THE DARK MATTER | Book One: Stained Trails

chapter eight

CLOUDPAW HAD A LONG DAY OF TRAINING WITH SANDNETTLE. The tom was an excellent mentor, patient with Cloudpaw's clumsiness at time and her grogginess when it came to break of dawn training. She had her first patrol earlier with him, Riverfrost, and Stormyheart, the tom teaching her the border and the landmarks of it while they were out. He showed her the Stone Pools, a collection of large stone with little streams dripping through them ending in pools around it all right on the border.

On the way back, Sandnettle insisted Riverfrost and Stormyheart go on without them so they could start some battle training. Cloudpaw learned some simple swipes and pins and though she didn't master them by the end at least Sandnettle's enthusiasm with her improvement was enough for her to wave off her exhaustion then.

Now back in the apprentice den as moonlight shone into the camp, Cloudpaw found the exhaustion battering her right into her nest. She had curled up in her nest before any of the other apprentices settled in for the night. She lay with her chin rested on her paws and tail wrapped snugly around herself. Through all of her attempts though, sleep didn't quite catch a full grasp of her, the apprentice awake enough to hear the others shuffle into the den and settle down. She even at some point heard Oatpaw stand right before her, the tom bending down to sniff her ears as if she ensure she were alive until Mousepaw scolded him to leave her alone.

For what felt like moons of trying to sleep, Cloudpaw even when still feeling the exhaustion numb her limbs and heavy her face, couldn't reach her dreams and everything was a still, sometimes scene-blurred black by her shut eyes. Even as the other apprentices lay to sleep, she was still awake even in the quiet of it all. She grunted under her breath in disapproval, eventually giving in and opening her eyes.

She nearly jumped out of her pelt when her eyes opened to reveal Mudpaw standing right in front of her, the tom bending over in attempts to match her eye-level. "Cloudpaw?"

"Mudpaw? Were you watching me sleep?" Cloudpaw scoffed at her friend.

The tom shook his head and replied with an awkward chortle. "No, no, on our ancestors I wasn't. I was just trying to see if you were awake."

Cloudpaw's ears twitched and her head ached at his words. She wished she was asleep. "Well, I am wide awake just to your luck," she snorted. "What's up?"

"I didn't get to train today or even go on any patrols. I spent all day picking Fernstep's ticks because Doebounce would rather spend her day with Nightfang," Mudpaw grumbled in annoyance. "So since you're awake, do you think you'd like to go hunting with me?"

Cloudpaw blinked at her friend, one of her ears falling to the side with her head. "It's late, Mudpaw. Talonstar would lose his mind if he heard we went out without our mentors."

"Hey, it'll be leafbare in a moons time and heavy snow is always unpredictable around here. You've heard the stories about the cruel leafbares, haven't you?" Mudpaw asked, continuing on after he earned a curt nod from Cloudpaw. "If we prove ourselves worthy hunters, we'll be able to hunt and keep cats fed if that ever happens again. Plus, no cat will know. You know we haven't had guards sit out in the clearing since before we were born. If we think camp is that safe at night, outside will be just as safe."

The gray pointed she-cat rolled her eyes and stood to address her friends. "I don't think that logic is very good, but you are kinda right. If I get in trouble though, I'm putting all the blame on you."

He grinned. "Deal."

She rolled her eyes and shuffled past him, careful not to awake the other apprentices. Cloudpaw peered over her shoulder to ensure Oatpaw, Mousepaw, and Flickerpaw were still sound asleep as they all were, Oatpaw's very obvious through his obnoxious clamor of snores. Mudpaw joined here instantly as they padded out of the den, scanning the clearing cautiously.