Author's Note: Hey guys! Sorry it's been a while since the last chapter, school has been a lot more crazy than I thought! Hopefully, as I adapt to it over the next few weeks, I'll be able to maintain more of a regular schedule. Also, expect the next few chapters to be pretty slow in coming- for the most part, I know what's going to happen next in my story, but the part that I'm at right now is pretty fuzzy, so it will take longer. Thanks for your patience, and all your kind reviews! I look forward to hearing from you!
-Rosie ;)

Chapter Twenty-Five

"As a WindClan cat," Flowerfoot began, pacing back and forth in front of Lionpaw, "you have been taught to rely on speed to overpower your enemies. But occasionally, you might meet a cat who is smaller- and possibly quicker- than you.

"A good Clan cat is trained to learn the strengths and weaknesses of the other Clans. Just as we have taught you, the other Clans have taught their apprentices. It's no secret that WindClan relies on speed. Which is why, if an opportunity comes to rely on brute force, you should use it, as it will also grant you the element of surprise."

Turning abruptly towards him, she crouched down defensively. "Hit me."

Lionpaw blinked at her, startled. "Right now?"

"No, let's just sit around for a while," she growled dryly. "Of course right now!"

"But you're not gonna show me what to do?"

She met his eyes levelly. "You're nearly a warrior, Lionpaw. Prove you don't need my help anymore."

He looked shocked at her words. "Ok. Here goes." He readied himself, sizing Flowerfoot up.

Briarpaw looked on nervously. What Flowerfoot had said was true- Lionpaw was nearly a warrior, and had reached his full size. And with Flowerfoot being one of the smaller cats in the Clan, her apprentice seemed to tower over her.

She guessed that Lionpaw had realized the same thing, because he suddenly began to look quite anxious. He let his posture relax. "Are you sure-"

"Get on with it already!" Flowerfoot snapped. "In battle, your enemies aren't just going to wait around while you try to work up the nerve to attack."

Lionpaw's eyes flashed. "I'm not scared!" And before she could taunt him anymore, he charged. Flowerfoot watched him calmly and easily leapt out of the way as he barreled past, smacking into a tree. Stumbling backwards, he shook his head.

"Lionpaw!" Briarpaw gasped. "Are you all right?"

He looked at her warmly. "Thanks, I'm fine."

"What was that?" Flowerfoot snapped, storming up to him. "Using strength doesn't mean that you stop using your brain!"

"I thought you said I didn't need your help anymore."

"That was before you started acting like a total mouse-brain! And I said you had to prove you didn't need my help, not that you didn't. Which, by the way, you didn't do. Not even a little bit."

"Hey! I didn't know you were going to jump out of the way like that!"

"Wouldn't be much of a training exercise if you did, now, would it?"

Lionpaw just glared at her, flicking his tail back and forth.

"What you need to do," she continued, ignoring the look, "is trick your enemy into thinking that you're not going to be using your strength. Don't go charging in like a badger-"

"Wait, wait, wait," Lionpaw interrupted. "So you are going to tell me what to do? Why didn't you just do that in the first place, instead of making me attack you with no idea what I was doing, knowing full well that I was going to fail?"

Flowerfoot shot him a glare. "Do you want to learn this, or not?"

He sighed. "Yes."

"That's what I thought. Now, where was I? Ah, yes. You must fool your enemy, as I said. Don't charge them down, or they'll know what you're planning, and not only will you fail, but you'll lose your surprise factor. Relax your muscles, act if you're planning to run, then, at the last second, bam! Smack into them."

Lionpaw dropped into a crouch. "Alright, let's do this."

Flowerfoot blinked nonchalantly. "Whenever you're ready."

Lionpaw loped over to her, circling her. She twisted in tight circles, never turning her back to him, and flashed barred teeth at him.

Suddenly, he lunged forward. At the last moment, Flowerfoot dug her paws into the dirt. As she and Lionpaw collided, she stumbled backwards, but, to Briarpaw's surprise, kept her footing. Lionpaw staggered, panting. Flowerfoot was shaking her head, and he sighed. "What did I do wrong this time?"

"Just because a scenario comes up where you're the stronger one, doesn't mean you're suddenly as muscled as a ThunderClan cat! You must always remember- you are WindClan. Even if you're using a different tactic, it doesn't change your abilities. You'd be lucky to knock anyone down that way. You couldn't even knock me down, and I'm a WindClan cat."

"Then what's the point of all this?"

"I never said it was impossible- just that you have to go about it the right way. Go for their weakness, the least sturdy part- the legs."

"Ok. Let me try again."

He took the same approach as the time before, but this time, as he rammed into her, he ducked down, destabilizing her legs. She fell to the ground, and laid still for a moment, catching the breath that had been knocked out of her. Looking up at him, she nodded approvingly, before getting to her paws. "Good. Now do it again, but harder."

Lionpaw eyed her uncertainly. "Are you sure? I don't want to hurt-"

"I'm only a WindClan cat. If you want to knock down RiverClan, ShadowClan, or even ThunderClan cats, you're going to have to do better than that." More softly, she added, "Don't worry about me. You may have me beat in size and muscle, but I'm wiry and tough. I've been through far worse. I can take it, trust me."

