AN: This chapter underwent some major changes. As a result, I've deleted the previous author's note to replace it with a newer one since it was written years ago. This chapter will hopefully be more up to date and make more sense with the story and the title.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Why in StarClan's name did I think this was a good idea? Flamepaw thought as he tucked in his paws low to avoid getting swatted like an annoying fly.
His lungs ached from how much effort it took keeping up with his mentor. Robinwing was faster and stronger in a mock-fight. Flamepaw was only just beginning to realize that the brown and white tabby had been holding back most of their time during the day. This was the first time they were doing intensive night-training, something that Feathermist had admitted was a good idea.
The gray and white she-cat had explained to everyone that night-training was a good way of seeing which apprentice needed work on honing in on their fighting skills. Flamepaw's ears flattened in embarrassment when he saw just how behind he was compared to everyone else. Even Shrewpaw and Lilypaw seemed to have a better grasp at battling in the darkness than he did.
"You can't keep your paws tucked in like that," Robinwing meowed in exasperation. He paused after knocking Flamepaw off his paws for what felt like the hundredth time. Now, Flamepaw was struggling to maintain what little dignity he had left when his mentor approached him with a lash of his tail. "I understand that you are frustrated with the way training has been going, but letting your anger go is the worst way of handling the situation."
Flamepaw let out a heavy sigh of frustration and glared at his paws. He was tired of everyone looking down at him as if they expected more out of him. His own mentor was disappointed in the way he handled himself. He knew that things wouldn't get better unless he improved on something.
"It would help if you actually started teaching me moves that mean something in a fight," he snapped. Robinwing's eyes narrowed as Flamepaw refused to make eye contact. "All we ever do is mock-fight, and you've only told me about keeping myself balanced during the fight."
"And cats say I have a bad temper," the brown and white tabby huffed. For a moment, Flamepaw was almost afraid that Robinwing would strike him down right than and there. Luckily, he didn't do that. "Look, I get that you're frustrated. Every apprentice gets that way when they think they know everything. But you have to start somewhere. Be thankful I haven't stuck you in the elder's den looking for ticks all day."
That was enough for Flamepaw's nose to wrinkle in disgust. He'd heard Kestrelpaw and Hazelpaw complain often enough to know that cleaning out the elder's den was the last thing he wanted to do. It was a task that every apprentice needed to do, but those who were punished would often face the full brunt of said task. Not for the first time, he did find himself feeling grateful that Robinwing hadn't assigned him to those tasks yet.
"I'm sorry," he sighed after realizing that he had crossed the line by saying that. "It's just that… Shrewpaw kept bragging about how great of a mentor Shademask is, and Lilypaw has one of the best fighters in the Clan as her mentor. I know it isn't right to keep complaining about you, but…"
"You feel as if I'm dragging you down," Robinwing guessed with a tilt of his head. One nod was all it took for the older cat to let out a heavy sigh of his own. "To be fair, I was surprised that Petalstar assigned you to me as an apprentice. I know how hotheaded Oakfire can be."
Well, he isn't lying about that, Flamepaw nearly rolled his eyes.
If there was one thing Flamepaw had learned about his father, it was that Oakfire had a tendency to take charge when it wasn't necessary. He would sometimes get into heated arguments with Hawktalon, who was the ThunderClan deputy, over simple things like border patrols or hunting patrols. It often got to the point where Hawktalon would have to remind his father his place in the Clan.
"Come on, let's see whether or not you can pull off that move again," Robinwing added after a moment's pause.
When Flamepaw didn't argue this time, they went on with practicing his movement and the way he should be crouching. To his surprise, he was able to succeed in performing the move faster this time. His whiskers twitched with excitement at the thought.
Just wait until I show the others what I'm capable of, he thought as a fresh wave of determination swept through him.
"Can I learn another fighting tactic tonight?" he suddenly asked.
Robinwing blinked in surprise at the enthusiasm in Flamepaw's voice. Just a few heartbeats ago, he had been arguing with his mentor over stupid battling techniques and how he was teaching him. The brown and white tabby merely shook his head in amusement and stood up.
"No, I think for now, we're both in need of a break," he suggested. "It's already moonhigh, and you're still new to night-training."
For a moment, Flamepaw was tempted to argue when he stopped himself.
He realized with a start that Robinwing was right. They had only just begun training during the night as a tactic to keep up with ShadowClan warriors. Feathermist kept making new suggestions in regards of fighting tactics, and she'd suggested giving the apprentices a break if their mentors decided to train during the night.
It makes sense in some way, he thought with a shrug. Wouldn't want us exhausting ourselves before we're fully trained warriors.
