Warriors: Crow's Carrion

Chapter Six

     "I was just waiting for the right moment," they said and puffed their chest out.

     Darkshadow sent them a knowing glance that made their ears burn, but he only said, "Good catch."

     "You should be more careful," Poolpaw remarked with a disapproving tut. "Sticklefur would have my hide if I dove in like that!"

     "Clearly I can handle myself," Ospreypaw huffed and shot Poolpaw a dirty look. He's trying to baby me, just like everyone else! And he tried dragging my uncle into it. "Worry about yourself, Pool."

     Sticklefur leaned forward from where he sat next to Poolpaw. "Still, you should be careful, Osprey—"

     "Nonsense," Darkshadow interrupted him quickly. "They dove in and caught that trout like a well-trained warrior. Os, your swimming is getting much better already—it looks like it comes more naturally to you than I expected."

     Ospreypaw puffed their chest out again at his words. His praise sent a wave of warmth through their fur, and they quickly sent Poolpaw a smug look before turning to look for more fish. Darkshadow can see that I've got potential, they thought, scanning the water.

     "Back at the border—upstream."

     The voice rang clearly in Ospreypaw's ears, startling them. It sounded vaguely familiar, but it didn't come from any of the other cats with them. Judging by their lack of reaction, they didn't hear it, either. Deciding to put a pin in the strange voice, they glanced upstream toward the NightClan patrol again.

     All four cats were on the move again. The silver tabby kept barking orders to the others; the brown cat stuck close by the lead now, and looked thoroughly embarrassed. The light grey cat could barely be seen against the forest, while the darker grey one splashed noisily in the shallow end of the river.

     Immediately, Ospreypaw opened their mouth and turned to Darkshadow, prepared to bring the patrol to his attention this time. They stopped when they saw their mentor staring at the patrol already. Without even glancing at Ospreypaw, Darkshadow gave a noncommittal grunt.

     "I know," he muttered. "I see them."

     "Won't they scare off the fish?" Ospreypaw asked, watching their mentor closely.

     "They might," Darkshadow said tersely. "Ripplestar said not to antagonize them."

     Ospreypaw narrowed their eyes and studied him for a few moments. He was clearly angry now, and glared at the NightClan patrol with a quiet hatred that almost frightened Ospreypaw. They turned back to the patrol and mimicked Darkshadow's glare.

     "That's stupid," they huffed, "but okay."

     Darkshadow turned to Ospreypaw for a moment, saying nothing. Then he turned to Sticklefur and Poolpaw as well, addressing all three cats with a sweep of his tail.

     "We should bring what we've caught back to camp," he said, picking up a crab and fish that he'd caught. "Come along."

     Sticklefur didn't voice any objections as he and the apprentices carried their prey back to the camp. The journey was quiet and felt longer than it was—Darkshadow's silent anger nearly smothered the group. Still, Ospreypaw carried their trout with their head held high and their chest puffed out. They found that they easily kept pace with the warriors now; before their ceremony, they would have had to walk twice as fast to keep up. They still had to take slightly-longer strides, and could see that the other apprentices had to do the same, but the warriors' pace no longer served as a challenge.