Hey guys! It's Duskstar727, here with another chapter of Ravenpaw's Legacy. I actually wasn't planning to write a chapter today, but the feedback and reviews I've been getting encouraged me to work some more on the story today. Remember, it's your reviews that keep me writing! Also, the chapters are going to start getting a bit longer. That's because the real action is about to kick off! If you've enjoyed the story so far, brace yourself, because things are about to get really interesting. Thank you all so much for taking the time to read this story. I hope you enjoy this next chapter!
The patrol had been out for some time now. Poppyfrost had shown Fleckpaw all of Thunderclan's borders, and most of the major landmarks in Thunderclan's territory. He'd committed each location to memory, determined to become familiar with his territory. He'd seen the Ancient Oak, the abandoned Twoleg nest, the Old Thunderpath, and the Greenleaf Twolegplace. And yet still the patrol pushed on. Fleckpaw felt a spark of excitement. Where were they headed now?
Fleckpaw kept his eyes on his mentor's tortoiseshell pelt, slipping through the undergrowth. He could already tell that Bramblestar had chosen well when he'd selected Poppyfrost to mentor him. She was patient and kind, but worked Fleckpaw hard. Fleckpaw knew that with her help, he could grow to become a warrior Thunderclan could be proud of.
Fleckpaw's muscles were slightly sore, proof of a satisfying day of hard work. He wasn't tired. His journey to find Thunderclan had wiped all traces of the softness of a barn cat from him. He was almost as lean and well-muscled as the clan cats. He knew that before long, he'd be just as strong as them.
Poppyfrost looked over her shoulder at Fleckpaw. "You've kept up well with the patrol. You're doing very well." She praised.
Fleckpaw purred in gratitude. This had been a great first day of training so far.
Poppyfrost wove her way through the trees, leading her patrol deeper into Thunderclan territory. Before long, they came upon a mossy clearing. Poppyfrost stopped walking, and turned to face Fleckpaw and the others.
"This is the Training Hollow. This is where you'll be trained to fight and hunt like a Thunderclan cat. Most of your time as an apprentice will be spent here. Apprentices often have practice battles in the clearing to hone their fighting skills. With sheathed claws, of course." Poppyfrost meowed.
Quickpaw turned to Fleckpaw, his ginger striped tail lashing playfully. "We'll have to have a go sometime, huh? But I'll win for sure." He growled, dropping into a battle crouch.
"You're on. But if I were you, I wouldn't be so confident!" Fleckpaw shot back.
Lilydawn wove her way in between the two apprentices. "It's great that you're eager to train, but why not try listening to your mentors for now? Poppyfrost already has a plan for today, if you mouse-brains would hear her out for a second." Her tone was light, but firm.
Fleckpaw shuffled his paws in embarrassment, turning his attention to his mentor, who was sitting in the middle of the mossy clearing with her fluffy tail wrapped around her paws. "Sorry, Poppyfrost." He meowed.
"It's alright. Just pay attention from here on out." She meowed. "Today, you'll be learning the hunter's crouch. It's Thunderclan's trademark hunting move. Quickpaw's already learned it, but there's no harm in him practicing it. After you two have practiced, we'll see if you can apply it in a real situation. You two will go out, and Lilydawn and I will see if you can catch anything. Anything you catch will be brought back to the clan's fresh kill pile. Remember, the clan must be fed first."
Fleckpaw nodded. His grandfather had told him about the strict customs and laws that governed the clan. First and foremost was that a warrior always hunted for the clan before hunting for himself.
"Alright then. Let's begin." Poppyfrost meowed. "Fleckpaw, Quickpaw, crouch down like you're hunting a nice, juicy piece of prey."
The two apprentices immediately dropped into their hunting crouches. Fleckpaw wracked his brain for what Ravenpaw had told him about the hunter's crouch. Fleckpaw knew how to hunt successfully; he'd had to catch his own meals when he'd been searching for the clans. But each clan had a unique style of hunting that was best suited to catching the prey that lived in their territory. No doubt his own hunting crouch would be different from the one used by Thunderclan. Fleckpaw tucked his hind legs under his body, to give him a good deal of power when he sprang. He pulled his front paws far under his body as well. Lastly, he stuck his tail out to steady himself, being careful not to move it.