The two of them carefully made their way back to camp once that decision was made. Flamepaw's ears flicked back every now and then as he listened to the sounds of the forest. It was a completely different setting at night. He hadn't realized until going with Robinwing how much more ominous the forest seemed at night. Every rustle of leaf could have been an enemy warrior waiting to ambush them. Or worse, a fox or a badger.
A shudder ran through him at the thought. He knew he was overthinking the possibilities, but his mother had always drilled into him that one could never be too carefully. Especially in a forest full of danger. That was why cats patrolled together – looking out for one another meant there were eyes and ears everywhere.
He let out another sigh when they finally reached the camp. He wasn't surprised to see that Shrewpaw was still awake when they returned. Lilypaw sat next to him, sharing a mouse at their paws. Neither of them said a word when he arrived, but he could see in their eyes that they were both exhausted.
"Whoever came up with the idea of training at night is a mousebrain," Shrewpaw scoffed between bites. "My paws feel like they're going to fall off at any moment."
"Maybe you should have Dusknose look at them," Lilypaw suggested after her eyes lit up in amusement. "After all, he's been wanting to look after cats whose paws might be falling off."
"Imagine what would happen if he said you're going to lose them," Flamepaw couldn't resist adding with a purr of amusement. By now, Shrewpaw's eyes widened in horror when he realized what they were implying. "You wouldn't be able to walk around camp for moons."
"Or at all if Dusknose had his way," Lilypaw added.
Shrewpaw's ears flattened in embarrassment after he noticed the shrewd looks they gave him.
"You guys are foxhearts!" he spat.
"Only when you're complaining for no reason," Flamepaw rolled his eyes after sitting down beside Lilypaw.
Lilypaw tilted her head to one side when Shrewpaw gave his chest fur a few quick licks to hide his embarrassment and his growing frustration. They didn't gang up on him often, but Flamepaw knew Shrewpaw well enough to know that his brother would look for any reason to complain.
"How'd your training with Robinwing go?" Lilypaw asked curiously.
"It wasn't bad," he admitted. His tail flicked as he thought back to how their argument started in the first place. He really was a mousebrain for thinking that Stormshadow or Shademask would have made better mentors. Even though Robinwing wasn't easy to deal with, he hadn't tried imposing himself on Flamepaw. And that meant more than he would ever admit out loud. "I think we're just trying to get used to each other."
"It takes a while for any new apprentice to get used to their mentor," his sister purred in amusement.
She flicked her tail across his ears when Shrewpaw rolled his eyes and stalked back into the apprentice's den. Only a few cats were sitting around the camp, despite it being well past moonhigh now.
He just looked at her incredulously as he wondered where she was getting at with that notion. Lilypaw wasn't any wiser than the other apprentices. Not to mention they were siblings, and they had been assigned mentors the same day.
"Since when did you have knowledge on mentor or apprentice relationships?" he asked as they headed back into the apprentice's den.
"Since I've noticed that Stormshadow is really tough on his apprentices," Lilypaw murmured.
She suddenly dropped her gaze and refused to look at him when Flamepaw stared at her in alarm.
He isn't hurting her, is he? he wondered fearfully.
His sister was one of the few cats he knew who would always stand up for him no matter the circumstances. He cared about his siblings, even though Shrewpaw could be an annoying mousebrain at times. If anyone had tried hurting them, he would never forgive them.
"Feathermist said that a squirrel was found killed recently at the border," Hazelpaw muttered when Shrewpaw demanded why they were pulling off mousebrained stunts like night-hunting. Before Flamepaw could say anything to Lilypaw, his eyes narrowed with interest when he heard Hazelpaw's comment. "She said that there was ShadowClan scent all over it and the Twoleg nest. Most of the catmint is still in tact, but she noticed a few pieces were missing."
It took a few seconds for her words to sink in as realization dawned on Flamepaw. He knew ShadowClan were pesky intruders who thought they could get away with anything. But he wasn't expecting to hear that there had been fresh-kill found so close to the border.
"Would you stop talking and go to sleep already?" Kestrelpaw complained.
"Sorry," Hazelpaw ducked her head in embarrassment when her brother glared at her.
Though, Flamepaw could tell she wasn't apologetic at all. His whiskers twitched in amusement when she threw him a knowing look. Now he understood why Petalstar had agreed with Feathermist's idea. It made sense to step up the patrols and make sure that ShadowClan didn't pull off any tricks. Yet, he couldn't help but wonder if something else was going on.
If they were looking for catmint, they should have just asked Dusknose for some, he thought after recalling how they had a fresh supply.
He hadn't meant to stumble into the medicine cat's den the way he did. But he recognized the mouth-watering scent of catmint immediately when he did. Dusknose had picked a few new leaves recently, and Flamepaw had been curious as to what they looked like at the time.
