Warriors: The Trail of Centuries

Chapter 18

     Spottedpaw sniffed the air, desperately searching for a hint of nearby prey. For the first time since she arrived in BlazeClan, she'd been permitted to leave with a patrol—a hunting patrol, no less. This is the first time I've been out without someone breathing down my back, she thought happily. Spottedpaw blinked when she detected a hint of rabbit; quickly, she fell into a hunter's crouch, carefully making her way towards the source of the scent.

     I've got you now! she thought triumphantly when she saw a rabbit crouching by a lone tree. A few more steps forward, and she'd be close enough to leap at her prey. The rabbit twitched its ears and lifted its head, as if it had caught on to her presence. Oh, no you don't! Spottedpaw narrowed her eyes and leaped at the rabbit. Her prey took off in a sprint, but it was too late; Spottedpaw caught her prey easily and dealt it a swift blow.

    When she looked up, she realized that the border with the Gorge Gorge wasn't far off. Casually, Spottedpaw sat down and examined the not-so distant forest line, wondering what her old campmates were up to. I hope Nightpaw and Riverpaw are okay, she thought absentmindedly as her gaze drifted along the border. She'd never forgive herself if something happened to her brother or her friend—especially not after Hawkscar's death.

     Over the border, a twig snapped, sending birds fluttering through the trees. Spottedpaw snapped her gaze to what she thought was the source of the noise, though she saw nothing but the forest. When she heard nothing else after a few moments, she shrugged and turned around to continue her hunting.

     "Hey, Spottedpaw!" Jayleaf appeared without a sound to warn her of his presence. Spottedpaw nearly jumped out of her fur, though she recovered quickly.

     "Hey, Jayleaf," she greeted, bowing her head. "Are we regrouping already? I've only caught this rabbit . . . ."

     "Yeah, Smallpaw's warrior ceremony is today! The others sent me to fetch you, we're returning to camp early," the tom chirped, glancing at the rabbit. "That rabbit is huge! Come on, let's get back to camp. Swallowclaw will be proud of your catch, even if that's all you got." Spottedpaw gave her chest a few self-conscious licks before grabbing the rabbit and following Jayleaf back to their patrol.

     When Swallowclaw caught sight of Spottedpaw and her catch, she saw that pride flashed in his eyes. She tried to push away her insecurities—even if it was only a rabbit, she did well for her first time hunting alone! Jayleaf gathered his own catches—a thrush and some kind of lizard—and the patrol began to travel back to their camp.

     Once they arrived at the camp, Spottedpaw saw that a small crowd had already formed beneath Heatherstar's ledge. She followed Jayleaf to the fresh-kill pile, and the two of them set their catches on the top. The grey warrior padded to the edge of the crowd and, after a moment of hesitation, Spottedpaw followed him.

     "I still feel like I barely know anyone here," she admitted, half-embarrassed by the fact. "It's a little embarrassing to just approach them, though."

     Jayleaf let out a chuckle and sent her a sideways glance. "I've noticed; you do stand out a bit, you know. They're warming up to you, though," he added quickly when Spottedpaw grew visibly flustered.

     "That's relieving, at least," Spottedpaw responded with a short sigh. "I'm just glad that I have you and Swallowclaw to help out. I know Rockstorm still thinks poorly of me, and he isn't alone in that."

     "Who cares what he thinks? He's almost as cranky as Blueheart!" Jayleaf snorted and nudged the apprentice playfully before glancing around the crowd. Spottedpaw let out a soft laugh and nodded in agreement. "You know, you've gotten a few admirers, too." The friendly warrior flicked his tail to the other side of the clearing, though his gaze rested back on Spottedpaw. She followed where he pointed with his tail and spotted Firthistle and Bouncepool sitting together. When she met Firthistle's green gaze, the pale tabby tom quickly looked away and Bouncepool started snickering, his body visibly trembling from the effort of hiding it.