Chapter 21:
After assigning the dawn patrols Silverstar and Goldenfur went to share a few voles. They then went to start their training of their apprentices. They started by showing them the forest.
"As you know, this is the fern tunnel, the main entrance an exit of the main clearing of our Clan," explained Silverstar. The band walked forwards twenty tail-lengths.
"And over here is the Great Ash, prey is plentiful here, especially birds, and near by is the pine glade where many voles live," added Goldenfur.
"Oh, when can we start hunting?" asked Birdpaw.
"Yeah, when, please can we start soon, please, please!" begged Moonpaw.
"We will start after the tour of the forest, you impatient little apprentices," purred Silverstar.
"Next, we'll show you the small pond, and then you can start hunting," mewed Silverstar. The two warriors showed the young apprentices the best spots to catch rabbits and mice (The burrows by the pond and the nests by the clump of oak trees) and the Heatherclan boundaries.
"Now we start the hunting basics," declared Silverstar. She quickly killed a vole, rabbit, squirrel, and a mouse, then explained how to locate the smell, then stalk the prey then kill it with a bite to the neck.
"Remember, the mouse feels you and the squirrel hears you," added Silverstar, and the two apprentices started off.
Silverstar and Goldenfur followed, but talked in low tones.
"I'll follow Moonpaw secretly, and you can follow Birdpaw secretly, we can see what they catch and how well they do it, then we can meet back at the pond," Goldenfur suggested to Silverstar.
"No, I disagree, I think we should stay with them. After all, this is their first time in the forest. They can barely find their way around, so how do you expect them to hunt so well by them self? What if they get lost? We will go with them, and when they get better at hunting and navigating through the forest, we'll let them hunt by themselves," insisted Silverstar.
Goldenfur opened her mouth to protest; she was used to having her way, but thought better of it. She dipped her head and muttered a quick "Sorry." Silverstar gave a small nod of approval.
Silverstar quickly bounded towards the apprentices, but Goldenfur took more time, slowly padding across the forest floor. Goldenfur could easily climb a tree, but running as fast as Silverstar was not an easy task for her. Silverstar was a fast runner, as fast as a StormClan cat, but climbing was a bit harder for her. Birdpaw headed over to the great oak (Silverstar had told her not to fly), where she smelled rabbits. Silverstar quickly followed. Moonpaw padded over to the pine glad where she smelled a strong aroma of pine voles, and Goldenfur padded quietly after her.
"Keep your belly lower to the ground and don't lash your tail, and remember to stay downwind," Silverstar advised Birdpaw.
Goldenfur nodded from where she was standing next to Moonpaw, who had stopped to listen.
"Keep yourself low enough so that the prey can't see you as easily, but make sure your belly fur doesn't touch the ground. If you brush some leaves with your tail or your belly, the prey will hear you. Remember, the bird hears you, the mouse feels you." she added.
The two apprentices nodded, and started off in separate directions again. Suddenly, Birdpaw froze. She had spotted a large rabbit! She flicked her ears nervously toward Silverstar, and began creeping towards the rabbit. Silverstar got ready to pounce, if the rabbit sensed Birdpaw and tried to escape.
Birdpaw crept forward slowly. The rabbit looked up and she froze. Then slowly, it went back to eating, and Birdpaw resumed stalking the rabbit. Suddenly, she pounced! The rabbit wriggled under the small apprentice, trying to get free. But Birdpaw was too fast. She nipped it's neck and trotted back happily, her tail straight up in the air.
"Great job!" purred Silverstar. "Most apprentices don't catch their prey on their first try!"
Birdpaw positively beamed, and the two cats continued hunting. Silverstar taught her how to hunt as a team, and to jump down from trees.
While Birdpaw was stalking rabbits, Moonpaw was hunting birds. She expertly bounded up the great oak. Then she paused and took a deep whiff. She looked confused.
"I can't smell anything," she confessed. Goldenfur skimmed up the tree. When she reached Moonpaw, she felt the wind.
"You need to smell in the OTHER direction!" she said, rolling her eyes.
Then, Moonpaw saw it. The pheasant was sitting on a small branch eating a blueberry. Moonpaw silently crouched over to it, then, she pounced, killing it with a quick bite to the neck.
After hunting, the four cats returned to the rendezvous point.
"Birdpaw is excellent at stalking animals, but needs to work on locating prey," concluded Silverstar. "I had to help her, once. But she is also very fast, so she caught two rabbits all by herself." Birdpaw flicked her tail, happy to be praised by her mentor and her mother.
"Moonpaw is great at picking up scents and tracking prey but she isn't as good at stalking prey," reasoned Goldenfur. "One vole got away from her and I had to catch it for her."
Moonpaw dipped her head, embarrased.
Together, the four cats had caught five birds, three rabbits, two squirrels and five voles after an hour of hunting.
Just as they headed home, Silverstar detected an unfamiliar scent. She opened her mouth, scenting the air. Fox!
