Story Part 32 Part 2 *Success, Failure, and Failure*

"Want to go hunting with me, Etharmoon?" asked her former mentor, Blackslash.
"Sure," answered Etharmoon, who had just finished washing herself. "Ready when you are."
Blackslash bounded out for the woods. "I'm ready now!"
After a few minutes of searching, Etharmoon gestured with her tail for Blackslash to come. He padded silently over to her, and she whispered in his ear. "I smell prey up ahead."
Blackslash nodded, and started stalking forward; absolutely silent. Etharmoon followed him like a ghost. The bushes shivered up ahead. Blackslash's ears flicked backward, and Etharmoon lightly touched him with her tail, letting him know she had gotten his signal. Blackslash lowered himself into the hunter crouch and crept slowly forward, barely disturbing the bushes around him. Etharmoon followed, just as quietly.
Suddenly, Blackslash lept forward and crushed a squirrel beneath his claws, killing it in one blow. Etharmoon had seen another squirrel near the first one, and detoured to track it down as it ran from the noise Blackslash had made.
Just as she was closing in, the squirrel sprinted up a tree and sat on a branch, chattering at her. "Mouse-dung!" she spat. The squirrel just chittered at her some more, just to spite her. Then it leaped higher into the tree and vanished in the thick foliage.
"Bad luck!" called Blackslash, who had caught up with her.
Etharmoon shook herself. "I'll get the next one."
So the two hunters headed deeper into FrostClan's territory.
*     *     *     *     *
"Geez, Eagletalon. You were supposed to be on dawn patrol, and it's long past sun-rise," mewed Featherbird.
Eagletalon yawned. "Oops. Guess I forgot. I was having such a strange dream. I was chasing a mouse, and then it turned into a vole, which turned into a squirrel, which turned into a rabbit, which turned into a fox and was about to eat me."
Featherbird purred. "You have a wild imagination, Eagletalon."
"EAGLETALON!" came a voice from outside.
Eagletalon excused himself and left the warriors den and found himself nose to nose with Skypelt, the Clan deputy. "Hey," he mewed weakly.
"Don't 'hey' me, young tom. Just what did you think you were doing, skipping your assigned warrior duities! I clearly assigned you to dawn patrol, and there you were, sleeping soundly. Honestly, are ALL young warriors like you? I don't think so! I clearly remember that when I was a new warrior, I followed all the senior warriors' instructions, ESPECIALLY the deputy and leader. But no!!!! Nowadays warriors are..." Skypelt was just getting started in lecture mode. "Skip to the end," Eagletalon mewed. "I'll go clean the elders den." Skypelt didn't seem to notice him leave, so he decided not to clean the elders den after all. Instead, he headed for the river. He felt rather thoughtful today.
When Eagletalon arrived at the river, he looked accross it at the cliffs on the other side. "Some day, I'll become a great adventurer, and go to the far side of the river," he mewed softly to himself. "I'll fulfill my dream."

Story Part 32 Part 1 *Memories*

Spring had sprung in the territory of FrostClan. Etharmoon stretched and yawned. She looked around the near-empty warriors den and saw one of her brothers, Eagletalon, but didn't see her other brother, Winterfrost. Where did he go off to? She wondered. He was the one least likely of all of them to leave unexpectedly. She glanced at Eagletalon again, to see if he was thinking what she was, but he was sound asleep, his right paw twitching. Etharmoon hid a purr of ammusement as she climbed out of the den.
When she was walking through the forest, she suddenly caught the scent of Winterfrost. She followed it, and found him, then suddenly wished she hadn't; for he was at Lilypaw's grave. She saw his white head bowed deeply with sadness. Even though it had been moons since their sister's death, they all still felt grief at her passing. Etharmoon felt that Winterfrost had the hardest time about it. He had been the closest to Lilypaw, staying with her when Etharmoon and Eagletalon had gone on their journey to find the saviors of their clan, which turned out to be Lionflame and Ashfire.
"You can come over."
Etharmoon started at her brother's voice. She hurried to obey. When she took her spot by Winterfrost, their pelts brushing, she half wanted to say something, but their closeness was all that was needed. The two cats sat in silence, remembering their good sister and friend, Lilypaw, who had unexpectedly left them early.
Oh Lilypaw, thought Etharmoon. If only you were here with all of us still. You would be a warrior too. I know Snowstar and all the rest of the Clan would have been just as proud of you as they are of us now.