Chapter 8: Spotted Owl

"Spotted Owl! Spotted Owl, wake up!" A paw prodded Spotted Owl's shoulder as an insistent voice nagged her. The black and white dappled she-cat groaned and rolled over, but the paw painfully poked her shoulder again.

"Okay, okay, I'm awake." Spotted Owl groaned, reluctantly opened her eyes. Blossom Dust was bending over her, her yellow eyes anxious. Bright sunlight streamed in from the entrance to the trainee's den, turning the edges of Blossom Dust's fur to gold. "What is it?" The young trainee asked, annoyed at having been woken up out of a deep sleep.

"It's past dawn. Rabbit Nose and Yellow Sky told us to be ready as soon as the first rays of the sun appeared. We're late for training." Blossom Dust told her anxiously. "Come on; we need to go!"

"Why didn't you wake me sooner?" Spotted Owl demanded, leaping to her paws, not bothering to shake the bits of moss that clung to her pelt as she raced out of the den. She halted almost immediately, gasping, as a bolt of pain ran up her shoulder.

Blossom Dust dashed after her sister. "You told me to leave you alone so you could get a good night's sleep and wake up early for training!"

"Yeah, well, you still should of. Now we'll both be late for training." Spotted Owl pointed out with an annoyed toss of her head as she cautiously flexed her shoulder. The excruciating pain had subsided, so she got to her paws and led the way across the camp.

Spotted Owl and Blossom Dust slowed to a trot near the entrance to the stone gorge at the sight of their instructors. Yellow Sky and Rabbit Nose lounged beside the tunnel entrance, their legs stretched out lazily and eyes half-closed, but the restless twitching of Yellow Sky's tail told Spotted Owl that they had been waiting impatiently for a while.

"It's about time," Yellow Sky meowed, heaving herself to her paws as she fixed her hard yellow gaze on Spotted Owl. "We told you to be awake and ready at dawn. What happened?"

Spotted Owl boldly returned her instructor's gaze. "I'm sorry, Yellow Sky. I didn't mean to oversleep, but Blossom Dust should've woken me up."

"This is your first day, so it's okay that you overslept." Yellow Sky replied. "However, in the future, you must never be late for training. I have high expectations for you as my trainee, and I will not tolerate any laziness. Do not let it happen again."

The young trainee ducked her head, stung by Yellow Sky's admonishment. "Of course. I won't."

"Good." Yellow Sky grunted. "Let's go." With a sweep of her tail, the smoky gray she-cat led them through the passageway and out into the Clan of the Morning Sun's territory.

"Hey, wait up!"

Spotted Owl paused and looked behind her, startled at the voice who had just called out from behind them. Sharp, his ginger and brown tabby pelt flashing in the sunlight raced toward them, four other rogues sprinting after him. Two of them were a familiar lithe, pale gray cats, but the others, a white she-cat with dull brown tabby stripes and a young sleek-coated silver tom were strangers.

"Yes, Sharp, what is it?" Yellow Sky asked, looking confused, as the five rogues skidded to a halt, breathing heavily, in front of her.

"We - pant - were - pant - wondering if we - pant- could join your training session," Sharp replied between quick breaths. "Your regent, Falling Star, said it would all right. We would like to watch and learn some of your battle moves."

"Alright," Yellow Sky agreed. "If Falling Star said it would be okay."

Spotted Owl's dark spirits lifted as the patrol continued along the mountainside, traveling through familiar looking scraggly pine trees that they had passed the day before and then following a well-worn dirt trail that grew steadily steeper as they climbed higher. The young she-cat trudged along behind Yellow Sky, glancing behind her every once in awhile to see if Sharp and the other rogues were still there. They were, puffing hard as they toiled up the steep incline.

I can't believe we get to train with Sharp and his friends! Spotted Owl thought excitedly. I know they want to watch us practice, but I hope that they will show us show us some battle moves. Sharp must be a great fighter to be able to have rescued me from the eagle. I hope he'll teach us some new battle moves!

The white she-cat with black patches was so immersed in her thoughts that she barely noticed as she and the other cats followed the trail through a thicket of pine trees and into a high, narrow crevice in a tall rocky cliff looming above them. The massive, sheer rock walls blotted out almost all of the daylight, leaving the path in deep shadow. The cats' paw-steps thumped on the thickly layered dirt as they followed the winding trail of the crevice. Gradually, the ground grew steeper, and the walls shorter. All of a sudden, they rounded a bend and emerged from the crack, padding out onto a broad, flat rocky plateau.

