"Try again when you're ready," Larkpaw meowed, calmly grooming his fur. He sat across from her in the dusty clearing on top of the cliff that hugged the BreezeClan camp. The sun was setting and light had begun to drain from the forest. Starlingpaw was breathing heavy and her fur was messy from the relentless training Larkpaw was putting her through. Without fail, he had dodged or countered every single attack she had thrown at him. It felt unfair that a cat born in the same litter as she was infinitely more capable.
Growling with frustration, she leaped into the air, stretching out her paws to latch around her brother's neck. He sidestepped away from her jump with ease and she tumbled to the ground, skidding against the hard earth and scraping her legs. Angrily, she whirled to face Larkpaw.
"What was that for?" she hissed at him, grooming hastily.
"Enemy warriors aren't going to stand in place waiting for you to hit them," he replied simply. Starlingpaw thought that his power in his position as mentor was getting to his big, stupid head.
"Fine," she spat, then ran at him, trying to take a different approach. He sprinted away, and they ran in loops around the clearing until Starlingpaw was too exhausted to continue. She fell onto the ground, breathing heavily.
Larkpaw gave her a sympathetic glance. "Maybe offense is just too hard for you. Defense will be simpler, and it's just as important."
Starlingpaw glared up at him from her spot on the forest floor. "When did you become my mentor?"
He flicked his tail indifferently. "I'm just trying to help, Starlingpaw."
Grumbling, she dragged herself up from the ground, her paws nearly slipping out from under her with the exhaustion of the training session.
Larkpaw assumed a battle stance, his legs spread wide and his ears nearly flat against his head. Without warning, he launched at Starlingpaw, bowling her over and pinning her to the ground under his paws. If there was one thing Starlingpaw could remember from training, though, it was how to get out of this specific situation. With confidence, she kept her back claws sheathed and kicked at his exposed underbelly, loosening his grip just enough for her to slither out. She managed to scramble onto her paws, standing ready to face her brother.
Larkpaw looked pleased, but he did not call for them to stop the fake battle. Starlingpaw assumed he meant to go until one of them suffered what would be a battle-ending blow if they had unsheathed their claws.
Intending to stay defensive, Starlingpaw waited for Larkpaw to come at her. It took a couple of heartbeats before he lashed out at her, swiping with his paws and knocking her front legs out from under her. Surprised and defenseless, as Starlingpaw attempted to get back up, Larkpaw leapt onto her back and began to nip at her. With great effort, she launched up, standing on her hind legs, knocking Larkpaw off of her back. He whipped around from where he was thrown off and bit down on her back leg. He didn't grip hard, but Starlingpaw hadn't yet noticed that his teeth were embedded in her and attempted to jump away, jerking her leg out of his teeth and tearing the flesh in her hind leg. She cried out in pain, feeling her leg weaken and buckle beneath her.
"Starlingpaw!" Larkpaw yowled, running over to check her wound. "I'm so sorry! Are you hurt?"
"What do you think, bird-brain?" she hissed back, trying in vain to get back onto her feet. It hurt far too much to stand. Larkpaw pressed against her side to support her and she began to crawl across the clearing with his help.
"I'll take you to the medicine cat's den, and Leafcrackle can look at it." Her brother meowed. "I'm really, really sorry that I hurt you."
It wasn't your fault, Starlingpaw thought. I only got hurt because I'm useless at fighting and couldn't defend myself. If I was talented like any other warrior in the camp, my leg would be perfectly untouched.
Starlingpaw continued to bash her fighting techniques on the slow trek back to camp along the steep hill on the side of the cliff. An apprentice her age, nearly five moons into training, should absolutely be able to hold her own in battle like Larkpaw had. Her final assessment would come in about two moons- how would she show her face in front of Darkfeather knowing that she couldn't even beat a cat her age?
It was completely dark when the two apprentices returned to camp. They limped together into Leafcrackle's den, where he was sorting his array of herbs in the small notches and hollows in the walls. The red tom sensed them immediately and let out an exasperated breath, but turned to them with friendly eyes.
"How can I help you?" he meowed pleasantly, walking up to inspect the apprentices.
"Well, Starlingpaw and I were training in the hollow, and I kind of bit her, and she pulled away. Now her leg is scratched up and-"
"Oh, it's fine, Larkpaw," Leafcrackle meowed. "Everything will be perfectly fine. This doesn't look that deep of a scratch." The medicine cat sniffed around Starlingpaw's wound as Larkpaw shuffled away.
"But it really hurts to stand on," Starlingpaw told him. "How will I train tomorrow?"
"Goodness!" Leafcrackle mewed. "Training? Tomorrow? No matter how small the wound, exercising this will only make it worse. No, you'll have to take a break for at least a day. Come now, lay down on some moss and let me treat it."
