Five Creatures - Chapter Four
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Panther crouched low, keeping his long tail still as he crept forward. His pawsteps were light and his dark pelt blended in perfectly with the dark forest. With another few steps, he leaped forward as far as he could, landing solidly on top of a raven. With a quick bite, he killed his prey. Remembering his mentor’s words, he thanked StarClan for the life of the bird and brought it back to his mentor.
“Excellent catch Panther, you catch on very fast,” Beechmask, a tan tom with black markings, praised him.
“I have a good mentor,” Panther replied, looking proudly at Beechmask.
“Let’s see what else is out tonight,” the older warrior meowed, kicking dirt over Panther’s kill and heading further into their forest. The thick conifer trees stretched high above Panther’s head, a sight he already found comforting, even if he had only been in ShadowClan for a week.
“Do any of the others clan hunt at night?” Panther asked, counting the stars silently in his head.
“I’m sure that ThunderClan likely does as they also live in a thick forest, but we are the best suited to nightly hunting,” Beechmask answered.
Panther snorted, “Copycats.”
Beechmask flashed his apprentice a look of praise, “ThunderClan is always looking to copy us, for they know that we are the only ones who can best them in combat.”
“The only ones?” Panther asked, tilting his head.
“ThunderClan cats are known for fighting in the dense undergrowth, something that WindClan and SkyClan both cannot do. And RiverClan warriors are far too fat to catch anyone,” Beechmask growled, his tail cutting through the air.
At the mention of RiverClan, a fishy scent suddenly flooded the air and Panther knew that they were close to the border. I wonder how Crocodile is doing.
“A stoat,” Beechmask hissed under his breath, directing his apprentice’s view to the small brown animal that was drinking from the lake.
Panther crept up behind the unsuspecting prey and caught it with ease, its limp body hanging from his jaws.
“A job well done, we can head back to camp now.”
-
“Bring that stoat to Stonewing, that’s his favorite prey. Then you can eat something yourself,” Breechmask ordered his apprentice.
Panther nodded and quickly ran over to the elders’ den. He poked his head inside and was happy to see Stonewing still awake. “Stonewing, I brought you a stoat.”
The white elder turned to face Panther, “You’re shaping up to be a bright hunter. I’m glad Tigerstar brought you to the clan.”
Panther bowed his respect and backed out of the den. Right outside the apprentices’ den, he saw Thornpaw and Sootpaw eating a squirrel, the two engaged in some conversation.
Panther made his way over to them, picking a mouse off the fresh-kill pile and settling next to Sootfur, feeling the gray tom’s soft fur brush up against his own. He listened in to the conversation and perked his ears at the mention of Brokenstar. “Who’s Brokenstar?”
Thornpaw and Sootpaw looked at him with wide eyes, “Sometimes I forget you’re not clan-born,” Sootpaw meowed.
“Brokenstar was the leader of ShadowClan way back in the old territories,” Thornpaw began, his brown eyes locking on Panther, “He was a vicious monster. He killed kits to make a point and wanted every cat to suffer under his claws. He wanted to rule over all the territories. He was bigger than Tigerstar and more aggressive than a hungry fox! With sharp, serrated teeth, he would snatch kits out of their nests and feast on them if they didn’t do what they were told.”
Panther blinked in surprise and felt Sootpaw press closer to him. “Who stopped him?”
“Firestar, back when he was still an apprentice, snuck into ShadowClan’s camp and helped drive him out with the help of other ThunderClan warriors. He later died in ThunderClan’s camp,” Thornpaw finished gulping down the rest of his squirrel and licking the remaining parts off of his whiskers.
“Firestar was the old leader of ThunderClan, right?” Panther asked.
“Yeah, a long time ago. A ginger cat, fierce and strong. Everyone respected him,” Sootpaw continued.
“Yes, Firestar was a brave cat. He even killed the former Tigerstar at the cost of his own life in order to save all the clans,” a deeper voice spoke behind the apprentices. They all turned to see Tigerstar looking at them, his eyes gleaming with amusement.
“Do you get compared to the other Tigerstar a lot?” Sootpaw asked innocently.
“Not so much anymore. I have long since proven that I am not my grandfather and I would never be as ambitious as him,” Tigerstar informed them. “But I am glad to see that you know your history.”
Thornpaw brightened at the praise, his ears perking, “Thank you Tigerstar!”
“You guys should get some sleep soon, nocturnal training is only part of your training,” the ShadowClan leader finished, turning away from the apprentices to head back to his own den.
“Hey, Stormpaw!” Sootpaw called out, seeing the light gray tom enter the clan. “How did your assessment go?”
Stormpaw was the eldest of the apprentices and close to becoming a warrior, “Cinderwing said I did great! She’s going to talk to Tigerstar now about my warrior ceremony,” the apprentice purred with contentment, pressing up against his denmates for likely the last time.
Panther flicked his tail over Stormpaw’s ears, smiling at his denmate. He looked around the ShadowClan camp, a feeling of pride building up in his chest. He knew that he had chosen the right clan.
“Let all those old enough to catch their own prey gather beneath me for a clan meeting!” Tigerstar’s voice rang clear across the camp.
