Warrior cats: Abandoned Moors

Chapter One

A brusque wind rolled from the beach and rippled the rain-kissed tussocks that made up the cold moor. Meadowpaw had not felt warmth in a long time, it was only in rare occasions when the moor got to higher than twenty degrees. Else she would have a lustrous coat of long hair. 

She gazed across the shifting moorland, a sea of heather rose up to meet the sky, dotted with gorse, bright against the dove-gray sky. Where she was standing on the hillock, it made it seem as if she was standing at the top of the world. Beyond that, the storm-colored oceanwater would be churning back and forth in pulling waves that could sweep away a cat with just one bat of the frothing white tips. 

"Get on with it, Moori!" A loud mew cut into her thoughts, Meadowpaw blinked and spotted a gray tom, Wolfcall, below her. "You're supposed to be practicing hunting birds! It's supposed to be easy!" Hot with embarrassment, Meadowpaw began to regain focus. Suddenly, a lapwing drove its way below, fighting its way against the wind with its wings. Meadowpaw dropped into a crouch as the gale made it dive just above the hill. Without hesitation, she leaped forward and caught the lapwing's tail with her claw. The lapwing let out its loud call and began pecking at her paw. 

"Ow!" Alarmed, she jerked her arm away. Wolfcall hissed with frustration and ran over to her. "You fur-for-brains. Don't you think? That lapwing could have been yours if you weren't so cowardly!" His piercing yellow eyes were blazing with anger. Meadowpaw winced at her mentor's scolding. 

"Go easy on her," a defensive mew resounded from a lichen-blotched rock that stuck out like a rotting fang. Wolfcall whipped back to meet the voice, "you're always so soft brother, she needs to learn, not be spoiled like a precious apple." 

Parsleyshine's striking orange pelt appeared from the boulder, eyes shimmering with amusement, Seapaw at his tail, "and you've always been too rough on your Clanmates." Wolfcall's pupils went to angry slits. "We all know she's...a slow-learner. You can't deny that." Meadowpaw growled under her breath. I never had a mother to teach me! She tried making excuse after excuse just to defend herself from her judgmental Clanmates. 

Meadowpaw knew the sometimes overly-kind tomcat didn't want to say it, but he agreed with his brother. Seapaw cast a sympathetic glance toward the calico trainer, "I struggled in medicine-cat training for a while. You'll sure get the hang of warrior-apprentice training." 

Meadowpaw huffed. He doesn't know what it's like, being constantly undermined and called dumb just because I don't learn properly. Seapaw has been nothing but praised! She turned and strode off while Wolfcall and Parsleyshine were arguing. "Moori, wait! I was just trying to help, don't go. Our mentors will certainly get you in trouble." Cats were called by their nicknames in MistedClan, Meadowpaw was usually called Moori, and Seapaw was called Salty. Parsleyshine was called Spotty, and Wolfcall was just Wolf. 

I don't care. Meadowpaw strode ahead of Seapaw. Why should they get praised? Why isn't it me?  All she cared about was her paws moving lightly over the moor, the wind blasting her pelt, and the anger in her aching eyes, the gale was making an impact on the land, not a good one, either. She halted as she caught a scent.

WhirlpoolClan. The opposing Clan was on the moor! They were drinking from puddles! Meadowpaw found her chance to prove herself, as Lionfang and Willowbranch gazed up at her, Meadowpaw yowled, "this isn't your territory! Get out!" Willowbranch lifted her head. "How the tables have turned. You are on our territory, small-paws. Leave before I tear your fur off."  

Meadowpaw stood her ground. This is the only thing I can do to prove myself, she thought, flexing her claws. "Go," it was Lionfang that threatened her, he wasn't old, but he was large and muscular with thick hair and long claws capable of leaving deep wounds. She turned tail and fled, disappointed in herself. Why didn't she think? This was WhirlpoolClan's territory, it was their side of the moor to drink water other than salty water. 

"Moori!" Wolfcall was calling her name, Meadowpaw sighed, and tried to shake the WhirlpoolClan-scent off her, then padded forth, where Wolfcall was. "Don't you know how risky it is to go away? You could have been killed!"

Meadowpaw spat under her breath. "You wouldn't care." 

Wolfcall grunted with frustration. "Let's just...get back to camp. You are incapable of learning anything." Meadowpaw began to talk down on herself. I am incapable. It's not happening. I'm not learning anything! Why? Snowstreak, I'm sure, would have taught me these things. Snowstreak was her mother, who had died after she was born. Foxpaw, her older sister, looked after her in young apprenticeship while Seapaw and Houndleap became her foster siblings, Whitefur, her foster mother.

Parsleyshine led the way out of the moor and squeezed through the entrance, and Meadowpaw prepared for the worst. Wolfcall did not like it when his apprentice failed, and he'd give them a rough confrontation for being a failure. Even if it was out of their control.