HeatherClan Book: Chapter 15

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!