AN; Yeah! I'll try and review as much as possible every day! (I still haven't gotten any reviews...) Well, what can I expect when I've only really been at this for 2 days! Anywho, here is chapter three. Enjoy.

Chapter 3

Rosepaw watched in sadly as Fawnpaw sat up, her eyes glazed over in sadness. The young apprentice seemed even smaller and more fragile now that she was dealing with more death.

But Rosepaw couldn't really concentrate on the situation at all. She could hear things in her head, thoughts that didn't belong to her. Glancing at Hollyfeather, who was talking with Fernsnow, the creamy apprentice heard, Harewhisker should have told us. We might have been able to help him. Hey, why is Rosepaw staring at me like I have three heads?

Hollyfeather shrugged and turned back to Fernsnow. Odd, Rosepaw thought. Then she remembered back in the apprentice den. Fawnpaw had talked without moving her lips. She'd said, That's Harewhisker! Is he... dead!?

Rosepaw turned toward Spottedpaw who was sitting next to Newtpaw. When she caught the other apprentice looking at her, she swept her tail around the tom, making sure Rosepaw stayed away from him.

Suddenly, a cry from the Clanrock made Rosepaw look up. Reedstar was sitting on top, staring grief-stricken at the body of his dead father. He seemed to not notice his Clan gathering below him until some cat coughed uncomfortably.

Reedstar looked up at StarClan and began the ceremony. "Harewhisker was a brave and loyal warrior," he meowed. "He was an enthusiastic kit, a smart apprentice, a loyal warrior, a kind father, and a polite elder. His memory will be honored and treasured by the Clan for seasons upon seasons to come. Harewhisker, we wish you luck in the next stage of your life, for you have now become a wise warrior of StarClan. May you find good hunting, swift running, and shelter where you sleep. May StarClan light your path and guide your paws."

The entire Clan was silent for a few minutes, but not to Rosepaw. As she looked at each cat, they seemed to tell her something.

Tinystorm; Father, why didn't you tell us?

Patchheart; I'll miss you. No cat could have doubted your loyalty. Hey, what is Spottedpaw doing?

Thundergrowl; He could have tried harder to stay alive.

When Reedstar finally dismissed the Clan, Rosepaw's head was spinning uncontrollably. Fawnpaw leaned against her and sighed sadly. "I'll miss him a lot," she murmured. "But Hollyfeather wants you, me, Liontooth, and Shadeheart to go hunting. Now. Come on, let's go!:

Rosepaw nodded and followed Fawnpaw out of the camp. Their mentors and Liontooth were waiting. Hollyfeather gave her apprentice a nod, signaling that Rosepaw was getting tested on how well she could manage a patrol. "Let's hunt by the Cinder Boulders," she suggested. "It's warm today, so the lizards will be basking in its warmth."

Shadeheart nodded. "You have a wise apprentice, Hollyfeather," he commented.

Hollyfeather laughed. "I wouldn't really say wise is the correct term, Shadeheart," she corrected. "After all, Cinder Boulders is right there. And lizards are all over it!"

The hunting patrol quietly headed toward Cinder Boulders. Fawnpaw looked specially excited; it would be her first hunt. The brown she-cat's mentor signaled for her to come away from the group. He had to teach her to hunt lizards before she could actually catch them.

Rosepaw climbed onto a small boulder. A lizard was on the next one up. Quick as lightning, the creamy apprentice snapped her paw out and pushed the lizard down to where Hollyfeather broke its neck. Liontooth nodded. "Wow, you two are great hunters," he meowed. "I would have never thought of trying that when I was Birdice's apprentice. She wanted me to do everything on my own."

"You can try, if you want," Hollyfeather meowed, putting the lizard down. "Just wait on a low boulder, and flash your paw up quick. Then the cat under you will kill the catch."

Liontooth blinked. "Wow, it looks more complex than that."

