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Chapter 5 written by Mayhem'sQueen
Nightstep soon called loudly for his apprentice. Relieved, Specklepaw meowed a goodbye to the other apprentices. I never thought I would be relieved that Nightstep had more work for me. The young she-cat ran back to camp and stood before her mentor. "Yes, Nightstep?"
"We are going hunting. It's only a little past sunhigh and you need to make up for the small catch you had earlier." Nightstep snarled, turning and walking off. Specklepaw followed and wondered where she would be hunting now. As soon as they got out of camp Nightstep broke into a run. "Hurry up!"
Specklepaw followed as quickly as she could, trying to keep the tom in her line of vision. Nightstep's black pelt often disappeared in the midday shadows.
Specklepaw continued running as speedily as she could. Eventually Nightstep came to a stop and Specklepaw was able to catch up with him.
"Is that as fast as your lazy loner legs can carry you!? You're going to have to become faster if you ever want to be any more useful than a mousebrained kit!" Nightstep snarled at the apprentice, glaring down at her. "Hunt here." Nightstep gestured towards an area called the Sand Plot with his tail. "Don't get bitten by a snake," the black tom hissed as Specklepaw jumped down to the sandy clearing. She whipped around, looking to see whether Nightstep was joking or not, but her mentor had disappeared into the shadows of the canopy.
"Okay," Specklepaw mewed to herself. The apprentice gazed around the sandy dip in the earth. It was sunny and it certainly seemed like somewhere that snakes would go to lie on the warm sand. Not seeing any of the slithering beasts, Specklepaw set to work sniffing around for prey; she was able to scent a rabbit but it wasn't nearby. Wandering out of this place would probably be a bad idea, especially with Nightstep watching. Specklepaw scented a mouse and saw it scampering around the edges of the sandy patch. Dropping into a hunting crouch, Specklepaw began to stalk forward. Suddenly a light wind blew. Specklepaw was downwind of the mouse, so luckily it didn't smell her. She was not so lucky avoiding the sand.
The wind blew, and though it was only a light breeze, the sand stirred. The lightly colored earth blew up into the apprentice's eyes, and her vision blurred as her eyes watered. While she was busy pawing at her eyes, the mouse scampered down a hole to safety. Specklepaw lashed her tail in frustration, sending more sand flying. She opened her mouth and inhaled, hoping to find the scent of another small creature. Her disappointment grew. Now Specklepaw couldn't even smell the rabbit that had been somewhere in the nearby forest. The cream she-cat shook her fur out. The sun was hot on her back and the sand burned her paws; on top of the discomfort, there was no prey. Why would any cat hunt here? After a while more of sniffing around for prey, Specklepaw heard Nightstep descend from the tree where he had been watching.
"Let's go back to camp. You've hunted long enough." Nightstep put emphasis on 'hunted' and was obviously displeased.
Specklepaw looked up at Nightstep. "Can I try hunting somewhere else?"
"No! How dare you ask to hunt somewhere where it is 'easier'?! You are never going to feed the Clan if you can't even hunt here at sunhigh, when there is much prey to be found!" Nightstep snarled.
Specklepaw hung her head in disappointment and followed Nightstep back to camp at a snail's pace. As Specklepaw got back to camp she put her head on her paws and lay down near the barrier. The apprentice's stomach rumbled, she really didn't want to speak to Nightstep but knew she'd better ask him to eat. Standing, Specklepaw padded over to Nightstep, who paid her no mind.
"Nightstep? May I take a piece of freshkill?" The young apprentice mewed.
"You may eat." Nightstep meowed, irritation filling his voice.
"Thank you," Specklepaw bounded off to the freshkill pile. The apprentice picked up a small sparrow.
"What do you think you are doing? I said you could eat, not feast. Take that to the nursery and then you can eat this." Nightstep meowed loudly and angrily at the apprentice and flung a scrawny mouse at her.
"Okay, Nightstep..." Specklepaw carried her sparrow to the nursery, leaving the mouse so she could return for it in a moment. As the apprentice entered the nursery she was stopped by a she-kit.
"Who are you?" The brown and white kit demanded.
"Specklepaw," The apprentice meowed, the kit reminded her of Nightstep. The young cat looked poised to attack and then, she did.
"Intruder!" Fawnkit threw herself on Specklepaw, claws sheathed. Specklepaw went limp and let the kit steal the prey from her, realizing it was a game. Suddenly another kit was wrestling the prey from the one that had attacked her. Three more stared up at her from a nest, where their mother quickly covered them with her tail. A white queen took the prey from the two wrestling she-kits.
"Prey is not a plaything, Fawnkit and Ravenkit. You know better," the blue-eyed queen meowed. "Hello, I'm Snowbear. These are Fawnkit and Ravenkit," Snowbear introduced herself to Specklepaw.
Ravenkit prodded her mother with a paw. "Can I take some of the sparrow to Yarrowkit?"
"Of course, Ravenkit; why don't you see if Streamkit can go too?" Snowbear meowed; the queen seemed to know all of the kits well. As soon as Yarrowkit was mentioned, a blue-gray kit in the third nest lifted her head.
"May I go to the medicine den, Silversky?" Streamkit mewed; the kit seemed very excited.
