(Warriors) 🌹Flower In The Shadows🌹 Volume I: ✳Dark Seeds✳

Chapter Four

   
"How was your first day out?" Aspenberry meowed to Shadepaw as she walked into the medicine den. She smiled.

"I had fun. We saw a lot of the territory." Shadepaw meowed. Her paws still ached a bit and she was fairly tired. And guilt ridden. "This is all my fault..." Shadepaw hung her head .

"Shadepaw, her death was not your fault. Did you push her into the jaws of that Fox?"

"No..." Shadepaw melded looking down at the ground.

"Then it isn't your fault. Stop blaming yourself, my dear Shadepaw." Aspenberry meowed. "Just know Shadepaw, I'll always do everything I can to give tou your best chance. Because I love you as if you were my own daughter"

"And I love you as if you were my mother and my best friend" Shadepaw dipped her head and she padded over to the apprentices den. Oakpaw was in there, making two new nests.

"There. Now we can sleep side by side like we always should have" Oakpaw purred. Shadepaw smiled, finally feeling happy. She was surrounded by the love of her sister, the love of her father and the love of her best friend. Shadepaw finally believed that the future looked brighter for her.

"Thank you Oakpaw." Shadepaw meowed. Oakpaw smiled.

    "You're welcome! We are sisters after all." Shadepaw licked Oakpaw's shoulder before she curled up in her new nest. It didn't take long for the both of them to fall asleep.

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"Shadepaw!! Wake up!!" She awoke quickly, jumping to her paws. Oakpaw was already awake. "We're gonna learn how to hunt today!" Shadepaw immediately smiled wth excitement.

"Awesome! I'm so excited!" The two of them bounded out to meet their mentors. Stormfall smiled when Shadepaw approached him.

"You're full of energy today" he chuckled.

"I can't wait to help my Clan." Oakpaw replied. Graywhisker was amused.

"Good. Because today, Oakpaw, you will be getting new moss for the elders." Graywhisker meowed.

"Oh. I thought we were learning to hunt today." Oakpaw meowed.

"Perhaps after sunhigh" Graywhisker meowed.

"So I won't be training with Oakpaw?" Shadepaw asked, saddened.

"Not today" Stormfall meowed. "Come, Shadepaw"

"Bye Shadepaw ." Oakpaw meowed.

"See you later!" Shadepaw called after her. And with that she turned around and followed Stormfall. Badgerclaw joined the two with Stormpaw.

"Hey Stormpaw!" Shadepaw meowed. "Hey Badgerclaw!" Stormpaw purred. Badgerclaw chuckled.

    "You'll be learning to hunt today, hm?" Stormpaw meowed.

"Yep! I'm excited." Shadepaw gushed.

"My dear daughter, remember one thing. Have patience" Badgerclaw jumped in. "It will help you greatly" Shadepaw nodded vigorously.

    "I will!" She meowed. Badgerclaw dipped his head and so did Stormpaw. They moved on, probably to go train elsewhere.

"Are you ready, Shadepaw?" Stoneshadow asked. She nodded. "Good. First we shall start with stalking. Remember, prey can hear you when you walk. Keep still and quiet. You don't want the prey to know you're here" Shadepaw nodded and she looked down at her black front paws. She lowered herself to the forest floor. Remember. Keep quiet and still. She told herself. She focused her mind in being calm.

"Well done, Shadepaw. You're a natural" Stormfall purred. Shadepaw nodded, and she blinked slowly. It was only her first full day of training. "Now tell me...what do you smell?" Shadepaw breathed in the fresh forest air.

    "Pine trees....and I think....old cat scent...maybe a day old? And I think...maybe..." she narrowed her eyes. "A field mouse?" Stormfall nodded.

    "Good, good. It is best to stay downwind from the prey you're hunting. They won't smell you then. Go see if you can catch the field mouse. Remember. Silence. Patient. And precision" He meowed. Shadepaw took in a deep breath. The field mouse was scurrying around the pine trees up ahead. Being really careful, she slowly stepped forward, being soft with her paws as to not make a sound. So far the mouse didn't notice her. She crept forward, not making a sound. She got closer to the mouse and she stopped. She watched the mouse for a few moments before she leapt and landed just a whisker away from the mouse. It scurried away.

"Mousedung!" She cursed. Stormfall approached her.

    "You're stalking was excellent. You were quiet. However, your precision was off and you weren't as patient. If you had waited a moment or two longer, you would have caught the mouse." Stormfall told her. Shadepaw hung her head. He put his tail rip on her flank. "Don't get discouraged. You did very well for your first day" she nodded, looking up.

"Thank you." She meowed.

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Stormfall and Shadepaw returned to camp after sunhigh. Shadepaw bounded over to greet her sister. Oakpaw perked up at the sight of her sister. They touched noses.

    "How was hunting training?" Oakpaw asked.

    "I learned about stalking and I tried to catch a mouse but I missed. But Stormfall said I did really well though" Shadepaw meowed.

    "Well that's awesome! I heard pretty cool stories about battles from Flamestorm. He was a really fierce warrior back then. And I'm sure you will catch a mouse next time!" Oakpaw meowed. Shadepaw's spirits lifted.

    "Thank you Oakpaw" Shadepaw purred.

    "You're welcome!" Oakpaw meowed. "How about we take some prey to the nursery?" Shadepaw nodded happily. The two of them grabbed some freshkill and they squeezed into the nursery. Sparrowflight looked up.

    "Thank you!" She purred gratefully.

    "Is that for us?" Robinkit asked.

    "No it's for the foxes, frog brain" Jaykit rolled his eyes.

    "Hey now, be nice" Sparrowflight meowed. Shadepaw and Oakkit chuckled a little bit. Featherkit pounced on Shadepaw's tail.

    "I gotted you!" Featherkit purred. She looked up at Shadepaw with bright blue eyes. Shadepaw purred and fell over dramatically.

    "I've been wounded by a mighty warrior!! Help!" Shadepaw meowed loudly. Oakpaw purred and laughed a little and Sparrowflight smiled warmly. Featherkit jumped onto Shadepaw .

    "I win!" She purred loudly. Shadepaw laughed.

    "Yes you do" Shadepaw meowed with a smile. The absence of Flowerdapple was forgotten, and good memories were replacing the bad ones. Featherkit nuzzled Shadepaw .

    "You're my bestest friend" she meowed.

    "And you are mine"