Warriors
Here's chapter 2!!
Chapter 2
My muscles ached from digging up the moss, but the elders had commented that I had collected and dried the moss well and that they appreciated out work. Finally Nightpaw and I padded out of the elders den both exhausted, but we were far from being done with the day, for it seemed only about sunhigh.
"I could sleep for 14 moons," Nightpaw complained and I nudged him gently.
"I wouldn't doubt it," I said and Nightpaw purred and looked at me with his large green eyes that seemed to hold a secret emotion that I couldn't figure out. I blinked and stretched lazily and glanced around the camp and spotted Willowtail sharing tongues with Sunstreak.
"Come on, maybe if we're not doing anything we can sleep for a little bit," I mewed and we both padded towards our mentors, but Smokepaw and Grasspaw called our names and we whirled around and the two bounced around us.
"Dapplesun and Oakfur are taking all the apprentices out for battle training," Smokepaw said excitedly.
"We're to meet them there and not to be late…tell your mentors and then come to the training area," Grasspaw ordered and they hurried away towards where Mosspaw, Brackenpaw, and Hazelpaw were lounging outside of the apprentices den.
"Great," I mumbled and Nightpaw purred sympathetically.
"Come on…tonight we can go to sleep earlier so we'll be ready for tomorrow," Nightpaw said and we hurried over towards Willowtail and Sunstreak.
"Are you two heading to the training area to meet Dapplesun and Oakfur?" Sunstreak asked and I noticed his bitter mood seemed to have dissolved along with the fog.
"Yes, Grasspaw told us that we had to inform you just in case," Nightpaw mewed and Willowtail dipped her head.
"That is appreciated, if you two are going without the other apprentices, be careful and stick together," Willowtail said and we both solemnly nodded. Only 2 moons previously, Grasspaw's brother had fallen victim to a fox who had been wandering through the territory, Grasspaw still felt grief over his death since they had been racing towards the training area together.
"Twigpaw, Nightpaw come on we're leaving," Mosspaw called across the clearing. All of the apprentices were gathered in a group near the tunnel with Grasspaw in the lead and she had a stern and determined look on her face.
"I guess we're going as a group," I whispered and Nightpaw and I said a goodbye to our mentors and then joined the others and we all set out. Mosspaw and Brackenfur were arguing over some concept of a hunting technique for rabbits, but we hardly saw any rabbits in our territory…if you could even call it that. We had no boundaries only wide open spaces with plenty of fresh-kill to last us a lifetime, but once and a while we had to chase of animals such as foxes, badgers, and the occasional lost house-cat or loner that wandered in trying to find a place to live.
"Everyone stick together and don't wander," Grasspaw hissed and everyone fell silent.
"There have been no scents of foxes or anything in our territory," Hazelpaw mewed calmly. She had only been a kit when Grasspaw's brother had died and probably didn't remember, but then again Hazelpaw did have a tendency to blurt out random thoughts not thinking and this was one of those times. Grasspaw whirled around so quickly her tail smacked Smokepaw and he mumbled a mew of pain, but Grasspaw looked furious. Her fur was prickling and standing on end and her blue eyes were bright with anger and grief.
"My brother died, because I was careless and I am not going to let that happen to anyone else, but you are to scatter-brained to even know to keep your wits about you," Grasspaw snarled and Hazelpaw whimpered.
"Grasspaw calm down," Nightpaw said sternly stepping in front of Hazelpaw protectively.
"Well, I was just speaking the truth," Grasspaw said sharply and turned and started to pad away into the trees.
"Why did Grasspaw snap at me like that, she's never done that before," Hazelpaw whimpered and I gently licked her head a few times to comfort her.
"Something happened to Grasspaw that makes her sensitive to certain comments, she'll calm down," I whispered and we all carried on with Nightpaw and Smokepaw in the lead this time. Hazelpaw stayed silent and would press her pelt against me now and again, but I didn't mind. As we approached the training area we heard angry yowls coming from inside and we hurried over and gasped as we saw Grasspaw and Dapplesun in a full-fledged yelling fight. Dapplesun would hiss something, but Grasspaw would snarl in reply and Oakfur stood up his fur bristling.
"Stop it both of you," Oakfur hissed and he hissed that time after time.
