Three days after Firepaw dragged home a loner and been made Bluestar's official apprentice, Ravenpaw woke to a sharp jab to the side courtesy of Sandpaw.

"For a cat so concerned over a kittypet doing better than him, you sure don't show it."

"Wha-?"

Sandpaw jerked her head towards the entrance of the den where he could just see Firepaw nudging Graypaw far more gently than Sandpaw had him.

"Orange furball's been up since sunrise trying to get everyone up for training." Sandpaw's face scrunched up in annoyance. "I swear, you'd think he was appointed deputy the way he was going. 'Oh, come on Graypaw, you don't want to be late for training do you? Sandpaw, are you up yet? I'm sure Whitestorm's got some fun plans for you today.' " Sandpaw stuck her tongue out in disgust. "I about clawed his face off."

"You should have. Maybe then he would get the hint to keep to himself." Ravenpaw replied as he stretched.

"Maybe." Sandpaw snorted. "You can wake Dustpaw. If I have to stay in the den one second longer with Firepaw's cheerfulness, I swear, I am going to scream."

Ravenpaw gave a soft laugh as he watched her stomp out of the apprentice den before turning to his brother and snorting.

"I can't believe you slept through all that. Suppose that means Bluestar can't ever put you on guard duty huh?"

Grinning slightly in amusement, Ravenpaw began to lightly bat his brother's ears. "Come on, Sleepypaw, get up."

Dustpaw frowned and turned his head away, muttering something about bees in his sleep.

Grin widening, Ravenpaw crouched down closer to Dustpaw and made buzzing noises by his head while at the same time, slowly raising a paw for the perfect moment to strike.

Frown deepening, Dustpaw attempted to hide from the buzzing by his ears. Seeing his chance, Ravenpaw smacked his brother's shoulder and jumped back to avoid Dustpaw's flailing limbs as he woke with a start.

"Did you have a good dream?" he asked innocently.

Dustpaw stared at him for a moment before glaring. "Yeah. And then your stupid face ruined it."

"Really?" Ravenpaw stared back at his brother wide-eyed, "And here I thought it was the bee by your ear." He shrugged. "Guess I was just imagining things."

A low growl was his only warning before Dustpaw jumped him. Rolling with his brother's weight Ravenpaw lightly pushed him away before backing up slightly, tail flicking behind him. "No wonder Sandpaw didn't want to wake you up if this is how you react to a little light prodding."

"Light prodding?! You smacked me!" Dustpaw froze as the rest of Ravenpaw's words hit him. "Sandpaw was here?"

Ravenpaw rolled his eyes. "Of course she was here. She sleeps here, fluff for brains."

Dustpaw scowled. "That's not what I meant!"

"Then be more specific next time."

Dustpaw narrowed his eyes, fur bristling in a way that he could be mistaken for a pinecone. Rolling his eyes again, Ravenpaw lightly tapped his brother's chest. "Relax. She just left to get away from Firepaw."

That seemed to do the trick as Dustpaw released a breath he'd been holding. "Smart." Stretching up slightly, Dustpaw looked around the den and frowned. "Where is the annoying furball anyway?"

Ravenpaw looked around as well and realized with a start they were the only two cats in the apprentice den. Clearly, sometime during their little tussle, Firepaw and Graypaw must have left.

"Tending to Yellowfang I guess."

Dustpaw snorted. "Taking care of her is probably as close to warrior duties he'll ever get."

Ravenpaw stifled a laugh. "Probably."

…

Firepaw was not tending to Yellowfang.

In fact, when he and Dustpaw left the apprentice den, they found the kittypet sitting close by Graypaw while his friend exchanged dark looks with Sandpaw.

"What's going on?" Were his first words as he got closer to the three of them.

"Nothing." Unsurprisingly, Firepaw was the first to answer and as usual, his tone was mild as ever.

Dustpaw shot him his best glare. "He wasn't talking to you. Don't you have an old stray to take care of?"

Graypaw opened his mouth to say something before Firepaw lightly shoved him. "I was just on my way." A frown crossed his face for half a second before disappearing into the normal blankness that was seemingly his default. "I just wanted to see you two got up as well before going our separate ways." His gaze drifted towards Ravenpaw and actually softened. "I uh. Know how intense Tigerclaw can be about being on time for training and stuff."

Ravenpaw felt his fur rise.

How dare Firepaw act like they were friends or that he was too weak to be Tigerclaw's apprentice.

"How about you worry about yourself kittypet." He spat. "Or do you think just because Yellowfang's old she can't claw your ears off for making her wait. She's still Shadowclan you know."

