Crowpaw stretched out, blinking sleep from his eyes. He sat up in his nest, smoothing down his sleep ruffled fur. The early morning sun was shining into his den, followed by a cool, leaf-fall breeze. He shivered slightly, slipping farther back into his den to avoid the cold. Crowpaw lifted his injured paw, which wasn't so much of an injury anymore. All that was left of the painful wound was now a long scar going down his paw pads, but it didn't hurt and he could walk.
It had been nearly two moons since Crowpaw started staying with the group of loners in the forest and for the first time since he left MoonClan, he felt at home. All the cats had been welcoming, he found close friends in Flint, Rudy and especially Ivy. He spent most of the day with Ivy while she was treating his paw and he enjoyed every moment with the pretty she-cat.
Being around Ivy made Crowpaw's heart flutter, he felt both shy and incredibly comfortable around her. He wondered if she felt the same way about him, there was a large part of him that really wanted her to.
Crowpaw's ears perked up as he heard Ivy's soft voice. She was talking to Cooper, he strained his ears to listen.
"How is his injury doing?" Cooper questioned. Crowpaw tensed, they were talking about him. He had gone a long time without hunting, was Cooper upset with him?
"It's much better." Ivy explained, her voice light and cheerful. "I was planning on talking to him about hunting today. I'm sure he'll be more than ready."
"I hope so." Cooper's voice didn't sound angry, but with that cat it was hard to tell. "I know most cats like having him around, but he needs to help out."
"I know, father." Ivy purred. "And he knows too, I'll talk to him today."
"Good." There was a moment of silence between the two. "I'm going hunting, I expect him to be on his paws and hunting by tomorrow."
"Understood." Crowpaw heard Cooper's paws shuffle paw and Ivy's grow closer. Crowpaw frantically smoothed down his fur, getting ready to face Ivy.
The tortoiseshell poked her head inside, green eyes sparkling. "Good morning." She purred.
"Good morning." Crowpaw dipped his head, trying to hide how flustered he was. "Sleep well?"
"Always do." She stepped inside, looking around for a moment then turning her gaze back to him. "How's your paw?"
Crowpaw lifted his paw. "Much better. Thanks to you." He felt like an idiot with every word that fell out of his mouth.
"I'm glad I could help." Ivy stepped closer, giving his paw a sniff. "You can't even tell it was injured." Crowpaw set his paw down, letting out a happy purr. "So," Ivy shuffled her paws awkwardly. "Would you be up to hunting today?"
Crowpaw hadn't hunted in over two moons, he wondered if he was still able to. He didn't want to be thrown out of this group though, so he had to try. "I think so. I have to try at least." He stood up, looking at Ivy who had an excited expression.
"That's wonderful!" She twitched her paws excitedly. "Why don't I show you the best places to hunt? I-If you want me to go of course." She dropped her head, looking embarrassed.
Crowpaw's heart jumped at the thought of hunting with Ivy. "Sounds like fun." He mewed, Ivy's spirits looked instantly lifted.
"Then let's go!" The she-cat nearly jumped out of the den, Crowpaw couldn't help but feel the same way. He followed Ivy out into the camp and took a look around. He could see Raindrop playing with Buttercup, Finch, Firefly and Starling. From living here, he knew that while Leo, Rudy, Flint and Sabra were out hunting, Raindrop would watch the kits.
Crowpaw wondered if she had any kits of her own, she reminded him of a queen and the way she looked at kits he knew that Raindrop loved spending time around them. He hadn't seen Raindrop hunting much, but he assumed that Raindrop's duty was caring for kits.
"Are you ready?" Ivy pulled Crowpaw's attention away from Raindrop and he looked back to her. He nodded and followed her out of the camp. "Have you hunted before?" Ivy questioned as they walked through the forest.
"I have." Crowpaw replied. "I've been hunting my whole life, except for these last two moons." He chuckled awkwardly.
Ivy purred. "Well, what can you catch? Mice?" She looked at him expectantly.
"I can catch mice. I sort of taught myself that." Crowpaw thought back to his time living in the forest. "But where I come from we mostly catch rabbits and fish."
"Fish?" Ivy echoed in confusion. "You actually like fish?"
Crowpaw laughed, he expected this response. "I do, it's really good. I also know how to swim." He held his head high, hoping that Ivy didn't think he was too arrogant for saying that.
"I couldn't imagine that." Ivy shuddered. "Why would you want to swim? Do you live in a river?"
Crowpaw laughed. "No, but we're surrounded by them." His mind floated back to his first swimming lesson. "It's not as hard as you think, and it's really refreshing in greenleaf."