"Come on," Smokepaw hissed to Nightpaw and I. The three of us raced down and while Smokepaw and Oakfur tugged Dapplesun away, Nightpaw and I started to tug Grasspaw away, but Grasspaw lashed out angrily, with unsheathed claws. Her claws got Nightpaw's muzzle, but got my shoulder and she was on a mad rampage…she grabbed me tighter and flung me across the clearing.
"Everyone just leave me alone," Grasspaw snarled and disappeared from the training area. I staggered to my paws, but I felt a comforting lick on my uninjured shoulder and looked to see Nightpaw helping me up and I blinked gratefully at him.
"Are you two okay?" Oakfur asked as he quickly padded up.
"Nothing too serious," I replied and Oakfur nodded and turned to Dapplesun who was sitting on the opposite side her tail wrapped around her paws and her head down in shame.
"What about Grasspaw? She's never been this mad. She could hurt herself at this rate," Brackenpaw said.
"Then we must stop her," Dapplesun said standing up. "Mosspaw, Brackenpaw, Smokepaw follow me, Twigpaw, Nightpaw, and Hazelpaw you go with Oakfur," Dapplesun ordered fiercely.
"Let's go," Oakfur called and we all raced from the training area in different directions and I had a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach. My shoulder barely hurt as we pelted through the forest at full speed looking for any sign of Grasspaw.
"Maybe we should try to scent where she went," Nightpaw suggested and the four of us when in different directions scenting the air cautiously. I was about to give up hope when I found a small baby fern bush with Grasspaw's scent and as I followed it deeper I got her trail.
"I've found her trail, it leads this way towards the river," I called and soon we were slowly following the trail that wound through the woods towards the large river that split part of our territory, but then wound away before it could split the rest of the territory. It held clear, fresh water that was really cold and very deep in some parts, but everyone could swim against the slow current of the river, even Birchkit has started to swim in the river, but during leafbare the snow melted and made the river deeper and the currents stronger and it was tougher to swim. We stopped as we reached the bank which at first was flat, but then it sloped slightly downwards until you reached the river which of course had the strong currents flowing today.
"Grasspaw," Hazelpaw called out. "Grasspaw where are you?" Hazelpaw kept calling. Oakfur took Hazelpaw further down the bank while Nightpaw and I went upstream. We searched every bush and every tree for Grasspaw and we scented the air constantly, but still no luck until I caught the faintest smell of something and at first I thought it was Grasspaw and I started to race after it and Nightpaw followed me. As I got closer the scent got stronger and then I stopped dead in my tracks as I realized what the scent was…blood. It was thicker now and it reeked so bad I wanted to gag, but I held it in and as Nightpaw halted beside he wrinkled his nose as the scent.
"Grasspaw," I called loudly.
"What smells like blood?" Nightpaw asked his tail wrapping around his nose to try to block the smell.
"Nightpaw stop it, Grasspaw could be hurt," I said and I padded forward ignoring the horrid smell and let it guide me towards a large mountain of rocks. The blood smelled thicker around the rocks and it was definite that whatever smelled like blood was at these rocks.
"It's not on the rocks, but…in them," Nightpaw said after sniffing a few rocks. I tasted the air and let the blood guide me and it took my up the mountain and to the top where there was a thin opening that fell into some darkness, but at the bottom I could just see the shape of something.
"There is something in there," I said getting ready to jump, but Nightpaw tugged my tail lightly.
"You can't, what if it's a fox or a badger…you'll get shredded," Nightpaw exclaimed dropping my tail. I stuck my nose into the opening and scented for a long time.
"If you ignore the blood there is no smell of a badger or a fox, it smells like a cat," I said and before he could say anything I scampered through the opening and fell into the dark…
I landed with a sickening thud and at first I felt like gagging so bad, because the blood scent was thick and disgusting, but I held my breath. I waited as my eyes adjusted to the darkness and then realized it wasn't so dark inside, there were cracks between the rocks that let in faint streams of sunlight, but my stomach churned as I thought of how terrible this place would be at night.
"Twigpaw…what are you doing here?" Grasspaw's weak and tired voice came from one side and I padded over and then stopped as something cold seeped into my pads. I lifted one of my paws up and licked the pad and tasted blood and looked on the ground and saw a small pool of it surrounding the faint outline of Grasspaw.
