpaw was heaving, but as soon as he saw the pride in Shiningeyes's eyes, he popped right back up like a blade of grass. Stoatpaw, not so much.
"Okay!" Shiningeyes said, looking between the apprentices. It was at that moment that Tigerpaw noticed Vixenleg and Pineholly, who were chatting. Pineholly looked towards her son and smiled.
"Stoatpaw, come on. Stand up!" Leafclaw coaxed him, and soon Tigerpaw and his brother were standing side-by-side. "It's okay, Stoatpaw. We'll cut down that baby fat you've got in a matter of minutes with this training!" Stoatpaw groaned.
The two warriors nodded their heads at Vixenleg and Pineholly, and the group set out. Tigerpaw's nose filled with the scents of the forest, a feeling he'd cherish always and never forget.
"Okay, guys. I've got hot spring duty with Deerheart at sunhigh, so I'm going to have to leaf the patrol early." Vixenleg explained, and the group accepted her decision. Tigerpaw glanced at Stoatpaw, who looked absolutely miserable. He moved over and bumped shoulders with him, causing Stoatpaw to jump.
"Oh, you scaredy cat!" Tigerpaw teased, rolling his eyes, but stopped when he saw Stoatpaw's ears flatten against his head. He quickly changed the subject. "So, Stoatpaw! What do you hope to catch?"
His brother looked down at his paws as the group took a turn. "With any luck, I might catch a few mice." he said quietly, and Tigerpaw nodded, smiling. This caused Stoatpaw to smile, and the two joked all the way to their training spot.
"Vixeneg and I will hunt around here. You two teach my kits how to hunt well!" Pineholly called, vanishing into the forest alongside the ginger she-cat. Stoatpaw stayed behind with Leafclaw as Tigerpaw and Shiningeyes walked off towards the forest.
Shiningeyes fell down into the hunting crouch, prowling around Tigerpaw. "This, Tigerpaw," she said quietly, her voice bordering a growl, "is the hunting crouch. Use it to catch small prey, like mice and voles. Try it now."
Tigerpaw fell down just like Shiningeyes had, and to his surprise, she shook her head and sat up. "Your tail is crooked! How are you ever going to maintain your balance with a crooked tail?" she asked, and Tigerpaw grimaced inwardly. She straightened out his tail out and leveled his hips, shaking her head. "Poor form, Tigerpaw! Your hips are lopsided."
After she'd finished working on his form, his muscles ached. She stepped back. "Good! Now that's a proper hunting crouch." She turned her head and gasped. "Stay here, I need to go help Leafclaw. Practice getting in and out of the crouch, and take all of your weight off of your paws."
Tigerpaw spent a good while working on his form, and soon he felt somewhat comfortable with it, but his joints still ached. He also found it really hard to take all of his weight off of his paws; it felt so uncomfortable! He was sweating in the greenleaf sun by the time Shiningeyes returned.
"Okay, Tigerpaw. While Stoatpaw and Leafclaw work on perfecting his form, let's work on the killing strike. Now, get into hunting position." Shiningeyes ordered, and Tigerpaw fell down onto his forelegs, much to his dismay. "Now, take a few steps forward and jab with one of your forelegs. Scoop up the prey and bite it's neck, and always remember to thank Starclan for your prey, and the animal for it's life."
Tigerpaw nodded, and after a few tries, he looked over at Stoatpaw. The white tom was faring pretty well, already having moved on to the killing strike like Tigerpaw. He still looked pudgy, but Tigerpaw's hopes lightening: maybe Stoatpaw would want to become a warrior and become deputy alongside him!
"Leafclaw! Stoatpaw! I think it's time we get some actual hunting done!" Shiningeyes called, and the two traipsed over. Stoatpaw was sweating just like he was, and the two brothers bumbed shoulders as they headed back into the forest. "Now, you two, take a deep breath. Tell me if you smell any prey, and then try to catch it."
Tigerpaw and Stoatpaw took a deep breath, giggling. When Shiningeyes glared at them, they stopped and became serious. Tigerpaw sniffed deeply and smelled... mouse! Sniffing some more, he followed the track and got into hunting position, his muscles aching.
He followed the scent to a tree, and looking forward, he saw a small mouse nibbling on a nut. He stalked forward, feeling eyes on him. When he was close enough, he dashed forward, striking with a paw. He thought he had it, but was disappointed to find no mouse in his claws.
"Good job, Tigerpaw!" Shiningeyes called from far away. Tigerpaw jumped, shocked at how far he had gone. "You put the weight back into your paws and the mouse felt you through the ground. Come back and try again."
Tigerpaw sighed; would this be his entire apprentice training?
By the time the sun began to set behind Hawk's Talon Peak, he and Stoatpaw had caught nothing. He concluded that hunting was not something he liked. Stoatpaw agreed, but didn't hate it. Tigerpaw felt jealousy well inside him when he saw Shiningeyes and Leafclaw pad back to the cave with three large pieces of prey in their jaws, but then reminded himself that they were warriors and he'd get it someday.
He stretched upon getting back into the cave. The descent into it was a lot easier than getting out, since you could hop down a series of rocks to the bottom. Only really big warriors, like Mossfang, were able to get out using those rocks.
He grabbed a fat mouse from the fresh kill pile, carrying it back to the apprentice's den with Stoatpaw's help. He entered ro see Fuzzypaw devouring a nice robin.
"Kesh tha yersef?" Tigerpaw asked, and Fuzzypaw looked at him quizzically. Dropping the mouse, Tigerpaw repeated, "Catch that yourself?"
Fuzzypaw nodded. "I was super lucky, too. I found it super high in a tree and almost fell out!" she laughed, and Tigerpaw joined in. He really liked Fuzzypaw; she was really nice. "Did you guys catch anything? I heard that you guys were practicing the hunting crouch."
Stoatpaw responded, shaking his head. "No, Tigerpaw hates it. It's kinda uncomfortable, but it's definitely not as bad as getting pummeled by Tigerpaw!" he ended with a laugh, and Tigerpaw pouted at him, laughing as well before digging into the mouse. It was delicious!
Tigerpaw was too tired to stay up, and retired to his nest early, along with Stoatpaw. He fell into an uneasy sleep when Sagepaw barged in, awaking him. She was shouting loudly and excitedly.
"Wheatstar's calling names for the gathering tomorrow!"