◤ Tħe Døωиfαłł ◢| Prologue & Chapter One up!

It was too late by the time the mouse caught on to being hunted. In a quick swipe of a claw, it lay dead among the bracken. Echopaw graciously picked up the limp body, relishing in the taste of fresh blood upon her tongue. 

“Great catch!” came a nearby voice. 

Warmed by the praise, Echopaw carried her catch over towards the voice. A blue-gray tabby awaited her, amber eyes glowing with pride. 

“Excellent catch,” she praised her apprentice. “You’re getting better at hunting every day it seems.” 

Echopaw sat her mouse down, pleased. “You really think so, Bluehail?” 

“I do,” Bluehail purred, gesturing for Echopaw to pick her mouse back up. 

Bouncing happily, Echopaw followed her mentor as they walked back towards camp. She had only been an apprentice for three moons; and Bluehail was the kind of mentor every apprentice dreamed of having. The blue-gray warrior was well respected in the Clan despite still being a young warrior, and even the senior warriors looked to her for advice at times. 

When they emerged through the hole in a hollow log that opened up to their camp, Echostar hurriedly placed her mouse on the fresh-kill pile. The LeafClan camp was located in a forest clearing, surrounded by thick bramble walls. A thick oak tree sat at the edge of camp, just by the entrance. Its roots were wrapped tightly around a large boulder that lay above ground, and a small crevice in the rock was where Eaglestar—LeafClan’s leader—made his nest. The rest of the camp was made up of the warriors’, apprentices’, and nursery; which were all made from woven thorn to keep wind and rain out. At the other end of camp, laid the elder’s den and medicine cat den just across from it. The elder’s den was in the base of an old hollowed out tree trunk, with reinforced bramble walls to keep the wind out. A large sturdy hollow log made up the medicine cat den, a lichen drape covering the entrance; just outside was a small pool of water for moss. 

LeafClan is such a great place to live, Echopaw thought proudly. She was happy to have been born a LeafClan cat, and the thought of the other territories could never compare to the forest clearing. Tiny mewling caught her attention, and she glanced over at the nursery. That’s right, the kits were born only few days ago, she recalled with a glimmer of happiness. She had been an only kit up until now. Her mother Brackenwing had recently given birth to her and Sootfeather’s—Echopaw’s father—second litter of kits. 

Tail curled up excitedly, she poked her head into the den. Brackenwing laid in her nest nearby, her ginger-and-white pelt barely visible in the darkness. Two tiny kits squirmed at her belly, mewling restlessly. 

“They’re so noisy today,” Echopaw purred, coming to sit beside her mother. 

Brackenwing curled her tail around them lovingly. “You were quite the noisy kit yourself, you know.” 

“Was I really?” Echopaw asked, amused. 

“Oh yes,” Brackenwing mewed, a hint of amusement in her voice. “If it wasn’t you, it was Hawkpaw and Falconpaw making a fuss. The nursery was never quiet, I’ll tell you that!” 

Echopaw purred at the thought of her and her denmates as tiny kits. She, Hawkpaw, and Falconpaw had been born in the dead of leaf-bare; a time when LeafClan was struggling with sickness and hunger. Her mother, and Falconpaw and Hawkpaw’s mother—Cinderflame—constantly worried if the three of them would make it to newleaf. Despite the odds, she and her denmates grew each day and due to the hardships had developed a close bond; one similar to that of littermates. 

And now we’re all training as apprentices together too, Echopaw thought with fondness. 

A squeak came from one of the kits just then, and Echopaw gave a tiny laugh as one of her sisters—a dark ginger-and-white she-kit her parents named Foxkit—rolled over onto her back. Her other sister, a spotted silver tabby she-kit who was given the name Silverkit, gaped her tiny mouth open in a yawn. Brackenwing gently nosed Foxkit back onto her belly, and drew both kits closer to nurse. 

“They’re so cute,” Echopaw murmured, watching her little sisters. “I wonder what they’ll be like when they’re older?” 

Brackenwing licked her cheek. “Only time will tell,” she told Echopaw. “And they’ll have a kind older sister to watch over them.” 

