Jaywatcher's Love [Old, DISCONTINUED]

∆ chapter 17 ∆

Jaywatcher padded back into camp, carrying a skinny lizard. She dropped the pitiful prey on the small pile.

Letting out a tiny growl, Jaywatcher padded towards the warrior's den.

It had been at least 6 moons since her warrior ceremony. She'd been so busy with her warrior duties, she rarely saw Leafpaw anymore.

Badgerheart had also given birth on the same night as her ceremony, and now the nursery was littered with four new kits: Dewkit, Violetkit, Mousekit and Toadkit.

Jaywatcher pricked her ears towards pawsteps padding towards her.

Silverpool and Marshpaw were padding into camp. Marshpaw trotted to Jaywatcher, his eyes shining.

"Jaypaw-ah, excuse me, Jaywatcher!" Marshpaw squealed. "Next half-moon, I'm getting my medicine cat name!"

Jaywatcher's heart nearly burst with pride. Marshpaw was the only one of her denmates from the nursery that was still an apprentice.

"That's amazing!" Jaywatcher purred. "You'll be a full medicine cat soon!"

Marshpaw's eyes sparkled with determination. "I'll do everything I need to before I become a medicine cat!"

Jaywatcher nodded at the tom, who bounded over to Silverpool, who greeted him with a tail wave as she limped into the medicine den.

Jaywatcher cringed at the medicine cat's wooden leg. That was the only reason the old she-cat ever became a medicine cat, because Silverpool lost her back leg to a snake bite.

As Silverpool and Marshpaw dissapeared into the medicine den, Jaywatcher began to groom her matted fur.

"Hey, Jaywatcher!" Blacktail's voice sounded from the entrance of camp.

Jaywatcher pricked her ears and lifted her head, seeing the black-furred tom bounding towards her.

"Hey Blacktail." She greeted him, looking back down to groom near her tail.

"Wanna go on a patrol? It'll be you, me, Cedarfall and Newtspeckle!" Blacktail asked, his tail waving to and fro behind him.

Jaywatcher hesitated before she stood, her eyes gleaming as she nodded. "Sure. Let's go."

Newtspeckle was waiting by the entrance when Blacktail and Jaywatcher reached him. The senior warrior nodded to the younger warriors and padded through the tunnel outside.

"Where's Cedarfall?" Blacktail wondered aloud. Jaywatcher just shrugged. Her and Cedarfall had distanced each other since he figured out her secret.

As if Blacktail had summoned the older warrior, Cedarfall slumped out of the warrior den. His ears flattened when he saw Jaywatcher.

Blacktail welcomed Cedarfall with a flick of his tail, and ran out to find Newtspeckle.

Cedarfall whisked last Jaywatcher with a low growl, his eyes blazing as he followed Blacktail out of camp.

Jaywatcher blinked. Who made dirt in his fresh kill? She snarled internally, picking up the pace and ducking through the tunnel.

The sounds of pitiful-sounding birds hit her ears as Jaywatcher caught up with Newtspeckle, Blacktail and Cedarfall.

"So." Blacktail whispered. "Where do we hunt first?"

Newtspeckle pondered the question as Jaywatcher and Cedarfall shrugged in unison. "Perhaps we'll hunt in pairs." The older warrior suggested.

Jaywatcher nodded. Hunting in pairs could work. They'd bring back more prey, especially during leaf-bare.

"I think that's reasonable." Cedarfall mewed. "Can I go with you, Newtspeckle?"

Blacktail's tail lifted a little. "Me and Jaywatcher can go together. We'll go towards Fourtrees!"

Jaywatcher felt a stab of relief. She didn't have to be stuck with Cedarfall for hunting. "Alright." She agreed with her denmate. "Let's go."

Her and Blacktail padded through the thick snow, their ears and noses pricked for prey sounds and scents.

Jaywatcher stopped, putting her tail infront of Blacktail to stop him as well. "Shush. I hear something."

She scanned the forest. A raven was pecking at the snowy ground, completely unaware it would become a part of the fresh-kill pile in the ShadowClan camp.

Jaywatcher crouched down, her haunches waving as she crept forwards. Thinking of the skills that Leafpaw had taught her, Jaywatcher lunged at the raven from one side.

The bird let out an alarming call and fluttered up, but didn't get high enough.

Jaywatcher leapt up as high as she could, claws out, and grabbed the raven by the wings. The bird let out another alarming call before both the raven and Jaywatcher thumped to the ground.

Jaywatcher snagged her teeth into the birds neck, killing it. The raven fell limp, and Jaywatcher looked up at an anstonished Blacktail.

"Woah!" Blacktail squeaked lightly. "How'd you do that? Did Rowantail teach you that?"

Jaywatcher felt hot beneath her pelt, despite the chilly breeze around her. "Um.." she stuttered.

"Eh, whatever you did, we got prey!" Blacktail purred, padding back. "I scented a mouse while you caught that bird, so I need to get that if I can!"

Blacktail dissapeared into a leafless bush, leaving Jaywatcher alone in the forest.

Thank StarClan Blacktail didn't question anything! She sighed.

Jaywatcher let out a little purr as a familiar scent passed over her. Leafpaw.

She looked back, and saw Leafpaw, Dovecall and Bloompetal passing by on the ThunderClan side of Fourtrees.

Leafpaw gave Jaywatcher a friendly glance before the ThunderClan patrol padded farther away.

The ShadowClan she-cat grabbed her raven, and Jaywatcher ran back to her own hunting patrol, where Cedarfall and Newtspeckle were waiting.

Cedarfall's green eyes widened. "Jaywatcher?" He asked. "Is that a bird? Did Rowantail teach you how to hunt those?"

His eyes betrayed his words. Jaywatcher knew that Cedarfall knew that Leafpaw had taught her to hunt birds.

"Yeah..." Jaywatcher mumbled, her voice blocked by feathers.

Newtspeckle nodded approvingly. "Very good, Jaywatcher." He praised.

Jaywatcher's heart lifted as they headed back in the detection for camp. Blacktail had caught up with a skinny mouse.

Blacktail gave Jaywatcher a friendly glance as he went to talk with Sageleaf for patrols, Jaywatcher assumed.

"Jaywatcher?" A voice called. Redstar was beckoning for her from his den entrance.

The ShadowClan leader's eyes said nothing. "I'd like to talk with you...please."