The Shadows Rise

Chapter 15

   A tounge rasps over the scrape on my back. I turn around to see Shadowpaw's warm gaze. We clean each other in silence, before Lillyclaw's shrill wail rings across the camp.

   "My kits! Where are they!"

   I flinch. I can answer that. Morningkit is at the bottom of the river. Blue- I mean Skykit is in TreeClan.

   Bloodstar brought Lillyclaw into his den. Falconflight looked through the entrance, and beckoned to us both. He leads us out and into the forest.

   "You two. It's your halfway assessment. Whoever catches more prey before sunhigh, gets first picks from the pile. Ready, set, go!" He yowled.

   I immediately head towards twolegplace. On the way I caught a sparrow and two voles.

   I got there, and then started hunting for real. I scented rabbit. Following it, I got ready to pounce. Then the wind shifted and the rabbit ran off. I looked up at the tree closest to me. Climbing up, I looked for squirrel hollows. Finding none in this tree, I jumped effortlessly to the one beside it. Playing with Turtlepaw in the trees really helped.

    After a bit, I saw a squirrel. I swiped out a paw and killed it. I dropped down with the squirrel in my jaws. I buried it with the sparrow from earlier.

    A rabbit made its way into my peripheral vision. Stalking low, I leaped and killed it. I unburied my sparrow and squirrel and started to head back. When I got there I proudly dropped my two voles, sparrow, squirrel, and rabbit. My brother came back shortly after. He dropped two mice, a thrush, a rabbit, and a vole.

   "Hmmm... Even. First one to bring back a.... Mouse ......wins." Foxclaw challenged us.

   I ran off. Mouse was the only thing I had in mind. Suddenly I found one. I pounced and killed it swiftly. I got back, and dropped my mouse. Shadowpaw was nowhere to be found. We waited and waited, but no sign of him. Foxclaw stayed while me and Falconflight followed his trail. I ran forward at the sight of a motionless black pelt, in a pool of blood. I sniffed it. Shadowpaw.

   "No!" I cried.

   Falconflight carefully hoisted Shadowpaw onto his back. We got back and took all the prey back to camp. Shadowpaw was taken into the medicine den. I had to wait outside. It was sundown.

   "I'm going hunting," I said to no one in particular.

   I raced to the spot where I met with Turtlepaw. She was there before me, and we twined our tails together.

   "How's Skykit?" I asked with a waver in my voice.

   "He's great, but I can tell you're not. What's wrong?"

   "It's Shadowpaw. We did our halfway assessment and we found him in a heap on the ground. Oh Turtlepaw he might die!" I cried.

   She tensed up, before loosening and stroking my back with her tail and pressing against me. I purred slightly at the comfort I got from her.

   She licked my nose and meowed, "Well..... If he does die... You want to be with him. Trust me."

   I nodded and licked her nose back. She purred loudly.

   Padding up to the river, I padded in. I swam across and ran to camp, having caught a thrush on the way.