Jaggedstar's Twist

Chapter Seven:

Nettlemask and Owlflight bounded easily past the tussocks. Furzepaw and Whitepaw lagged behind. Someday, both would be able to easily make their way through the thick grasses once their legs were stronger.
_I'm going to be the best moor-runner ever!_

Furzepaw followed after the two shapes disappearing through the gap of heather that indicated the entrance of the WindClan camp.
He and Whitepaw made their way through the opening, both picking their way through the prickly heather. A gentle breeze stirred Furzepaw's fur once he made his way through the maze of heather and branches.

Out in front of him, the moorland was an endless sea of grass. The land sloped downward from the camp and towards the horizon. Clumps of gorse specked across the lands, yellow against green.

Owlflight flicked her tail, glancing back at the apprentices from where she stood. "Isn't it amazing?"
"Heck yes!" Furzepaw exclaimed.
Whitepaw stared wide-eyed at the stretch of hilltops, nodding.
Furzepaw spotted tall, brown leafless trees in the distance.
"What's over there?" He asked Nettlemask.
"That's ThunderClan territory," the tom replied. "We're not going to go over there."
_Jeez, I wouldn't want to hunt there._ Furzepaw thought. Hunting beneath noisy trees was granted to send prey fleeing.
Owlflight and Nettlemask watched their apprentices for a few silent moments.
"Let's continue on. We don't have all day." Nettlemask's mew broke the silence.

Furzepaw watched as Nettlemask slipped into the fronds of heather. Taking one last glance at the sloped moorlands, he plunged into the heather. Swerving and ducking beneath the branches, Furzepaw hurried after his mentors and brother. Whitepaw was past him, easily dodging the branches and undergrowth.
The ground was barren and dry beneath Furzepaw's paws. He spotted a few rabbit droppings and caught a whiff of rabbit. Excitement tingled at the end of his paws. Now he would be catching and eating rabbits! There must've been one near.
Furzepaw broke through the heather as the ground sloped into wind-flattened grass. The scent had faded. He gaped his jaws as he tried to detect the rabbit scent. Where did it go?
Suddenly, a hard weight rammed against him. Furzepaw stumbled backwards onto the ground, winded.

Nettlemask stood over his apprentice, glaring down at him. "Do you have eyes? Apparently not because you did not see what was ahead of you!"
Furzepaw strained to see between the warrior's legs. The land seemed to grow more steep, and the grass here thinned out.
Scrabbling to his paws, Furzepaw stared wide-eyed at what was ahead. A gap - wider than the entrance to the camp - jutted across the land which split it into two. At the bottom laid a churning river that ferociously splashed against rocks.

"That-" Owlflight flicked her tail, "-is the gorge. Make sure to be careful around here, especially whenever it's raining or whenever the ground is damp."
Nettlemask grunted in agreement. "And don't go running like crazy when you're around here. We don't want any cat to fall in."

Owlflight nodded. Her eyes clouded, as if the words triggered her. Nettlemask looked solemn for a moment, but then shook his head. "Let's continue."
Furzepaw shakily staggered after the cats. He drew in a shaky breath. Whitepaw matched his pace with Furzepaw's, staring at his brother with clouded gaze.
"I'm alright Whitepaw." Furzepaw murmured. "I didn't know that the gorge was right there."
Falling into the gorge must've been as worse as a tunnel collapsing. Furzepaw winced at the thought, then shook his head to clear it. If he was going to be a moor-runner, he should know his obstacles.

"We're heading towards the Fourtrees now." Nettlemask mewed after a few long moments of walking.
_The Fourtrees!_ Furzepaw nearly squealed in excitement. He had heard of the four trees in tales from the elders, but he never had seen it for himself.

. . .
By the time the sun had sank into the horizon, Furzepaw and the others apart of the group were exhausted. Paws as heavy as boulders, Furzepaw dragged himself towards the entrance of the camp with Whitepaw behind him.
The mentors and the apprentices made their way through the camp entrance. Furzepaw nearly jumped out of his pelt at a sudden thud. Spinning around, he turned to see Tawnypaw barreling down Whitepaw.
"You're finally back!" She exclaimed as she held down the white tom. "How was it? Did you get to see the _huge_ trees?"

Whitepaw nodded to Tawnypaw, then he gently nudged her off of him.
Furzepaw rolled his eyes. "Yeah, we got to see the Great Oaks. And it was fun, I guess."
"Aw c'mon," Tawnypaw huffed, "don't tell me you _didn't_ have fun."

Furzepaw shrugged. "I did have fun, but I'm tired now."
Tawnypaw smirked. "Have a good time with Antpaw if you're going to sleep!"

Antpaw. Furzepaw had forgotten that he would have to share the same den with the tom.
"Uh, I didn't say I'm going to sleep right at this moment." Furzepaw muttered as he slowly sat down.
From Tawnypaw's smug grin, Furzepaw knew she had found one of his distastes.
"

Maybe he's not in the den right now." Furzepaw added under his breath.
"Or maybe he is." Tawnypaw chirped.

As the first few stars of Silverpelt began to gleam in the sky, Nettlemask approached the three apprentices.
"You three better get going to your nests." He rumbled.

"Aw, but whhyyy?" Tawnypaw whined. "We're having fun!"
"Didn't Iceclaw tell you to stop acting like you're still in the nursery?" The dark tom inquired.
"Anyway, you're going to train tomorrow, so you'll need to have a good night's sleep. See you in the morning."
Nettlemask turned and stalked away from the three. Grumbling under her breath, Tawnypaw stiffly rose to her paws and stalked towards the apprentices den with her tail low. Whitepaw followed after her. Furzepaw stood and trotted after the two.

"Here! I made nests for you two!" Tawnypaw patted her paw across a pair of nests next to her once they entered the den. Sighing heavily, Furzepaw flopped down beside her. He was glad to be pressed against Whitepaw. It felt different not to be with Mothfur.
Furzepaw suddenly longed to be curled next to the she-cat and her comforting scent.
Closing his gaze, Furzepaw found himself drifting off.
Tomorrow would bring new excitements.