Hey, everyone! So I have my first review. I wanted to ask ya'll if you wanted me to answer your reviews here or via PM. One more thing, I wanted to reiterate that this is a challenge that SilverFlash of Thunderclan is doing for her book The Kit of Fallenleaves and Hollyleaf. So this is going to be about 10 chapters after the last actual chapter in her book.
CloudedSpots: Yes I realized that chapter 1 was very long when I published it. Thank you for telling me. I know that it was very detailed, but I am blind so I like things being described in great detail because it helps me. Also, many stories have their excitement towards the middle of the book so you'll probably see that in later chapters. Thanks for reviewing!
Chapter 9: A Lesson to Learn
"Firepaw," a small white paw nudged my shoulder. "It's time to go train," I mumbled sleepily under my breath and stood up. My mangled leg hung heavily by my side. Brightheart stood patiently outside the den waiting for me to walk out. I shook the moss out of my fur and walked awkwardly out to greet her.
"Good Morning, Brightheart." I murmured. She blinked her one good eye warmly towards me as she entered the den to wake up the others. Reappearing, she brought Honeypaw and Twigpaw out with her. Both she-cats were blinking sleep out of their blue eyes.
"What are we going to do today," I yawned sleepily.
Brightheart purred amused. Her slightly silver flecked muzzle shining in the dawn light. "You and I are going to work on some new fighting techniques, while Twigpaw and Honeypaw are going hunting."
"You are up pretty early, Brightheart. It takes me normally forever to get Honeypaw up." A deep voice sounded over on my blind side. I flinched and leaned against Honeypaw. Twisting my head, I made out a blurry cream shape. The scent was Honeypaw's mentor, Berrynose.
Brghtheart gave me a kind look before turning towards the cream furred tom. "I guess it just takes practice, Berrynose." He huffed good-naturedly and she returned with a good-natured growl. I swung my head around from watching the exchange as another scent entered my nose.
Hollytuft was trotting up to us, her sleek black coat rippling in the morning sunshine. "Twigpaw!" She called. Twigpaw jumped to her paws and raced across the clearing to meet her mentor. The two spoke for a few heartbeats before running into the tunnel. Berrynose and Brightheart were just finishing up their conversation when he flicked his tail for Honeypaw to follow him and the pair thundered out of the gorse tunnel. Brightheart touched her tail to my shoulder and we walked to the training hollow. Jayfeather was there waiting on us, his sightless blue eyes fixed eerily on us as we descended into the hollow. "Brightheart, why is Jayfeather here? Isn't he the medicine cat?" I mewed as I made sure to place my paws carefully in the soft sand.
"Yes," she answered, "He is. But he trained as a warrior before he became a medicine cat and all medicine cats have to have battle training. Since you are new, he can practice with you." I nodded, falling silent. What she said made perfect sense.
Jayfeather walked over to us and sniffed my leg carefully and grunted with approval. "Don't strain that leg." He growled.
I nodded before remembering that he can't see my face. "Yes, Jayfeather."
Brightheart gestured for me to stand at the side of the hollow. She whispered in Jayfeather's ear. He grunted annoyed but walked over to the other side. "Now, Firepaw, in a battle, a cat will use your weakness against you. So you have to be prepared for that. Jayfeather attack me." She instructed calmly. I watched, taking careful notes of everything as Jayfeather hurled himself at my mentor. She lunged at his ears and Jayfeather rose up to meet her. Then she swept his paws out from under him. Jayfeather fell to the floor and struggled up, but reached out to feel for Brightheart. He made the blow defensive and he struck her side. Brightheart pinned him down from behind and then let him up. "Jayfeather, can you tell Firepaw how it was so easy for me to beat you, please?"
He nodded and fixed me with his eyes. I trained my one green eye on his. "Did you notice how I kept pausing to scent the air?"
"Yes..." I answered unsure of whether that was correct or not.
The gray tabby sighed with restrained annoyance. "Well, I can't see where Brightheart is so I have to use my other senses. In the middle of a battle, you won't be able to use nose as easily, but you can train your nose to pick out the scent of the cat you're fighting and it will help you. Keep moving no matter what. If you feel that they are going high, then go high, if they go low, go low. You have an eye, so you can see them on one side. So you'll have an advantage in battle, that I won't have. That is why I kept reaching out to find Brightheart. I knew she wouldn't be far. She also was stronger than me too. Pretty strong for an old cat," Brightheart tried to protest, but Jayfeather continued to speak. "However, I am smaller and faster than her. So are you. So you need to use your strength in battle against your enemy and let your blind side help you in battle." He took a step back signaling that he was done speaking.
Brightheart took a pace forward. "Thank you, Jayfeather. I'm not that old by the way." He snorted bemused.
We trained like that for the rest of the day. When the other apprentices came for battle training, Brightheart would ask their mentors if they could attack me so I could see what we were talking about. I was pretty sore by the end of the day, but I knew that my mother would be so proud of me.