Starlingpaw obeyed, settling herself into a comfortable moss nest and turning her leg so that it could be treated. She blinked at Larkpaw to let him know that he could leave, and the tomcat apprentice hurried out of the den to give her some peace. However, she knew that her brother couldn't keep secrets, and he was likely telling every kit and elder about his sister's little accident. Starlingpaw huffed and set her head in her paws, then drew in a breath and smelled the lovely aroma of healing herbs. Leafcrackle padded back to her with a bundle of herbs in his mouth.
Starlingpaw quickly identified the plants by scent. "Those are... horsetail, poppy seeds, and cobwebs, right?"
Leafcrackle nodded as he placed the bundle on the ground. "It is good that you know your herbs. Knowing how to heal yourself or another cat is vital information in a tough situation. So, in the name of such knowledge, do you know these herbs uses?"
The sable apprentice thought for a moment, then replied, "Cobweb is to stop bleeding, horsetail stops infections, and poppy seeds help with pain."
Leafcrackle purred back. "Correct! You are a sharp apprentice. Your mentor must be proud."
Starlingpaw stayed silent, only shifted her paws awkwardly. They did not exchange another word until Leafcrackle had finished administering the treatment, and was pushing the poppy seeds towards her.
"Oh, I'm fine. It doesn't hurt as much anymore," Starlingpaw meowed in response to the seeds.
Leafcrackle pushed them closer. "Your leg may not hurt now, but it will in the morning, especially if you don't sleep well. The poppy seeds will make you drowsy in addition to easing your pain. Now chew them well."
Starlingpaw relented and chewed the tiny black seeds, soon feeling the small amount of pain in her leg lessen even further until she could barely tell that it was injured. She curled up, careful not to injure her leg, as Leafcrackle tidied up the medicine den in the dim moonlight. The apprentice gazed around the room with fresh eyes, noticing the wall full of exciting herbs tucked into nooks. She scented the room full of plants and healing products, the leaves of sorrel and dock, stalks of goldenrod, and piles of juniper berries. Her mind was aflutter with the memories she had of encountering the various herbs in the BreezeClan woods, quickly committing their smells to memory as she asked Darkfeather what they were named.
Interrupting her thoughts, the ginger apprentice Tawnypaw walked into the den, her long, fluffy fur glittering under the shining light of the moon. She turned quickly to face Starlingpaw and rushed over to her.
"Starlingpaw! Larkpaw told me you were hurt, so I came to check on you. Is everything all right?" she meowed, pushing her nose against Starlingpaw's short, dark fur. Starlingpaw felt self-conscious around the glittering beauty of Tawnypaw, prancing around with her gorgeous fur and cool green eyes. She had to admit, though, that the real reason she felt inferior was Tawnypaw's battle renown. She was the most skilled of the apprentices when it came to fighting, and every cat in BreezeClan knew it was so.
"I'm fine, Tawnypaw. Larkpaw probably exaggerated his story. I only have a bite wound."
"But Larkpaw said that you won't be able to train tomorrow!" Tawnypaw meowed.
"No, I won't, but why do you care?" Starlingpaw spat, unsettled by the ginger cat's prying questions. "It doesn't make a difference for you!"
Tawnypaw was taken aback, her ears flattened and tail pointing straight up. "Oh, I'm sorry for worrying about you. I just wanted to know that you were okay."
"You've never cared before," the sable she-cat growled quietly, thinking of all the times Tawnypaw and her friends Ravenpaw and Poppypaw showed complete disregard for the younger apprentices. Starlingpaw couldn't remember a single occasion on which Tawnypaw had voluntarily spoken to her. "What's different, Tawnypaw?"
Tawnypaw glanced around, looking back at Leafcrackle, who was pretending to ignore them. Starlingpaw noticed that the older tom's ears were turned in their direction. "I heard you were having trouble with training," Tawnypaw meowed, moving closer to hide their conversation from Leafcrackle. "I thought I could help. It's important that all apprentices are able to serve their Clan well..."
Starlingpaw's ears flattened against her skull and she raised her head in anger. "Of course! You only did this because you thought I needed help. Well, I don't need it, Tawnypaw! I am perfectly fine without your pity!" Starlingpaw left out the fact that she didn't think she could train with Tawnypaw. She hadn't been able to improve with Larkpaw, her own brother, and a near stranger wouldn't do much to help. Her blood still boiled with rage at the audacity of the ginger she-cat. Starlingpaw did not wish to be treated like a helpless kit just because she was having trouble with hunting and fighting! She resolved to keep her training between herself and her mentor, as she should have.
Tawnypaw did not look upset, only more pitying than she had before. "It's okay, Starlingpaw. I understand. Just come to me if you need anything." With that, she turned around and left the den.
Starlingpaw felt embarrassed about her outburst. Tawnypaw had been perfectly kind and calm, while she had hissed and spat for no real reason. Glancing uncomfortably at Leafcrackle, who had not turned from his work, she curled into a tighter ball and shut her eyes, willing herself to sleep. Luckily, the poppy seeds helped to push her into a calm, dreamless slumber.
