Hi! The update is really early this week, so I'm changing my schedule a bit. You will get an update by Saturday, not necessarily on Saturday.

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Pixeleve- I named the chapter!

Flower- Glad you like it!

IncD- I like Mistypaw to!

"Mosspaw, get up. It's time for battle training!" Mosspaw heard Thistleclaw's call. "Honestly, you sleep like a dormouse"

Not when it's the before dawn. Almost nobody is awake yet. Mosspaw thought. Mosspaw sighed, rising and bending to give her matted fur a few licks before squeezing out the den. After five days of cleaning out the nursery, the elders den, and checking the elders for ticks, Thistleclaw had taught her the hunting crouch and taken her on hunting patrol. And border patrol. That had been yesterday. Today, they were battle training.

"I'm here."

"Good. Battle and battle training are the most important parts of clan life. Even you need to know it."

Mosspaw wasn't sure she liked how he said even.

"Can I get something to eat, first?" Mosspaw inquired. Her stomach was growling louder than the Thunderpath.

"Is there going to be time to eat a mouse when an enemy clan attacks our camp?"

Mosspaw stayed silent. She'd learned it was best not to answer this kind of question.

"Let's go. You can eat once we're done. Then you have to go on hunting patrol with Tigerclaw and Willowpelt."

Mentor and apprentice trudged through the moist, pre-dawn forest. Dew still clung to the Greenleaf plants. Prey had been plentiful, and so far Greenleaf had been kind to them. Mosspaw had caught a squirrel and two starlings. Stormtail had looked very impressed. "She has her mothers hunting skills. I have a feeling about that one." Mosspaw had heard him boasting to Adderfang.

Thistleclaw, however, had merely told her that two starlings and a squirrel wouldn't feed the whole clan. Mosspaw didn't think she'd ever truly impress her mentor.

They reached the Sandy hollow. Thistleclaw led her inside. "Attack me." He instructed her.

"What?" Mosspaw asked, confused.

"Attack me, claws unsheathed, or have you gone deaf?" Thistleclaw taunted her.

Fine! You asked for it!

Mosspaw slept at Thistleclaw, Swiping at his muzzle, nicking his ear, and diving under his belly. She racked her hind legs against his belly, but he rolled over, so that now he was underneath her belly. Mosspaw yowled and twisted away, her belly bleeding from a shallow wound, and stood there panting.

"That's enough." Mosspaw recognized Tigerclaw's deep voice. She glanced up, and saw Tigerclaw, Dappletail, and Mistypaw standing up there. "I'll take her to Featherwhisker." Tigerclaw said.

"I can help!" Mistypaw told him.

"No, you finish hunting patrol, with me." Dappletail told her. "I'm sure Tigerclaw can manage. Right?" Dappletail gave Tigerclaw that hard stare, telling him that the only right answer was yes.

"Of course, Dappletail." Tigerclaw replied smoothly. He turned to Mosspaw. "Do you need help getting there?"

"I'll manage" she replied.

That was strange. Mosspaw thought as Tigerclaw helped her to the medicine clearing. Tigerclaw hardly ever offers to take someone to the medicine den instead of hunting. There was so much tenderness in his eyes.

The two reached the medicine clearing. "Featherwhisker" Tigerclaw called, before entering the medicine den with Mosspaw following.

Inside Featherwhisker was sorting herbs. He looked up. "Tigerclaw! What happened to Mosspaw?" He asked

"Training happened. " Mosspaw replied before Tigerclaw got the chance.

"Let me see."

Mosspaw lay down on her side so that Featherwhisker could see her injured belly.

"It's just a shallow wound. Get lots of rest, and it should heal in a few days. See me every day until I give you the all clear."

"Can I still go on hunting patrol today?" Mosspaw asked. She'd been looking forward to that.

"That's probably not a good idea. But you could clean the elders den." Mosspaw sighed inwardly. I seems like that's all I'm good for these days.

"I'll help." Tigerclaw offered.

"But your hunting patrol." Mosspaw protested feebly.

