Authors note: Thank you Wilder123, Aduial Rana, and 0 Destinystar 0 for reviewing! Just a note for all those warrior fans out there, the new warriors Super Edition came out; Crookedstar's Promise. It's from Crookedstar's perspective as a young kit (who is formerly named Stormkit) and is given a promise after he is deformed and given the name Crookedkit, but his so-called promise ends up bringing destruction to Riverclan. I have yet to obtain it, but if anyone has, tell me how it is? (:

Other than that, read chapter four of Coalpaw's adventures!

Chapter Four: Battle Lies

-One moon Later-

"Are you ready to your test?" Gorsestar mewed from the side, licking a paw absently, but his eyes showed a caring and a hope that their apprentice would succeed.

Of course I am. Coalpaw thought. He had been training harder than any of the other apprentices, or so he thought he had been. He had already convinced Silverpaw more than once to take him out and teach him more advanced moves for older apprentices like him. He only nodded in response to his mentor.

"Good." The leader turned his head to the group of apprentices that sat around the in a half-moon formation. "You all are at a time where your hunting can be evaluated and your mentors can see how you do and if you are ready to move on. Or in some cases," Gorsestar turned his head to where Adderpaw, Yarrowpaw, Stormpaw and Bluepaw were sitting. "become warriors."

The four apprentices shuffled in anticipation and excitement. Yarrowpaw looked over at Coalpaw and sent him a wink. The motion made Coalpaw look down at the ground in embarrassment.

"Seeing how this is an independent test, you will be judged on your hunting tactics, but on how you can support your clan by bringing back prey. I will put you in groups of two, and you won't be watched, so be careful." Gorsestar warned.

Minnowpaw purred from Coalpaw's right side, Redpaw sitting on his other. Both of them looked ready to jump out of their fur with how much they were fidgeting. Couldn't they grow up? Coalpaw thought. He was ready to be paired up with an apprentice and get on with his hunting assignment.

Gorsestar named off pairs. Minnowpaw was paired up with Adderpaw, Redpaw with Leafpaw, Silverpaw with Bluepaw, and Coalpaw with Yarrowpaw. Gorsestar looked at Stormpaw, who remained alone. "Stormpaw, I trust you to take care of yourself out there, and you will not be expected to bring back as much prey." Stormpaw nodded, standing tall at the word trust. Gorsestar continued. "Now, all of you go hunt!"

The bushes swished as the groups rushed off into the moors their leaving fur floating around from their fast departures.

Yarrowpaw sauntered up to him. "I don't think of them are going by the horse-place, and prey likes to hide in the fences."

Coalpaw purred. "Let's go then."

They made their way down the slope that would lead them to their destination. Coalpaw sniffed the air for any chances of prey, but couldn't scent any. Yarrowpaw's face shuffled into a frown as she, too, found no scents.

"That's odd." Yarrowpaw commented, and then froze, her tail held out to stop Coalpaw in his tracks. "Wait!" she whispered. "I smell a mouse ahead. You want to get it?" she asked.

Coalpaw shook his head. "You can." He mewed, and watched as Yarrowpaw's thin form parted the grasses, crouching down with her tail barley sweeping the ground. A few moments later Coalpaw heard her pounce, and a small snap of a breaking neck, and her form came back. A mouse dangled from her jaws limp.

"Good catch!" Coalpaw praised as she buried the prey under dirt.

Yarrowpaw nodded and kept walking. "You've been quiet lately." She mused.

Coalpaw flicked his ear. "Me?" he asked, though he was unsure on where this was going.

"Yes you." Yarrowpaw laughed, probing his shoulder with her tail. "You train like crazy, but then you just sit in camp. The only time you talk is to Gorsestar or your kin. "Yarrowpaw frowned. "It's been worrying me."

She thinks about me. Coalpaw's stomach fluttered slightly. "Why bothering worrying about me? I'm just a young apprentice."

Yarrowpaw sighed. "Because you're going to be a great warrior, seeing how well you can hunt, you can probably fight so much better. I'm sure Gorsestar has taught you the basics of fighting."

"He has." Coalpaw agreed, and then his mind was jarred. It had been a moon…Vix! He would be meeting Vix tonight. Though the tom scared him, the promise of being the best warrior ever over-rid that feeling. He would be able to fight, and protect his clan!

He could protect Yarrowpaw.

Coalpaw shyly looked over to Yarrowpaw. What am I feeling? He thought. She glanced at him, her eyes shinned with amusement, and then she kept walking ahead. Coalpaw followed, his eyes on how quietly she moved, her boy with grace and pride, knowing where to place each paw without hesitation.

"Here we are!" She announced. The tall fences of the horseplace rose above them, and shook Coalpaw from his thoughts. There was a short huff sound, and the lean body of a brown and white spotted horse gaited forward. It paused to look at the two cats, but then let out a breath before continuing on its run.

"I smell a rabbit!" Yarrowpaw gasped suddenly, and looked over to Coalpaw, mewing in a hushed voice, "Has Gorsestar taught you to do a double catch yet?"