Something...dark flashed in Firepaw's eyes before he dipped his head slightly. "If you say so Ravenpaw."

Beside him, Graypaw looked ready to throw some choice words at them before Firepaw lightly bumped him.

"You said something about going to the Great Sycamore with Lionheart right? Mind if I tag along a little? I know Yellowfang prefers her prey fresh."

"...I guess."

Graypaw shot them all another sour look before padding after Firepaw like his own personal shadow.

Sandpaw wrinkled her nose as she watched them go. "Not even a moon away from his Twolegs and he thinks he knows everything. Stars I can't wait for leaf-bare. I bet he'll be running for their dens and out of our fur at the first snow fall."

"Same." Dustpaw grumbled before pressing himself against Ravenpaw. "You okay? I don't think I've ever heard you that angry."

Ravenpaw sighed, suddenly embarrassed of his outburst. "Yeah...it's just. Firepaw has a habit of getting under my fur…."

Dustpaw nodded. "Further proof that kittypets don't belong in a clan."

Before he could agree to that sentiment, Darkstripe's familiar yowl traveled through the camp calling for Dustpaw.

His brother scowled and got up. "Guess that's my cue. Don't know why he's so upset. It's not like he tells me what we're supposed to be doing for the day."

Ravenpaw couldn't help wincing in sympathy. "Never?"

"Never." Dustpaw paused to look back at him and Sandpaw. "Good luck on your training practice. Try not to beat him too badly Sandpaw."

Ravenpaw threw out a half-hearted protest that easily got lost in his friend's laughter as Dustpaw made his way towards Darkstripe and what looked like a border patrol.

Sandpaw gave him a light nudge as her laughter died down. "Relax, with the way you've been practicing your battle skills lately, I'll be lucky to walk away with my fur intact."

"Really?"

"No."

Ravenpaw couldn't help slumping at her reply. "You could have at least pretended I could beat you till we got to the training hollow."

Sandpaw smirked. "And where's the fun in that? Now come on, last one there's a kittypet!"

Before he could even open his mouth, she was off. He couldn't even find it in himself to be even more discouraged by her attitude. She was right; barring maybe Dustpaw, Sandpaw was well on her way to being the best fighter in Thunderclan.

A small grin pulled at his lips.

Sandpaw may be better at fighting, but he was the faster runner between the two of them.

Leaping to his paws, Ravenpaw raced after her, quickly gaining ground and passing her by, only slowing enough to make sure she saw his smug look as he easily made it to the training hollow before her.

"Well, looks like you two are eager to start today's training." Whitestorm purred as he watched them approach.

"More like about time they showed up." Tigerclaw grumbled beside him.

Whitestorm flicked his tail. "The sun's not at it's highest point yet, I say they made good time."

Tigerclaw gave a low growl, which, for him, was the best sign of agreement anyone could ask for.

Whitestorm nodded towards Sandpaw and Ravenpaw to settle down and once they were ready, began.

"With the possible threat that Shadowclan currently holds, it is imperative that we speed up your training."

Tigerclaw nodded. "So Whitestorm and I thought today's training would be...different. Instead of focusing on one battle move or stance, I believe we should assess your skills in an actual fight and build from there. Of course, we can't start fights on the border, so instead, we'll have you battle here where the chance of injury is less."

Whitestorm frowned slightly at Tigerclaw before turning to face Sandpaw and Ravenpaw again.

"As long as you keep your claws sheathed and remember this is only training, there shouldn't be any injuries. Remember, you two are clanmates, not enemy warriors."

A rush of excitement ran through him at their mentors' words.

He and Sandpaw had been joking earlier, about who would win in a fight, but if they really were going to do a mock battle today, and not just repeat battle stances and forms, then maybe, just maybe, he could show off just how far he'd come over the past moon. He'd been training harder with Tigerclaw, sometimes even twice a day and he was positive he could land a few good hits on Sandpaw.

He tried not to purr aloud at the thought of his friend's face when she discovered he wasn't the same timid kit too afraid to leave the nursery let alone join in any games with her or Dustkit or even Graykit.

Sandpaw turned to face him, looking as excited as he felt.

"Promise not to cry when I beat you?"

He grinned back. "Only if you promise not to when I make you eat your namesake."

Sandpaw just returned his grin and jumped.

Eyes wide at the sudden attack, Ravenpaw quickly moved to the side, just barely avoiding Sandpaw's outstretched paws.

A spark of concern warred with the satisfaction of seeing his friend hit the sandy floor of the training hollow instead of him. He pushed it down. As Tigerclaw kept drilling into his head during training, he couldn't let himself feel bad for his opponents in battle.