Dawnpaw and Lightpaw were waiting for me at camp when we returned. "How'd it go?"
Brightheart answered, "She'll make a formidable fighter at this rate." My older siblings squealed happily and ran to find father. "Firepaw, I am very proud of you today. Go make sure the queens have been fed and then you make take something from the fresh kill pile."
"Yes, BrightHeart!" My chest swelled up with pride as I watched my mentor walk to the elder's den to share tongues with her mate.
Then I ran to the fresh kill pile and pulled off the biggest rabbit I could find along with a crow, two mice, and a squirrel. "Hey, Firepaw!' I swiveled my head under the heavy load to see Honeypaw and Oakpaw running from the apprentices' den. "Let us help you with that!" I gratefully flicked my tail towards them as they grabbed some of the prey. "So the nursery? Because I already fed the elders." Honeypaw mumbled through the mice. I nodded my head with the squirrel hanging down and Oakpaw laid the massive rabbit on his shoulders and carried the crow. I walked into the nursery hesitantly. We had three new queens moving into the nursery. Berrybush, Clovertail, and Starnight besides Squirrelflight and Daisy. Daisy just stays to help out all the queens eventhough she has none in the nursery and Squirrelflight's are almost apprentices so she keeps them outside most of the time. Clovertail is a moon away from being due and is the youngest. Berrybush is due any day now and I can't wait to meet her kits. In the far corner is Starnight. Starnight kitted three sunrises ago while we were out training. She originally had four kits. Fallkit, Icekit, Sunkit, and Whisperkit. Sunkit and Whisperkit died at birth. It was very sad. She is fostering two more kits. Raccoonfur found them in the woods at the edge of our territory. He won't say who their mother is, but I can tell that he is their father. It is pretty obvious.
"Firepaw, what is it?" Daisy mewed softly from her corner.
I shuffled my paws and laid down the squirrel so I could speak. "Oakpaw, Honeypaw, and I brought prey to make sure you guys have eaten." The four queens in the nursery purred gently as we laid our prey down in the middle of the nursery. "Starnight, may we see the new kits?"
The black, white, and cream speckled queen nodded her head wearily as she dug into the crow Oakpaw laid at her feet. We quickly distributed the rest of the food. Daisy claimed the squirrel for herself and insisted we give Clovertail the rabbit because she is really young. Clovertail tried to protest, but Berrybush gently persuaded the heavily pregnant queen to take it. Berrybush purred thanks to Honeypaw when she was given the two mice. Squirrelflight walked in with a thrush in her jaws with Cliffkit bouncing around her paws. She quietly scolded her kit and told him to get ready for a nap. Cliffkit nodded and laid down in his nest only much closer to his mother now that Shadowkit had died from Greencough. We then crept quietly over to Starnight's nest, not wanting to wake up the kits. They were so beautiful. I breathed in their warm milky scent. I could tell that the two newest ones have been washed really well recently too.
"Starnight, what are their names?" Oakpaw asked as he gestured gently to the ones at the end of her nest with his tail tip.
She gently brushed her tail against their head as she said their name. "The darker one is Shadekit and the lighter one is Splashkit." We all nodded.
"They are wonderful." Honeypaw and I breathed as we exited the nursery. I noticed that Oakpaw glanced shyly my direction before running off to bounce around Bramblestar.
Probably asking him about what they are going to do tomorrow, I thought with a slight edge of remorse.
"Hey," Honeypaw nudged me. "Bramblestar didn't know if you even wanted to be a warrior or if you even were going to live! You'll do better with Brightheart as a mentor." I nodded and headbutted my gold furred friend affectionately. The two of us grabbed a bite of prey from the fresh kill pile and settled down to eat before the sun went down behind the trees. I quickly dug into a chaffinch while Honeypaw gobbled down a vole. Afterward, we groomed each other before standing up and burying the bones of our prey. We walked into the apprentice's den and settled down into our nests. I curled into mine and accommodated my stiff leg. I looked around the camp from my nest and still saw the holes the deaths had left behind. My father, my grandfather, my brother, Shadowkit, and Purdy. It was hard living day to day knowing that they were gone. But I remember what Flamepaw had said when our mother died. I will be the best for him now too. I just have to be.
Laying my head against Honeypaw's back I sighed and closed my eyes to go to sleep. "Goodnight, Honeypaw." I murmured.
"Goodnight, Firepaw, May Starclan light your path." All around us the other apprentices were getting ready for bed. The camp was settling down for the night and as sleep was taking over, I watched Ivypool's stern form, guard the camp against all enemies, while we sleep. Never before have I felt so comfortable and safe after my mother's death than watching my mother's sister watch over us all as the night wears on. The last thing I saw before sleep overtook me was Ivypool's silver shape shining brightly in the moonlight.
