Three Moons to StarClan
Chapter Three
Disclaimer: I do not own Warriors, Erin Hunter does. But I do own the characters in this story.
"And today Rosewater taught me the difference between stalking a mouse and a rabbit." Sandpaw heard Sweetpaw's excited chattering as she limped to her nest under the ash tree. Stonepaw was muttering to himself and Tumblepaw looked embarrassed as his sister continued to speak. Sandpaw sighed and collapsed into her nest, grateful for its comfort. But she quickly realized she probably wasn't going go get to sleep any time soon. Would it kill Sweetpaw to not announce her entire day's events? She thought irritably.
"Sweetpaw, would you please shut up?!" Stonepaw snapped, voicing Sandpaw's thoughts. Sweetpaw stopped mid-sentence, looking offended.
"You don't have to be so rude, grumpy-paws." she huffed, her excitement vanishing.
"It's not just me, furball." Stonepaw growled. "You're making all of our ears bleed over here with your constant blabbering. Stop running your mouth for once and let the rest of us get some sleep."
Sweetpaw's amber eyes widened and she immediately fell silent. Tumblepaw looked like he wanted to say something, but he didn't. That was harsh. Sandpaw thought, feeling a bit sorry on behalf of the newly appointed apprentice.
"Stonepaw, you didn't have to be such a fox-heart about it." Riverpaw commented. Sandpaw guessed he felt some sympathy for Sweetpaw as well. The dark gray tom's head darted in Riverpaw's direction.
"Tell me with a straight face that Sweetpaw wasn't bothering you." He retorted.
"Well….yeah she was." Riverpaw admitted. "But you could have told her nicely instead of being so mean."
Stonepaw rolled his eyes and let out a massive yawn. "Whatever. I don't know how you expect yourselves to become Warriors if you can't even tell off an obnoxious kit."
"Hey! I'm not a kit!" Sweetpaw exclaimed, leaping to her paws.
"Then stop acting like one." Stonepaw said coldly.
Sandpaw exchanged a look with Reedpaw. This little ordeal was just keeping all of them awake even longer. Sandpaw sighed and curled up, flattening her ears to try and block out the noise.
Suddenly, a deep voice outspoke the rest. Sandpaw raised her head to see Oakshade standing next to the ash tree, his tail twitching irritably.
"You sound like a group of magpies over here." He growled. "I need Riverpaw up early for battle training tomorrow and he could do well with some sleep." The russet Warrior looked annoyed and sleep-deprived.
"I wasn't talki-" Viperpaw tried to object, but Oakshade interrupted the black and white tom.
"I thought an older apprentice would have shown more consideration but I suppose I was wrong." He meowed, giving Stonepaw a pointed look. Stonepaw said nothing, but his eyes flashed with anger. Oaksahde gave a final look at the seven apprentices and padded away crossly. Sandpaw sighed again and laid down her head. Finally. She thought, letting the sleep that had been slowly creeping up on her take over.
. . . .
When Sandpaw woke, it was almost dawn and none of the other apprentices were awake other than Riverpaw, whose nest was empty. Oakshade must really be pushing Riverpaw hard. Sandpaw thought, worrying for her friend. The brown tabby yawned softly and limped out of her nest, enjoying the silence of the camp. She noticed her paw was feeling much better than yesterday, but she still couldn't fully rest it on the ground. Sandpaw headed near the clump of ferns that sheltered the nursery and took in the sights around her.
The sky was completely covered by a layer of milky-gray clouds, casting a shadow over the whole camp. This is a nice change from the scorching heat. She thought, stretching. There was a cool, soft breeze that promised light rain later in the day. Sandpaw sat and wondered what to do. She thought to eat, but decided she wasn't hungry enough. It can't hurt for me to leave camp for a short walk. She told herself. It's not like I've got anything better to do since I can't train. Sandpaw had convinced herself and decided to follow the stream through the territory.
After struggling for a few good minutes with the rocky slope, Sandpaw finally managed to haul herself up and exit the camp. The forest felt even chillier than the camp and Sandpaw had to ruffle her fur a bit to get comfortable. She then padded slowly over to the stream that came down the camp walls and began following it through the territory.
