Warriors: Crow's Carrion

Chapter Six

     Ospreypaw sat at the river's edge, peering down at the rushing water. Darkshadow sat nearby, his attention on the apprentice rather than the river. On the opposite side of Ospreypaw, Sticklefur and Poolpaw sat together. South of the current, they could see the fallen tree that stretched across the current. On the opposite shore was the thick line of forest that marked NightClan territory, its presence suffocating, even from afar.

     "We try to fish elsewhere because of NightClan's aggression," Darkshadow said and turned his gaze to the river. "But the elders still use the treebridge to cross, and it's easier to find fish swimming in its shadow."

     "Couldn't NightClan attack using the treebridge?" Poolpaw asked.

     "I'm sure they could," Darkshadow mewed plainly. "They wouldn't, though. They're too scared of the current."

     "Bunch of fish-hearts," Ospreypaw grumbled and searched for signs of a fish.

     Over their first few sunrises as apprentices, Darkshadow insisted many times that they start training for battle. Eveningshell rejected the idea every time and insisted that they learn the 'more important things' first. Thanks to the deputy, Ospreypaw hadn't gotten any battle training yet, but they did learn how to fish almost immediately.

    Some groups of smelts and herrings darted about in the shallow end, their shiny scales reflecting in the sunlight. Just beyond them, they caught sight of what looked like a small trout. Its speckled appearance nearly made it blend in with the sand and stones. As it swam lazily about, Ospreypaw saw their chance. They waded into the water slowly, but just as they were about to dive in they heard a commotion across the river.

     They lifted their gaze up and caught sight of a NightClan patrol at the edge of the forest. At the lead was a large, fluffy silver-pointed tabby. Following them was a brown cat with darker seal-point markings and a dark grey cat with black legs. Briefly, they wondered if one of these cats was the one who hurt Mudbreath; ever since getting hurt moons ago, the old warrior visited the medicine den frequently, though he still insisted on participating on every patrol he had time for.

     The brown and dark grey cats both laughed loudly to each other as they walked along their border. Ospreypaw narrowed their eyes and angled their ears forward, trying to hear.

     "I still see that elder limping on patrols," the dark grey cat bragged and bumped into her Clanmate. "They must be so sore for warriors that they can't even let him retire."

     "It's a shame," the brown warrior giggled, swaying her tail. "I almost feel bad for him. Surely he's older than Cindertalon, and he retired a few seasons ago."

     The silver cat rounded on them quickly, towering over both of them. "Finchcall, you've been a warrior for how long? And Ashenpeak, you and your brother both have the honor of being named shades as young as you are—at least Rainberry acts properly."

     There was a pause as the whole patrol stopped. A fourth cat, light grey with dark speckles, kept moving until he stood next to the patrol leader. Ospreypaw hadn't even noticed him before—it was as if he blended into the forest behind them without even trying.

     "Silence yourselves," the silver cat continued before spinning back around, "or else I'll tell Falconstar and Rookshade to reconsider your position."

     The NightClan patrol lingered in that spot for some time, and Ospreypaw kept watching them closely. They'd entirely forgotten about the fish that swam just out of reach, and about their own patrol.

     "Are you going to make a move, Osprey?" Darkshadow's voice startled them and drew their awareness back to their surroundings.

     Ospreypaw glanced at their mentor before returning their attention back to the trout. They flicked their tail and dove into the water, ignoring Poolpaw's mews of surprise and protest. Submerged by the water, they reached for the fish and hooked onto it quickly before resurfacing with it clamped firmly between their teeth. Quickly, they returned to the group in the sand and tossed the fish onto a pile of leaves they'd gathered.