Fawnleap's Heart [Warrior Cats]

Chapter 3

Fawnpaw awoke to a grey paw draped across her face, and a slight weight on her flank. Groggily she opened her eyes and let them filter the dawn light.

"Fogpaw!" She prodded her drowsy brother with her paw. "Fogpaw!" She shoved him off of her nest.

"Wh-what?" He jumped to his paws, looking around wildly.

"You rolled over into my nest."

"That's why you woke me up? I'm tired you know." Fogpaw stated, curling back into his own nest.

"Whatever." Fawnpaw got to her paws and padded out into the the clearing, dewdrops sparkled on the grass as the sun shone its rays to them. Her paws felt wet and misty, but it felt rejuvenating and filled her with energy.

Foxnose was across the clearing talking to Stoneleap, Adderwing, and Creekshine. His gaze cast onto the apprentices den and he spotted Fawnpaw stretching. Catching her eye he beckoned her over with his tail.

"Excited for tonight's gathering?" Foxnose asked, although he already knew the answer.

"Well of course! Fogpaw is too! He's just really lazy right now." Fawnpaw chuckled at the memories of her brother as a kit in the nursery, always wanting to sleep and sleep and sleep.

"This morning we're going to be doing some hunting, and then you can have the rest of the day to do what you'd like, but remember to get rest before the gathering." Foxnose informed her.

"Okay! Who are we hunting with?" Fawnpaw was already so awake and energized, she felt like she could run a mile.

"Me, you, Adderwing, Fogpaw, and Doveglade." He motioned his tail towards the apprentice den.

Fawnpaw nodded and bounded away to wake up her brother from his dreams. She reached the apprentice den and stalked up to Fogpaws nest. With a single pounce she landed on him in his nest. "Waaaaake up you sleepy mouse!"

"Fawnpaw stop..." he murmured.

"Hunting patrol, we're leaving now."

Fawnpaw left the den a few moments later, with Fogpaw trailing behind her, yawning with his mouth wide.

"We've decided to hunt around the hilled areas in our territory today, it'll be a good workout for you two to chase prey up those steep cliffs and hills." Adderwing said, looking over her shoulder at the two apprentices.

"Great!" They both said in unison, and then proceeded to laugh at them being in sync.

They reached the sloped rocky hills and began to scent for prey. Fawnpaw picked up the scent of a mouse, under one of the rocky slags, up the slope a bit more.

She dropped into a crouch and unsheathed her claws to help her climb her way up the jagged parts of the slope, she know knew exactly where the mouse was hiding. Flexing her claws and stiffening her tail she pounced forward, shoved her paws under the slag, and caught the mouses tail. She finished it off and proudly grabbed her plump kill to show to Foxnose.

She turned to see Fogpaw holding a rabbit in his jaw. Her brother was puffed up with pride, displaying his trophy to Adderwing, who looked on him with pride.

She trotted over to him, smiling through her mouthful of mouse. Softly laying her kill down, she nudged Fogpaw with her flank.

"Nice catch!"

Fogpaw leaned to lay his rabbit down. Smiling and nodding towards her kill. "That's really nice too! Probably the most plump mouse any cat has ever caught!"

Fawnpaw smiled, and looked to Foxnose. "Are we catching anything else?"

"Yeah. We could do some more hunting, and who knows? Maybe you'll catch your first rabbit!" Foxnose smiled gleefully at his apprentice.

The five trotted back through the camp entrance, all holding one or two pieces of prey each. Adderwing held a mouse and a bluebird, Foxnose held two voles, Doveglade held a robin, Fogpaw held a rabbit, and Fawnpaw held her plump mouse and a small squirrel.

Birchheart stood by the entrance, leaning forward to pad toward her now apprenticed kits. A small purr rumbled in her throat when she saw their kills. "Great job Fogpaw and Fawnpaw!" She rubbed her flank against them both.

"Thank you Birchheart!" They both meowed to her in unison.

"You two can put your prey on the pile, and then go into the den to rest up before the gathering if you'd like!" Adderwing directed towards the apprentices.

They all placed their prey onto the pile, Foxnose then grabbed a mouse to share with Doveglade, and Adderwing walked to Breezeclaw, the clan deputy.

"You coming, Fogpaw?" Fawnpaw asked her brother, following his gaze to Mousepaw.

"I'll be in soon." He replied curtly, bounding over to where Mousepaw sat by the elders den.

Of course he will. She thought with a chuckle, she padded towards the apprentices den, not looking ahead.

With a hard thump she collided with a muscular orange chest. Lionpaw.

"Hey there!" Lionpaw looked to see who bumped into him.

"Oh, Fawnpaw. Hi." He looked at the chestnut pelt, glancing over her darker dappled flank.

"Hi. Sorry!" Fawnpaw looked to her paws, suddenly feeling hot under her pelt.

"Going to the gathering tonight?" He asked simply.

"Yeah. I was just heading into the den to rest before I go. I'm really excited!" Fawnpaw mused.

"Have fun! It's really overwhelming at first! So many scents and pelts everywhere. Tell me how it goes." Lionpaw nodded to Fawnpaw and walked away, towards his mentor, Stoneleap.

Fawnpaw walked into the apprentice den, and settled into her nest. She had planned to wait for Fogpaw to come in, excitement making her want to ask her brother about how he felt for the upcoming gathering. She had wondered the entire morning which cats from the other clans would be there? Would there be other apprentices going to their first gathering tonight from the other clans? She had so many questions. But sleep came for her, dragging her into her dreams.