Author's Note: Here's the update you requested! I apologize if it has any typos or other mistakes, as I proofread it pretty early in the morning. If you find any mistakes, please feel free to point them out so I can fix them. Also, I don't know if Deerpaw's coloration is right or not, since I couldn't find a single point in the book where it ever described him. I just went with how I imagined him to look.
To Wood Cats: Patience, Wood Cats! XD You'll see how the story plays out. I think you'll like it, though. :)
As for the times I update, I've been making an effort to increase it from once to at least twice a month. However, I've also been trying to make longer chapters, so you might end up with just one or the other. I'll try to do both, but it all depends on how much homework I get. Thankfully I haven't been getting as much homework lately, and with Easter break coming up, I should get more time to write. :)
Disclaimer: I don't own Warriors or its characters.
Chapter Seven: Battle Training
Brokenpaw took a moment to rest in the apprentice den when he awoke in the morning. For the past quarter moon since he had become an apprentice, Nightpelt had worked him hard with hunting practice, teaching him different techniques and skills for the wide range of prey that could be found in the swampy ShadowClan territory. The brown tabby's muscles ached from the effort of running, pouncing and stalking. He had been out of the camp before as a kit, but never before had he done so much work, let alone for days on end. Now he relished the warm sun that was streaming into the den and soaking into his stiff muscles.
I could stay here all day! he thought with a purr, comfortable in his soft nest. He knew that Nightpelt would soon be searching for him with the days' tasks, but right now, he was content to do nothing more than keep his eyes closed and nestle into the moss.
He could hear the sounds of the other apprentices in the den. It was just Brokenpaw and his adopted littermates there, which made it quite lonely at times, especially since Runningpaw slept in the medicine den and not with the other kittens. Now was one of the few moments that all three cats were present; with training and patrols, it was rare more than one of them was in the den at the same time. He listened to Deerpaw snoring and a rustling sound that was undoubtedly Tanglepaw. For a moment, all was silent; then, with squeals and sudden motion, a scene unfolded.
"Wha-? Who?" Deerpaw spluttered incoherently as he awoke. Brokenpaw's eyes were still closed, so he had to infer from sound alone what was happening. "Tanglepaw!"
"Got you!" cried his sister with delight.
Brokenpaw opened his eyes and rolled over to see Deerpaw scratching moss out of his ear with a hind paw. "Do you have any idea how irritating it is to be woken up by getting moss stuffed in your ear?" he demanded, glaring at Tanglepaw.
"That's the point!" meowed Tanglepaw cheerfully. She dodged Deerpaw's swipe and headed out of the den, most likely for a morning patrol.
Brokenpaw turned away, his mood soured. Although he was making progress with his mentor, it was still clear that he had no relation to the other apprentices. He could watch their games, but never join in. There was that little circle of littermates that he would never be included in. Now that he was no longer taunted, he was simply ignored. Sometimes he didn't mind much, but at other times, he became upset or even angry. His tail-tip twitched in frustration and jealousy. Sometimes he wondered if things would have been better if he had littermates of his own.
There was no point in dwelling on it, as it would never happen. Brokenpaw shook out his tabby coat and padded out into the camp, leaving Deerpaw grooming his chest fur indignantly as he recovered from Tanglepaw's prank. As his eyes adjusted to the sunlight, he saw Nightpelt approaching him.
"There you are," the black tom mewed, his long-legged strides bringing him up to Brokenpaw in a few steps. He cleared his throat with a light cough, flicked his tail, and continued. "You've been doing very well with hunting this past week, so I'd thought we'd begin battle practice today."
Brokenpaw felt all his dour thoughts evaporate in an instant. "Really?" he asked, his eyes widening in excitement.
"I think you've deserved it," meowed Nightpelt, seeming slightly amused by his apprentice's enthusiasm. "You've been far more patient than I thought possible, based on how you were your first day of training." Brokenpaw had been virtually uncomplaining throughout his training ever since the day he had begun his hunting practice; it seemed to have finally paid off!
"Thanks, Nightpelt!" he purred, his voice holding a rare tone of affection.
"Alright, let's head out to the forest," Nightpelt continued, with no more sign that he had heard his apprentice's gratitude than a brisk flick of his tail. "We'll start with seeing what you already know, then I'll teach you a few basic moves. We'll wrap up the training session with a mock battle between all the apprentices, but only if you're well behaved the entire time." He gave Brokenpaw a warning glance. "That means you stop when I tell you to and listen when I'm explaining something. Most importantly, you must keep your claws sheathed at all times during practice."
Brokenpaw nodded dutifully. "Alright," he agreed, somewhat reluctant, but not letting a hint of the feeling enter his voice. He'd been hoping to get some retribution for his days of nursery teasing, but he should have known his mentor would foresee it.