"What happened?" I asked padding around the pool and crouching by Grasspaw's head. It was slightly turned and her eyes were closed and her flanks heaved with every breath she took.
"I was climbing up the rocks and then I slipped on the top one and it had a sharp edge and it cut my stomach and then I staggered and fell in here," Grasspaw said and she moaned in a low painful way that made me wince. I hurried around the pool of blood and stealthily climbed up some rocks that lingered inside until I reached the top and Nightpaw instantly helped me scramble out.
"Get Oakfur and Hazelpaw and then run back to camp and get Cinderwing and hurry," I panted and Nightpaw scrambled down the rocks and then disappeared. I ducked back inside and went back to Grasspaw's side and she kept moaning and I didn't know what to do or what to say.
"I'm in so much pain," Grasspaw finally murmured.
"Don't worry, Nightpaw's gone to get Cinderwing," I said licking Grasspaw's head a few times.
"I'm sorry about scratching your shoulder…I don't know what came over me," Grasspaw moaned quietly.
"I know, we all get mad sometimes," I replied and Grasspaw stifled a cry of pain and sadness.
"I want Dapplesun and I want Rockpaw," Grasspaw cried, and I felt pity since her brother (Rockpaw) might show up, if Cinderwing and Nightpaw didn't hurry.
"Just relax and stay calm," I whispered as I started to groom her ruffled and blood soaked fur.
"She fell through an opening at the top," Nightpaw's voice sounded just above us and I looked up as a shadow appeared at the opening.
"Grasspaw are you okay?" Dapplesun's frightened and worried voice came as well and then a cat wiggled into the opening followed by two others and more appeared at the top, but didn't enter. As they reached the bottom I saw that it was Dapplesun, Nightpaw, and Cinderwing who had come into the rock cave. Dapplesun and Nightpaw gasped as they spotted the pool of blood, but Cinderwing ignored it and raced to Grasspaw side. He dropped the bundle of herbs he had clamped in his jaw and his tail lashed angrily.
"All three of you out, I will call if anything happens, but for now let me do my work in peace," Cinderwing ordered and I hurried around him and Nightpaw started to scramble up the rocks and then disappeared through the opening and I was about to follow, but then I saw that Dapplesun was not moving and was staring at Grasspaw in horror.
"Come on Dapplesun, she'll be okay," I whispered and Dapplesun looked at me sadly and then started to climb the rocks and I followed behind her glad to have fresh air wash around me as I left the cramped rock cave. Hazelpaw, and Oakfur helped me out and then we all slid down the rocks and waited on the grass below.
"Hazelpaw, Twigpaw, Nightpaw why don't you three go hunting and see what you can catch," Oakfur said from where he sat beside Dapplesun who was staring at the opening to the rock cave intently. We all hurried off in different directions and I was glad to scent the wonderful forest instead of Grasspaw's blood and almost instantly I caught the scent of a mouse and I tracked it down and then waited as it scurried about taking a small beechnut and nibbling at the shell. I let my tail swish some grass so that the mouse was alerted, but it ignored the grass and then I jumped and caught it between my paws and as it tried to free itself I killed it quickly. It wasn't as plump as the one I caught earlier, but it was still pretty tasty looking. I buried it in the roots of the tree and continued searching until I had caught a vole and a small rabbit.
"Catch anything?" Nightpaw calmly strode through the undergrowth carrying to mice by their tails and he dropped them when he saw my catch. "You make me sick," Nightpaw growled playfully and I purred in amusement and then took my rabbit, vole, and mouse and started off back towards the other with Nightpaw beside me.
"Wow," Hazelpaw exclaimed when Nightpaw and I padded out of the forest.
"Good job, both of you," Oakfur said with a definite glint of hunger in his eyes. I dropped my catch where Nightpaw had dropped his and I was about to say something, but everyone was silent, even the forest seemed still. I looked up at Nightpaw and saw that his gaze was directed towards the rocks and I followed his gaze and saw that Cinderwing was lightly coming down the rocks and we all hurried over to him and he looked up at us with a grave look in his face.
"I'm afraid that Grasspaw has gone to Starclan," Cinderwing whispered and we all gasped in alarm and horror and I whimpered sadly and I felt Nightpaw's tail on my flank and I turned to look at him and saw that my same sadness was reflected in his eyes and I rested my head on his shoulder as I tried to come to the reality of my friends death.