Ferns crackled underneath the soft and silent pawsteps of a young StormClan 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 shrew's neck. Starlingpaw let herself become lost in the sights and smells of the hunt. 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, which was just perfect for a surprise attack. All she had to do was enact the methods she had been so dutifully taught and drilled on. She balanced lightly on her paws, trying to stay completely still to keep from alerting the creature to her presence.
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 shrew. 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. The shrew fell limp, its pained cries silenced as the life was taken away from the poor creature.
Deciding that there was no time to waste, she 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 well.
Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, she continued to search for more prey. The woods were overflowing with mice and rabbits during the warm months, but she wasn't focused on hunting rabbits right now.
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, especially when she had a hunting assessment to complete.
When she finished mulling over her strategy, Starlingpaw managed to catch a mouse before sunhigh. Meowing in triumph and delight, she returned to the spot her mentor told her to with her meager catch. She carried the fresh-kill happily to the sunny grove, dropping the shrew and mouse at her mentor's dark-colored paws and raised her head in glee.
Darkfeather, who had waited patiently for her apprentice to return, purred encouragingly, "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.
Starlingpaw blushed and ducked her head, then meowed softly. "Thanks, Darkfeather," she quietly mewed. 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 StormClan camp, which was sheltered from the rain by the towering trees that built a canopy over the dusty clearing. Starlingpaw's cheeks burned with embarrassment as she placed her shrew and mouse on the bountiful fresh-kill pile, and she padded silently to the apprentice's den. Her sister, Shadepaw, waited expectantly in the mossy patch of ground that the apprentices shared as sleeping quarters. Her fur was a deep navy blue color, and her eyes a shimmering jade green.
"So, Starlingpaw, tell me! How did your assessment go?" she mewed in a friendly tone.
Starlingpaw replied with a small smile. "It went better then I hoped it would! Thanks a lot for your help, I couldn't have done it without you!"
Shadepaw blushed and lowered her head, but she smiled up at Starlingpaw. "Thanks, Starlingpaw, but it wasn't just me, Darkfeather and Splashpaw also helped you out with your training!" she mewed in a teasing tone. Starlingpaw blushed at the mention of Splashpaw. It was a secret that Shadepaw knew about, her sister had had a crush on Splashpaw 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 Splashpaw 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. She 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, Duskstar. 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 Duskstar 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 Duskstar?" she asked, glancing back at the black-furred she-cat leader.
"I don't know, it's probably nothing important," Starlingpaw responded with a tired sigh, she then returned to grooming her fur. "I bet Darkfeather's telling her that I might be a warrior soon."
"Then if it isn't very important, why were you trying 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 about 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, she then 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 Ebonypetal, who was staring at the young cat that had just entered the camp. Moonpaw walked through the tunnel, revealing that her black-and-white fur was full of thorns and twigs. She looked battered and weak as if she had been through an ordeal. Ebonypetal 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 StormClan 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 Moonpaw 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 black-and-white apprentice immediately and got to work retrieving different kinds of leafy plants to treat her. Cinderpool's apprentice, Firepaw, sat ready to help if she was needed to assist her mentor in treating Moonpaw.
Starlingpaw didn't hesitate in stepping into the den and rushed to Moonpaw's side. "Are you alright? What happened?" She meowed, purring softly to try to comfort her.
Moonpaw 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.
"Starlingpaw, would you mind helping pick some of these thorns out of Moonpaw's fur?" Cinderpool asked, shaking the dark-furred apprentice out of her thoughts.
"I'm fine, Cinderpool," Moonpaw 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."
Moonpaw 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 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 clearing, Starlingpaw felt the exhaustion of the day weigh on her and decided to nap before her practice with Shadepaw. She settled down in a pile of moss and Shadepaw sat down beside her.
"Moonpaw must have fallen into that thornbush by the training clearing, huh?" Shadepaw mewed. "I wonder if she was running from Thornflame?" 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.