The forest smelled fresh and calm, as if the cool air was replenishing the plants and trees. Sandpaw wondered to herself how the weather had changed so drastically over the course of a day. It's probably just the oncoming rain. She thought, assuring herself that green-leaf was only half over. As Sandpaw enjoyed taking in the sights and sounds of the territory around her, following the soft trickle of the stream, she suddenly came to a halt.
She took in a deep breath to make sure she wasn't imagining things. That's definitely raccoon scent. She thought. Worry began to prickle at her pelt. Moments later, a mass of gray fur with a ringed tail confirmed her suspicions. The raccoon was hunched over the stream, swiping clumsily as if trying to capture a fish. Sandpaw suppressed a snort at how pathetic the raccoon's attempts were. It was only a few rabbit-lengths away, and Sandpaw had to be very careful if she were to get away safely.
She gulped and began backing away slowly, careful not to put too much pressure on her injured fore-paw. The raccoon was still swinging mercilessly at the water, sending crystal droplets flying everywhere. As Sandpaw continued to back up, she suddenly felt her whole body lose balance as she tripped over a large stone and tumbled backwards with a hiss of surprise. She landed on her side, thankfully not damaging her paw any further. Mouse-dung! she cursed inwardly. The raccoon was sure to have noticed her now.
The apprentice scrambled to her paws as quickly as she could to see the raccoon staring at her with beady black eyes, surrounded by a dark mask. She felt her pelt quiver uncomfortably at the creature's features. Luckily, the raccoon seemed uninterested in Sandpaw's clumsiness and simply scurried a few fox-lengths away then began searching for fish again. Sandpaw let out a long sigh of relief. That was so close. She told herself. I'm just lucky he wasn't feeling vicious today. She quickly began making her way back to camp, not willing to run into anymore trouble. Sandpaw decided to take a quicker route to camp by veering past the Rocky Hollow. When she neared the area composed of thin trees and stones that were useful for combat, she heard a hiss of annoyance come from nearby.
Stopping in her tracks, Sandpaw decided to see what was going on. She hobbled over to a birch tree and peered from behind it into the hollow where she saw Oakshade lashing his tail in front of an embarrassed-looking Riverpaw.
"I just told you Riverpaw," she heard Oakshade say exasperatedly. "That you push off of the boulder with your hind legs before leaping onto your opponent. How hard is that to understand?!" he demanded. Sandpaw tilted her head curiously, trying to get a better look. Riverpaw looked at the earthy ground and shuffled his paws.
"I'm sorry Oakshade, I just have a hard time getting that right." He mewed, sounding disappointed in himself. "I feel like I'm too heavy to push myself off of the rock and still hit my opponent with enough impact." Oakshade let out an exaggerated sigh.
"I'm the mentor here Riverpaw, I think I know whether or not you are capable of a battle move. And no apprentice of mine is going to give up because they don't have enough strength to push themselves off of a rock." The russet tom snapped harshly.
Sandpaw was appalled by how coldly the Warrior was speaking to his apprentice. Riverpaw doesn't deserve to be treated like that! she growled inwardly. I knew Oakshade was pushing him too hard.
"I've had enough of this for today." Oakshade sighed. "I want you to practice on your own later today until you've gotten this right. We're having a training session with Firestone and Viperpaw tomorrow, so don't embarrass me." He warned. And at that, he stalked off, leaving Riverpaw behind. Sandpaw felt a rush of anger and dislike towards Oakshade. What a complete fox-heart! she thought. Riverpaw stared at the ground with sad blue eyes for several heartbeats before pulling himself and standing up, preparing to leave. Before he got the chance to, Sandpaw came limping into the hollow.
"Riverpaw!" She called. The brown striped tom's head darted towards her.
"Sandpaw?" he meowed in surprise, a flash of worry in his eyes. Sandpaw waited until she reached him before she spoke again.
"Hey…are you okay?" She meowed, only realizing that was a stupid question after she had uttered the words. Riverpaw looked down.
"Not really." He mewed. "Did you, uh…did you see that just now?"
Sandpaw nodded sympathetically.
"Yeah." She mewed. "Don't listen to him Riverpaw, he's being ridiculous. No apprentice can learn every move the day it's taught."
"He's not always like that!" Riverpaw mewed quickly, rushing to his mentor's defense. "And besides…I've been trying to get that move right for a while now."
