Shattered Roots #1: The Last Leaf

Chapter 3

Absolute glee was seen on Morningpaw's face. He was glad he got a who he wanted. Swiftstrike was one of those warriors who would laugh at the face of danger. That was something that Morningpaw had always admired about his soon-to-be mentor.

Swiftstrike walked towards Pebblestar. "Swiftstrike," she said. "You have recieved excellent training from Doehoof. You have proven yourself to be a fast and brave warrior. You will be the mentor of Morningpaw."

The warriors walked towards Morningpaw and they touched noses. "Morningpaw! Morningpaw! Morningpaw!" the Clan shouted.

Morningpaw ran to Stormrunner. "This has got to be the greatest moment of my life!" he mewed.

"I'm so proud of you, my kit. I pray to LightClan that you will train to be an excellent apprentice just like your sister, Nightpaw."

Leafkit groaned, "It sure feels great to finally be an apprentice."

"It's alright. We're 5 moons old remember?" Silverkit reminded.

Swiftstrike padded towards Morningkit. "When it's rising-moon, visit me in the warrior den. I don't like waiting, so be there on time."

"What for? Am I going to clean moss beds?" Morningpaw asked.

Swiftstrike hissed. "No, I'm going to give you a task to start your training. Just wait and see, got it?"

Morningpaw nodded with a big smile plastered across his face as his mentor walked away. "I'm gonna prepare for my first day of training. Maybe I'll also pick my moss bed!"

Silverkit replied, "I hope you find a bed with ants in it."

Morningpaw gagged with disgust. "Yuck! I hate ants! Oh well, I gotta go now, bye guys!" The cheerful yellow apprentice rushed to the apprentice's den.

Silverkit turned her head to face Leafpaw, sighing, "Don't tell me you're going to-"

"I'm gonna hunt again!" Leafkit mewed, sticking her tongue out. Silverkit simply groaned in response as she walked away.

Silence filled the air, causing memories of Leafkit's dream to flood her mind again. She kept on wondering who her father really was.

'Hold on, what if Pebblestar knows? She must know! I mean, she's my mother!' Leafkit decided. She padded towards the graceful leader who was returning to her den.

"Pebblestar! It's me, Leafkit!" Leafkit called. "Can I ask you about something?"

Pebblestar nodded. With an airy tone which sounded like she wasn't paying attention, she uttered, "Sure, just make it quick."

"So... I've been wondering... who exactly is my father? I don't remember seeing him at all and I just really want to know!"

Pebblestar's face froze, as if she had just seen a flying hedgehog. "Y-you don't have to know that, Leafkit." She softly whispered to herself, "I hope you won't." Leafkit heard it, however she didn't want to comment on it.

Pebblestar hurried to her den. Disappointed, Leafkit found herself more confused than ever.


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The sun slowly set and the moon took its place. Leafkit walked towards the clearing in front of the nursery. Gentle sounds of crickets were heard. A faint glow shined on her surroundings, the moonlight subtly highlighting her pelt. 'Perfect, my prey won't be able to see me since it's dark!' Leafkit said to herself.

Once she spotted a mouse, she started to stalk it with precision. She jumped and attacked it, pinning it to the ground. However, it wriggled wildly and slipped out of her paws. 'Fox dung!' Leafkit thought.

In the silence, she heard silent paw steps. When she searched for the source of the sound, she spotted a shadowy figure standing near the camp entrance. 'Who's that?' Leafkit wondered.

The small she-kit crept towards the figure, avoiding stepping on sticks and stones that might alert her presence. She hid behind a bush and watched closely. The shadowy figure turned out to be a tom. Oddly, he was going out of camp all by himself.

After tilting his head rapidly to check if any cats were watching, the tom raced outside. 'He's escaping! I better go catch him!' Leafkit thought. She chased after the tom relentlessly. Fortunately, the tom wasn't very fast. He clumsily padded through the forest, occasionally tripping over small rocks. Because of this, Leafkit caught up to him easily.

After running for a few tail-lengths, Leafkit couldn't chase him any longer. Her paws ached terribly after running so long, her legs turning into fragile twigs. She came to a halt and panted out of exhaustion. Instead of continuing her chase, she decided to take a look at the tom from afar who had stopped to sniff the air.

His fur was as red as an apple with brown ears and paws. His body kept on wobbling and shaking as he stood in the middle of the tall willow trees. 'No wonder he was clumsy. He can't even stand still!' Leafkit thought.

The tom started running again to the direction of a stream. Leafkit followed him once she gained the energy to do so. The ground became more slippery the closer she approached the water. It was hard for Leafkit to walk through the wet terrain. She was afraid she would lose her balance, so she moved slower.

The tom stopped once more. He sniffed the air again, moving towards a hole in the ground. It was beside the stream, lined with small plants. He dug into the hole and stuck his head inside, visibly tackling something that was in there. Leafkit moved forward to get a better view. Fuzzy, white fur was seen between the tom's claws. 'A rabbit?' she wondered. 'Why would he be hunting rabbits this late?'

The tom grabbed the rabbits by their necks as his face gleamed with satisfaction. His tail wagged rapidly like how a dog would act after it received treats from its twolegs. His pelt flashed with pride as he carried his prey in his mouth.

Leafkit stepped towards the rabbit hole - or at least what used to be one. 'He didn't even leave a scrap of fur!' she said to herself. The smell of blood was present in the hole. Though she wanted to see what was inside, she knew it was too deep for her.

As she followed the tom back to the camp, she suddenly fell. The slippery dirt had given her a hard time maintaining her balance. In an instant, her body slipped towards the edge of the water. She found herself dangling off a tiny ledge which was right next to the stream. Her tiny claws tried to grip onto the soft soil. She held on tightly as her hind legs squirmed above the rushing water.

"Help! Someone help me!"

A/N: hawyee done rewriting this chapter too