And right now, Sandpaw was his opponent, not his friend.

"Told you I'd make you eat sand."

Sandpaw growled as she pushed herself back up. "Lucky dodge."

Glaring now, Sandpaw rushed forward. Once again, Ravenpaw moved to the side to dodge her attack. This time however, Sandpaw followed him and changed direction as he did, successfully tackling into him.

He couldn't help the surprised yelp that escaped him as his body hit the sand hard. For a moment, with Sandpaw on top of him, pressing down on his shoulder, he couldn't think of anything let alone what his next move should be.

Had Tigerclaw ever mentioned what he should do if an enemy warrior pinned him like this before? He couldn't remember. He wasn't even sure if the familiar annoyed growl of his mentor was just in his head or if Tigerclaw was expressing his frustration aloud as he watched him fail.

Panicked, Ravenpaw twisted his head and bit down on Sandpaw's leg causing Sandpaw to hiss and pull away.

"That's cheating!"

Ravenpaw rolled away from her and pushed himself back up onto his paws. "Whitestorm just said no unsheathed claws. He didn't say anything about biting." He panted.

Sandpaw's eyes narrowed slightly. "Whatever. I still say that was cheating."

Unsure of what else to say, Ravenpaw gave her a small shrug as slowly they began to circle each other.

He couldn't dodge forever, especially as Sandpaw didn't seem likely to let him try a third time. And even if she did, he didn't think it would work considering how quickly she had adapted her attack the last time he tried.

Which meant; he had to attack first this time.

Problem was, he couldn't think of how.

Now that he was on the offensive, it was like every move and stance that Tigerclaw had been showing him the last two moons was gone. And Sandpaw was quick. And smart. She'd probably see any attempt he made coming.

The only bright side to all this that he could see was that this battle was just a practice one and it didn't matter who won or not.

Sneaking a quick look towards Tigerclaw, he saw that his mentor was watching them intently, expression more guarded than he'd ever seen it.

Focusing his gaze back to Sandpaw, he thought some more.

Tigerclaw would probably want him to win, but he wasn't sure if he would be able to. Maybe...maybe if he made his next attack good, Tigerclaw would be pleased? Win or lose, as long as he fought well, his mentor couldn't be mad right?

Sandpaw's tail twitched.

If he didn't move soon, she would and the match would mostly definitely be won then. Ravenpaw doubted biting her would work a second time.

Taking a deep breath, he bolted forward taking the smidgen of satisfaction that rose in his chest at the look of surprise in her eyes as confirmation that he was on the right track.

Holding back a smirk, he slipped to her side as she moved forward in an attempt to push him back preemptively. Taking advantage of her confusion, he spun on his paws and leaped up onto her back knocking both of them down to the ground.

For one shining moment, he felt that maybe he had surprised Sandpaw enough that she was down for the count and he'd won.

And then Sandpaw wrapped her legs around him and rolled, dragging his body with hers until she was on top. This time, when pinning him, she didn't rest her paw on his shoulder where he could still move and figure a way out. This time, she had her paw lightly resting on his throat.

Not enough to hurt him, but enough that it was clear that if this was a real battle, he'd be at her mercy.

"You can get off him Sandpaw. I think you two have had enough battle practice for today." Whitestorm called from the sidelines.

Grinning, Sandpaw lifted her paw and stepped back.

"Told ya I'd win."

"Yeah...That was a good move you did just now."

Sandpaw beamed at him as he stiffly got up and sat next to her, waiting for whatever Whitestorm and Tigerclaw might say next.

"That was very good, both of you." Whitestorm continued as he stepped closer to them. "Using your speed was a good idea Ravenpaw. Often, a warrior will be too focused on landing that first hit to think about what their opponent might do in response to them."

"However, speed isn't everything." Tigerclaw interrupted with a low growl. Whitestorm nodded. "Right. As I'm sure you realized, Sandpaw was able to guess how you might move next and adapted her fighting style to match yours."

Whitestorm's gaze softened. "In the future, I'd advise you not to think or hesitate too much in a fight. You've got good instincts, but if it takes you too long to use them, you'll lose the battle long before it even starts."

Ravenpaw nodded.

Whitestorm turned towards his apprentice. "As for you, Sandpaw, you did an excellent job. However, in the future, I would recommend you not leap straight into a fight. As Ravenpaw showed you earlier, your opponent may be able to see your attack coming and avoid it. Leaving you stunned and open to an attack of their own."

A pang of guilt struck him at Whitestorm's words. Is that what he should have done earlier? Jump on Sandpaw when she was down from her failed attack? Unease wormed itself into his heart. A move like that seemed a little….underhanded.

