Yarrowpaw's Rebellion

Chapter Three

Yarrowpaw pounced on a leaf as Ratfang guided her to. She had become frustrated at practicing hunting rather than actually hunting. She sat up, glancing over at Ratfang. "Am I ready yet?"

Ratfang studied her. "Wait here. I'll go and fetch Silverpaw. He can help show you a few things he knows." Yarrowpaw's shoulders and tail drooped. I've been practicing here for so long, when can I hunt?

After what felt like an eternity, Silverpaw arrived. Yarrowpaw normally wasn't that impatient but today she was. "Hello, Silverpaw..." she meowed nonchalantly.

"Don't worry," Silverpaw chuckled softly. "I've been there before. Volefoot kept me practicing for a while. But you'll be a great hunter soon." Yarrowpaw gave him a grateful look.

Yarrowpaw performed the hunting crouch to the best of her ability, focusing back onto the leaf. Silverpaw gave her a nod. "That looks fine to me. Now try your leap."

Yarrowpaw launched herself into the air, legs outstretched. She crashed onto the leaf, grasping it between her paws. "Good, but maybe don't go so high," suggested Silverpaw, glimpsing over at Ratfang for guidance.

"Yes," Ratfang meowed. "Prey is fast. And make sure your legs make the least amount of noise they can on the ground."

Yarrowpaw nodded, bringing up the question again, "can I hunt now?" Silverpaw and Ratfang looked at her in amusement.

"I've had an idea," Ratfang told her. "Group hunting. Silverpaw, could you get Owlpaw and Pricklepaw? I've seen them around camp." Group hunting? Why can't Ratfang just let me catch something myself?

"Can Dawnpaw at least come?" Yarrowpaw questioned. She hadn't been able to train with her since exploring their territory despite what Rosefern told her would happen.

"If she's around the camp," Ratfang told her, resting his tail on her shoulder. "I promise it'll get more exciting soon. I know being a warrior will meet all of your dreams." I hope so. "For now," the brown tom continued. "Just be grateful for what you have. Our Clan is at peace. ThunderClan is the safest and most loyal and courageous Clan out there. You're lucky to be here and we're lucky to have you."

"Thanks," his apprentice muttered. I suppose it's true, isn't it? WindClan and ShadowClan are always getting themselves into fights and RiverClan can't seem to keep their cats off of territory that isn't theirs.

Soon enough Pricklepaw and Owlpaw had arrived, Tanglefrost, the ThunderClan deputy, joining them. She looked eager to supervise the training. Wow. I get to train with ThunderClan's own deputy!

"Owlpaw, you and Pricklepaw are the oldest of the apprentices, have you had experience with group hunting?" started Tanglefrost.

"Yep." Owlpaw was smiling. "We hunt all the time together. I can't wait for us to be warriors, then we won't need our mentor's permission to hunt!"

"Usually it wouldn't take more than three cats," explained Ratfang. "Typically it's best to have two. One distracts the prey, then when it goes to run, the other pounces on it." That seems simple enough. "But whatever you're targeting might go a different direction than expected. That's where even more hunters come into play."

"Alright you four, let's go hunt!" Tanglefrost cheered. She led them away into a mouth-watering scented part of the forest, Yarrowpaw looking forward to possibly making her first catch. They padded past a fallen log, Ratfang stopping them.

"Over here," whispered Ratfang. "Okay, Yarrowpaw, you be the distraction. Owlpaw, Pricklepaw, and Silverpaw, go on other sides where the mouse might head. We'll switch up the roles later." Yarrowpaw watched the others go off to other sides, hidden in the undergrowth. Yarrowpaw crept forward.