WARRIORS // Uprooted

Chapter 3

Leechstone's tail touched the flat of her mentor's ankle. "What are we doing today?" she asked when he had turned to face her fully. Tawnymoon passed by them, giving her a sidelong glance as she spoke to her mentor.

"Hunting," Dunlin mouthed silently in reply.

"Why don't they hunt for themselves?" Leechstone asked, flicking her tail. This was the first time she was leaving camp - up until now she'd been on Camp duties, cleaning out dens and delivering prey.

"So they can spend their time on more sophisticated things."

"Like what?" Leechstone asked.

"Art. Discussion. Storytelling, keeping charters." Dunlin shrugged. 

"Wha-"

"Aye!" a voice snapped. Leechstone's head whipped around as she flinched, meeting the eyes of one of the Warrior-Distributors. She was heavyset, with round yellow eyes and a slightly chunky waistline, tail curled over her back and cocked at the tip. "What do you think you're doing?"

"Talking?" Leechstone mewed nervously.

"Thralls don't talk," The molly grumbled, padding closer and lashing her tail authoritatively. "And useless brat Stones especially don't talk. You hunt or you get choked. Which would you rather?"

"Hunt," Leechstone said, bowing her head and scuttling onward, joined by Dunlin closely. 

Dunlin let out a very emphatic sigh, and veered off course, avoiding a small collision with Coot and her Stone, Gullstone. 

Leechstone's mentor turned to look at her. "There's a rat over in these ferns," he said silently. "Watch me hunt, and then we'll find some prey for you."

Leechstone nodded, and sat down when Dunlin turned back around. She kneaded at the ground, flicking her ears. She'd never seen a live piece of prey before, only the dead ones she delivered to the Superiors.

Dunlin got down on his paws so his belly was almost touching the ground, twitching his tail back and forth, eyes narrowed in concentration. His waist wobbled and his ears pressed forward.

Thwish - he disappeared between the ferns. Leechstone jumped to her paws, looking around for Dunlin worriedly. Where had he gone? But then he emerged with the rat dangling limply between his jowls, blood smattering his teeth where he'd bitten into it to kill it. He came back and placed the rat by Leechstone. "Tell me where I should bury it," he told her.

"Why?" Leechstone asked.

"We need to keep it safe," Dunlin explained, "So we can hunt more, and bring back more prey for the Superiors later."

Leechstone nodded. Somewhere safe? she glanced around, wondering if anything was safe enough to keep freshkill. But then she found a little hollow between thick, tangled oak roots, and pointed in questioning. Dunlin nodded his approval, and she buried it.

"Now we hunt," Dunlin told her, and they moved on through the woods. "Don't forget where you buried that, it'll be your job to find it again."

Leechstone glanced behind her, wondering if she'd have any luck remembering, or if she'd have to practice more before she got that good at it.

They walked for a while before Dunlin finally stopped her, eyes dilated and whiskers twitching, nose flaring. She noticed his ears were swiveling despite the fact that he couldn't hear anything. "Rabbit," he said to her. "They're fast and sensitive. Be patient."

"Okay," Leechstone whispered, sniffing at the air until she found the vaguely familiar scent. It had a very different odor from the rabbits she'd handled back in camp. It was hotter, fresher, and made her drool with excitement. Live rabbit smelled way more delicious than long-dead rabbit.

She stalked forward, stumbling over small stones and twigs. She could see it - a flash of tawny fur through the branches and tangled brambles, sniffing and twitching there. The long ears were like great leaves curled at the base, and she could hear its tiny heartbeat when the forest grew quiet.

She suddenly lunged forward. Her paws slipped on flattened fern fronds, but she found her footing. The rabbit did too. In a blur it disappeared into the bushes, and Leechstone moved to chase it. 

But then it was gone.

She paused, and desperately sniffed the air to find it again. But she wasn't sure where it had gone. She padded forward, flicking her white tipped tail back and forth anxiously, sniffing at each leaf and branch. 

She stepped along through brambles and suddenly her chin was on the dirt. "Ow!" she cried out, realizing her paw was stuck.

Luckily Dunlin came through the branches. He grinned, pink tongue curling against his front teeth. He grasped the little molly by her scruff and pulled her up, chuckling and setting her down.

"What happened?!" she mewled fearfully, forgetting to tap him momentarily.

"The rabbit ran into its warren," Dunlin explained, motioning toward the hole, "And your leg followed it down!"

"Oh," Leechstone huffed. She gazed defeatedly down the burrow. If she had known it was there she could've dove down after it instead of letting it get away!

Dunlin placed a forepaw on her shoulders. "... D- did well," he said aloud, his voice soft and small and breathy.

Leechstone's head whipped to look at him. "Did you just talk?" she asked in surprise.

"Don't expect it often," Dunlin said, once again silent. "I only do it when I think it's important."

Leechstone smiled brightly and pressed into him. "Thanks."

A cackling laugh came from the woods as a different Distributor came padding out - with Dunlin's rat dangling from his jaws, half-eaten. The dark ginger tom lashed his tail and dropped the rat.

"You Thralls really will do anything to feel good about yourselves, won't you?" The tom sneered. "Come on, get moving. Her miss means you two get closer to half-rations for the moon."

Leechstone huffed softly. She'd seen other cats get half-rations and it did not look pleasant. 

"How come you guys are so mean?" Leechstone asked.

Before she could think to regret her decision, the tom's paw came crashing against her face. She let out a squeal and scrambled backward, flattening her ears.

"If you think we're so mean, you should go back in time and see what your ancestors were like, Clusterling. There's a reason you hunt and fight for us," he growled. "You're not good for anything else. Now get hunting."

Leechstone looked at Dunlin. There was a fire in his narrowed eyes she hadn't seen before, though she'd only been training with him for two moons. He flicked his tail and they padded away together.