EOTW: Faded Boundaries: Chapter Fifteen

Warriors Series 5.5: Echoes of the War
Book 1: Faded Boundaries
Chapter Fifteen

     “Silentpaw!”

     The apprentice jolted awake. “Huh?” For a moment, the stench of fish and lake-water clogged her nose, and she panicked, not sure where she was. Then she remembered.

     “Come on, the training group's waiting for you.” With that, Grasspelt pulled his head back out of the apprentice's den, leaving Silentpaw to try and fully wake up.

     Ever since Silentpaw had come to help RiverClan, it had been a non-stop bustle of patrols and hunting and training. She'd barely had more than a few moments rest each day between waking for the dawn patrol and crawling into her best after the moonhigh patrol. She'd never had to do so much hunting and patrolling in her life. It was starting to take its toll.

     The other problem was the severe lack of food to go around. The lake had swallowed up a good portion of RiverClan's territory. Fishing was impossible with the lake like this, and none of the RiverClan warriors were accustomed to hunting land prey. And with their territory so restricted, they barely managed to catch enough to feed the kits and elders, let alone every other cat. Silentpaw was probably the best hunter in the Clan now, and she was expected to hunt for herself on top of hunting for the Clan. Even after just three days, Silentpaw's pelt was starting to cling pretty close to her bones.

     The she-cat waited until she felt fully awake, then headed out of the already empty den. It was only just dawn, and only the dawn patrol and the cats in Silentpaw's training session were awake and about.

     Minnowtail lifted her head as Silentpaw approached the group. Grasspelt, Eelpaw, and Finpaw were among them. "Good, you're awake," she mewed. "Let's go, then." In the few days she had been there, Silentpaw had learned that Minnowtail was one of RiverClan's most senior warriors, along with her mate, Mallownose. The she-cat worked nearly as much as the deputy and leader, constantly out on patrols and hunting to keep the Clan safe and fed. She could be a bit bossy, but she was an impressive warrior.

     Minnowtail led the group out into the territory, taking them to a flat clearing higher up the slope. It had been declared the temporary new training grounds. Since Silentpaw had been trained to hunt ground prey for two straight moons, she had been asked to host various training sessions to teach the RiverClan cats to use ThunderClan hunting techniques.

     When they reached the hollow, Silentpaw stood before the cats. She'd worked with Minnowtail before, but the rest of these cats were all new to her training. "We'll start with some basic crouches," she told them.

     Predictably, Finpaw was the first to complain. "We're not kits who've never hunted before," she snapped. The apprentice's ears were flat against her head, and her tail flicking irritably.

     "If this were a fishing session, you'd be teaching me how to swipe with one paw,” she snapped back immediately. “The basics are important and different for each style of hunting. So shut it.” She ignored Finpaw's outraged snarl and turned her attention to the rest of the cats. “Show me your best hunting crouch. I'll tell you how you're doing.”

     It didn't take long for the next objection to come up. “Show you?” Grasspelt mewed, voice sharp in surprise. “But you're blind.”

     Silentpaw heard a sharp intake of  breath from Minnowtail. She must be thinking that Silentpaw would get as ruffled as Jayfeather over such a callous reference to her blindness. But the she-cat just gave an impatient sigh. “Sight isn't the only sense, genius,” she reminded him. “Just do it.”

     All four cats fell into crouches. Silentpaw padded up to each cat, running her tail along their backs to check their posture. Minnowtail had attended some sessions already, so her crouch was pretty decent. It could still be a bit more collected. Eelpaw and Finpaw weren't quite low enough, and their postures weren't as balanced as Silentpaw would have liked. Grasspelt's crouch was the worst of them all – he was stiff and unbalanced, his tail held awkwardly.

     Silentpaw laid a paw on Grasspelt's shoulders, forcing him lower to the ground. “Here. Lower, and keep your legs tucked under you like this.” Her hind paw tapped against his legs, guiding them to the right position. She went from cat to cat, doing the same for each of them.

     She couldn't help but feel frustrated by the slow progress. After three days, the RiverClan cats' hunting wasn't advancing nearly as fast as she would have liked. These were all skilled hunters, just not with the skills they currently needed to survive. And learning new skills apparently took more time than Silentpaw had planned.

     “Good,” she mewed at last, though she felt far from it. “Now, let's see your stalking.”

