Warrior Cats: Darkness Rising. (2/3)

Chapter 1

"Fernpaw? Fernpaw, wake up." Icefeather's soft voice woke up the sleeping gray apprentice. Fernpaw's emerald green eyes flickered open and she saw Icefeather standing less than a mouse-length away from her face. "What is it?" Fernpaw murmured, closing her eyes again. "We're going to assess you and your siblings today." Icefeather explained. Fernpaw's eyes flew open and she scrambled to her paws. "Is it today?" She asked, her voice high-pitched with excitement. Icefeather nodded and flicked a scrap of moss off her apprentice's ear. "Shut up! I'm trying to sleep." Badgerpaw grumbled. Icefeather wove herself between the sleeping cats until she came to the entrance. "The others are waiting outside." Icefeather mewed before pushing herself through it. Fernpaw took a deep breath. Hazelpaw's head popped out of her nest. "Good luck." She mewed. Fernpaw gave her a swift lick between the ears. "Thank you, Hazelpaw." She purred before trotting out of the entrance. Cold shot up her legs and into her body from her pads. She looked over the camp. Snow covered the dens and the clearing, and frost lay thickly over the stonewalls. It was halfway to sunhigh, and the camp was already going busy. Sparktail was stretching outside the nursery while her kits raced to the fresh-kill pile. Graystripe and Briarlight shared tongues outside the elders' den. Goldenpaw and Redpaw were in a conversation with Daisy, Brackenfur and Bramblestar beneath the highledge. Frogleap was carrying a small mouse to his mate, Rainsong, who lay outside the warriors' den, mewing something to her best friends, Leafheart and Sorrelstripe. Frogleap dropped it at Rainsong's paws before crouching beside her. Pigeonwing padded out of the den, yawning, before settling down beside Leafheart. Poppyfrost was leading her apprentice, Juniperpaw out for hunting. Foxpaw and Icepaw were tussling outside the apprentices' den, and Fernpaw stepped aside when they rolled past her in a tangle of paws and tails. A little more than two moons had passed since the trinity attacked her. A shiver ran through her. But to her relief, they hadn't caught a whiff of the Renegades' scent inside or near their borders. Timberpaw sat beside Oakpaw and Cloverpaw, all the apprentices fidgeting with excitement. Timberpaw towered above his siblings, and when he spoke, his deep voice rumbled in his throat. Cloverpaw was as lean and lithe as always, but she had grown taller. Oakpaw had grown bigger, but he wasn't as large as his brother. Muscles rippled under his brown pelt, and his yellow eyes blazed with indignation. Fernpaw's legs had grown the past two moons, but she was still smaller than all her siblings. Her emerald green eyes shone just as bright as the others'. "I'm so nervous." Cloverpaw squealed when Fernpaw bounded towards them. Timberpaw lashed his tail. "I can't wait!" He mewed excitedly. Then Oakpaw gasped. "Do you think Bramblestar will be watching us?" He asked, eyeing the leader who was talking to Icefeather, Sorrelstripe, Fernsong and Hollytuft. "Don't say that. If I know he'll be watching I'll never be able to concentrate." Timberpaw breathed. Every hair on Fernpaw's pelt tingled. "Wait, so if we pass our assessment, then will Bramblestar make us warriors today?" Fernpaw asked. Cloverpaw nodded. "Or at least I hope so." Then Oakpaw sprang to his paws. "There they come." He mewed. Fernpaw turned to see their mentors trotting towards them. Fernpaw shivered and she looked up at the sky. To her relief, the sky was clear with no clouds in sight, and the sun shone brightly. "So, what do we need to do?" Cloverpaw asked, wriggling her hindquarters. Icefeather let out a purr and mewed. "First, you'll be working in pairs." She mewed, flicking her tail. The four apprentices nodded eagerly and the Thunderclan medicine cat continued. "Cloverpaw, you'll be working with Fernpaw. Timberpaw and Oakpaw, you'll be hunting together." Fernsong explained, flexing his claws. "Then, after you caught at least one piece of prey, you'll split up." Sorrelstripe mewed. Fernpaw nodded and moved closer to Cloverpaw. "Where shall we hunt?" She asked. "You can decide. But remember, we'll be watching you, though you won't see us." Hollytuft added.