The two headed out into the woodland, returning to the sandy clearing of their first training session. It was empty when they arrived, with no sign of cat or prey. Nightpelt licked his chops wordlessly, an expression of satisfaction, and padded out into the clearing, swishing his tail in an indication that Brokenpaw should follow. The two walked to opposite ends of the clearing and faced each other, squaring their shoulders as they silently assessed their opponent. Nightpelt looked calm and collected, while Brokenpaw could feel his heart pounding in wild excitement.
"Show me what you can do," ordered Nightpelt, flicking one ear in a signal that his apprentice was to begin whenever he pleased.
Brokenpaw stalked forward a few paces, then stopped abruptly. His first instinct was to launch himself at Nightpelt and overpower him with the elements of surprise and brute strength. But he had realized in his short training experience that nothing with his mentor was as straightforward as it seemed. This was a cat that could watch his apprentice fail over and over again, matching his stubborn arrogance with quiet determination not to interfere. Nightpelt knew that Brokenpaw was impulsive and would use that against him. It was clear that being headstrong would get him nowhere in this spar. So what could the dark tabby do that the shrewd warrior would not expect?
Run, was the first thing that came to mind. Brokenpaw was about to mentally scoff at himself for the idea of running away from battle training when it hit him. Running didn't necessarily mean fleeing. He could use his speed to surprise Nightpelt. For a moment, he doubted his own strategy, but pushed it away. It's definitely worth a shot!
With that, Brokenpaw charged at his mentor as fast as he could. Nightpelt bunched his muscles to strike back, but the apprentice zigzagged suddenly away. Nightpelt spun to attack again, but Brokenpaw darted quickly in the other direction. It's working! Before he knew it, he was behind his mentor. With a yowl of triumph, Brokenpaw leaped onto the dark tom's back, sinking in his claws and thrusting down all his weight on top of the older cat.
Nightpelt twisted suddenly, sending Brokenpaw flying off. He hit the ground and skidded away a few tail-lengths, the wind knocked out of him.
"Nice try," meowed his mentor, padding over to look down at him. Nightpelt's eyes glowed with faint triumph. He was breathing a bit hard, but his chest heaved with strong breaths. "But as soon as you gave up your strategy in favor of strength, you were beaten. Courage is good in battle, but there is a very thin line between bravery and recklessness."
"I know," panted Brokenpaw, still on the ground. "Can I try again?"
"After you learn a few moves," responded Nightpelt. Brokenpaw scrambled to his paws and pricked his ears attentively, waiting to see what his mentor would show him.
The black tom glanced to see if Brokenpaw was watching, then turned his attention to his example. "Basic swipe," he meowed. Quick as a snake, he reared onto his powerful hind legs and lashed out with a front paw. His claws glittered like ice in the half-light that pierced the forest's canopy. "Simple, yet very effective, especially if you can land a hit in a sensitive area like the eyes or nose."
Next, he proceeded to show Brokenpaw a lower swipe. "This will trip your opponent, if you're fast enough," he explained. "The goal is to strike the tendon on the back of the leg and make it give way. This is a weak spot for every cat, so beware any low swipes."
Brokenpaw nodded, trying to keep his focus on the lesson rather than the excitement thrilling through his veins. He could hardly wait to try out these moves!
"One last move, before I have you practicing them," meowed Nightpelt. "Bite." He snapped his jaws closed. "It's very simple, but it's important to remember to hold on. The harder you chomp an enemy warrior, the more likely they are to run away. Scratches and swipes are good for starting out a fight, but they don't do much damage. It's a bite that will finish a battle."
"Got it," meowed Brokenpaw, his paws itching with excitement. "Can I try them?"
"Go ahead," Nightpelt replied, flicking his tail. "Try them on the air first, and then you can practice them on me when you get the hang of it."
Brokenpaw practiced each move with relentless determination until Nightpelt was satisfied. His mentor didn't say anything regarding Brokenpaw's resolve, making no sound but the occasional cough, but the young cat had a feeling he was impressed.
"Alright, you wanted to try those moves out for real; now you can" meowed Nightpelt at last, narrowing his eyes. "Give it a go."
Brokenpaw needed no encouragement. He bounded forward and lashed out at Nightpelt with a swipe to the face. His mentor ducked, but Brokenpaw was ready for him; he struck lower, catching the older tom with a blow to the tendon. He felt Nightpelt falter and leaped, biting his ear. He was careful not to sink his teeth in too deep, but he was determined not to be shaken off this time.
Nightpelt clouted Brokenpaw in the face with a strong paw, forcing the young tom to loosen his grip. With a twist, the warrior was free. "You won't beat me that easily," he meowed, his gaze amused. He kicked at Brokenpaw with powerful back paws, thrusting his apprentice away from him. Thinking fast, Brokenpaw sank in all four sets of claws, clinging to his mentor's foot. When the black tom tried to get to his paws, his progress was hindered by the weight on his leg.
