Been doing things. Sorry for the hold up. I will try to get more chapters ASAP
"Who's there?!" The tom demanded again. Sparrowpaw pushed herself backward with her back paws, flattening herself as much as she could, hoping the tom would just give up, thinking he was imagining things or that he simply bumped into a wall.
"Come out!" The tom growled menacingly. Sparrowpaw gulped, willing him to go away.
"I know you are there!" He snarled, "And if you won't come out willingly, I'm just going to have to find you!"
Without hesitation, Sparrowpaw got up and started to inch away silently, heading into another tunnel. The rabbit was still bobbing along on her back, its scent mouth-watering. Sparrowpaw stopped in her tracks, and then flattened her ears. She was stupid enough to carry the rabbit with her. Any cat could follow a scent that strong.
Sparrowpaw bent over, letting the rabbit slip from her back and fall onto the grit below. She bit her lip. It was the best prey she had so far, and she didn't want to just leave it there. But she knew she would have to if she didn't want to get caught. The rabbit was lying in the middle of the tunnel, pretty much blocking the way.
Sparrowpaw started to walk away, soon breaking into a run. Well, at least she tried to run. The tunnel was getting tighter the way she turned. It was getting more and more challenging each paw step. "Wait!" Sparrowpaw heard the rough tom squeezing through after her, "That's a dead end! And you left your rabbit"
Grit bounced on Sparrowpaw's head, and she shook it off. The cat seemed threatening then… but friendly now, but he still seemed unapproachable. "Please, I'm not trying to hurt you, or anything. I just want to know what you are doing in these tunnels."
Same for you, Sparrowpaw thought. "Err, I was just catching a rabbit for my warrior assessment" She stammered.
"Warrior assessment?" The tom echoed, confused.
"I live in the clans, you know, the ones that live in the forest?" Sparrowpaw verified, "Well, apprentices train to be warriors. And when they are fully trained they become warriors. The assessment is so the older warriors know whether or not the apprentice's training is complete."
"Apprentices?" He repeated.
"Forget it; I don't think you are going to understand." Sparrowpaw huffed.
"I'm sorry, sorry. I just don't know much about the clans, besides the fact that they obsess over territories and have peculiar names." He said, "Anyway, what's your name?"
"My name is…" Sparrowpaw wondered if she should really tell a rough she didn't really know. She couldn't even see him in the dark, anyway. But maybe it would be alright, he didn't seem hostile at all, "My name is Sparrowpaw"
"Sparrowpaw? Yeah, your names are quite strange." The rough muttered.
Sparrowpaw ignored him. "Are you going to tell me your name?" She asked.
He blinked. "Oh, my name is Oak."
"Oak? That's a nice name"
"Thanks!"
Sparrowpaw felt more dust cloud up around her as she tried to shift around a bit. "Maybe we should go outside?" She suggested.
"Right, right" Oak nodded his head quickly. He got onto his paws, and so did Sparrowpaw. The dappled apprentice started to get anxious, not knowing how to get out. "Don't worry, I know these tunnels very well" Oak said, as if he had just read Sparrowpaw's mind.
Oak squeezed through the final narrow part of the tunnel, brushing his tail along Sparrowpaw's muzzle. "Hey! You're tickling me!" She cried. Oak put his tail down. "Sorry" He mumbled.
When the tunnel got to the more open space, Oak broke into a run. "Don't forget that rabbit you caught" Oak reminded over his shoulder. I nearly forgot! "Okay, thanks" Sparrowpaw walked into the passage where she had left her rabbit, and tossed it onto her back. When she caught back up to Oak, he stopped. "Why don't you let me take that for you?" He asked gently. Sparrowpaw threw the rabbit off her back gratefully. "What a gentleman" She purred. Oak drove his muzzle under it and pulled it onto his back. "I know I could hold it in my mouth, I just like to talk without a muffled voice" Oak told her.
