Mapleshade's Second Chance

Tiger

All in all, this had not been one of Maplepaw's better days.

Somehow, she had gotten coerced into going on a hunting patrol with Bluefur, Adderfang, Tigerpaw, and Thistleclaw. While Maplepaw certainly didn't mind spending time with her mentor–and Adderfang wasn't bad company either–Tigerpaw and Thistleclaw managed to turn it into the most unbearable experience she'd ever had to deal with. Ever since they had left the camp, Thistleclaw hadn't stopped talking about his plans to "mark the borders with the blood of their enemies", as he put it. Maplepaw was seriously starting to consider asking Goosefeather if there were any herbs he could give the gray and white warrior to get him to stop talking.

'StarClan knows why anyone lets him out of the camp at all,' the young apprentice thought, curling her lip. 'He's as mad as a fox that's had its tail bitten off.'

The best that could be said about the situation was that Tigerpaw was leaving her alone. Indeed, he had mostly stopped bothering her ever since their nighttime encounter in the forest half a moon ago. He was still as arrogant as ever, but he hadn't tried to follow her out of the camp again.

"Could we stop and hunt for a bit?" Tigerpaw requested. "I haven't eaten anything since yesterday, and I'm starving."

"That sounds like a good idea," Adderfang agreed, glancing at Bluefur. The blue-gray warrior nodded to show that she approved. "We'll wait here. Let's see how much prey you and Maplepaw can bring back."

"I can catch more than her any day," Tigerpaw snorted. Maplepaw rolled her eyes.

Bluefur shook her head tiredly. "Stick close together, you two," she ordered. "And try to be back by sunhigh."

Maplepaw glanced up at the sky. The sun was nearing its peak, but it would be a while before it got there. They would have plenty of time to bring back a nice meal for their Clanmates. Nodding a quick farewell to the older warriors, she turned and followed Tigerpaw deeper into the forest.

It didn't take long for her to spot her first catch. A large rabbit was burrowing through some leaves, perhaps searching for a meal of its own. Maplepaw dropped into the hunting crouch, careful to keep her pawsteps light as she padded towards her unsuspecting prey, avoiding the twigs and leaves that scattered the forest floor. Once she was a mere two tail-lengths away, she pounced, killing the rabbit with one swift bite to the neck. Feeling triumphant, she sat up, the large rabbit dangling from her jaws.

"Not bad," Tigerpaw called out to her.

Maplepaw turned her head to see her denmate with a catch of his own: a fat blackbird. "Er, thanks," she meowed awkwardly. "Looks like you got a pretty good one yourself."

Tigerpaw puffed up his chest proudly. "Of course. Did you expect anything less of a great warrior such as myself?"

'And there's the Tigerpaw we all know and love,' Maplepaw thought, rolling her eyes to herself. Out loud, she replied, "Whatever helps you sleep at night, Tigerpaw."

The two apprentices continued along the WindClan border for a short while. During that time, Maplepaw managed to catch a squirrel, two mice, and a vole. Tigerpaw, for his part, had acquired two magpies, a starling, and three pigeons. The calico apprentice was surprised to find that, when he wasn't sulking or insulting her, Tigerpaw actually made for a respectable hunter.

"Tigerpaw?" Maplepaw meowed after a few more moments had passed. "It's about sunhigh now. We should probably head back before the patrol comes looking for us."

The dark brown tabby glanced up at the sky. "You're right," he agreed. "Come on, let's collect our prey and get going."

Before they could start their trek back to the patrol, however, a light snapping sound caught their attention. Maplepaw swiveled her ears in the direction of the sound, glancing around to see if she could find who or what had made it. As she did so, a familiar stench filled her nostrils. Of course, she had been smelling it for quite some time since she was right next to the border, but this was different. This scent was fresh, and with no breeze in the air, she knew it wasn't coming from the other side of the Thunderpath. She glanced over at Tigerpaw and saw that his eyes were narrowed. He had picked it up as well.