Sandpaw shook her head, unaffected. "That doesn't matter. If you aren't getting the move right it's not your fault, it's his. A mentor is supposed to teach properly and be patient." She told her friend, thinking of her own mentor. Brokenshadow's not exactly a good teacher…but he always seems to be patient. She told herself. Riverpaw sighed softly.
"Thanks Sandpaw." He said, trying his best to sound cheerful.
"You're welcome.' She meowed. "I could try to help you out if you'd like."
Riverpaw blinked gratefully. "I'd like that…but I'm pretty sure I'm a hopeless case." He sighed again.
"Nonsense." Sandpaw mewed. She limped over to the large rock that Riverpaw had been trying to push off of. She examined it carefully, trying to figure out how she would help Riverpaw with a battle move she hadn't even learned yet. Oakshade must be trying to teach Riverpaw moves older than his age. The thought only added to Sandpaw's dislike for the russet Warrior.
"So…you said that you think you're too heavy to push off of the rock." She mewed, trying to sound like she knew what she was doing. "Err, so, why don't you try adding more force to your push?"
Riverpaw tilted his head. "How?" He asked.
Sandpaw paused to think for a moment of how she'd seen the move performed before, then it hit her. "When you leap for the rock, push off with your back legs and be sure to place your forepaws on the rock first and push off with them first, then with your hind legs." She meowed. "That will add more force and you'll be able to hit your enemy with enough impact." Riverpaw looked thoughtful for a moment, then his eyes lit up.
"Of course!" He cried. "It's so obvious, I can't believe I didn't figure that out."
Sandpaw let out a mrrow of satisfaction, happy that her friend wasn't sulking anymore.
"Why don't you give it a try?"
Riverpaw nodded eagerly and crouched down, ready to pounce on the rock. Sandpaw hobbled backwards a bit to give him space. Quick as a flash, Riverpaw leapt at the rock and landed fore-paws first, then he pushed off strongly, landing almost a fox-length away. Sandpaw purred in delight, it had worked! Riverpaw looked like he couldn't believe he had just done the move.
"I can't believe how easy that was!" He purred. "Thanks Sandpaw!"
"Any time." Sandpaw mewed cheerfully.
. . . .
The two apprentices padded back to camp together, discussing Warrior names they liked.
"I'd like to be called Rivertooth! Or maybe even Riverfoot." He chirped excitedly, as if his Warrior ceremony were going to happen tomorrow.
"I want something dangerous like….Sandkiller or Sandstrike." Sandpaw mewed, trying to sound more nonchalant than her friend.
"Sandkiller?" He chuckled. "What cat would want a name like that?"
"I would!" Sandpaw retorted. "Just imagine how scared it would make other clan cats!"
Riverpaw's chuckle grew into a laugh.
"Oh yes, I know I'd be terrified of a cat that kills sand."
Sandpaw batted his ear lightly with her good paw. "Whatever." She meowed. "I think it'd be cool."
As they continued to pad through the forest, the clouds finally gave in to the water they were holding and a steady rain began to fall. Luckily, the canopy of leaves overhead blocked out most of the rain and they managed to reach the camp before getting too wet.
. . . .
Sandpaw limped over to the fresh-kill pile once she had said goodbye to Riverpaw only to be disappointed by a soggy mouse and two soaked finches. She sighed as her belly rumbled. I should've eaten when I got the chance. She thought. I wish I could hunt. The tabby gave her hurt paw an irritated look.
"Sandpaw!" Reedpaw's voice called from near the elder's den. Sandpaw's head darted in the striped she-cat's direction.
"Hi Reedpaw, what's up?" She mewed.
"Where have you been?" Reedpaw exclaimed and she neared her. "Fernfrost has been looking for you, you were supposed to get some more comfrey and poppy seeds for your paw, remember?" She said.
"Oops…" Sandpaw mewed. "Sorry, I just went for a walk." Although Sandpaw didn't know why she was apologizing, she could have just gotten the herbs later.
"It's alright, but you should probably go see her right now." Reedpaw told her. "Do you need help getting over the stream?" Sandpaw shook her head.
"No thanks, I think I can cross myself, my paw feels better today." She meowed.
"That's good!" Her friend chirped. "I'll see you later."
