Warriors (c) Erin Hunter
Cats/Clan (c) Me
November
"I can't believe we're finally apprentices!" Barkpaw excitedly whispered as he leapt over an uprooted tree root. He ceased his trotting and turned to scowl at his brother. "No thanks to you, Pricklepaw."
Cracklepaw leapt over the root and landed next to his brother. He didn't say anything, because he knew there was no point in arguing. Turtlestar had delayed their apprenticeship by a moon because of what happened to the late Shellkit. Their mother was furious; one more moon of kit-sitting her hooligans. Their father didn't seem to mind as much; one more moon of training with Barkpaw before his apprenticeship. To Cracklepaw, it meant one more moon of being bullied by Waspkit, whose fury was fueled by the death of his sister.
"Are we almost there?" Barkpaw called over his shoulder.
His mentor, Molepad, gingerly jumped over the tree root. He glanced around his familiar surroundings. "Not yet," the black and brown tom replied. He pointed with this tail towards a large maple tree in the distance. "Just beyond that maple should be the river."
"I can't wait until we get there!" Barkpaw yowled with a small bounce in his step as he raced forward. Multi-colored leaves cracked beneath his swift paws as he pelted away.
Molepad let out an mrrow of amusement. "He'll be lucky if there are any fish by the time we get there!" he joked to the approaching cat. Whisperwind slowly climbed over the root and padded to keep pace with Molepad.
The gray tabby tom snorted. "Yeah…" His deep blue eyes locked with his apprentice's. "What are you standing around for, Cracklepaw? Get a move on or you'll never learn how to swim."
Cracklepaw dipped his head in embarrassment as the two senior warriors slowly walked on. He bit back a scowl; how dare Turtlestar give him Whisperwind as his mentor? The tom absolutely despised Cracklepaw since Whisperwind firmly believes that it was purely Cracklepaw's fault for the death of his daughter, Shellkit. It was as if Turtlestar wanted him dead…but Whisperwind could do that just fine on his own.
Up ahead, Cracklepaw could hear his brother's triumphant yowl. "I found the river!"
"Well done!" Molepad called as the mentors quickened their pace. Cracklepaw finally uprooted his own paws and quickly caught up with the senior warriors.
Barkpaw was fervently pacing next to the river. "I found it all by myself!" Barkpaw yowled. He acted as if no cat knew there was even a river here.
Cracklepaw wrinkled his nose. How could any cat stand being near the river? It smelled like mud and decaying leaves and the dark gray river churned swiftly and dangerously near his paws. Was he really going to learn how to swim in that?
"Let's go to a calmer part of the river where it's much swallower," Molepad suggested, reading Cracklepaw's mind clearly. "It'll be much safer for learning how to swim." He led the way a few fox-lengths down the river. Whisperwind padded emotionless next to him while Barkpaw happily bounded behind. Cracklepaw tried to keep as much distance between him and the river, nearly walking into the shrub line. He hated the feeling of the moist gravel and mud that lined the perimeter of the river getting stuck between his pads.
"This seems like a good spot," Molepad meowed and came to a halt. The river here bended into an easy left, creating a shallow pool with calm waters. The water was clear and Cracklepaw could see tiny minnows schooling around in the shallows. "The first rule of learning how to swim is to not panic. If you panic, you'll most likely drown." He gently waded a tail-length or two into the water until it came up to his belly. "WaterfallClan cats are born with thick and sleek pelts. Our fur does get soaked, but it doesn't drag us down that much when we swim. See if you can wade down next to me."
Barkpaw didn't hesitate to follow his mentor into the water, but Cracklepaw hesitated.
"Are you sure it's safe?" Cracklepaw warily questioned.
"The water is fine, Cracklepaw," Molepad assured as Barkpaw waded next to his mentor. The water nearly went up to the tom's chest.
"Are you too scared?" Barkpaw snarled.
"I'm not scared! I just don't like the water…" Cracklepaw insisted.
"All apprentices must learn the basics of swimming," Whisperwind argued on the shoreline next to his apprentice. "Even drypaws."
"But you are a drypaw as well!" Cracklepaw snapped. "And you aren't in the water."
Whisperwind angrily flicked his ears. "That is true, but that doesn't mean I don't know how to swim. I prefer to hunt on the land and in the trees."
