WITHERING HERBS || A Warriors Fanfiction

|| chapter twenty seven

As the sun rose, so did Owlpaw.

The sun did not provide too much light, especially due to the fact that it was leaf-bare. Clouds flitted their way across the sky, blocking out the minimal light the sun gave. The apprentice's den had been dark for a while, but as the sun rose to sit on the horizon, Owlpaw had been blinded by a ray of light that entered the den.

Shaking out his fur, he gazed around camp, golden eyes critical. Scenting the air, he was surprised and a little worried to catch no scents of Sedgestorm or Flintpath.

I thought they would be back by now, he thought with a frown, Sedgestorm and Flintpath probably just stayed at one of the camps, or maybe even helped rebuild one. I'm sure they're fine; they're smart, they wouldn't get in too much trouble.

Tying his thoughts to a close, he glanced at the fresh-kill pile. It was empty. He sighed and padded out of camp.

A cold wind swirled around the apprentice, reminding him of the season that hung over everything he had done. It curled around his paws, twisting itself around his tail, and plopped itself on his head with a satisfied whoosh.

Lifting his muzzle into the air, he tried to catch a scent of any prey. Catching the fresh scent of a rabbit, he dashed after the scent, pulling himself to an abrupt stop as he spotted the creature with another rabbit.

Smirking to himself, Owlpaw slowly crept forwards, keeping his pawsteps even. The snow crunched quietly under his paws and he mentally cursed, slowly unsheathing his claws. Unfortunately, it made a small crackling noise as he sunk them into the snow and both rabbits' heads shot into the air, their heads swiveling around.

Hissing, Owlpaw leaped forwards, sinking his teeth into the back of one of the rabbits. The other had dashed off with a squeal. Owlpaw launched himself after the other rabbit, the other one violently swinging in his jaws. Finally catching up with the other rabbit, he vaulted himself towards it, his claw sinking into its back. The creature let out an ear-shattering scream as Owlpaw dropped the other rabbit and sunk his teeth into its back. Warm, sticky blood flowed freely into his mouth.

With a distasteful flick of his whiskers, he spat out some of the blood and licked his jaws clean.

Glancing down at both pieces of prey, he scented the air and, of course, caught the stench of death and metallic blood. Shivering, he slowly backed away and scented again, catching the scent of a mouse. Quickly, he padded back over, scraped some snow over the rabbits, and then dashed off in the direction of the mouse.

If I can bring back at least three pieces of prey... Maybe I can have one all to myself! Owlpaw thought excitedly, his tail lashing at the prospect of sinking his teeth into a delicious, freshly caught piece of prey - all for himself.

He soon spotted the mouse picking at something at the base of a rock. Carefully making his way over the snow, he crept forwards. Rocking lightly on his paws, he waited for the perfect moment.

Suddenly, the mouse looked up and dashed off.

What?

Owlpaw let out an irritated hiss before springing after it, though he tripped over a tuft of grass that poked out of the snow and fell head-first into the snow. He jerked his head up and stumbled backward clumsily until he hit his head on the rock.

Groaning, the tom rose to his paws and looked around. His vision spun slightly, the sky blurry above his head. Shaking his head, he began to walk to where his rabbits were buried earlier.

He tripped halfway there.

Getting up again, he pressed each paw down as he walked, careful not to trip or fall. Finally, he came upon the mound. Digging up the prey, he grabbed them both and gripped them firmly between his jaws.

He swished his tail as he entered the camp and gazed around. Sedgestorm and Flintpath didn't appear to be here yet.

Sighing, Owlpaw padded over to the fresh-kill pile and dropped his catches in the pile. Sitting down next to both pieces of prey, he closed his eyes and tried to calm himself down.

There's no way StarClan would get rid of both of them. There's no way. We already lost Heronleap, Meadowdapple, and their kits. He hadn't thought of Meadowdapple and her kits in a long time, and a fresh pang of grief flitted through the tom. He wished the kind she-cat and her bouncy kits were still around. These thoughts reminded him of Hazelberry's accusation. Anger briefly stirred in his belly, but he forced it away. I know Sedgestorm and Flintpath will be back soon. I know it.

Opening his eyes, shock and anger flashed through him. Hazelberry was wordlessly dragging one of the rabbits away to her den. She grunted with the effort; clearly, she was not as strong as she used to be. Her tortoiseshell fur rippled with the effort of carrying the creature as she finally got it in the medicine cat's den.

Turning to see Stonestar emerge from the medicine cat's den, confusion swirled inside of him.

Why was he in there? He's not sick... is he?

Owlpaw surveyed the tom's state. He seemed to be limping, or at least not walking steadily. His gaze was dark and nervous as he picked the rabbit from the pile, taking a few bites. His movements were strangely stiff. He ate about half before pushing the remainder of the rabbit to where Owlpaw was.

Stonestar got up and padded away into the medicine cat's den.

Blinking, Owlpaw finished off the rest of the warm rabbit, savoring its taste. He buried its bones soon after and curled his tail over his paws, gazing after where Stonestar had disappeared into the medicine cat's den.

Then, Sedgestorm and Flintpath walked into camp.