~Faded Dawn: The Dark Forest Rises~
Chapter 1- The Fox and the Fight
It was a normal day in the Clans, even for a special stormy gray she-cat in RiverClan. She and her mentor were training, near the edge of the territory that didn't touch any other Clan.
It was safer there for her mentor and I, Fallow-whisker told me when we first arrived. "Alright, Stormpaw, come get me.'' My mentor smiled his warm smile, and the fight began.
I catapulted towards Fallow-whisker, doing a complicated somersault in the air. He dashed to the side quickly, faster than any normal mentor could but, unfortunately for him, I was anticipating that. In the air, I twisted again, once more falling towards him, with my paws outstretched. As I fell, he moved slightly, and so I barely managed to stay on my mentor's back. Using my limited telekinesis, I pushed myself more fully onto his back, silently knowing that in a real battle, I couldn't just wait for the cat to stand still. My heart pounding even at the thought of a real battle, I lashed out at Fallow-whisker, batting his neck until he fell. I closed my eyes, puffing and realizing I must have used my enhanced strength, for my strength had been sapped a bit, leaving me out of breath. "That enough for now, Fallow-whisker? Are you alright?" I asked, concerned for my mentor.
His dark, sleek fur shone in the sunlight as he stood up shakily. "Nope!" Fallow-whisker yowled, leaping at me. Even with the warning, I flew out of his way, fearing a real attack. Then, regaining my senses, I leaped at him, catching his ear with an unsheathed paw. "Ow!" My mentor chuckled. I started to laugh too, until he grabbed my tail in his jaws.
"What?!" I exclaimed. "Hey, that isn't fair!" After a fruitless attempt at trying to slip my tail through his teeth, I pried his mouth apart with a few shadows, thinking that my tail was worth the energy.
My mentor pouted. "No, that isn't fair!" He moaned good-naturedly. I started to laugh, and suddenly stopped, hearing something. Focusing, I started to form an image of where the sound was coming from.
There was a terrifying growl. A she-cat screeched, and flung herself at something that snarled, bucking up and down. The she-cat was flung into a tree, where she sat, dazed, at the bottom of the tree. The thing snarled, stalking closer to where the she-cat sat...
I straightened immediately, narrowing my eyes, and racing towards where the sound had came from. "Lightpaw's in trouble! A fox!" I called back to my mentor, going a bit slowly at first, through the thick reeds, to a dog's run, my enhanced speed kicking in. Fallow-whisker dashed after me, I noted, before tuning back into how Lightpaw was doing. A terrified squeak came from Lightpaw, meaning the fox must nearly have her. I closed my eyes in precaution and sped through the reeds, panting even harder than usual, as I raced to save Lightpaw. Trying to slow down to the speed of a non-Garde, but not succeeding, I burst into the clearing that bordered ShadowClan, having more brush and trees in it than most parts of RiverClan. Feeling out of breath, but triumphant, I opened my eyes once more, seeing the face of the red-furred creature clearly for the first time. Foam dripped out of the side of its mouth as it snarled angrily. The eyes were narrowed, very dark orange, and burning with rage. I shut my eyes and opened them again, only to see it lunge at me.
Black outlined my vision as it tore its claws through my thin pelt. Dark fiery rage burned my soul, and I ripped my extended claws through its face, leaving deep marks in it. The fox took a step back, and I relaxed for a split moment as I listened to a excited meow.
"Stormpaw!" Lightpaw cried happily. With renewed rage, thinking of my friend, I flung myself at the fox, reaching further than most cats, not caring if I blew my cover, only wanting to save Lightpaw before it was too late. Though, the fox was lunging towards me and we fell to the ground in locked battle.
My claws scraped the throat of the fox, but only barely, and I attacked again, splattering dark blood over my pelt. For a quick, but precious few seconds, I glanced over at Lightpaw to see how she was doing. It seemed to happen in an instant. Hard, heavy paws met my chest, flinging me to the ground. I fell in an helpless arch to the ground, breathless. Cold, dark, merciless eyes met mine. A paw crashed into my head, and I squeaked with fear and pain. Next, the paw landed on my throat, forcing stars into my vision. A heavy, hot, scent of fox, made me squirm in disgust. A choking sound came from my throat, and slowly the stars turned black. Just before I fell to the mercy of being unconscious, an an angry screech pierced the air. "Stormpaw!"
That was all it took. Suddenly, a force crashed into the fox, pushing it over. Air filled my lungs, and I took deep breaths in relief. Finally, my eyes opened, and the stars disappeared. A concerned face hovered in my sight, Lightpaw's. "Let's catch a fox tonight!" I yowled, feeling weak as I stood up. The younger apprentice's determined blue eyes and my eyes met for an instant, giving me strength.
The fox's fur rose, snarling, taking a few tiny steps backward, as we approached it. Lightpaw and I split up, she going left, and I right. At a dark, determination-filled, yet silent moment, we both leaped. Fox fur fell at our sharp claws, and blood oozed under our pads. Ginger pelt started to struggle under our smaller bodies. I felt Lightpaw leap back, before I did, and I gave one last bite before following.
As soon as we fell back, the fox disappeared into the bushes, practically running. Lightpaw and I both looked at each other, smiling lightly. "Good job." I commented.
"You too." Lightpaw meowed.
"Stormpaw!" A meow came through the bushes, and my mentor burst out. Dread, and fear darkened my soul, as I realized he'd been watching us. And that meant anyone else could have been watching us...
"Hey, Fallow-whisker." I meowed coolly, winking at Lightpaw.
"Where's that fox you heard?" A pair of auburn eyes narrowed their gaze at me.
"We scared it off." I meowed, looking at Lightpaw for support.
"It won't be coming back again, that's for sure, Fallow-whisker." Lightpaw added.
"Not while we're around!" I grinned at my mentor, winking.
"Oh well, I best get going." Lightpaw started. "Copperpelt will be wondering where I am." I turned my grin to my friend, and she smiled, too, before padding off into the woods.
After she was gone for a bit, Fallow-whisker turned his sharp, and protective gaze on me. I lowered my tail in surrender. "Sorry, Fallow-whisker! I just wanted to help Lightpaw!"
My mentor sighed. "I know you did, Stormpaw. And I would've done the same thing in your situation." I allowed a tiny smile to slip out.
"But I need to be more careful." I finished.
"Yes." Fallow-whisker smiled.
"But there's good news too!" I added.
"What would that be?" He asked.
I lowered my voice to a whisper. "I think Lightpaw's another member of the Garde."
(Unfortunately, I finished this earlier than I thought I would. I was hoping to have at least 2,000 words. Next chapter, I'll try to make it longer and my update time within one week as a special treat! Normally, the update time would be in at least two weeks. Especially when school starts. Sorry about the short first chapter. Though, I appreciate feedback a lot! If anything doesn't make sense, there's spelling problems, or I have some grammar issues, please tell me where! Thanks! :D)