"Welcome to the Clan of the Morning Sun's training ground." Rabbit Nose meowed with a smile as he padded to stand in front of Blossom Dust and Spotted Owl who was staring around themselves, their mouths hanging open in amazement.

The scenery that lay before her was nothing quite like anything Spotted Owl had ever seen. The rocky plateau was broad and smooth, making almost a full circle of rock in front of them. It was the perfect place for cats to practice battle moves or spar together. Behind them stood the rocky cliff, only about three tail-lengths above them now with the crevice splitting it near the center. Before them lay sprawled the majestic Valley of Hidden Stars; vast rolling mountains covered by thick, lush green forests, and sparkling streams running toward the circular lake at the heart of the valley. It was their first full view of their home.

"It's...beautiful." Blossom Dust breathed. Spotted Owl could only nod in agreement, so overcome with emotion at the sight that lay before her.

"I know it is." Rabbit Nose agreed, moving to stand beside the young she-cats. "You got some glimpses yesterday, so this is your first proper view of our home. It's overwhelming, so don't try to take it in all at once."

Rabbit Nose turned her gaze to the valley that lay before them. "That small, dark mountain directly across from us is the Dusk Mountain, where the Clan of the Dark Caves lives. They make their camp in the tunnels that run beneath the mountain and their territory covers the slope of the Dusk Mountain." He informed them.

"Wow!" Spotted Owl exclaimed. "They live underground? That's so weird!"

Blossom Dust's instructor acknowledged her comment with a small nod before continuing, "The Clan of the High Peaks lives on the Wind Mountain, that one way over there." He pointed with his muzzle to a blurry peak that seemed to pierce the clouds in the distance. "They live at the very top of the Wind Mountain, but their territory covers the entire slope."

"And that," Rabbit Nose turned toward the last mountain, a rolling wooded slope that faced opposite the Wind Mountain. "Is the Water Mountain. The Clan of the Flowing Waters hunts there, but they live on an island in the Blue River that runs beside the base of the Water Mountain and is fed by the streams that flow down its slopes."

"Hey!" Yellow Sky called, rudely interrupting Rabbit Nose. "We're up here to train, not to sit around gossiping like crows. Get your tails over here!"

Spotted Owl glanced at Rabbit Nose, expecting him to retort something, but the pale brown tabby and white tom merely nodded and said, "Alright, trainees. You heard Yellow Sky. Let's begin training."

Spotted Owl and Blossom Dust stood and followed Rabbit Nose over to where Yellow Sky impatiently waited in the center of the rocky plateau. Sharp and the other rogues stood a short ways off to the side, watching the Clan cats intently.

"Welcome to the Clan of the Morning Sun's training ground." Yellow Sky began unceremoniously. "As fighter trainees, you two will be spending a lot of your time here, learning and practicing battle moves. At some point, you will also be trained in basic hunting skills, but since you've both been chosen as fighters, your main role now is to learn how to fight in case there ever is a battle where you need to defend your Clanmates. As you begin your training, I want you to know that we have high expectations for you both. We expect you to get up early and to be ready to train. We expect that you will train hard and push yourself to be the very best you can be. Today begins your training as fighters of the Clan of the Morning Sun."

"During our training session today, we will be teaching you some basic battle moves." Rabbit Nose told them. "Spotted Owl, Red Maple instructed us only to let you watch because these moves may aggravate your shoulder."

"Awww," The white she-cat with black patches complained. "But why can't I? A few easy moves shouldn't make my shoulder worse."

"Still, Red Maple wants to make sure that it heals quickly, so you're here only to watch." Rabbit Nose replied firmly. Spotted Owl pouted and flicked her tail annoyedly, but said nothing.

Yellow Sky got to her paws and padded to stand in front of her Clanmates. "We will start with some easy moves. This first technique is called an attack crouch. It can be used to prepare yourself for an attack." The dark smoky gray she-cat dropped into a low crouch, her muscles bunched, spine arched, her tail sticking straight out behind her, a paw's length from the ground.

Facing her, Blossom Dust copied Yellow Sky, carefully lowering herself into a crouch while Rabbit Nose padded around her, inspecting her crouch. "That's very good, Blossom Dust, but you are holding yourself too high, and your paws are too close together. You need to move them wider apart and let yourself sink down into the crouch."

Blossom Dust shifted her paws a little and lowered herself toward the ground more. "Is this better?"

