Mosspaw woke with a yawn. She felt the warmth of, the still sleeping, Blazepaw beside her. She stood, giving her limbs a good stretch. She swatted Blazepaw on the ear, making sure to wake him up.
"Hey!" he squealed, "what's the big idea?" Blazepaw rose to his paws and gave himself a few clumsy licks on the chest.
"You don't want to miss our first training session! Let's go!" Mosspaw shoved him out the lichen cover of the apprentice den. The air smelled crisp and fresh. She knew leaf-bare would be coming soon… that meant less prey. She shivered and puffed out her fur.
Mosspaw ran ahead of him, knowing he would follow, and headed for the fresh kill pile. She heard someone call her name from across the clearing and skidded to a halt. She knew who it was befor even turning. "Oakwhisker!" she ran up to the she cat giving her an affectionate purr.
Oakwhisker was Mosspaws mother. She had long sleek orange and grey coat with a white chest, Mosspaw much so resembled her. They both had gorgeous green eyes and very long tails as well. One thing she didn't have was her mother's crooked nose and jagged scar.
She had been caught by a badger when it tore into the camp. Oakwhisker was trying to defend her 3 kits and it caught her face with one effortless swipe of its huge paw. It sent her flying across the nursery smashing a hole in the den wall, were the broken Oakwhisker lay unconscious. Unfortunately it had killed 2 of her kits too. Mosspaw was the only one that made it. To this day nobody knows who saved her, and sent the badger lumbering away.
The scar ran from her left eye to the right side of her chin in a jagged curved line. Most didn't make eye contact with her in fear of giving the slightest indication that they pitied her. Oakwhisker knew to, what they thought of her, and she was not ashamed of her scars. She will openly tell others to look her in the eye, and not to pity her. Then she would grieve her lost kits in the shadows.
"How are you today my dear?" Oakwhisker asked her, "I have hardly seen you since you've been apprenticed!"
Mosspaw purred, "I know. Troutstar has had me training sunrise to sunset!" she rolled her eyes in an exasperated way.
"Well you better eat to keep your energy up. I just got back from the dawn patrol and brought back plenty!" Oakwhisker flicked her tail dismissing her kit.
Mosspaw scampered away, catching up to Blazepaw. He was already plucking the feathers off a plump sparrow. She trotted over and looked through the pile, looking for her favorite. Aha! She thought and pulled out one of the fattest voles she has ever seen. She padded over to Blazepaw and started eating.
"Were you been? I've been waiting for you!" he mewed.
"Talking to Oakwhisker." She replied taking a bite from her vole.
They had finished eating and start to wash. Mosspaw ran her tongue over her soft fur in long, strong strokes. When she finished she stood and turned to Blazepaw. "Let's go. They will be waiting for us in the training hollow." She mewed.
The two apprentices headed for the camp entrance. They hopped rocks across the stream after Mosspaw complaining that it was too cold to swim. They ran the rest of the way, fluffing out their fur against the harsh wind.
When they reached the training hollow their mentors were not their yes so they sat and waited. After a bit they began to get bored and Blazepaw started to paw around on the ground. "Where are they?" he complained, "They said to be here at sunhigh!"
Suddenly the two mentors crashed through the brush on either side and tripped the apprentices off their feet. Mosspaw flailed around trying to find her feet again. When she finally stood she turned to the mentors an astonished look on her face.
Blazepaws mentor, Hawkflight, had an amused look in her eyes, but Troutstar gave away nothing. They were both sitting calmly with their tails wrapped around their paws. They stood still for a few minutes and Mosspaw began to feel uneasy. Then suddenly Troutstar swooped in and knocked both the apprentices paws out from under them and leap back into a sitting position.
"Never let your guard down," Hawkfight said as they were still struggling to their paws, "You never know what can be hiding in the shadows, waiting to attack."
"That wasn't fair!" Blazepaw protested, "We didn't know you were there!"
"You wouldn't know if an enemy would be there either. You must always be alert and aware of your surroundings." Troutstar mewed.
Troutstar circled around them. Blazepaw and Mosspaw both followed him around with their eyes, still on the edge from earlier. Hawkflight dove and knocked them over once more as they were concentrated on Troutstar.
Mosspaw began to get frusturated with herself for letting them get the best of her. She could tell Blazepaw was having the same issue. They were both determined not to let it happen again. So the next time the mentors struck Blazepaw leapt out of the way lightly, but Mosspaw just got thrown to the ground. She hissed in frusteration.
"Breath in deeply Mosspaw," Troutstar mewed patiently, "Can you smell a difference between all three of us?"
Mosspaw breathed deeply opening her mouth some to let scents drift in there as well. "I think so."
"OK then turn around. I want you to tell me what cat is behind you by telling the difference between our scents."
Mosspaw turned around and she waited for someone to approach her. She knew right off it was Blazepaw, she knew his scent by heart. Next came Hawkflight, then Troutstar. She guessed them all correctly, impressing herself. They finished training with her and Blazepaw playing the same game for what seemed like moons.