Warriors:Into The Wild AU (2024 Rewrite)

Chapter Fifteen

A few brief changes to this chapter since, in the book, some of the things don't line up with the rest of the books. You'll see what I mean in a bit.

Briarpaw, Firepaw, Graypaw and Ravenpaw entered the camp, strolling behind Tigerclaw and Runningwind. Their impressive day's catch hung from their mouths, although Ravenpaw kept tripping over the dead adder he'd caught.

As they emerged from the gorse into the camp, a group of young kits scrambled out of the nursery to watch them pass.

"Look!" Briarpaw heard one of them say. "Apprentices, just back from hunting!"

The one that had spoken was a young golden-brown tom-kit. Sitting next to him was a fluffy gray she-kit, no more than two moons old. A tiny gray and white she-kit and a white she-kit with ginger patches stood beside them.

"Aren't those the kittypets, Firepaw and Briarpaw?" squeaked the gray kit.

"Yeah! Look at his orange fur and her white leg!" mewed the gray-and-white kit.

"They say Briarpaw's a good hunter," the ginger-patched kit added. "And Firepaw looks a bit like Lionheart. Do you suppose he's as good as him?"

"I can't wait to start my training," mewed the dark gray kit. "I'm going to be the best warrior Thunderclan has ever seen!"

Firepaw lifted his chin, feeling proud at the kits' admiring comments, while Briarpaw dipped her head to the kits politely, causing them to squeal with excitement. After Tigerclaw and Runningwind had dismissed them, the four apprentices padded up to the prey pile.

"An adder!" Graypaw meowed again, as the apprentices dropped their catch for the other cats to share.

"What should I do with it?" asked Ravenpaw, sniffing the snake's long body as it lay beside the heap.

"Can you eat adders?" asked Graypaw.

"Trust you to think of your stomach!" Firepaw joked, butting Graypaw with his head. Briarpaw rolled her eyes as she set down the two shrews and raven she'd been carrying.

"You can eat certain snakes, but it's an acquired taste. Skystrike used to catch these little garter snakes that lived in her Twolegs' garden when I was a kit." she meowed as she batted Graypaw back before he stepped on any of the prey.

"Well, I wouldn't want to eat it," murmured Ravenpaw. "I mean, my mouth tastes pretty foul after carrying it back."

"You might want some mint leaves then," Briarpaw advised. "Your mouth will go numb for a bit, but at least it won't taste foul."

"Let's put it on the tree stump, then," suggested Graypaw, "So that Dustpaw and Sandpaw can see it when they get back."

They each carried a piece of their freshkill, and the adder, back to their den. Graypaw carefully placed the adder on the stump, arranging the snake so that it could be seen clearly from all sides. Then they ate. When they finished they sat close together to groom one another and talk.

"I wonder who Bluestar will choose to go to the Gathering?" Firepaw meowed. "It'll be full moon tomorrow."

"Sandpaw and Dustpaw have been twice already," replied Graypaw.

"Perhaps Bluestar will choose one of us this time," mewed Briarpaw as she carefully washed over her unusually long claws. "After all, we've been training for almost three moons now."

"But Sandpaw and Dustpaw are still the eldest apprentices," Ravenpaw pointed out.

"You and I are the same age as them, Ravenpaw." Briarpaw reminded him, a bit puzzled, causing the black tom to look at his paws.