City of Polaris (Warriors, Book 1)

Chapter 4

A moon had passed since the next Gathering. Three kits was born from Violetleaf, Sandkit, Willowkit, and Firekit. Ravenpaw would normally not like kits, but Firekit was a little ginger she-kit who shared her interest. Willowkit was a boring, blue-ish she-kit who never hung out with anyone. And Sandkit, was a moony lunatic tom-kit who never did anything useful.

After a normal, boring day of hunting practice, Ravenpaw sat on her moss bed, wolfing down on a tiny rabbit.

She tore off a tiny strip of it, gulped it down, and continued to keep doing that until the entire rabbit was nothing more than a pile of white bones. She scooped them up, then, her paws beating the ground, she trotted across the clearing to a spot under a bush. She unsheathed her claws. Ravenpaw crouched down, then started to use her sharp claws to dig a hole. When she was finished, she dropped the bones in like dirt and put the soil back over the bones like a mother tucking in her kit.

"I don't see why I have to do this," Ravenpaw grumbled to herself. "StarClan isn't evil real. Its just a rabbit."

Suddenly, a familiar scent drifted into her nose. Orrg, great. Ravenpaw thought.

"Ravenpaw? What was that about StarClan?"

Ravenpaw whipped around to face Boldyowl. Judging by his sarcastic yet angry tone, he sounded pretty angry and disappointed. "Nothing." Ravenpaw growled at him, then took a step forward.

Boldyowl hissed. "Stop."

"What?" Ravenpaw snapped, turning back around.

"Because of your disrespect to StarClan in that moment," Boldyowl growled. Ravenpaw hissed as dust tickled her pelt. Boldyowl must've kicked some up with dust with his tail. "You will now have to go with me to go hunting again. Which I know you love," He added sarcastically.

Ravenpaw spat at him. "No way! What about fighting?"

"You've already learned everything to know about fighting. You're a more ferocious apprentice than most," Boldyowl admitted, with a tone of anger in his voice. "Now come on."

"FINE!" Ravenpaw growled, following Boldyowl's drifting scent.

She heard Boldyowl snort angrily; she couldn't exactly blame him but she was too annoyed to argue. Over a rabbit! Her mind pointed out.

Ravenpaw followed Boldyowl out to their usual training place; the sandy area with no grass but a tiny log and a few ferns growing out of it. She heard the thump of Boldyowl's paws as he sat down on the sandy ground. "Alright," He started. "Show me your hunting crouch. It better be good," He added ruthefully.

Ravenpaw dropped into a crouch, her shoulders down. She lifted her belly slightly so it wouldn't brush the ground, the same with her tail.

"Hrm." Muttered Boldyowl. "Not bad."

A snapping twig caught her attention. The warm scent of rabbit drifted into her scent glands, and she followed its scent, creeping forward as silently as she could. She felt tall stalks of fresh grass brush her pelt as she crept closer and closer. Ravenpaw could almost hear Boldyowl's approval when she caught the rabb-

A huge onslaught of paw steps shook the earth. The rabbit must've scurried away.

"Boldyowl!" Called Ravenpaw. "Whats go-"

She was interrupted by a lot of yowls, and one crystal clear, louder and fiercer than the others: "RiverClan, attack!"

Ravenpaw immediatly charged towards camp, her fur bristling. She heard yowls of fury and suprise coming from the WindClan cats. A shriek of fear, much louder than the others rung through the clearing. Deadhare!

The air around the elder was filled with fear scent, and much RiverClan. There must've been at least three RiverClan cats attacking the elder. Ravenpaw glanced at the elder with her blind eyes, knowing exactly where he was. "Ravenpaw!" Deadhare suddenly screamed. His yowl had no disgust in it, just desperation. "HELP ME!"

Ravenpaw just flicked her tail. She didn't care about Deadhare. He never liked her. She was about to run off to fight someone when a heavy shape rammed into her.

Yowling, Ravenpaw leapt at the cat. She nipped the enemy warrior fiercly, then spun around and nipped him again, each time more and more ferocious. This is an old cat, Ravenpaw thought, judging by how the cat was fighting. I can beat him- no, kill him easily.

She and the warrior wrestled furiously, apprentice and warrior. Her claws hook his tangled up lumps of fur, and even managed to pull some of it out.

The warrior yelped and struggled away.

And that was all the time Ravenpaw needed.

She dove, twisted, and slid underneath his belly. She unsheathed her claws, dug one into the warrior's neck, then continued sliding, her claw raking the soft belly fur until she slid out into the open, blood soaking her paws. She heard a thump behind her.

She had killed again.

Ravenpaw darted off, not yet satisfied. She sniffed the air until she smelled a lone RiverClan cat, possibly looking for another cat to battle. She immediatly crouched down in the STALKING CROUCH not the HUNTING CROUCH because there is definetly a difference, as Boldyowl had said.

When she was sure the RiverClan cat didn't see her, she lashed out with her hind paws, kicking them in the rear end. The RiverClan cat yelped and struggled away. Ravenpaw knew from the snarl they had released from their jaws they were now facing her.

The warrior leapt at Ravenpaw. She could've easily killed him there, but she decided to make this more fun. As the warrior jumped, she fastened herself onto his back. Her claws dug deep, making the warrior squeal like a kit. Now this was the best chance Ravenpaw had. To show this warrior she wasn't just an apprentice.

"What, sad your mommy ain't here to save you?" Mocked Ravenpaw.

The warrior spat at her. "Says you! Your mother is probably dead, getting stomped on! And YOU would join her, if killing weren't against the code!"

Ravenpaw quickly adjusted her grip. She drew back her lip, preparing to sink her teeth into the neck for a killing bite. But the warrior twisted, and instead Ravenpaw's teeth met the shoulder. Gosh damn it. However, the squealing from the warrior told her she had found a tender spot and she bit harder.

"AaaaAAaaah!" Screeched the warrior. He shook her off, then charged away, judging by how his scent drifted away quickly.

Ravenpaw gave chase.

As she beat her paws against the ground, she rammed into someone. She hissed, bristling, then recognized the scent of her mentor. "He's been beaten," Boldyowl said sternly. Then, he added, "Well done."

Hah, Ravenpaw thought, snorting. I'm a better fighting than he'll ev-

A yowl, angry and desperate broke through her thoughts like a fox breaking silence. "RiverClan!" The yowl said. Ravenpaw recongized the scent of Woodheart, the Clan deputy. She had remembered his scent at the Gathering. "Retreat, RiverClan!"

As Ravenpaw puffed up her chest in triump, a mew of sadness and shock bit through the air.

"Deadhare! He's dead!"