Dawnberry's Escape

Chapter 13

  Dawnpaw shivered as her paws crunched in the snow. It was leafbare, and snow had covered the ground and the streams and lake had froze. Two moons have passed since Leafshade's border patrol, and she was having her first hunting assessment. 

  Scenting squirrel, Dawnpaw creeped up to the source of the scent, and caught a gray squirrel nervously nibbling on a tiny nut. She put her weight onto her hind legs and sprang, her paws pinning down the squirrel's tail. 

  The squirrel started to frantically scrabble its paws, but Dawnpaw quickly ended it's life. Thank you, StarClan! Dawnpaw noticed a flicker of silver behind some bushes, and knew Ivywater had saw what she did.  

  Dawnpaw scraped some snow over her squirrel and opened her mouth to taste the air. Now that the squirrel was gone, all Dawnpaw could smell was fresh snow. She headed towards a clump of trees, hoping to find a bird. She did. 

  A small robin was perched on a low tree branch. It wasn't much, but it was leafbare, and the Clan needed all the prey it could get. Remembering her session on bird hunting, Dawnpaw quietly padded downwind and leaped. 

  She pressed the robin onto the branch and before it could fly again, Dawnpaw caught it between her jaws and delivered a killing blow. Thanking StarClan, she buried the plump bird next to her squirrel. 

***

  Dawnpaw returned to camp carrying her squirrel, the robin and a vole. Ivywater had praised her, stating that her hunting skills were getting better and better by each passing day. Proudly, she dropped her catch onto the fresh-kill pile. There were only a small minnow and a skinny pigeon. 

  "You can take some of the prey straight to the elders. I reckon they'll fancy the fish." Ivywater nodded. "Get some to the nursery as well and you may share your prey with another apprentice." With that she padded towards Brightstar's den, probably reporting on Dawnpaw's assessment. 

  Dawnpaw relished in the thought of having something to eat. The last time she ate was the day before, and it was close to sunset now. Leafbare had made her lose a lot of weight, and she constantly felt hungry. 

  She gave the minnow and her vole to the snoozing elders, and dropped the squirrel and the robin for the queens. 

  "Thank you, Dawnpaw." Nettlefur purred. She had just moved into the nursery a moon ago, expecting Volefur's kits. Sunkit, Graykit and Pebblekit were playing outside while Mistpool was taking a nap. They will be apprenticed soon. 

  Dawnpaw padded back out just as Bluepaw returned to camp, a mouse and a sparrow in his jaws. She heard Rainfeather order, "Take some to the elders and the queens." 

   "I already did that." Dawnpaw told Rainfeather. Rainfeather nodded and told them that they could share a piece of prey and get some rest. 

  Side by side, Dawnpaw and Bluepaw hungrily took bites of the sparrow, relishing the very last scrap. It wasn't much, but Dawnpaw felt much better. A hunting patrol came back with only a shrew and a thrush. 

  "The apprentices caught more than you!" Ivywater teased Darkstorm, who was leading the patrol. He gave her a good-tempered growl. Volefur set down his shrew and hurried to the nursery to check on Nettlefur. 

   The sunset cast muted orange light across the camp, lighting the tip of the trees with a fiery glow, and the shadow of the moon appeared in the glowing sky. By then most of RiverClan were back in camp, as well as Minnowpaw and Whitepaw, who had their warrior assessments during the day.  

  When every cat had eaten, Brightstar bunched up her muslces and leaped up onto the Skyrock. Dawnpaw noticed her giving her and Bluepaw a glance. She thought she saw pride in Brightstar's eyes, but it was gone too soon to be sure.