Warriors: Storm Clouds

Chapter Six

Brookpaw stifled a hiss as Berrypaw managed to strike her again. The red tabby she-cat's eyes were gleaming, and it seemed that she was enjoying battering her around.

     "Take it easy, Berrypaw, we're only training," Mapleclaw told his apprentice sternly.

     Berrypaw didn't seem to hear him, and if she had, she ignored him completely. She leapt forward at Brookpaw again, and the silver tabby only just managed to dash out of the way before she was struck again.

     "Try not to stiffen up," Ravenfoot suggested, "Be light on your feet."

     Berrypaw struck again, and this time Brookpaw purposely dodged the blow at the last second. In that moment she twisted around and leapt onto her opponent's back. The red tabby hissed and lost her balance. She had not been expecting this. Rolling, she tried to dislodge Brookpaw from her back, but the silver tabby kept a hold. Berrypaw tried rolling again, but once more she failed to shake Brookpaw off. Eventually she collapsed, exhausted from carrying twice the amount of weight around.

     Brookpaw let go, and Berrypaw shot her an evil glare as she repositioned herself at the opposite end of the hollw.

    
     "Good job, both of you!" Mapleclaw meowed.

     "Don't lie to me!" Berrypaw snapped, "I lost!"

     Mapleclaw's tail swished. "You still learned something. Rolling was exactly the right approach to dislodging a cat from your back, especially when they are larger than you. Brookpaw, however, happens to be smaller than you, so she was able to hold on easier."

     Berrypaw still looked disgusted, but she said no more.

     "Let's return to camp," Ravenfoot meowed softly, "We've done enough for the day."

     Instead of waiting for the others, Berrypaw ran out ahead of them in the direction of the camp. Brookpaw said nothing as she watched Mapleclaw run after her. She probably wants to check on Leafpaw, she thought. Not to mention escape her source of irritation, which would be me.

     Ravenfoot offered no view on the situation. Today he seemed particularly quiet, and Brookpaw hadn't been able to figure out why. She breathed in, scenting a mouse in the nearby undergrowth.

     "I smell a mouse," she mewed softly.

     Ravenfoot paused for a moment, then said, "Then try to catch it. I'll be back at camp."

     She watched him pad silently away, once again wondering what was bothering him. Focus on the mouse, she told herself sternly.

     Ravenfoot had taken her hunting for the first time about a quarter moon ago. Her crouching had improved a lot, and leaping from the position wasn't too hard for her. Of course, this method would work only for certain kinds of prey in certain situations, but this mouse was one of those situations. Again she breathed in the scent, and listened for scrabbling noises amongst the dead leaves.

     A chilly breeze had started to blow, and dark clouds had settled in the sky, looking down upon the forest menacingly. Surely not rain again? Brookpaw hoped not. She was tired of this dreary, leaf-fall weather.

     At first she heard nothing but the wind, but after a few moments a barely-possible-to-detect sound came from up ahead. Slowly Brookpaw stalked forward, letting her instincts and Ravenfoot's training guide her. I'm so close, she though, but I still can't see this stupid mouse. Desperately she tried to pinpoint it's location by sound. Still ahead of me, slightly to the right...