Shadow Warriors

Chapter One

Sagepaw swallowed as she glanced at her mentor. "D-do we really have to f-f-fight today?" she stammered. "Why can't we h-hunt or s-something?" The white apprentice was no expert on stalking or pouncing, but those skills were certainly more refined than her battle skills. Even the youngest kit in the nursery could probably take her down, and the youngest kits weren't even born yet!

Cloudyfoot, the mentor, let a sigh escape his muzzle. "Fine. I know you dislike fighting, but it's a main part of being a warrior. You'll never pass your assessment if you can't use your claws," he told her in a sharp tone.

Sagepaw nodded eagerly, a new excitement overtaking her body. "Yay! Thank you Cloudyfoot," she purred, stretching forward and touching her mentor's ear with her muzzle. Then, the she-cat sprinted off into the forest with a bounce in her step. The white warrior trailed behind her, ears folded back and yellow eyes sharp with anxiety.

I bet he thinks I'm a horrible fighter, reasoned Sagepaw. And he's totally right. The apprentice came a  halt, swiveling her ears back and forth. She angled them toward a bush, where a small rustling sound was echoing out from. Mouse! Tiny paws pattered against the ground, and Sagepaw could vaguely catch a glimpse of a small brown pelt.

She dropped into a crouch, slowly slinking forward with her belly pressed against the floor. Her mentor was watching from a few paces away as she prepared to leap. Sagepaw tightened all of her muscles, building power in her back legs. Finally she sprang into the air, soaring as if she was a bird.

And then the white apprentice came crashing down on the forest floor as the mouse darted underneath her paws and into a taller, thicker bush. "Fox dung!" she spat, getting up. "I was this close!" Sagepaw held her paws a whisker apart.

Cloudyfoot looked amused. "The mouse saw your white pelt just before you leaped. Let's just head over to the marshes and get some hunting done." Sagepaw nodded and followed her mentor into the forest. She stared off into the trees as she tried to keep up with Cloudyfoot.

The white apprentice noted that the sky was dark as she glimpsed through the pine trees above. Must be a storm coming. . . she thought to herself and shrugged it off. They stopped in a small clearing. "Just hunt around this general area, I suppose. I don't mind if we split up; just don't go too far." Sagepaw nodded and trotted off into the trees. The pungent scent of a squirrel drifted through the air.

She dropped into a crouch and started stalking the animal as it nibbled on a nut next to a tree root. C'mon. . . don't notice me. The apprentice grew closer and closer. The squirrel turned its tiny head and saw her; it's eyes bulged, but before it could run, she had pounced. A thin wail split through the air, and her claws sunk into the prey's flesh. Happy by her catch, she carried back to the clearing where she had split up from her mentor.

Cloudyfoot was only a few paces away, his muzzle open. He glanced over when he saw his apprentice. "Nice catch!" he purred, spotting the squirrel. "Silverpool will be happy to have some squirrel; it's been forever since one came over from the ThunderClan border."

"It was just lucky," the apprentice mumbled shyly, growing hot under her fur. She dropped the squirrel in the center and kicked a couple leaves over it before running back into the trees.

A few missed catches later, Sagepaw was stalking a frog. Its belly was fat and round, probably with tadpoles that would soon be laid. Tail twitching, the she-cat carefully took a few more steps, avoiding a crackly-looking leaf on the ground.

Just as she prepared to leap, something happened. The apprentice lost all control of her body; it was like she was watching through her own eyes. Terrified, Sagepaw tried to let out a scream, but she was trapped. The she-cat could only watch as her own claws sunk into the frog, tearing its body open. Blood sprayed across her white pelt, and her paws battered the dead prey back and forth.

Back and forth.

Back and forth.

Sagepaw was trapped.

She watched as her body dropped the frog, and her muzzle opened. Scents flowed in, especially one of a familiar smell: Thunderpath. I got too close to the WindClan territory! she realized with a jolt. And I can't make myself go back.

Sagepaw's uncontrollable self trotted across the Thunderpath, ignoring a bright red monster as it chugged by, hardly slowing for the cat only a pace away. She was choking, choking on her fear and terror and regret and anger. What's happening? she asked herself, trying to find the root of this event. I didn't do anything.

She was in WindClan territory now. Sagepaw spotted a rabbit, and her body dropped into a crouch. You're trespassing! she wanted to scream. Stop it! But her body wouldn't listen, and soon her claws were sinking into the supple flesh of the hare she had illegally caught.

And then it all released her, dropping her onto the ground in a pile of fur and flesh. Whimpering, Sagepaw dropped the rabbit and ran up to the Thunderpath. An one-eyed monster hurtled itself past her, screaming and shouting. The apprentice's ears flattened as she prepared to bolt.

She crossed, her paws stinging each time they touched the hot Thunderpath. Help me. She jumped into the bushes, wishing she could melt into the ground as a monster sped past. Finally, Sagepaw got to her paws and dragged herself out of the bush. She could hear the angry shouts of WindClan cats from the other side of the Thunderpath. Oh, Cloudyfoot. I didn't mean to! It wasn't me! She limped toward the clearing, where her mentor was pacing with a concerned expression.

"What is that scent on you?" he asked, sniffing her pelt. "Did you get a rabbit?" Excitement lit his yellow eyes.

"Uh, no," Sagepaw muttered. "But I—I think I fell in a burrow or something." She licked the fur on her shoulder, wanting to curl up and die.

Cloudyfoot sniffed again. "Were you in WindClan territory?" he asked sharply, recognizing the scent that hung dangerously on her pelt.

She shook her head wildly, then stopped. Sagepaw nodded. "B—but only because I saw a finch cross!" she lied.

"Well don't ever do that again. When the prey touches the boundary line, it's not yours anymore." Cloudyfoot shook his head, looking disappointed. "I expected better from you."

"S—sorry," she muttered, head dropping. Paws aching, Sagepaw could only trail after her mentor as they headed back to camp.

~

Welcome to the newest (not for long, I suppose) CloudtailGrandmas story! This idea was created by Warrior, but this chapter's amazing writer was Rio :) I hope you enjoyed, and make sure to add this story to your library! Whisper edited it.