Chapter Sixteen
Sweat poured from his body as he simply laid upon the ground. Somehow, Bloodpaw had regained most of his strength in the long run. There was still soreness lingering, and exhaustion still gripping him; but he was a bit stronger and more alert to his surroundings. Gritting his fangs a bit, Bloodpaw slowly took his time in rising up onto his paws. Bits of hay that had fallen on the ground, clung to his pelt; but he didn’t bother shaking them off. He was far too hungry and a bit thirsty.
It was a coincidence, no it was actually luck that had brought him to this farm. It was whatever at this point. It took Bloodpaw to focus his mind on hunting rather than hunger itself and, not knowing why he remembered this, began to think back to what Pinebolt had taught him.
“Listen up, Bloodkit, the way a warrior polishes their hunting is by knowing how to hunt; but not with taught knowledge. It is with how the heart and soul connects with the environment around you. All environments you will encounter, all the prey that live in them, they will not be the same. Most prey will try to fight back, as it is their natural instinct to do so, so getting it on the first try; well, it doesn’t matter. It won’t make you any less of a hunter if you fail time and time again.”
Bloodpaw had remembered that time, when he was still a kit and being taught basic hunting by Pinebolt. But because he wasn’t old enough to join the others yet, Smokestar had wanted them to be trained as fully fledged apprentices even at the age of eight moons, Pinebolt had taken consideration in helping him learn while in camp. And Bloodpaw had been grateful for that. Pinebolt had been the only warrior to help him, besides Dewhare of course.
“Feel the environment with your heart, Bloodkit. Listen to every heartbeat around you while calming your own. Ignore the background and see, not with your eyes, they will fool you and distract; but listen to your soul. Familiarize everything, each scent that flows through your nostrils, section them out and remember them. Now, crouch low to the ground. Make sure your stomach is only a whisker-length above the earth, put your left paw outwards while keeping your right one closer to your body. Hunch your back-paws so that they’re angled enough for a good burst of speed.
Do you feel it in your soul, Bloodkit? Can you feel your fellow clanmates around you? That is how your prey should feel out there in the wild. Keep that in your mind. Now, slowly inch yourself forward. Don’t quicken your pace, or you risk alerting your prey. Don’t go too slow lest you run out of energy before the hunt even starts. Silence your breathing, but don’t completely quench it. Steady it, find a rhythm that matches the beat of your heart.
Excellent work, Bloodkit.” Bloodpaw remembered how much the praise from Pinebolt had made him very happy. Remembered how much he had worked hard since then with Graypaw and Creampaw, before Sagepaw had even entered the picture. He remembered how big their smiles were, especially on the face of Creampaw. It had made his heart stop, made him blush madly from her words of praise. Even Pinebolt had been non-stop praising him for a quarter-moon.
Yes, everything had been going great for him. That is, until Sagepaw came around and stole the spotlight. Bloodpaw hadn’t thought some other kit like him would be a natural at hunting. But, Sagepaw had done maneuvers that came natural to him. Maneuvers that most seasoned warriors could barely pull off, and it didn’t look like Sagepaw had any formal training because of his difficult personality. No mentor as of yet, and his parents weren’t highly skilled hunters or fighters themselves. Decent, yes, but hardly one would call amazing. However, that didn’t matter when it came to Sagepaw.
And Bloodpaw had to watch as every cat in Shadowclan talked about him almost every moon. While Creampaw had continued praising Bloodpaw for his continuous hard work and training, the latter knew she was only doing it to make him feel better. Deep down, the young ginger knew she was just as amazed towards Sagepaw much like the rest of them. It had infuriated him for some reason, but he didn’t allow it to get under his skin. As long as Pinebolt and Graypaw weren’t kissing the ground to which Sagepaw walked on, it didn’t matter.
‘Wait, why am I bringing up that memory?’ Though the young ginger as he chased down a large dormouse that he had spooked out from behind some weird looking fangs on the ground of the barn. Catching it within a few moments later, Bloodpaw broke its neck in his jaws to kill it as quickly as possible. Forgoing in thanking Starclan, he just proceeded to devour his food.
However, one mouse was not enough to satisfy his hunger. Back when he was an apprentice, newly promoted, he would be satisfied with what he caught and would have waited patiently to eat after the elders, queens, kits, and warriors had their fill. Now though? He didn’t have to wait for long. And after three more mice, the barn was filled with them, Bloodpaw was full and satisfied.
However, he should’ve been happy about this, but he wasn’t. He missed the hunts with everyone from Shadowclan. He missed the interactions with his former clanmates, even if some of them wanted to argue, Bloodpaw just missed it all. It was a dark hole in his heart that will remain empty. Licking and cleaning his body now of the blood that still lingered, not just from the mouse but from his wounds, Bloodpaw found a place to rest high up in the hayloft.
Sleep came to him easily, for the first time in his many moons that is. The moment his head placed itself on his fore-paws, which dangled over the edge of the lofters, Bloodpaw was swiftly asleep. And not a moment too soon, for barely a second longer; those hazel eyes of his drifted close. One would find it peaceful and serene to find Bloodpaw finally getting the rest he deserved.
Which was unfortunate, as the sounds of several paws getting louder and louder with each passing moment came upon the entrance of the old barn before stopping. “Well well, it would appear as though we have encountered a sleeping guest here.” Mewled a soft female voice.