𝐀𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐲 | 𝐚 𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐫𝐬 𝐟𝐚𝐧𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧

-Chapter Thirteen-

◦•●◉✿❀✿◉●•◦

But only others get punished

Did you cry as you watched her die?

Or did you smile for a little while

◦•●◉✿❀✿◉●•◦

Much to Lion paw's disdain she healed swiftly and got back to training after spending only 7 sunrises in the medicine den. Soon she was back hunting and patrolling with her clanmates.  Apple paw one of the older apprentices kept on bumping into her interrupting her deep thinking. 

"Sorry!" Apple paw meowed after the sixth time "I'm just so excited for my hunting assessment!!" Lion paw nodded, she could imagine what she would be feeling if it were her assessment. But sadly she was only there to spectate the older apprentices. They continued through the mountain side wood in complete silence with an exception for Apple paw who every now and again let out an excited little yelp. 

"We'll stop here." Blazing Branch meowed, she was Apple paw's brother's mentor and unluckily for Lion paw she just so happened to be one of Swift Falcon's best friends. "Wolf paw, Apple paw. Your task is to catch as many pieces of prey as possible before you meet us back here at sundown." The two older apprentices nodded two very different nods and split up. 

Blazing Branch waited until she couldn't hear the paw steps of either apprentice anymore before turning back to her fellow spectators. "Alright we'll split up into two groups, one group goes after Wolf paw the other goes after Apple paw, it's extremely important that neither apprentice see's us and even more important that we don't distract any of them. Mothtrap... why don't you pick the groups?" the creamy furred tom nodded and came forward. 

"Rowanscar your with me we'll go after Apple paw, and Blazing Branch you'll go with Lion paw and go after Wolf paw." Mothtrap meowed in his gentle accent. Blazing Branch pursed her lips and looked down at Lion paw slowly scrutinizing her every move. Lion paw tried looking up at Mothtrap but his back was turned and the only look she got was Rowan Scar's one of disgust. 

"Lets go," Blazing Branch meowed blandly and she quickly trotted out of the clearing. Her long legs immediately made it hard for Lion paw to keep up with her as Blazing branch jumped over logs and stones. Lion paw caught a whiff of Wolf paw's scent just before Blazing Branch forced her down into a bush as her apprentice stepped into their area. They watched and judged as the apprentice hunted around the area. There turned out to be a family of mice under the root of an oak tree all of which Wolf paw managed to kill before he left the area the were hiding in to look for more prey. The two she-cats quickly rolled around in some mud by a tiny stream leaking through the mountain forest before hiding in the shrubbery and quietly stalking Wolf paw. They watched as the grey furred apprentice suddenly climbed up a tree in pursuit of a squirrel and Lion paw was amazed by the strength of his hindlegs as he pounced from branch to branch after the squirrel. 

Will I be able to do that someday? She thought in wonderment as the older apprentice made a neat kill then climbed back down to the ground to hunt some more. The two spectating she-cats watched him stalk a mouse whilst hiding in a thicket when a piercing shriek echoed across the forest. It diverted Wolf paw's attention and spooked the mouse into its burrow. Lion paw's fur bushed up. And Blazing Branch eyes widened.

"I know that scream!" The older warrior gasped "It's Apple paw's!!" The two she-cat's broke through the thicket and went towards where the sound came from. Wolf paw had recognised the scream two and was already 3 foxlengths ahead of them. The clanmates jumped over streams and boulders looking for Apple paw. The raced through the clearing where the assessments happened and they went down the path they saw Apple paw take. They burst into a sunny clearing filled with juniper bushes and saw Apple paw staring at something in shock. Lionpaw stopped in her tracks. 

Lying half stashed in a bush was a rotting corpse.