The Warrior's Return (A Shrouded Path book 3)

Chapter 6

 Later that evening Minnow and Apollo found themselves on a hunting patrol. Redblaze was leading this one as well, and Minnow knew that every able-bodied cat would have to take double patrols for a while. When Nightwhisper and Silverheart had been checking wounds, they found that Mudpelt's and Cloudsplash's were getting worse, no doubt from pushing themselves too hard too soon. By sunhigh, Mudpelt could hardly walk, and the gash on Cloudplash's flank was becoming infected. Everyone else had been fine, but Minnow knew that they'd be lucky if more cats didn't have a rough recovery; there was just so much work to do, and no cat could find the time to rest.

As the patrol left, Minnow saw Ripplepaw and Sootpaw building new nests for the warriors' den. Cinderfrost had been put in charge of cleaning up the camp, and she was moving debris away along with Poppywhisker, Specklefur, and Reedtail. The four she-cats were working diligently, but Minnow knew it would take a while for the camp to look normal again. As a matter of fact, it would take a long time before anything was normal again.

Minnow followed Redblaze and Amberpaw, who bounced along beside her mentor. She seemed cheerful given the circumstances, and Minnow was glad that she had been apprenticed to Redblaze. Apollo walked at her side, and no one said much. They walked briskly in the direction of the river, hearing it grow louder as they approached. A shrill cry of a bird cut through the air, and Apollo immediately went on point. Minnow watched, amused, as Apollo began to stalk the creature. The bird called again, announcing its location, and with a flying leap Apollo threw himself upwards, catching it midair. He dropped gracefully to the ground, a sparrow in his jaws.

"Wow!" Redblaze exclaimed, wide-eyed. "That was amazing!" While Minnow didn't care much for birds, it was fun to watch Apollo catch them; he was really good at it. "Where did you learn to catch birds like that?"

Apollo shrugged, tucking his catch underneath a bushy fern. "I learned when I was young," he said. "Birds and mice were all I knew how to catch until Minnow showed us all how to catch fish."

Redblaze purred, clearly still impressed. The patrol carried along, eventually stopping in the river. The cool water felt heavenly on Minnow's pelt, and she immediately set out looking for the juiciest fish. Within moments she had spotted one, and she held her paw over the water until it was near, then she scooped it out neatly with her paw. She slapped it down hard onto the stones of the riverbank, killing it.

Redblaze looked up from where he was instructing Amberpaw. "It's like you never left at all," he meowed wistfully. Minnow blinked gratefully at him.

Amberpaw caught the second fish, just moments after Minnow's catch. She plunged her muzzle into the water and returned in a flash, droplets streaming from her whiskers, a massive trout in her jaws. Pride glittered in her amber eyes as Redblaze congratulated her, and she set her catch on the rocks as well.

"You must be a good mentor," Apollo commented, barely moving as he concentrated on the water. He looked funny, Minnow thought, trying to balance himself in the slow-moving current. He had only ever fished in the twoleg pond, so this was completely new to him.

"She's a great apprentice," Redblaze replied, moving closer and leaving Amberpaw on her own. "She's a quick learner and she's determined to do well. She and her brothers are only a couple moons away from their warrior ceremony."

A pang of longing hit Minnow out of nowhere. She had missed nearly all of her siblings' apprenticeship on top of most of their kithood. Now, she felt like a complete stranger to them, and it hurt her when she remembered how much she had loved them as kits.

Before she knew it, Redblaze and Apollo had paired off, seemingly already striking up a friendship. This left Minnow alone, and she tried to focus on the river once more. There were hungry bellies to fill, and she would do her part to help RiverClan. Her own stomach growled as she picked out a plump fish, eyes following it as it swam lazily near her paws. She realized she hadn't eaten yet since she had returned, so her last meal had been yesterday morning at the barn. She tried to silence the rumbling, afraid it would spook the fish, and quickly grabbed it in her claws. It was a bit of a sloppy catch, but she still managed it. Prey is prey, she thought to herself.