     As she watched her trainees for the day practice, she tried to ignore the hard pit of dejection that sat in her stomach. Even with their new training, she wasn't sure these cats were going to be able to feed themselves. There simply wasn't enough prey to catch. The lake had become so swollen that nearly half of RiverClan's territory was lost to the water. Most of the prey had been scared off by the flood. What prey was left was hardly enough to feed the whole Clan. Silentpaw had never been in a situation where prey was this hard to find. She just couldn't understand how to get around it.

     At least her trainees were starting to make some progress. Eelpaw and Finpaw had started to pick up the right position for stalking. They were still noisier than Silentpaw would have liked, but they were definitely improving. Silentpaw brushed against Finpaw, noting how her limbs and body were postured. “Keep your tail lower,” she advised, nudging it down with her muzzle. “But great work.” Finpaw just snorted in response, but Silentpaw could hear a note of pride there.

     Silentpaw was working with Grasspelt on stalking silently when a new cat approached the training ground. “Silentpaw, you're needed for the next hunting patrol,” Heronstrike announced.

     “Already?” the apprentice groaned. The training session had barely started, and now she was being whisked away to another patrol. She barely had time to do anything productive anymore, jumping from one task to the next, and she was getting tired of having no rest after hunting patrols that caught no prey.

     “Yes. And these cats are needed elsewhere.” Heronstrike's tone was clipped – clearly, he wasn't a big fan of the ThunderClan apprentice. “They're waiting by the Thunderpath.” Silentpaw opened her jaws to argue, then turned away with a lash of her tail, storming towards camp while Heronstrike handed out instructions to the rest of the cats.

     She was still in a dark mood by the time she reached the Thunderpath. The lake had become so swollen that RiverClan had to retreat past the Thunderpath that lay behind their camp. There was a good stretch of territory behind that, but beyond lay another Thunderpath, larger than the first. Yarrowpaw, Pondbreeze, and Robinwing were all crouched beside it. “Hey,” she mewed shortly, flicking her tail in greeting as she approached them.

     Yarrowpaw hissed and Robinwing flattened his ears, but Pondbreeze at least attempted a friendly mew in reply. “Well, every cat is here,” Robinwing mewed finally, getting to his paws. “We can go.”

     “Go where?” Silentpaw asked. Her curiosity won out over her irritated mood.

     Robinwing flicked an ear towards the flat stretch of stinking stone as he explained, “Mistystar wants us to try hunting past the Thunderpath today. She thinks the best way to survive is to expand our hunting grounds.”

     Silentpaw couldn't suppress as a mew of surprise. Warriors hardly ever ventured outside of known Clan territory to hunt. If Mistystar was telling her cats to hunt in unknown territory, she must think RiverClan was truly desperate.

     The group of cats made their way to the very edge of the Thunderpath. Silentpaw's lip curled as they got closer; the path reeked of twolegs, and something far stronger and fouler. Her pelt fluffed up in shock as a roar sounded, getting louder and louder, before it screamed right past them, the wind tearing at them. Then it began to fade. Silentpaw's fur slowly started to lie flat, but she still felt shaken. “What was that?” she gasped.

     “A monster,” Yarrowpaw answered. He sounded smug for knowing something that Silentpaw clearly didn't. She resisted the urge to rake her claws over his ears.

     Robinwing's pelt bristled uncomfortably, but after checking both ends of the path, he mewed, “Silentpaw, you'll run with Pondbreeze. Yarrowpaw, you're after me.” After a brief silence, he hurled himself across the path, yowling back to them once he reached the other side safely.

     Yarrowpaw waited for a pause between the roar of monsters to run to join Robinwing. Silentpaw tried to hide how her fur prickled uncomfortably as Pondbreeze crouched beside her. “Just stay right next to me,” he mewed comfortingly. “We'll get across alright.”

     “Right,” she mewed distractedly.

     The apprentice suddenly found herself very glad that ThunderClan no longer lived next to an active Thunderpath. She couldn't imagine having to constantly run across a stinking path to avoid an enemy she couldn't see.

