Nettlestar's Atonement {BEING UPDATED}

Chapter Five

"Time to wake up," Applebreeze's cheerful mew and gentle nudge woke Nettlepaw. He rolled back over, growling. "Moss gathering again?" He asked blearily.

"No, hare-brain." She teased. "Actually we're going to go hunting today. It'll be of good use for you." Nettlepaw rose to his paws. I'm going hunting! He thought, following his mentor out of the den.

To his dismay, Finchpaw, Thornpaw, and their mentors were standing out there as well. "They're coming too?" He hissed to his mentor.

Applebreeze cuffed his ear gently. "Of course they are, and don't look so disappointed about it. They're your Clanmates too."

Still not convinced, Nettlepaw approached them behind his mentor. Stonesong greeted them with a purr, but Thornpaw didn't look as happy to see Nettlepaw.

"He's going?" Thornpaw snapped. "Can I go back to sleep? The kittypet will scare away all the prey!"

"You're the one who'll scare it off with your chattering." Nettlepaw retorted.

Applebreeze bristled. "When are you two going to actually start acting like Clanmates? Honestly, I don't know what's gotten into you two." Nettlepaw lashed his tail, but stayed quiet holding his glare with the brown apprentice. He's the problem! He started it! He thought stubbornly.

"Let's go instead of arguing. That won't fill any cat's belly." Stonesong reasoned. As he turned out of camp, Finchpaw cast an apologetic glance back at Nettlepaw. At least she's not an arrogant fleabag.

Cloverwing took the lead as Nettlepaw stepped over the edge of camp. It wasn't his first time seeing it, but the wind in his pelt and the sun in his eyes sparked the same feeling of joy as it had before.

"Let's hunt the high hilltop," the gray-and-white she-cat suggested. "No cat has hunted there in a few sunrises." Applebreeze and Stonesong nodded their approval. "Let's get on with it, then." Stonesong growled.

Grumpy old furball. Nettlepaw thought irritably. He's Featherstar's littermate, he must be moving to the elder's den soon.

As they neared the high moor, Applebreeze veered off in a slightly different path. "Nettlepaw and I will train for a short while by ourselves, then he can test his skills with the other apprentices. You all can hunt while you're waiting." When no cat argued, Applebreeze led Nettlepaw to a open stretch of land, with scraggly, tufty grass growing sparsely and heather tufts hiding the dusty earth below.

"To catch rabbits, which are our main source of prey, you'll need to master speed first. Show me how fast you can run to that heather patch over there." Nettlepaw thought it was a bit silly, but he began to sprint there as fast as he could.

He pushed his paws against the ground as fast as he could, and turned at the heather patch, running back as fast as he could to his mentor.

"Nicely done," she purred. "But you'll have to work on your technique. Your paws pound too hard, and if you're trying to sneak up on anything that won't work. Besides, it slows you down a bit. Try running on lighter paws."

Slightly frustrated, Nettlepaw turned and tried again. This time, instead of trying to push his paws down harder in an attempt to move faster, he tried to keep his pawsteps light and soft. When he was running back, he almost felt like he was gliding along with the wind. Breathless, he turned back to Applebreeze again. "That was better." She mewed.

Nettlepaw fought to catch his breath. Seeing his struggled his mentor's eyes gleamed with humor. "Don't worry, it'll get easier." She assured. "The more you run, the easier it'll be."