Cracklepaw sighed furiously as he watched a bright red leaf fall from the tree-tops. He didn't answer.
"Just this once," Whisperwind snorted and shoved his apprentice towards the water. Cracklepaw yelped and flailed his paws around once the water reached his fur. He didn't have the sleek fur of his Clanmates, so the water soaked Cracklepaw to his skin and drenched his once-soft pelt. He resembled more of a drowned rat than an apprentice trying to learn how to swim.
Remembering Molepad's words of wisdom, Cracklepaw didn't panic when the water tickled his belly fur. He felt like his fur was sucking him into the water, but he still didn't freak, to an extreme, at least. His amber eyes were wide and observant as Whisperwind shoved his apprentice deeper into the water. Cracklepaw inched forward on his toes deeper into the water until the water soaked to his chest.
Barkpaw smirked at his brother as Molepad continued his lesson. "Now that we are accustomed to the water, let's start some basic maneuvers. Lift up your paws and rake them through the water to propel yourself deeper into the water." Molepad demonstrated by swimming around the two apprentices.
Barkpaw tried to copy his mentor, but his paw strokes were too harsh and he ended up splashing his brother with flailing water.
Molepad shook his head. "Try being gentler, Barkpaw, and focus on where you are going. Try heading around in circles in this area." He motioned to the deeper part of the water.
The brown tabby tom nodded and made sure his rakes were smoother as he gently propelled himself through the clear water. In no time, the young apprentice was gently swimming on the surface.
"You're a natural, Barkpaw! Just like your parents," Molepad purred.
Cracklepaw was a different story. He didn't want to lift his paws off the squishy ground and remained still in the water.
Molepad swam over to Cracklepaw when he noticed his lack of cooperation. "Cracklepaw, try hanging on to my back with your front paws while I swim around. It'll make you more comfortable in the water."
Cracklepaw slightly nodded and grasped Molepad's flank with his paws, careful not to dig his claws into the tom's thick and long fur. Once firmly attached, Molepad swam around a little, careful not to make his movements rushed. "Don't forget to kick back your back paws! You need to practice your techniques when it comes to swimming," the black and brown tom reminded the apprentice as they swam towards the deeper part of the calm water. Cracklepaw glanced down and saw the tiny minnows schooling around curiously at his back paws. A quick kick later and the minnows promptly darted away. Cracklepaw also saw something else: a dark shape much larger moving under the water…
"Fish!" Barkpaw yowled and dove under the water to try to catch it. He erupted up a few heartbeats later spitting out water and staring at his empty claws in frustration. "Fish-dung, I didn't get it."
"Don't worry about that, Barkpaw," Molepad purred in amusement as he swam over to his apprentice, Cracklepaw still latched on his flank like a kit who refused to leave their mother's side. "There'll be time to learn how to catch fish. Most of the time we catch them from the shore in the larger and faster parts of the river, but sometimes we chase them in the depths."
"That sounds exciting! I can't wait until we get to do that," Barkpaw chirped.
"Do we also get to catch land prey?" Cracklepaw asked with a hint of fear in his voice. He still wasn't completely comfortable in the water, despite the fact that he was guided by a senior warrior. He'd rather stalk his prey through the trees and not have to get wet every time.
"Sometimes," Molepad replied. "Most of our diet is fish."
"Yeah, we are WaterfallClan, after all," Barkpaw sneered.
"But that's why Turtlestar chose Whisperwind as a mentor for you, Cracklepaw," Molepad went on, ignoring his apprentice's previous statement. "Whisperwind used to be a drypaw like yourself. He prefers to hunt in the woods, too. I'm sure he'll teach you a lot in the coming moons, so pay close attention."
Cracklepaw dimly nodded, even though he already knew that. His gaze met his mentor's, who still sat on the shore. Whisperwind's cold blue eyes seemed like they wanted to tear their way towards Cracklepaw's heart, ripping him from the inside out. Cracklepaw wasn't completely sure if that was the reason why the senior warrior was chosen to become his mentor.
"Ow!" Barkpaw yowled. "Something's got my tail!" he yelped as he made a mad dash to the shore, splashing water everywhere in his sprint.
