(A/N): Hey! Sorry I haven't posted in this book barely. My editor and I are basically doing chapters ahead of time, and editing so we can quickly just copy and paste them to Wattpad. Without her, I wouldn't be where I am with this book. Thanks Hawkie! Enjoy this chapter!
Hazelpaw woke in the morning, a long while before dawn. Her eyes wide, her pelt bristling. "Same nightmare as usual," She curled her lips in a snarl, and muttered.
She padded out of the den, and heard a voice in her head. "They're beautiful little ones, congratulations mum!". Dovefeather purred.
"Why did you have to leave so soon?" she felt on the verge of tears, and shot a glance at the camp entrance. "To go, or not to go," She whispered and slipped out of the bramble thicket entrance.
She trudged through the forest, a pang of guilt and sorrow in her eyes. She stopped, and thought for a moment.
"Tail up, body down into a crouch. Let your paws bounce as you glide to your prey," the instructions Dovefeather gave her had slipped into her mind.
She lashed her tail, halting it. She slowly folded her body down into a perfect crouch. Her paws bent back into the perfect position, and she launched herself into the air, landing on a patch of brown fur.
She prodded the brown, shaking fur with an unsheathed claw. Right by the jugular, she'd just killed her very first piece of prey. "I'm still a terrible apprentice," She drew her lips in a snarl, and buried her prey into the rough terrain.
"Brilliant catch!" a jet black tom surprised the young brown pelted apprentice. His voice monotone, as soon as the voice sounded, she discovered who he was. 'Ravenpaw!'
"Thanks, Ravenpaw," She dipped her head gracefully. She gave her pelt a few embarrassed licks, and sighed. "What brings you out here?" she asked, tilting her head in confusion.
"Just going for a little jog," Ravenpaw simply said, his voice monotone. Hazelpaw nodded and blushed slightly. "I hope training goes well today," She sighed.
"Speaking of which, we'd better get back to camp. Training starts early," She suggested, her pelt brushing Ravenpaw's as she started her jog towards camp.
As the two apprentices padded back to their camp, there was silence. Yet again, Hazelpaw's pelt brushed Ravenpaw's. "S-Sorry," She stuttered, feeling a little triumphant.
Ravenpaw shuddered a little internally, a little conflicted. On one paw, he was a little excited to be touched by a cat who wasn't his blood but, on the other paw, he was a little uncomfortable by the unexpected contact. "No need to apologize," he shrugged, picking up his pace slightly. "You shouldn't be out by yourself so early. If something happened to you, what would we do then?" he blurted out with a bit of uncharacteristic emotion.
"I'm perfectly fine on my own," She slowly said, soft and careful of her words. It was half true. She still didn't know how to protect herself well, but she planned on training a lot to prove to her clan she was just as good as them.
"You were just apprenticed yesterday," he snorted. "By Starclan, I was apprenticed 2 moons ago and I'm a bit nervous going out of camp by myself without the sun's light to protect me."
"I'm a strong willed cat, I tend to do daredevil like things," she froze. "She'll be a strong little one," the words echoed in her mind. She looked stunned, but sorrowful at the terrain. She held her thrush in her jaws, letting a shocked sigh leave her throat.
"At least promise me you won't do anything too rash," he said as he glanced around, spying a mouse nibbling seeds a few tail lengths away.
"I don't see why you care about my safety too much," she muttered, and halted. She slapped her tail over her mouth, to allow peace and quiet for him to catch his spotted prey.
