✧ Devious Fates ✧ | COMPLETE WARRIOR CATS FANFICTION STORY |

// Chapter Twenty Five

Thistlethorn padded along the pine straw ground, flanked by Shimmerpaw. She had taken her apprentice out to hunt. It seemed Shimmerpaw had grown more familiar with the pine forest and grown calmer. Her pace was the same as Thistlethorn's, her ear carefully twitching at the sound of any rustles. Thistlethorn felt proud. After about a quarter moon of training, Shimmerpaw was already acting like a warrior.

But that didn't mean her skills were built up. She knew little to no battle moves, and had not yet even close to mastered the hunting crouch. But Thistlethorn knew the black-spotted apprentice was getting along well. Shimmerpaw sure knew not to act out while she was around her mentor if she wanted to keep her pelt on.

They ventured farther from camp, emerging into a thick canopy of pines. The trees' bodies and limbs cast a web-like shadow along the pine-straw littered ground. The sight was quite interesting, quite often catching the eye. The woodland seemed to block many of the chilling leaf-fall breezes; making it a decent place for prey to shelter.

Shimmerpaw stopped abruptly. "Crow!" she whispered, lowering into a hunting crouch. Thistlethorn took in a large breath, the scent wafting into her nose. She's right.

Shimmerpaw stealthily prowled along the ground, her ears swiveling around to build up her surroundings. Thistlethorn quietly crept behind her. A crow pecked at the ground, trying to pluck a worm out from the ground. Shimmerpaw's legs trembled with excitement. She had never caught prey without Thistlethorn's assistance.

Thistlethorn went completely still and silent. She wouldn't want to ruin Shimmerpaw's catch. Shimmerpaw's tail slightly twitched in the air as she dipped lower. She suddenly propelled in the air, her hind legs noisily scraping the pine straw and alerting the crow. The crow frantically fluttered its wings, barely escaping as Shimmerpaw gaped her jaws and aimed her claws towards it.

Shimmerpaw crashed into the ground, quickly stammering onto her paws. Her ears lowered with disappointment, her muzzle wrinkling up with frustration as she glanced up at the escaping crow. "Fox dung!" she breathed.

"Watch your language!" Thistlethorn gasped. Shimmerpaw put on an indignant expression, stalking away, twitching her tail for her mentor to follow.

"Next time still your tail more," Thistlethorn directed. "And try not to make so much noise." Shimmerpaw grunted in response. Her whiskers quivered as she crept along, trying to detect prey. Thistlethorn felt a pang of sympathy for the apprentice. She didn't want to leave until her apprentice made a catch.

"How about we try closer to RiverClan territory?" Shimmerpaw suggested, breaking the silence that previously lingered in the crisp air.

Thistlethorn blinked. "Well," she sighed. "Recently a ShadowClan patrol got in a quarrel with them. Some mouse-brained apprentice fell in the river and had to be saved by her mentor. The patrol arrived soon after and interrogated them. I don't know if Whitestar would want to start more drama with them."

"Oh come on!" Shimmerpaw squealed. "It's our territory!" Thistlethorn couldn't help but agree with the apprentice's reason. She didn't mind an encounter with the fish-breathed RiverClan cats, but she also didn't want to get into any more trouble with Whitestar.

"Maybe if we can hide ourselves enough," Thistlethorn presumed, quickly licking her paw. "But that's on the other side of the territory. We might as well hunt here, it'll be more efficient than travelling all the way over there."

"Yeah, I guess.." Shimmerpaw breathed. She gaped her jaws slightly, scanning around the clearing.

Thistlethorn lifted her muzzle, joining her apprentice in the search. A trace of squirrel caught the black and brown warrior's attention, and something also seemed to attract Shimmerpaw. Shimmerpaw went stiff, holding her tail still in the air and crouching closer onto the forest floor.