Warriors: Silverjaw's Sorrow

Chapter Eight

Silverpaw waded into the muddy water, watching as her paws submerged into darkness, then her elbows, and then the tips of her belly fur. Sorrelmouse was considerate enough to take her to the Muddy Shallows; an area of their territory where the water was murky and reflectionless, and the river had slowed to a snail's crawling pace. She wasn't quite back to her regular schedule, but she was inching her way closer. This was the first time Sorrelmouse had taken her to perform something other than cleaning duties.

Lichenpaw was in attendance with her mentor, too. She was awfully quiet, though that was typical of her. Her blue eyes periodically flashed towards her silver-striped companion, an unspoken question lingering in the depths of her gaze.

"What types of prey can you usually find in the marsh?" Sorrelmouse asked from the shoreline.

"Catfish," Silverpaw mumbled, watching the dark water through narrowed eyes. "Stripers, mudcrabs, and..." a flicker of movement, a shadow within the shadows, darted across her vision. She lurched forward, and with a nimble swipe of her claws, a mud-covered shape flicked out of the water. She jumped and caught it in her mouth, its serrated fins slicing the edges of her mouth. "Sunfish!" She exclaimed around the flapping tail.

Sorrelmouse purred in amusement. "Excellent catch. Bring it over."

Obediently, Silverpaw bit more deeply and trudged towards the shore. The water itself was only about a whisker-length deep, but the mud below that sank her down to her belly. She pulled herself out with a vigorous shake of her fur, sending mud and water splattering everywhere.

She placed the now-deceased fish onto the slowly growing pile on the shore, uttering her silent thanks to StarClan. Already there were two other fish caught from their patrol; a small catfish and a thin minnow. Silverpaw turned around to face Sorrelmouse, who nodded encouragingly. She turned back around and dove into the water.

Silverpaw and Owlpaw had always hated the Muddy Shallows. As per its namesake, the water was shallow and muddy. Very muddy. After a day of fishing, the two would return to camp with pelts caked in dried mud, and after that, they'd sit hours into the night helping to groom each other.

But now... there was nobody to help her clean her fur. Nobody to laugh with. Nobody to get into mischief with. Silverpaw absently gazed around at the cypress trees, buzzing with insectlife. Her stomach twisted. And now, she could see far more detail in the land around her, far much more life. Life that could easily be swiped away with a single pair of blood-stained claws. She shuddered, curling her claws inward, feeling mud stuff beneath them.

"I caught one!" A shrill voice cut her from her thoughts.

Silverpaw blinked over to see Lichenpaw standing proudly, her paws spread apart in the water and a muddy catfish flapping indignantly in her mouth. The apprentice's blue eyes glowed joyously.

Behind her, her mentor beamed with pride, and he leaped into the water with her. "See? I knew you could do it."

The tom helped her stabilize and dispatch the large fish, and together they hauled it ashore. Lichenpaw's eyes shone with excitement. She'd always struggled with fishing, and scarcely brought home any prey. A catch—especially one as large as that—was impressive regardless of who caught it, and even more so seeing it from her.

"Congratulations," Silverpaw purred. "I'm jealous."

Lichenpaw laughed softly, flicking her tail along Silverpaw's flank. "You? Jealous? You're the master of hunting among us apprentices."

Silverpaw scoffed. "Maybe before, but certainly not anymore. Toadpaw greatly surpasses me."

"Only when he's paying attention," Lichenpaw's tone was quiet, as usual, but her smile was broad.