Then again, the other clans did fight dirty according to Tigerclaw. Maybe a strategy like that was okay then?

Whitestorm swept a warm look over the them. "Regardless of today's mock battle, you two are well on your way to becoming Warriors Thunderclan can be proud of. I think you have more than earned some fresh kill from the pile in camp."

Tigerclaw dipped his head towards Whitestorm. "If you don't mind, I'd like to have a word with Ravenpaw first."

"Not at all." Whitestorm flicked his tail towards his apprentice. "Come, Sandpaw, let's give them some privacy."

Sandpaw nodded and leapt to her paws, making sure to give Ravenpaw a quick headbump. "Really, good fight back there. I'll save a spot for you once you're done talking with Tigerclaw. See you later!"

Offering one last encouraging look, Sandpaw darted after her mentor as he left the training hollow.

The tip of Sandpaw's tail had just disappeared from his line of sight when a heavy paw hit the side of his head and knocked him onto the sandy floor of the training hollow.

"What." Came Tigerclaw's low growl "Was that?"

Ravenpaw stared up at his mentor, too dazed to figure out what answer he was supposed to give.

Tigerclaw growled again as he hit him with another fast strike, this time at his side. "Get up."

Ravenpaw scrambled to his paws, scared not doing so would warrant another attack.

"I thought you said you were serious about training harder."

"I-I am. I gave it my all just no-"

He just barely stepped back in time to avoid another hit to the face.

"Really?" Tigerclaw's glare darkened. "That was your best? Sandpaw beat you."

It took everything in him not to cower in front of his mentor, to stay standing in front of him.

"This. This was just a mock fight. It doesn't really count, right?"

That was the wrong thing to say as something dark flashed in Tigerclaw's eyes.

"Doesn't count?" He repeated far too lightly for Ravenpaw's comfort as he slowly began to circle him. "Is that how you view all battles? That they don't really count?"

"No! I-"

Tigerclaw's tail covered his mouth.

"Or do you just pick and choose which battles to count?"

Tigerclaw leaned in close, warm breath tickling Ravenpaw's ear, and whispered. "Did the battle at Sunningrocks count?"

At Ravenpaw's flinch Tigerclaw drew back with a grim expression. "All battles count Ravenpaw. Be they fighting for your clan or training within, you should always aim to win. And if you can't beat your own clanmates, cats you should know as well as you do yourself, then how do you expect to beat an enemy warrior?"

Ravenpaw found himself staring at the sand in front of him.

"I don't." He whispered.

That seemed to be the right thing to say as Tigerclaw sat in front of him, no sign of aggression now.

"Exactly. As punishment for not taking today's battle training seriously, you will go hunt without taking a piece of fresh kill first. Perhaps hunger will make your claws sharper."

Feeling lower than dirt, Ravenpaw gave Tigerclaw a small nod and slunk out of the training hollow.

Stupid.

He was so so stupid.

He wasn't just an apprentice anymore. He was Tigerclaw's apprentice and while that had always had a level of pressure to it, things were different now. Unlike Sandpaw and Dustpaw, he'd been in an actual fight against another clan. A fight that had ended badly.

He should know better than anyone else to take every fight, every battle seriously.

But he hadn't.

He'd treated practice like a game, like something fun and not only embarrassed his mentor but himself as well.

No wonder Tigerclaw had seen fit to hit him a few times just now. He'd been no better than a kit playing warrior earlier.

Scowling, Ravenpaw raised his head and for the first time since leaving camp, looked around his surroundings.

Other than the faint rustling of leaves from the wind, there was no sound of prey nearby. Taking a deep breath, Ravenpaw sat down and focused.

If he had any hope of redeeming himself from this morning's mistake, then he had better bring back enough fresh-kill that even Tigerclaw would be impressed.

Distantly, he could hear something shuffling up ahead.

Dropping into a hunting crouch, Ravenpaw crept forward, mouth open for scents and ears pricked for any sign of whatever it was leaving.

Moving silently through the grass, he caught sight of it and froze.

It was a crow.

Possibly the biggest one he'd ever seen. Mouth already watering at the thought of sinking his teeth into it, Ravenpaw forced himself to calm down and focus.

It wasn't caught yet and there was no guarantee that it would be. Whether the bird made it back to the clan or not was up to him.

Pressing himself even lower to the forest floor, Ravenpaw slowly made his way closer to the crow in an attempt not to startle it. Carefully, making sure to stay out of it's line of sight, he began to circle it to best figure out where best to attack it from.

