Friends Or Foes? Warriors: The Wild

Chapter 8

The patrol padded into the forest in silence for a while. Shadowstrike leading, Oakpaw behind her, then Silverpaw, and Owltalon bringing up the rear. Silverpaws paws itched with excitement she finally was able to hunt. Shadowstrike said she could practice battle moves after she rested a little bit when they got back to. After last nights strange dream she could use some regular things. Her mind started to drift to last nights dream 'Applepelt...'. All the bloodshed she had saw... the fire.. everything. There had to be a good reason for it all that they wouldn't fight over something totally mouse brained would they? She was snapped out of her train out of thought when she felt something touch her shoulder. It was Owltalon who put his tail on her shoulder "You must be nervous" he said in a whisper. Silverpaw smiled a bit she wished she could tell her older brother all her troubles but it would be no use he wouldn't understand. She nodded "A little bit" she whispered lowly so only Owltalon can hear her. Owltalon brushed his tail across her flank "Don't worry you'll do fine" he purred. She nodded "Thanks Owltalon" she said. Owltalon added "By the way I had to convince Shadowstrike to somehow let me and Oakpaw come along so try your best" before Shadowstrike had stopped. "We will try hunting over there" she declared in a whisper pointing her tail to a bush of ferns that seemed to be good cover for her considering her silver fur. She whispered one final thing to brother before bounding off "I will try my best and show you and your mate what I can do" She said padding off after Shadowstrike before Owltalon could get a word out about her calling Shadowstrike his mate. She had always teased the tom about the she cat since she was in the nursery and noticed him always looking at the she cat sometimes. Who knows he may end up with the she cat. Silverpaw stopped beside the she cat under the fern that gave them pretty good cover. "We will start with the hunters crounch" Shadowstrike said gently. Her mentor lowered her body to the ground to where her under belly was brushing against the ground then stuck her tail straight ahead and her hind legs ready to leap and her front paws ready to pounce. Silverpaw mimicked her mentors position. She had practiced her hunters crouch a few times in the nursery so she knew it pretty good. "Good" she said and then locked her eyes on something on a tree root sticking out of the ground a few foxlengths away. Silverpaw looked where her mentor was looking now getting what she was looking at it was a mouse perched on the root eating a hazelnut. "When catching a mouse you have to be light on your paws. Its probably best to slide toward it so it'll be more easy to not get detected. Then you have to kill it with a sharp nip to the neck or with your claws" Shadowstrike whispered to her. Silverpaw nodded soaking in all the information forgetting about all her earlier worries. "Ok so now I want you to try it" She finally said looking at the mouse. Silverpaw let out a small sigh and looked toward where they left Oakpaw and Owltalon but they weren't there anymore. 'They're probably watching us somewhere in the trees' she thought backing away lightly and going around the bush and trees. She started to slide slightly towards the mouse quietly 'It didn't notice me yet so I must be doing ok'. She was only a few paw steps away from the mouse she accidentally stepped on a twig. Hearing the snap of the twig the mouses ears shot up and it dashed towards its hole. Silverpaw quickly dashed after it and swiped at the mouse with her front paws missing just barely as it rushed into its hole. Silverpaw let out a defeated sigh as Shadowstrike padded out of the fern bush. "You almost had it but you have to beware not to step on any branches or sticks" She said eyeing the apprentice. She heard paws steps behind her and looked back to see Owltalon padding up to them and Oakpaw climbing down a tree behind them "Nice try" her brother said mmrowing with laughter a bit. She could hear Oakpaw doing the same behind him. She looked at her paws not looking up "Don't worry you'll get it next time" he said licking her ear. Shadowstrike eyed Owltalon "Last I checked when it was your first time hunting you fell into the stream near the Iceclan border trying to catch a rabbit" she chimed in. Owltalon glared at the she cat "Hey! I almost caught that rabbit!" He said fluffing out his fur. Shadowstrike flicked her tail across Owltalons nose "Sure you did" she said then started padding toward a different direction of the fern bush. Both Silverpaw and Oakpaw were letting out mmrows of laughter immediately stopping when each got a death glare from the tom but snickered every once in a while. The patrol continued heading a bit deeper into the patrol. Silverpaw opened her mouth tasting the air immediately smelling rabbit. So did the rest of the patrol cause Shadowstrikes tail went straight up signaling the patrol to stop. Shadowstrike looked at Silverpaw pointing toward the rabbit "This time be aware of your surroundings" She said quietly. Silverpaw looked at the rabbit focusing on it. The rabbit was about 4 fox lengths away perched under a tree giving it great shade while it ate some grass. Silverpaw nodded as she swerved around the patrol and slid quietly as she got into the hunters crouch. This time she was able to dodge the branches and made it a few paws steps behind the rabbit. The rabbit must have noticed her cause its ears twitched. It seemed to be about to take off for its rabbit hole but it was to late Silverpaw quickly launched herself in the air pouncing on the rabbit killing it with a sharp nip to the neck. She picked the rabbit up by its neck carefully and padded up to the patrol the rabbit dangling from her jaws. "Great job" Her mentor said nodding in approval. "I told you you'd get it" Owltalon said nuzzling her. Oakpaw nodded "Nice rabbit" the brown tom said sniffing at the fresh kill. Silverpaw could feel pride flowing through her today really was being a good day.

The patrol arrived back at camp a little past sunhigh. Owltalon had caught a blackbird and a vole, Shadowstrike had caught 2 plump wood mouse, and Oakpaw had caught a rabbit too along with a squirrel. Silverpaw had managed to finally catch another mouse. Shadowstrike and Oakpaw headed toward the freshkill pile dropping off there kill and Owltalon along with Silverpaw was about to do the same but heard there names called. Foxpaw immediately bounded in front of the two cats beaming as he saw them "Silverpaw! Owltalon!" He repeated. Silverpaw looked at her brother chuckling as she placed her kills down at her paws with Owltalon doing the same"What is it Foxpaw?". "Greyflower had her kits while you all were gone!" He said excited. Silverpaw could feel excitement pulsing through his pelt "That's wonderful" she smiled. Owltalon flicked his brothers ear "You really are a giant bundle of energy" he said to Foxpaw. Foxpaw pouted at that but continued talking "You should have saw it Poppytail did great delivering the 2 kits and she let me deliver the third one! It was amazing!" He said the excitement pulsing stronger. Silverpaw flick his ear as well "That's great I'll have to visit her before I go to battle training" she said. She then looked down at her kill and thought about something. "Is she still awake?" Silverpaw asked and Foxpaw nodded. "Yes she's in there with Rustlefoot though" he said referring to the queens mate. "Alright I can bring her this then" she said nudging at the rabbit with her nose. Foxpaw sniffed at the rabbit "This is yours?" He asked the silver cat. She smiled feeling pride pulse off her pelt "Yea its my first kill" she declared. Owltalon flicked her ear "She did pretty good catching it" he said. Foxpaw nodded and looked at the two "well I have to get I'll see you both later" he said bounding off to the medicine cats den. Owltalon led the way to the fresh kill pile dropping off his vole but kept his blackbird "I'll give this to the elders bye Silverpaw" he said bounding off to the elders den without another word. Silverpaw dropped off her mouse and bounded toward the nursery the rabbit dangling from her jaws. 'Today really has been great' she couldn't wait for battle training.