Chapter 3, hunting

Ravenpaw opened her eyes. Sunlight was streaming into the apprentices den, but all the other apprentices were asleep, except Spiderpaw's nest was empty.

Deciding it would un-warrior like to wake them, Ravenpaw pulled herself out of the den. Brambleclaw and Mousefur and Spiderpaw were all up. At the same time, Firestar emerged from his den.

Ravenpaw picked a magpie from the pile and sat down next to Brambleclaw.

"What are we learning today?" she asked.

"Hunting," he meowed, "We'll catch our first prey."

Ravenpaw dipped her head. "That sounds like fun." On the outside she was calm, but on the inside her heart hammered with excitement, she would be catching her first prey!

She stood up and walked over to Spiderpaw.

"Mousefur said we'll be hunting together today," he meowed.

"We will? That's great!" This was even better.

Whitepaw and Shrewpaw walked out of the apprentices den. Whitepaw was chattering to him.

"That Whitepaw," Ravenpaw meowed under her breath to Spiderpaw, "Has the biggest mouth a cat could have…."

He nodded in agreement, then looked down at his rabbit, which he hadn't touched.

"Want to share?" he meowed awkwardly.

"Sure," Ravenpaw dipped her head to take a bite.

Soon they finished it and Ravenpaw walked over to Brambleclaw, who was flicking his tail impatiently.

"Don't you have anything better to do then talk with toms?" he growled, but his tone was good natured, and his eyes glimmered with amusement.

Spiderpaw followed with his mentor, Mousefur. Soon they reached the sandy hollow. Whitepaw came along after them with Brackenfur.

"Okay," Brambleclaw meowed, "Today you will catch you're first prey. Now, imagine a rabbit. What would you need to do to not disturb it?"

"Walk quietly?" Ravenpaw guessed.

"Yes! So where do you put you're weight?"

Whitepaw opened her mouth, but Ravenpaw beat her too it. "On you're haunches."

"That's correct," Brambleclaw meowed, "So every one, show me the rabbit crouch."

Ravenpaw lowered herself onto the ground, her paws light, and the weight resting on her haunches and shoulders. She stalked silently across the ground, as if her paws were walking on water.

"Great!" Brambleclaw meowed, "Spiderpaw, Ravenpaw, you were perfect, Whitepaw, let me see that again."

Ravenpaw felt her chest glow with pride. She had done it perfectly! She glanced over at Spiderpaw. He had a happy smile on his face too.

Whitepaw snorted and tried again, she lowered herself down, and then hurried across the ground, applying a lot of noise to her stalk.

"No, no," Brambleclaw meowed quickly, "Whitepaw, you are putting your weight on your paws, it's supposed to be on your shoulders and haunches."

Whitepaw tried again, this time a little better, but still not perfect.

"Now," Brambleclaw meowed grandly, "try to catch some real prey. Whitepaw you go in that bracken bush, Spiderpaw, you go over that small rise, and Ravenpaw can go over by that small stream."

With her head and tail high, Ravenpaw trotted over to the small stream. She crouched low in the underbrush, her sent glands flooding with the delicious small of mouse. She prowled forward, remembering what Brambleclaw had said. She pinpointed her prey, then jumped into the air, knocking the mouse against a rock, stunning it. She leapt quickly and bit its neck.

She picked it up and held her head high, she trotted back into the sandy hollow.

"You're the first one back," Brambleclaw commented, "That's great."

Suddenly there was a rustling and Spiderpaw appeared, also holding a mouse. A few minutes later Whitepaw came too, with a tiny vole.

"You all did well," Brambleclaw meowed, "Come on, let's get back to camp."

OoOoO

Ravenpaw held her mouse high, so all the Clan could see it. Firestar looked over at her and nodded approvingly.

"I caught this mouse myself," Ravenpaw meowed proudly, dropping it in front of an elder.

"That's great," she purred then went on talking to the others.

Ravenpaw stared in shock. It seemed like the elder didn't even care! How was she going to become the best warrior in the Clan if she couldn't even make the elders proud of her?

She walked away, then decided that she would hunt, and bring back a lot of prey. Not even an elder could find fault with that!

She rushed out of camp, then crawled around in the ravine, until she saw a pigeon pecking at some seeds. She pounced, and caught it between her jaws.

Soon she caught a mouse and a vole, then turned. There was a rabbit hopping carefully through the grasses. Ravenpaw's heart beat faster. This was her chance.

With great silence she crouched very low in the grass and moved very slowly along behind it, until she could jump easily from there. She lowered herself slowly into a crouch, but a twig snapped beneath her hind paw. The rabbit toke off.

Ravenpaw didn't waste a moment. In an instant she took after it, her legs bunching and stretching until she was closer. Suddenly she toke a huge and mighty leap and caught it by a hind leg. It struggled, but she pulled it closer to her teeth and then bit its neck.

She raised her head, out of breath and panting. She dragged it back to where she had buried her other prey, then carried it all back to camp.

"Hi," she said casually to Brambleclaw.

"You caught all that?" he asked, then went and sniffed the rabbit. "That's a strong young rabbit, you did a great job."

Making sure Firestar was watching, Ravenpaw dropped the prey on the fresh-kill pile.

She walked over to the apprentices den. Spiderpaw was sitting in the far corner.

"There's a gathering in four nights," Squirrelpaw was boasting, "and Firestar said I could go. But I knew that I was going anyway. I'm the best apprentice ever! Guess what guys! I caught a mouse today! I'll be a warrior way before any of you!"

Ravenpaw growled and unsheathed her claws.

"I caught a pigeon two mice a vole and a rabbit!"she snarled.

"Oh kittypet!" she yowled, "That's so great!" She made a face. "You couldn't catch a mouse if it sat between your paws!"

Ravenpaw crouched, and slashed her claws near Squirrelpaw's face, "Watch it, do you want me to tear your other ear?"

"No!" she hissed jumping back. Ravenpaw stuck her face up to Squirrelpaw's, teeth bared.

"Leave me alone, or I will tear it!" she snarled, "Maybe do something worse!"

She was about to snarl another threat, but there was a rustling at the entrance and Ravenpaw was cuffed hard. She rolled away into the grass.

Firestar stuck his head into the den. "No fighting," he meowed, "I saw how much prey you caught, Ravenpaw. You can come to the gathering, which is in a few nights, along with Whitepaw, Shrewpaw, Leafpaw and Spiderpaw-where is Spiderpaw?"

Ravenpaw gasped and turned around. Spiderpaw wasn't in the den.

"I don't know!" she gasped, "He was in here earlier!"

"Let's find him!" Shrewpaw jumped to his paws.

"Come," Firestar ordered. He flicked his tail to his deputy, Greystripe. 'Spiderpaw is gone, Take a patrol out to find him. He could be in danger, with the threat of ShadowClan… I'm going to search the camp."

Greystripe toke Brambleclaw, a white warrior named Cloudtail, Squirrelpaw, Whitepaw and Ravenpaw.

Ravenpaw was thrilled, her first warrior mission! How far from her kittypet life she was now!

Ooooo! Where is Spiderpaw? Review! What do you think will happen to Spiderpaw and Ravenpaw?