No, but Silverpaw has! Coalpaw smirked in his head, but nodded to Yarrowpaw's words. She motioned for Coalpaw to go around the grasses. By now he could smell the rabbit, and skirted around it to down-wind. Crouching in the bramble behind his prey, Coalpaw looked past the rabbit to where he could see flashes of Yarrowpaw's fur and waited for her to pounce. She did, and missed the rabbit, which sent it racing backwards and straight into Coalpaw's grasp.

Coalpaw growled and sunk his claws into the rabbit's flesh. He could feel its small heart thumping wildly in its chest, and it gave him an odd satisfaction to know that he would be the one to feel the heart give out. Biting down Coalpaw's blood raced as he waited for his favorite part, the scramble for life, and then the rabbit went limp, the satisfying smell of death rose up to his nostrils.

Looking up, the rabbit hanging from his jaws, Coalpaw searched for Yarrowpaw. But something hit him from behind, and he yowled, falling forward and letting go of his rabbit. With a hiss Coalpaw swung around, his paw's ready to hit his attacker.

Coalpaw froze, seeing Yarrowpaw's smiling face above him. "Got you!" she laughed.

"Not funny." Coalpaw protested, but made no move to get up.

"That was a good catch, but I could have done better." Yarrowpaw joked, her tail waving back and forth. "Like this!" she let out a fake battle yowl, and dug her teeth into Coalpaw's neck. Coalpaw's body grew stiff, waiting for the painful bite e had given so much prey, but none came.

Instead, Yarrowpaw was holding her teeth there, waiting for his response. Hesitantly, Coalpaw reached forward and gave her ear a lick. Yarrowpaw's face lifted up, and she looked back at him in shock, but her face melted into a purr. "Coalpaw" she whispered.

Coalpaw purred back, but a small movement out the corner of his eye caught his attention. "There's a thrush." He mewed, reluctantly getting up. "We're on a hunting test, remember?"

Getting up, Coalpaw got into a hunting crouch, seeing the bird perched on the fence of the horse-place. This time he could show Yarrowpaw how well he could really hunt! Judging the distance, Coalpaw bunched up his hind-legs, and leapt, his body going through the air to where the thrush was.

Before he could catch it, the thrush flew off in a flutter of wings. "Mouse-dung!" Coalpaw spat, watching her prey fly off.

"I'm sorry, Coalpaw." Yarrowpaw mewed.

"Why?" he snapped. "That stupid bird flew off! I can't be the best warrior if I can't hunt a bird!"

"You need to calm down." Yarrowpaw spoke softly. "It's just a-"

"No!" Coalpaw hissed, turning on Yarrowpaw. "How would you know? You're just an apprentice." Anger surged through him. He would never be able to prove himself; he had missed out in his kill. That feeling of death would no longer be his. He could not become a stronger tom with lost prey. "What do you know?"

Yarrowpaw took a step back, her voice flat like a pebble but as a hard as a boulder. "I do know hunting is not about pride, but caring for your clan and your clan-mates. Right now I can tell you don't care about either!" Hurt gathered in her eyes

Coalpaw stopped yelling, watching Yarrowpaw stomp away. She paused to grab her rabbit and mouse, and then continued. "C'mon." she mewed over her shoulder. "I think we're done hunting."

-x-

Coalpaw stomped through the moors, pausing in the shade of a trees to think over that morning with Yarrowpaw, how they said nothing on the way back to the training hollow. Minnowpaw and Redpaw had both caught three pieces of prey each with their partners Adderpaw and Leafpaw, being the best out of the group. He and Yarrowpaw looked sad compared to them.

But they had passed, and Coalpaw was that much closer to becoming a warrior, even if Yarrowpaw was mad at him. He didn't see what he did wrong; only get upset over his catch.

"I didn't think you were going to come." The raspy voice of Vix whispered in his ear.

Coalpaw jumped, turning to see Vix standing right next to him, his mangled eye watching him with satisfaction. "I didn't hear you." Coalpaw mewed.

Vix purred. It wasn't much of a purr, more like a deep growl. "Good. That's what fighting is all about, not letting your opponent know what you're doing and where. Like this."

Like a snarl Vix landed on top of Coalpaw, hi claws digging into his fur. Coalpaw scratched at Vix's belly, but the tom was on him where it did no damage. Coalpaw tried to wriggle out of his grasp, but the more he moved the deeper Vix's claws dug in. Coalpaw whimpered, his blood churning in fear.

"Stop!" he gasped.

Vix's hold let go, and Coalpaw took a deep breath of air. "Next time I won't get off." He said. "This is the best way to learn. You will watch my moves, and soon use then against me. Once you past my tests, you will be able to defeat anyone…besides me." Vix chuckled to himself.

"What tests?" Coalpaw asked, he shifted his shoulders and winced. They were letting out slow trickles of blood down his body. He didn't know how he would hide this from Pinetail, or his mother.

Vix's tail curled lazily. "I have a small clan of followers that I have trained, and are fighters to the core." He looked over Coalpaw. "By the time you are done, you could come and join me."

