The Warrior Guard Book 1- Rise of the Guard

Chapter 1- Hunting

Chapter one. Duh. Also Please comment I would love to know what you think of my writing and want to know anything I can improve.
Picture: Bristleclaw on the Warrior Cats Mini Maker

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"Go...."

"Bristleclaw! Bristleclaw, get up!"

Bristleclaw twitched and opened her eyes, blinking. Talonscratch stood above her, looking disgruntled. 

"You've been wiggling like a mouse in your sleep! And either way, Galestep want you for a hunting patrol," huffed the warrior.

Bristleclaw got up to stretch and left the warrior den. Newleaf had brought warmth and no need for the campfire to be lit all night. The ashy pile was unlit at the center of camp. Bristleclaw looked around the clearing until she laid eyes on Galestep, standing near the Lightning Tree with a few other warriors. She ambled over to hear what patrols were being assigned.

"...and Oaknose, Silentpond, Darkpelt, go hunting with Bristleclaw, if she ever even shows up- there you are, Bristleclaw, I was beginning to think you'd never show," Galestep said as she came closer. Bristleclaw nodded her greetings to her clanmates as she approached.

"Bristleclaw, you're leading the first hunting patrol," Galestep ordered. Surprise bloomed under Bristleclaw's pelt. Younger Warriors were rarely chosen to lead patrols. She honestly expected Galestep the choose Darkpelt or Silentpond to lead the patrol.

"And take your apprentice with you," he finished.

Bristleclaw almost groaned. Saltpaw would make a great warrior, but he was a bit too enthusiastic, especially in the morn-

"Bristleclaw! Bristleclaw! What are we doing today?! Border Patrol?! Fighting training?! Or am I doing apprentice tasks? Is there an assessment?!" Saltpaw came running from the apprentice den, stopping only just before he crashed into his mentor. 

Bristleclaw sighed. "Saltpaw, you've been an apprentice for barely two moons! You won't have an assessment for a while. Today we're going hunting."

"Great!!!" answered the excitable apprentice.

Oaknose, Silentpond, Darkpelt, and even Galestep chuckled.

Hunting practice... Saltpaw wasn't exactly the quietest apprentice in FireClan. And I'm defiantly not the best hunter either... fighting's more my style... Oaknose is a excellent hunter, so is Silentpond, I'll ask them for help... Adderstar wouldn't mind, would he? ... Darkpelt is a good hunter, too. And Talonscratch Twitching, huh? I'll show him twi... the dream. The cat said she was Firestar... but that can't be... I never even saw her. No cat did! She told me to go to that weird cave place... I've never even been there before. And if a cat like were to tell someone something like that, they'd tell a leader of medicine cat. Ah, whatever. Probably just had too much fresh-kill last night or something. It was just a drea-

"Earth to Bristleclaw! Are you there?" meowed Oaknose.

"We have a patrol to get to, or did you forget," said Silentpond.

"Yeah! I wanna go hunting!" added Saltpaw.

Bristle blinked and realized that she'd zoned out.

"O-oh, yeah, yeah. L-let's, um, go," Bristleclaw stuttered. She couldn't shake off the nerves from that dream. She was certain that it meant something. She just didn't want to know what.

***

"Saltpaw, don't flick your tail. The prey will hear the undergrowth moving and run off. And you have to be light on your paws. Know where you can place your paws so that you won't scare away prey by stepping on a stick or shifting a pebble," Bristleclaw was instructing, "and remember-"

"Be quiet," finished Saltpaw.

"Mmm-hmm, so try again. What do you smell?" Bristleclaw asked.

Saltpaw opened his jaws to take in the smells. "Opossum."

"And?" prompted Bristleclaw.

"Pine Marten!" exclaimed Saltpaw.

"Shh! Don't scare it away. I taught you how to hunt Pine Martens. Go find it. And remember..."

"Be quiet," finished Saltpaw. The white apprentice began tracking the Pine Marten and headed off toward the MoonClan border. Bristleclaw sniffed and went to catch the opossum, which was almost in the same direction as Saltpaw's Pine Marten.

...

Bristleclaw buried the plump opossum in the roots of the oak tree she found it in.

I'll collect it later, let's see how Saltpaw's doing.

Bristleclaw quickly scented Saltpaw and followed the scent to wherever he was. She found him on a large beech tree branch, stalking a squirrel. His normally white pelt was streaked with mud and leaves, camouflaging him. 

Clever Saltpaw. I'll keep that in mind for the next assessment.

Then she noticed that the branch Saltpaw was creeping along on was weak and dead.

"SALTPAW, NO!" she yelled, but it was too late. The branch cracked and Saltpaw came tumbling down under it.

"NO!" Bristleclaw yelled running toward the tree, hoping she could catch the apprentice before the branch crushed him. But than a weird thing happened.

Bristleclaw's yell seem to come from a thousand cats all together, and the force of it knocked the branch out off the way.

Bristleclaw leaped in and caught the apprentice on her back. She let him down carefully and sat back, heart pounding and breathing coming as gasps. 

"Saltpaw, are you okay? You should be more careful. You know the difference between dead branches and live ones, why would you do that?" Bristleclaw managed.

"Sorry, Bristleclaw," The apprentice apologized.

"Sorry doesn't control the fire," Bristleclaw muttered, but she wasn't annoyed at Saltpaw. She was confused. What happened with the log, and her yell, and just everything.

Just then, Oaknose and Silentpond came rushing into the clearing.

"We hears a yell. What's going on? Are you guys okay?" asked Darkpelt.

"We're fine. It's Saltpaw tried hunting on a dead branch," answered Bristleclaw, "Saltpaw, since you decided to go on that branch when you knew it was dead, you're taking care of the elders for the rest of the day. Go ask Bushpatch for some mouse bile take care of the ticks."

Saltpaw made a face."Fine. Should I take the Pine Marten with me?"

Bristleclaw nodded "I'm sure Wrencall will enjoy it."