"We're almost out now." Harvey said. Falconblaze thought he could hear some regret in the young cat's voice. They would have to go seperate paths as soon as they were out of the twolegplace.
"Will you be fine on your own?" Hawkpaw asked, equally sad. Harvey smiled.
"I'll be fine. I was before you came, right? Don't worry. I have Rose and Muffin; they'll keep me company." he meowed, nudging the apprentice's shoulder. Hawkpaw shruggs.
"I suppose." he said, doubt in his mew. Harvey just grinned.
"What? Because we're housecats we can't have fun? Oh, come on Hawkpaw!" he laughed. They padded together, chatting and enjoying their time together, until Harevy stopped on the top of a small hill. Looking down they could see the mountains far away, seperated from them by a large meadow.
"Well, this is it I suppose." Harvey mewed, hanging his head a little. Falconblaze and Hawkpaw stood one on each side of the kittypet. "Will you be fine on your own? Maybe you should stay here until the winter is over." he added hopefully. But Falconblaze shook his head.
"I'm sorry Harvey, but we can't. Don't worry, we can manage. We have prey for a while, the snow will preserve it. And it will be newleaf by the time we reach toe mountains. And the twolegplace isn't a good place for us." he replied. Harvey nodded.
"Okay." he said. Hawkpaw looked came closer.
"I'll miss you, you know." he meowed. Harvey looked at him.
"I will miss you too." he meowed back. Falconblaze bend down to touch noses with Harvey, Hawkpaw did the same.
"Maybe we will meet again one day." Falconblaze smiles. Then he takes Hawkpaw and pads down the slope. When they reach the bottom, they can just see a silhouette of Harvey, before their view is blocked by a nest.
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When they finally were able to leave the thunderpaths and step onto grass Falconblaze nearly collapsed with delight. After trecking on the hard rock for two days their pads were grazed and sore, but the soft grass soothed them like dipping them into cool water. Hawkpaw looked as relieved as his mentor.
"I miss Harvey, but I definately couldn't have kept walking on rock all the time!" he sighed. Falconblaze nodded.
After a short break they entered a small woodland where they buried the prey in the snow. There wasn't as much left now; a couple of mice, a thrush and the pigeon. They decided to share the pigeon now, then hunt for more prey.
"I never tasted pigeon actually." Hawkpaw said, before taking a bite. Falconblaze looks at him with surprise.
"Really? Well, it's really just like a big blackbird." he says.
"When I was a kit the warriors and apprentices only brought back pigeon a couple of times. But they gave them to Dreamstar or the elders both times. That's why." he shrugged, taking another bite. "Weird though, I thought those big lazy creature would be easy to catch." he added.
Falconblaze shook his head. "They maybe be fat, but they are quick. And sensitive. It's hard enough to find one on the ground, you have to catch it too." he informed.
They finished the rest of the bird, then buried the remains. Hawkpaw cleared a small area for them.
"Can we do some battle training?" he asked. Falconblaze smiled and nodded, then got into position.
"Remember what we learned last time?" he asked. Hawkpaw nodded.
"The duck and roll." he said. Falconblaze nodded again.
