Chapter 4

Moon 12 | Crow

The familiar winds of newleaf and the strength of the weak sun grew stronger; it was a time of new growth on the horizon. Hazelstar kept watch over StormClan, teaching Peakpaw about patience and how to be a proper guard over the camp. Miyun had finally recovered from her claw wounds and began to take patrols again. With prey growing in numbers once more, it would be a bountiful feast compared to the meager leafbare pickings that they had the moon before.

"Can we go hunting now?" Peakpaw asked, her heather blue eyes glancing over the camp slowly.

Hazelstar blinked softly, taking the impatience with stride. "I don't see why not. We have some hunting to do with Rustyfeather and Bonepaw."

"Great!" She looked at Hazelstar, her eyes shining with anticipation.

"Let's go find them, they should be done with their plans just in time for it." She meowed, carefully leaping down onto the sand below.

Close beside her, Peakpaw landed with an extra few steps to keep her balance, her tail raised as she waited for her mentor. The pale brown she-cat quickly took the lead, padding ahead to where Rustyfeather and Bonepaw had just finished cleaning up after practicing the various hunting crouches they had to take.

"Hazelstar, I take it that it is finally time to hunt?" The dark ginger tabby asked, her pale blue eyes curious.

"It is, Miyun will guard the camp from her post while we are out. So we have plenty of time to hunt before evening comes." She promised.

"Wonderful," She looked at the pair of trainee's who were getting all worked up and energized after all the boring hard work they were doing. "Alright, remember, we all follow Hazelstar's lead. She's the leader of the Clan and our patrol today."

"Right!" Bonepaw trilled excitedly. "And her word is final!"

"Exactly." Rustyfeather nodded proudly. "So don't try arguing with her about it, Bonepaw."

Hazelstar chuckled as she led the way out of camp, amused to see how each cat was. She could only hope that they wouldn't stay so stubborn and causing trouble. Still, sometimes a playful spirit like Rustyfeather can help hone a cold young cat. Carefully, they picked their way to the hunting grounds that they had chosen, a small river in the north-western part of their territory. They hadn't hunted there yet, so it was bound to have plenty of fish there.

Just as the long-furred she-cat had spotted the river dappled in shadow and sunlight sparkling, she could almost pick out the school of fish that were hiding among the shadows. With an expert flick of her tail, she warned her patrol of the fish before creeping forward with as light steps as possible, trying to sneak up on the fish without disturbing them too much. Slowly, Rustyfeather, Peakpaw, and Bonepaw joined her along the bank. Their eyes trained on the fish before them.

With great care, Hazelstar showed the trainee's how it was done with a precise swipe of her paw, claws catch on the fish just enough to pull them out of the water. The school swam away, sticking to the shadows as Hazelstar pounced on her catch and bit behind its head to dispatch it cleanly.

Rustfeather purred with praise. "Good catch. Alright, Peakpaw, your turn."

The young black and white speckled she-cat nodded creeping up to where the school of fish had gone. She waited, carefully positioning herself before swiping at the river. A fish was flung out, slamming into the grass as she pounced, ignoring the fallen scales and the sliced fish as she bit behind its head as hard as she could. The flapping body of the fish stopped almost instantly. It was a good catch, but it wasn't the cleanest.

There is still plenty of progress of a successful catch though. She is learning very well.

Rustyfeather glanced at Bonepaw. "You want to go first?"

"I only have to see it once." She mumbled, already slinking after the fish along the bank, hazel eyes trained on a particular shadow of a fish.

Hazelstar blinked as she watched, seeing the worried flicking of the dark ginger tabby's tail. Despite it all, clearly Rustyfeather wanted her trainee to be successful. It was for naught as the she-cat swiped, flinging the fish in the air in a gorgeous arc of water droplets; only for it to crash back into the river.

"Mouse-dung!" Bonepaw snapped.

"It was a strong start." Rustyfeather whispered to herself, before speaking up to her apprentice. "You've almost had it! That was even better than my first time fishing!"

"Really?" The apprentice looked over, their tone tinged with embarrassment.

"Of course! I hadn't fished before just like you at one time. In fact, that was back when we first ended up at the beach where camp is." Rustyfeather explained, her tail moving as she spoke. "I never knew how to fish, but I tried my best to make it work. I barely got the hang of it a couple of moons before you and your litter-mates were brought to StormClan. You're a natural at fishing, Bonepaw. Before you know it, you will be able to fish even better than I can at your age."

"Thanks." The long haired cream speckled she-cat blinked, her cold personality seeming to melt some. "I never thought anyone could be worse than that."

"Please, you at least snagged a fish. Sure, we could have a fish-flinging competition and you would win by a tidal wave; but you are learning and you have a lot of skill to hone." She assured the young she-cat.

"Why don't you show her how you do it? Maybe she needs your technique?" Hazelstar suggested.

Rustyfeather nodded. "Alright, let's see where they went."

