Emberpaw opened his eyes, flinching at the bright rays of sunlight. He was not in his nest, but on the moor, but this moor seemed to stretch on forever. He was about to decide on the idea that he sleepwalked, which made no sense, when the sun in his eyes disappeared. He looked up at the sky, a small gasp escaping his mouth as the bright blue sky was replaced with huge, grey, rolling clouds that crept among the horizon. Not a patch of blue was visible between the swaths of clouds.
The wind had also picked up quite forcefully. Emberpaw dug his claws into the soil below his paws, rooting himself to the ground. The dark grey tom squinted through the wind, letting out a small yelp as a loud 'BOOM' could be heard, echoing out across the endless terrain. The WindClan apprentice looked around around wildly, letting out a cry for help, only for it to be drowned out by another deafening sound of thunder.
He shook his head, his eyes flicking around desperately. He spotted several shapes slinking swiftly across the more. He could see that they were trying to escape the storm as well. He wasn't sure whether he wanted to call out to them until WindClan scent wafted into his nose.
'My Clanmates!' he thought desperately. He opened his mouth to call out, but was blinded by a streak of lightning striking just in front of the group. Emberpaw opened his mouth to cry out, but no sound emitted from his throat. The last thing audible to him was a shriek of surprise and pain.
Emberpaw jumped awake. He was breathing heavily and his fur was standing along his spine, his claws were unsheathed and the moss below them was shredded. He took a deep breath and sat up, feeling a small drift sweep through the entrance. He licked a paw and drew it over his ear, forcing his fur to lie flat.
Once he was finished, he got to his paws and shook out his fur. He then proceeded to pad out into the clearing, relishing the cool air of the mornings in leaf-fall. He trotted over to where his mentor was feeding on a scrawny hare.
"Good morning, Softgorse." he mewed, coming over to sit beside her. The grey apprentice curled his tail over his paws, shaking his head once more to shake the remnants of worry that flooded his mind from the dream.
"Oh, good morning, Emberpaw," she purred lightly. "How did you sleep?"
"Good," he lied, brushing off his worries. "Anything specific I should do today?"
"Slow down," she murmured, a chuckle escaping her. "Don't you want to grab something to eat before your tasks?"
He shook his head. "No, I'm not really hungry." he mewed. He paused then couldn't stop himself before asking. "Hey.. Why did Spiderstar think it was necessary to tell all the Clans that I didn't pass my assessment?" he asked timidly, looking at his paws.
She looked up in surprise. She was silent for a few heartbeats before she smiled an assuring smile at him. "I'm sure he didn't intend to. After all, he didn't want them to think you were dead."
Emberpaw wasn't convinced, but nodded anyway. "I suppose," he muttered. "Anyway, never mind that. What are my tasks for the day?"
Softgorse gave her chest fur a lick. "Well, Spiderstar and I were thinking you could try a hunting assessment to test your progress."
Emberpaw flattened his ears indignantly, but bit his tongue. I know how to hunt.. he thought bitterly.
"I want you to hunt beside the RiverClan border today." she ordered, then nodded for him to go. "Off with you now, and good luck."
Emberpaw nodded and turned to leave. He darted out of camp toward the RiverClan border, happy to have the wind in his fur before a new thought struck his mind.
Will I see Cinderpaw?
YOU ARE READING
|| Warriors: A Warrior's Heart ||
Fanfiction--- COMPLETED --- "We have to do something!" he cried, his eyes desperate. "We can't go on like this!" "You have a good heart, young one," his mother assured him, curling her tail over his back. "But you heard Spiderstar. He doesn't want to make Win...
