Moon Signs #2: Bloody Vision

Chapter 1

Narrator POV
Aspenpaw stretched her muzzle and drank in the fresh, cold stream. The water felt refreshing in her throat.

She stretched her paws on the side. Her mentor, Oakleaf, waited patiently beside her. "Are you ready?" He asked her. Aspenpaw nodded and followed the light brown tom to the border to DarkClan.

"It's dangerous for you to be here," Oakleaf explained, "but I want to show you it."

He leaped over a small ditch. "Some cat dug this for shelter," the tom told me. Aspenpaw nodded without replying. Some rogue.

She watched her mentor as he set the border again. It smelled strong now. Oakleaf walked along the border, his eyes narrowing.

Aspenpaw sniffed the air and realized that her belly was growling. "Can't we hunt?" I asked excitedly. "Aren't you tired?" Oakleaf examined me.

"I'm hungry, and we haven't walked far," Aspenpaw replied with a flick of her tail. "Fine." Oakleaf led me to the hollow where the apprentices learned new skills.

"Let's learn the hunting crouch," Oakleaf purred, crouching down. Aspenpaw watched him pull himself together, his legs tucked neatly and his spine and tail down.

"Like this?" She asked, crouching low. Her legs weren't tucked very neatly and her tail and legs wiggled with excitement.

"No," Oakleaf objected. He put a paw on her tail. "A mouse or vole could see movement and run away," he explained. She crouched lower, her spine low to the ground.

She tucked in her lugs neater inside. Her haunches stood still. Oakleaf grabbed a piece of bark from a tree and placed it a tail-length in front of me.

"See if you can catch that," Oakleaf prompted. Aspenpaw stared at the bark for moments, then leaped, her claws outstretched.

She landed on the ground in front of the bark; she swiped at it and Oakleaf purred. "Good. Try again," he instructed.

Aspenpaw crouched again, her paws tucked neatly and her tail low but not dragging on the ground.

Oakleaf took the bark and placed it another tail-length away. Aspenpaw knew she couldn't jump that far. And so did Oakleaf.

Aspenpaw nodded towards the "prey" and crawled forward, stepping on a twig. It snapped in half. Oakleaf turned and snatched up the bark.

"You can't let the twig snap, and you can't step on dried leaves," Oakleaf ordered. "The prey will hear you."

Aspenpaw struggled to break away from her tight grip. "Fine," she meowed, shaking her pelt free of dried leaves and dirt.

"Here's a thrush," Oakleaf meowed, grabbing a leaf from the ground. "Catch it." It was in the same spot as the piece of bark.

Aspenpaw crouched into the hunter's crouch. Then, she made sure to have a clear way for the "bird." She made no stepping sound.

Suddenly, Oakleaf took up the leaf and placed in on a branch that hung above him. What? I made no sounds, the bird couldn't see me. What was missing?

Aspenpaw looked thoughtful. Finally, she gasped and Oakleaf nodded. "I was upwind!" She realized. Oakleaf shrugged. "I came here to teach you. Now you know. Let's try real prey," he decided.

"Yay!" Aspenpaw exclaimed. "Come," Oakleaf ordered with flick of his tail. I obeyed, slightly tripping over wet leaves that were covered in dew.

Oakleaf had no problem walking through the forest. Aspenpaw, however, had to jump really high to get over logs and bushes. She also had to regain her balance.

Oakleaf was far ahead; she could just see his tabby pelt in the morning.

A thin drizzle started again, then a heavy rain started to fall a little after Aspenpaw had hunted and caught a mouse and a plump shrew. She could not catch anything that was in the air.

Oakleaf managed to catch a squirrel that she lost and a vole. He caught a few mice as well. Now, Aspenpaw was grooming herself in the apprentice's den, in the entrance.

She heard paw-steps behind her and turned just in time to see a black paw pushing her into the rain and into a deep mud puddle.

She splashed and got out of the puddle. She glared at Coalpaw, the tom who sneered and went back to sleep. Nobody was out in the rain, only Applefur remained sleeping under the prey-pile rock.

She was probably waiting for the rain to stop. Aspenpaw hissed at Coalpaw and sneakily tip-toed towards him. Once she was near him, she shook out her pelt and many spot of mud and water slid onto Coalpaw's pelt.

The tom shivered and gasped. He regained his shock and leaped at Aspenpaw. Aspenpaw shrieked and ducked, making Coalpaw's legs touch her back.

But he stumbled out of the nest. Aspenpaw didn't leap at him, she knew better, but Coalpaw studied her for a second.

Then, he lounged for her throat and she closed her eyes, swatting at his paws. But his teeth didn't meet her neck, it met her side and he nipped her leg.

Aspenpaw hissed again and scratched his ears. The tom looked up and swiped my muzzle. Blood welled from the wound, but it didn't hurt much to Aspenpaw.

Coalpaw finally gave up and fled the den, leaving Aspenpaw alone and with blood on her leg, her muzzle, and her hip.

Aspenpaw let out a growl. Her back ached from the time Coalpaw hit her with his legs. She decided to go see Stormfern.

He would know what to do. The little calico she-cat padded off in a rush to Stormfern's medicine den. Stormfern saw her coming and sighed.

"What's happening?" He asked. "Coalpaw attacked me," Aspenpaw explained. "Oh. He seems to dislike you," Stormfern observed. "Are you kidding?" She asked, stunned. "He hates me!"

Stormfern was about to reply, but Tulipblossom interrupted. "Hi, Aspenpaw," she greeted me. She glanced at my muzzle and looked confused.

"She was attacked," Stormfern explained. Tulipblossom gasped. "By a badger or fox?" She asked. "No, by a rude little furball named Coalpaw," I retorted.

Tulipblossom relaxed a little, but still wasn't calm. "Why?" She hissed. "I don't know," I admitted.

Why did he attack me? I answered my own question. Because he doesn't like me!!