Her head resting on her paws, Starlingpaw ran the events of the day through her mind again and again, she was so lost in her thoughts that she barely noticed the real world before her paws. She was lost in that sea of happy thoughts when Moonpaw padded into the den, silently settling herself in the nest furthest from any other apprentice's.
She studied her quietly, her yellow eyes running over her patchy white-and-black fur. She didn't seem to mind being alone, nor did she enjoy any company. Starlingpaw wondered what would make a cat so upset that they didn't even wish to share tongues after a bad experience or training session.
Before she knew what was happening, Starlingpaw had walked over to where Moonpaw laid silently and mewed a greeting.
Moonpaw flicked her tail at her and meowed a barely audible response.
"How was training today?" she asked her, trying to start a conversation.
Moonpaw raised her head to look at her with bright green eyes that seemed oddly dull. She gazed intently at her face, making her shuffle her paws with embarrassment, before she spoke. "I fell into a thornbush."
Starlingpaw blinked in surprise at hier detached tone. "Oh." She lowered herself to her level in the name of politeness.
They sat quietly for a moment before she realized that Moonpaw might be looking for comfort. Surely falling into a thornbush was not a success in her training. "Um. If it's any consolation, I kept getting distracted while hunting. I kept having to remind myself that I was searching for prey, not herbs," she meowed quietly, looking anywhere around the clearing but into Moonpaw's melancholy eyes.
That seemed to make her smile a little bit and she flicked her tail at Starlingpaw. "You mouse-brain, if you wanna be a medicine cat, why not ask Cinderpool to be her apprentice?"
The sable she-cat sighed softly and flattened her ears. "I would do that, but Cinderpool already has an apprentice."
Moonpaw stared quizzically at Starlingpaw for a few seconds, then she meowed in a soft voice. "Maybe you could be Firepaw's apprentice when she receives her full name as a medicine cat," Starlingpaw thought about what the other apprentice had suggested.
"Maybe," the sable she-cat replied after a short pause. "That is if I can even get through my apprentice training properly. Just look at the two small pieces of prey I caught."
Moonpaw blinked and stared into Starlingpaw's yellow eyes with a confused look on her face. "Two pieces of prey is better than none!"
The young she-cat flattened her ears. "You're just like Darkfeather. I don't need consolation. I need to be better."
"Hey now! Stop being so hard on yourself, Starlingpaw," Moonpaw mewed. "Don't worry. If you keep practicing, you'll get there eventually. Hunting isn't easy for every cat."
"It is for most, though," Starlingpaw meowed, staring down at her paws sadly. "I wish I wasn't such a failure."
Moonpaw shifted her weight between her paws. "Okay, yes, I saw. But... one mouse is better than none!"
"You just don't get it do you!" she meowed harshly. "I'm over four moons into training and I can't even pounce correctly! How am I ever going to be a warrior if I-"
Moonpaw snorted and cuffed the sable apprentice over the ear. "You won't get anything done with that attitude!" she meowed in the same brisk tone that Darkfeather would often use.
The sable she-cat opened her mouth to retort, but Moonpaw sent her a sharp look that shut her up. "Ok that's enough!" she meowed sharply. "Now go talk to Cinderpool."
"But-" Starlingpaw tried to protest, but Moonpaw would hear none of it.
"Just go talk to Cinderpool!" she meowed louder than Starlingpaw had ever heard her meow before.
Starlingpaw sighed and flattened her ears. "Fine," Starlingpaw meowed, "I'll go talk to Cinderpool," she mewed in defeat. "But for now, I'm gonna take a nap."
Moonpaw simply nodded her head and motioned for Starlingpaw to lay down and rest. "Go to sleep," the black-and-white she-cat meowed in a motherly tone. "You look like you're about to collapse from exhaustion."
The young she-cat smiled softly to herself as she curled up in one of the mossy nests. As she laid there in her nest, her mind kept flashing back to the conversation she had just had with Moonpaw.
As she laid down on the ground and nestled herself into the cushiony moss nest, trying her hardest to feel at ease, but her mind still rushed with angry thoughts at her failure to hunt. She only caught a few moments of sleep before it was time to train with her sister.