Ferns crackled underneath the soft and silent pawsteps of a young FireClan apprentice. Her sleek fur glistened in the warm glow of the afternoon sun that was blazing down on her, but the heat didn't seem to phase the young she-cat as she continued to stalk her pray. She narrowed her eyes in concentration as she waited for the right moment to pounce and bite into the squirrel's neck. And while she waited for her chance to spring, she made sure to stay low to the ground, the fresh green grass hid her scent very nicely, witch was just perfect for a surprise attack.
All right, she thought. This will be easy. I just have to pounce and swipe. It's not hard. Starlingpaw hesitated only a moment before making the jump.
The sable-furred apprentice leapt forward, sailing through the thick Greenleaf air for mere moments before reaching the squirrel. She lashed out with unsheathed claws, causing the animal to let out a cry of pain, and Starlingpaw quickly and swiftly bit down on its neck, and the squirrel fell limp, its pained cries were silenced as the life was taken away and with that knowledge in mind, the sable-furred apprentice shook the leaves from her fur and stood up, turning around to find a new scent.
She caught a glimpse of a slender black tail flashing out of sight between two dense ferns and felt herself flush with embarrassment beneath her fur. Her mentor, Darkfeather, had been watching at exactly the right moment! Starlingpaw was sure then that the rest of the assessment would go smoothly after this. Starlingpaw was never one who liked being put on the spot or being the center of attention, she wasn't sure why she got so nervous around others, but it was something she didn't let her mind dwell on for very long.
Starlingpaw was sure then that the rest of the assessment would go smoothly after this. Starlingpaw was never one who liked being put on the spot or being the center of attention, she wasn't sure why she got so nervous around others, but it was something she didn't let her mind dwell on for very long.
Her stomach made a loud growl in protest to how hungry she was, but the Clan comes first, and even if she wanted to chomp down on the plump and juicy gray squirrel that she had found, she knew better than to disobey the rules. And as she sank her sharp white teeth into the animal's neck, she felt herself swelling with pride at her very first catch. And as she trotted back into camp, her jaws filled with the animals she had hunted, she saw her mentor, Darkfeather, waiting near the entrance of the gorse tunnel that lead into camp.
"I saw the whole thing. Great job, Starlingpaw." Darkfeather told her apprentice. Starlingpaw blushed and lowered her head, she could feel her ears start to grow hot at the attention that she was receiving from her mentor. "Thanks, Darkfeather," she quietly mewed, blushing and licking her chest fur self-consciously. After a few more seconds of awkward silence, Starlingpaw finally raised her head and looked up at her mentor.
Her mentor's amber eyes swam with emotion, but she said nothing, instead motioning for Starlingpaw to pick up the prey and return to camp.
The pair of she-cats padded their way through the brightly lit woods and pushed through the thicket tunnel into FireClan camp, which was sheltered from the rain by the towering trees that built a canopy over the dusty clearing. Starlingpaw's cheeks flushed at the praises her clanmates gave her as she patted over to the Fresh-kill pile and added her squirrel and mouse to the pile of pray. She then caught sight of her sister, Shadepaw, her warm eyes lit with excitement as Starlingpaw approached.
"So, Starlingpaw, tell me! How did your assessment go?" She mewed in a friendly tone.
Starlingpaw replied with a small smile. "It went better than I hoped it would, and it's all thanks to you, Shade."
Shadepaw blushed and lowered her head, but she smiled up at Starlingpaw. "Thanks, Starlingpaw, but it wasn't just me. Darkfeather and Soulpaw also helped you out with your training," she mewed in a teasing tone. Starlingpaw blushed at the mention of Soulpaw. It was a secret that Shadepaw knew about, her sister had had a crush on Soulpaw ever since they had become apprentices, and Shadepaw always tried to help her sister find ways to confess her feelings, but Starlingpaw was just to nervous and shy to say anything to Soulpaw about the matter.
"But seriously, Shade, thanks a lot for all your help. You're the best sister that anyone could ask for," Starlingpaw mewed, giving a grateful look to her sister as she touched noses with Shadepaw, who gave a soft purr in response.
As Starlingpaw leaned forward to stretch, she caught sight of her mentor approaching the Clan leader, Blazestar. The young apprentice straightened up immediately and leaned toward the two older cats, trying to catch parts of their conversation, even though she was rather sure what they were going to say.
Shadepaw caught notice as well and pricked her ears to listen, but soon enough Darkfeather had walked away from Blazestar and neither of the siblings had managed to hear anything.
Hissing softly, Starlingpaw turned away and settled into a nearby moss nest, then began to groom her paws and forelegs. Shadepaw pushed her face down next to hers and tried to initiate a conversation.