"I can hunt later. You shouldn't have to clean the elders den alone."

"Okay." Oh well. At least I'll get to spend some time with Tigerclaw.

"So, tell me about your battle."

Mosspaw and Tigerclaw had finally finished cleaning out the elders den. They were sharing a sparrow by the fresh kill pile.

"It wasn't a battle." Mosspaw told him, ears burning.

"Well, tell me about it anyway."

"We got up before dawn and went to the training hollow. Thistleclaw asked me to attack him, claws unsheathed, so I did. I went for his muzzle, and he tried to slash at my belly. Then I nicked his ear. I Racked his belly, But then he flipped over, so that he was clawing my belly. I managed to wriggle away from him. And that's- "

"When I came in."

"Yeah. I'm glad you did."

"You could have handled him with out me. You fight well."

"Mabey."

"I'll teach you that move." Tigerclaw offered.

Mosspaw felt a burst of Exhilaration "Now?" She asked, hopeful.

"I can see no better time for it."

Then Mosspaw remembered "What about my belly?"

"No claws. I'll go easy on you, don't worry."

"Alright." Mosspaw purred. My first battle move!

"Now, pretend I'm a Shadowclan warrior, attacking the camp. Dive under my belly like you you fought Thistleclaw."

Mosspaw dove for Tigerclaw's belly And battered his underside. "Good. Now I'm going to grip your shoulders and through myself in the direction I want to go."

Tigerclaw rolled them left. Mosspaw found herself on top of the dark tabby tom. She stepped of.

"Can I try?" She asked, eager to do the move herself

"Sure." Tigerclaw slid under and softly battered her belly. Mosspaw gripped his shoulders, throughing them both sideways.

"Perfect!" Tigerclaw told her. "You'll beat Thistleclaw in no time."

Mosspaw glanced at the gorse tunnel. Mistypaw, Bluefur, Dappletail, and Patchpelt had just returned. "My litermates are back. I'll see you later!" Mosspaw called, bounding to meet her sister and mother.

"Oh, Mosspaw, I heard about battle training. Are you okay?"

"I'll be fine. I'm just stuck cleaning the elders den for a few more days."

"I'm going to report this to Sunstar." Bluefur said, furious. "Training is with sheathed claws."

"No, it's okay, please don't. I'm fine." Mosspaw begged her mother.

"Alright, but if this continues I will tell Sunstar. You should rest. You've had a long day. Mistypaw, can you get moss for Mosspaw's nest?"

"Yeah." Mistypaw replied, worry showing in her eyes.

"Come on, Mosspaw. Let's get you to your den. I'm going to have a word with Thistleclaw, and you can tell me all about the fight when I get back."

Mosspaw agreed. She felt to tired to argue anyway. She went to the apprentice's den to settle down for the night.

"I had just gotten away from Thistleclaw when Tigerclaw stopped Thistleclaw from fighting me any more. He walked me to the medicine den, and helped me clean the elders den." Mosspaw finished telling her mother and siblings what had happened during training. She'd decided to leave out the part where Tigerclaw taught her a battle move. Bluefur wouldn't have liked to hear that.

"Holy StarClan. I'm glad my mentor isn't Thistleclaw." Stonepaw exclaimed. "I'm not nearly as good at fighting as you are." The dark grey apprentice was still as fidgety as a WindClan kit, but he wasn't as shy. Just quiet. Stonepaw had never liked to play battle when they were kits. His favorite thing to do was listen to the elders stories. He'd never liked the idea of sneaking out of camp, or causing mischief with his sisters. It was very fortunate that Stonepaw had not received Thistleclaw as a mentor. Stonepaw would have been hurt much worse than Mosspaw.

"Stonepaw, Mistypaw, leave your sister alone. She's had a long day." Bluefur gently scolded her kits. "Besides, Mousepaw and Runningpaw will be back any moment, and they'll want to sleep as well."

"We know she's had a long day!" Mosspaw heard Mistypaw murmur. But she said no more, and soon she heard the soft snores of her den mates.