A/N- CHRISTMAS!!!!!!!! IT'S CHRISTMAS IT'S CHRISTMAS IT'S CHRISTMAS IT'S CHRISTMAS IT'S CHRISTMAS IT'S CHRISTMAS IT'S CHRISTMAS!!!!!!!!!!!! Sorry, I just woke up at 6 am, so I'm reeeeeeeally hyper! AND IT'S CHRISTMAS!!!!!!!! YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Disclaimer- I-ay on't-day wn-oay arriors-way. Et-gay t-iay?
Chapter 8- Filth
Swiftpaw sat with Spiritstar in a small clearing a little way away from camp.
"A mouse will feel your pawsteps unless you…" Spiritstar paused, waiting for Swiftpaw to answer.
"Unless you… step lightly?" Swiftpaw said tentatively.
"Very good." Spiritstar congratulated her, "Now go try, and remember what I told you about your hunting crouch.
Swiftpaw then turned and padded off in search of prey.
OOOoooOOO
Swiftpaw crouched as Spiritstar had shown her with her weight on her haunches and her stomach almost brushing the ground. When she could see the thrush tugging on a plump worm stuck in the frozen ground, she sprang.
Unfortunately, it sensed her coming and began to flap desperately away. Swiftpaw was barely able to dig her claws into its body and cut its cries off with a bite to the neck.
She sat panting as Spiritstar emerged from her hiding spot in a hazel bush and remarked, "That was good for your first try, but try to move a bit quicker so it doesn't have time to sense you."
"Yes Spiritstar." Swiftpaw said obediently, picking up her prey and padding back towards camp next to Spiritstar.
A delicious scent suddenly flooded her nose, causing her to drop her kill and dash off, leaving a bewildered Spiritstar behind.
Out of a cleft in a rock dashed a rabbit even bigger than Swiftpaw herself. It tried in vain to outrun her, but she quickly caught up and killed it with a swift bite to the neck. She began straining to drag it back to Spiritstar but found it too heavy. A rustling in the bushes announced the arrival of Darkclaw's apprentice, Beechpaw.
"Need a hand?" he asked good-naturedly.
As they dragged the rabbit back together, he told her, "I saw you chase this down, it was awesome. I don't think half the warriors could have done it!"
Swiftpaw smiled modestly at the compliment from the older apprentice and mumbled, "Thanks." through the rabbit fur in her mouth.
They finally met back up with Spiritstar, who was walking slowly through the woods towards them. Her eyes lit up when she saw the rabbit being dragged along by the two apprentices and added her congratulations as they turned back to the ThunderClan camp. They parted at the entrance to the gorse tunnel, where Spiritstar went to get an update from the sunhigh patrol and Swiftpaw and Beechpaw were left to carry the rabbit and thrush to the fresh-kill pile.
Firestream noticed them and mistook the kill to be Beechpaw's, "Wow Beechpaw, that's an impressive catch you've got there."
"Oh no, Swiftpaw got both of these, I just helped-" Beechpaw began, only to be interrupted by Darkclaw saying, "Oh don't give the filth credit for something you did Beechpaw. It would never be able to catch anything even half that big. It's worthless."
Both Firestream and Darkclaw nodded for them to carry one, but Swiftpaw felt as though an enemy claw had been jammed into her heart and then back out the other side. The fact that it was her own clanmate, her own deputy, saying those things made the gaping hole even bigger.
She suddenly became aware of Beechpaw staring at her with shock and concern in his eyes. He pressed his side against hers and advised her to get some fresh-kill and go rest in the apprentice den while he took some food to the elders. She nodded numbly and padded off with her tail dragging in the dust.
A/N- sorry, I know it was another reeeally short chapter, but the next one I guarantee is at least 3x as long at this one. And guess what- IT'S THE GATHERING (finally)! YAY!!!! HAPPY CHRISTMAS/HOLIDAYS TO ALL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!