Chapter 3: Climbing

"Shadestar, Shadestar!" Snowrose called as she raced into camp, followed closely by Jadestone. Jadestone was limping. The two skidded to a halt in front of their leader. "Badger! Just across the fallen tree!"

"You two go back, and take Lilyfern, Redriver, Shadowblaze and Darkpelt with you." Shadestar said calmly.

"Too bad, eh?" Lightpaw said from beside Tawnypaw. Tawnypaw stopped watching the other cats and turned to her sister.

"Huh?" Tawnypaw said, confused.

"If we were trained, it could be us going!" Lightpaw exclaimed.

"Oh…" Tawnypaw trailed off, watching Tigerpaw and Thunderpaw as they walked over. She turned and looked at Shadestar again.

"Jadestone!" Shadestar called. "Stay here, I want you to take all the apprentices out for a climbing exercise, at that big tree in the training clearing. Bring Stormfall. Lynxrose!"

Tawnypaw looked at Lightpaw happily. "They're taking us all climbing!" She exclaimed. Tigerpaw, Thunderpaw and Lightpaw were all looking at her blankly.

"And?" Thunderpaw asked bluntly, but Tigerpaw was smiling, so she ignored Thunderpaw's coment. She turned to Tigerpaw.

"Tigerpaw, you like climbing?" She asked, surprised.

"Yeah, why?" Tigerpaw said happily.

"I love climbing." She said again.

"It's your first day as an apprentice, how would you know?"

"I climbed in camp a lot." Tawnypaw said. Tigerpaw looked confused. "The cliffs, down there." She flicked her tail at a rocky space with lots of paw holds.

"Oh, -" He was cut off by Graypaw.

"Let's go!" Graypaw called to them. Tawnypaw stood up and shook the dust out of her fur. She trotted over beside Tigerpaw to join Silentpaw, Graypaw, Firepaw and Blackpaw. Lightpaw and Thunderpaw followed closely.

The eleven cats walked quickly through the territory, each cat keeping to themselves. The cats were all scenting for badgers. Once the cats reached the clearing, it sounded as if everyone was finally breathing again.

"Okay." Stormfall said, "We're going to practice climbing, leaping from trees, and maybe a little tree fighting."

"Wow, tree fighting!" Murmurs went up among the apprentices.

"Now, now." Jadestone said. Lightpaw tipped her had at her mentor. Tawnypaw eyes Jadestone curiously. Jadestone leaped up the tree and landed on a big branch, big enough for almost all of them.

"Graypaw, you go first." Stormfall said, "Climb up to the branch where Jadestone is."

"Kay." Is two large leaps, Graypaw was up the tree. SkyClan were known for their strong legs for jumping and catching birds, so apprentices got special training for both.

"Silentpaw, go." Stormfall said. Silentpaw took a little longer to get up, as if making sure not to fall, sliding up from branch to branch like a snake. Once she was on the branch, Blackpaw went up. Blackpaw's climbing was touchy. He jumped to reach every branch, but looked so full of himself that he thought he was doing the best there.

"Jump a little higher, Blackpaw." Stormfall said. Blackpaw leaped and missed the next branch, being grabbed by Jadestone and pulled onto the branch with the other three.

"You three go up to the branch above me." Jadestone told Graypaw, Silentpaw and Blackpaw. The three apprentices obeyed.

"Firepaw, go." Stormfall nodded to the apprentice. Firepaw's climbing was pretty decent, leaped from branch to branch up, but not as well as Graypaw.

"Go up with the others, Firepaw." Jadestone nodded to him once he got to the branch.

"Thunderpaw, go." Stormfall flicked her ear. Thunderpaw leaped up, skipping a branch each time, and swiftly reached the big branch.

"Tigerpaw, go." Tawnypaw watched as her best friend leaped silently from branch to branch, and in five leaps, he was up.

"Tawnypaw, it's your turn. " Stormfall spoke to her. She leaped up a few branches and finally reached the big branch, settling in next to Tigerpaw. Her three leaps had exactly tied him. She stuck her tongue out. After four jumps, Lightpaw had joined them.

"Time to practice our landing." Stormfall said. "Tigerpaw and Thunderpaw, come down to the branch two branches under you."

"That's not too high," Thunderpaw whispered to Tigerpaw.

"Okay, Now jump into our nice pile of moss." Stormfall flicked his tail. Tigerpaw nodded.

"Can I go first?" Tigerpaw asked.

"Yes, go." Stormfall replied. Tigerpaw was off the branch quickly, and landed with a thud in the moss. He trotted over to beside Stormfall. Thunderpaw leaped off next.

"Tawnypaw and Lightpaw, go." Tawnypaw watched Lightpaw leap gracefully off, squirm in the air, and land on her paws in the moss. Tawnypaw looked down. She held her breath, and jumped off. She landed swiftly in the moss, and darted over to her sister. Tawnypaw waited silently while the other four apprentices and Jadestone leaped off. Stormfall looked at the sky.

"We have time to tree fight!" He exclaimed. "Jadestone, lets demonstrate the move. He leapt up to the big branch, followed by Jadestone. Stormfall placed himself farther out on the branch, and Jadestone was beside the tree trunk. "Rather than leaping up a branch and being followed easily, you should learn to stun your opponent on your way up. Leap over them, and bat them on the head with your back paws while you leap onto the tree trunk. Like this." Stormfall looked at Jadestone. Both cats prepared to leap. Stormfall leaped up and hit the side of Jadestone's head, and landed on the tree trunk, swiftly scurrying up to the next branch.

"Everyone understand?" Jadestone asked. The apprentices were silent. "Good."

"Firepaw and Silentpaw, go to the big branch four branches higher than the one we were on. Blackpaw and Graypaw, go to the one two branches above them. On the branch Jadestone and I were on, Tawnypaw and Tigerpaw. Two branches below them, Thunderpaw and Lightpaw. Go!" Tawnypaw leaped up to her branch beside Tigerpaw. She watched Graypaw flash upwards, onto her branch. Once everyone was ready, Tawnypaw readied herself to hit Tigerpaw. She leaped, and batted Tigerpaw on the head perfectly, but she missed the tree trunk and landed a branch below. She leaped up the trunk and reached her landing branch.

"Again!" Stormfall called. Tawnypaw tried again a few times, missing Tigerpaw and hitting the trunk, hitting Tigerpaw and missing the trunk, until she finally got it. Her and Tigerpaw swapped positions and trained up until dusk. Eventually Stormfall called for them to stop, and they headed towards the camp. Once they reached it, Tawnypaw and Lightpaw headed straight for their nests.

"Night!" Lightpaw said to Tawnypaw as the apprentices curled up in their nests.

"Night." Tawnypaw replied, and finally let sleep overcome her.