Warriors | OLD: The Destined Warrior | Book 1

Chapter 9:

Phoenixpaw~

Trying the move again, Phoenixpaw balances himself into a attack crouch slithering on the ground, silently stalking Doveshade, my mentor.

It has been a quarter moon since the battle, and Flamepaw keeps on saying how he's the fastest runner in camp, when he didn't even fight, though nobody really pays attention to him.

Sometimes he can be a pain in the tail! I think irritably, yet my attention was on another thing that happened during the battle, as Phoenixpaw flashes back.

Phoenixpaw looked around the gory battle, his eyes widened in shock. Racing to help his clanmates, Doveshade stopped him.

"Don't jump into a battle that you know you can't win." She warned. "You haven't received any training, so follow my lead." She ordered, as Phoenixpaw nodded, unsheathing his claws.

As Doveshade leaped onto a large tom, they bowled over each other, as Phoenixpaw veered the other way, behind the tomcat as he pinned his tail, as the tomcat yowled in pain.

As Doveshade gave a few more attacks that would leave scars, she ordered him to let go, and Phoenixpaw obeyed. Yet, when he saw the marks left in the poor tom's tail, they looked like they were burned, as his eyes widened in shock, unsheathing his claws again and feeling excruciating heat from them.

Suddenly Phoenixpaw then jumped in the air, twisting and, with claws sheathed, swipe Doveshade's back, though she wriggles me off.

As Phoenixpaw tries to swipe sheathed blows onto Doveshade's back, she twists onto the ground, and has him pinned under her weight.

"Mouse-dung." He curses quietly, and slither out, nipping Doveshade's paw, as she looks at me to stop.

"Great job, Phoenixpaw. Your carrying on well, though you need to make sure when you pounce on a cat, that they are not heavier than you, so you don't get pinned." She explains.

Most apprentices would be like:Why is she treating me like a mouse-brain?! Though, I try not to think that way. She only wants to help, right?

"Thanks, Doveshade. Can I hunt on the way back to camp?" Phoenixpaw asks.

"Yes you may. Good thinking, we do need more fresh kill." She notes.

Climbing the high trees we hunt in, the pale moon makes the large, skinny birch trees silver.

When we become warriors, we go to the moon warrior cave, the cave where cats place their claw mark there. Every single warrior, medicine cat, and deputy have placed their claw mark there.

"Also, Phoenixpaw," Doveshade added, jerking me out of my thoughts. "After you hunt, please give some of your prey to Mumbletooth. He hasn't eaten anything all day!" I nod as she turns and heads into the forest.

Scenting the air, Phoenixpaw sniffs tje air, smelling the scents of mice and birds as he licked his lips.

Climbing a tree right next to me, he noticed a small dark red cardinal.

Quickly, I drop into a crouch and leap onto it, breaking its neck with one swift blow.

I see a few sparrows trying to escape the narrow branches, though I can't let them get away, in mid leaf-fall, when leaf-bare is coming.

As they fly away, I jump onto one of them, almost as big as me, and kill it with the neck bite. Then I notice. Oh wait, I'm falling.

Thinking quickly, I jump onto a branch of another tree, closing my eyes shut just in case I didn't land there. As I open my eyes, all I see just one scratch from the branch, as he starts licking it to stop the blood, sighing his relief.

Though what I see is weird. I landed in a willow tree. Willows doesn't normally grow in SolarClan. . . I think to myself, then, I notice the color of the sky.

Its a pretty twilight color, with the stars twinkling and the moon at its brightest stage, as my eyes widen. It's a full-moon! I've got to head to camp! Fast! I think to myself, as I catch a black bird and snatch up my starling and cardinal and race back to camp.

At Camp. . .

Rushing into camp, Phoenixpaw spots Doveshade eating a vole near a wood stump, as Phoenix grabs his black bird. Heading into the elder's den, he heard Jaykit and Stormkit in there, listening to a story.

"And that's the time I killed a fox." Mumbletooth ended, yawning.

"Oh, you ignorant boasting flea-brain! You didn't kill a fox all by yourself! I remember when you came back to camp, your right jaw was bleeding, and Burningstar, Burningflame at the time, looked like she did most of the fighting!" Riversong pointed out, though she was purring with amusement.

"Hello, Phoenixpaw. That's a lovely black bird you've got there." Mumbletooth greeted, licking his lips.

"It's for you." Phoenixpaw dropped the bird delicately at Mumbletooth's paws, as Mousetail stirred.

Mousetail is a younger warrior actually, but came to be an elder early since of his injuries from battle. Phoenixpaw remembered silently, as Mousetail's sightless amber eyes dig into his soul.

"Did you hear who Burningstar picked to go to the Gathering tonight?" He asked, as Phoenixpaw shook his head numbly.

"Well, I heard bits and pieces, but I did hear that you and your littermates were going, so you'd better get ready." Mumbletooth told me while gnawing the black bird, as Phoenixpaw jolted up in alarm.

"I'll be back later!" He called over his shoulder, rushing out and going over to the fresh kill pile.

Grabbing a nice, plump mouse from the pile, the scent of the kill makes him realize how hungry he actually is.

Finishing it with a few famished bites, Doveshade pads over.

"You know that you're coming to the Gathering tonight, correct?" She asked, Phoenixpaw nodded, excitement tingling his paws.

Though as Phoenixpaw looked over at Twilightsky, he looked nervous for some odd reason.

Why would he be nervous? I wonder what's going to happen..