Tawnypaw's paws carried her, though she didn't know where. Everything around her was a blur of colors. Behind her, the thudding of paws and the sound of growling and snarling signaled her pursuer was still at her heels. Panicking, the small tortoiseshell made a quick turn. Instead of bushes surrounding her, everything went dark, though It still felt as if the thorns were tugging her pelt in all directions. She felt as if she were falling. Everything had gone back to silence, the snarling gone completely. Suddenly, there was a blinding flash of light. Noises returned, but it wasn't the terrifying sound of her pursuer. It was the sound of voices, gentle and friendly.
"I didn't think any cat could sleep this hard!" A she-cat teased.
"Why does she have to twitch so much? She kicked me!" The other she-cat seemed annoyed, her voice muffled as if buried in moss. More paws prodded Tawnypaw's side.
"Wake up you lazybones!" This was a tom's voice. Tawnypaw rose a paw to her ears, trying to block out the voices. The tom purred in amusement.
"Oh no! I hear them calling for us! Wake up Tawnypaw. Did you forget about training today?" Tawnypaw shot up and shook herself, giving herself a few swift licks.
"Yes!" She mewed. "How long did I sleep in?" She asked. Gingerpaw's tail curled in amusement.
"Not too long, but Blossomheart and Poppyfrost are waiting for us." She replied.
"Hollystar too. We are joining you today." Skypaw mewed. She had lifted her head from buried in the moss.
"Sorry 'bout kicking you." Tawnypaw apologized. Skypaw shrugged.
"What are we waiting for?" Gingerpaw moaned. Tawnypaw's chest seemed about to burst with excitement. It was always this way when she went training with Skypaw. Apprentices were lucky to train with their leader. Skypaw was especially lucky, being Hollystar's apprentice. Tawnypaw gave her sister a quick lick. Skypaw returned the gesture.
"Gingerpaw is right. Lets hurry!" The ginger and white she-cat mewed, bounding out with a flick of her tail. Tawnypaw and Gingerpaw followed.
"Have fun. I'll be cleaning the elder's den." Mousepaw mewed sarcastically. Gingerpaw shot him a sympathetic glance.
"I wish Mousepaw could come." She mewed as they met their mentors at the camp entrance.
"What can we do?" Tawnypaw shrugged. Gingerpaw sighed. Mousepaw wasn't really her brother, but they were close. As a newborn, Mousepaw had been abandoned near the border. Lionblaze, Gingerpaw's father, found him, not more then a day after Gingerpaw was born. With permission from Hollystar, he and his mate Icestorm had taken him in, raised him as their son. Gingerpaw hadn't found out until they were four moons old, but still loved the gray tom like a brother.
"Lead the way, Hollystar." Blossomheart mewed. Hollystar nodded and slipped out the camp entrance. The young warriors and their apprentices followed.
"Alright, lets practice over here Tawnypaw. I want to work on that move you learned two sunrises ago." Blossomheart mewed. Tawnypaw nodded.
"Let's see how your moves are coming along. I want Skypaw on offense and Gingerpaw on defense." Hollystar instructed. Tawnypaw and Blossomheart moved to the far side of the hollow.
"I want you to try to attack me using the leap-and-hold technique." Blossomheart mewed. Tawnypaw crouched down, sizing her opponent up. She waited a long time, even Skypaw and Gingerpaw had finished their practice bout. Blossomheart's tail twitched in annoyance, as if she wanted Tawnypaw to attack. The dappled apprentice shot a secret glance at Hollystar. The others had paused to watch. Hollystar's eyes glittered knowingly. As Blossomheart began to stand up, Tawnypaw leaped, catching Blossomheart off guard, and was quickly able t pin her down. Surprised, Blossomheart pushed Tawnypaw off, but Tawnypaw wanted to show what she could really do. She shot forward and landed a hard blow on her mentor's head. She slid underneath as Blossomheart twisted and leaped up to try and pin her down. Tawnypaw used her nose to unbalance the brown she-cat. Blossomheart fell to the ground, but quickly got up, charging at her apprentice. Tawnypaw thought quick.
"Twist, then kick backward." A voice mewed. The others obviously hadn't heard it, let alone said it. The voice was unfamiliar, but Tawnypaw obeyed. She twisted, taking her back paws off the ground, and did a full turn, kicking out to meet her mentor's chest. Blossomheart let out a mew of surprise as she fell backward.
"This bout isn't over yet! This is the most fun I have had in moons!" She meowed, standing up and shaking herself. Hollystar purred in amusement.
"Leap at her. If she jumps, twist and push off with your back legs. Hit her in the side." The voice again. It hadn't failed the first time, so Tawnypaw listened again. She leaped up, and sure enough, Blossomheart jumped up. Tawnypaw twisted and kicked off with her back legs, butting her head into Blossomheart's side. Blossomheart leaped up, changing into offense. "Leap up and twist so you land on her shoulders." Tawnypaw obeyed again, making a massive jump into the air, and twisted so she was at the same angle as her mentor. She landed hard on Blossomheart's shoulder. "Now, bite her hard." This time, Tawnypaw ignored the voice. It was only a training bout! Why should she bite her mentor? Maybe a nip on the tail, but not hard enough to draw blood. The voice seemed to switch into a growl, but quickly disappeared.
"Where did you learnt hat last move?" Blossomheart asked.
"I-I don't know." Tawnypaw meowed. Half truthful. She wasn't sure who had told her to do it, but she knew she had been told.
"That was an advanced move. I didn't learn it until I was almost a warrior. Different story for Lionblaze though…" Hollystar broke off, lost in thought.
"And you did it well too." Blossomheart mewed, surprised. Tawnypaw felt her face get hot with embarrassment. Skypaw shot her "why must you show off?" glare, and Gingerpaw shifted her paws. Tawnypaw knew Gingerpaw was the best fighter in the apprentices' den, and had been ahead in her training. But now, Tawnypaw had surpassed her, and without instruction. Tawnypaw felt bad for taking her friend's special talent away, but she felt a tinge of pride at her own accomplishment.