Shattered Roots #1: The Last Leaf

Chapter 7

The two apprentices rushed into the warriors den to meet their mentors. Doehoof was inside chatting with Featherstep, however Littlefoot was nowhere to be found. Leafpaw walked towards Doehoof with Silverpaw behind her.

"Hello, Doehoof!" Leafpaw greeted excitedly. "What's our task gonna be today?"

Doehoof paused for a moment. "Me and Littlefoot were planning on training you two separately for today. The bad news is Littlefoot's been coughing a lot this morning, so he's being treated in the medicine den now. He always sickly during leaf-bare."

Silverpaw was surprised. "Sick?" she asked. "Will he be alright?"

"He'll be alright, Silverpaw. He may be sickly, but he is quite resilient. Since I'm not the best at teaching two cats at once, I'll try to find someone who can replace Littlefoot."

"Say no more, Doehoof," Featherstep joined into the conversation. "Owlpaw is going hunting at sun-high. Maybe Leafpaw can come with him! He's a pretty good hunter and can probably teach her some basic hunting techniques. It will also be good practice for Owlpaw when he becomes a mentor!"

Doehoof thought for a second. "That seems like a good idea. Leafpaw, you will go with Owlpaw at sun-high to learn basic hunting techniques. Silverpaw, you'll train with me at sun-high but at a different location."

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Are you up for the challenge?" Owlpaw said.

Leafpaw replied enthusiastically, "It's not a challenge, silly! It's just training. C'mon, let's get going!"

They ran off to a clearing near SparkClan's border. The ashy smell of the mountains filled Leafpaw's nostrils. The clearing was so full of snow that her paws left a mark wherever she stepped. She noticed that the forest was much quieter than usual.

"Featherstep told me I need to teach you basic hunting tactics. Are you ready?"

Leafpaw nodded cheerfully. Suddenly, there was a small rustling sound in the snow. Leafpaw barely noticed it, but Owlpaw instantly crouched once he heard it. 'Is that what a hunting crouch looks like?' she thought.

"Leafpaw! Crouch down like this!" Owlpaw whispered. She instantly curved her back, her legs spread apart and her body low. Owlpaw chuckled quietly.

"What's so funny?"

"Is that a crouch or are you just imitating a badger with a missing leg? Don't spread your legs and keep your tail low. When hunting, prey won't see you this way."

Leafpaw followed his advice. She peeked into a hole and saw a small mouse running around inside.

"Try to catch that mouse. After that, I'll judge how you hunt!" Owlpaw ordered.

Leafpaw slowly came closer to the mouse. Her paws stepped into the thick snow which surprisingly helped to keep her balance. Then, she took a leap and snatched the mouse in her paws.

"Caught it!" she yelled. Owlpaw stood up from his crouching position and walked towards her. He was pleasantly surprised.

"Woah, that was a really good catch, especially for a new apprentice! And you were lucky too, the mouse you caught isn't as thin as most prey during leaf-bare."

Leafpaw purred at his praise. "I've always loved catching mice as a kit. Silverpaw used to make fun of me for it but I knew it'd be useful one day." However, she wasn't focusing and the mouse managed to squirm out of her paw. "Fox dung! It ran away!" She tried to chase the mouse again, however Owlpaw stopped her.

"Hey, relax! Mice are pretty difficult to get a grip of, especially during leaf-bare when your paws get slippery from the snow. Next time, unsheathe your claws like this!" He took a scrap of moss from a tree and curled it up into a ball. He threw it, then caught it with his claws as if it were a tiny mouse.

"Ohhh... Can I try again? I think I got it this time!"

Leafpaw's ears perked up, picking up a foreign sound. A huge bush rustled nearby. Leafpaw's fur bristled as her whiskers twitched. 'It's so loud, I don't think it's prey!' she thought.

Owlpaw instantly went into a defense crouch, trembling as the rustling grew louder and louder. "Leafpaw, don't move," he warned, his eyes wide and alert.

A loud yowl filled the air followed with a cat jumping out of the bush. It leaped for Leafpaw and attacked the young apprentice.

Leafpaw was pinned to the ground. She raked the opponent's belly using her hind claws. It screeched, jumping off her swiftly. Then, Owlpaw ran and clawed at the cat's shoulder. It hissed and bit Owlpaw's front leg. He headbutted the cat's flank, making it lose balance and falling to the ground. Owlpaw stood over it. It scratched his face in response, making him jump up.

"Leafpaw, get back to camp and get help! Don't wait for me!"

As much as Leafpaw wanted to stay and fight too, she complied and head straight towards camp as fast as she could. Her heart pounded loudly and a rush of fear fueled her body. Then, she caught a whiff of something in the air. 'I smell FrostClan! Maybe they can help!' she thought.

She padded to the source of the scent. She arrived at The Stream Of Leaping Fish. There was a border patrol containing Morningpaw, Quailpaw, Swiftstrike, and Mistypelt. Leafpaw rushed towards them. She halted, panting terribly from all the running.

Leafpaw yelled, "O-Owlpaw! Help! He's being attacked by a cat near SparkClan's border! I don't know who the cat is but-"

"Less talking, apprentice! We need to get there now!" Swiftstrike demanded. The patrol instantly dashed to Owlpaw's location. 'I hope he's okay!' she thought.

A/N: Dang poor leafpaw she just wanted to hunt some mice but uh oh here comes random murder cat!!!