The Apprentice's Quest

“See if you can find some prey.”

Alderpaw narrowed his eyes and concentrated, tasting the air. The scents here weren’t quite so complicated, and he soon pinpointed a vole underneath a bush close to the water.

“There’s a vole under there,” he murmured to Molewhisker, angling his ears toward the bush.

Molewhisker gave him an approving nod.

“Good. Go after it, then.”

Alderpaw adjusted his crouch and began to creep forward, then hesitated. Is the vole really under that bush, or in the clump of long grass just beside it? Should I go straight for it, or loop around the grass so it can’t see me coming?

“What’s the matter?” Molewhisker hissed impatiently. “Go!”

Alderpaw was frozen with indecision. I have to get this right, but I don’t know how!

While he was still hesitating, unable to move, the vole suddenly scampered out of the depths of the bush, plopped into the water, and vanished.

“Mouse-brain!” Sparkpaw exclaimed.

I probably deserve that, Alderpaw admitted to himself. He hung his head in shame as Molewhisker padded up to him. “A good hunter doesn’t hesitate,” his mentor meowed.

“You need to trust your instincts.” Then he relaxed a little and touched Alderpaw on the shoulder with his tail. “Never mind. There’ll be other prey.”

His mentor’s kindness only made Alderpaw feel more ashamed. I’ve let Molewhisker down.

Sparkpaw suddenly darted off into the bushes, and Alderpaw looked up, startled. She emerged a moment later, swinging the body of a plump mouse by its tail.

“Sparkpaw, that’s amazing!” Cherryfall’s eyes were sparkling with delight. “You’re going to be a great hunter.”

“Yeah, good catch,” Molewhisker muttered, his tail-tip twitching in annoyance.

I’ve let him down again, Alderpaw thought wretchedly. I wanted so much to make him proud of me!

Cherryfall picked up Sparkpaw’s shrew and led the way as the cats headed back toward camp. Alderpaw trudged along with his head down, feeling more miserable and disgraced with every paw step. I can’t believe this is happening!

“Don’t worry,” Molewhisker meowed briskly, padding along beside him. “You’ll learn.

You just have to go for it, not hesitate like you did back there.”

“I know,” Alderpaw murmured. But that’s easy enough to say.

He didn’t want to look at Cherryfall and Sparkpaw bouncing along ahead of them, carrying Sparkpaw’s prey. And just when he thought he couldn’t possibly feel more depressed, Ivypool, Birchfall, and Sorrelstripe emerged from the undergrowth. They were also heading for the camp, and also carrying prey.

“You’ve had good hunting,” Cherryfall remarked, nodding toward the couple of squirrels and the rabbit the patrol were carrying.

“So have you, by the look of it,” Ivypool responded.

“Oh, these are Sparkpaw’s,” Cherryfall meowed. “And it’s her first day out of camp.

Not bad, huh?”

“Wow, that’s amazing!”

Sorrelstripe exclaimed. “Good job, Sparkpaw.”

“You’ve got a good apprentice there,” Birchfall added.

“It’s because Cherryfall is such a good mentor,” Sparkpaw mewed.

No cat took any notice of Alderpaw, which suited him just fine. His tail drooped lower and lower with disappointment in himself, and he wished he could sink into the forest floor and disappear.

As they entered the camp, Alderpaw spotted Bramblestar standing on the Highledge outside his den, talking to Graystripe. As soon as he saw the returning cats, he broke off his conversation, ran lightly down the tumbled rocks and bounded across the clearing to meet them.

“How did your first day out of camp go?” he asked.

Cherryfall and Molewhisker exchanged a glance; Alderpaw could see they were amused by Bramblestar’s eagerness to find out how his kits had done.

“I caught a shrew and a mouse!” Sparkpaw announced, puffing out her chest with pride.

“Excellent!” Bramblestar exclaimed, giving his daughter a lick around her ears. “And how about you, Alderpaw?”

Alderpaw was silent, looking down at his paws.

The awkward silence stretched out for a few heartbeats. It was Sparkpaw who spoke first.

“Oh, he really listened to his mentor, and he learned all about ThunderClan’s territory.”

But there’s nothing special about that, Alderpaw thought miserably.

“I’m sure Alderpaw will get the hang of hunting,” Molewhisker meowed. “He’s trying hard.”

Alderpaw felt even worse to think that was the best his littermate and his mentor could find to say about him. I just want Bramblestar to be proud of me! With a desperate struggle he managed to raise his head and look at his father, bracing himself to meet disappointment in his gaze.

But Bramblestar’s eyes revealed nothing.