     Pondbreeze waited, crouched and ready to pounce, with his ears twitching to catch every sound. “Now!” he cried. He and Silentpaw took off. She stayed right by Pondbreeze's side, fear giving her the speed to match him stride for stride. It didn't take long for them to reach other side. Silentpaw made her final stride a huge leap, stumbling gratefully onto the soft grass. As she stood panting, Pondbreeze landed gracefully beside her, seeming unbothered by the run.

     Robinwing waited several moments before speaking again. “Everyone got your breath back?” he asked gruffly. Silentpaw's pads still felt sore and scraped from the stone, but she nodded. “Good. Then let's go.” He led them away from the Thunderpath, further into the trees beyond. Silentpaw started to feel more at home as they went on. This area was more forest-like than RiverClan's territory, with more trees and undergrowth. It felt like home.

     The four cats split up to hunt. Silentpaw felt far more at home slinking through the undergrowth, but even with the familiarity of the woods, hunting wasn't any easier. All the prey seemed to have fled. Even the birdsong was hushed. It took Silentpaw several minutes to finally catch anything, and all she managed to find was a scrawny vole.

     She was about to take it back to the other cats when leaves rustled behind her. The apprentice froze. The sound had stopped, but something still felt wrong. Her nose quivered as she tried to figure out what was behind her. There was something there, a scent, almost dog-like. Her eyes widened in shock as she realized what it was.

     A fox burst out of the bushes, large and snarling and lunging straight at her. Silentpaw couldn't see it, but it sounded huge. Silentpaw shrieked in terror. The fox was big and angry, and she hadn't had any battle training yet. She knew she stood no chance.

     The apprentice immediately dropped her vole, turned tail, and fled.

     She could feel hot breath and hear the snap of teeth behind her for a few strides, but then there was nothing. The fox must have stopped to snack on the vole she'd left behind. But Silentpaw didn't stop running. Even if the fox had stopped, there was no guarantee that it wouldn't finish the vole and come after her. The apprentice pelted through the trees as fast as her paws could carry her, until she slammed into a hard surface.

     “Oof.” The breath was knocked out of her lungs. She and whatever she'd knocked into tumbled in the grass, finally falling into a tangled lump on the forest floor.

     The thing she'd knocked into turned out to be a cat. It leaped to its paws, spitting with fury. “What's the idea?” Yarrowpaw spat, fluffed up to twice his normal size. The rest of the patrol was there too, mewing in surprise at the ThunderClan cat's sudden appearance.

     Silentpaw got to her paws, shaking herself out. She was panting heavily from her run, and now she was sore from running into the other apprentice. Once she'd stopped gasping enough to speak, she panted, “Fox, behind me.”

     Every cat instantly tensed for a fight. “How close?” Robinwing asked in a clipped tone.

     She shook her head. “Dropped my prey. Haven't heard it since.” Silentpaw twisted her head around to lick her shoulder fur until it lie flat. The encounter with the fox had truly rattled her, but she was determined not to let it show to these cats. She had come here to help them, they wouldn't want her around if they thought she was a scared little mouse.

     “You gave it your prey?” Yarrowpaw hissed.

     Silentpaw's ears flattened against her head. “What was I supposed to do? Let it shred me?”

     The other apprentice didn't seem impressed. He thrust his muzzle in Silentpaw's face, whiskers away from her as he snarled, “RiverClan is starving. We can't afford to lose any prey, let alone have you give it away at the first hint of danger!”

     Before Silentpaw could totally lose it and hurl herself and the annoying furball, Robinwing stepped between the two, tail flicking irritably as he glanced between the two of them. “That's enough,” he growled. “No cat should except any apprentice on their own to try and take on a fully grown fox.”

     “This must be the fox's territory,” Pondbreeze pointed out. “We wouldn't have run into it if we weren't hunting past our borders. Who knows what other kind of predators live out here?”

     Silentpaw felt a shiver of dead at the warrior's words. Would it be too dangerous for RiverClan to hunt beyond their own territory? What else could they do to survive at this point?

     Robinwing dipped his head. “We should inform Mistystar that it could be dangerous for our warriors out here. We'll leave now.”

     “Without any prey?” Yarrowpaw mewed, voice high in outrage.

     “It appears our only prey was left to a fox, so yes,” Robinwing replied curtly. “Let's go.” He turned and began stiffly padding off, not bothering to look if the rest of the patrol would follow. Silentpaw bristled at the warrior's tone. It was clear he blamed her for their patrol returning with empty jaws.

