Warriors Super Edition: Mistpelt's Story

Chapter 3

It was in my sights now.

Just tail-lengths away was I think the plumpest mouse that I had seen in this barn so far. And as far as I knew, it still hadn't noticed me from where I stood just behind a pile of hay, positioned in the new hunting crouch that Barley had shown me just earlier.

And all I could do for the moment was wait for the right time to pounce. "...Now?" I whispered as quietly as I could.

I could hear Barley take a light pawstep behind me, and I then felt his breath on my back as he leaned his head forward. "No... wait just a moment..." He then whispered in reply.

I gave a quick, light nod.

And then I proceeded to wait a moment. "Now?"

I could tell Barley was now trying to suppress a purr of amusement. "Not quite yet, Mist."

I took a slow, deep breath, gave a silent lash of my tail, and then tried to adjust my hunting crouch. My fur then began to tingle with anticipation as I watched the mouse start to sniff at a piece of hay in front of it.

I found myself having to hold back an anxious whimper. "...Now?"

"You tell us, Mist," I then heard my mother whisper from my other side. "You know how far forward you'll need to leap to get to it."

I slightly shifted in my place, giving another nervous lash of my tail. I'm honestly not sure if I do know... "O-okay..." I breathed despite my uncertainty.

I then heard another quiet set of pawsteps, and I let myself feel slightly comforted as my father's scent flooded through my nostrils. "You can do it, Mist," he meowed simply.

I can do it.

I took one last deep breath and readjusted myself once again, continuing to watch the mouse ahead of me. It's distracted, and I think that it's just far enough away to where I can land on or next to it... I tried to convince myself. I can do it.

Then, without letting myself think any more about it, I decided to leap forward, my back legs pushing off of the ground and bringing me to be airborne for just a heartbeat before I reached out my front paws in an attempt to swipe at the mouse.

And unfortunately for me, while I'd judged distance fairly well, my claws only brushed the creature's fur, and it quickly began to run away.

I could only stand for a moment, my ears flicking as I watched it flee. Shoot!

But I then didn't waste another moment chasing after it, determined not to fail. However, it was well ahead of me, and I had absolutely no way to stop it.

At least, I thought that I didn't.

The mouse was only tail-lengths from escaping through the same entrance my parents and I had used to get into the barn for the first time. But next to that entrance was a stack of hay that was just tall enough for me to quickly climb up to.

So, without even being able to take a moment to hesitate, I leaped onto the hay bale, used my claws as a grip as I climbed up, made it to the top, and then leaped off of the side to intercept the mouse. Yes!

And sure enough, I landed right on top of the creature, and was easily able to use my little claws to swipe at its neck. Take that, you slowpoke!

I then watched, slightly surprised as it then fell limp. Sorry, though...

That surprise and slight guilt only lasted a heartbeat as it then processed all over again that I had just made my first ever catch.