"Splashpaw!"
Splashpaw frowned, opening her eyes to see her mentor, Pineleaf, staring at her. She blinked.
"Come on come on!" The russet colored tom head butted her in the haunches, causing her to yelp and scramble to her paws.
"Okay okay!" Splashpaw hurried out of the den, her energetic mentor following.
I think he has more energy than me sometimes. Splashpaw couldn't help but laugh at the thought. Pineleaf bounded ahead of her, his tail whisking around. She grinned and ran after him.
"We're going hunting today!" Pineleaf slowed down as they exited the camp, careful not to scare away nearby prey.
Splashpaw' space quickened slightly so she could walk next to Pineleaf. She looked around, watching for any signs of nearby prey. Suddenly, she heard a scuffling noise. Prey...? No, too loud. Is that a cat...? She turned her head slightly to blink in bewilderment at Pineleaf, who looked equally confused.
"Hurry, this way." Pineleaf whispered, gesturing towards the bushes a few cat-lengths away.
She nodded, following suite as he quickly jumped behind the bushes. She crouched next to him, peeking through the twigs and leaves that made up the bush. The scuffling noise started up again, this time louder. The brambles nearby trembled as a cat emerged, looking around. Splashpaw tensed, but relaxed as she recognized the familiar grey pelt.
"Rainpaw, you scared me!" She purred, coming out from behind the bush.
The tom jumped slightly, blinking. "What do you mean I scared you? You terrified me just now!" He smiled.
She broke into a purr, padding over and touching noses with him. "What are you doing out here alone?"
"I'm not alone." Rainpaw's ears pricked.
Rainpaw's mentor, Pouncetail, trotted out from behind the brambles with a nod of greeting towards Splashpaw and Pineleaf.
"Pouncetail!" Pineleaf chirped warmly, bouncing over to the tall tom excitedly. "What are you guys doing here?"
"Hunting, you?" Pouncetail's ear flicked.
"We are too!" Pineleaf's voice rose happily.
Pouncetail gently draped his tail over Pineleaf's muzzle. "Calm down, they're won't be any prey to catch if you yowl your lungs out."
Pineleaf nodded quietly as Pouncetail moved his tail away. "Okay, let's go."
The group of four cats moved as silently as they could through Willowclan's territory. Of all three of the territories, Willowclan's was the most like a forest, Mountainclan's being the barest and Creekclan's being made up mainly of rivers and of course, creeks. Splashpaw walked alongside Rainpaw, who was gazing around at the trees around them. Splashpaw's ear twitched as she heard soft rustling. The others didn't seem to hear, so she broke away from the group and started stalking towards where she heard the noise. Splashpaw lowered herself into a crouch, narrowing her eyes and lunging forward. Her claws met the furry body of a vole as it started to screech with alarm. She bit down on it's neck before it could alert any other prey in the area. As it went limp, she picked it up in her jaws and walked back. Pineleaf seemed to be looking around for her, but she couldn't tell if he was looking for her or prey. His eyes lit up though as he saw her.
"Great catch!" He smiled, making Splashpaw smile back.
She noticed Pouncetail was holding a blackbird, nodding a silent praise to her. Splashpaw beamed, her tail whisking around happily.
* * *
Splashpaw made her way back to camp, Pineleaf next to her. They had managed to catch a few more mice before Rainpaw accidentally scared away all the prey in the area. Pineleaf and Splashpaw had laughed because Rainpaw scared the prey away by falling on his face, while Pouncetail looked on with an expression that just screamed, 'Why...'. Rainpaw had looked so guilty it made Splashpaw's heart break in two, she had to help calm him down afterwards. The grey tom still looked sad as he trudged behind Pouncetail, his gaze on the ground. Splashpaw slowed, letting Pineleaf and Pouncetail walk ahead.
"Hey Rainpaw, you okay?" She asked, falling in step beside him.
"I can't believe I scared the prey away." He whispered, his eyes glittering with sadness.
"Aw Rainpaw. It was a mistake." She reached out and brushed her cheek against his.
His ears drooped until, he suddenly let out a yelp of horror. Splashpaw's ears pricked in alarm, was he hurt?
"What happened?" Pineleaf and Pouncetail rushed up.
Rainpaw was lifting up his paw, lowering his head. Splashpaw blinked at him with worry.
"Are you hurt?" Pouncetail examined his apprentice.
"No... I stepped on a clover." Rainpaw whimpered, reaching down to sniff gently at the slightly crushed plant.
Splashpaw exhaled in relief, he was okay. However Pouncetail looked angry at the young cat.
"You had me scared Rainpaw, all over a clover?!" He sighed, looking exasperated as he picked up the two thrushes he had been carrying and continued on the way back.
Splashpaw tilted her head at Rainpaw as he pawed at the clover. She reached down, breaking the clover off from it's stem and lifting her head towards Rainpaw. He opened his mouth in shock but before he could say anything, Splashpaw had gently fit it comfortably below his ear. She smiled and admired the clover.
"Rainpaw it looks adorable." She purred.
He blinked, then beamed at her, seemingly happy with it. As they neared the camp entrance, she spotted Pineleaf's tail disappearing into a clump of ferns. Splashpaw and Rainpaw followed suite, the world around them growing darker before they entered the heart of the forest. WIllowclan's camp was surrounded by dense willow trees that reached over in a canopy that covered the camp. It blocks them from most rain, but in storms like the one that caused the most recent flood, the leaves aren't much help. Splashpaw set her vole down in the prey pile, which was at the base of a tree in a hole among the revealed roots. Suddenly, a familiar brown tabby face popped out from behind the tree. She jumped, the fur on her back spiked with surprise.
"Holy Starclan tails!" Hawkpaw burst out laughing. "You look like Rainpaw socializing with cats from other clans!"
Splashpaw flattened her ears in annoyance, her fur lying flat as she hissed between her teeth. "Ha ha ha."
Hawkpaw flashed her a grin and padded out from behind the tree. Splashpaw let him walk a bit closer before she struck out a paw, shoving one of his front legs and causing it to give way. The tabby tom slammed into the ground with a grunt, blinking at the triumphant she cat in front of him.
"Holy Starclan tails!" She mocked.
- - -
Top of the day to ya lads! Bit of inside on what Willowclan is like. Willowclan's bond between mentors and apprentices is the strongest. In Willowclan it's a family bond, Creekclan is more like a teacher bond, and Mountainclan has a mixture of both. You could occasionally get the family bond in Creekclan though.
Yes I plan on that clover staying there for the rest of the series try and stop me. Now...
Bye, Adios, Sayonara, Aloha
Blossom <3
YOU ARE READING
~ Rising Tide ~
Fanfiction(Yes this is a rewrite sue me. Also I'm in love with this cover) Mysterious things have been happening, it seems Starclan has abandoned them. But why? What did they do? Well, one rotten apple ruins it for the rest of them it seems. Well... it's just...
