Flowerpaw felt the mud sticking to her fur as she stood up onto her four paws, shaking it out as she dug her claws into the ground and raised herself up on the slippery ground under her paws as it squished under the weight of her paws. As the calico she-cat straightened out and raised her head up to look across the clearing at the gray tom that pressed to the back of the wall. Her head whirling from that previous counter and she could feel her shoulder aching as she stumbled slightly trying to move, as she flicked her tail behind her and got to her paws that were muddled with the sticky surface under her pads; as Flowerpaw looked at Graypaw dead on as the gray tom looked between her and his mentor.

As Flowerpaw looked over at her own mentor the pale tabby nodded his head to her, as he stepped towards the edge of the hollow and lifted his tail. "Your stance was good, but next time try and counter a following strike… you should also expect for the enemy to recover quickly." The warrior instructed before straightening up, his torn ear flicking as he looked over his shoulder. "Now let us practice our offensive capabilities, Flowerpaw care to show how much you know to Graypaw so that he can catch you up to speed."

Flowerpaw nodded to her mentor before raising her front paw and swinging it down, lifting a hind leg and striking backwards with her rear claws. Graypaw watched her in the meantime, before he realized that they were all now watching him expectantly. The gray tom bunched up his shoulders as he pressed back, Flowerpaw recognized the attack and pressed back to wait for what he would do next. A look back at her mentor reminded her to just watch, it was simply just a practice run to introduce her to the attack.

The other apprentice kicked off the ground, as he soared through the air be swatted his paws at nothing. Before he landed and instantly dove again, heading straight for the ground and sliding on the ground and swiping at the air above him. As he skidded to a halt he turned and looked back at the calico she-cat who stood where she last left, just watching as the tom took a step to the center and sat down on the slightly raised dry spot.

"Now, mimic what our friend here has shown you, it is important that you copy every movement."

Flowerpaw narrowed her gaze as she watched the dark gray tom stand up on top of the mound, as she bunched up her limbs and pressed back on her haunches as she prepared to attack. The tom readied himself for her attack as Flowerpaw sheathed her claws and kicked back, sending her into the air and towards the other apprentice. As she left the ground however a loud and audible "Ahem." Caught all of the cat's attention as they turned to see a matted tortoiseshell she-cat enter the clearing with her apprentice, as Flowerpaw smacked her friend head on in the face before rolling across the grass and lying on her stomach; looking up as the she-cat let out a loud holler of laughter.

"Well I must thank you for the show, but Stormstar has authorized that I should begin teaching my own apprentice." Clawbite taunted as she flicked her tail back towards Archpaw who sneered at the calico she-cat covered in the wet mud. As both apprentices stared dead on at each other, Fernback stepped forward and into the Inner Circle warrior's face; neither cat flinching away from the other as the pale gray tom let out a low growl.

"Stormstar has given us permission to train, and if you haven't noticed we still are not finished here!" Fernback growled as his ears were pinned back to the sides of his head, but the tortoiseshell she-cat still didn't flinch as she raised her head up high. Fernback reared his head back slightly but held her gaze all the way, Sunnylight running up to the tom's side as they fluffed out their own fur. But the she-cat only smiled and took a step forward.

"Stormstar has overridden his decision, if you so wish to you could bring it up with him… I am sure that he'll be so happy to change it for an Outer." She taunted, flicking her tail behind her with a sinister grin spreading across her face. "But you might not have all day to bring it up with him while he's in a good move, so run along now before time runs out little ones!" she meowed before she led her apprentice down into the muddy clearing below.

Flowerpaw ran up to her mentor's side as the tom grumbled out something, before leading the cats out of the clearing with an aggressive look over his shoulder at the matted she-cat. Flowerpaw watched as her mentor trudged the way back to camp, as she stood beside the tom as they pushed through the entrance and into the clearing. The pale gray tom looked down at her and with a much calmer voice spoke, "You can go see if you could help the elders, your battle practice will have to wait for now."

Flowerpaw dipped her head in understanding as she turned to head towards the leaning stones on the far side of the camp, as she pushed in through the entrance the clearing beyond was quiet and dead as she looked around. The dens for every individual Elders were quiet, as she stepped towards the center and looking into each of the entrances. Each one of the older cats were curled up in their nests with their backs turned to the clearing.

Thinking back to when she was a kit, she instantly headed towards the nest of Shortjaw. As she entered the small den she looked at the small tom that opened his eyes and looked over his shoulder at her, the elder raised his head and smiled a crooked jaw as he meowed. "Well, here's a friendly face." he murmured as he straightened up and got up onto his front paws, opening his jaws in a long and silent yawn. Fluffing out his fur as he flicked an ear and his nose twitched.

Flowerpaw smiled back at the tom as she looked down at her paws, she could smell a new scent enter the clearing as she turned her head to see the black pelt of Ravenpaw enter the clearing. The tom descended into the den and dropped a mouse at the elder's paws, tipping his head to the side as he side glanced at Flowerpaw. Shaking his head he looked back at Shortjaw who leaned in and took a large bite from the prey. "Why thank you, is there something that you needed young Flowerpaw?"

The other apprentice was snapped back to reality in an instant as she looked the old tom in the eyes. "Sorry… I was wondering if there was anything that you needed, I am on elders' duties since we have been kicked out of training."

Ravenpaw huffed beside her as the tom turned around. "What we need is more hunting practice, with the coming leaf bare there might not be enough prey unless we all are on the patrols." The tom mumbled, flicking his tail as he looked out of the den. "But no… you have to be so focused on training. And now it is the older and Middle Layer cats who have to handle the patrols, and they can barely do anything right!"

"Outer circle apprentices and Warriors are sent into battle before any other cat, they have more of a high risk of death in battle and every life will mean that your hunting patrols will stay strong… along with the border patrols." Shortjaw reminded the tom as he flicked his ear.

"Honestly why do we have so many battles, it only ever results in death!" growled a raspy voice from the other den next to Shortjaw's.

"I thought you were sleeping over there Jaysight." Shortjaw yowled over his shoulder as the blue gray tom appeared at the entrance.

"Honestly I could never sleep whenever those apprentices come around, nothing but trouble." He grumbled before his nearly white eyes narrowed. "Battles are driving our apprentices away from our needs, why can't there just be enough of those and we start looking after one another again!" he growled before entering the den and settling himself down, raising a paw to itch behind his ear as he let out a low grumble. "If I didn't have to drag myself to Cinderberry and Heronflight's den every time I have a tick or two, even better with how aching and stiff my limbs have become."

Flowerpaw straightened up as she looked at the tom directly into the eyes. "I can get something to treat that for you, I am here to help out as much as I can."

The blue gray tom lifted a brow and huffed before he spoke. "That's right, alright you go ask for Mouse bile from the medicine cats, and I will tell you where to apply it."

Flowerpaw nodded before slipping out of the den.