Goldenfur stiffened, and mewed, "Moonpaw, go back to camp. When you come back, bring a patrol of warri..."
Goldenfur was cut off by a red shape pouncing towards her. Silverstar joined the fight.
"Go!" she meowed between gasps. Moonpaw immediately raced away, leaving Birdpaw to climb up a tree to escape the violence below. She wasn't ready for this kind of fighting yet!
She watched as Silverstar flipped back, and once she was directly flying at her, Goldenfur kicked the fox with back legs and claws sending her flying into the air straight up. The fox got up and bounded at Goldenfur, knocking her down. She huddled in a heap.
"Use your flying powers," advised Silverstar breathlessly as she dodged yet another savage attack from the fox.
Birdpaw looked wary, but joined the fight. She clawed at the fox's eyes in midair, managing to blind it in one eye, leaving her claws stained with blood, but the fox still didn't let up.
It must be a female, thought Silverstar. One that is protecting her pups and her territory.
She struck at it's nose, clawing it, watching the blood run out. Silverstar shivered. She didn't like spilling blood, but now, she had to. There was one minute of hesitation as she thought, and the fox took the chance and bit her neck, lifting her up and shaking her. Black and red spots clouded Silverstar's vision, and she felt herself go limp...
Silverstar woke in the forest. Firestar was there, looking calm.
"Silverstar, my granddaughter, you have just lost your second life." The flame-colored cat had many scars and scratches. He had recently been in a fight.
"Firestar, you are risking your life to speak to me," Silverstar meowed. "Why?"
"Silverstar, we are in the Tribe of Endless Hunting," Firestar told her. "We are safe here."
Silverstar had just begun to relax when she remembered how she had gotten here. "The fox! I have to get back!" she yelped.
"Remember the five," he mewed. "And there may be traitors amongst your midst."
Silverstar nodded, a bit confused, and she returned to the world once more.
Silverstar awoke to a gentle prodding in her side.
"Mother?" whispered Birdpaw. "Are you okay?"
Silverstar took a deep breath and opened her eyes. "Yes," she meowed heavily. "I only lost a life."
Birdpaw's eyes widened but she didn't say any more. She padded away to sit by Moonpaw as Goldenfur hurried over, looking shaken but not too hurt.
"Moonpaw brought the patrol right after you...passed out," she meowed uncertainly. "I believe..." She paused to take a deep breath. "I believe Nightfall and Berrypaw saw Birdpaw fly." Goldenfur finished in a rush.
Silverstar sat bolt upright and immediately felt light-headed. "Oh no..." she breathed.
"What is it?" asked Goldenfur urgently.
"When I lost my life, my second life, that is, Firestar told me that there may be traitors amongst our midst," she answered. "That may be Nightfall and Berrypaw!"
The four cats padded back to the clearing. The mentors went off to the medicine cat den to be checked by Jaywing and Aurorapaw. After they were allowed to leave they went the the highrock to talk about the traitors.
"We are almost positive that Berrypaw and Nightfall are traitors, but who else?" asked Silverstar
"Possibly Snowbird, she always wanted to be Nightfall's mate, but Nightfall always wanted to be my mate, and when I became mates with Brackenfur, he turned his attention to you. He was SO disappointed when you became mates with Moonrain. And when Nightfall finally chose a mate, and it wasn't Snowbird, she was really disappointed too..." She yawned.
"You should sleep," meowed Silverstar, then added, "It's been a long day, and we've both been hurt," before she could object.
Wearily, they turned and stumbled into their dens.
Chapter 15: Hunting
When Silverstar awoke, she could hear Goldenfur organizing the dawns patrols.
"I will lead the hunting patrol." Goldenfur was meowing as Silverstar padded out of her den. "Anyone up for hunting patrol?" she asked.
"I'll come," volunteered Silverstar.
"Okay," meowed Goldenfur. "Anybody else?"
"May I come?" asked Leopardfire.
"Sure." answered Goldenfur. "Willowshine, Brook, Angelflame, Snowbird, and Dovepaw, you too. Moonrain, Berrypaw, Windflight,
Crookedpaw, Moonflower, Mistypaw, Sandpelt, and Angelflame will go on dawn patrol. Sandpelt will lead." she thought for a moment. "That takes care of everything." Goldenfur meowed as she leaped from the tree and bounded to the fern tunnel.
"Where should we go?" asked Leopardfire. She had learned the new territory rather quickly, and was itching to go on a new adventure.
"Let's try around the Great Ash tree." suggested Silverstar.
She squeezed through the fern tunnel and bounded across the forest floor. She jerked to a halt next to the Great Ash and tasted the air. Squirrel, mouse, rabbit, vole...and pheasant!
Pheasants were rare in the forest. Little did they ever wander in from the moors, and even there, they were rare.
She tasted the air again. Good. No NightClan scent. Twenty sunrises had passed since the battle, and Silverstar wouldn't put it past them to launch another surprise attack.