"Let's just get going" Sparrowpaw hurried, already nudging Oak's flank to make him start walking. "Okay!" Oak said, starting to move on his own.
"So could you explain to me these… these clans?" Oak requested.
"Sure!" Sparrowpaw replied," But it may take a while to say it all"
"We've got time; this tunnel is long to the nearest exit. I'm afraid the entrance you came through got blocked, and the next one is far away"
"Oh okay." Said Sparrowpaw, feeling a bit worried about the time being. I have to be back by sun down! I wonder if we will make it in time…
"Go on" Oak pleaded, "Tell me! I want to know in case I meet another clan cat!"
"Right, so in the forest there are four clans. Thunderclan, Windclan, Riverclan, and Shadowclan" Sparrowpaw mewed, adding a sharp edge in her voice as she said Shadowclan. "Thunderclan is my clan, the live in forests and undergrowth, we are good with stalking and fighting. There is also Windclan, they live on the moors and like to run around a lot. There's Riverclan, who live on an island near many rivers and such. They like to swim and catch fish for some reason. And finally, there is Shadowclan. They live in marshy land and eat carrion and rats and love to kill and-"Sparrowpaw stopped, realizing she was going a bit overboard with the Shadowclan, "They just aren't like the rest of us" She corrected herself.
"Alright, so what do these clans do?" Oak asked, not seeming concerned about Shadowclan "They must all have customs"
"Of course we do!" Sparrowpaw replied cheerfully, "Here I'll tell you our rankings and names…" She thought for a moment, then went on, "Kits start with the last half of their names being kit. I was Sparrowkit, for example. Kits can't leave camp or hunt yet. When they are 6 moons they get to be apprentices, who train to become warriors. They can leave the camp and receive the title 'paw, I am Sparrowpaw."
"Oh I see" Oak said, "And then you become a warrior by taking an assessment, which you are doing right now?"
"Correct" She replied, "The warriors get a wide variety of second halves for their names. I could be Sparrowspots or Sparrowtail or Sparrowfoot. Once a cat is a warrior, they are capable of having an apprentice. They can also become queens and have kits" Sparrowpaw stopped as she heard a small rustling sound.
"Shrew" Whispered Oak. He started to creep slowly across the burrow. Sparrowpaw decided not to talk so he could catch. If only I were too get that I would be done with this stupid assessment. "I caught it!" Oak called out shortly, "Now let's keep going. And finish what you were telling me, I'm starting to understand."
"Okay" Sparrowpaw said, starting to walk behind Oak slowly. "Well, once a cat has an apprentice, he is capable of becoming a deputy. Deputies help the leader and sort out patrols. If the current leader dies or retires, the deputy becomes leader and takes 9 lives and a new name with star. My clan leader is named Pricklestar."
"Anything else?"
"Oh, right! I nearly forgot about medicine cats. Instead of training as warriors to fight they train as medicine cats to heal. They live in the medicine den and help cats who are sick or injured. Every half-moon they visit the moonstone to talk to Starclan."
"Starclan?"
"They are our warrior ancestors. When cats die they go to Starclan to watch over the clans below. Also, every clan goes to a gathering every full moon to talk about how the clans are going and things like that" Sparrowpaw finished.
"That's a lot. I think your clans seem quite unique. Maybe I could-" Oak was cut short by the sound of dirt hitting the ground. Grit poured heavily onto Sparrowpaw's head. "What's going on?" She asked nervously. Oak stiffened, "The tunnel is caving in!" He gasped, "Run!"
Without hesitation, Oak broke into a run. Sparrowpaw followed without question. Dirt pounded on her muzzle and back, making her heavier than she was. "I see light up ahead!" Oak called. He ran through the opening, leaving Sparrowpaw trudging along after as quickly as she could. "Come on hurry!"
A huge rock fell, blocking Sparrowpaw from the rest opening from the tunnel. Great Starclan! She let out a shriek of terror as ground collapsed on her, filling her mouth and nose with soil and grit, and clouding up her vision.