"Better," Rabbit Nose nodded.

Spotted Owl watched enviously as Yellow Sky demonstrated a few more moves and Blossom Dust copied her. I can't believe I can't try the battle moves. Red Maple's rule is stupid. I'm fine. Spotted Owl thought, shaking her head. Still, even if I can't practice them, I can still watch and do my best to learn them. Then I won't be far behind. She resolved.

Spotted Owl's determination slowly faded as the sun inched across the sky. She became bored with watching the training session and let her attention wander to a daydream of training hard and of one day besting the fiercest warrior in the Clan of the Dark Caves.

"Hey, Yellow Sky," A strange voice broke in. Spotted Owl quickly snapped back to reality at the sound of the new voice.

Spotted Owl's instructor looked up from where she was observing Blossom Dust's attempt at a move the experienced fighter had just shown her. "Yes?" She sounded annoyed at being interrupted.

One of the lithe gray cats stepped forward. It was the tom. "Those moves are very straightforward. Shouldn't you be teaching your trainees more advanced battle moves? You do expect them to be able to defend themselves at least, don't you?"

"These cats were just made trainees yesterday. They're really still kits. We can't expect them to be learning advanced moves yet." Rabbit Nose explained, stepping to Yellow Sky's side.

Spotted Owl bristled. We're trainees now! How dare he called us kits!

"Why not?" The gray tom inquired. "They need to be able to defend themselves against any threat right away. If they were my trainees I would already be teaching them every single advanced move I know."

"And what makes you think you'd be a better instructor to these trainees than us?" Yellow Sky asked pointedly.

"Well, for starters, I'm an excellent fighter, and I know-" The gray tom began, but Sharp padded forward, placing his tail on his fellow rogue's shoulder to cut him off.

"That's enough, Glaze." Sharp meowed warningly, his voice low but loud enough for Spotted Owl to hear.

"But-" Glaze protested, but he stopped when Sharp leaned closer and whispered something in his ear. Glaze nodded and backed off.

"Sharp, why didn't you let your friend finish? I would like to hear why he thinks his fighting techniques are superior to ours." Yellow Sky said.

"That won't be necessary," Sharp said smoothly. "Glaze has overstepped his bounds. He shouldn't have spoken out of turn like that."

"Well, we've been showing you all our battle moves. Why don't you give us a demonstration of your techniques?" Yellow Sky proposed. "Attack me."

"What?" Sharp blinked.

Yellow Sky raised her chin. "You heard me. Attack me."

Spotted Owl gazed at her instructor in astonishment. She hadn't expected Yellow Sky to respond in this way. New respect for her instructor bloomed in her chest. She knew Yellow Sky was an accomplished fighter of the Clan of the Morning Sun, but Yellow Sky had no idea what kind of fighter Sharp was. She was brave to challenge a strange cat to a fight. Spotted Owl's heart pounded in her chest as she turned watch Sharp's response.

"Alright." Sharp's eyes narrowed into slits as he stared closely at Yellow Sky. The ginger and brown tabby tom sunk into a crouch and inched forward, paw-step by paw-step. Once he was a short distance away, he bunched his lean muscles and leaped, forepaws extended.

Yellow Sky was ready for him. She dodged to one side and cuffed Sharp over the head as he flew by. Sharp landed, puffing, where the dark smoky gray she-cat had been. He whirled around, eyes wide and frustrated.

Without a second of hesitation, the ginger and brown tabby tom threw himself at his opponent again. This time, Yellow Sky reared up to intercept him, and the pair crashed into one another, falling to the earth in a tangle of legs and fur.

Spotted Owl leaped to one side as her instructor and Sharp rolled past, locked in fierce battle. Yellow Sky had Sharp on his back, but the rogue wasn't giving up. He ferociously attacked her face with a flurry of blows. Yellow Sky jerked back, blinking to clear her gaze.

In that moment of hesitation, Sharp sprung. Moving like lightning, he curled his paws up to his belly as pushed out, throwing the larger she-cat off of him. In an instant, Sharp was on Yellow Sky, pressing his paws against her throat as he pinned her to the dusty ground.

Spotted Owl let out a gasp. Yellow Sky was one of the strongest fighters in the Clan; she'd never expected that her mighty instructor would be beaten by a rogue, even if it was Sharp, the cat who had bravely fought an eagle to save her.