"Let me see," Molepad calmly meowed as he swam towards the shore. Cracklepaw hopped off once Molepad reached dry land. He was tempted to praise the moist ground, but he didn't want his brother to make fun of him. Speaking of his brother, Barkpaw was whimpering loudly as the two senior warriors examined something on his tail. A strange mottled brown and gray creature with large claws was gripping firmly on Barkpaw's tail. It had many smaller legs and whiskers facing forward like reed stalks. It was around half a tail-length and wriggling around as Barkpaw held his tail in the air for the warriors to see.
"What is it?" Cracklepaw asked. He'd never seen anything like this before.
"It's a crawfish," Molepad explained.
"Crayfish," Whisperwind interrupted.
"They're like a smaller version of a lobster," Molepad went on, "but this one lives in fresh water instead of salty water. They usually inhabit rivers like these under rocks."
"Can we eat them?" Cracklepaw dared to ask, though he wasn't sure the large claws looked appetizing. He didn't know what a 'lobster' or 'salty water' were, but he wasn't about to question that.
"Their shell is hard to penetrate, and there's little meat," Molepad answered. He peered closely at the small crustacean. "This one looks like a young one."
"Can you get it off?" Barkpaw impatiently snapped.
"Why, does it hurt?" Cracklepaw didn't waste the moment to sneer.
"You would be ticked off if there was a crawfish—"
"Crayfish."
"—stuck to your tail!" Barkpaw hissed.
"Hmm…this hasn't happened in a—" Molepad began, but Whisperwind quickly bit the crawfish on the claw and it fell off before Molepad could finish. "—in a long time. Huh. Well that worked. Nice job, Whisperwind."
The pale gray tabby tom grunted as the injured crawfish scurried away into the river.
"What will happen to it?" Cracklepaw worriedly asked. He didn't want to get snapped by a crawfish the next time he went into the river.
"Probably some fish will get it," Whisperwind replied.
"What about my tail?" Barkpaw wailed. A simple wound was on the apprentice's tail. The skin was broken and blood began to slowly ooze out. The crawfish may have been young, but it sure left a mark on Barkpaw's tail.
"We'll go back to camp and have Lakesplash and Skippool take a look at it," Molepad decided. "We can finish training tomorrow."
Barkpaw both complained and whined the entire journey home, something Cracklepaw was impressed about. Leave it to his brother to do two things to do at once.
"What happened?" Stoatshade asked once they made it back to camp.
"We were practicing swimming when a crawfish—"
"Crayfish."
"I thought they were called crawdads?" Blackspring asked.
"No, they are called crawfish," Willowburr insisted.
"No, crayfish," Whisperwind argued.
"What world do you live in?" Willowburr growled amicably. "They're called crawfish."
"Crayfish."
"Crawfish."
"—snapped on Barkpaw's tail," Molepad finished dramatically. "We're taking him to the medicine cats."
"I'm here," Skippool meowed, carrying a few cobwebs in his jaws.
"Where's Lakesplash?" Stoatshade questioned with a growl.
"He's sleeping," Skippool briefly explained as he examined Barkpaw's wound. "It's nothing too serious. Only a few cobwebs should fix it right up." He then proceeded to lace some sticky cobwebs around Barkpaw's tail. It looked like he had a white patch near the end of his brown tabby tail.
"When can he return to his training?" Stoatshade asked. "I don't want him to miss anything important."
"He should be fine by tomorrow," Skippool replied. "I don't want that wound to get infected. Otherwise, it could take longer to heal. Let's go to my den so I can get some extra cobwebs." He led Stoatshade and Barkpaw towards the large tree where the medicine cats' den laid.
"I guess we're out of training for today," Molepad sighed. He turned towards Whisperwind and Cracklepaw. "You can still train with Cracklepaw while there's still daylight left. Perhaps you can show him how to stalk land prey?"
Whisperwind shook his head, much to Cracklepaw's dismay. "My apprentice and I can go out tomorrow morning." He glanced at his apprentice. "Go get something to eat. We'll start training at dawn."
The gray tabby warrior left, leaving Cracklepaw with Molepad. Molepad forced a smile. "Don't worry about Whisperwind. He has an odd way of showing affection. Listen closely to him, little warrior. He'll teach you how to become a great warrior one day!"
A sharp paw prodded Cracklepaw awake and he groggily opened his eyes. Whisperwind's silhouette could be seen in the faint dawn light near the den's thin branches. "It's time to train," Whisperwind growled before he disappeared out of sight.
