Warriors: The Darkness Within

Chapter 4

Dragging her tired paws through the camp entrance, Birdkit couldn't wait to have some prey and curl up in her nest. It had been a long day and most of the clan had retired to their nests, the rest were just leaving for a late night patrol or finishing sharing tongues. "Birdpaw! Grab some fresh kill and have a good nights sleep, Crowpaw and Tidalpaw set up your nests for you." Lionfur meowed, placing his thin tail on her shoulder for a moment before making his own way to Ambercloud and Silverwater. Birdpaw padded to the fresh-kill pile, scanning camp for her siblings, she chose a skinny vole and settled down under a large fern that hung over the small ditch that was usually used for a place to put nests if there were too many warriors or apprentices to fit in one den. Taking a famished bite of her vole she kept an eye on the camp entrance, but soon realised she hadn't checked the apprentices den. Gulping the last scraps of prey down and giving herself a quick groom she made her way to her new nest. When she arrived in the the entrance she spotted the flame-ginger pelt of Firepaw, snoring away in a nest beside Tidalpaw who was also fast asleep. Carefully stepping over Crowpaw's black tail and avoiding Rockpaw's leg which was sticking out of his nest at an awkward angle, Birdpaw found an empty nest and curled up in it. Just as she was about to fall asleep, she sensed movement in the den glancing up groggily to see what had made it.
"Sorry, did I wake you?" Pinepaw's hushed whisper came from the shadows of the nest next to hers, he had obviously just got back. Shaking her head she  rested her head back on her paws, closed her eyes and drifted into darkness.

"Birdpaw. Birdpaw. Birdpaw. Birdpaw wake up!" The harsh voice of Tidalpaw woke Birdpaw, lifting her head she made out the grey and white tom with the morning light that seeped through the bracken that surrounded it.
"Come on! We have a training session. Hurry up lazy furball!" At that the young Tom spun around and trotted out into the clearing. Pinepaw was still asleep along with Crowpaw but other than them and herself, the den was empty, she got up and shook the moss off her pelt before following Tidalpaw out of the den. The clan was awake and bustle in the clearing had an air of happiness, she caught the eye of her father who came over to her and flicked a bit of moss from her shoulder. "Have you seen Lionfur? We have a training session with Tidalpaw."
"Yes, he's over there with Ambercloud and Tidalpaw." Lighteningstreak said gesturing his tail across the clearing to where they stood at the base of the highrock.
"Thanks!" She said over her shoulder as she Ran over to her mentor.
"Ready? Have you had some prey?" Lionfur asked, Ambercloud and Tidalpaw started towards the camp entrance.
"Yes, I'm ready but I haven't had any prey." She said looking down at her paws.
"Good, I want you to catch it today. Remember that crouch I showed you?" He replied, "come on." They caught up to the other two leaving camp.

Tidalpaw signalled with his tail, Birdpaw had already spotted the cornered squirrel. She crouched, just like her mentor had taught her last night, making sure her ears were flat she soaked forward, keeping her stomach close to the ground, assuring her every movement was carefully thought out, she stepped on a twig, the snap frightened the squirrel but it didn't move. Bunching her muscles, she pounced, landing squarely on it and pinning it to the ground, she clumsily let one of her back paws slip and her grip was loosened, She gripped deeper with her claws as the creature tried to escape her.
"Kill it!" Tidalpaw had emerged from a thicket where he had obviously been waiting for her to miss it so he could kill it. She bit it's neck, feeling it's thick blood fill her mouth, it gave a few more helpless kicks before becoming still.
"Ok, let's find Lionfur and Ambercloud." Tidalpaw concluded, obviously jealous.
"We're right here." Came a voice from behind them, Lionfur became visible a blackbird grasped in his jaws, Ambercloud followed, three plump mice hanging from her jaw by their tails.
"Good catch Birdpaw!" Ambercloud commented enthusiastically, burying her mice with the vole she had caught previously.
She dipped her head in thanks, the squirrel still in her mouth, and turned to her mentor for approval. Lionfur placed his blackbird at his paws and examined her squirrel, after a few moments he straightened up and said, "very good, make sure you kill it more quickly next time, looks like you let it struggle for a bit then had a bit of trouble killing it." She put it down and replied, "thanks, I couldn't find the spine to nip so I just bit its whole neck."
"Squirrels are difficult, they are fast and can climb, it was a very good first catch Birdpaw." She beamed at him, pride filling her as she heard her mentor's praise.
"I caught two mice and helped with the squirrel." Tidalpaw grumbled.
"Well done, Birdpaw, carry the mice and I take the squirrel. Tidalpaw can you handle a vole with your mice?"
"Yes." He answered, digging up his mice. Birdpaw gave her squirrel to Ambercloud, she wouldn't have been able to take it all the way back to camp on her own, but maybe Whiteblaze would like it. She was still full of energy so after they arrived at camp she asked Crowpaw if she would come hunting with her again, just to practise, she also told her about the squirrel.
"You've been an apprentice for a day and you already caught a squirrel? That's great! Of course I'll come, I want to see you in action." They left soon after they asked they're mentors, and ran out into the forest.
"Where do you want to go?" Crowpaw asked excitedly, a rustle in the bushes behind them made both apprentices jump.