The sound of the river soothed Eclipsepaw. The leaves cracked under the pressure of her paws, startling her every now and then. Falconstripe followed close behind, his whiskers twitching in amusement every now and then when Eclipsepaw would trip or get startled.
"I don't smell him anywhere!" Eclipsepaw groaned at the lack of luck they had.
"I do," Falconstripe reassuringly mewed. "And you were right. He did go into FireClan territory." Eclipsepaw was really hoping to find Snakekit, but she was disappointed that it was the first thing she did as an apprentice.
"Falconstripe, are you sure that it's a good idea for me to go into FireClan woods without any training?"
Falconstripe paused for a second. "No, not really. I'm just seeing if he did go into FireClan." Eclipsepaw giggled, then sat down. "I'll send a team of warriors to try and find him in the morning. For now, it's probably for the best that I teach you how to hunt."
Eclipsepaw and Falconstripe padded beside the river until the trees thinned. Falconstripe climbed down a narrow slope, into a large clearing.
"This is the training hollow," he said. Eclipsepaw nodded and started downhill, digging her claws into the earth.
When she got down, Falconstripe crouched down and mewed "Okay, do what I do." Following his orders, Eclipsepaw bent down into the position he was in. "Today, we will learn how to catch mice. In leaf-bare, the river freezes, and mice are our only other option, unless we want to eat crow-food."
Eclipsepaw looked at the rushing water. "It's not frozen now. Why don't we learn to catch fish?" Falconstripe flicked his tail in annoyance.
"I'm the mentor," he mewed. Eclipsepaw then crouched back down, stifling a sigh.
"Now, what you want to do, is step lightly. Also, make sure you are down-wind, so it doesn't scent you." Falconstripe paused, then continued. "Keep your tail quiet, too. And don't let your belly fur touch the floor!"
Eclipsepaw nodded, then raised up a bit, keeping her stomach fur off the grass. "Okay, now do you see that mouse over there??" Falconstripe asked. Eclipsepaw nodded. "It's up-wind from us. Now, you need to step on your paws very lightly, and then, when you are close enough, pounce!"
Eclipsepaw crept towards the small creature. She sneaked up close enough to pouce, sat back in her haunches, and.... 'Fox-dung!!' The mouse slipped out of her paws at the last second, scrambling into the undergrowth. Eclipsepaw sat up, upset that she let prey get away.
"It's okay," Falconstripe assured her. "Not everyone gets it on their first try. You just have to-" Falconstripe stopped. An unusual scent filled Eclipsepaw's nostrils. She didn't know what it was, until she saw movement among the trees. Her fur stood on end. 'Dogs!!'
YOU ARE READING
Sky Falls | | A Warrior Cats Story | | Book One
FanfictionEclipsekit never found where she belonged. There were the kits who were playful and funny, the ones who were imaginative and thoughtful, and then there was her. She always thought that her life was going to be perfect, but oh boy was she wrong. ~~~~...
