Warrior Cats: Darkness Rising. (2/3)

Chapter 16

Oakshade padded along the Windclan border. He was leading the hunting patrol. Foxpaw, Spiderpaw, Pigeonwing, Dewnose, Berrynose, Honeyleaf and Sorrelstripe followed him. "Can you smell anything?" Pigeonwing asked his apprentice. Foxpaw took in a deep breath. "Stale rabbit, stale fox, a couple of mice have crossed here and fresh leaves." He ended with a purr. "Very good." Honeyleaf purred, padding up to them. Pigeonwing dipped his head. "Yes, it won't be long until Foxpaw, Icepaw and Hazelpaw will be made apprentices." Sorrelstripe mewed. While the cats chattered, Oakshade's eyes slid to the roots of a birch tree, where something shuffled around under a pile of fallen leaves. He waved his tail, and the cats fell quiet at once. He dropped into a hunting crouch, his tail sticking straight out behind him. Then, a tiny pink nose appeared, wrinkling and sniffing. And a moment later, a brown mouse appeared. Oakshade wriggled his haunches before shooting forward. He grabbed the mouse between his sharp claws before lunging at it and killing it with a quick nip at the spine, breaking it. "Good job." Berrynose murmured as he gave his ear a quick scratch.

When they returned to camp, rain had started to fall. It soaked the forest, and the clearing was already littered with puddles. The dead leaves felt rotten and slimy underpaw. "I'm freezing." Spiderpaw mewed, his teeth clattering. He had managed to catch a small rabbit with help from Sorrelstripe. Oakshade flicked his tail over his ears before dropping his mouse on the fresh-kill pile. "Take some prey to the elders, and then you can rest for the rest of the day." Oakshade mewed. "Thanks, Oakshade." Spiderpaw purred before grabbing the rabbit again and then haring over to the elders' den, spraying up water. Frogleap was trotting from the nursery, and Oakshade guessed that he'd been visiting his kits, Adderkit and Dewkit. Fernleaf, Sootfall and Coalfrost were patching up the nursery with brambles, shivering with cold. Their pelts were soaked. Oakshade hurried to the warriors' den and pushed himself inside. He prodded Fernsong, Flamingheart and Hollytuft awake. "Hey, can you go and relieve Coalfrost, Sootfall and Fernleaf? They've been patching the nursery since before sunhigh." He mewed. Hollytuft got to her paws and yawned and flicked her tail at Flamingheart and Fernsong. "Come on, sleepyheads, let's go." She mewed before padding out of the warriors' den. Oakshade sank into his own nest when the three cats had left, and almost immediately, sleep washed over him like a giant, black wave. The sun was sinking behind the treetops by the time he woke, and the rain had eased, only a slight drizzle showering over the forest. Bramblestar sat on the highledge, talking to Icefeather. Foxpaw and Icepaw were tussling outside the apprentices' den while Hazelpaw was lapping up the groggy water. Hailpaw, Squirrelpaw and Littlepaw were following Sparktail, Mousewhisker, Flashheart and Smokeheart out of camp. Oakshade shook his pelt before settling down outside the den. He gave his chest a few licks before standing up again. Willowfern padded out of the warriors' den. "Hello, Oakshade." She murmured as she stretched. Oakshade dipped his head. "Willowfern." He mewed. "I promised Hazelpaw that we'd go to the training hollow later today, do you and Spiderpaw want to come with us?" Oakshade shrugged. "Sure." He murmured.

