Warriors: Skytail's Reckoning (COMPLETED)

Chapter 5

"Wake up, lazybones," Skypaw blinked open her eyes and saw Bluepaw watching her, amusement twinkling in her blue eyes. "Did you forget you're an apprentice now? Darkfeather wants us to eat before we go on the tour of the territory."

Skypaw blinked a few more times as her eyes adjusted to the gloom of the apprentice's cave. Wisppaw was still sleeping in her nest and Skypaw felt a pang of envy as she watched her flanks rise and fall rhythmically. She pushed herself to her paws and followed her friend out of the den. Her belly growled at the fresh scent of fresh-kill and she pricked her ears. I could sleep for a moon! She felt sore and battered from the day before and she dragged her tail behind her.

Bluepaw trotted beside her, eyes bright with excitement. "I can't wait to show you the territory!" She meowed and looked over at Skypaw. "Are you excited?"

Skypaw nodded, tiredness clawing at her paws until she thought she would fall asleep while she was standing. They headed for the prey-heap and Bluepaw hooked her claws around a plump hare and pushed it toward Skypaw. As they ate, Darkfeather and Brackenmist padded up to them.

"Good morning, you two," purred Brackenmist as he looked warmly at the two apprentices. "How does the rabbit taste, Skypaw?" He asked, blinking at the fresh-kill.

Skypaw swallowed her bite and looked up at the honey-brown tabby tom. "Delicious," she meowed and took another bite. "It tastes like heather."

Brackenmist and Darkfeather purred with amusement. "I assure you," he twitched his whiskers. "Rabbits caught on the moor aren't made of heather. If they were, they'd be unfit to eat."

Darkfeather chuckled and looked warmly at Bluepaw. "Are you all ready to go?" She questioned.

Bluepaw took a few more quick bites and rose to her paws, still chewing. "In a second," she meowed, her voice muffled by the prey. She swallowed the bites and Skypaw took a few bites of her own. "Where will we go first?"

"I was thinking Outlook Hill, then to the Hunting Plains, and the SkyClan border." Brackenmist looked at Darkfeather out of the corner of his light blue eyes. "How does that sound to you?"

Darkfeather blinked at the moor runner, her eyes soft. "Sounds good to me," she responded warmly. Skypaw and Bluepaw shared a confused look before finishing the rest of the rabbit off quickly.

"Can we go now?" Skypaw asked, her paws suddenly itching to see the rest of the territory. "I want to see the territory!"

Both mentors looked amused and Brackenmist trotted toward the camp entrance. "Let's go then!" He called over his shoulder.

***

Skypaw followed the two moor runners up a steep slope that was dappled with pebbles and boulders. Her paws ached from the walk but she forced herself to hold her tongue to keep from complaining. You aren't a kit anymore. You're an apprentice training to defend WindClan from attackers. Gritting her teeth against the pain, she forced herself on.

Ahead of her, Brackenmist and Darkfeather were chatting about something and Skypaw looked over at Bluepaw, who looked just as tired as she was. She's not used to walking this much, she guessed as the ground slowly started to flatten as they reached the top of the hill. The blazing sun beat down on their backs, warming the moorlands until Skypaw thought the sandy grass would catch on fire.

"We're here," Brackenmist announced as he halted, tail-lengths from the edge of the hill that sloped down again. He looked over at Skypaw as she and Bluepaw padded up. "This is Outlook Hill, where you'll be trained and assessed on your sight."

"That part of your training won't start until you've gotten the hang of hunting and fighting on the open moor." Darkfeather put in as she overlooked the moor that stretched on for forever. "Over there is SkyClan territory." She nodded to the left where the hills flattened and the green of grass marked the border. Trees as tall as mountains loomed over the ground. "They're woodland hunters who can jump higher than a rabbit."