Brambles || Warriors Fanfic

Chapter 3

Sagebreeze padded silently out of the camp, Antleap, Waterpaw and Foxpaw at her side. The ground was wet from the rain last night, which kept up every single warrior in the warriors den, especially Mudstripe, who seemed extremely restless and tired this morning. He was about to shout at Dogstar herself, but something in him must've stopped it.

Sagebreeze tried to put everything that happened that morning behind her, as she was supposed to be focusing on more important things, Foxpaw's training could not wait because of Mudstripe's concerning activities. Foxpaw and Waterpaw would be hunting for their first piece of prey, which Antleap and Dogstar would eat to prove that they can provide for the clan.

Antleap halted, stopping all three cats in their tracks. He scanned the area and checked the air for any fresh scents - rouges, kittypets or prey. He nodded, as if he was approving of all the prey that Starclan had left them in this part of their territory. "Alright, We'll hunt in this area." Antleap's gaze travelled over to Sagebreeze. "Tell the apprentices what this area is called."

"This area is called 'The dogs burial place' and is a big part of this clans history," Sagebreeze explained, though truly she was never told why this place was so special, only that it 'was'. She assumed dogs found their way onto the territory and Dogstar sent her clan to fight them with surprisingly good results. 

Both of the apprentices gasped in awe. "It's so pretty!" Waterpaw exclaimed, staring down at the ground, which was covered with leaves that fell from the trees nearby.

"Well, I'll be taking you down over to this side." Antleap pointed his muzzle to the right half as he spoke to Waterpaw. "Foxpaw and Sagebreeze will be over at the other half."

Waterpaw nodded and the two cats headed down the right side. Sagebreeze walked carefully over the right side, trying not to slip as she made her way down. Foxpaw followed, a little more recklessly than Sagebreeze.

"Who was your mentor?" Foxpaw asked, seemingly out of nowhere.

"Oh, my mentor was Hollyspot, a retired warrior," Sagebreeze explained, though awkwardly as she was more focused on getting down there than talking to Foxpaw. "He's now an elder, but he was a great mentor while he was still a warrior. He retired straight after I became a warrior."

Sagebreeze had reached the bottom of the slopes and started to scan the area for any prey. Her ears perked as she heard a leaf twitching on the left side. As she turned her head, she spotted a little mouse under the leaf, searching for food of it's own. Foxpaw was beside her too and spotted the mouse, his eyes following every movement.

"Now, Foxpaw, crouch down and keep your tail off the ground, but not straight up in the air."

Foxpaw followed her commands, though he looked uncomfortable.

"That's good." Sagebreeze was watching, feeling a little proud. "Now, walk forward slowly towards the mouse. Do not put your tail on the ground, as you could rustle some leaves and the mouse could hear you. When you reach the mouse, pounce and bite down on it's neck to kill it."

Foxpaw started to stalk forward, his eyes focused on the mouse. If a dog had burst out of the bushes to attack, he wouldn't have moved his gaze even a little. He didn't breathe as he got closer and closer until he was a whisker length away. He jumped into the air and bit down on the mouse's neck, killing it. He stood up confidently, the mouse dangling from his mouth.

"You did great," Sagebreeze purred, giving the apprentice a smile. "Starclan themselves would've been proud."

Sagebreeze glanced over at Antleap and Waterpaw, who seemed to be having a lot more trouble with catching prey. Waterpaw seemed to be either confused or doing her own thing, as her tail was hitting every leaf that stood in it's way. Sagebreeze felt a little sad, watching Antleap shout at the apprentice that she was doing everything wrong, but that was just Antleaps personality and she couldn't help Waterpaw with that.

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Word count: 681