The golden tabby hopped onto the rock Rosepaw was on. He reached his paw up to grab the lizard, but it saw his shadow and ran into a hole with the other lizards on that rock. "Fox dung!" Liontooth spat, jumping down. "How can you two do that so well?"

"Practice."

The three cats turned to see Whiskerfang and Newtpaw sitting behind them. "Looks like we had the same idea," he meowed. "The Cinder Boulders are a great place to hunt today. Too bad Spottedpaw and Patchheart are on Fernsnow's border patrol. We could have had an apprentice battle training session."

Hollyfeather nodded. "There hasn't been a battle in a while. We could all sharpen our battle skills."

Newtpaw kneaded his claws into the grass. His eyes reflected his excitement. Rosepaw wondered what he was thinking, then turned back to Hollyfeather. "We should maybe train like that at sun high, when Spottedpaw gets back," she meowed. "Is that all right?"

All four mentors agreed. They all kept hunting on the Cinder Boulders until just before sun high, when Hollyfeather said they should head back. Rosepaw picked up her five lizards and followed Fawnpaw and Shadeheart to the fresh-kill pile.

"Nice catch, Fawnpaw!" Amberblaze called from her spot next to Reedstar. They were mates, and they were sharing tongues on top of the Clanrock. Fawnpaw smiled and deposited her prey on the kill pile. Then, both apprentices chose something for themselves - Rosepaw taking two frogs, Fawnpaw taking a small lizard - and sat down beside the Water Hole to eat. Only the apprentices ate at the Water Hole.

Just then, Fernsnow's patrol got back. Spottedpaw took three lizards and gave one to Newtpaw, who didn't get any food because he hadn't caught anything. They gulped down their food, then Spottedpaw turned to Rosepaw.

"Hey, like, I heard we're battle training at, like, sun high," she meowed. "Patchheart says, like, I'm on Newtpaw's team, and you're on, like, Fawnpaw's side, okay?"

Rosepaw nodded, chewing her last frog thoughtfully. "Okay," she responded. "I'm going to go take a rest." She padded into the apprentices den and curled up in her nest. The sunlight warmed her pelt, and she dozed off until something shook her gently.

The creamy apprentice looked up to see Hollyfeather shaking her with a paw. "Battle session," the black she-cat meowed. She padded out of the den. In the entrance, Hollyfeather called over her shoulder, "I presume Spottedpaw already told you the details?"

Before Rosepaw could answer, the black ShadowClan deputy left the den. Rosepaw stood up and shook out her pelt. She walked after Hollyfeather. It was cooler, now that the sun was setting. Leopardfang and Badgerfoot were sitting in the clearing, enjoying the shade. Thundergrowl was sitting with her mate and son. Liontooth licked Crowkit between the ears every time he fell down. (Thundergrowl had gotten pregnant with his kits before Liontooth had become a warrior)

Spottedpaw, Newtpaw, Fawnpaw, and their mentors, were waiting at the camp entrance. Newtpaw was bouncing excitedly around his partner, while Fawnpaw sat quietly waiting for Rosepaw. Both young apprentices looked equally excited.

They left camp and began to move toward the training hollow. Fawnpaw dropped back to talk with Rosepaw. "Shadeheart took me and Newtpaw out to teach us a few moves while you were sleeping," the little cat meowed. "I've almost mastered the belly slip already!"

Rosepaw purred happily. The belly slip was a move where the smaller cat slid under the belly of the attacker to avoid getting unnecessary wounds. It was by far the second easiest move, the first being the forepaw slash. But Rosepaw didn't want to put Fawnpaw down, so she pretended it was the hardest move ever.

"We're here."

Patchheart, who was at the lead of the cats, padded into the sandy clearing and sat down. Rosepaw sat with Fawnpaw in front of him, and the other two apprentices sat next to them. Holylfeather padded over to begin the training session.

"We're going to do some battle practice," she meowed. "Alright, a WindClan patrol has attacked our camp. Spottedpaw, you and Newtpaw can be WindClan. Rosepaw and Fawnpaw, you two will be ShadowClan. Newtpaw, your side will attack first. Whenever you're ready."