"What do you think she told Blazestar?" She asked, glancing back at the dark ginger and white leader.
"I don't know, it's probably nothing important." She responded with a tired sigh, she then returned to grooming her fur.
"Then if it isn't very important, then why did you try to hear what they were saying?" Shadepaw inquired with an amused twitch of her whiskers and a tilt of her head. "Just admit it, Star. You were curious what they were talking about, weren't you?"
The sable she-cat thought about spitting back a snide remark, but she was getting tired of being bitter. "Yeah, you're right," she meowed simply, and continued to groom her paws as Shadepaw settled down beside her to do the same. "So, how was your training session today, Shadepaw?"
"Well-" she started, but was cut off as a she-cat near the thicket tunnel let out a shocked yowl. The apprentices whipped their heads around to see what was the matter.
The she-cat that had cried out stood surprised at the camp entrance, her long and luscious fur mostly black with white markings on her muzzle, neck, paws, and tail tip. It was the queen Nightpetal, who was staring at the young cat that had just entered the camp. Sparkpaw walked through the tunnel, revealing that her white-and-gold fur was full of thorns and twigs. She looked battered and weak as if she had been through an ordeal. Nightpetal pushed her nose against her grown daughter's flank and pushed her towards the medicine cat's den.
Starlingpaw glanced at her sister. "What do you think could've happened?" She asked her sister. Shadepaw just shrugged in response. "Should we go out there and investigate?"
Shadepaw nodded and the siblings got to their feet, padding across the camp to the large hole in the cliff that partly surrounded the FireClan camp. The medicine cat's den sat inside, with enough space for a couple of thin moss nests and multiple craggy ledges that allowed for storage of herbs.
The two young cats peered inside, watching as Sparkpaw entered, interrupting Cinderpool from her sorting work. The medicine cat was of an experienced age, and her fur was a dark gray color that gave her her name. She noticed the gold-and-white apprentice immediately and got to work retrieving different kinds of leafy plants to treat her. Cinderpool's apprentice, Leafpaw, sat ready to help if she was needed to assist her mentor in treating Sparkpaw.
Starlingpaw didn't hesitate in stepping into the den and rushed to Sparkpaw's side. "Are you alright? What happened?" She meowed, purring softly to try to comfort her.
Sparkpaw was larger than Starlingpaw, and her fur longer, but she trembled constantly and was always afraid of something. Her eyes would dart around, and she could not seem to settle her paws. However, she seemed slightly more at ease in the medicine cat's den, likely due to her regular visits. The apprentice replied in a low, shaky tone, "I'd rather not talk about it if that's alright with you."
Starlingpaw blinked in confusion, but replied, "Of course."
The apprentices stood side-by side for a few more moments until Cinderpool turned around with a mouthful of plants. Starlingpaw identified them quickly by scent: a stem of horsetail and a few thyme leaves. She had a rather good sense of smell and excelled in remembering scents, witch made her torn between becoming a warrior or a medicine cat, but Starlingpaw knew that Cinderpool already had an apprentice, so she just obliged to help the medicine cat in anyway possible.
"Starlingpaw, would you mind helping pick some of these thorns out of Sparkpaw's fur?" Cinderpool asked, shaking the dark-furred apprentice out of her thoughts.
"I'm fine,Cinderpool," Sparkpaw meowed suddenly. "I don't need her help."
Starlingpaw stepped back in surprise and Cinderpool flattened her ears, then meowed angrily, "It's only going to take twice as long to clean your fur, but suit yourself."
Sparkpaw nodded silently and turned away from the other apprentices, signaling them to leave her in peace. Starlingpaw ducked her head and backed out of the medicine den.
The she-cat apprentice padded back to the apprentices's den with her sister, occasionally tripping over her paws as Shadepaw paused to pounce on the sunspots that danced around the clearing.
When they returned to the apprentices's clearing, Starlingpaw felt the exhaustion of the day weigh on her and decided to nap before her practice withShadepaw. She settled down in a pile of moss and Shadepaw sat down beside her.
"Sparkpaw must have fallen into that thornbush by the training clearing, huh?" Shadepaw mewed. "I wonder if she was running from Thornwhisker?" She joked, twitching her whiskers.
Starlingpaw found herself offended by the stab at their father, but simply replied, "Maybe."
Shadepaw sat staring quizzically at her. After a short while of Starlingpaw awkwardly staring back at her, she meowed, "I'll just leave you to rest, then. We can train after I hunt. Nightstorm is insistent that I get enough practice."
Probably so you can get better at hunting like I have, Starlingpaw thought but did not say. She pretended to be drowsy and twitched her ears to shoo her sister away.