Bluepaw felt a paw nudge her in the side. She grunted sleepily in annoyance.

"Leafwing and Troutfoot are taking us out battle training," meowed Birchpaw.

Bluepaw yawned and slowly sat up and rose to her paws, stretching each of her paws in turn.

Birchpaw slipped out of the den without waiting for her, signing that he was still upset about last night. After his argument with Stormpaw, they had hardly talked. He didn't even remind her that he didn't trust the harsher apprentice. Bluepaw slipped out of the den, looking around, twitching her tail.

"Ready to go?" asked Leafwing.

Bluepaw nodded.

The mentors lead their apprentices out of the cave, around the waterfall and the moss hollow. The best place in the territory to teach battle moves. Bluepaw blinked when they came down the path towards the hollow. Coldwing and Stormpaw were already in the hollow wrestling. Bluepaw fought back an inspired smile at the fast-paced and harsh battling. She watched as Stormpaw rolled away from his mentor and then turned quickly to bring his paw down on Coldwing's head.

"Hello," Troutfoot called in greeting to the two cats.

Bluepaw glanced at Birchpaw. He was glaring softly at the gray apprentice, and she could tell he was furious that he was here.

Stormpaw twitched his ear and glanced over at the four "hey."

Coldwing nodded to the other warriors "come to battle? We can leave if you need."

"No, that's alright. I'm sure a new opponent would do these two good," meowed Leafwing.

Stormpaw grinned "this should be fun."

Bluepaw glanced between the two, and before anyone could suggest that Stormpaw and Birchpaw fight each other, she meowed, "I'll go first. If that's alright."

"Go ahead," meowed Coldwing, trotting over to the other mentors.

Bluepaw looked at Stormpaw.

"Don't worry, I'll go easy on you," meowed Stormpaw.

Bluepaw narrowed her eyes "don't even think about it."

Stormpaw chuckled "so be it."

Bluepaw crouched lower to the ground, looking across the hollow at the slightly larger and much more muscular apprentice. Stormpaw grinned as though this was the best thing he had ever done in his life.

Bluepaw dashed towards him at the last second. She rolled to the right and ran her soft paw down Stormpaw's side. Stormpaw moved to the side and ran his soft pad down her back leg before gently sinking his teeth into it. Bluepaw whirled around and gently slammed her paw down on his head. Stormpaw jumped back away from her. Bluepaw looked at him, grinning. Bluepaw ran over and pounced on him. Stormpaw being too busy laughing, collapsed unexpectedly under her. Bluepaw grinned.

"Got you," she meowed.

Stormpaw chuckled. "I let you win."

"Sure you did," meowed Bluepaw flicking his nose with her tail before jumping off him.

Stormpaw got to his paws and shook his pelt out. He smiled.

"Nice battle, Birchpaw, you and Stormpaw next," Troutfoot meowed.

Bluepaw glanced over at where Birchpaw was sitting, watching with a dark look on his face beside Troutfoot. Bluepaw glanced at Stormpaw. He was looking at Birchpaw too. He seemed to be in a much better mood than last night. Bluepaw trotted over to sit beside her mentor and turned to watch the two apprentices.

The fight started out good, at least in Bluepaw's eyes. In fact, the two apprentices hardly touched each other. But when Coldwing said to go harder. Stormpaw, of course, listened to his mentor. When Stormpaw grabbed Birchpaw's tail and pulled it hard, causing Birchpaw to stumble from lack of balance, Birchpaw whirled around and smacked Stormpaw with his paw hard. Harder than Bluepaw thought he meant to. That's when things got out of paw. Stormpaw growled softly, rolled away, and ran his paw down Birchpaw's side. Bluepaw frowned when she saw that Stormpaw had unsheathed his claws, and the scratch started to bleed a tiny bit.

Birchpaw growled and grabbed ahold of Stormpaw's ear, and pulled hard. Bluepaw blinked, glancing at the three mentors. Coldwing was frowning in soft disapproval while Troutfoot looked as though he was seconds away from calling the two apprentices off, but before he did, Stormpaw slid under Birchpaw and scent his unsheathed claws down his underbelly. Birchpaw hissed and stumbled back a bit. Stormpaw then sent his claws hard down the other apprentice's hind leg.

"Stormpaw, that's enough," Coldwing finally meowed.

Birchpaw panted, stumbled and seemed to be having a hard time staying on his paws.

"Birchpaw, oh StarClan," Bluepaw meowed, dashing over to him and pressing into his side to help support his weight.

Stormpaw looked between Coldwing and Birchpaw a few times before glancing at Bluepaw. Bluepaw glared at him.

"He started it," Stormpaw meowed defensively.

Bluepaw growled softly, "you are ridiculous! You were a jerk to him last night, and now you clawed him up like you were fighting a rogue."

Stormpaw blinked before glaring softly at her "last night, he started. We would have never fought if he had just let us be and not been a jealous tom."

Bluepaw growled, "you still shouldn't have called him a rogue!"

Stormpaw rolled his eyes "he shouldn't always be around you. It's like I can't even look at you."

Bluepaw growled "maybe he's trying to protect me. After what you do to him, who's to say you won't do it to me!"

Stormpaw lashed his tail. "I would never hurt you."

Bluepaw rolled her eyes.

"Bluepaw, let's get him back to camp. Blacktail or Shadowleaf can patch him up," Troutfoot meowed.

Bluepaw nodded and began to help Birchpaw back to camp. Bluepaw helped her friend to the medicine cave when they got back the cave. Blacktail ordered her to guide him to a nest where Blacktail and Shadowleaf began to lick his wounds clean and then stick cobwebs to the wounds.

Bluepaw, after Birchpaw, drifted off to sleep thanks to the poppyseeds the medicine cats gave him. She turned and made her way back to the clearing. She saw Stormpaw with Coldwing and Silverstar talking outside the leader's den. Most likely, Silverstar was trying to decide the apprentice's punishment.

It wasn't long before Silverstar jumped on the meeting place, high ledge, and called to her Clanmates.

Bluepaw blinked and gathered with her Clanmates looking up at her leader.

"Tonight is the gathering," Silvermist meowed. "I will be taking Lakestorm, Redstorm, Featherflight, Rushreed, Ivycloud, Birchclaw, Pikefang, Beetleclaw, Ottertail, Troutfoot, Coldwing, Leafwing, Stormpaw and Bluepaw."

Bluepaw beamed she would be going to her first gathering. The first two, she had both been confined to camp for. One after nearly drowning and the other after the battle with WolfClan.

Bluepaw was ordered by Leafwing to go get something to eat before the gathering. She trotted over to the pile and grabbed a water vole before taking a few bites. She chewed slowly. After her dinner, she had a quick nap before the gathering.

Leave a favorite, follow or review, if you want ;).