     Robinwing didn't speak as he led them back towards the Thunderpath. He walked on in icy silence, and Yarrowpaw was practically bristling with repressed anger. Silentpaw tried to ignore both of them, padding on with her tail held high with dignity. Pondbreeze slowed to walk beside her. “Sorry about those two,” he mewed quietly. “I think hunger's just making every cat a little more edgy.”

     “I suppose,” Silentpaw mewed in a clipped voice. The apprentice immediately regretted it when Pondbreeze's ears lowered, and he sped up to rejoin his Clanmates. She hadn't meant to be short with the only cat being decent to her. Besides, he was right about one thing. Every cat was going hungry. She couldn't see the warriors of RiverClan, but during their training sessions, she could feel how their pelts stretched tight over their ribs. These cats were starving. And nothing she did seemed to change that.

     The patrol made its way back to RiverClan's camp. Robinwing managed to catch a shrew that stumbled across their path on the way back, so they didn't go back entirely empty-jawed. It was still only sunhigh by the time they reached the camp. When Robinwing went to report to Mistystar, the rest of the patrol broke up. Silentpaw made her way to the fresh-kill pile. Since her patrol had come back earlier than expected, she wasn't needed for any patrols for a little while. She could finally have a break.

     Silentpaw didn't take any prey – she was still expected to feed herself. Instead, she stretched out next to it, washing herself clean. She tried to ignore the terrible hunger that gnawed at her insides. The she-cat was in a foul mood, bristling and muttering to herself, clawing at the dirt under her paws. She could hear the cats around camp murmuring about her, and a few cats even approached her and mockingly asked her if the next fox could chase her all the way back to ThunderClan for them. The apprentice did her very best to ignore them.

     As the lay there, listening to cats whisper and gossip, she heard soft pawsteps approaching her. “What's up with you?” a familiar voice grunted.

     She sighed as Eelpaw sat beside her. “Nothing,” she muttered.

     “Sure. Now say it again like you actually believe it,” Eelpaw said bluntly. Silentpaw just lashed her tail irritably. “Look, I'm sorry I was short with you the other day. But you did just come barging into my territory like you were above being chased out.”

     Her ears flattened. “I never did that!” she snarled. Then she forced herself to relax. She'd already annoyed one cat who was trying to help her, she didn't need to annoy another. “All I wanted was to help. But I never expected it would be this hard.”

     “Yes, because hunting for starving cats in a territory that has no prey was never going to be a challenge,” he mewed pointedly.

     Silentpaw admitted, “Well, yeah. But I thought after a few days, at least something would have started to get better. I mean, the hunting here is ridiculous. I'm lucky if I catch a mouse all day. And I'm trying to teach cats to hunt better, but it's going so slowly, and it won't matter if there isn't any prey to catch. It just seems so hopeless.” She sighed, laying her head on her paws. “Maybe it was a mistake coming here. Clearly I'm not any use around here.”

     “Is that so?” Both apprentices froze. The RiverClan leader had managed to sneak up on both of them. Mistystar towered over them, completely and utterly still. Silentpaw couldn't read any body signals of hers, but her tone clearly indicated she wasn't happy.

     Eelpaw flattened his ears and flinched away from his leader's tone, but Silentpaw tried to keep her posture relaxed. “Um, hi Mistystar,” she mewed as cheerfully as she could manage.

     A single lash of the leader's tail silenced her. “You think you shouldn't have come here because after three days, you think it's too hard?” Mistystar's tone was hard enough to make Silentpaw flinch. “I have to ask, what exactly were you expecting? Three meals a day once you swooped in and saved us in a matter of minutes? What we're facing is serious. RiverClan is starving. We were driven from our home. Cats have died. This isn't some game where you get to play hero. It's going to take hard work and long nights with empty stomachs to bring RiverClan back to strength.” Mistystar had made her way in front of Silentpaw by now. She thrust her muzzle in the apprentice's face; it was everything Silentpaw could do not to shrink back in terror. “When you came here to help my Clan, you took on a warrior's responsibility. If you are going to be of any use to any cat, you will either suck it up and take it like a warrior, or leave.” She turned and stalked away, leaving Silentpaw lying in stunned silence behind her.

