Missing Piece [c]

Poppypaw

Poppypaw had her experience hunting on her own and taking patrols without a partner, and neither time had gone well. From being attacked by a predator to being attacked by a ThunderClan cat, Poppypaw was no longer very excited to go out hunting on her own. However, she knew that hunting was necessary, so getting a partner would be best. Perchfall was busy with everything in camp, so Poppypaw wouldn’t go to her; besides, she wanted to get to know her fellow apprentices more anyway.

Her eyes caught Owlpaw who was resting near the freshkill pile. Had he gone out that day? She didn’t think so. She was pretty sure that he had spent a lot of time in the elder’s den. Maybe he would be willing?

After making her way over, she gave Owlpaw a bright smile. “Owlpaw, are you busy? I was going to go hunting to bring back some prey for the clan. Would you like to join me?” Owlpaw was a hard worker and always seemed to do his best for the clan, so she was confident that together they could bring back a good amount of prey.

Poppypaw

Poppypaw brightened when Owlpaw said yes. She started heading out of the camp when Owlpaw was ready. “How about the Sunningrocks?” she suggested when he asked her for where they should hunt. She hadn’t actually hunted there yet, instead having hunted at the river or the beech copse. “I’ve been craving some vole recently, so that will be a good place to catch something.”

They left the camp and Poppypaw stretched out her legs as they walked. “Do you think you’ll be made a warrior soon?” she asked, keeping up the conversation as they made the journey towards the Sunningrocks. She thought that her Moonstone journey—without the actual journey to the Moonstone, anyway—would happen soon, and it excited her. She still believed that StarClan wasn’t really dead. Maybe they were just scared to respond to the clans while the Dark Forest cats were active. Either way, the promise of being a warrior soon warmed her heart. She wasn’t the best hunter, but she would still try to be the best warrior for her Clan.

Poppypaw

Poppypaw walked along with Owlpaw and listened to him as they went. She smiled and gave a nod, confirming that she thought she would be made a warrior soon as well. She thought once more about the Moonstone, and how she won’t be able to make the journey with the Dark Forest cats around. It disappointed her, but she was still happy to be made a warrior at all.

The Sunningrocks looked stunning when they arrived. The stone ground was warm under he paws and she let out a soft purr of delight at the warmth that soaked through her fur. Her happiness didn’t last too long before Owlpaw made mention of snakes, though, and her muscles tightened. She went on guard, looking around carefully as they got ready to hunt in the area. She caught Owlpaw’s meaningful glance just before he yanked a vole out of narrow hole. Poppypaw watched the sail of the rodent and leapt when it hit the rocks. It made a couple mouse-lengths away before Poppypaw caught it and snapped its neck in one quick move. She sat back and looked over at Owlpaw with a wide grin.

“That was great!” she mewed, trying to keep her voice down. They were lucky that the vole had been too frightened to let out a shrill squeal, and she hoped that Owlpaw’s call hadn’t scared off any other prey. She picked the vole up in her mouth and trotted over to her partner. “Let’s find a few more before we head back.” Newleaf had made hunting so much easier that Poppypaw didn’t even had to add an “if” to the beginning of her statement.

She dug up a small patch of dirt between some rocks and buried the vole so the scent of the kill wouldn’t scare off the prey still around. She finished the pace to Owlpaw when she suddenly caught scent of another vole. Poppypaw pressed against Owlpaw so their faces were cheek-to-cheek. “You smell that?” she whispered. She didn’t wait for an answer though, and took charge this time. She lowered onto her paws and crept around a rock where another vole was sniffing around for some food. Poppypaw glanced back at Owlpaw and her tail flicked towards the other side of the rock, indicating that he should go to the other side so they could flank the rodent. When she was sure he was in place, she continued moving. She second-guessed herself at the last moment, however, as the vole noticed her and bolted—unfortunately, straight towards Owlpaw.

Poppypaw

Poppypaw jumped back up onto her paws fully when Owlpaw grabbed the vole. She grinned and walked over to him. “Great job! I’m glad that it went straight to you,” she mewed. His warm words made her heart swell and her tail stood on end with excited energy. “I enjoy working with you too, Owlpaw! You’re very skilled.”

She watched him catch scent of something and she followed after him, though stopped short upon seeing the reeds. Her tail flicked with a sign of anxiety as memories of her plunge into the river flashed in her mind. She pushed them away before her anxieties could show on her face. Instead, she said, “I’m alright with it. Perchfall taught me a good way to snatch fish out of the river.”

They walked together, pushing through some of the reeds until they arrived at the edge of the river. Poppypaw’s body tensed and she watched the current of the river. It wasn’t as overflowing as it was right after leafbare, but the current still seemed swift. She looked to Owlpaw and meowed, “Just be careful so as to not fall in.” She gave a nervous chuckle and added, “I did that earlier this season. Perchfall had to drag me out.”

Poppypaw

Poppypaw gave Owlpaw a grateful smile as he reassured her about the shallowness of the river and invited her to join him. They made their way over to the river and her muscles felt stiffer with every step. She finally stopped at the edge of the river and her legs felt like tree branches, unable to bend. She stared down at the water and for a moment, fear almost overtook her entirely. Then her eyes glanced over at Owlpaw who was still watching her and she felt at ease again. Just like last time, she had someone with her. And she would be far more careful. There was nothing to worry about.

She felt the warmth from the sun again and her muscles finally relaxed. She sat down at the edge of the river and watched the water carefully. She saw glistening scales and unsheathed her claws. Muscles tense, her eyes searched and waited until a fish moved straight underneath her and then she slashed with a sudden movement; her paw entered the water and was back out again with a fish sunk onto her claws. She dropped the fish beside the river and let out a slow breath. Her paw felt wet, but it didn’t bother her as much as it used to. She licked at the wet fur and looked over at Owlpaw with glistening eyes.

“Maybe I’m not so bad at fishing as I thought,” she giggled.

Poppypaw

Poppypaw gave a soft cheer when Owlpaw also caught his own fish. The warriors of the clan had been right when they said that newleaf would be a breath of fresh air in comparison to leafbare. There was so much prey that Poppypaw rarely even felt hungry anymore. She purred as she looked at their pile of kill and remembered some buried vole they would have to grab as well.

She looked to Owlpaw who laid down and seemed quite comfortable. Poppypaw couldn’t blame him. It looked very comfortable other too, and she found herself coming over to lay beside him and stretch out. “It is quite warm, isn’t it?” she purred. She rested her chin on her paws and blinked sleepily. “A couple minutes before we go back shouldn’t hurt.” She closed her eyes briefly and yawned, rolling slightly to brush up against Owlpaw, content with his presence.