Brambles || Warriors Fanfic

Chapter 8

Sagebreeze, Longwhisker, Foxpaw and Eggpaw made their way quietly out of camp, early dawn sunlight making it's way past the branches of trees. The morning was quiet, except for the song of the birds and the footsteps of cats. The air was fresh with prey, as if there was prey at almost every corner.

"I wish I could've went on patrol with Brackenlight or Fernpatch," Longwhisker grumbled bitterly. "Now I'm stuck with the special cat with two apprentices. I deserve Eggpaw, not you!"

"Can you please shut up?" Eggpaw hissed, his gaze tired. "Honestly, the way you both cat, I'd rather have a kittypet for a mentor!"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Longwhisker growled, throwing his head back to face Eggpaw.

"You're just an arrogant furball and Sagebreeze is a bossy know-it-all! You're both as bad as eachother. Dogstar must have bees for brains to have made Sagebreeze my mentor!"

"Eggpaw, you don't know what your saying half the time!" Sagebreeze brushed her tail in front of Eggpaw. "You're going to get yourself killed talking like this!"

"Stop it!" Foxpaw howled, pushing himself between Sagebreeze and Eggpaw. "We all need to calm down. Do you think yelling will catch any prey?"

"Probably will if you're Longwhisker or Sagebreeze," Eggpaw mumbled.

"Eggpaw, please stop," Foxpaw frowned. "It's no use being sassy or rude. Let's just go hunting."

Eggpaw rolled his eyes. "Fine. I doubt I'll catch anything, though."

The patrol started moving again, but the cats became eerily silent. Ugh, Eggpaw doesn't know I'm doing this for his own Starclan forsaken good. Sagebreeze padded along, without another word to either Longwhisker or Eggpaw, since she was done with those loud-mouthed cats for now.

"Sagebreeze, what was it like to hang out with Dogstar personally?" Foxpaw asked, his meow quiet.

"Probably annoying. I bet she made fun of you every step of the way!" Eggpaw groaned.

"Quiet, you. Foxpaw, I don't she'd want me to say anything. Every cat has their privacy, after all."

Foxpaw nodded, "Thanks for answering, though."

"We're here!" Longwhisker announced. "Here, Eggpaw-"

"You aren't my mentor! Shut your jaw, mousebrain," Eggpaw yowled, passing him. "Let me figure this out myself."

Sagebreeze dashed over to Eggpaw as swiftly as she could. "Respect us warriors! You can't be awful and expect to get away with it."

"Yeah, so I can't tell you when you're wrong, but it's fine to tell me when I'm wrong? Thanks for the logic, Sagebreeze, I'll be dropping it in the Dirtplace."

Ugh, it's like trying to talk to a crow. Sagebreeze sighed as she watched Eggpaw pad off by himself. Honestly, that arrogant flea is going to get himself thrown off a wall.

Foxpaw sniffed the air for a scent of prey, his ears pricked when he found something. He dropped into a hunting crouch and started to stalk forward, towards a leaf. Longwhisker stopped his 'hunting' to observe Foxpaw. A shrew crawled out from under the leaf, chewing a nut. This was Foxpaw's chance. He shot forward and bit the shrew's neck, killing it.

"That catch was okay," Eggpaw commented.

"Thanks! I appreciate it," Foxpaw beamed at Eggpaw.

Eggpaw rolled his eyes, turning away to hunt by himself. He tried to copy what Foxpaw was doing, but his stance was completely off. He stalked forward, tail on the ground. "I think I got this down!" He said to himself. Foxpaw watched awkwardly, either unsure or unable how to tell him he was doing it entirely wrong.

"...Eggpaw that's... not how you do it."

"Fine!" Eggpaw hissed, jumping up from his crouch. "If you're such an expert, show me! It's not like anyone else could teach me."

Foxpaw, despite Eggpaw's.... Eggpawness, leaned down and showed him the proper hunter's crouch, explaining his movements as he slowly crouched towards a leaf. Eggpaw seemed to gain emotion for a second, a little glint of interest in his gaze. He began to copy what Foxpaw had done. Sagebreeze's ears pricked as she caught a sigh from Longwhisker.

"Foxpaw doesn't deserve someone like you," The white tom whispered at her. "You're a disgusting thing. I hate to say it, but Mudstripe is right about you." He padded around her ominously as he spoke, as if she was prey. "I hate you." With that, he padded off to go hunt by himself. Sagebreeze felt a prick of unease go up her spine as she stood there for a bit.

--

The patrol returned to camp, Foxpaw's jaw was filled with mice, which he'd mostly caught by himself. Foxpaw's good spirits had rubbed off on Eggpaw, as Eggpaw actually had a smile on his face and had caught a mouse with help from Foxpaw. Longwhisker had caught a robin and a shrew, while Sagebreeze had been lucky enough to catch a rabbit.

Antleap waited by the entrance to camp, a fresh claw wound slashed across his face. "Hello, Sagebreeze," He grumbled, sitting down and giving his white paw a lick. "How was hunting?"

"Very well, we caught a good amount of prey," Sagebreeze explained, a little unnerved by the claw marks on his face.

"What happened to your mousebrained face?" Eggpaw rudely asked, bitterness laced his tone. Foxpaw looked over at him, somehow surprised that he would say something like that.

Antleap was silent for a second, glaring down at the young tom, as if he was about to lash out at him like a snake. "Thorns," He said simply, after the long silence. "Doesn't matter. Go drop your prey in the pile."

"That doesn't look like thorns, that looks like-"

Eggpaw was cut off by Foxpaw stepping on his paw, claws extended. "I'm sorry for him," Foxpaw apologised. "It won't happen again."

Eggpaw cast Foxpaw a dirty look before padding off to drop his prey in the fresh-kill pile, back into his usual mood. Antleap watched the tom with narrowed eyes before making his way over to the medicine den to get his wounds treated.

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Word count: 988

AN: I'm sorry I keep dying but with school I lost motivation to write the story. I'll try to get chapters out the best I can-