The sound of birds, as well as his call, awoke Panther from his slumber. He blinked his eyes to adjust to the morning light and saw that Stormpaw was already out in the camp, his fur sleek and freshly-groomed.
Panther quickly made his way out into the clearing, sitting next to Sootpaw and looking up at Tigerstar. The dark tabby looked across his warriors, his eyes bright and muscles flexing in the sunlight. “Today, I get to perform one of my favorite duties as clan leader. Stormpaw, please step forward.”
The light gray tom made his way towards Tigerstar. Panther could see his tail was shaking, but he kept his head on straight as he suddenly looked down on all of his own clanmates. Must be terrifying...And exhilarating.
“Cinderwing has assessed this apprentice and deemed him worthy of his warrior name, but Stormpaw I ask you: are you willing to risk your life for ShadowClan against all enemies? Are you willing to hunt until you can’t hunt anymore, fight until your claws fall off, and defend the shadows with your very last breath?”
“I am,” Stormpaw’s voice was calm.
“Are you willing to uphold the warrior code, even at the cost of your life?”
“I am,” Stormpaw puffed up his chest, holding his head higher.
“Then with the power given to me by StarClan, I hail you by your new name, from this day forward you shall be called Stormgaze. ShadowClan honors your intelligence and your bravery and we welcome you as a full warrior of ShadowClan,” Tigerstar bent forward and rested his head on Stormgaze’s own, while the new warrior licked his leader’s shoulder with respect.
Panther felt a glow of pride for his denmate, seeing Stormgaze look down on his fellow clanmates with a look of pure joy. The gray warrior made his way into the crowd of cats below, all of which swarmed him to praise him and give him congratulations.
Out of the corner of his eye, Panther spotted Ashstone, the deputy of ShadowClan, making his way towards him. “Panther.”
“Yes, Ashstone?” Panther looked up at the large black warrior.
“Beechmask tells me that your hunting skills are shaping up quite nicely. I’m here to inform you that today I will be taking you out for some battle training,” Ashstone said. “Follow me.”
Panther bounded after Ashstone, the warrior speedily making his way through the forest until they reached a small pit. Ashstone placed himself at the other end of the pit, looking directly at Panther, “Attack me.”
Panther blinked with surprise. Just like that? He gulped and crouched low, sizing up Ashstone. The deputy was much larger than him, more study. Panther, however, was quick and agile, he could probably get in quick for a few quick strikes and then back out before Ashstone could even react.
When Panther refocused he saw that Ashstone was gone and then a moment later he was on his side, the air forced from his lungs. “Focus Panther.”
Panther stood up and locked his eyes on Ashstone, leaping forward and landing right before Ashstone in an instant. He lashed out with one paw and struck Ashstone on the side of the head. But, before the apprentice could back away though, Ashstone snapped his head around and grabbed Panther’s paw, pulling him forward into the muddy floor. “You’re going to have to be faster than that.”
Panther pulled himself free and turned around, kicking out with his hind legs in a move taught to him by Phoenix many moons ago. His paws struck Ashstone upside his jaw and the deputy was in the mud a second later.
Ashstone flashed him a look of surprise and stood up, eyeing the apprentice questioningly. Panther awaited further instruction but instead found himself flat on his back when Ashstone knocked him aside with a quick shoulder blast. Panther regained his balance quickly and lurched forward, snapping his jaws right against Ashstone’s ear.
The deputy rolled underneath Panther, launching him upwards as he stood to his paws. Panther landed on his feet and turned around on a mouse, rearing up on his hind-legs and stepping forward was an uncommon grace. As he walked on his hind-legs he slashed at the air, keeping Ashstone at a distance. When Panther landed back on all fours, Ashstone raised his tail to let Panther know to stop.
“You can walk on your hind-legs?” the deputy asked, bewildered.
“Yes?” Panther answered, “You can’t?”
“Not like that. Where did you learn that?”
“Moose taught it to me when we were still living together,” Panther explained. What does he mean he can’t walk on his hind-legs?
“An incredible battle tactic. Kept me on my toes for sure,” Ashstone admitted.
Panther basked in the praise. Perhaps for a moment too long. Ashstone was on his back a few moments later, pawing viciously at his spine. Thank StarClan his claws are sheathed. Panther thought before quickly rolling over to get the deputy off of his back.
When Ashstone landed from removing himself off of the apprentice, he got a quick blow to the shoulder from Panther’s paws. The warrior ducked under the next attack, headbutting the apprentice in the chest. Panther went back a few paces and felt a paw knock his front legs out front under him. With his chest now in the dirt he used the one move he could.
Using his long tail, he whipped it across Ashstone’s muzzle, making the warrior flinch in surprise and giving Panther enough time to crawl forward and stand up as quickly as he could, the top of his hard skull knocking into the bottom of the deputy’s jaw.
Ashstone leaped away from the apprentice, panting and dipping his head in respect. Panther thought he saw a moment of fear flash in the deputy’s eyes, but quicker than you could say ‘mouse’ it was gone. The apprentice bowed at the deputy, also panting.