"What does she do?" Peakpaw asked Hazelstar.

"She's playful, so she kind of plays with the fish to gain their trust." She explained, "When one thinks she isn't a threat, she snatches them up."

Peakpaw frowned. "That'll take forever to do though."

"So you think." The elderly she-cat giggled, looking over to the dark ginger tabby.

Rustyfeather dangled her tail into the water, keeping a distance from the school of fish to entice a fellow playful soul. She moved her tail gently with soothing sways and flicks while keeping the rest of her body still as stone. At first, the fish didn't seem interested at all before a curious fish came closer and closer, trailing away from the protection of the school.

Pale blue eyes narrowed in the dappled sunlight as she continued to move her tail gently, her paw slowly raising into position. Then, the moment the fish swam just in reach, Rustyfeather extended her claws and slashed into the water, scooping the fish out with ease. Her tail whipping out of the water as she pounced squarely onto the fish the moment it was laying stunned on the grassy bank.

Bonepaw stared in awe, seeing how cleanly the fish was dispatched and even carried back to the rest of them. Water still dripped from her mentor's tail, but it was obvious that a little bit of water never bothered her. A skill that was uncommon for most cats.

"It has to be the short fur." Peakpaw breathed, trying to make sense of it. "There is no other way she can handle being wet."

"Perhaps." Hazelstar meowed, getting up with a luxurious stretch, "Or maybe that's just the sea-cat in her. Remember the tales Rainstripe and Darkwhisper have told you about our origins? We lived on the sea on the very sea-monster that is wrecked at camp. We can handle getting wet and swimming when needed. No cat is born with a love for water, we are trained from an early age to handle it. Now, let's get our catches home."

"Even if I didn't catch anything?" Bonepaw asked.

Rustyfeather nodded as she put her fish down. "You still have much to learn and in time you will be bringing back hauls of fish and other kinds of prey, I just know it."

"Yeah!" Peakpaw cheered, "I bet you'll catch two in one hunting trip or even three!"

With their spirits running high once more, Hazelstar began to lead the way back to camp. The trainee's had learned well and soon enough they will be old enough and wise enough to do things without another cat. Until then, they would have to try and absorb as much information they can handle and just hope that it sticks, even a little.

.

The days continued to pass as Miyun, Haillaurel, and Weevilpaw brought home an injured cat. Hazelstar could understand why they did. It would be much too difficult to leave a cat with a broken jaw. As they couldn't quite hear or understand what her name was, Hazelstar decided to call them Slate until they either healed or succumbed to their injuries. After all, it was very unlikely for a cat with a broken jaw to survive; never impossible, but unlikely enough that the elderly she-cat couldn't leave this plane of the living without a proper name.

Moon 13 | Fish

Hazelstar narrowed her eyes, watching over her Clan as the moon passed by slowly. The patrols left and returned without any worries or concerns reported. It was unnerving, but she couldn't quite complain. She taught her apprentice as well as she could whenever possible. Not to mention, her Clan was thriving and pushing on and on. All the while, she could see that Sleetcrash was struggling to keep to her duties safely. As a result, Hazelstar began to have herself and her apprentice to give the healer some assistance. It was the most they could do while she fretted for Slate's broken jaw. After losing Heatherstem, the healer was a little more sensitive when it came to life-threatening injuries. Not that she could blame her.

Despite all the work being done, Hazelstar could only look to the stars and hope that somehow it would all be alright. The moon was virtually uneventful, but the entirety of StormClan was held precariously in wait for the newest member to show signs of improvement.

A hope that could very well be for naught.

Moon 14 | Flower

Another moon crawled into view as Hazelstar welcomed the warmer weather. Slate was still in the medicine den being treated and cared for by Sleetcrash. The patrols had been sent out, leaving the elderly she-cat watching over the camp as she waited for news of some apprentice's first border patrols. The first one that returned came back with grave news of a black and gray creature with white streaks on their face. Miyun, who had been on the patrol informed them it was called a badger and was none too friendly to any animal.

Hazelstar became nervous all over again, afraid that something might go wrong again. She knew there were foxes, but she never anticipated something called a badger. At once, she demanded Rainstripe to keep it in mind when sending out patrols since it could be too dangerous for any cat to go in small patrols. The dark gray she-cat nodded her agreement, fear flashing in her gray eyes as she looked away.

"In that case, it would be best if you and Haillaurel trained your apprentices somewhere nearby and away from the woods. Just until we can find out for sure if it is planning to say." Rainstripe explained.

"Right, let's go Haillaurel. The sooner we do this the sooner we can get back in camp to be safe."

The pale cream she-cat nodded, following swiftly with Weevilpaw. "It should stay in the forest, don't you think?"

"We can never be too sure." Hazelstar replied grimly.