He wants me to leave Windclan? Coalpaw thought with shock. "I….would just want to learn how to fight."

Vix shrugged, as if it was no big deal. "Fine. We'll fight. You remember that move I just did on you? Where I jumped on you and you could get out or hurt me?"

Coalpaw nodded.

"Pay attention because I'm doing this once," Vix growled, bending his body in an arch and sliding his claws, one clinging against a rock. "It's a basic attack move, but you arch your spine down by your tail, and stiffen your limbs, so they can't be moved." He moved into a crouch. "Try it."

Coalpaw, too, moved into a battle stance, his body bending low and light, his muscles tensed for Vix to make a move. But the tom was waiting, so Coalpaw pounced with a yowl, pushing Vix backwards and-

And he was falling, his paws hitting ground as he tumbled into the grass. The air rushed out of him and Coalpaw looked around.

"Try again!" Vix yowled, from behind Coalpaw.

Coalpaw jumped up with determination, his paws hitting the ground as he raced forward, growing frustrated that he couldn't do the move. He jumped…

But Vix was now standing beside him. With a slash of his paw Coalpaw cried out, pain flooding his mind. There was a gash in his shoulder now, and the blood ran freely.

"Again!" Vix yowled.

Coalpaw growled, and blindly jumped, his paw hitting air, but he felt Vix's head ram into his side, and Coalpaw fell to the ground again.

"Do you not get understand this?" Vix yelled. "Again!"

"I am!" Coalpaw yelled back in anger. Do it! He mind yelled, and Coalpaw screamed, his claws crashing into Vix's black fur. Her shoulder hurt, the blood was running too freely, and his sight was going fuzzy. But he pushed into Vix's fur, he wanted to win.

"You mangy failure, I know kittypet kits better than you!" he heard Vix growl. Coalpaw could barely see, blackness was filtering through is sight, and he body had gone numb. He jumped forward once more.

"Again!" he heard and cried out, pain washed down from his face. He knew Vix had gotten him, but he was too...too…weak. Coalpaw cried out one more, his body falling forward.

A paw was placed upon him. "Better. You almost got me that last time." There was laughter. "Meet me after the full moon."

Coalpaw heard Vix's paw steps go away, until he closed his eyes and slept.

-x-

"Coalpaw!"

Coalpaw sighed, what was that noise?

"Coalpaw!" there was some shuffling. "Fox-dung! Thornfoot, do you think he'll be okay?"

Coalpaw fluttered his eyes open. Thornfoot? Was he back in camp? He didn't remember going back there.

"His eyes are open!" another tom yowled, his voice filled with relief.

"Stormpaw shush." Said a deep voice, one that Coalpaw knew belongs to Thistlebranch, the senior warrior of his clan. "Go warn Pinetail about this."

There was more shuffling, and rustling of bushes.

"Coalpaw, please wake up!" A paw shook him and Coalpaw whimpered. His shoulder felt like it was burning.

"Foxtail don't move him like that, you might hurt him." Thistlebranch hissed, but Coalpaw opened his eyes all the way, tried to lift his head. Dizzy pain knocked through him, and he moaned, putting his head back on the ground.

Thistlebranch was standing above him. "Coalpaw, we have to take you back to camp, okay? Foxtail and I are going to carry you. It's going to hurt."

Coalpaw sighed in answer, and bit his tongue when he felt Thistlebranch Lift him up and place his shoulders over Foxtails, then slither underneath, his body resting on top of theirs. He cried out whenever the jiggled him too much, or when Foxtail tripped. But soon camp came into view, and Coalpaw wanted to jump in relief, but he couldn't.

Once inside the camp he saw the clan members rush around him.

"It's Coalpaw!" they cried. He saw a glimpse of his mother's worried face, Minnowpaw's full of confusion and Yarrowpaw's of disapproval.

But Yarrowpaw's face was blocked with Pinetail; he stood over Coalpaw with herbs in his mouth. "Pinetail." He mewed, faintly relieved to see the medicine cat there. Thistlebranch and Foxtail moved, and Coalpaw slid to the floor, his shoulder being jarred and Coalpaw yowling once again.

"Give me some room!" Pinetail yelled to the cats around him, and the clan shuffled backwards, the warriors herding the apprentice back to their dens and duties. The medicine cat turned back to Coalpaw. "What happened to you?"

Coalpaw rolled his head to the other side, and saw Gorsestar. The leader looked at him carefully, revealing no emotion. Coalpaw couldn't stand to look at his mentor, at those eyes that would know if he was lying.

But he couldn't tell them about Vix. It would give away his opportunity to train. He wouldn't give that up.

Instead he mewed, "Thunderclan attacked me."

Authors note: End of chapter. Yay cliff hangers! You got to love them. But anyways, I just wanted to point out Coalpaw's and Yarrowpaw's little love scene during their hunting tests…but then Coalpaw had to go and ruin it all! I also wanted to tell you all that I will be gone camping (with no electricity) for about a week starting Sunday. Expect no updates then, and that's why this one is up so early. I wanted to give you guys something before I left.

One another note, review! The button it right down there. It can't be that hard to press.