"Not bad." Poppyfrost said, clearly pleased. "You're crouch is very good. You only need a few slight adjustments." She padded over to Fleckpaw. "Your front paws are tucked to far under your body. That crouch would be perfect if you were hunting somewhere without much cover. But with so much undergrowth in our territory, we can't spring on the prey from a far distance without crashing into bushes and whatnot. Instead, we creep up on our prey and then pounce. If your paws are tucked way under your body, you won't be able to stalk forward silently."
Fleckpaw scooted his front paws forward, adjusting them like Poppyfrost had said. To his surprise, this crouch felt far more natural than the one he usually used.
"Great! Now try creeping forward." Poppyfrost encouraged.
Fleckpaw stalked forward, setting his paws down lightly. He glanced at his mentor in a silent question of what to do next. Poppyfrost flicked her tail at a brittle leaf lying on the ground near a bush, clearly signaling for him to try and pounce on it. Fleckpaw crept forward ever so softly until he was just a few tail lengths in front of the leaf. Just before he pounced, his eyes were drawn to a small movement just beyond the leaf. He narrowed his eyes, readjusting his crouch. He sprang, claws extended, sinking into the furry creature by the bush. His jaws closed around the small body, and he snapped its neck with a quick bite. He turned to face his mentor once more, a dead mouse dangling from his jaws.
"Excellent! You must have a good eye if you were able to spot that mouse. Even I didn't notice it!" Poppyfrost purred. "Since you clearly understand how to hunt, why don't you and Quickpaw head out to hunt on your own? Lilydawn and I will keep an eye on you, though. It isn't safe to roam this forest alone." Her eyes flashed with sadness. "At least, not anymore."
"Why don't you bury that mouse, so you can pick it up on our way back to camp?" Lilydawn piped up, breaking the brief silence that had fallen over the patrol.
Fleckpaw nodded, scraping earth over his first catch as a Thunderclan apprentice. When he'd finished burying the mouse, Quickpaw padded up beside him. "Where do you suppose we should hunt?" He asked.
"I don't know the territory at well as you do. Why don't you pick?" Fleckpaw meowed.
"Ok. Well, the stream near the Windclan border is always a good place." Quickpaw's eyes gleamed. "Sometimes, when we're lucky, rabbits cross the border into our territory."
"That sounds good." Fleckpaw replied. "Let's go!"
The two apprentices dashed off headed towards the Windclan border. Fleckpaw matched Quickpaw's long strides as they raced to the stream, paws flying over the earth, the pleasant glow of the morning sun warming their pelts. This freedom was what being a clan cat was all about! When the apprentices drew close to the border, they headed different directions to hunt, their mentors not far behind them. But the cats all stayed close together, never more than a few foxlength's distance between them. Like Poppyfrost had said, the forest wasn't safe anymore.
Fleckpaw was creeping up on a particularly plump looking vole. A few more steps and he'd have it. Just as he bunched his muscles to spring, the loud yowl of another cat broke the silence. The vole scampered off, startled. Fleckpaw sprung, desperate to catch the vole, even though it was clear he wouldn't. The vole disappeared into a hole, and Fleckpaw sat up, abandoning the useless pursuit. He hissed in annoyance. He'd nearly had that vole! But then some mouse-brained idiot had decided to yowl their heart out, probably scaring off all the prey in the area. He headed in the direction the yowl had come from. If it had been something like Quickpaw stepping on a thorn, Fleckpaw would be furious.
Fleckpaw pushed his way through a pair of bushes, coming upon another cat, crouched beside a rock. It was Lilydawn. Her eyes were stretched wide in terror, and her fur was bristling. She must have been the one to yowl. But what had caused the brave she cat to cry out?
"No… no! Why?" Lilydawn whispered, backing away slowly.
"Lilydawn, what happened? Why did you-"Fleckpaw cut off abruptly as he rounded the boulder.
Suddenly, the warm sunlight that had been shining on his pelt felt cold and unwelcoming. Fleckpaw could not bring himself to move a paw; it was as if his limbs had turned to stone. It felt as though if he tried to move forward, his next pawstep would be onto unsteady ground, and he would be plunged into a world of darkness. Fleckpaw couldn't even bring himself to speak. Because there were no words to describe the spatter of still-warm blood that stained the rock, glistening in the morning light. No words to describe the way the crimson liquid was spilling onto the white pelt of the cat collapsed at the base of the rock, turning it a sickly red color. The cat's eyes were glazed over, but the light of fear was still shining in them. Fleckpaw felt a flash of recognition as he set eyes upon the torn pelt of the cat before him, and then grief wash over him like a wave. The cat lying dead at the bottom of the rock was Cloudtail.