Screechpaw! Base by Louixie

Hopepaw stalked up on a hare, paw steps as light as feathers. Her soft paw pads made it so that she made no sound on the thick, damp snow, and she was close enough that she could see its nose twitching, round face covered in brown fur, speckled in the last shedding hairs of white. 

With a deep breath, she sprang, catching her prey in her claws, and rolling as it squealed and tried desperately to shake its attacker off. Trying to rake its throat failed, and she felt herself losing the fight. As suddenly as it had started, the struggle was over. The rabbit kicked out hard with its hind paws, striking Hopepaw hard on the muzzle. With a gasp of pain, she tumbled into the snow, blood trickling from her nose. 

Tumblesoar hurried over, tail twitching. "Well, an attempt was made. The attempt failed, but all that matters is that you tried." He meowed dryly.  "Are you okay?" Nose smarting and eyes watering, she rubbed the blood off of her fur. "That stupid hare." Tumblesoar shrugged. "You had good coordination, at least." Hopepaw's eyes narrowed, a fowl mood settling over her like a dark cloud. "I had the coordination of a dying, senile hawk. I hate hunting." 

Her mentor sighed. "We'll try fishing later. Let's go get something for that nose." 

"I don't need anything for my-"

"Come on. Back to camp." Drying blood staining her cream fur a daunting shade of crimson, she began the long trek back to camp.

                                                                             ~❆~

Cats stared at Hopepaw as she stepped into the underground camp, making a beeline for the Medicine cave. Only Screechpaw was there, Frostedmoss had gone herb-hunting at dawn and left him in charge. It was his first time being left without his mentor, and he was proud but nervous. 

As she padded deeper into the small hole in the wall of the main cave, glowing lichen brushed her back, its pale glow making Screechpaw's golden eyes gleam as he turned to face her, mouth quirking into a smile before his face fell when he saw the blood. "Hello, Hopepaw! Whoa, you're covered in blood!" He rushed over and began tilting her muzzle back and forth to try and see what had happened to cause the bleeding. "Did something hit your nose?" She nodded. "Yeah. A dumb hare kicked me." He tipped his head sympathetically. "How badly does it hurt?" 

"Not too bad. Just a bit sore." She answered. He looked thoughtful for a moment. "I don't think I have anything to give you. Just clean the mess off with a piece of wet moss, and you're good to go! I can give you a poppy seed later if it hurts too bad to sleep." Hopepaw smiled gratefully, before turning from the den. "See you later, Screechpaw!" Screechpaw waved his tabby paw after her, and she returned to the main area of the camp. 

There, she spied Bluepaw sitting beside Emeraldpaw. Immediately, she narrowed her eyes. I can't understand what he sees in her. She's such a rude, snooty cat! Am I the only one who sees that? Hopepaw thought, annoyed. She has him wrapped around her paw. All she has to do is blink those big green eyes, and he'll do anything. Bluepaw glanced at her and turned back to his conversation. They had barely talked in the almost two moons they'd been apprentices.

                                                                             ~❆~

Hopepaw dipped her paw into the stream, attempting to hook the small, silvery fish from the swiftly flowing creek. Tumblesoar hovered over her shoulder, giving out instructions that made no sense. "Put your paw down slowly, like you're going to pet the fish." 

"It's not going to sit there and let me pet it. I have to strike fast."

"Try!"

"Do you want me to lose it? I'm trying to catch it, not make friends with it!" Fed up, she jerked her soaking paw out of the chilly creek and flicked it to rid it of the droplets of water. "Have you ever even fished before?" She questioned him. "Yes, of course, I have!" He snapped defensively. Hopepaw quirked her brow. "That's odd because you seem to know close to nothing about it."

Tumblesoar's pale green eyes smouldered with rising anger, and his long, snakelike tail lashed over the stones beside the river. "That's it. All I've done for nearly two moons is try to teach you, and you never appreciate it!" He let out a sigh. "I don't know why Adderstar gave me an apprentice. But I've been trying my best, okay?" Hopepaw began to feel a bit guilty, and she lowered her head. "For the rest of the day and tomorrow, you'll do chores around camp. That should teach you some manners." 

"But-"

"No buts. None. Back to camp." 