Sandpaw ducked under the long leaves of the willow tree, shivering as they soaked her fur even more. Once she was under the shelter of the tree, she shook her tabby coat, sending water droplets flying all over the place. Fernfrost ducked away from the flying drops.
"Hello to you too, Sandpaw." She mewed, her whiskers twitching.
"Hi Fernfrost." She mewed. "Sorry I wasn't here when you were looking for me."
"That's quite alright, but I am curious as to where you were." The medicine cat replied, arranging an assortment of berries.
"I went on a short walk, the weather was nice." Sandpaw said, feeling a bit awkward. Fernfrost turned around to give her a look.
"I suppose some exercise would do your paw good." Fernfrost murmured, almost to herself.
Sandpaw titled her head slightly.
"Then why did you tell me to stay off of my paw?" She questioned.
"If I didn't, most apprentices would take it as a sign to continue with their everyday tasks such as hunting and battle training." She answered. "I'm just glad you were smart enough to take a simple walk."
"Oh…" Sandpaw mewed, wondering if the brown and white patched she-cat had complimented her.
Fernfrost picked up a wrapped leaf and placed it in front of the apprentice. It unfolded to reveal some poppy seeds.
"Since you were feeling good enough to take a walk, I'll only give you two poppy seeds today." She explained. "There's no need for comfrey since the swelling is almost completely gone."
"Okay! Thank you Fernfrost." Sandpaw mewed, lapping up the two seeds. The medicine cat nodded and turned back to her herbs.
"Be sure not to catch a cold from all this rain." She said over her shoulder.
"Right." Sandpaw replied. "I'll see you tomorrow." Fernfrost mewed an agreement and Sandpaw took that as a sign to leave.
Sandpaw padded as quickly as she could across the clearing, heading towards the fresh-kill pile to see if it had been restocked. It would be sunhigh soon and she still hadn't eaten. Her belly growled in protest and Sandpaw quickened her pace. Just as she reached the fresh-kill pile, which still had the same options, a hunting patrol came through the thorn bushes and climbed down the rocky slope. Sandpaw sighed in relief. Finally, fresh prey that isn't dripping wet. The patrol consisted of Thunderfrost, Meadowleap and Orangebreeze. Thunderfrost was carrying a large silver fish, Meadowleap had two voles, and Orangebreeze carried in a shrew. Sandpaw licked her lips hungrily. The patrol set their kills down under the shelter of a juniper bush to keep the prey from getting wet. Sandpaw padded carefully over to the bush, her heart set on one of the voles Meadowleap had carried in.
Just as she leaned down to grab one, Orangebreeze stopped her with her fluffy tail. Sandpaw looked up and the orange and white she-cat questioningly.
"Sorry Sandpaw, but this is for the elders." She mewed apologetically.
Sandpaw's belly rumbled in reply.
"Mouse-dung." She said, more disappointed than angry. Thunderfrost rolled his amber eyes. His blue-gray pelt looked almost black due to being heavy with rainwater.
"You can take these to the elders." He ordered.
"But I haven't eaten since yesterday!" The apprentice objected.
The tom's heavy stare didn't waver. "The clan comes first." Thunderfrost meowed. "You can eat when they're done"
"Yes, Thunderfrost." Sandpaw sighed, picking up the two voles and the fish. She had to stretch her jaws as wide as possible to fit all of the prey. Quickly, she made her way to the pile of branches that made up the elders den to avoid getting completely drenched.
As Sandpaw ducked into the elders' den, the three old cats seemed to be in the middle of a conversation.
"And I swear to Silverpelt when I say that Briarcloud knocked that mangy badger off it's paws in less than a heartbeat, sending it wailing off to StarClan knows where." Timbertail meowed to his companions. Frostfang and Dewtail murmured in respect for the dead she-cat.
"She hunts with StarClan now." Dewtail meowed.
"Never in my seasons of living have I seen a cat half as quick as Briarcloud." rasped Frostfang. Dewtail nodded in agreement.
"Cats don't come as quick and well-built these days." Dewtail commented. "Always wailing and whining over their tasks. Why, when we were apprentices, we did twice the work these soft-bellied youngsters do." Frostfang opened her jaws to say something but before she could, Sandpaw made a muffled noise to let them know she was there. Frostfang let out a surprised cough.
