Chapter 11
Rainpaw bounced after Leafpool. "So what are you going to train me to do today?"
"Well, you are old enough to be a warrior, so you must know some things already, right?" Leafpool asked.
"Um...I can hunt a little. I can catch mice, birds, and squirrels," Rainpaw replied shyly, used to being reprimanded for her hunting skills.
Leafpool nodded seriously. "That's good. What about your battle moves?"
Rainpaw thought for a moment. "Hollowflight taught me quite a few moves. The ones in water I couldn't do at all, but I'm really good at several land moves."
"In ThunderClan, we only fight on land. So how about we see what you can do, okay?" Leafpool suggested.
Leafpool led the way to the training hollow. She instructed Rainpaw to try and attack her as if they were actually in a battle. Rainpaw nodded, and immediately sprang at her mentor without giving Leafpool time to think. She leaped onto her mentor's back, causing Leafpool to yowl in surprise. Rainpaw was able to knock the former medicine cat off her paws easily. The apprentice rolled Leafpool onto her belly, holding her down with all the strength Rainpaw could muster. She felt Leafpool go limp, but Rainpaw wasn't fooled. When tabby she-cat suddenly tried to dislodge the apprentice, she failed miserably. If they had been in a real battle, Leafpool would have been a dead cat.
As Rainpaw let go of her mentor, Leafpool struggled to sit up, panting. "Wow, Rainpaw, you're really good at that. I didn't know RiverClan taught that move," she gasped.
Rainpaw nodded happily. "I was really good at the land battle moves. I think it was the only part of training I was good at."
"Well, you were good at one move. Let's see if you're good at any others," Leafpool meowed.
Rainpaw spent the remainder of the day practicing ThunderClan battle moves with Leafpool, beating her mentor every time. Leafpool had not had to teach her apprentice or give her any instruction because Rainpaw didn't seem to need it. Hollowflight had done one thing right when mentoring the apprentice- he had trained her to fight on land very well. By the time the sun was beginning to set, they were doing extremely advanced battle moves that even a seasoned warrior has a hard time perfecting. Rainpaw, however, executed each move with precision and perfection, leaving Leafpool gasping for breath. During the course of the training session, Rainpaw realized that not all of the moves were ones she had learned in RiverClan, but she seemed to do them perfectly.
"Okay...I think we're done for the day..." Leafpool panted. "Or maybe...for the rest of your apprenticeship."
Rainpaw stared at her mentor in shock, still surprised by apparent talent for fighting. "Was I really that good?"
"Good? I don't think I've seen any warrior fight like that before," Leafpool mewed, catching her breath.
"But, Leafpool, I've never done most of those moves before," Rainpaw admitted.
Her mentor looked at her apprentice sharply. "You haven't? Ever?"
Rainpaw shook her head, "Never. Why can I fight like that if I've never learned those moves?"
"I don't know, Rainpaw. They seemed to come so naturally to you. I could have sworn you were an experienced warrior I was fighting," Leafpool tipped her head to one side, looking perplexed. "At any rate, the sun is going down. Let's go back to camp and get something to eat."
"Okay, Leafpool," Rainpaw mewed.
When her mentor dismissed Rainpaw for the night, the she-cat made her way to the apprentice's den. A fluffy gray and white she-cat was sitting outside the den, washing her fur.
"Who are you?" Rainpaw asked, staring at her new denmate.
"I'm Brindlepaw," the she-cat mewed sweetly, glancing up at the new apprentice. "How are you liking ThunderClan so far?"
"It's nice. I beat Leafpool during battle training today," Rainpaw said.
Brindlepaw's green eyes widened in shock. "You did? That's so cool! I'm getting pretty good at fighting, but I'm a better hunter. My brother is a great fighter, though."
"I'm good at hunting, too," Rainpaw mewed.
"Maybe we can hunt together sometime," Brindlepaw suggested. "Then we can see who really is the better hunter! But now we'd better get some sleep. Tomorrow's a full day of training!"
Rainpaw followed the fluffy apprentice into the den. Four other apprentices were already in their nests, looking up curiously as Rainpaw made her way to an empty nest.
"Everyone," Brindlepaw announced, "This is Rainpaw." She turned to face the new apprentice, her green eyes sparkling, "Rainpaw, meet the other ThunderClan apprentices: Wolfpaw, Swiftpaw, Cedarpaw, and Spottedpaw."
Rainpaw dipped her head in greeting. "Hello," she mewed timidly.
"Hi!" came the friendly welcoming from three of the apprentices. A dark brown tabby apprentice- the one Rainpaw had met on the ShadowClan border- stayed silent, glaring at Rainpaw will cold amber eyes.
Brindlepaw continued her introductions. "Wolfpaw and Swiftpaw are my brothers. Our parents are Whitewing and Birchfall. We're the eldest apprentices and will be made warriors in just a couple moons. Spottedpaw and Cedarpaw are both quite a bit younger. They were just made apprentices a moon ago."
Spottedpaw, a pretty tortoiseshell, mewed, "It's nice to meet you, Rainpaw! It will be nice having another she-cat in the den."
Brindlepaw and Spottedpaw both giggled. Rainpaw settled into her nest, feeling comfortable with these apprentices. They hardly knew her and were already nicer than every RiverClan apprentice had ever been. Happily, Rainpaw was able to drift into a deep, lovely sleep.
"Rainpaw...Rainpaw..." a small voice called.
Rainpaw opened her eyes, the call waking her up. Immediately, the apprentice was wide awake, realizing she was no longer in the apprentice's den, but in a grassy field. A ginger kit sat in the long grass, still calling her name.
"I'm here," Rainpaw meowed. "Who are you?"
The kit ignored her question. "I am here to bring you a great prophecy."
Rainpaw's blue eyes widened. "A prophecy? But I'm not a Clan leader!"
"The prophecy was meant for you, Rainpaw. Now that you are in ThunderClan, StarClan can give you the message," the kit mewed ominously.
"Now that I'm in ThunderClan I can have the prophecy? So this is where I belong! Bluestar was right," Rainpaw meowed excitedly.
The kit glared at Rainpaw with fierce green eyes. "Hush! The prophecy states, 'Out of the deadly storm, Rain will come wash the darkness away and save the forest.'
Rainpaw stared in shock. "I'm supposed to save the forest? From what darkness? And what storm?"
"I cannot tell you," the kit mewed, "but you have been given a gift. Use this gift for good so that the evil force that is coming will not win."
"A gift? You mean that I am able to do battle moves I've never been taught?" Rainpaw asked.
The kit nodded seriously. "You were born with the ability to do every battle move from ThunderClan, ShadowClan, and WindClan. A storm is coming, Rainpaw. You are the only one who can save ThunderClan."
(Revision date- February 26, 2014)