Lillylight padded with her clan back to their camp, the gathering had been successful and no drama had been started.

Yawning she made her way to the warrior den for a well deserved rest but before she could get there her apprentice got to her.

"So? How did it go?" The young tom asked her.

"Your supposed to be asleep," She chastised him, "But it went well, nothing to worry about."

The tom grinned. He had been in her care for just over three moons. He hadn't been chosen to come the last two times and was eager to discover the latest news from the other clans.

"That's good to hear." He excitedly said.

"Now go to bed Shadepaw, don't make me make you look after the elders tomorrow instead of training." She warned him with a smile.

The light grey tom shot back towards the apprentice den, stopping only to speak to fellow apprentice Applepaw whom Lillylight was sure he had a crush on.

Shaking her head she padded into the den and curled up in her nest.

Lillylight was awoken by the morning patrol leaving the den. Her fellow warriors that went to the gathering were still asleep.

Blinking away the sleep she padded out into the fresh aired camp, shivering from the cold breeze she'd been sheltered from.

Holding her head high she was able to catch the beginnings of the sun's rays coming over the hedge.

"Your up early." Commented Mosspelt.

Lillylight turned and looked at him with a smile. "So are you." She padded up to him.

The tom looked up at her. "I'm always up at this time."

Lillylight shrugged as she sat down. "Arn't you a least bit tired later in the day?" The tom never seemed to run out of energy unlike her.

"I do... but it's worth it for a bit of quiet and a nice view." Mosspelt murmured looking towards the rising sun.

The two cats sat in quiet contemplation watching the sun rise and the birds begin to sing.

Soon the camp began to wake up and get more busy. First it was the kits mewing and a bedraggled looking queen looking outside at the camp before dashing to the fresh kill pile and back again.

As more warriors began coming out Lillylight got up and grabbed a rabbit from the pile and sat and ate it before it got too late.

"Lillylight, could you lead a hunting patrol for me?" Birchstorm asked padding over as she finished her meal.

Lillylight nodded getting up, "Of course." She told the Deputy.

The Deputy smiled and padded away past the nursery den and promptly got jumped on by little kits who had been lying in wait for an unsuspecting warrior to pass.

"You would have thought he would have learnt by now." Mosspelt chuckled. Getting up he nodded towards the she. "I'll come with you if you want."

Lillylight purred. "That would be great!" She said.

After rounding up a couple other warriors and an apprentice she lead them out of the camp and into the territory.

Newleaf was only just around the corner, small buds appearing on the trees and bushes, and the grass was beginning to fight back from the frosts that had held them back.

The prey was more plentiful,  not enough to seem like more for the warriors though so they broke up into smaller groups, to meet up at the dead tree, a large stump of an oak that had been hit with a lightning strike generations ago and fallen to reveal the stump.

Mosspelt and Lightflame went together towards the more denser forest.

Usually only the apprentices trained here and warriors hunted only in leafbare because with all the leaves it was virtually impossible to move about without rustling the leaves.

The two had worked together often so without a word they split up and began stalking.

A flurry of birds a little way off showed where Mosspelt had been hunting.

Flicking an ear Lillylight paused in her stalk, a paw raised off the ground waiting for the rabbit, the prey, to go back to eating some berries that were on the bush in front of it.

Finally when the rabbit went back to its business, Lillylight was able to get closer and pounce on it before it know what was happening.

A successful hunt, even if it took longer than she would have liked.

"That was a food hunt." Mosspelt praised a few trees away.

Lillylight purred as she let go og the now limp rabbit, "Thank you, those birds you scared off made it nervous."

Mosspelt  scratched behind his ear with a back leg. "Naw, you had that rabbit before I did that." He grinned.

Lillylight was glad that she had orange splodges in her white coat, they should have covered the redness she felt coming from her cheeks. Out of the two Mosspelt was a much better hunter than she was.

"That duck was better though," She nodded at his prey, trying to change the subject.

The tom shrugged, "Come on, the others are probably waiting for us." The two walked back to the dead stump where only one other warrior waited.

"Bluejay." Lillylight called a greeting through her muffled mouth.

The blue - grey tom looking she turned in their direction and purred. "You got a rabbit? They're not usually out at this time."

Lillylight placed her rabbit in a pile next to the bluejay's namesake.

"It was in the dense wood, gorging on berries, I don't think the sun could give it a correct time."

Mosspelt jumped on top of the stump, looking out at the territory.

"Where did the others go?" He asked.

"Mousebite and Shadowpaw made their way towards Blossomclan territory, she wanted to see what Shadowpaw would do when there was fresh scent marks as he was hunting." The warrior told them. "He should be a warrior soon."

It was only a little while later that Mousebite came back with Shadowpaw, the apprentice had six mice hanging from his mouth by their tails as he marched proudly with a large grin on his face.

"Is everyone ready to go back?" Lillylight asked.

Choruses of yes followed quickly so she called the patrol a success and that they should go back.

The warriors placed their prey onto the fresh kill pile and padded to various areas of the camp, at midday cats were lazing about enjoying the heat of the sun on their backs before they had to do anything in the afternoon.

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Thank you for reading the first chapter of Warriors of the Light.

If you want to explore the world that Lillylight and the others live in, feel free to join my server and let your cat begin their journey.

https://discord.gg/GZjqmjh