Warriors, The Next Chapter; Spiderpaw's Journey

Chapter 1

Spiderpaw was careful not to step on any twigs as he walked, his tail lifted just over the ground, his ears perked, and focused on the mouse scuffling around the roots of a nearby oak tree. The black tom's flanks shuffled as he shifted into position. He used all the strength in his back legs and leapt at the mouse. The small creature was too late to escape and Spiderpaw grasped it between his jaws as he landed, nose first, in the leaf pile.

White fur appeared between the branches of a bush as Snowleaves got to his paws. Spiderpaw's mentor stalked toward him, "Good catch."

Spiderpaw smiled, beaming with joy at making his mentor proud. Snowleaves was a no-nonsense cat so his praise always made Spiderpaw happy.

"Thank you StarClan for this prey," Spiderpaw whispered quickly as the rest of the hunting patrol appeared.

The copper fur of Spiderpaw's sister, Sparkpaw, appeared in some bracken, followed closely by her mentor Cherryspirit. Cherryspirit was carrying a wren while Sparkpaw raced forward clutching a vole.

Cherryspirit turned to Snowleaves, "I think we have enough prey for now."

"For leaf-fall this is great!" Sparkpaw mumbled around her vole.

Snowleaves flicked his tail for silence and dropped into a quick crouch, he stalked forward quickly and plunged into some bracken, reappearing with a muskrat.

As the patrol walked back toward their camp, Cherryspirit and Snowleaves took the lead while Spiderpaw and Sparkpaw padded behind them.

"You should have seen me catch this vole! I was pretty much flying as I leapt! Or that's what Cherryspirit told me at least," Sparkpaw was rambling on about her catch, like always.

Spiderpaw loved his sister, but she could be a lot and he was happy when they reached the slight slope into their camp. Plumflower, an elder, was talking to Lakeshimmer, a queen, while they shared a squirrel by the fresh kill pile. Lakeshimmer's kits, Sparrowkit, Wrenkit, and Lionkit played with Rookwing nearby. The young tom was made a warrior recently and he loved playing with his sister's kits, most of the time when Spiderpaw woke he was already in the clearing with the three young cats running around all over him.

"When will Tawnyflower's kits be ready to play with us!" Sparrowkit was pouting.

 "The four of them were only born half a moon ago, be patient," Seeing Sparrowkit's shoulders slump, Rookwing added, "But they'll be ready for you to train soon enough!"

Primrosepaw and Rockypaw, two apprentices, were sharing tongues on top of the wide birch tree stump by the apprentice den.

The camp was shaded by two tall oak trees that made it shady in the camp all day. Spiderpaw walked over to the fresh kill pile with his mouse. The pile which was situated in a twisted circular root of one of the oaks was mostly empty, only containing a single starling.

Spiderpaw then made his way over to the apprentice den, his den was made of bracken with cobwebs and vines holding the pieces together. The nests were moss lined with soft feathers and sometimes even rabbit fur, if a hunting patrol was so lucky.

Spiderpaw walked to his nest at the back of the den, Petalpaw was still curled up in her nest. The cream she-cat was snoring loudly. Spiderpaw walked past Shrewpaw's empty nest, the sandy tom had gone out at dawn to train in the clearing by the river.

Primrosepaw and Rockypaw's nests were growing cold from them being out of the den for a while. Though it was only just before sunhigh the clan cats were already finishing up with their patrols.

Spiderpaw spotted Heatherpool walking by his den for the fourth time since he had laid down, he knew she was just worried about Tawnyflower's new litter but her rapid movements were giving him a headache.

He let out a loud groan as Needleshadow poked his head into the den, "Petalpaw! Get out here, you're late for sunhigh patrol."

The cream she-cat yawned as she got up. "Finally! It's so boring in the camp!"

"Oh, and Spiderpaw," Needleshadow mewed, "Heatherpool needs someone to go get rid of Raccoonleap's ticks."

"Okay, Primrosepaw and Rockypaw are right outside the den," Spiderpaw groaned tiredly.

Needleshadow shot a glare at him, "They are going on patrol soon, she wants you to do it."

Spiderpaw snorted as he got up, he couldn't remember the last time Primrosepaw had been given the task of the elder's ticks, if she merely batted her eyelashes at any cat they'd do anything for her. Once she even got Loudmuzzle, the eldest warrior in the clan, to bring prey to Blossomwing.

Raccoonleap was lying beside the entrance to his den, purring softly, "Oh youngin, come to do my ticks eh?"

"Yes Raccoonleap, and then I'll have to rush off to sunset patrol," He complained but the elder only grunted.

"Back in my day I went on a before dawn hunt, a sunrise patrol, a sunhigh battle practice, then a sunset patrol and a dusk hunt, I think you can manage." He mewed.

As Spiderpaw began to work the mousebile into the elder's fur he smiled, "Can you tell me a story about Moonstar!"

"I'm old, not ancient like Moonstar," The elder rasped, "How about I tell you about Nightstar?"

Spiderpaw nodded eagerly and started hunting for more ticks.

"One day, when I was just an apprentice like you youngin, I was walking along, minding my own business, when I overheard Nightstar speaking to his deputy Stormwillow. He said that I would get my surprise assessment that next day! I was thrilled so I offered to go on both the dusk hunting party and the before moonhigh hunt, the next day, I aced my assessment and was made a warrior, my name chosen based on my amazing leap," The elder mewed as Spiderpaw worked.

"Have you overheard when my assessment would be?" Spiderpaw asked hopefully.

Raccoonleap laughed good-heartedly, "You've only been an apprentice for three quarter moons, your assessment is a long ways away."

Spiderpaw suddenly felt cold drops hit his pelt and the sky get covered with gray storm clouds. The rain started to drizzle down, soaking the clan from ear to paw. 

Needleshadow and Dappledstar padded up the twisted root. "Let the cats of MoonClan gather beneath the twisted root for a clan meeting!" Dappledstar yowled.

Mothwood and Nettlepath appeared from the warrior den. Flowertooth, Rainyflight, and Ratskip came running from the entrance slope. Primrosepaw and Rockypaw leapt down from the birch stump to attend the meeting.

Shrewpaw and his mentor Buzzardswoop rushed into the clearing and soon the entire clan was sat in a semi-circle around Dappledstar. By the time they were all gathered, the rain was dumping down, in some of the dips around the clearing the rainwater was already pooling to the point of being deep enough for a cat to step in it and not see the top of their paw.

"This surprise storm-," Dappledstar's voice was carried off by the chilly winds, "- We will remain strong- sleep well my clan."

Spiderpaw had to help Sparkpaw get back to the den, his sister was lighter than him and kept getting swept off her paws by the wind. Tawnyflower was curled tightly around her newborn kits in the nursery while Blossomwing, a expecting queen, wove loose branches back into themselves to keep the rain out as best she could.

Primrosepaw, Shrewpaw, and Rockypaw were already curled up in their nests when Spiderpaw and Sparkpaw entered. The vines at the mouth of the den parted as Sagepaw and Petalpaw made their way into the den.

"Goodnight," Shrewpaw whispered.

"Quiet! I need my beauty sleep," Primrosepaw hissed as she curled up tighter in her nest.

"I only said goodnight," Shrewpaw snarled.

Spiderpaw curled up in his feather lined nest, Sparkpaw was murmuring goodnight to him quietly while Sagepaw's tail brushed across his flank while he slept.

Suddenly, Spiderpaw was jolted awake as he felt his paws and belly fur get wet, he sat up in his nest to a terrible screech from Tawnyflower, "Great StarClan! The camp is flooding!"