The Adventures Of SilverPack

Chapter 12

Ashpaw followed Waterdapple through the camp entrance. Leafshadow, who was at the front, turned. She and Snowpup jumped into a bush and disappeared from sight. Whitestorm beckoned Amberpaw and they set off too. Waterdapple leaped onto a stone pathway that Ashpaw didn't see at first. Waterdapple picked her up by the scruff and swung her around.

"Go on now, Ashpaw. I'll be right behind you if you slip!" Waterdapple assured her apprentice.

Ashpaw bounded up the trail. Nimbly she sprang from one boulder to another. All of a sudden, she slipped and immediately slid out her claws to get a better hold, swinging around.

Waterdapple blocked her fall with her body, and righted Ashpaw on her feet.

"Careful now," cationed the Beta. "You see those cracks? If you put your paws in them and you will be able to hold on better."

Ashpaw did what she said, and bounded up the path once more. Panting slightly, she pulled herself up and nosed her way between two bushes at a prod from her mentor. Ashpaw emerged onto a slab of rock. She could see everything!

"Look through those branches!" said Waterdapple, pointing to the right.

"Ashpaw peered through the tree.

"There's the clearing!" she gasped, flicking her tail excitedly. "I can see Silverfang talking to Jackrabbit! And over there, Brackenpaw is in a little hollow with Dawnstripe!"

She waved, but the wolves didn't look up.

Waterdapple nodded. "We call that the sandy hollow, where we train and do battle practice." She swung around. "Over there, that is the stream. If you keep going past the stream, there is a big tree which has a lot of prey. The clearing next to it," she said, motioning to the other side of the territory, "is where we train to hunt, which is great because there is a lot of prey there. Let's go, we have a bunch of stuff to do!" She finished with a sweep of her tail and disappeared into the bush.

Ashpaw, her excitement mounting, slid after her. On the way down, she slipped multiple times and canooned into her mentor, who patiently steadied her and showed her where to put her paws.

Relief swept through her when she glimpsed the ground. She jumped off lightly. Waterdapple pointed into the trees with her tail.

"Let's go that way, and stick close to me." she said shortly.

Ashpaw nodded and trotted behind her. They emerged into a grassy clearing. Featherpaw and Lilyheart were pushing their way under the brambles too. Ashpaw woofed with delight and bounded over to greet her denmate .

Ashpaw barked and chased her tail. "I saw everything!" she cried.

Featherpaw playfully batted at Ashpaw. "I saw where Silverfang fought Birchstorm! It was creepy!" she woofed.

They sat down to watch their mentors.

Lilyheart looked at the apprentices. "The first lesson of hunting," she began, "is patience."

Waterdapple nodded. "The greatest hunter is the one who knows how to wait."

She padded away towards the bush next to them, motioning for everyone to join her. Soon they were all hidden safely.

"Do you see those pods under the tree?" breathed Lilyheart.

Ashpaw nodded, scanning the ground for the moth-like shapes that littered the ground. Waterdapple narrowed her eyes, staring intently at the roots of the tree.. "Where there are pods, there are bugs," she said slowly.

"And where there are bugs, there is prey." Lilyheart finished. Waterdapple pricked her ears and stiffened. Ashpaw saw a small, grey creature skittering around.