"Get off, you lump of fur," rasped Nightpelt, panting with effort. Brokenpaw was pleased to hear the note of amusement in his voice. "If you were an enemy warrior, I'd have given you a good bite to remember me by, but I thought I'd let you off easy."
Brokenpaw released him and both toms got to their paws. The apprentice shook the dust from his pelt, while Nightpelt began to smooth his ruffled fur with brisk strokes of his tongue.
"Good," said Nightpelt, sounding satisfied. "Since it's obvious that you learn fast, I'll teach you another move. This one is a little more advanced than the other three, but I think you can handle it. It seems you were born with a gift for skill in battle."
"Great," mewed Brokenpaw, his tail shooting straight up in delight. At last, someone notices my skill! he thought triumphantly.
"Pay close attention," instructed Nightpelt. "If this is the enemy warrior," he gestured to a low-hanging branch, "then I'm going to take him down, but I have to be very quick." With that, the warrior launched himself towards the branch. Instead of raking his front claws across the tree, he locked his front paws around the part where the branch met the trunk, getting a powerful grip. Then the tom kicked out with a thrust of both hind paws, snapping off the branch. Twisting nimbly, he landed on all four paws, right in front of the branch, which had fallen to the ground.
Brokenpaw watched with wide eyes. That was the most impressive battle move he had ever seen! He turned to his mentor eagerly, bursting with questions.
Nightpelt raised his tail to forestall his apprentice's inquiries. "I'll give an explanation and then you can ask your questions if I haven't answered them," he mewed. Brokenpaw nodded and the black tom continued. "You grab the opponent's shoulders with your front paws so that they can't run away. Then you kick out with both hind paws as strongly as you can. You need to be quick though, as I said before the demonstration, and that's because you won't have any of your paws on the ground when you are attacking. You'll have to be ready to spring away from the enemy as soon as you're done with this move, otherwise he'll take you down with him."
"Will this work on any cat?" asked Brokenpaw, knowing that some attacks were best when used on a certain clan, while other techniques were universally effective.
"Yes, but the bigger your opponent, the better," Nightpelt answered. "A WindClan cat, for example, would be quicker and harder to grab than a bulky RiverClan cat. And this move uses a warrior's weight against him, so he'll fall harder is he's bigger."
"Can I try it?" was the apprentice's next question.
Nightpelt looked amused. "I'm not teaching you this for nothing," he said. "Of course you can try it out. But don't expect it to be perfect on your first try; like I said before, it's a much more advanced move than any of the others I taught you."
"I can pull it off," insisted Brokenpaw. Nightpelt twitched an ear without comment; if he doubted that, he was keeping it to himself.
"Alright," Nightpelt meowed. "Start whenever you're ready. I'm your opponent for this one, since you need to work with some cat to practice this move."
Brokenpaw nodded. He lunged forward, wrapping his forepaws around his mentor's shoulders. Nightpelt held still, evidently wanting to give Brokenpaw the best chance at getting the move right when it was only his first try. The young tabby curled into a ball and thrust out with his back paws, catching the warrior with a powerful blow to the chest. For a moment, Brokenpaw felt elation flood through him as Nightpelt staggered backwards; that was, until Brokenpaw's own weight pulled him and Nightpelt backwards onto the ground with a thud.
"Ouch," he grunted, his shoulder bruised and Nightpelt's weight crushing him. Thankfully, the black tom stood quickly, leaving the apprentice free to get up. "That was harder than I expected," he admitted, flexing his shoulder as he rose to his paws.
"It was good for a first try," Nightpelt assured him. "But you need to be a bit more careful with how you level your weight; throw it all into your strike. Try again."
Brokenpaw locked his front paws around Nightpelt's neck, making sure his grip was tight before using his hind paws. This time, he followed his mentor's advice, throwing all his weight into the thrust of his back feet. As Nightpelt stumbled backwards, Brokenpaw realized that he was falling onto the warrior and sprung away, landing neatly on his paws as his mentor collapsed.
"Well done," Nightpelt meowed, rising to his paws. "I must say, I'm impressed."
Brokenpaw was just about ready to burst with pride. He forced himself to nod graciously to his mentor, aware that bragging of his natural talent would come across as unappreciative. "Does that mean I get to battle the other apprentices now?" he asked hopefully.
Nightpelt's whiskers twitched in amusement. "Yes, I suppose so," he replied, flicking his tail over Brokenpaw's ear good-naturedly. "Let's go find your denmates."