All four mentors sat along the top of the hollow, and the 'battle' began. Newtpaw jumped on Rosepaw, or at least tried to. The larger she-cat merely side-stepped and places her paw on the little tom's back, preventing him to move. Spottedpaw snorted as she jumped at Rosepaw, bowling her over. Thinking of easy moves to help Fawnpaw with her training, Rosepaw slid quickly, slippery as a fish, under Spottedpaw's belly. The tortoiseshell she-cat had no idea where she had gone.

Newtpaw, who had recovered from his feeble attack, was now going at Fawnpaw. The smaller she-cat wouldn't do much damage yet, but her brother was slow and sloppy. Fawnpaw could easily anticipate every move he made. She darted around him and tackled him, even though Newtpaw was larger than her.

Spottedpaw finally turned around and almost took Rosepaw from behind. but the creamy she-cat could somehow tell when Spottedpaw would attack. Just another heartbeat, now! As soon as she heard now, Rosepaw turned and side-stepped. Spottedpaw had leapt at her, and almost grabbed her shoulders. The tortoiseshell rolled over in the dust, and her pelt became covered in sand.

"Good job, Rosepaw!" Hollyfeather called.

"Counter that move, Newtpaw," Whiskerfang meowed. "Try to get her off your back."

"Fawnpaw, kick him with your hind legs," called Shadeheart. "Do the move I showed you earlier. Just try it!"

Spottedpaw's mentor, Patchheart, was silent. The tortoiseshell was waiting for words of encouragement from him, but when she looked at the black and white tom, he merely meowed, "Good tackle, Fawnpaw."

Rosepaw suddenly felt sympathy for Spottedpaw. It was obvious that Patchheart did not appreciate his apprentice for what she was worth. Maybe that's why she picks on me, Rosepaw thought. She heard Spottedpaw's paws thundering on the ground, but didn't move. That tortoiseshell needed to be congratulated.

The creamy apprentice turned around and tried to do the forepaw slash. Spottedpaw flinched away and attacked Rosepaw head on. The she-cats tumbled around in a hissing ball until Rosepaw stood on top, breathing heavily. Newtpaw was still trying to get Fawnpaw off his back.

"Time!" Hollyfeather called, jumping down into the middle of the clearing. All the apprentices sat down together in front of the Clan deputy. "This has been a progress assessment for you all," she meowed. "Spottedpaw, that was good work with those attacks. Just work on keeping your paws light. Rosepaw, you did great at getting out of the way of an attack, but you should work on your offensive moves more. Newtpaw, if a cat gets on your back, roll over. And Fawnpaw. You were brilliant at jumping on Newtpaw's back. You found his weakness easily."

Rosepaw sat a little straighter. Then, Patchheart stepped in. "Spottedpaw, you should have made contact with your target," he snapped. "In a real battle, you could have died because of your sloppiness."

The creamy apprentice felt a growl rising in her throat. "Like, calm down," Spottedpaw whispered to her. "Patchheart is just, like, a big bully."

Rosepaw sat in her nest. The stars were shining brightly above her, and the other three apprentices were fast asleep. Only the croaking of the frogs reminded her that she was not alone.

The crackling of twigs and leaves made her leave the den. A small white figure with black patches was moving across the clearing. It was headed for the entrance of the camp. No cat was that small, and not of the new apprentice was white and black.

"Crowkit," she meowed. "Shouldn't you be in bed?"

The figure stopped and spun around. It was Crowkit alright. His pale blue eyes glowed silver in the moonlight. He hung his head and walked up to Rosepaw.

"I just wanted to go out," he begged. "Once."

Rosepaw shook her head and pushed the tom toward the nursery. He slinked inside. Rosepaw went back inside the den.

Kits, she thought, and fell asleep.

An; So, I hope you liked this chapter. A lot longer than the last one, so it's better. Well, I'll update later! Until then, peace. And happy Aussie Sunday!

~ GreeceXCats527

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