"Firepaw! You need to twist or you'll fall flat on your face." Deerfoot meowed. After Brokenstar had calmed down, a few days after, Deerfoot had returned to train Firepaw with the battle skills when Brokenstar allowed him too. He was happy too. Unlike most, Deerfoot understood that Firepaw could calm down his leader, and helped him move on from whatever made him angry. He woke Firepaw early at dawn this morning for this, then he would work him until it was sunhigh, then they would go hunting.
"I did!" Firepaw snapped.
"I didn't see it happen!" Deerfoot growled. "Try again on Lightpaw."
So Firepaw did. He reared up on his hind legs and twisted around to strike on Lightpaw's back. The older apprentice took one look before jumping to the side and Firepaw fell to the ground. Not on his face this time, he managed to catch himself.
"I twisted!" Firepaw growled, getting mad. "Yet I still ended up falling down! Why can't I get this?"
Deerfoot sighed. "Not everyone gets it. Lightpaw was quick to move. You'll need to prepare when your enemy moves. We will work on this move for a while until you can get this right. Lightpaw, try it on Firepaw. No claws!" He snapped at the last part at Nutwhisker's apprentice.
Lightpaw felt the fur on his back bristle up. "I didn't mean too! It was one time and I served for it! I'm lucky Brokenstar loosen those rules. I could've gone back to the nursery."
"Yes, you are lucky he loosed up. But I can still punish you as I see fit as your mentor," Nutwhisker scoffed. "I swear Barkpaw almost got a scar from that session and Firepaw held a sore paw for days. Aren't we lucky Yellowfang stuck up for us, Deerfoot?"
"Yes, very." Deerfoot agreed. "Now, Lightpaw do the move."
"I swear I'm going to tell Dawncloud about this," Lightpaw replied in a low voice. "Watch out!" He warned Firepaw before leaping into action, leaving Firepaw no choice but to defend himself.
**Heart Within The Broken**
"You're going too soft! Kittypet soft!" Tigerclaw's words echoed. He closed his eyes and growled lowly at the memory.
"If I were you-I'd just abandon the kit and tell him there is no use for him! That I only fathered him out of pity! That he'll never a warrior of my Clan! How could you so easily take him in and not think about his origins? Did you even once think about that?" The next set of words made his claws unleashed and he dug them into the ground very hard. He began clawing at the dirt ground. Ignoring all those looks from his Clanmates. He was just about done with everything Tigerclaw was suggesting from this! He didn't know what it meant to be a father!
"If this plan is to work then you need to quite being a father!" Tigerclaw had yelled. No, Brokenstar thought. He doesn't know anything about being a father. He doesn't know what Firepaw means to me! To Yellowfang! To all of ShadowClan! How could he tell me to abandon him?
The gray she-cat came out of the den to see her son growling and clawing up the ground. She knew for sure if Firepaw saw his father he'd be confused.
"Brokenstar, calm down." She asked when she sat down next to him. Her gaze passed over her son. "Whatever he told you-forget it!" Brokenstar's orange eyes opened once more.
Brokenstar shook his head. "The words are still fresh. The hit deep. I gave him a piece of his own medicine by saying something about his father." he explained. Yellowfang gave him a look.
"Brokenstar," she meowed, her voice suddenly more harsh. "We all know of Pinestar and his cowardliness but was it really needed to shot the fact he's the son of Pinestar?"
"He offended me. I simply offended him back." Brokenstar stated. "I know I shouldn't have! I was angry! Tell me you would've done something different!" She said nothing. "Exactly! You would've done the same. I don't think when I'm mad."
"You can tell. Good." Yellowfang purred. "Do you regret it?"
Brokenstar shifted. "A bit."
"The rest will follow soon then." Yellowfang chuckled. "Nothing to worry about."
"If you say so. How could I even remotely forget about Tigerclaw's words about me? He spoke to me after the gathering and suddenly decides I'm going soft! I know I'm changing, but when he tells me to abandon Firepaw? Not happening." Brokenstar hissed out. His orange eyes slide over to Yellowfang. "How could I forget those words?"
Yellowfang shook her head slightly and sighed. "Look, Brokenstar, I know it's hard. But it'll vanish from your mind."
The leader went quiet before watching his medicine cat get up and padding over to the nursery. Brokenstar sighed heavily before hanging his head low before getting up and moving to his den. The meeting today could wait and he summoned his deputy to his den.
When Blackfoot came in, all he saw was Brokenstar's angered eyes.
"Tell Tigerclaw the meeting today will not take place." Brokenstar said without expression. It was cold and dead. "Not after the little meeting after the gathering."
"Yes, Brokenstar," Blackfoot dipped his head before slipping out. He went over to Clawface. "Hey, Clawface! Let's go teach Tigerclaw a piece of our mind, shall we?"
Clawface chuckled darkly and unleashed his claws. "Oh, with pleasure my friend!"
The two of them disappeared from camp.
