Lillyheart's Secret

Chapter Ten

"Softpelt, are you open to hunt later?"

The silver warrior looked up, surprise in her eyes. "Sure Lillypaw! Can we do it now?"

Lillypaw sat down, and tucked her tail around herself. "Right now doesn't work. I need to go do battle training with Creekstar." She looked up at the sky. "Maybe at sun-fall?"

"Ok. Good luck with Creekstar then." Softpelt grinned at Lillypaw, and swept away. Lillypaw stared at the river, unsheathing her claws. The frozen earth chilled her paws, and she licked one tenderly. Better go find Creekstar.

She wandered over to Creekstar's den, and padded into the entrance. "Creekstar? Are you ready?"

"Over here." A voice made the apprentice jump, and she forced the fur on her neck down. Owlpaw stood behind her, a clump of coltsfoot under his chin. "Creekstar went to the training rocks already. You might want to hurry up, she has a patrol later."

"Right." Lillypaw took off at a run, and sprinted to the Smoothstones. She saw Creekstar sitting on the highest one glaring at the apprentice.

"You're late," she snapped, and dismay made Lillypaw shrink. "Get up here." She leapt down to a flat area, and stood in a defensive position.

Lillypaw scrambled up on the rocks, wincing when a claw got snagged. "What's first?"

Creekstar ignored her apprentice. "Run at me." Lillypaw cocked her head, and Creekstar repeated the statement. "Run at me." Lillypaw shrugged and ran at her mentor. She saw Creekstar shift to the left, and recognized the feint. She raced to the right, then rolled over to the left. Creekstar pounced, but landed on stone. She spun around, and raised her paws. Lillypaw recoiled, and ducked under, pulling her paws across Creekstar's stomach.

The two she-cats stopped, panting. Creekstar purred her approval. "That was smart, rolling to the side."

Lillypaw licked her chest in embarrassment. "Thanks. My mentor taught me that." Their eyes locked, and Lillypaw could see how proud Creekstar was of her. "I heard some prey on the way here. Do you mind if I go hunt?"

Creekstar nodded. "Just make sure you're back by sun-fall. There are couple warriors that are needing to be made." Lillypaw's eyes widened. Is this really happening?

"Ok. I'll try and find you a sparrow. Bye!" She hopped off the Smoothstones, and pelted across the grass. The green stalks cracked in the wind, tickling Lillypaw's nose. She resisted the urge to sneeze. A shuffle came from the grass near the willows, and Lillypaw perked her ears. She rose in the grass, and saw a shrew scuttling about. She shifted over, careful not to disturb the grass. The shrew froze, the picked up a grass seed. Lillypaw narrowed her eyes, the pounced. It squealed, then quieted after Lillypaw nipped its neck.

She picked up the shrew, and tucked it by a rock. She glided through the grass, her nose flaring to catch the wind. Soon, she neared the border, the scent of Windclan thick in the air. She shied away from the horseplace, and narrowed her eyes against the wind. A rabbit raced across the moor, it's white tail bobbing. It bounced over to Lillypaw, and instinct took over. She slammed her paws on its neck, and it died with a satisfying crunch.

A sleek grey she-cat bounded across the scent line, fury blazing in her eyes. "That's Windclan prey," she snapped.

Lillypaw looked down at the rabbit under her paws. "Huh?"

The she-cat growled. "The rabbit. It's mine. Now pass it over."

Lillypaw licked her lips. The rabbit was plump, and would feed many in the clan. "I killed it, therefore, it's my prey." Her fur pricked with unease. "You're on my territory. I'm going to have to ask you to leave."

The Windclan warrior tensed. "I'm not leaving without that rabbit!" She pounced at Lillypaw, claws unsheathed. Lillypaw shoved the rabbit away, and leaped into the air. The warrior landed, and Lillypaw dropped onto her back. She scratched her side, before the warrior rolled over, trying to squash Lillypaw. The weight made all the air puff out of the apprentice. Blindly, she reached for the intruder's neck, and sunk her claws in.

The grey warrior yowled in pain, and Lillypaw slid out from underneath her. Blood dropped from a scratch on her ear, and she shook her head. The warrior ran at the apprentice, and Lillypaw closed her eyes. The tumbling of feet grew nearer, and she prepared herself. A mighty cry came from besides her and she saw Lizardtuft throwing himself at the intruder. The she-cat screeched and fled away, but not before scratching Lillypaw's cheek. The apprentice collapsed to the ground, panting hard.

"Hey, are you okay?" Lizardtuft leaned down, concern in his eyes.

Lillypaw coughed. "Yeah, I'm fine. Thank Starclan you came when you did."

Lizardtuft prodded the rabbit with one paw. "Is this why you two were fighting?"

"Yes."

"Did she cross the border to chase it?"

Lillypaw shook her head. "The rabbit crossed, I killed it, she said it was hers." She looked down. "I'm sorry."

"Why should you be sorry? You proved that you're ready to be a warrior. Let's go back to camp." He picked up the rabbit, and nudged Lillypaw to her feet. The two of them walked in silence, only stopping to pick up the rest of Lillypaw's prey. The sunset turned the sky scarlet, and it sent shivers down Lillypaw's spine. Red as blood.