Ivy thought for a moment. "Well, it's too cold to swim now." She looked around at the leaves that started to turn shades of gold and brown. "But maybe in newleaf you could teach me how to swim." Will I stay that long? Crowpaw asked himself. He hadn't expected to stay two moons, would he really stay until next newleaf? Ivy's ears dropped and she looked at her paws. "I-if you stay that long, that is." Crowpaw felt a twinge of guilt, his expression must of shifted and she thought she upset him. "I don't want you to feel like you have to stay, but you really don't have to."
"I haven't decided yet." Crowpaw admitted. "I had no idea where I was going when I left and I still don't. I don't know where I would go if I did leave." He looked at the forest floor. "I guess I just have to wait and see what feels right."
"You don't have to rush yourself to a decision." Ivy's voice was like heather on his ears. "Take your time and we'll support whatever decision you make." She looked up, her tone lightening. "And if you do decide to leave, you'll always have a den here."
Warmth flooded through Crowpaw's body. "Thank you, Ivy. That means a lot." He shared a caring expression with Ivy before she broke away from it, looking slightly flustered.
"We should get hunting, the prey won't just jump into our claws." She chuckled and sniffed the air. Crowpaw did what she did, catching a faint scent of mouse on the breeze. Ivy turned to her left and began tracking. Crowpaw followed silently behind her, keeping his eyes peeled.
A few foxlengths away, Crowpaw spotted a fat mouse nibbling on some beech seeds. Ivy saw it too, as she dropped into a hunting crouch. Her crouch was much different from his own, it was neat and steady. She was low to the ground and moved with silence. Crowpaw watched her every move, her muscles rippling underneath her tortoiseshell pelt.
She moved with the speed of a MoonClan cat, moving from her position to the mouse in the blink of an eye. Crowpaw was incredibly impressed, for a loner she had great talent for hunting. Ivy turned to face him, the mouse in her jaws and green eyes sparkling. After a moment she set it down, licking her chest in embarrassment. "Sorry, I suppose I should've let you catch it. I just got excited."
"It's alright." Crowpaw assured her. "I can find my own prey." He sniffed the air once more, starting to track down his own prey. He soon caught the scent of another mouse and followed it to a small clearing. Crowpaw dropped into a hunting crouch, feeling a slight amount of pressure. He wanted to impress Ivy, he wanted to show her what a Clan cat could do.
Crowpaw crept forward, feeling Ivy's eyes on him. He watched the mouse, refusing to lose his focus. Crowpaw stepped forward silently, keeping his balance steady. He took a deep breath and dashed forward. He felt his claws hit the mouse and he killed it with a swift bite. The excitement of hunting buzzed through his body. His paw felt as if it had never even been injured.
He turned to face Ivy who looked impressed. "Not bad." She mewed. "You're quite the hunter." Crowpaw's heart skipped at her compliments. "But there's a lot of prey to catch, let's keep going."
Ivy and Crowpaw hunted together for quite some time, Crowpaw managed to catch three more mice and Ivy caught another mouse and a squirrel. Crowpaw still struggled to catch squirrels and the one she got was one he nearly let get away, he felt embarrassed but Ivy didn't seem to mind or judge him.
It was a little bit past sunhigh when Crowpaw and Ivy decided to return to the camp. They carried their prey and Crowpaw felt genuinely happy for once. Hunting with Ivy was the most fun he had in a long time, he didn't want it to end. It doesn't have to. Crowpaw told himself. I could always stay here.
Crowpaw and Ivy stepped into camp, he spotted Flint and Sabra talking with Raindrop while the kits played. Cooper watched from his den, his amber eyes going to Crowpaw and Ivy. He felt slightly intimidated by Cooper's gaze, but he followed Ivy to the fresh-kill pile and they set down their catch.
"Not bad, Crowpaw." Crowpaw jumped slightly at Flint's voice. He looked at the gray tom who was gazing approvingly at his and Ivy's haul of prey. "You're fitting right in, aren't you?"
Crowpaw felt awkward, he could feel Raindrop and Sabra looking at him as well. "I suppose." He mewed, his voice cracking slightly.
"Don't be nervous." Sabra purred. "We've all enjoyed having you around, and we've had no doubt that you'd be a fantastic hunter."
Crowpaw continuously found it odd to find encouragement and faith from so many cats who barely knew him. He couldn't find that kind of encouragement from his own mother, what was it about these cats?
Crowpaw looked back at Cooper, the large tom had a look of approval on his face that made Crowpaw feel more comfortable. Beside him, Ivy was talking to Sabra, Flint and Raindrop about the hunt while the kits played. He almost felt like he was back in MoonClan, everything was the same and yet it was so different. Maybe this is my new home. Maybe this change will be good.