Flamepaw shook his head at the thought before glancing at Lilypaw once more. She too had been listening to their conversation, though she didn't look nearly as interested as Shrewpaw had. Once again, his chest tightened with concern as he wondered if Stormshadow was hurting her.
"Are you sure you're okay with Stormshadow?" he asked warily, his voice dropping to a whisper when he reached their nests.
Lilypaw looked at him anxiously when he mentioned her mentor's name. It was clear from the way her eyes flashed that something was wrong. But she didn't say anything as she looked down at her paws once more.
"It's fine," she replied a little too hastily. "I'm just getting used to being out all day, and mother said it's good practice for us to use our muscles while we can."
Confusion swept through Flamepaw when she left it at that and she curled up in her nest. Once again, he shook his head as he quickly did the same. He'd heard enough stories about mentors not getting along with their apprentices to know that something was going on. But Lilypaw was obviously too afraid to speak up for herself, and that left his stomach churning with worry.
…
The following morning consisted of Flamepaw searching for ticks in the elders' den. His nose wrinkled in disgust as he carried a branch with mousebile clinging to the other end. He and Lilypaw were forced to work together while Shademask took Shrewpaw out to hunt with the other apprentices. Shrewpaw had been beaming with amusement at the thought of going hunting while his siblings were forced to clean out the elder's den.
Just you wait until Shademask orders you to clean it out, Flamepaw thought while resisting the urge to scoff, Then you'll be alone without any help.
He was grateful that Lilypaw had decided to join him rather than argue with Stormshadow. The pale ginger she-cat was focused on cleaning out the bedding while Flamepaw helped remove ticks from Rockfur and Daisytail. Both elders were content with their tasks, even though Rockfur had complained a few times about them getting under his paws on more than one occasion.
"You young cats don't know a thing of what it's like when we're our age," the black tom complained while Flamepaw dabbed the mousebile on one large tick in particular. "One day you'll understand why we're complaining about you getting under our paws."
"Hopefully when I get that old, someone will leave me out in the forest where I can live on my own," Flamepaw muttered after cracking his teeth on the tick. "There's another one above your ear," he added when Rockfur let out a sigh of relief.
"StarClan, are you rolling in a pile of ticks every night?" Daisytail asked while Flamepaw worked on removing it.
Rockfur just snorted at that, though he didn't respond when Lilypaw returned with fresh bedding.
"The dawn patrol found a dead pigeon at the edge of the border," she announced warily. Flamepaw's ears pricked forward with alarm when she began spreading the new bedding without making eye contact. "Petalstar wants the Clan to step up patrols at the border."
"Of course she does," Rockfur muttered with a lash of his tail. "I'm hardly surprised ShadowClan keep hunting near the border. It seems all they ever do is break the code."
Flamepaw exchanged an anxious look with Lilypaw as he began to wonder what was really going on at the border. Two nights in a row seemed odd to him. It wasn't as if cats normally left fresh-kill at the border. If it were up to him, he would have dragged the fresh-kill back to the Clan where it was needed the most.
"I'm sure Petalstar will take care of everything," Daisytail reassured the old tom. "After all, we've been through worse."
Well, when you put it that way, you're not wrong, he realized with a start.
His shoulders sagged in relief once he was finished with his task. Daisytail had been easier to contend with, so he'd gotten her out of the way first. Once he was finished with Rockfur, he tossed the branch outside the elder's den and followed Lilypaw outside.
"Are you sure you're okay?" he asked hesitantly. "You've been acting different since Stormshadow mentioned cleaning out the elder's den."
"I'm fine, Flamepaw," Lilypaw let out a sigh of frustration as she looked at nothing in particular. "Honestly, I'm just… not used to being trained so hard."
She paused after trying to find the right words, and Flamepaw looked at her anxiously once he saw just how wary she was.
"He hasn't hurt you, has he?" he pressed.
"StarClan, no!" Lilypaw practically cried in disbelief. Her eyes widened at the fact that he would even make such a suggestion. "Look, I've said this before; I'm not used to being trained like Stormshadow has been. And it's going to take time for me to get used to it."
He wasn't so sure he was convinced with that response. Flamepaw's gaze never wavered as their eyes met. Irritation flashed across her eyes when she realized he wasn't going to drop the subject anytime soon.
"Just promise me that you'll say something if anything is bothering you, okay?" he finally pleaded when silence followed.
Lilypaw let out a sigh of frustration as she stood up and narrowed her eyes, "I will," she replied before stalking away.
Flamepaw could only watch from a distance as he wondered if he should mention anything to Robinwing. He doubted that would help matters. Maybe Lilypaw was right and she was just adjusting to life as an apprentice. Either way, he knew he needed to keep an eye on her and the way Stormshadow was treating her.