Oakshade crouched a couple of fox-lengths away from Willowfern, his tail lashing in challenge. Then, the cream she-cat hurtled towards him. He reared up, spun and then landed on all four paws again. Willowfern sprang to her own paws and as she lunged at him again, he lashed out with his hind paws, and hit her under the chin and sent her flying back. "Wow!" Hazelpaw breathed as Willowfern got to her paws again. She shook water out of her pelt. "Do you want us to show you the move again or do you want to try it yourselves now?" Oakshade asked, turning his head to the two apprentices. "What do you think, Spiderpaw?" Hazelpaw asked. "I think we can try it now." He mewed as he bounded away. "Okay, Spiderpaw, you'll be the attacker." Willowfern mewed as she sat down. "Did I go too hard on you?" Oakshade asked, teasing her. Willowfern glared at her. "You wish." She mewed, her whiskers twitching, and Oakshade purred in amusement. "You ready?" Spiderpaw asked. Hazelpaw nodded. "You bet!" She mewed, wriggling her hindquarters. Spiderpaw struck his tail into the air before bolting at the grey and white she-cat. She reared up, but as she spun, she lost her balance and fell. Spiderpaw skidded to halt, but because of the wet, slippery ground, he lost his footing and fell with a squeal. Oakshade snorted, half annoyed, half amused. "That was pathetic but hilarious." He purred. "Again." He mewed. "It's good to train when it's wet because that makes you ready for anything." He added as he sat down again. "Oh, and, Hazelpaw, when spinning, use your tail for balance." Willowfern mewed before stepping away and sitting down beside Oakshade. Spiderpaw wriggled his hindquarters before letting out a yowl and charging towards Hazelpaw. She reared up, her tail sticking out behind her. Then she landed on all four paws again, looked back and waited for a heartbeat as Spiderpaw skidded to halt and whip around and lunge at her again. Hazelpaw then kicked out with her hind legs and sent the tall black tom flying back. He landed with a soft thump and scrambled to his paws again. "Great job." Willowfern praised her apprentice. "Can Hazelpaw run at me now?" Spiderpaw asked, shuffling from a paw to paw. Oakshade thought for a moment. He was smaller than Hazelpaw, but he didn't need weight or size for this move, only strength in his back legs and speed when spinning. "Sure." Oakshade then mewed. Spiderpaw gave a little bounce in excitement before bounding a few fox-lengths away. "Remember, Spiderpaw. She's a bigger than you so use the strength in your hind legs and speed when spinning." He pointed out to his apprentice. Spiderpaw nodded briefly before gazing back at Hazelpaw. She dropped into an attack crouch. "Ready?" Hazelpaw asked. "I was born ready!" Spiderpaw hissed playfully. Then, Hazelpaw sprang forward, her paws thumping on the ground as she pelted towards the younger appr-entice. Spiderpaw reared up when she was only a fox-length away, then spun around, landed on his paws and lashed out with his hind legs ad caught Hazelpaw under the chin. Oakshade was impressed on how fast he mastered the move. Only in one try! Hazelpaw scrambled in her paws. "Impressive." Willowfern mewed. "Thanks!" Spiderpaw mewed, bouncing up and down.

Oakshade stretched in his nest. Icefeather had assigned him on a hunting patrol. He stretched his jaws wide in a yawn and thrust his head out into the open. Watery sunlight was gleaming through the clouds. Outside the warriors' den, Leafheart and Pigeonwing were sharing tongues with Dewnose, Coalfrost and Dovewing drowsing in the sunlight nearby. The kits were playing at the entrance of the den with the queens looking on while chattering like a nest of starlings. Otherwise, everything was quiet and Oakshade guesses that most cats were either sleeping in their dens or out in the forest. He pricked his ears as his belly rumbled. "Sounds like someone's hungry." Pigeonwing remarked, glancing at him with amusement sparking from his eyes. Oakshade purred and flicked his ears with his tail before heading for the fresh-kill pile. Passing the apprentices' den, he picked up a couple of unexpected scents. "Now what's going on?" He wondered irritably. He padded across to the den, his head popped into the entrance. He could hear muffled whispering and rustling among the moss and bracken of the apprentices' nests. "Adderkit, Dewkit, come out of here!" He growled. "You're not apprentices yet." For a moment, everything was quiet until one of the nests rustled and Dewkit and Adderkit scampered out of the den, weaving around Oakshade's paws, stifling squeals of laughter as they shook scraps of moss from their pelts. "We were only looking!" Dewkit protested. "Yeah, we'll be apprentices any down now, so we want to choose good places for our new nests." Oakshade rolled his eyes. How old were they? Like, a moon? "In your dreams, kits. You won't be apprentices for a while longer." He snorted, not knowing whether to be frustrated or amused. "Now go to your mother, I'm sure she's frantic over you." He told them, nosing them towards the nursery, ignoring their protests. But just as might be expected, Rainsong was snoring beside Cloverpool and Junipercloud. Responsible, huh? He twitched his whiskers in amusement as Dewkit and Adderkit glared at him before scurrying towards their mother.