Narrowing his eyes determinedly, he went after the she-cat again. This time, as he slammed into her, there was a thump that was audible to Briarpaw where she stood at the other side of the clearing. Flowerfoot went tumbling backwards into a patch of weeds.

Still reeling from the impact, Lionpaw lurched to his paws and hurried over to her. "Flowerfoot, are you ok?"

"I told you," she growled, pushing herself to her paws, "I'm fine. But that was good. Very good."

Lionpaw dipped his head. "I try."

"You certainly do. Even when I give you grief about it."

He grinned. "I don't mind it that much, really."

"Good, because it's not stopping anytime soon."

He groaned. "I walked right into that one."

"C'mon, Lionpaw, you know better- you don't win me over with flattery."

"I don't know if I'd exactly call that flattery."

"Briarpaw!" she was distracted from the two cats by a yowl from behind her. She turned to see Spotfur.

"You were supposed to be practicing your paw swipes."

"Sorry, Spotfur, but I was bored. I learned how to do paw swipes ages ago, and Lionpaw's training was getting really intense! I just had to watch."

"They may be simple, but if done in the right way, can be very effective. You've been letting yours get sloppy, and you need more practice."

"But surely watching Lionpaw train helps me just as much? You always tell me that watching the older apprentices will help me to learn."

"Smolderpaw, Duskpaw and Daisypaw, yes, but Lionpaw's too far ahead of you. His moves are too advanced for you right now."

"Fine, I'll practice my paw swipes."

"Not today, you're not. Mintfur's expecting us back at camp right now. I promised I'd help with the repairs to the elders' den- that awful wind last night left a gaping hole in it. And I'm sure they'd appreciate help making some makeshift nests in the tunnels, where they'll be staying until the den is repaired."

Briarpaw sighed. "Fine, let's go." Turning back, she called, "See you later, Lionpaw," but she wasn't sure the tom had even heard her. They had already moved onto another move- Lionpaw was jumping up and pushing off of a tree, before thudding to the ground.

"Harder!" Flowerfoot growled. "You can do better."

Lionpaw gritted his teeth and charged forward again. Briarpaw flinched as he slammed into the ground. He would be sore the next morning.

"Better. Do it again."

She heard someone clear their throat behind her and turned to see Spotfur glaring at her. She hurried after her mentor as they padded towards camp, the thuds and growls of Lionpaw's training session fading as they drew further and further away.

…

` When Lionpaw finally made his way back to camp with Flowerfoot, the sun was sinking in the sky. Briarpaw was sharing a sparrow with Smolderpaw, and Duskpaw and Daisypaw were entertaining the kits. She stood as he approached.

"You look exhausted," she said, touching her nose to his. "Flowerfoot's been working you really hard lately."

"I know," he replied, although he looked much more excited about the prospect than Briarpaw had expected. "She says that if I'm gonna be a warrior soon, I have to earn it."

Briarpaw swished her tail, her eyes widening. "Did she say anything about your assessment? Is it soon?"

"I don't know, but it can't be far off. It's been almost a moon since Amberheart, Ripplepool and Ebonyflight's warrior ceremony."

"Well if you ask me, Flowerfoot's over-preparing you. Amberheart never had to train this hard for her assessment."

"I don't mind, really. Flowerfoot just wants me to be the best warrior I can be. Not that Amberheart isn't great," he added quickly. "But it can't hurt to do some extra training, can it? I'd much rather be over-prepared than underprepared."

"Just try not to overdo it, though. You don't want to be too tired for your assessment."

"I know, I've been making sure to take breaks." Yawning, he added, "I'll probably be going off to my nest soon. But first, I'm starving!"

He glanced over to the fresh-kill pile, which, to his disappointment, only contained a few meager pickings.

"You can have the rest of this sparrow, if you want," Smolderpaw said, pushing the half-eaten carcass towards him. "I'm not hungry. If that's ok with you, Briarpaw."

"Yeah, I ate something earlier. Go ahead, Lionpaw."

As their friend tore into the carcass, weariness from the day started to seep into her. Her eyes started to droop, and she felt a slight pang at the thought of falling asleep and experiencing more troubling dreams. It must've shown in her face, because Smolderpaw leaned over and began to wash behind her ears. She closed her eyes, letting the rhythmic laps of his tongue lull her.

She leaned into him as he continued to groom her, and opening her eyes slightly, she glanced at Lionpaw, gnawing on the bones of the sparrow, then Duskpaw and Daisypaw chasing after the kits. On the other side of the clearing, Ebonyflight was chatting to Ripplepool as they helped patch up the last remaining gaps in the elders' den, while Amberheart was practicing battle moves with Tinyspider. All around her, her clanmates were sharing tongues or settling into their nests for the night.

I don't know what's going to happen to us… or even if anything's going to happen at all… but whatever happens, I know I will have my Clan right here with me. Together, we're unstoppable.

The thought brought her comfort, and for a moment, she was able to forget about everything- the prophecy, the danger, and all the burdens that plagued her sleep.

As she curled up in her nest that night, for the first time in a while, she fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.