Book 2: City of Ice and Fire (a warriors cats and shadowhunters crossover)

Chapter 8: Meanwhile In HunterClan...

*******Goldenclaw's POV******

Goldenclaw led Violetpaw through the undergrowth, on their way to the Tall Pines. He hadn't yet taken her hunting in Snakerocks yet, as the tortoiseshell's small stature would be easy pickings for a full grown hawk or just as dangerous: an adder.

The grass became sparser here, replaced by orange pine needles that had long since fallen from their respective trees. He wasn't a fan of the pinesap getting stuck in his fur, but the pungent smell of the trees would hide their scent well from oncoming prey.

Unfortunately, this hid prey scent too, so Goldenclaw was forced into having to find prey using only his sight and the small tremors in the earth to find what he was looking for. Violetpaw pads next to him, her nose wrinkled at the overpowering smell of pine.

"I think there's a squirrel over in that ravine, why don't you go see if you can catch it. Remember to come for it downwind. Even with this pine smell, I wouldn't count on your scent completely evading the prey, especially when you're getting close to it." He angles his ears towards the ravine in question, keeping his voice low.

Violetpaw murmurs an agreement before sneaking over to the ravine. Her paw steps fall lightly on the sticky ground, avoiding the pine needles as best as she can. Goldenclaw observes her movements with a critical eye, noting the she-cat's twitching tail.

Thank the Angel there's no tall grass here for it to swish, otherwise the prey would've heard her coming. I'll have to remind her to keep her tail still next time. He couldn't exactly blame Violetpaw though, he too had been excited back when he was first learning to hunt.

Violetpaw came back a few moments later, her purple eyes shining. A gray squirrel swung in her jaws. It's tantalizing prey scent made Goldenclaw's mouth water. He knew Mistwing and Puddlestep would be pleased with this catch.

"Good job Violetpaw. We'll have to work on your approach later though. You can't be wiggling your tail around in the undergrowth, otherwise the prey will hear you coming." He said.

"Mmph sorry." Violetpaw muttered through the clump of fur in her mouth.

"It's all good. I was the same way at your age. Go bury it under some leaves for now, we can go collect it later." Goldenclaw ordered. Violetpaw placed the body atop some tree roots, scuffing some leaves over it with her hind legs. Only when she was satisfied with how it was covered did the apprentice rejoin him.

The two cats continue this pattern for the next few hours, collecting whatever prey they could find. Only one catch had slipped away from Violetpaw, a particularly spry finch. She'd missed the animal by a paw length at best giving the bird just enough time to fly away into the safety of the trees.

Goldenclaw hadn't taught Violetpaw how to climb trees yet, so hunting amongst the branches was out of the question for the apprentice currently. He preferred that Violetpaw get used to hunting on the ground first. Hunting in the trees requires a lot more balance...and it's a lot more dangerous too.

"Goldenclaw, come quick! I think I've found something strange." Violetpaw's airy voice drifted over to him. The golden tabby hurried over to the source of the noise, finding Violetpaw staring up at something.

"What're you looking at..." He trails off, his mouth agape. Up in the air was a medium sized hawk. It was abnormal to see one in the pine forest, but that wasn't what had startled him. What had caught his attention was the black energy wreathed around it, the bird's beady black eyes gleaming with red light.

"SCRRRRREEEEEE" The hawk cried, swooping down with its talons outstretched. The predator had its sight set on Violetpaw, the tortoiseshell apprentice glued to the ground with fear.