Chapter 3!
Slowly—oh so slowly—Cinderpaw pulled herself forward. Step by steady step, she slunk beneath the trailing branches of a juniper bush, finally catching sight of the prey she had scented only moments prior. Her hind leg throbbed slightly, but not nearly enough to make her break form. Holding her breath, Cinderpaw shifted her weight, before launching forward, only to twist awkwardly as her leg gave out and land just a mouse-tail short, scaring the water vole away.
"Mouse-dung!" She spat, pulling herself unsteadily back to her paws. She heard Oakheart's sympathetic voice behind her.
"You almost had that one, Cinderpaw." He padded forward, touching his nose to her leg. "Maybe if you rest for a day, your leg will take a little more weight."
"I don't want to rest though!" Cinderpaw exclaimed, whirling to face him. "It's been a moon and I've missed so much…"
"Oh? Like?" Oakheart seemed exasperated, but Cinderpaw went on anyways.
"Graystripe and Fireheart got into a huge fight behind the nursery, there was going to a raid on RiverClan, Brokenstar and his rogues attacked and Sandpaw and Dustpaw and Sandstorm and Dustpelt now and I missed it because of my injury…" With all of that out of her system, the fluffy she-cat drooped. "I was so eager at first, when it seemed like training was a real possibility, but it seems like now… Now I feel like it's just moving further and further away…"
Oakheart sighed. "You cannot lose hope, young Cinderpaw." He rumbled, bending to rasp his tongue across her ear. "Remember, there is a great destiny before you, but no one can place your paws on that path for you. But we will walk beside you. Rest, now, and let your leg rest as well. Things like this take time, Cinderpaw, and determination that perhaps only you have."
Cinderpaw felt a heavy sigh leave her own lips as she complied, lying down in the soft grass and let sleep wash over her.
When she woke, she knew she had slept for longer than a day again, and had half the mind to go back to sleep and claw Oakheart over the ears for that, but a great commotion drew her towards the mouth of the medicine den.
"ShadowClan and RiverClan have joined together and now they're attacking the WindClan camp. We must help them." Bluestar was meowing. Warriors and elders alike were talking about the risks, and Cinderpaw made her way over just in time for them to race out of the gorse tunnel, leaving herself, Yellowfang, and Bluestar there in the clearing.
"Cinderpaw." Bluestar greeted her warmly. "I'm glad to see you moving around camp so much."
The small apprentice dipped her head respectfully. "I'm trying my best." She mewed, feeling a pang in her heart as she remembered her failed "hunt."
"When will she be back to real training?" Bluestar turned her wise blue gaze to Yellowfang who answered carefully,
"When I've seen a balanced hunting crouch."
"Very well then." Bluestar padded to the middle of the clearing, her eyes flashing. "Cinderpaw, pretend I'm a mouse."
Cinderpaw blinked incredulously at her leader. "What?"
The older she-cat beckoned her forward with her tail. "I'm a mouse. Hunt me."
Cinderpaw froze up, panic flashing through her veins. What if I mess up? What if I can't do it…? With Bluestar and Yellowfang watching…
She felt warmth at her side, and glanced over to see the slightest shimmer of Oakheart's starry pelt.
"You can do this Cinderpaw… This is your chance. Remember what we've worked on…"
Cinderpaw took a deep breath, but Yellowfang cut in. "Bluestar, isn't this a little…"
The blue-gray warrior shook her head. "Nonsense. This battle is very serious. But instead of letting it weigh heavy on our minds, we'll train. Now, Cinderpaw, a mouse won't wait all day."
With a start, Cinderpaw realized that despite the drama, it really was just morning. "Yes, Bluestar." She meowed, gauging the distance between herself and her "mouse." Bluestar's sharp eyes watched her every move, and Cinderpaw felt her heart racing as she sank into a slightly off-kilter hunting crouch.
"Relax." Bluestar commanded—almost the exact same thing Oakheart and Fireheart told her again and again while training. "Feel you weight shifting as you breathe."
Obediently, Cinderpaw took a deep breath, let her weight evenly fall on all four paws. Her legs barely hurt at the moment, her blood rushing in her ears.
I can do this. She told herself as moved slowly forward. She thought back to how Fireheart had said not to let her tail drag the ground—and how Oakheart mentioned not to let her injured leg slack. I will be a warrior…! She slid slowly forward, almost gliding across the well-worn clearing towards her target. When she felt she was close enough, and not too far away… She pounced, forcing her injured leg to put forth as much effort as her others, landing almost directly on top of Bluestar's shoulders.
"Excellent!" Bluestar purred, rolling out from under the smaller she-cat. Cinderpaw jumped to her paws, feeling as if she could fly. She whirled to face Yellowfang, who gave an approving nod.
"Congratulations, Cinderpaw. I'm releasing you from the medicine den. Starting tonight, you may sleep in the apprentice den again."
"Yes!" Cinderpaw cheered, jumping up and swatting at the falling snowflakes. She spun to face Bluestar again. "Thank-you, Bluestar! I… I had almost given up… But…"
Her leader padded forward and rested her tail on the smaller cat's shoulder, silencing her. "I know." She murmured. "But now is not the time to give up. Now is the time to train harder. You can do it, Cinderpaw. And Fireheart will help you every step of the way."
Cinderpaw purred as she thought of her flame-pelted mentor. I can't wait to tell him!
Hey guys! I haven't been posting much at the tops and bottoms of these chapters, but I just wanted to say, yeah, I kind of rushed to Cinderpaw getting back to full time training, but… I kind of wanted her to get her warrior name at the same time as Brackenpaw, so… yeah^^ Thanks for reading! Oh, and one question—Yes, Graystripe and Silverstream are seeing each other at this point. Yes, they're going to have Stormkit and Featherkit. But! My question is… Should Silverstream die, or join ThunderClan? Review what you think would be better(: