Chapter Four: Gather
After a good nites' rest, Soundpaw was ready to take on the day. She walked through the forest with her mentor, and they headed towards the training hollow. It had been three days since Soundpaw was apprenticed, and for the past two days, she had been taught on hunting. It was her first day doing actual battle training. I'll finally get to learn how to develop my ability further! She thought with an excited lash of her tail.
As they came into the hollow, Boneclaw turned to her, letting out a snort. "Show me what you got." He demanded, before turning and stalking about half-way down the dipped down leaf-littered and gorse hollow. Soundpaw blinked in surprise and uncertainty.
"You're.. You're not going to teach me anything first?" She asked in surprise, and Boneclaw turned back to her with a grunt.
"I want to see your way of thinking first," He declared, waving his tail lazily. He stared evenly at her, and Soundpaw snorted, crouching down.
I'll show him.. She thought, baring her teeth slightly, and fixated her narrowed gaze onto him. She drew in a sharp breath, and let out a high-pitched sound to distract him with. Her mentor did hear it, but merely gave a flick of his ears, as if discarding the sound like a fly buzzing around his head. She faltered slightly, though was not daunted too harshly. She yet again emitted another sound, only to get the same reaction from him. Shoot! That's all I know how to do! She thought despairingly.
It's not always ground movements that matter. Sound travels through air in waves, and at different frequencies, so if something seems close, it may be far in actuality, and vice versa. Boneclaw's words from her previous hunting session with him echoed in Soundpaw's head, and that's when the idea came to her.
I can attack with literal sound waves! Boneclaw will be so impressed! She thought, a new gleam and confidence crawling up into her eyes and muscles, and she smirked softly, tail waving slowly behind her. In a swift movement, she pushed herself onto her hind legs, wobbling unsteadily for a moment, before gaining her balance. In thorough focus, she swiped her forepaws rapidly through the air, trying to do something similar to bending and turning sound waves towards her mentor.
Much to Soundpaw's dismay, she noticed that Boneclaw's face betrayed a look of mild confusion and amusement, and her attacks did obviously have no affect. Giving out a soft growl of frustration, she tried once more, even using her tail as a whip to help propel. She was excited to see the faint stirring of his fur, but she wasn't sure if that came from the natural wind, or her own attacks. Her mentor's face was no longer amused, but was instead irritated, now only mild confusion across it.
"What are you doing?" He finally growled, sweeping his thick-furred tail across the ground in agitation. Daunted and ashamed, Soundpaw dropped back to all four paws, averting her gaze and ducking her head to the side in embarrassment.
"I was.. Trying to attack with sound waves," She admitted quietly, her deep blue gaze focusing back on her mentor's irritable pine one.
"Don't try to use your abilities right now." He growled, "Just attack with physical strength." He soon rose up, and Soundpaw swallowed dryly, before giving a nod. She crouched down, before rushing at him. Trying to leap onto him, he easily bowled her aside by ramming his head into her stomach, sending her tumbled back to the ground in a flurry of paws and tail. Coughing and trying to gain the wind back into her lungs, she rose stiffly to her paws. Shaking the dust and leaves from her fur, she turned back to her mentor, rushing once more at him.
Boneclaw swiped at her as she approached, but she avoided the blow, instead ramming into his side. The tom hardly flinched, and easily batted her away with a hefty paw in a blow that made her head reel, and she collapsed once more. Shuddering and drawing in breaths, she slowly stood up once more, and stumbled once again back to her mentor. She took a swipe at his paws, in which he avoided by jumping back, before sending her sprawling back to the ground with another mind-dizzying blow.
"That's enough," He finally grumbled, watching his apprentice twitch on the ground, before the she-cat slowly got up.
"I can.. keep trying.." She promised through coughs, turning and looking at him, and he gave a snort of amusement.
"I barely did anything there; I'll start by teaching you some basic moves."
The training session had completely worn out Soundpaw, so when she finally got to arrive back at the camp and eat her share of prey, she did so immediately. She chewed her prey almost lethargically, her eyes trained on her white paws and the morsel of mouse she had before her, before she raised her gaze to look at the rest of the clan. Hushedpaw, as usually, was eating with Snowdapple and Clovenbreeze. Some warriors sat in clumps while they ate, and the elders were in their own clump, along with Amberstripe.
Badgerfur, Springstar, and Buzzardswoop sat together near Springstar's den as they normally did to eat. The only difference Soundpaw could pick out was that Thistlepaw was not eating with Whitepaw for once. "You seem tired." So distracted, Soundpaw did not even notice her denmate's approach, and blinking her eyes, she turned her head, staring up at Thistlepaw's blue and orange colored body.
"Oh.. Yeah. Boneclaw was relentless in training today." She admitted, and to her further surprise, Thistlepaw sat across from her, setting his sparrow down as well so.
"Rabbitfire is kind, but he's a ruthless mentor- Though, I obviously have no problem with keeping up in his tactics," The tom smirked, soon delving into his prey hungrily. Soundpaw let out a snort of disbelief.
"I'm sure you had trouble on the first day," She retorted hotly, and his tail-tip simply twitched in response.
After swallowing, he responded, "Not really. I was a natural warrior from the start." He boasted, puffing out his chest slightly, "I already knew how to use my thistles as an advantage when I first began training, so all I needed to do from there was know how to use them even more, and to learn battle moves and hunting, of course."
"You talk as if you're a warrior." Soundpaw spat irritably, cranky from her fatigue, and now Thistlepaw's boasting. It made her feel so weak. She couldn't even touch Boneclaw today without getting batted away. I thought I was so strong.. I could easily overpower Hushedpaw, as well as Thornkit, Mousekit and Ravenkit. Her ears twitched from Thistlepaw's voice once more, but she didn't listen to his jargon. I bet he's just talking nonsense. No way he could have done so well on only his first day.
"Hey, you gonna answer me?" That question caught her ears, and she looked back at Thistlepaw, who was staring at her with mild aggravation in eyes.
"Sorry, I didn't hear." She apologized half-heartedly. He gave a snort.
"Clearly you didn't. I asked if you were going to the gathering tonight," He clarified once more, and Soundpaw gave a shrug.
"Dunno. Didn't hear about one until you just mentioned it." She admitted, quickly finishing off the rest of her mouse, before rising to her paws. He gave yet another snort.
"I'm assuming you're not going then. You'll miss out." He sneered, before turning back to his sparrow. She rolled her eyes, turning away after disposing her prey's bones, and begun to head towards the apprentices' den.
"Soundpaw." The she-cat stifled a groan as her name was called, but she turned around, seeing the approach of her large mentor. "Do you wish to attend the gathering tonight?" He inquired, stopping about half a tail-length in front of her. She blinked up at him, quiet for a moment. She was honestly very tired, and wasn't even sure if she could make it to the island, but she would have to take that risk- She wasn't sure if she'd be able to go next moon.
"Sure." She finally agreed, and Boneclaw gave a flick of his ear in acknowledgement.
"Alright. We depart soon, so get ready," He informed, turning and stalking off. Soundpaw's mental fatigue was instantly replaced with an enthralling feeling of excitement. My first moon as an apprentice, and I get to attend the gathering! I bet Thistlepaw didn't get to do that. She thought with a small feeling of accomplishment, followed by an excited wriggle of her haunches. The feeling suddenly died down, however, as she looked around with an empty feeling- She didn't have anyone to tell. Thistlepaw probably wouldn't care, she didn't know the other apprentice very well, her brother wouldn't be able to understand what she was saying, she didn't know where her mother or father was..
She looked towards the nursery, spotting the three kits playing together outside of the den. They were only about a moon, maybe a moon in a half, younger than Soundpaw, and she was good friends with Thornkit when they were in the nursery. She decided upon padding over, soon reaching the three. "Thornkit!" She meowed, letting the brightness return to her voice and step. Thornkit tumbled away from the others, sitting up, and shook the dust out of her golden and fawn colored fur, before looking at Soundpaw.
"Soundpaw!" She squeaked, getting up and bounding over. "So, so, so, how was your first battle training with Boneclaw?" She inquired, her bright blue eyes shimmering with question. Soundpaw gave a small snort, waving her tail.
"Tiring- But I have better news. I get to go to the gathering tonight!" She informed the kit, and the she-kit's eyes widened.
"Wow, really? Lucky you! Especially on only your first moon of training!" Thornkit pounced on Soundpaw suddenly, and caught off guard, Soundpaw toppled over, and the two scuffled with small squeaks and giggles. Finally separating, the two stay crouched on the ground, Thornkit panting while Soundpaw was not.
"Yeah, right? All I wanted to do was sleep, but when Boneclaw offered, I just couldn't pa-"
"Soundpaw, we're leaving!" The apprentice stopped in mid-statement, craning her neck as she heard the call from Whitepaw.
"Okay, coming!" She called back, before rising to her paws, shaking her dark fur out. "I'll tell you about the gathering tomorrow." She promised quickly, before turning and scampering off to the line of cats.
"You better!" Thornkit yowled after her, and her tail waved in answer. Once the cats were gathered, Badgerfur swiftly bounded to the front of the line of cats, pulling ahead, and began out of camp.
"What about Springstar?" Some cat called, and the deputy stopped in mid-step, looking over his shoulder.
"She does not feel well tonight; She will not be accompanying us," He announced, causing uneasy murmurs to spread through the cats like a wildfire. "We will go anyways. Come." Without waiting for more protests, he pushed his way through the bramble and gorse tunnel to lead onward.
A/N: Guess you could call that a cliffhanger. Gathering should be fun~ Chapter will be up soon because I'm already starting on it.
Fun Fact: Thistlepaw's eyes are supposed to be blue, not amber :d