Warriors: Echo of Darkness

Chapter 3

I yawned and looked at my sister who was curled up beside my belly, "It's all my fault.. she has to go without Lunartail because of me."

I saw her ear flick and she opened a blue eye, "Morning brother, where's L- Oh right... I wished that it was just a nightmare.."

"I'm sorry Eve, don't worry I'll take care of us." I paused and looked at her. She was looked at the ground with her ears folded back, "Guess what? I had a dream about our father and brother!"

Eve perked up and looked at me, "What did they look like in your dream?"

"The weird thing is, I don't think it was a dream. Well it was but I felt as if they were real, we have a brother named Soul. Scourge is about the same size as mum was and his right paw is white." I purred.

My sister sat up, "Didn't mum say the Clan cats could speak with their dead ancestors sometimes? Maybe you can too!" 

I stood up against the branches and cringed. I felt a pain between my shoulder blades, "I-It was real."

Eve tilted her head, "Are you alright brother?"

"Yes I'm fine I think I slept wrong on a branch, let's try to go hunting." I said changing the subject. I let her out of the holly bush and we looked around. I saw a clutch of sparrows pecking at seeds below tree roots, "Wait here." I whispered.

I got into the hunter's crouch that Lunartail taught me and stalked forward. My eyes were locked onto the prey as I slowly crept closer and closer. I pounced at them but they flew away in a flurry of feathers, "Dangit!" I hissed and clawed a feather out of the air.

Eve trotted up beside me, "It's OK brother you'll get it eventually. Can I try the next one please? I'll try not to mess up."

I licked her ear and started to calm down, "Yeah sure, I make mistakes too you don't have to be perfect."

Eve smiled and looked around, "I don't see or scent anything, I'm going to keep going deeper."

I gave a nod of approval then followed her.Her pink collar stuck out from her fluffy brown fur. I looked down at my own collar, the badger's claw was still wedged in the metal ring. 

I noticed her ears prick up and I stopped. I scented the area, "What is that prey? I know it's some type of rodent."

Eve got into her hunters crouch then looked back at me looking for a reaction. I smiled and motioned my head forward. She turned around the started going forward. I saw a chipmunk nibbling on acorn under a large tree and chuckled. Her eyes were locked onto the rodent as she went closer. Wind ruffled through our fur, carrying our scent the opposite direction, "Hopefully this gives us the advantage."

She pounced on it and clamped a paw on it. She stuck her fangs into the small chipmunk then it was motionless. I ran out to her, "Good job! You finally caught something all by yourself!" I purred licking her ear.

"I was afraid I was going to miss. I barely smacked it with my paw." She admitted looking down sadly. I licked her cheek, "Hey don't be hard on yourself, that was amazing! I missed completely earlier."

She brightened up and put the chipmunk between us, "Well now we can ea-" She was cut off by a growl. I turned and saw a cat around seven moons old run at us with bristled fur and unsheathed claws. I shoved my sister behind me, "What do you want? We weren't doing anything wrong."

"That chipmunk was mine! It ran over the border and you caught it when I was trying to creep up on it!" the tom growled.

I narrowed my eyes, "Well if it was yours then you would have caught it. It's not finders keepers, it's killers keepers." I let out a growl and my claws slid out of their sheathes.