Only about a moon had passed. Runningshadow received her first apprentice, Mosspaw, and Brownpelt has an apprentice too, Icepaw. Mosspaw tried hard to blend into her surroundings, but with a white-and-black splotched pelt, it's been hard. She had been catching prey, but mostly when the sun was down, or when the prey was distracted. Mosspaw is very skillful with crouching, stalking, and pouncing, though her pelt was made her stand out among the greenery. But come leaf-bare time, she's getting every catch that she finds. That's saying a lot, not many cats find prey in leaf-fall.
"Runningshadow, can we train?" Mosspaw begged.
"Okay, but if it starts storming we're going to have to come back." Runningshadow looked up at the clouds in the distance that flashed with lightning, but no thunder was heard.
"Yay! Let's go!" Mosspaw jumped up and down and raced out of the camp. Runningshadow followed her excitable apprentice from the camp. They followed the trail to the sandy hollow. Runningshadow walked into the clearing only to be tackled by a flash of black-and-white. Runningshadow yelped in surprise as she fell to the floor. Mosspaw snickered. "Wow, you really fell for that?" She laughed.
Runningshadow grunted as she got up. "Yes, apparently I did." She rolled her eyes and playfully nudged Mosspaw. "Let's train, that's what we came here for, right?" Runningshadow's long tail swept the sand, stirring it up.
Mosspaw nodded her head. "Yes, let's battle train!" She crouched and lashed her tail from side to side. A clash of thunder split the air and lightning striked in the sky. Mosspaw leaped in the air with a terrified yowl.
Runningshadow saw the rainy haze just about to come over them. "Well, I guess we have to cut it short…" She sighed. Mosspaw's tail dropped to the sand. She reluctantly followed her mentor on the path back to the camp. Petalfoot and a patrol of Brownpelt, Icepaw and Silverblaze. "Might want to turn back, the rain is coming."
"Nah, we'll stick through it." Silverblaze boasted.
Petalfoot glared at Silverblaze. "Actually yes, we are staying out here, if the rain gets too bad, we'll go back." Runningshadow nodded and started to walk on the trail to camp, and as she and Petalfoot passed, he whispered, "Be careful."
"I will." Runningshadow glanced up at the wall of rain. "You be careful too."
Mosspaw walked up to Runningshadow. "I can't belive that we had to cancel practice all because of this mouse-brained storm."
"Yeah, I was really looking forward to training." Runningshadow looked up as a flock of birds tweeted and flew over the canopy of leaves. "The birds are leaving… this must be a bad storm."
"Or maybe they're just making themselves more noticeable so we can hunt them!" Mosspaw swished her tail from side to side.
"Or maybe we should get to camp." Runningshadow frowned at Mosspaw.
"Sorry, alright…" Mosspaw's tail drooped.
Runningshadow rolled her eyes. "Common, don't be so sad. Once the rain clears up, we are going to train like no cat has been trained before!"
Mosspaw smiled. "Okay!"
"My mentor always gave me something to look forward to when we couldn't train." Runningshadow smiled. "There were a lot of excuses and a lot to look forward to; because he was the deputy he's always so busy. I think I was trained more by Badgerpath and Rainpelt more than Spottedpelt…" She sighed. "But, as long as I was trained, right?" Runningshadow faked a smile.
Petalfoot and his patrol walked into the clearing, drenched to the bone. "The river is flooding, Sunningrocks is only a small stepping stone in the middle of the river."
"Oh, this is bad…" Spottedpelt paced in the clearing. "This is really, really bad."
Velvetsnow put her tail on Spottedpelt's shoulder. "Calm down, it's okay Spottedpelt, everyone is accounted for now, no one is gone or out of camp."
"How can you be so calm at a time like this?" Spottedpelt turned to face Velvetsnow. He halted to get his words together. "What would happen to our flat forest land if the river floods too much?"
"What are you really worried about?" Velvetsnow stared Spottedpelt in the eye, unfazed. Spottedpelt looked down and whispered to Velvetsnow. Her ears perked up. "Oh…"
Petalfoot walked over to Runningshadow. "Hey, you were his apprentice, do you know why he's worried?"
Runningshadow nodded. "I believe so, Otterfur is his friend, they've been deputies together for StarClan knows how long. He's probably worried about her."
Petalfoot raised his brow suspiciously. "Hmm-hmm."
Runningshadow huffed. "Is there a problem to have a friend of the opposite gender? Even if it's in a different clan?"
Petalfoot sighed. "I guess not. As long as he knows who the enemy is during battle."
Thunder boomed and lightning lit up the dark rain clouds. The rain kept pouring on. "This is no good." Runningshadow shook her head. "How can one expect us to hunt in these conditions?"
Petalfoot sighed. "Simple, we don't."
"What? Why not?" Runningshadow flicked her tail.
"The prey has evacuated the area." Petalfoot watched the sky as lightning lit up the clouds and thunder cracked.
Runningshadow's pelt flinched. "Oh, right…" She stood up and walked into the warriors' den. "Well I'm not going to stand around in the rain any longer, I'm drenched enough."