Cracklepaw let out a yawn and stretched. I guess this is what Whisperwind means when he talks about early training. He quickly gave his ruffled pelt a quick grooming, which didn't help much at all. Applepaw lifted his head from his nest towards the middle of the den where it was the warmest, Sweetpaw not far.
"Is Cracklepaw taking you out for training?" the mottled brown apprentice whispered. Cracklepaw nodded. "Huh. Figures. Whisperwind is known for not being the most sympathetic cat in the Clan."
"Hush! I'm trying to sleep!" Hawkpaw snarled from Cracklepaw's left. Applepaw said nothing and lowered his head to sleep.
The den remained silent as Cracklepaw crept out yawning, the den's almost bare branches scrapping across Cracklepaw's back. There wasn't a soul stirring inside the camp. Cracklepaw heard snoring as he padded by the reed and bramble woven warriors' den. Brightbelly stood guard at the camp's entrance, surrounded by a wall of thick reeds. The she-cat's white belly glowed in the faint morning light as Cracklepaw approached her.
"Have you seen Whisperwind?" Cracklepaw whispered to the guard.
The brown tabby shook her head. "He went into the forest not long ago. You better hurry if you want to catch up with him."
"Thanks." Cracklepaw then left Brightbelly and proceeded towards the forest. He'd never ventured out there before on his own, nor had he when it was nearly dawn. All of the trees looked the same…and he couldn't find the path that he and the others had taken yesterday! Whisperwind wasn't in sight. It was just too dark.
A leaf crumbling with a loud crack brought Cracklepaw out of his miseries. Someone was close. "Whisperwind?" he asked to the trees. The trees did not respond, but another sound of leafs breaking was heard in front of Cracklepaw. Digging his claws into the soft leaf-covered soil, Cracklepaw realized that had never been more scared in his entire life, and this is counting the time he and his brother hid in the warriors' den before Stoatshade caught them red-pawed. He saw a flash of white sneak through some bushes before disappearing. The only white cat he knew was Cloudsky, the old elder. What was she doing out here?
Before he could think hard about that, paws from behind roughly shoved him forward. Cracklepaw fell face forward with a yelp and ended up with a mouth-full of dirt. The attack dug his claws into the young apprentice's back to prevent him from escaping or calling for help. Cracklepaw couldn't see who pinned him down, but he soon felt a warm breath near his right ear.
"I can see that I have some work to do…" the tom mewed and Cracklepaw recognized the voice as Whisperwind. The gray tabby tom got off his apprentice and took a few paces back. Cracklepaw shakily got to his paws and spat out the dirt.
"Why did you attack me?" Cracklepaw growled.
"To see if you could find me," Whisperwind replied. "Except I find you starring into bushes."
"I thought I saw something!" Cracklepaw insisted.
"I don't smell anything out of the ordinary," Whisperwind meowed, raising his nose into the air.
"Define 'out of the ordinary'," Cracklepaw growled and bit back a yawn. He was too tired to argue properly and his head ached with fatigue.
"Molepad, Barkpaw, myself and you going near the river," Whisperwind cited as he closed his eyes and kept his nose in the air.
Cracklepaw snorted. "You knew that happened."
"Oddscar leading a hunting patrol with Antwhisker, Sweetpaw, and Mistflower," the gray tabby warrior went on. "Vixenspeck leading the evening patrol with Hawkpaw, Perchfall and Treepaw. Lakesplash and Skippool gathering comfrey and borage. Turtlestar hunting by herself. Of course," the warrior meowed after he opened his eyes, "there is much more."
"But that all happened last evening!" Cracklepaw insisted. Had Whisperwind been spying on everyone?
"Correct," Whisperwind replied with a rare hint of a purr. "I detect their scents. If you are to become a warrior, no matter what you do, you'll need to detect any cat's scent in a heartbeat. It's how we find land prey, how we pick out an enemy in battle, how we detect threats so we can protect our young. That was the importance of this exercise: to see if you had any basic skills of using your nose."
"Sorry, Whisperwind," Cracklepaw murmured. He'd longed to learn the skills his mentor had. "Can you teach me how to do that?"
"In time, you can detect a cat's scent from across the territory downwind," Whisperwind meowed. "Now…close your eyes and tell me what you scent."