The walk wasn't long; it was in a nearby clearing that they came across the others. Deerpaw and Tanglepaw were locked in an intense spar as Cloudpelt and Wolfstep called encouragement to their respective apprentices.
"Clout her in the head, Deerpaw!" shouted Cloudpelt, as Tanglepaw sank her teeth into the back of his apprentice's scruff, careful to get a good grip without breaking the skin. Deerpaw struggled, but his efforts were futile. "That'll dislodge her!"
"Hang on to him!" called Wolfstep animatedly. "Don't let him get away so easily!"
Brokenpaw felt his whiskers twitch with amusement; the mentors seemed almost as much into the fight as their apprentices! Wolfstep was certainly frustrated when Deerpaw escaped Tanglepaw's grip with a skillful roll and pinned her down.
"Better luck next time," boasted Deerpaw, letting Tanglepaw up. His eyes gleamed wickedly. "That's what you get for stuffing moss in my ear!"
"You're the one who'll need the luck!" meowed Tanglepaw, clearly determined not to be bested. "I'll flay you and then we'll see who ends up on top!"
"Perfect timing," meowed Cloudpelt to Nightpelt and Brokenpaw, spotting them. "Which mouse-brain do you want to take on; Deerpaw, the boastful and overconfident winner, or Tanglepaw, our overly-determined but hardworking underdog?"
Brokenpaw sized them up for a moment before narrowing his eyes at Deerpaw. "I'll fight the winner," he meowed, lashing his tail.
Cloudpelt dipped his head. "A brave one," he meowed, seeming impressed. "Alright, if you're ready to fight, then both of you, head to the either end of the field." Both apprentices complied, squaring their shoulders as they reached their starting points. Brokenpaw glared at his old enemy from the nursery. Deerpaw might have forgotten making fun of him, but Brokenpaw certainly remembered. You may have beaten Tanglepaw, he thought, more determined than he had ever been before, but you will not beat me. Get ready for the battle of your life!
"Begin!" Cloudpelt called out, bringing down his tail in a signal to start.
Both apprentices lunged forward, claws unsheathed. Deerpaw made the first move, slashing his claws across Brokenpaw's nose, but the dark tabby barely felt the pain. He countered with a low swipe, knocking the other apprentice's legs out from underneath him as he struck the tendon. He pounced on Deerpaw, sinking in his claws. The two rolled in a ball of fur and claws, resorting to wild, fighting instinct. Deerpaw broke away first, planting his paws down firmly to keep himself from rolling further. Brokenpaw twisted around to face his opponent as he skidded back through the sand. He lunged again, catching Deerpaw with a blow to the shoulder.
Deerpaw snarled, bristling as he recognized the brown tabby's personal grudge against him. He shouldered Brokenpaw hard, making the larger tom stumble backwards. Taking advantage of this moment of fault, the light brown tom pounced on Brokenpaw, trying his hardest to pin him down.
I'm losing! Brokenpaw thought in panic. He couldn't lose, not after all of Deerpaw's cruel taunting. Remember your training, he urged himself, fighting to stay calm.
Brokenpaw locked his front paws around Deerpaw's shoulders. Great StarClan, please let me get this move right!Taking a deep breath, he lashed out as hard as he could at Deerpaw's chest. For a moment, Brokenpaw's heart plummeted as he realized he was fighting against his own weight, but his strike was stronger than he expected. Throwing his full weight forward, Brokenpaw rolled to his paws as he sent Deerpaw flying off him, using his grip around the smaller tom's neck to tumble to his paws. Bet you didn't see that coming! he thought, remembering that Nightpelt had said it was a more advanced move. Triumphant, Brokenpaw launched himself at his shocked opponent.
The struggle only lasted a few more heartbeats, with all of Deerpaw's efforts proving ineffective. Before long, Brokenpaw was able to overpower his former tormentor. I'm much stronger than you now, he thought.And that means…"I win," he hissed aloud, narrowing his eyes.
"That you do," meowed Nightpelt, overhearing. His blue eyes glowed with pride.
Thrilled beyond anything he had felt before, Brokenpaw got off of the resentful Deerpaw. The light brown apprentice began to groom himself defensively, looking as if he hadn't enjoyed this defeat one bit. That made Brokenpaw's victory feel ten times better.
Tanglepaw bounced up to him, her eyes wide with admiration. "Wow!" she exclaimed, seeming very impressed. "You totally showed Deerpaw, didn't you? I never knew you could fight that well!"
"Well, now you do," meowed Brokenpaw, a bit superior. He felt that he had earned the bragging rights.
"This is doing nothing for your ego, is it?" teased Nightpelt as he walked over to his apprentice, flicking Brokenpaw's ear with his tail good-naturedly. "Well done."
Basking in their approval and Deerpaw's humiliation, Brokenpaw felt more content than he ever had in his life.
