A Rouge Clanborn - The Silver Storm - A Warriors Fanfiction

Chapter 5

*two moons later*

"Dawnpaw! Crowpaw! Oakpaw! Gingerpaw! Needlepaw! Leafpaw!"

The six new apprentices stood side by side as the rest of the Clan chanted their new names.

They had touched noses with their mentors respectively - Feathershine, Woodshadow, Cedarstripe, Firesong, Cloudpelt, and Leamonheart.

Dawnpaw could feel bubbles of excitement, and wanted to jump up and down so much. But she stood still, and when the chanting stopped she and the other apprentices ran to join the Clan sitting around the Rock.

Dawnpaw immediately saw fear and remorse in her leader's eyes.

Ashstar cleared her thought "It has come to our attention that many more rouges have been spotted on our territory, and Riverstorm and I have reason to believe they may be united as a group."

A collective gasp swept through the sea of cats. Many had come to believe that the first sightings were just a few lost cats, but now, with more info this didn't seem to be true. Cats muttered to each other about defence and training, and Dawnpaw looked to Crowpaw.

Still excited, the she-cat meowed, "Well, good thing we're apprentices, because we are training now and we'll be the best warriors the Clan has ever seen!"

"I know, right!" Crowpaw replied, her shyness evaporating as she thought of what they could do as apprentices. "Then we'll get mates and have kits, and maybe become a leader like Ashstar!" Crowpaw meowed excitedly.

Dawnpaw sighed to herself. Mates. Right. she thought.

The idea didn't appeal to her, but maybe she was just waiting for the right tom. It was obvious that Leafpaw liked her, but Dawnpaw didn't like him that way.

"Yeah, I guess so," Dawnpaw replied, not matching Crowpaw's energy.

Crowpaw laughed. "It's obvious you don't like Leafpaw!" she teased.

"Yup." Dawnpaw sighed.

"Don't worry, we should be focused on training, not silly toms!"

Crowpaw changed the subject. "Let's go make our nests!"

The two cats walked to the apprentice den and ducked inside. They took some moss and used it to make two nests. Once they were done, they curled up beside one another and went to sleep.

*The next morning

Dawnpaw woke up to Crowpaw still sleeping, and resting her head on Dawnpaw's flank. She blushed and got up slowly, so that Crowpaw's head wouldn't hit the floor.

Dawnpaw went outside and breathed in the cool air. Dry leaves crunched under her paws as she walked, and a cold breeze met her pelt.

It was going to be leaf-bare soon and Dawnpaw wanted to catch as much prey as she could before that.

She spotted a mouse and crept over to where it was scampering. She squatted into a hunting crouch and tried to pounce on the mouse. It was an awkward leap and Dawnpaw landed with her paws outstretched. She watched - defeated - as the mouse scampered away.

"You've already found what we should cover during training," a voice meowed from behind her.

Dawnpaw spun around and saw her mentor Feathershine chuckling at her.

"Are we going to hunt today?" the calico apprentice asked.

"No silly! On the first day we always travel around the territory and try scent recognition on the first day," her mentor replied.

"Fox dung!" Dawnpaw muttered.

"You might catch a mouse on the patrol if you're lucky," Crowpaw yowled as she ran over from the apprentice den.

"Woodshadow says she will take me with you guys!"

Woodshadow was Crowpaw's mentor, and Crowpaw looked up to him even before she became an apprentice.

"Yesterday felt like a movie," Dawnpaw told Crowpaw.

"Yea- wait, what's a movie?" Crowpaw queried, puzzled.

"Oh, Blossomfur told me about them. It's a story that moves in a box for twopaws!"

"Okay?" Crowpaw replied, obviously confused.

"Let's get going!" Feathershine called to the apprentices.

The four she-cats trekked through the forest. At different places the mentors would explain which areas had more prey, or how to get to the training area from there.

"Do you smell that?" Feathershine asked.

"Yeah, it smells like Ashstar and a bit like you, Woodshadow" Dawnpaw meowed.

"I bet they smell the same because they're both SilverClan," Crowpaw noted.

"Correct! That is the scent of SilverClan." Lilyheart told her.

Feathershine walked to a tree on the border and motioned for the others.

"If you come over to the border, on that side of the tree you can smell..."

"GoldenClan!" Dawnpaw mewed with delight.

"Yup!" Woodshadow replied but as he sniffed another tree his expression became more concerned.

"Feathershine, come here!" the tom stated in a hushed tone.

"What is it?" came her reply, and Feathershine bent down to sniff the tree.

"Rouges! Fresh scent!" he hissed. "We better tell Ashstar."

"Come on," Feathershine sighed, starting to walk back the way they'd come. "I'll tell Ashstar, and Woodshadow, you stay here. Apprentices, come with me, you can join in with your littermates."

The cats obediently walked with the warriors to camp. On the way home, Feathershine dropped them off with Leafpaw, Oakpaw, Cedarstripe, and Lemonheart.

"Four apprentices may be too much for two mentors. If I have time, I will get a cat to come join you," Feathershine mewed, and ran off.

Leafpaw gave Dawnpaw a stare, and she looked away and moved to Crowpaw's side. She just didn't like him!

"Alright, apprentices, today, I think we'll start with a basic hunting lesson. Try to copy my hunting crouch," Cedarstripe mewed.

Oakpaw immediately sank into a wobbly crouch, but Dawnpaw could tell his feet were too far apart. He then tried to leap, but fell over.

Crowpaw hung back as Dawnpaw tried, but also didn't quite get the hang of it. On his third attempt, however, Leafpaw managed to sink into a good hunting crouch, and leapt all the way across the clearing.

Oakpaw, seeing his friend get it right, concentrated even harder and managed to do a standard crouch. Dawnpaw didn't understand why Crowpaw was so nervous - she got it on her second try! Dawnpaw, however, had to keep trying and trying to get her paws in the right place. Finally, after a bunch of attempts, Dawnpaw managed to leap across the clearing.

"Finally," Lemonheart purred. "Leafpaw, do you want to catch something? Go ahead."

Leafpaw crouched down, and after a moment, leaped into the bushes. He came out looking proud, and Crowpaw nuzzled him in congratulations: he had caught a vole.

Dawnpaw gritted her teeth and signaled to Crowpaw. The two crouched down, Dawnpaw almost flunking her crouch, and stalked into the undergrowth. Dawnpaw leaped on a thrush, but missed, it hopped away - right into Crowpaw's paws. She killed it with a swift bite and carried it out of the bushes, Dawnpaw trailing after her.

"Great job, both of you," Lemonheart said. "You too, toms."

After a while, they headed back to camp, exhausted.

Dawpaw grabbed a bird from the pile and waved her tail to Crowpaw. The two ate in silence and then lay down to share tongues. Once they were all clean, they sat together and watched a particularly beautiful sunset.