Gingerpelt

Chapter 15

"Wonderful! Now, stop acting like a ThunderClan cat and catch fish!" Gingerpelt pricked her ears at the sound of Flametail's disapproving mew coming from some bushes where most mice are found. Not like we need them! Fish is much more appetizing!

"But I need to learn how to hunt on land in leaf-bare when the river freezes!" Birchpaw's stupidly confused mew made Gingerpelt picture the look of stupidity on his face as she padded closer, curious.

"Every cat knows that we only need to practice basic land-hunting! Now that you've mastered hunting mice, you need to focus on hunting fish! There's not an elder in the Clan that would accept a mouse in newleaf!" Flametail hissed. "Now go catch a fish!"

"But I don't want to!" Birchpaw wailed.

Tomcats! They act like kits at the stupidest of times!

Gingerpelt took a deep breath and padded into the clearing where the two toms argued.

"Maybe I should take Birchpaw hunting in the river." Gingerpelt mewed, turning to Flametail. "You seem a bit tired.

The dark ginger tom opened his jaws to protest, but Gingerpelt stepped closer to him before he could mew a word.

"Come on!" Gingerpelt whispered into her mate's ear. "I'll show Birchpaw all the tricks that make hunting easier. Remember how you used to fall in? My tips helped you keep your balance!"

"Okay." Flametail murmured, then raised his head and turned his gaze to Birchpaw. "Gingerpelt will teach you everything you need to know about river hunting."

Gingerpelt waited until Flametail was out of sight before taking her son to the river.

"First, let me see what you can do." Gingerpelt meowed, flicking her tail in the direction of the river.

"Okay." Birchpaw mewed nervously.

Gingerpelt watched from the shelter of a bush as Birchpaw stood beside the river, lashed out a paw and hooked a decent sized fish in his claws.

Gingerpelt was about to praise him, when he lost his balance and fell in with a shriek, losing his prey.

Has Flametail given him any hunting lessons?

Without a word, Gingerpelt showed him how to dig his claws into the riverbed to keep his balance.

"It takes practice. It's complicated. Don't worry. I didn't get it on my first try either." Gingerpelt lied. It's so simple! Maybe he'll never be able to hunt fish! Maybe, he should just stick to land-hunting!

Then Gingerpelt remembered her mother's reassuring voice from her dream. "He'll learn to hunt eventually."

Comforted, Gingerpelt refused to give up on training her son. They didn't return to camp until both cats were tired.

Training an untrained apprentice to hunt is so difficult! Is that why Flametail is giving up so soon?

Gingerpelt crawled into her nest. She was too tired to go on a hunting patrol.

***

Yawning, Gingerpelt woke to the sound of her Clanmates' steady breathing while they slept around her. It had been a couple moons since she started training Birchpaw to hunt and she had to admit his skills were coming along nicely. Then she remembered that he had just passed his final assessment and would be getting his warrior name soon.

I can't believe it! It feels like just yesterday I was trying to keep him quiet in the nursery so he wouldn't wake the entire Clan.

Gingerpelt also remembered hearing that in a few days, the medicine cats would be gathering at the Moonstone and Petalpaw would become a full medicine cat.

They're growing up so fast!

Unable to go back to sleep Gingerpelt crept out of the warriors' den and into the camp. She looked over at the entrance where she knew Flametail was on the night watch, when she realized that he wasn't there.

Curious and scared for her mate, Gingerpelt walked out the entrance to the camp and scented the air.

That's strange. His scent is still very fresh but I can't hear him anywhere.

Suddenly, she stopped dead. She strained her ears to listen to what she thought was a shriek for help and heard it again.

Flametail!

Gingerpelt pelted through RiverClan territory until she came to a clearing near the river where she saw a fox padding victoriously away from a limp, blood-stained lump of dark ginger fur.

Oh no! Flametail!

Furious, Gingerpelt threw herself at the fox and tore at its fur.

"You will not kill my mate!" Gingerpelt became stronger from her anger and within minutes the fox ran across the border, into WindClan territory.

Immediately, Gingerpelt rushed over to Flametail's unmoving body. As soon as she reached it, Birchpaw burst through the undergrowth and into the clearing, his eyes wide with fear.

"I heard screeching and smelled blood so I came as fast as I..." Birchpaw trailed off when he saw his father surrounded by a pool of his own blood.

"Is he all right?" Birchpaw rushed over to Gingerpelt.

Flametail stirred and stared at his mate and his kit. "I love you..." He paused as a spasm shook his body, then lay still.

"He... he..." Gingerpelt paused and realized she had to stay strong for Birchpaw's sake. She turned and looked into her son's tear-filled eyes. "He's dead." Gingerpelt whispered softly.

For what seemed like moons, the two cats sat their and grieved for Flametail.

Eventually, Gingerpelt got up. "We should take his body back to camp for a proper vigil tomorrow."

Slowly, the two cats lifted Flametail's dead body onto their shoulders and carried him back to camp.

As soon as they entered, Mothwing came up to them. "I was wondering where you..." She trailed off when she saw her only son. "No!"

Petalpaw was behind her mentor and looked up in horror at her dead father.

Gingerpelt took a deep breath and sighed.

This is all my fault! If I had been quicker getting to him, he wouldn't have died from the serious blow the fox gave him to his neck.

Guiltily, Gingerpelt looked at the gash in her mate's neck.

All my fault...