Fernpaw stalked quietly through the undergrowth, Cloverpaw on her tail. She whipped around when her sister let out a squeal. She had brushed past a bracken frond, and snow had showered over her. "You look like Cloudtail!" Fernpaw teased her, springing away as Cloverpaw shook out her fur. "I would attack you, but we're on our assessment, and I don't want to ruin it because I have an irresponsible sister." Cloverpaw mewed, a hint of teasing in her voice. Fernpaw let out a playful growl but controlled her frustration to leap at her sister. She thrust her nose into the air and opened her mouth. The scent of a rabbit hit the roof of her mouth. "Do you smell that?" Fernpaw whispered. Cloverpaw stopped abruptly and sniffed the air. After a moment she nodded and flicked her tail towards a bramble thicket. Fernpaw saw a white tail bobbing up and down. Then, a rabbit hopped out of the bushes. Cloverpaw looked back at Fernpaw before twitching her tail. Fernpaw instinctively knew what she meant and slipped away into the other direction. Cloverpaw dropped into a hunting crouch, slowly making her way across the snowy forest floor. Her eyes flickered from the rabbit to Fernpaw, who had taken position a couple of fox-lengths from behind it. Then, she let out a hiss and sprang forward. The rabbit took a skidding turn and bolted backwards, and leaped into Fernpaw's claws. Fernpaw bit the back of its neck and crunched down, and with the crack of bone, the rabbit fell still. She whipped around when Icefeather and Sorrelstripe stepped out of the undergrowth. "Good job." Icefeather praised them with a purr, and Sorrelstripe nodded in satisfaction. "It looks a bit scrawny, though." Fernpaw murmured, prodding the rabbit and flipping it over. "Every prey is a blessing from Starclan, and you should be happy you get any at all." Icefeather mewed, flicking her tail over Fernpaw's head. "Now, Fernpaw, I want you to go the Windclan border and see if you can find anything there." Her mentor mewed. Fernpaw flicked an ear before gripping up the rabbit and carrying it to the roots of a birch tree. She dug a shallow hole into the ground before pushing the grey creature into it and scraping the soil over it again.

Fernpaw trotted along the stream. She saw a Windclan patrol bolting after a large rabbit that streaked just ahead of them. Fernpaw recognized Swanfeather, the deputy of Windclan, with Snowstorm, Fawnpaw, Ravenwing, Crowfeather and Blackbrook at her heels. Fernpaw stopped and watched Blackbrook bolt ahead of them and fling herself at the rabbit. They rolled over, and Snowstorm leaped to them and they stopped struggling when he killed the rabbit with a swift bite to the back of the neck. Fernpaw waved her tail in greeting, and Ravenwing gave her a polite nod in return. Swanfeather trotted up to the bank of the stream. "Greetings, Fernpaw." She mewed. Fernpaw dipped her head. "Hello, Swanfeather." She then pointed at Blackbrook who was carrying the rabbit in her jaws. "I see that prey is running." Fernpaw purred. Swanfeather nodded. "Yes, and I hope it continues to do so." She murmured. Fernpaw pricked her ears. The easy-going she-cat looked a bit troubled and distracted. "I hope everything's alright in Windclan." Fernpaw mewed as casually as she could. "Huh, what?" Swanfeather mewed. So there was definitely something wrong in Windclan. "Nothing." Fernpaw mewed. "Have a good day, Swanfeather." She mewed before bounding away.

Fernpaw pricked her ears for the slightest sound of prey. Sunhigh was already past, and so far she had only managed to catch a couple of scrawny shrews. Then she heard fallen leaves rustling. She immediately dropped into a hunting crouch, as still as a rock, as she waited for the creature to come out of its hiding place. A tiny pink nose poked out from under one of the leaves, and a moment later a brown mouse emerged into the open. It scurried around for a moment, looking for a seed. Fernpaw took her chance and carefully placed each paw in front of the other before pouncing. She flattened the mouse to the ground, cutting off its squeal, and broke its spine. She whipped around when Icefeather dropped out of a tree. She padded towards her and lay her tail over her shoulders. "Ambermoon would be every bit as proud of you as I am." She purred, touching her grey ear with her pink nose. Fernpaw let out a purr of gratitude before picking up her mouse. "Did the others hunt well?" Fernpaw asked as they headed back towards camp. Icefeather shrugged. "I met Hollytuft as I followed you, and she said Oakpaw had hunted excellently." She mewed. Fernpaw felt a surge of pride for her brother. "But I don't know about Cloverpaw or Timberpaw." She mewed as Fernpaw dug up the shrews she had hunted previously that day. "They must still be hunting." Fernpaw murmured, rising back to her paws. "Timberpaw is always late anyways." She added, her mew muffled because of the three tails she held on to.