Her head was a mix of emotions. Anger that she had been confined to camp, guilt that she had been so rude to Tumblesoar, disappointment that she hadn't caught anything that day, and more that she couldn't pick out. With one last flick of her bushy tail, she stalked off through the trees, the rustling of flower-filled grass and leaves the only sound as she disappeared. 

                                                                             ~❆~

Hopepaw picked a vole and a hare out of the prey hole and dragged them to the Elder's den. There, Elkantler, Harepad and Stumpshadow, the Clan's three elders crouched in the dim space, comfortably cushioned by layers of moss and hare pelts. 

Harepad was the oldest, completely blind and half-deaf. Her fur was brittle and faded, its gray patches fading to a white that matched the rest of her pelt. Stumpshadow was Harepad's mate, and in better health, being a few moons younger, although his dark-ginger pelt was fading like his partner's. Elkantler was still quite young but had been forced to retire when three of his four paws had been frostbitten so badly, that it hurt for him to walk. He was bitter because of that, and not very friendly to anyone. 

When she had dropped off the fresh-kill for the two elderly- and one not-so-elderly- cats and tried to leave, Harepad stopped her. "You're Hopepaw, right? Gentlebreeze and Ashenwater's daughter?" Hopepaw nodded. "Yes, I am. Why?" Harepad let out a raspy purr. "Just checkin'. My eyes aren't as good as they used to be." Yeah, you're completely, black-out blind. "Could you describe yourself to me? I like having mental pictures of all my Clanmates. "Uh... Sure. I'm cream-coloured, with a ginger stripe down my back, a few ginger paws, ginger ears and speckles around my nose... I've got one amber eye, and one golden eye..." She paused and looked down at herself. "And I have short legs and fluffy fur." 

Harepad nodded. "I see. Well, I don't see, but you know what I mean." Hopepaw smiled. I like this cat. "Tell your brother to come to me sometime. I want to know what he looks like." 

"Which brother? I have two."

"The... other one, Bluepaw. I already talked to Screechpaw."

"Will do. Enjoy your food, Harepad. You too, Stumpshadow, Elkantler." Stumpshadow nodded in her direction and Elkantler just grunted. 

In the main camp area, cats milled around, eating, sharing tongues or chatting amongst themselves. The pink-tinted light streaming dimly through the ice-stuffed cracks in the stone ceiling told her that it was dusk, and she went to go find something to eat for herself. There, a wood pigeon lay splayed in the stone divet, and her mouth watered. Hopepaw had a taste for birds, but besides hawks, they rarely showed up unless a patrol was sent down to the base of the mountain. Glancing around, she saw that all of the other cats had eaten or were currently eating, so she grabbed onto the pigeon to haul it to the Apprentice den. 

But as soon as she sank her fangs into a feathery wing, a gray-blue paw slammed down on the breast of the plump bird. Looking up, she saw Bluepaw. His mentor was training him vigorously, and he had grown large and athletic, much larger than his sister. "I had that first, Bluepaw. I'm hungry." She tugged forcefully at the wing, but Bluepaw had a concrete hold on it with his claws. "Emeraldpaw and I want this. It's too big for you to eat alone, pick something smaller." Hopepaw's eyes narrowed. "I can eat more than you think. You and Emeraldpaw pick something else! I had it first, it's only fair." 

"Bluepaw's tail flicked back and forth across the stone. "You didn't bring anything back for the Clan, you shouldn't have such a good piece of prey." Ready to go off on her brother, Hopepaw arched her back and hissed at him. A growl thundered low in his chest, and he crouched, ready to spring. 

"Hey! Stop, you two!"  Gentlebreeze frantically stepped between her kits, gaze switching from Hopepaw to Bluepaw. "Share it." She meowed firmly, eyes glittering with panic. She split the bird and gave some to each apprentice. "Don't either of you ever think about attacking each other ever again." With that, she padded away. Fury and indignance still smouldering like the barely-quelled embers of a fire, she glared once more at Bluepaw and returned to her nest. 

Fun Fact: Screechkit got his name, because when he was a tiny kit, his mew sounded very shrill and loud, like the call of a hawk or eagle. Bluekit received his because of his pelt, and Hopekit for being a pinprick of hope in a dark time for her parents, and the rest of the Clan.