Streamtail's Desicion

Chapter 3: A New Beginning

The crowd began to break up, and Streampaw was left with Fawnleap. "Um... So what are we going to do now?" Streampaw mewed sheepishly. Fawnleap's eyes gleamed for a moment. "I think we could start out with some hunting. Would you like that?" Streampaw leapt into the air and yelled, "Yes! Can we go now!?" Fawnleap nodded and flicked her tail for Streampaw to follow.

"Alright now," Fawnleap explained gently,"keep your head and haunches low. And keep you tail still." Streampaw was learning her hunting crouch. She was pretending to hunt a rabbit. She and Fawnleap had been practicing her crouch and pounce all day. "Alright now pounce!" Fawnleap instructed.

Streampaw sprang forward and landed on all four of her delicate, pure white paws. "Did I do that right?" she asked, her heart full of hope. Fawnleap nodded. "A good start, you just need work on balancing your self." she mewed proudly. Streampaw felt her tail fluff up. Thank you StarClan! "Alright, I want you to try and catch real prey now." Fawnleap mewed.

Streampaw froze. "Right now?" she asked. Fawnleap nodded. "Yes, but don't worry if you miss the first time." she added reassuringly.

Fawnleap sent Streampaw to hunt by a rabbit warrens. The wind roared in Streampaw's ears, and ruffled her fur. "Its so wonderful up here." she whispered. Soon, Streampaw picked up a firmiliar scent. Rabbit, she told her self silently. Streampaw crouched down, and made her way through the patches of gorse and heather. She could see two long ears sticking out of a clump of gorse.

"Light paw steps, and stay down wind." Streampaw mumbled. The rabbit hadn't moved. Streampaw pulled her self forward, paw step by paw step. Streampaw was right behind the rabbit. Now! She leapt out of the heather and pined the rabbit, finishing it with a quick bite.

"I did it!" she yelled triumphantly.

Streampaw picked up the rabbit and carried it back to Fawnleap. "You caught this all by your self!?" Streampaw nodded. "I did exactly what you told me. I kept low to the ground, kept my tail still and stayed down wind." Streampaw recited happily. Fawnleap smiled and looked up for a moment. "We better get back to camp. Its almost moonrise."

Streampaw nodded and padded after Fawnleap. By the time they reached camp, the moon was almost at its peak, and Streampaw was exsausted. She wanted to find a new nest and do to sleep. "You can go to get some rest." Fawnleap mewed as they entered the camp. "Thank you." Streampaw mumbled, her eyes drooping. She made her way to the apprentices den.

She poked her head inside. Streampaw saw a delicate looking tortoiseshell she-cat talking with a sand colored tom. And she also saw a creamy golden she-cat. "Um... Hello?" Streampaw mewed. The three cats looked up. "Oh hello. You must be Streampaw. I'm Lightningpaw!" mewed the creamy golden she-cat. "Hello." Streampaw said.

"I'm Sandpaw. And the tortoiseshell is Robinpaw; she doesn't talk much." a light ginger tom meowed. "Oh hello." Streampaw replied. She looked over at the tortoiseshell, who only smiled at her. "Hi Robinpaw..." Streampaw mewed timidly. Robinpaw nodded.

"Don't mind Robinpaw, she's just shy, she'll talk soon enough." Lightningpaw mewed. Streampaw looked around. "Where do I sleep?" she asked. Robinpaw looked up and whispered, "You could sleep here with us." She flicked her tail to a nest beside her and Sandpaw. Streampaw saw Sandpaw's amber eyes widen at Robinpaw speak. "Okay thank you." Streampaw meowed.

She settled into the mossy nest and settled her head on her paws. "Come on guys," Lightningpaw mewed, "let's let Streampaw get some sleep." The other apprentices went to their nests and whispered quietly, but Streampaw felt to tired to care. She closed her eyes and went to sleep.

"Flowing in a course set down in her heart; one must decide whether to change the paws of fate..." a voice whispered to Streampaw.

Streampaw jerked and looked up. I was probably dreaming, she decided. She settled her head back down and drifted of to a deep sleep.