Darkstar's Wrath - A Faith's Journey Super Edition

Chapter 42

"Darkblood, you and Wolfblaze will be sent out hunting this morning. You will catch and bring back what prey you can find by sunhigh today." Stormhawk announced to the gathered circle of warriors.

"Just the two of us?" Wolfblaze asked, angling his head.

"Yes." Stormhawk replied. He turned his attention toward Darkblood, his eyes narrowing. "See if you can't mess this up."

Darkblood met the deputy's gaze. "I'm not all that you think I am." He growled.

Stormhawk looked at him for a tense moment, before turning back to the rest of the cats. "Get on with it then." He flicked his tail.

Darkblood watched the deputy for a moment, before he turned away and headed for the camp boundary, with Wolfblaze padding after him.

With everything that had happened in such a short time six moons ago, Darkblood found it hard to accept sometimes that there was still something normal on the other side of it all.

The normal it seemed was hunting with your best friend for your clanmates.

He pushed the thought away as they reached the entrance to camp. Glancing over his shoulder, he noticed Wolfblaze lashing his tail back and forth.

"Wolfblaze?" He asked, and his friend looked at him.

"Yeah?"

Darkblood looked Wolfblaze up and down.

Wolfblaze sighed, relaxing himself. 

"It's hard when cats treat you like that. That's all."

"Maybe I'm cursed." He said, remembering his conversation with Firefox.

"Why would StarClan do that to a cat?" Wolfblaze questioned.

He came up to Darkblood's side, his pelt brushing against his.

"I know we haven't gotten to see a lot of each other but I'm here."

Darkblood turned and met his friend's gaze. "Like when we were apprentices?" He asked.

Wolfblaze cracked a rare smile. "I'd like to think that I've grown past that."

Darkblood returned a small smile, it was getting easier some days.

Wolfblaze shook his head, a small laugh coming from him.

"Come on, let's get to hunting." He led the way through the camp boundary with Darkblood following.

Darkblood flattened himself against the ground, the grass beneath him brushing against his under-fur.

Drawing himself forward, pawstep by pawstep, Darkblood slowly approached a small chipmunk. Readying himself, he shot forward with a paw outstretched. Catching the prey off-guard, Darkblood pulled it towards him and gave it a swift bite to the neck.

"Nice catch!" Wolfblaze meowed behind him.

Darkblood turned his head, the chipmunk clamped between his jaws. Wolfblaze looked at him, a mouse deposited at his paws.

He sent Wolfblaze a nod before padding over to drop his catch alongside Wolfblaze's, after which they continued hunting.

Both warriors pushed their way through the camp entrance. Darkblood and Wolfblaze walked over to the prey pile, leaving their day's catches there. There were some warriors out in the open, with Mistberry sitting outside of the nursery with her two kits, and Sagetalon close by.

"Let's all of FoxClan gather here for this meeting!" Adderstar announced, from where he sat on the Meeting Rock near his den.

With a glance at Wolfblaze, Darkblood padded over to where the other cats were gathering.

"What do you think this is about?" Wolfblaze asked, as the two of them sat down amongst their clanmates.

Darkblood shrugged, and out of the corner of his eye, he watched as Mistberry and Sagetalon approached with their two kits, Stonekit and Sunkit.

"Maybe something to do with Mistberry?" He suggested.

Wolfblaze nodded along in response.

"It's no surprise to any of us that FoxClan has had a shortage of apprentices for quite some time. That all changes today." Adderstar addressed his clan, with a glance in the kits' direction. "Would Stonekit and Sunkit, kits of Sagetalon and Mistberry, please come forward?"

The two kits looked at each other, then at their parents, who nodded.

When Stonekit and Sunkit came to stop at the base of the Meeting Rock, Adderstar continued, sitting tall for his clan.

"Both Stonekit and Sunkit have reached the age of six moons and they are now ready to begin their training as apprentices of FoxClan. With some thought and input, I have decided on their mentors. These two cats have worked to serve their clan to the fullest, in both times of need and times of not. Would both Wolfblaze and Darkblood come forward to receive this honor?"

Darkblood froze where he was, his eyes widening at his leader.

Wolfblaze got to his paws beside him and when he began to approach the kits, Darkblood rose to his paws to follow. As he wove through the clanmates that surrounded him, Darkblood felt his heart beat faster in his chest, the closer he neared to the Meeting Rock. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Stormhawk looking dumbfounded from where he sat beside his leader on the ground.

"I can think of no other cats better suited to train these two kits. Stonekit, from this moment on until you become a warrior, you will be known as Stonepaw. Your mentor will be Wolfblaze. Wolfblaze, may you use your compassion to train your apprentice to the best of your abilities. You may touch noses with Stonepaw." Adderstar said.

Wolfblaze slowly approached his new apprentice, from where he was beside Darkblood. He reached out his muzzle to the gray furred, green eyed, young tom in front of him. Stonepaw leaned forward, touching his nose to Wolfblaze's.

"And Sunkit, from this moment on until you become a warrior, you will be known as Sunpaw. Your mentor will be Darkblood." Adderstar lowered his gaze to look Darkblood in the eye. "May you, Darkblood, use your strength and your experience to train Sunpaw into a warrior of FoxClan, like Crimsonclaw did for you."

After a moment, Darkblood turned to look for his new apprentice. The light yellow she-cat was padding over to him, her blue eyes looking bright. Darkblood came slowly to meet her.

"So I guess you're my mentor?" She asked hopefully, a smile on her face. Almost as if it wasn't him, Darkblood nodded. His heart was racing in his chest, and his mind was filling with memories.

Sunpaw stretched upward, and Darkblood leaned forward, closing his amber eyes against her muzzle. As he did so, all he could see were the faces of Pinepaw and Silverpaw in his mind, memories of them clawing at his heart.