Clouded moon: A warrior cats OC story (DISCONTINUED)

Chapter 14

          "Moonpaw! We're on the Dawn hunting patrol!" Moonpaw groggily lifted her head. "Come on dormouse." Her mentor teased. Moonpaw yawned and stretched, then followed her mentor outside the den. She and Firefern joined the patrol, which consisted of Nettlepelt, Fernpelt, and surprisingly, the kittypet Acorn. 

          "Why's she on the patrol?" Moonpaw asked Fernpelt, who was at the lead. "Lichenstar asked me to train her until her one moon is up. She's announcing it formally to the clan at sunhigh. I thought I would see what she's made of until then." The gray she-cat responded. Moonpaw nodded. "Where are we hunting?" She asked, turning to Firefern. "Over near the beech copse. Since the river is frozen we'll have to hunt land prey until the it thaws." The orange pelted she-cat answered. "Come on." Fernpelt meowed, waving her tail. She led the patrol across the frozen river and up the hillside to the beech copse. Fernpelt flicked her tail. "Nettlepelt, you go hunt a little down the slope over there so our training doesn't disturb your prey." She ordered. "Firefern and I will take Moonpaw and Acorn." The other two cats nodded in agreement. Fernpelt flicked her tail for the rest of the patrol to follow her to the far side of the beech copse as Nettlepelt went to the opposite direction. 

         "Now Acorn." Fernpelt meowed as the patrol came to a stop. "What can you scent?" The small kittypet tasted the air. "I can smell us. And I can smell water." She answered. "Good. What else?" Fernpelt asked. "Something kind of meaty." She meowed. "That's squirrel." Fernpelt corrected. Firefern flicked her tail. "Moonpaw, show Acorn how it's done." Firefern ordered. Moonpaw nodded and dropped into a hunters crouch. She tasted the air, searching for which direction the squirrel was. She could feel the gaze of the three other cats hot on her back, warming her pelt. She focused all her senses on the squirrel, pinpointing the scent, and beginning stalking forward. The small brown creature was nibbling on a beech nut, unaware to the presence of the Riverclan apprentice. Moonpaw stalked forward a little less than a fox-length, then pounced, cutting off the squirrels squeal of terror by snapping its neck. She raised her head, the squirrel clamped firmly in her jaws, and padded back to Firefern and the patrol. She set the squirrel down by her paws on the sandy floor. 

          "Great job!" Firefern praised. "That was amazing!" Acorn meowed. Moonpaw licked her chest fur in embarrassment. "It was nothing." She mumbled, pride warming her pelt. "Moonpaw, why don't you go bury that squirrel and we'll work with Acorn." Firefern meowed. Moonpaw dipped her head and clamped the limp brown body in her jaws. She padded over to a nearby oak and scrapped earth over the squirrel. She trotted back to Firefern and the Fernpelt, who were busy showing Acorn the hunting crouch. Moonpaw sat down and began grooming twigs and scraps of leaves from her pelt. 

          How does Thunderclan deal with this every day? Moonpaw wondered, vainly trying to get a stubborn burr to unhook from her pelt. She glanced over to Acorn and the others. The brown tabby kittypet was stalking something. Moonpaw tasted the air. Mouse. She thought, easily recognizing its musty scent. She noticed the young cat's ears twitch, and she pounced. A moment later she stood with the limp brown body clamped firmly in her jaws. Her bright blue eyes shone with pride. "Good job." Fernleap praised. Firefern eyed the kittypet thoughtfully. "Maybe you really can learn to be a clan cat after all." Moonpaw felt a slight glow of warmth towards the bold kittypet. She remembered the moment she had caught her first mouse. 

         "Keep your weight balanced evenly." Firefern had whispered as she stalked the prey. She had nodded, creeping forward silently. The late Greenleaf breeze whistled across her back, her fur tingling with excitement as she fought to keep her tail still. She had pounced, the musty flavor seeping into her tongue. Warm pride had filled her from ears to tail-tip as she trotted back to the hunting patrol. "Great job!" Firefern had praised. Dandelionfur had nodded approvingly. "This is your first land prey, isn't it Moonpaw?" Rockpaw had asked, his bright green eyes sparkling. She had nodded, purring too loudly to speak. He had butted her affectionately. "That was a good enough catch that you could have been a Thunderclan cat!" He had purred. She had rolled her eyes. "Who would want to be a squirrel-chasing tree-climbing Thunderclan cat." She had meowed good-naturedly, bumping his flank. Rockpaw had purred. "Maybe someone who can hunt like them?" He had joked, an innocent look on his face. "Come on you two!" Firefern had called. Moonpaw and Rockpaw had bounded off, side-by-side, back to the patrol.