part six
Two sunrises had passed since the Gathering, which Graypaw had been so eager to hear about. Ravenpaw was quiet about the affair, allowing Sandpaw the most of the spotlight. The strange requests from Brokenstar were nothing like any of the elders could remember from previous leaders. It was a display of weakness to announce a shortage of prey, but a growing rival Clan could also pose a threat. In the following days, he saw Bluestar speaking with Lionheart more often than usual, sometimes including Tigerclaw or Whitestorm in what must have been important discussions. Border patrols were increased all around, with particular attention to the Thunderpath separating their territory from ShadowClan's.
Patrols around that area rarely included Ravenpaw, and frightened him when they did. Scent markers were always fresh enough to smell over the stink of passing monsters, as if the giant rumbling beasts weren't already a big enough threat to any cat attempting to cross. Tigerclaw would scold the apprentice anytime he shrunk back, away from the hot stinking road, but even Dustpaw couldn't mock him for his fear.
Ravenpaw found himself relieved each time it was announced that he would be training with another apprentice. There was no question that Tigerclaw had seen him at Sunningrocks and he shuddered to think what things his mentor would do to keep his secret from spreading. Today, however, was different. Graypaw burst through the ferns sheltering the elder's den where Ravenpaw was carrying out his assigned task of picking ticks out of Rosetail's fur. The stench of mouse bile given to him by Spottedleaf to help with the removal was overwhelming. Graypaw crinkled his nose in response.
Excitement still shone in his yellow eyes despite the disgust. "Ravenpaw," he panted. "Lionheart says we're ready for our first hunting assessment!"
The smaller tom wasn't so sure. His techniques were sloppy at best, at least according to his mentor. Maybe Lionheart saw potential in his hunting practice? He envied Graypaw and Sandpaw of their supportive mentors. Even Dustpaw had it better, having started his training with the clan deputy. And his new mentor, Darkstripe, was unpleasant but at least he wasn't a killer. Ravenpaw felt a shiver run down his spine.
"Well, you're certainly in no hurry," Rosetail said, snapping Ravenpaw out of his thoughts.
"Sorry," he muttered. To Graypaw, he said, "Tell Lionheart I'll just be a moment."
The younger tom nodded and dashed out into the clearing.
The dark apprentice quickly finished his chore and scurried out of the elder's den to where Lionheart and Tigerclaw sat, with Graypaw half-hopping-half-pacing around them with growing anticipation. Tigerclaw grunted his acknowledgement before the four cats started toward the bramble camp entrance. Their short walk ended in a sandy hollow, familiar to the apprentices as an open place where their battle training most often took place.
Lionheart sat down, wrapping his tail neatly around his paws before speaking. "Feeling comfortable for your first hunting assessment?"
Graypaw nodded eagerly, but Ravenpaw didn't respond, except with a nervous glance at the ground.
"Don't worry," Lionheart chuckled. "We're not expecting anything but your best effort for your very first assessment."
Tigerclaw carried on for the deputy, giving a run down of how the hunting assessment would work.
They were going to be sent in opposite directions, alone. Their mentors would quietly follow their every move. Ravenpaw knew he had to try his best to feed his clan and prove himself worthy of warrior training, but the thought of Tigerclaw silently tracking him through the forest left him wanting to run and hide.
"Graypaw will start toward the Owl Tree," he instructed. "Ravenpaw, you'll be hunting at Snakerocks."
He stiffened at the words. Snakerocks was named for its numerous adders, venomous snakes that hid in shallow burrows and beneath stones in the Leaf-bare season, but in the warmth of Greenleaf, they would be out bathing in the sun and hunting. He had never trained there, let alone hunted on his own.
He looked up at Lionheart, praying to StarClan that the golden warrior would say something, tell Tigerclaw that Snakerocks was not an appropriate location for an apprentice's first hunting assessment. But despite the initial look of confusion in his eyes, he only flicked his tail in response.
"We'll find you at the assigned location when the assessment is over. Well, off you go," Tigerclaw hissed when neither apprentice made a move.
Ravenpaw trotted out of the hollow, eager to be away from Tigerclaw before remembering the dark tabby would be on his heels the entire time. As he slowed his pace to a walk, he tried to shove the thoughts aside for the sake of his training. But how could he stop thinking about it? Tigerclaw, his mentor, had just a few sunrises ago murdered his own clan's deputy and knew Ravenpaw was there to witness it. He had to protect himself from the power-hungry warrior. He had to tell someone before he killed Lionheart too. He shuddered at the thought.
What would Tigerclaw do when if became deputy? Would he kill Bluestar for her place as ThunderClan's leader? What would he do with such power and his StarClan-granted nine lives? How many cats would die before –
His thoughts were cut off by the sound of a twig snapping nearby, and the assessment he was currently meant to be doing flooded back to his mind. He hadn't yet reached Snakerocks, but if a mouse or squirrel was going to be so loud and obvious, he decided he may as well start his hunting on his way there.