"We should split up and look for prey. We'll meet here." decided Goldenfur.
The group of cats broke up, all heading in different directions. Silverstar followed the pheasant's scent trail.
Very fresh, she thought.
Silverstar padded across the ground, keeping her belly low and her tail straight, all the while making sure she didn't step on a twig or rustle any dead leaves with her fur.
She crept forward about ten tail-lengths and then saw it. The pheasant was by an oak tree, pecking at the ground a couple more tail lengths away. Silverstar made sure she was downwind, slithered forward as close as she could without alarming the bird, bunched her muscles in her hind legs, and pounced!
Silverstar dropped squarely on top of the pheasant. It tried to escape, but it was too late. Silverstar bent down and snapped it's neck with a swift bite.
She quickly buried it, and opened her mouth, tasting the air again.
Rabbit, my favorite! she thought. Silverstar headed toward the scent. The rabbit was easily spotted, standing and sniffing the ground for food. Silverstar crept behind it, easily leaping forward and tearing its throat, feeling it go limp in his paws.
She carried it back to the place she buried the pheasant and buried it as well.
Then, Silverstar scented the mouse, and the vole. She headed toward the vole's scent. It led her to a small shrub, in which she heard small scuffling noises. She crept around the shrub until she was downwind, where the vole couldn't smell her.
She dropped to a hunting crouch and slithered forward. She crept forward pawstep after pawstep. Crack! Silverstar stepped on a twig. The vole began to pelt off into the trees.
"Fox dung," muttered Silverstar. At that point, something flew down from above. Silverstar only caught a glance of flaming orange color-Fire! she thought- when it landed squarely on top of the vole, nipped it's neck, and started purring. "Leopardfire!" Silverstar gasped. "How did you do that?"
Leopardfire shrugged. "I just climbed a tree, calculated a bit, and jumped down onto that vole before it disappeared."
Silverstar gaped at her, then narrowed her eyes, thinking hard. "That could become a battle move!" she suddenly exclaimed. "We can climb a tree and leap down on our enemies while their unsuspecting! Leopardfire, that's perfect! I shall tell the Clan as soon as we get back. And you caught a nice, fat piece of prey too."
Leopardfire was surprised to be praised by the Clan leader, but she was still proud.
She left to collect her other fresh-kill, while Silverstar collected hers.
She found her catch and padded toward the rendezvous point, where all the other cats were waiting for her.
On the way, she snagged a mouse that almost ran right into her paws, and an unsuspecting squirrel.
They had a good catch. Altogether, the cats had five mice, four squirrels, three voles, three starlings, two magpies, two rabbits, and one pheasant.
In addition, Brook managed to catch a fairly large hawk that had been keeping an annoyingly close watch on the Clan for any kit that strayed to far from the nursery.
The eight cats headed back to camp with their jaws full, and chose a piece of well deserved prey for themselves to share with their friends.
Then, Silverstar bounded onto the Highledge and called, "Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey come and join me at the Highrock for a Clan meeting!" The other cats stopped sharing tongues and padded into the clearing. Silverstar meowed, "Today, Leopardfire showed me a new fighting and hunting technique. She cl..."
Silverstar's voice was covered as muttering broke out.
"A new fighting and hunting technique?" she heard Stonestream mew disbelievingly.
"That hasn't happened in a long time, and I don't think a loner could come up with one so good that Silverstar would announce in front of the whole Clan," Mousepelt agreed.
Silverstar waited until the noise died down, then began again. "Leopardfire climbed a tree, and while a vole was running towards a safe shelter, she jumped down onto it and nipped it's neck. Here, why doesn't she show you?"
Leopardfire climbed a tree silently. Then, Silverstar instructed Nightfall to creep under it, like he was an enemy cat that was invading. Suddenly, Leopardfire flung herself down onto him and landed on his shoulders. There was a piercing screech, and soon, Leopardfire had Nightfall pinned to the ground with her jaws at his throat.
There was a shocked silence, and then the watching cats began cheering. They hadn't imagined that a mere loner could come up with such a great technique. Even Silverstar was surprised at the show she put on.
Silverstar mewed, "We'll call it the Leopardfire Leap." Leopardfire purred until it seemed that the very ground was shaking.
Suddenly, Nightfall hissed, "Get off me, kittypet! You've torn my ear!" Leopardfire had been sitting on him, and now, she sprang off, shocked.
Silverstar was bemused. "Nightfall, you know that Leopardfire isn't a kittypet," she meowed.
He stared at her with eyes narrowed to slits, then turned to slink into the medicine cat's den.
Suddenly, the clearing erupted with meows, with all the apprentices begging their mentors to teach them how to do the Leopardfire Leap, and all the warriors asking Leopardfire to teach them.
Silverstar padded into her den, purring, and thinking, Well! Leopardfire is going to have quite a busy day!
