The Blessed Warrior #1 - Fire Stream

Chapter 3

      The sky was red by the time Swanpaw, exhausted, slumped into her nest under the huge thorn bush. The soft, squishy moss sunk beneath her, and her jaws parted in a humongous yawn. Her sister flopped into the nest beside her, falling asleep almost instantly. She had worked very hard that afternoon; at the end of her training session she had been asleep on her paws. Tangledbriar was incredibly impressed with Starlingpaw's performance that afternoon. Swanpaw wondered whether Darkpool was a good mentor to her sister - he barely took Starlingpaw out on training sessions, he always had some excuse or other.
     Swanpaw's thought train didn't get much further, as she fell into a void of sleep.

    
     "May all cats who can hunt for themselves gather under the High Branch!" Autumnstar's voice echoed around the hollow. Swanpaw looked up groggily. Shafts of light were grappling between the thorn bush's branches. Around her the other apprentices were hauling themselves out of their nests. Starlingpaw poked her with a paw.
     "Come on lazybones! Autumnstar wants us."
     Swanpaw heaved herself to her feet, staggering across the dusty floor, to flop down beside her sister. Autumnstar was sitting on the tree trunk of a tree that had toppled over the edge of the hollow where it had been growing, making it another exit from the hollow, but only in an emergency.
     Autumnstar was sitting halfway up the trunk, on one of the branches that stuck out over his Clanmates.
     When all the cats had gathered, Autumnstar began,
     "As you all know, tonight is the night of the Gathering. I will be taking with me: Swiftstep, Darkpool, Clearstream, Swallowsong, Swanpaw, Starlingpaw, Redpaw and Moonpaw. We will meet again here at dusk, ready to leave. That is all." Autumnstar gave a quick, slightly apologetic look to his mate, Cuckoopelt, whose belly was swollen with his kits.  She had to be left behind; they were due any time soon.
     Swanpaw's heart swelled with pride and happiness at being invited to her first Gathering! Starlingpaw, who was sitting next to her, purred with excitement; her whiskers were twitching in anticipation. Redpaw and his grey tabby sister Moonpaw spotted them through the crowd of cats going about their business, and headed over to the two littermates.
     "I'm soo excited for the Gathering, are you?" Moonpaw was bouncing up and down - Swanpaw could practically feel the excitement radiating from her friend's sister.
     Starlingpaw stifled a purr at Moonpaw's enthusiasm. "I'm excited too. Have you seen the size of Cuckoopelt? Her kits must be coming any day soon."
     Redpaw nodded in agreement. "I hope they don't come while we're away."
     Thornheart padded over to the four apprentices. "Congratulations, you lot."
     Swanpaw noticed that her sister kept avoiding the younger warrior's gaze - did her sister like Thornheart?!
     Darkpool's voice sounded from behind Swanpaw, making her jump. "We're going on a hunting patrol, you lot. Bronzeleaf, Swiftstep and Tangledbriar are waiting."
     Swanpaw jumped to her feet. "I'm ready!"

The four apprentices and their mentors stopped in the centre of BirchClan's patch of forest. Bronzeleaf, the deputy, stopped to sniff at the air. Tangledbriar drifted away from the group, her muzzle low to the leaf-coated ground. Soon there was a warm mouse dangling from her jaws.

     "Well done, Tangledbriar," Bronzeleaf congratulated the tortoiseshell warrior. Darkpool looked slightly agitated; his tail lashed, rustling through the dry leaves covering the forest floor.

     Redpaw's ears suddenly twitched, and he dropped into a crouch almost automatically, stalking, nearly gliding across the dry earth. His intent green eyes were fixed on a plump, beady-eyed blackbird sitting alertly on a tree root a few fox-lengths away. Swanpaw looked  over in admiration as her best friend leapt, and pounced, catching the blackbird by its tail-feathers as it sang out one last note in alarm.

     "Great catch, Redpaw!" Moonpaw purred. Swanpaw flicked her tail across Redpaw's back encouragingly.

     The patrol worked hard until just after sunhigh, then they headed, weary, back to the camp with full jaws. Swanpaw had caught a thrush, Redpaw had his blackbird, Bronzeleaf, Starlingpaw and Tangledbriar had three mice between them, and Swiftstep had caught a squirrel. The small group of cats were greeted with a warm welcome from their Clanmates when they returned to the hollow.