     Neither Eelpaw nor Silentpaw spoke for several moments. Both apprentices were trying to recover from the show of anger from such a formidable leader. Finally, Silentpaw got to her paws. “I think I'll go for a walk,” she told Eelpaw in a hushed mew.

     “You want me to go with you?” He still seemed a little stunned by his leader's anger, but at least he was being a bit friendlier.

     She shook her head. “No. I need to think. But thanks.” Still in a daze of sorts, she padded out of camp, no doubt leaving a steady trail of gossip in her wake.

     Silentpaw wandered through the territory, caught up in her own hazy thoughts. When Mistystar had lectured her when she'd first arrived, all she'd felt was embarrassed, and annoyed. But this time, the leader's words had finally hit their mark. She was overcome with shame. Mistystar was right. She had come to help cats in need, but she had also come to play the hero and make herself feel better. At the first sign of having to do actual hard work, she'd balked. She'd even considered abandoning these cats just because things weren't going as fast as she'd have liked. What a self-absorbed glory hound she'd been.

     Silentpaw knew she wasn't a perfect cat. She could be very lazy, and arrogant, and defiant of authority. And RiverClan didn't need another useless mouth to feed. But they did need hunters, and cats who were willing to put in as much work as it took to keep this Clan fed. And even when the flood ended, ThunderClan was going to need a warrior who would work to be the best hunter and fighter that she could possibly be for the service of her Clan. Life as a warrior was never going to be an easy one. She was going to be expected to work and hunt and patrol, always pushing herself, always striving to be better and faster and smarter, until the day she left to join StarClan. But it was all worth it to hunt side by side with trusted friends, and to feel the wild blood of a warrior race through her veins as the thrill of the hunt took her. Silentpaw understood this now, more than she ever had before. Being a blind warrior was going to take more work than she ever imagined. But for herself, and for all the cats she would help, it would be worth it.

     She just had to hope she could be the hard-working cat they all needed her to be.

     Silentpaw stayed out until moonhigh. As she padded back towards RiverClan's new camp, stumbling a bit under the weight, she heard whispers. They grew clearer as she drew closer. “No sign of Silentpaw?” That was Mistystar.

     “None. No cat's seen her since sunhigh.” Silentpaw recognized the voice of Rushtail, one of the younger warriors.

     Mistystar sighed. “I think we can assume at this point that Silentpaw has left us.”

     “Doesn't surprise me,” Rushtail sniffed. “Knew she'd go crawling back to her Clanmates the minute her stomach started growling. They're all soft as kittypets.”

     Silentpaw's ears perked as Eelpaw speak next. “She might still come back,” he said boldly. “I don't think she'd just abandon us.” She was both surprised and pleased to hear the apprentice defending her.

     “I had hoped she would stay, but it seems her fear won out after all,” Mistystar said grimly. “Very well. I will make the announcement to the Clan in the morning.”

     “What announcement?”

     Every cat turned to look at Silentpaw. She stood right in the entrance of the camp, staring back at them with fake innocence. In her jaws hung two mice by their tails, and a finch was laid out across her shoulders. It had taken half the day to catch them, but Silentpaw had been absolutely determined to prove to these cats that she was willing to put in the work.

     All three cats were silent in shock for a few moments. Then, Mistystar spoke. “You missed your patrols for the day.”

     Silentpaw dropped her prey, dipping her head to the leader. “I'm sorry, Mistystar, I forgot,” she told her honestly.

     “Hmm.” She wasn't sure, but the apprentice thought she heard warmth in the leader's mew. “Very well. Leave your catch on the fresh-kill pile, and take a mouse for yourself. You've earned it.”

     The apprentice suppressed a purr. “Thank you. But I think I'll go without eating tonight. I can catch myself something in the morning, but the elders and kits have to eat first.”

     “Very good. Get some sleep, and be ready for patrols in the morning.” The leader turned and padded away, and after a brief, confused pause, the warrior did the same. Eelpaw and Silentpaw were left alone.

     To Silentpaw's surprise, Eelpaw butted his head against her shoulder, purring. “I think you managed to impress Mistystar there,” he told her. “Come on, let's drop off your prey, then we can get some sleep.”

     As Silentpaw followed him to the fresh-kill pile, she couldn't help but hold her tail high in triumph. There were going to be a lot of hard days ahead of her. But she could face them.