A brown tabby head poked into the nursery then, gazing at them with yellow eyes. “Oh there you are Echopaw!” 

“Hush!” Echopaw scolded him. “You’ll wake my sisters!” 

Flattening his ears back apologetically, the tom sighed. “Sorry. Falconpaw and I were wondering if you wanted to go hunting with us is all.” 

“Sure,” Echopaw purred. “I’ll meet you guys outside in a moment.” 

Giving a brief nod, the tom vanished back outside. Echopaw touched her nose to her mothers, in which Brackenwing gave an amused purr. 

“Hawkpaw is always so full of energy,” she remarked. “He must get that from his father, Eaglestar.” 

Echopaw mewed in agreement, gently nuzzling her little sisters before leaving the nursery. Hawkpaw, and his brother Falconpaw waited for her nearby; Hawkpaw fizzling with excitement as usual. 

“Finally!” Hawkpaw gave a snort. “Let’s go already!” 

Echopaw rolled her eyes in exasperation at her friend’s impatience. “Where exactly are we going?” 

“You’ll see! Just come on!” Hawkpaw called over his shoulder, rushing ahead. 

Falconpaw gave her an apologetic glance. “You know my brother,” he reminded her. “Act first, think later.” 

Murmuring her agreement, she followed the black tabby as they rushed after Hawkpaw. The three apprentices raced through the forest, scattering the leaves that lay on the ground from late greenleaf. Hawkpaw came to halt beside a ravine, gazing at them with excited eyes. 

Echopaw uneasily slipped her gaze past him, realizing they were at the foggy ravine; an infamous chasm that separated LeafClan from PineClan. Every apprentice is taught early on in their training to never go near the ravine, as every cat who had ever fell in was never seen again. The ominous thick layer of fog gave the ravine its name, as no cat could see the bottom at any given time. 

“Why are we at the foggy ravine?” Echopaw asked, quickly realizing the reason. 

Falconpaw frowned. “I still think this is a bad idea, Hawkpaw. We’re told to specifically to stay away from this place.” 

Hawkpaw rolled his eyes. “Oh come on you guys! It’s just a stupid ravine! Besides, aren’t either of you the least bit curious?” 

“No!” Echopaw snapped, fur bristling. “Why would any cat want to go near there? You know what happens when one falls in!” 

“Oh please, Echopaw,” Hawkpaw snorted. “That’s just a story every new apprentice is told to spook them.” 

Falconpaw tipped his head to the side. “Maybe. But is it really worth risking?” 

“I’m telling you, it’s not that big of a deal!” Hawkpaw persisted. “Watch, I’ll show you myself!” 

Tense, Echopaw watched as her friend padded over to the ravine confidently. He peered over the edge carefully, gazing down into the fog. Falconpaw stepped forward uneasily, ready to pounce on his brother if he had to. After a few moments, Hawkpaw backed up from the edge a bit and glanced back at them. 

“Bah! You can’t see anything at all!” he growled in disappointment. “What a letdown.” 

“Good, now we can go right?” Echopaw asked, twitching her tail tip irritably. 

Why did her friend always insist on doing something mouse-brained? Last time he suggested they going swimming in the river near the ReedClan border, and Falconpaw nearly drowned. The time before that, he had suggested they try to find the Cavern of Stars themselves, only to be brought back by an angry BreezeClan patrol moments after stepping onto the moor. Every time Hawkpaw had an idea, it only spelled trouble for everyone involved. 

A noise echoed from below then, causing the apprentices to swivel their eyes over towards the ravine. Hawkpaw peered over the edge again, tail twitching with excitement. 

“Did you guys hear that?” he called over. 

Falconpaw shuffled his paws nervously. “Yes, we did. Can we please go now?” 

Echopaw nodded in agreement. “Yeah, we really shouldn’t be here.” 

“Oh relax already!” Hawkpaw snapped, looking back at them. “Everything will be just fin-” 

Then it happened. Hawkpaw’s front paws slipped from under him, sending him sliding down towards the ravine below. Echopaw watched in horror as her friend slowly become consumed by the fog. No, Hawkpaw!

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