"Sandpaw!" She mewed in greeting, sounding glad to see her kin. Dewtail and Timbertail turned to look at the apprentice and meowed a greeting. Sandpaw put down the fresh-kill, trying to keep her mouth from watering.
"Hi, Frostfang, I brought you guys something to eat." She meowed, nudging the prey towards their nests.
"It's about time an apprentice remembered us." Timbertail mewed. "I'm glad you've got yourself a good memory, Sandpaw."
"Uh, thanks Timbertail." She replied awkwardly, not having the heart to tell him that Thunderfrost had made her bring the prey to them. Frostfang leaned forward and grabbed the fish with her jaws.
"My favorite." She purred, taking a large bite. Timbertail chose one of the voles and dug in right away. Sandpaw looked at Dewtail, who seemed more interested with cleaning his chest than eating.
"Uh, Dewtail, are you hungry?" Sandpaw asked hopefully. The black and white tom stopped grooming to look at her as if she'd said something bizarre.
"Calm yourself 'paw." He grumbled. "I'll eat when I'm ready."
"Right." Sandpaw said, trying to hide her disappointment. "I'll just leave it here then." She stood up to leave and began to limp out of the den. Frostfang waved her tail in goodbye and continued to tear into her fish as Sandpaw exited the den.
Luckily, the rain had eased to a slight drizzle when she came back into the clearing. The cover of clouds had broken a bit to allow slim rays of sunlight to seep through the cracks. Sandpaw enjoyed the mixture of coolness and warmth on her pelt. The apprentice scanned the clearing and noticed that thankfully, Thunderfrost was nowhere in sight. She hobbled over to the juniper bush as quickly as she could where Snowshine and Morningjay were having a conversation. Snowshine's belly was large, heavy with kits, and Sandpaw wondered when they would be born. She padded past the two she-cats and ducked her head under the bush to see that the only thing left was the shrew Orangebreeze had caught. Sandpaw stifled a sigh and picked up the small rodent.
As Sandpaw began wolfing down her meal, she caught her mother's eye. She hadn't spoken to Morninjay since their argument yesterday and felt a bit awkward being in her presence. Her anger had cooled by now, but she still didn't understand her mother's logic in defending Hawkpath. She finished her meal quickly and swiped her tongue around her jaws. Just as she finished, Snowshine meowed a goodbye to Morninjay and walked off, heading toward the nursery. Just great. Sandpaw thought. She stood up and tried to limp away without making contact with her mother, but it proved to be futile.
"Sandpaw." Morningjay mewed. "I'd like to have a word with you." The dark brown tabby turned to look at her mother.
"Okay." She half-meowed, half-sighed. Morningjay padded closer and settled down next to her.
"We never finished our conversation the other day." She told her daughter. Sandpaw felt the same lump rising in her throat again, she didn't want to finish the conversation.
"We didn't?" She gulped. Morningjay looked at the apprentice calmly.
"I don't want you to spend your life holding a grudge against your father." Her mother meowed. He's not my father as far as I'm concerned. Sandpaw thought, but she kept the words in her head.
"I know, Morningjay." She replied. "I don't have a grudge against him, I just wasn't in a very good mood yesterday."
Luckily, Morningjay seemed to believe her and looked relieved.
"I'm glad, dear." She said sweetly. "Just remember that he will always love us, no matter what."
Sandpaw bit back a scoff.
"I will." She meowed, giving her mother a swift lick on the cheek.
Morningjay purred, "Are you feeling better today?" She asked. Sandpaw nodded her head.
"Yeah, despite my paw." She meowed, lifting her foreleg. Morningjay blinked and Sandpaw realized that she hadn't known about her injury. "I sprained it yesterday while hunting." Sandpaw mewed. Realization came into her mother's blue eyes and she looked at her paw worriedly.
"Oh my, are you alright?" She meowed, giving the apprentice's hurt paw a quick lick. Sandpaw pulled it away.
"Yeah, it feels better today. Hopefully I'll be able to train again tomorrow." She reassured her mother.
"Good, good." Morningjay mewed. "I should get going, I'm on border patrol." She gave Sandpaw a quick lick and padded off to meet Firestone and Cedarfoot. Sandpaw sighed in relief that they didn't argue again.