He opened his mouth to scent the air. The familiar odour of squirrel flooded the roof of his mouth.
Without moving, he scanned the area for the rodent that he hoped would become his prey. And there it was, at the base of an oak just within his field of view. The apprentice was downwind, and the squirrel sat facing away, nibbling on what Ravenpaw presumed to be an acorn. He carefully picked his way toward it, his body low to the ground, avoiding any sudden movement for fear of making any noise. Just a tail length away, he lowered himself into a hunter's crouch, something that came with instinct that he had perfected through training. Then, his rear legs pushed off the ground with all the strength he had and propelled him toward the squirrel.
It looked up. Just before he landed right in the spot it was sitting, it scurried away from the predator. Ravenpaw cursed under his breath. He'd never be a proper warrior if i couldn't even hunt a stupid squirrel.
He carried on toward Snakerocks, catching only one mouse by the time he arrived. A slow mouse at that; one that must have had a lame leg for the speed it carried itself. He buried it beneath an elm tree at the edge of the clearing.
Snakerocks was a pile of rocks at the foot of a leafy bank. The highest point was a few boulders tall and the end of its radius was marked by just a few smaller stones here and there. He caught sight of only one adder and felt his heart pound as it slithered from its basking spot, breathing a sigh of relief as it disappeared between the stones.
The thought of an attack from adders on one side and Tigerclaw from the other filled his mind with terror, but he narrowed his eyes and shook his head. He had to let go of the fear for right now. Today he would be fine. He had to be. Even though a hunting assessment was the perfect way to catch the apprentice alone, off guard, the most important thing at this very moment was for Ravenpaw to catch enough prey to pass his assessment, and not raise the suspicions of any other cat for fear of putting an even bigger target on his back.
Snakerocks, as he should have guessed, was mostly barren of prey. The squirrels and mice could scent well enough to recognize the danger of snakes around here, so they were likely to stick to trees in the denser part of the forest. Even the trees around the clearing wouldn't carry more than a squirrel, and without much tree-climbing practice, Ravenpaw didn't want to take the risk of hunting in them before he'd scoped out the grassy clearing.---->
Just as he was burying a skinny young squirrel, his second piece of fresh-kill, he heard a horrible caw. The young tom spun around to spot the source of the noise and found a dark bird, not too much smaller than Ravenpaw himself, hopping around on the pile of rocks. A quick whiff of the air confirmed his suspicion of crow, but there was also a tinge of blood on the air. When a few cautious steps forward didn't startle the bird even slightly, he decided to test his luck bringing down the feathered beast.
When he was only about a foxlength from the thing, he stopped. He had never been so close to any bird before, except the one pigeon he'd caught during his last training session. He crouched down, willing the crow to stay still. It turned just as he sprung off the ground, and fluttered awkwardly for a moment before landing less than a rabbit leap to the side.
As it hit the ground, the scent of blood hit Ravenpaw's nose again. It must have had an injured wing, he remarked.
Again, he lowered his body, again, he leaped toward the avian, again, it fluttered off to the side. Again. Like it was taunting him.
This time, he told himself, he would catch it. He was determined to.
But before he could jump, it picked itself off the ground and wildly flapped its wings in an attempt to take off and escape the tom cat. He stood up on his hing legs and reached before it could fly away. However, with an injured wing, it could only hover unevenly just out of Ravenpaw's reach.
One last pounce brought Ravenpaw higher than he'd jumped before, having never caught prey in the air. It wasn't high enough to catch the crow, but just enough for his claw to clip its wing in a downstroke, and the bird tumbled to the ground in front of him. Before the crow could react again, he leaned down and nipped its neck so it stopped struggling.
The scent of another cat startled him. Tigerclaw was just upwind, watching intently. Ravenpaw could feel the tabby's amber gaze boring into him as he moved toward the apprentice. Each step was slow and deliberate.
As if he was stalking his prey.
He felt his throat tighten.
"Tigerclaw!" another voice called as Whitestorm bounded into the clearing, Sandpaw and Mousefur hard on his heels. The sudden noise caused both mentor and apprentice to look up. "Thank StarClan we've found you. Bluestar's summoning you."
A low growl rose from Tigerclaw's chest, but he faced the white warrior at the sound of his name.
"Don't worry," Whitestorm said to Ravenpaw, coming to a halt. "Mousefur will help carry your kill back to camp. Tigerclaw and Lionheart will review your assessments tonight."
Ravenpaw flicked his tail. He relaxed, watching Tigerclaw leave the hollow with Whitestorm and the pale apprentice, and let out a sigh of relief.
Mousefur apparently noticed. "Scary mentor, eh?" she commented. "Glad I didn't have him."