Their training session took them to some tide pools to allow Weevilpaw and Peakpaw to observe the kind of prey that can be found trapped in them after the high tide fell back. The two trainee's were watching a small octopus, their eyes wide as they watched it move lazily one long arm at a time. Weevilpaw even started to call out for them to ask if an octopus is supposed to have a hooked beak like a bird.

Haillaurel was able to answer her apprentice, while Hazelstar had to look away. The wounds in her heart still felt fresh for the young she-cat who held so much promise. She was afraid for their youngest members all over again. They were fragile as they were brave. She just had to hope that sooner or later it wouldn't hurt so much to even look at the eight-armed sea creature.

Upon their return, Sleetcrash was stepping out with Rainstripe to the nearby lungwort plant. The anxiety the elderly leader felt intensified, making her move rather stiff back onto her perch on the Slanted-deck. She nervously watched the camp's entrance as the sun moved towards setting.

After what felt like moons, the healer and deputy returned with plenty of lungwort. Which was useful for any sickness, but none of it would help Slate and their jaw.

Time was still moving around her.

But for how much longer will she still be one of us?

Moon 15 | Meadow

The tide pools swirled around their paws as Hazelstar showed how to walk on the mostly-submerged stone edges of the pools. The meadows were in full bloom in the forest nearby and there had been no sign of the badger that was found last moon. All the tension and worry seemed to evaporate from the elderly leader's mind. She still needed to speak with Rainstripe for potential mentors for her kits, but until then she focused on Bonepaw.

The young cat preferred to have dry paws, not that Hazelstar could blame her, but she needed to learn how to walk along the tide pools in preparation of various patrols. As such, she made sure everyone had a go since she had all the apprentices following her lead.

"Alright, once we are comfortable walking on these rocks, I'll start the real lesson." Hazelstar announced.

Rustyfeather nodded, "Right." She eyed her trainee, making sure that Bonepaw had her posture right for balance. "You're doing spectacularly."

"Thanks." Bonepaw purred shakily, "It's the fear of falling in."

"Even if you fall in, I'm here to help you back out." She promised earnestly, earning a swift glance of relief.

Haillaurel peered at Weevilpaw who seemed like a pro as he stuck close to Bonepaw to give a helping paw if needed. "Everyone is doing excellently today." She praised openly.

Weevilpaw nodded a little, "It's just a little hard to keep this balance."

"Tell me about it, these rocks aren't fun to step on for long." Peakpaw pointed out.

"Exactly." Hazelstar spoke, satisfied with the balance the trainee's have achieved. "When here we would keep moving and look for prey in the tide pools. Commonly, these sea creatures get stuck in these pools when the tide goes back to the sea. Other times, fun critters like octopus end up captured in it. So we can have fish and octopus to choose from. Each one is difficult to catch, but as long as we are careful and stick to what we know, we should be safe."

Rustyfeather curled her tail as she began to take over the lesson to share her input. Hazelstar kept an eye on the apprentices as she moved along so they could see the creatures for themselves, knowing that telling them was nothing like seeing it. As the sun crawled away from its zenith and began to paint the sea and sky with red and gold and pink, did they finally begin to head home. They let them explore and even relaxed in the shade between lessons.

In all, it was a satisfying moment and, for the first time in moons, Hazelstar felt at home once again.

Allegiances (as of Moon 15)

Leader: Hazelstar - long-furred light brown elderly she-cat with bronze-colored eyes
APPRENTICE: PEAKPAW

Deputy: Rainstripe - long-furred dark gray tabby she-cat with gray eyes

Healer: Sleetcrash - long-furred pale gray and white tabby she-cat with pale green eyes

Warriors:

Rustyfeather - dark ginger tabby she-cat with pale blue eyes
APPRENTICE: BONEPAW

Haillaurel - pale cream ticked tabby she-cat with hazel eyes
APPRENTICE: WEEVILPAW

Miyun - long-furred unusually spotted pale silver she-cat with warm gray eyes

Apprentices:

Bonepaw - long-furred speckled cream and white she-cat with hazel eyes

Weevilpaw - long-furred gray and white tabby tom with pale yellow eyes

Peakpaw - long-furred speckled black and white she-cat with heather blue eyes

Kits:

Slopekit - brown ticked and white she-kit

Seedkit - gray ticked and white tom-kit

Cavekit - white and black tabby tom-kit

Elders:

Slate - masked gray and white tabby she-cat with emerald colored eyes

Darkwhisper - long-furred dark gray and white tabby tom with yellow eyes

Author's Note:

Turned out, my thumb wasn't damaged, it was just sore and swollen from it. Nothing was broken and that is what matters to me!

Its been a year in StormClan and a few months! We will stick with Hazelstar until she passes so I can pick a kit or an apprentice to follow through life. I just fell in love with the old leader and the bonds I feel she has with the cats she calls her own family.

To me, she is like an overprotective fearful mother or grandmother. She wants what is best for her Clan, but she can push it too far before having to pull back.

Thank you for reading, have a fantastic morning, day, evening, or night~! - NightSky