"As long as you stay with Ravenkit and come right back." Silversky meowed, yawning. The queen's second kit was busy meowing a story about a dream she had and was being rather loud. No doubt she was exhausted.
"Thank you!" Streamkit and Ravenkit mewed at the same time. Ravenkit began pulling the sparrow along with her out of the nursery, having a bit of trouble. Streamkit tried to help but was even weaker than Ravenkit.
"Could you keep an eye on them in case they get any ideas of hunting for themselves?" Silversky meowed to Specklepaw.
"Of course." Specklepaw followed the two kits out of the den, her stomach rumbled again. Right now, even the small mouse she was allowed to have looked good. Specklepaw grabbed her mouse, hoping she could eat it quickly. Fawnkit sprinted past her towards Ravenkit and Streamkit. With all three kits working together they managed to awkwardly carry the sparrow to the medicine den. The medicine cat was pulling a thorn from Oakfrost's foot as Specklepaw entered. A thin black kit walked slowly up to greet his sisters.
"Hello Ravenkit, Fawnkit and Streamkit." The young tom mewed weakly. The three she kits meowed hello and delivered the sparrow to him.
"Get back to your nest!" The medicine cat rushed over and nudged Yarrowkit back to his nest. The tabby's green eyes were wide, and she moved quickly about her tasks; it was as if she couldn't sit still for a moment.
"Yes, Mouseleap." Yarrowkit mewed dully.
The three she-kits brought the sparrow over to the nest and the three eldest kits began eating. Streamkit tried a bite but decided she didn't really like sparrow and instead began talking to Mouseleap. While all the kits were busy, Specklepaw managed to gulp down her mouse. Oakfrost smiled at her, as he left the medicine den. Mouseleap ushered Specklepaw out, telling her the kits would be fine and to go get some rest. Specklepaw fell into her nest and immediately sank into the depths of sleep.
It had been half a moon since Specklepaw joined the Clan. Each day of training was as grueling and disheartening as the first, and Specklepaw was beginning to dread the training sessions in which she was yelled at no matter how well she did.
Specklepaw poked her head out of the apprentices den and waited by the camp entrance. Nightstep had begun leaving her behind if she wasn't awake by the time he left camp.
Maplepaw followed her friend to the camp entrance. "Why are you awake this early? The sun hasn't even risen yet." Maplepaw meowed worriedly.
"I like to get up early, that's it," Specklepaw meowed tiredly.
Skypaw padded over; she had been guarding the camp entrance all night, but she would stop and say hello at least.
"I can tell that's not what it is." Maplepaw shook her fur out.
"That is the reason I get up early, though," Specklepaw pleaded.
"That's not what I meant," Maplepaw meowed, obviously frustrated with Specklepaw's short answers.
"What is the problem?" Skypaw meowed; she was good at problem-solving.
"Specklepaw is up before sunrise every morning, she never wants to talk anymore, she always wants to be alone, and she spends every second of the day practicing something," Maplepaw meowed. "Obviously something has upset her."
"Specklepaw, is this true?" Skypaw mewed patiently.
"No, I get up early because I like to. I don't have time to talk, and I concentrate better when I'm alone. That's all," Specklepaw lied.
During their chat the sun had risen along the horizon, Nightstep exited the warriors den.
"It's time to go." The black-furred tom padded out of camp and into the shadowy forest, barely lit by the sun's early rays.
"Okay, Nightstep." Specklepaw padded forward.
"We will talk about this, Specklepaw," Maplepaw hissed as the cream colored cat passed her.
Specklepaw could hear Maplepaw and Skypaw talking as she left, but didn't hear their exact conversation, instead plunging through the barrier and out of the camp.
"I know she is keeping something secret from us. I'm worried for her," Maplepaw meowed, concern shining in her mismatched eyes.
"Specklepaw is probably just stressed out due to her training. Nightstep can't be the easiest of mentors," Skypaw said gently, trying to reassure her friend.
Specklepaw shook her pelt once she was out in the forest. Why is Maplepaw fussing over me? I need to get better at hunting and being a Clan cat. Nightstep would punish me if he ever heard me complaining about him and I'll surely be exiled if I don't get better. The thought of exile made Specklepaw tremble with fear. I don't want to be alone again; Clan life is much better than being a loner. Specklepaw continued to think of exile and what Nightstep would do if he ever heard her complain about him. Suddenly Nightstep stopped her.
"Hold on." The black tom stepped forward and sniffed a piece of orange fur that had been stuck on a bramble. Barely out of her thoughts, and still half asleep Specklepaw welcomed a chance to stop and rest her paws. "There's another cat on the territory, possibly a rogue. I'll have to inform Moonstar of this," Nightstep meowed. "We will check the rest of this border, and then return to camp."
Specklepaw nodded drowsily and followed Nightstep as he began walking again. The she-cat sniffed the fur. She knew that scent, somewhere... The apprentice blinked sleepily and tried to sort through her jumbled thoughts. Whose fur was this? Not a Clan cat...it was...Specklepaw's eyes widened as she realized to whom the fur belonged.
Flame.
Yes, it's a cliffie. *evil laugh*
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