Here's the first official chapter, yay! Hope you like it :)
Disclaimer: Mouse-dung, I don't own Warriors :(
Chapter 1: Scent
"Come on, Frondpaw. There'll be no room by the time we get to the training hollow!"
Frondpaw stopped mid-yawn, tail in the air. She had been taking her time until her mentor had pointed out the obvious. Snapping into a regular position, Frondpaw jolted out of the apprentices' den, straight into the paws of her mentor. He eyed her with an almost stern look. Frondpaw had to stifle a laugh at his attempt.
"Sorry, Mousewhisker. Let's go!"
The eager creamy white apprentice shot towards the bramble tunnel, not checking to make sure her mentor was behind her. As she entered the forest, warm and leafy smells reached her nose. Frondpaw sighed, taking on a slower pace.
"You coming Mousewhisker?"
Frondpaw twisted her head to see the shape of her mentor approaching fast. Not eager to talk, the she-cat propelled herself forward. She was still an apprentice, though, and lacked the long legs of full-grown cats.
A gray and white blur cut her off before she could enter the training hollow, and from the look Mousewhisker was giving her, she wasn't sure if she ever would. Sometimes Frondpaw wasn't sure who was the mentor and who was the apprentice. This was not one of those times.
"You are supposed to follow me, Frondpaw," Mousewhisker hissed, seating himself in front her. Frondpaw was forced to look down. Her usual nervous wreck of a mentor wasn't before her now.
"I'm not going to deal with your careless and laziness anymore," he said simply. He purred deep in his throat. "That's why we're going hunting today."
Frondpaw groaned, pleading with Mousewhisker. He knows I like fighting practice better than learning hunting techniques! But the gray warrior wouldn't hear of it. Not wanting to end up hunting tomorrow as well, Frondpaw gave in.
The pair trekked through the wet forest, leaves dripping with morning dew and the remains of last nights rain. Though Frondpaw opened her mouth slightly to scent some fresh prey, she only did it half heartily. Any cat can hunt. Only warriors can really fight!
A sudden aroma made Frondpaw stop in her tracks. Besides her, Mousewhisker stopped also. Scenting again, Frondpaw felt her fur bristle.
"What's the matter?" Mousewhisker questioned. Frondpaw shot him a look. The scent is clear as the lake! How can he not smell it? Holding her tongue, Frondpaw instead turned tail and began to follow the scent.
"Frondpaw! Come back here!"
Her mentor's yowl seemed to sound as loud as the biggest thunderclap. Exasperated, Frondpaw whipped her gray muzzle to face him, telling him with her eyes to be quiet.
"Don't try and get away from your hunting patrol, Frondpaw. I know you hate hunting, but the Clan needs to be fed!"
Frondpaw winced as Mousewhisker kept meowing. Then, as quietly as she could, she slunk back towards him.
"I scent another cat," she hissed, keeping the scent locked in her mind. "It goes that way." Frondpaw flicked her tail in the direction the trail had taken.
"I don't smell a thing," Mousewhisker said after a moment. Frondpaw groaned, paws itching to find the intruder. The gray tom gave her a look, before motioning with his tail to follow the scent path.
Frondpaw purred and took off, glancing back at her mentor, who stood in the spot she had left him. Quietly, Frondpaw huffed. Fine, he'll be sorry when I catch a trespasser on ThunderClan territory. Then when I get the credit, he'll be wishing that he had believed me.
Frondpaw thrust her muzzle into a clump of ferns, stifling a sneeze as they tickled her nose. The scent was becoming stronger, and the she-cat slunk quickly through the undergrowth. The shadows would do little to conceal her almost white coat, so she relied on the cover of the plants and bracken.
Frondpaw loyally tracked the cat, using her sense of smell, rather then her eyes, to guide her. Intent on her prey, the creamy she-cat blundered into a small clearing. The sun that shone down through the leaves seemed to bounce of Frondpaw's pelt. Hissing to herself about her clumsiness, the she-cat turned to leap back into the foliage. But a sudden whiff of the scent she was tracking, stopping her.
"I know where you are," Frondpaw yowled to the invisible enemy. It was a lie, but the ThunderClan apprentice was trying to scare the intruder off. She turned in circles, the scent traveling around the clearing. Confused, Frondpaw hissed another warning. But a sudden chilling breeze carried her voice away.
"You are meant to help the Three…"
A soft voice trailed through the leaves, almost as gentle as a morning gust. Frondpaw tried to pinpoint where the voice was coming from, but it drifted around her, just as the scent had.
"The helper…"
"What do you mean?" Frondpaw meowed, claws unsheathed. She didn't like that the trespasser was playing head games with her. Normal loners aren't this good at hiding.
"A frond of ferns shall sooth a scorching heart, enlighten a fallen flight, guide a faltering harmony and bring back the lost on a changing wind."
The voice seemed to carry throughout the whole forest, sweet and airy. Frondpaw shook her head, trying to concentrate. Her heart seemed to beat rapidly, as if the words had wound their way into her chest.
"Who are you?" Frondpaw stuttered, reeling around. Her eyes flickered throughout the trees, but it was no use. Again, the voice spoke.
"I am your cat, I mean. I'm your cat guard. No, that's not right."
The spooky, almost magical aura of the clearing began to fade. Frondpaw huffed. I knew that this cat was making this stuff up. Now, he's finally fumbled up his words.
"Stop trying to be StarClan and come out where I can see you," Frondpaw said. Her confidence was coming back and she tried to recall her battle training. Still, no cat came into view.
"I am your guardian," the voice said, speaking up once again. Again, though, the creamy white she-cat began to feel small. It's just a fake; it's just some cat. With these thoughts in mind, Frondpaw began to slink around the clearing. Using her eyes, she tried to pinpoint any movement of fur in the ferns or the trees.
"What are you doing?"
Frondpaw stopped. The voice was asking her questions now? The apprentice kept going, though, determined to find this intruder.
"What are you doing?" the voice questioned again, voice squeaking up. "They never said it was going to be this hard."
As the unseen cat continued to mutter to itself, Frondpaw approached another tree. Just as she was about to peer into it's branches, a furry body leaped down, yowling. Scared nearly to StarClan by the cat sudden appearance, Frondpaw jumped back and unsheathed her claws.
But clearly, the cat wasn't going to fight. The pale tabby she-cat with glistening fur looked once at Frondpaw and whispered words that seemed to have more meaning behind them then most.
"You will do great things, Frondpaw."
And then the shimmering cat disappeared, leaving a few stars where she had been standing moments before. Frondpaw stood frozen in her place, not completely sure of what just happened.