CricketBounce's Story [discontinued]

Chapter 5

Cricketpaw darted out from behind a rock, digging her claws into a trout. "Good catch!" Enderwing mewed. Cricketpaw had woken up early, and a week had passed since the gathering and she was getting better and better at hunting. Cricketpaw picked up her catch and plopped it next to Enderwing's two frogs.

"Cricketpaw, could you help me over here?" Enderwing whispered, cornering a large bass. Cricketpaw slunk between the rocks, swimming speedily and quietly. The bass flicked its wide fins and darted around Enderwing, right into Cricketpaw's gaping claws.

"Thanks, Cricketpaw!" Enderwing purred, shaking her marbled brown pelt free of water. Cricketpaw picked up the heavy bass and dropped it on the pile of fish they had caught.

"The bass is your catch" Cricketpaw meowed as Enderwing picked up her two frogs, heading back to camp.

"No, you could have easily caught it without me, go ahead and take it". Cricketpaw smiled, "thanks Enderwing, really". Cricketpaw and Mudpaw had started competing, Cricketpaw had caught five fish in the last four days and now she had caught an extra two. Mudpaw had only caught three but one was a ginormous salmon, and he kept insisting it was worth two, but Cricketpaw was pretty sure Wildfire had caught it for him.

Cricketpaw picked up her trout and bass. She gripped hard, both of the fish were heavy but she didn't want Enderwing to see her struggles. She finally had a good grip on the two fish, and started padding after her. The two shes padded together, Enderwing in the lead and Cricketpaw taking up the rear. The bramble and thistle camp entrance rose in front of the apprentice and mentor. They padded through, dropping their catches on the fresh-kill pile.

Mudpaw ran over inspecting her catches. "Two fish I see.." Mudpaw rolled his eyes. "How many did you catch?" Cricketpaw asked cutely, blinking her eyes innocently. "One frog..." He murmured.

"Sorry I couldn't hear the sound of defeat". Cricketpaw mewed, snickering.

"One frog, okay! Give me a break.." Mudpaw meowed grouchily, glancing around to see if anyone heard. Wildfire trotted over sitting close besides Mudpaw. Inspecting Cricketpaw's catches as well. "Good.. Good" he murmured glancing at the frog, then at the bass and trout Cricketpaw had caught.

"Cricketpaw is in the lead with seven fish, A salmon, a frog, two mice, one small bass, and now a medium trout and a large bass." Wildfire meowed stating the current leadership.

"Now in second place is Mudpaw with four fish, one huge salmon" wildfire meowed, "that counts as two!" Mudpaw meowed, in between wildfire's sentences. "Mmm, no it doesn't" Wildfire meowed, glancing at Mudpaw.

"Now I will continue, one huge salmon, that doesn't count as two" Wildfire glanced at Mudpaw, smirking at the younger tom. "Two trouts, and one frog". Wildfire meowed, finishing. Mudpaw rolled his eyes, padding away with Wildfire on his heels, the two toms were very close friends and followed each other around everywhere.

Claythorn padded up to the deputy rock, just beside the clan rock and sat, "any cats who would like to go on the shadowclan border patrol please step up". He meowed, gazing around at the gathering cats. Cricketpaw stepped forward, Marblepaw besides her. Half of the clan gathered and waited for Claythorn to dismiss the cats.

"Enderwing and Sweetheart you may go with your apprentices, Squirrelfang you may go as well with Hogstep". The six cats nodded, and started to pad away, "also you may hunt, since so many of you are going". Claythorn called before the cats left the camp. Cricketpaw and Marblepaw padded side by side, their mentors chatting as they took a left, to the shadowclan border.