Warriors: Silent

15

      It was sun-high the following day and Cricketlegs had sent Frostpaw out to hunt for the queens. Quietly, she weaved her way between the thinning forest trees near Sun Stones. She watched intently for movement and kept her ears perked.

  But there was nothing. Frostpaw gave an annoyed flick in her tail. Where was all the prey? There's always been more than enough. She blinked heavily; after straying so far from camp with so little excitment, she had grown tired.

  Deciding to take a short break, Frostpaw set herself beside a tree. She tucked into herself, shrinking her shape and keeping out of sight.

  Birds overhead chirped and Frostpaw could hear the leaves rustle as they shifted from branch to branch. With her green eyes wide, Frostpaw watched the treetops. Tiny, feathery shapes lept and fluttered just above her. What must it be like to be a bird?

  Did they ever wonder what it was like to be a cat? Did they think at all? They must, Frostpaw considered, they have so much to say to eachother now.

  Suddenly, in the corner of her vision, Frostpaw spotted a large mammal slowly creep out of a bush. Its long ears were erect and its black eyes wide as it sniffed the air.

  Staring in utter shock at the rabbits sudden appearance, Frostpaw silently thanked StarClan for putting her downwind of the rodent. She'd never seen a rabbit in PineClan territory- they preferred ValleyClan and StoneClan's barren lands, away from the damper PineClan and MarshClan forests.

  The rabbit looked away- towards the brook, and Frostpaw took the opportunity to move herself into a hunters crouch. Slowly stalking forward, she eyed the rodent, strategizing how to attack something so near her own size. Already, Frostpaw invisioned herself dragging the heavy prey back into camp. Taking it to the queens under Whitestar and Cricketlegs approving gaze. Mosspaw, Buckheart, and Riverpelt would all see.

  What had Cricketlegs taught her so long ago? Frostpaw wracked her brain for the memory. Then, as if he was talking directly to her, Cricketlegs voice: A rabbit will hear you before it sees you.

  Grateful for the rushing water of the brook masking her sounds, Frostpaw wiggled her hind legs, preparing to leap while the rabbit chewed on something its found on the ground. Then, with a quick intake of air, Frostpaw launched.

  She landed heavily on the rabbit, forcing all of her weight into the impact. But the rabbit was quick to respond and it screamed wildly, silencing the birds above and shocking Frostpaw.

  The rabbit flailed and leapt with all its power, and even with Frostpaw's claws burried in its skin, she could feel herself losing her grip.

  Frostpaw reached her head beneath the rabbits, struggling to grip its windpipe in her jaws. The rabbit took the opportunity to snag Frostpaw's ear, and a fiery hot pain seared at her skin as the rabbit sunk its own teeth into Frostpaw.

  Shocked, Frostpaw broke away from the rabbits grip and it bucked violently until she altogether lost her hold.

  As quickly as she hit the ground, Frostpaw got to her feet and shot after the rabbit as it pelted towards Sun Stones. Adrenaline coarsed through Frostpaw's veins as she tailed her prey. She could still feel its tufted fur in her claws and taste its blood on her tongue. She would not let it escape.

  The nettles beneath Frostpaw turned into a hot rocky surface as the chase continued into Sun Stones. Frostpaw pressed herself forward, getting so close to the rabbit she could practically feel it in her teeth.

  Then, all at once, the chase ended. Frostpaw trotted to a stop upon realizing she'd crossed into MarshClan territory. And defeated, she watched the rabbit dart into the thicker MarshClan forest just off their half of Sun Stones.

  Her stomach sank as she stared into the shadows ahead of her. Should she have continued the chase? It had started on PineClan territory, she reasoned. But there was no use going after the rabbit by now- surely it had ducked under some boulder.

  Panting from the chase, Frostpaw slowly turned herself around and, with her tail dropped, she sulked back into her own territory. "Deer dung." She muttered to herself. Some hunter.

  A bird flew overhead and, distracted, Frostpaw glanced into the sky. The bird flew by, but it was half-past sun-high, Frostpaw realized. She should've been back to camp by now with something for the queens. Disregarding her failed hunt, Frostpaw tramped back into PineClan's familiar forest.

  Not long after entering the cool shade of the trees, Frostpaw spotted Needlepelt's body in the undergrowth.