But Yellow Sky wasn't finished yet. She stopped struggling and, as soon as Sharp relaxed his grip, struck out with her hind legs, knocking Sharp's back legs out from under him. The ginger and brown tabby tom collapsed on his side as Yellow Sky leaped to her paws, firmly placing one of her paws on his shoulder and another on his flank. "Never let your guard down." The dark smoky she-cat growled as she backed off of the rogue and turned to pad back to her place beside Rabbit Nose.

Sharp scrambled to his paws, his pelt ruffled and covered in dust. He slowly shuffled back to stand next to his companions.

"Good fight, though," Yellow Sky meowed. "You could teach us some new moves."

"Thank you," Sharp meowed, regaining some of his composure.

"Alright, that's enough training for one day." Rabbit Nose decided, raising his gaze to the sinking sun. "Let's head back to camp." The pale brown tabby and white tom padded toward the entrance. Yellow Sky beckoned to Blossom Dust and Spotted Owl who fell in alongside her. The rogues trotted in a small knot a little ways behind the Clan cats.

"That was an amazing fight!" Spotted Owl whispered excitedly to Blossom Dust. "Yellow Sky is a good fighter, but so is Sharp! He almost beat her! I'm glad that Yellow Sky is my instructor. She may be gruff and strict, but she's going to teach me to be an amazing fighter and I'll be the best fighter and I'll win every battle for the Clan of the Morning Sun."

"I'm glad I got Rabbit Nose, though," Blossom Dust replied. "He's not as strict or gruff as Yellow Sky, and he's much kinder."

"Yeah, but he's not as experienced as her." Spotted Owl said smugly. "She's going to teach me to be the best fighter in the Clan."

"It doesn't matter to me whether I'll be the best fighter in the Clan or not." Blossom Dust meowed. "No matter how good I am, I'm glad I'm learning to how defend our Clanmates and to keep them safe."

"How can you say that?" The young she-cat asked in disbelief. "Of course it matters how skilled of a fighter you are. Never mind, you're too small to ever be a good fighter, so I suppose it doesn't matter if you care or not. I'm going to be best fighter in the Clan!"

Spotted Owl tossed her head and picked up her pace, pulling ahead of Blossom Dust, not even noticing the hurt look on her sister's face. I can't believe it doesn't matter to her how good she is at fighting. Blossom Dust is so dim-witted sometimes. I can't believe she doesn't understand that if we want to earn our Clanmates respect, we have to work harder than any other trainee and become the best fighters in the Clan of the Morning Sun! The white she-cat with black patches shook her head and continued on.

. . .

The sun hung low in the sky as the group of cats drew near the hidden entrance to the Clan of the Morning Sun's camp. Once they were at the entrance to the tangle of brambles that led to the passageway, Yellow Sky and Rabbit Nose stepped aside and gestured to Spotted Owl and Blossom Dust to wait with them as the rogues slipped past them and into the passageway.

"Trainees, we wanted to get you alone to explain in private to tell you that tomorrow night we will be taking you to the Star Falls to speak with our ancestors." Yellow Sky informed them once the rogues had vanished into the brambles.

"The Star Falls?" Blossom Dust squealed, her eyes stretched wide.

"Yes," Rabbit Nose replied with a nod. "The Star Falls lie in the Clan of the Dark Caves' territory, but since we are going to speak with our ancestors, we are allowed to travel through their land safely. However, it is a very long walk, so we will be leaving around sunhigh to get there in time. Get to sleep early tonight, sleep in, and eat a good meal tomorrow morning. We all need to be rested and full for the journey."

"Wait a moment," Yellow Sky called after Spotted Owl and Blossom Dust as the pair of trainees turned to go. They looked back at her. The dark smoky gray she-cat lowered her voice as she continued, "Just in case either of you were thinking about it, there is no need to mention any of this to the rogues."

"Why?" Spotted Owl cocked her head, puzzled.

"Our chieftain may have let the rogues stay with us, but there is no need to tell them every single thing about our ways, especially our private practices that have to do with our ancestors." Yellow Sky explained.

"Okay," Spotted Owl said, turning to head through the brambles and into the dark tunnel. Why did she specifically tell us not to talk to the rogue about our trip to the Star Falls? What are we hiding? She wondered.

Here is chapter 8! We have learned more about Yellow Sky and Sharp and next chapter, my three little guys will be traveling to meet with their ancestors! If you want to find more about my Clans' traditions regarding this, see the first chapter. Thanks for reading and onto the next chapter!

- A Warrior At Heart