The crow lifted it's head and he froze, not even daring to breathe until it dropped it's head back down as it picked at the rocks beneath itself looking for it's own prey.

Heart thudding loudly in his ears, Ravenpaw slowly made his way out of the grass and closer towards the bird. As the crow began to tug at something in the ground, a worm maybe, he leapt. Thanking Starclan and every hunting session he'd ever had that he managed to successfully land on the bird's back.

Beneath him, the crow flailed, spreading its' wings and flapping them hard in an attempt to dislodge him. Heart now in his throat, Ravenpaw dug his claws deep in the bird's flesh, moving only one paw away from the back and wrapping it around the crow as best he could in an attempt to slow it down.

Panicked now, the bird fell backwards in an attempt to knock him off to little success.

Struggling now to keep his grip on the crow, Ravenpaw slunk forward as best he could and bit down hard on the bird's outstretched neck, refusing to let go until the crow's movements stilled.

Breathing heavily, Ravenpaw stepped off his kill and studied it. Up close, it was definitely the biggest crow he'd ever seen. The wingspan alone was longer than his whole body.

And he'd been the one to kill it.

Pleased with himself, Ravenpaw grabbed one of the wings and began to drag his catch back to camp.

It wasn't the most respectful way to bring back fresh-kill, but the crow was much too large to carry back from it's neck and he feared that if he tried any other way to carry it home he'd trip over it somehow and make it even more of an uneatable mess than a little dirt would.

To his surprise, the first cat he ran into upon entering the camp was Tigerclaw.

Tigerclaw stared down at his catch, eyes wide. "You caught that?"

Ravenpaw nodded, letting go of the wing to better address his mentor. "Yes Sir."

Tigerclaw studied the bird for a moment before turning his gaze back to Ravenpaw. "Huh. Good catch then. It looks big enough to feed several cats. Keep it up."

Warmth seemed to spread through him at Tigerclaw's words.

Praise was rare enough from his mentor and after this morning's disaster of a training practice, he'd been sure that Tigerclaw wouldn't give him a second look let alone talk to him again.

It didn't even matter that Tigerclaw had already left after complimenting his crow. He'd been impressed.

Pleased, Ravenpaw picked up the crow's wing again and dragged it towards the elder's den.

Tigerclaw himself had said it would be able to feed several cats and Ravenpaw could think of no other group of cats that deserved his catch than the elders.

Dappletail was the first to spot him. "Well, if it isn't Ravenpaw." she purred, eyes glowing at the sight of the huge bird by his paws. "I hope that's for us."

Ravenpaw nodded. "Sorry it's a little dusty-"

Dappletail shook her head and smiled. "It's fine Ravenpaw, I doubt even a warrior of Lionclan would have been able to carry such a large crow as that without its' wings trailing beneath it."

Warmed by the elder's kind words, Ravenpaw nudged the crow closer to her. "Is Rosetail nearby?"

Dappletail purred. "Of course. Let me go get her." Dappletail turned and ducked back into the elder's den. A heartbeat later, Rosetail stepped out, eye lighting up at the sight of him.

"Ravenpaw!" She purred. "Did you catch that?"

He nodded. "It wasn't too tough, I think it was a little old honestly. But. Uh. Not too old to be too tough to chew! It's uh, probably just perfect."

Rosetail's loud purrs as she nuzzled the top of his head cut him off. "I'm sure it is. Thank you Ravenpaw."

"It was nothing, really."

Rosetail stepped back, eyes gleaming in amusement. "If you say so dear. You know, your father was quite the hunter himself, even if he was a little modest about it. Did anyone else see your catch?"

"Just you and Dappletail. And uh. Tigerclaw." His tail twitched in excitement. "He actually seemed impressed by it!"

His mother purred. "Good. He should be, this is quite the catch. If you ask me, Tigerclaw should be more generous with his compliments. He's lucky to have you as an apprentice and should ease up on you a little."

Ravenpaw couldn't help shaking his head a little at that. "He just wants me to be the best warrior I can be."

Rosetail gave a small scoff. "He sure has a funny way of showing it." she muttered. Expression softening, she pushed the crow back towards him a bit. "Have you eaten today? I'm sure there's plenty of this bird to go around for you to take a bite or two if you'd like."

Ravenpaw stared down at the crow, mouth watering slightly at the sight of it. It'd been a tough fight and dragging back to camp hadn't been easy.

He swallowed and shook his head, making sure to grin brightly at Rosetail. "I'm good. I uh, actually had something before battle practice with Sandpaw earlier. Besides, this is for you and the other elders."

Rosetail eyed him dubiously. "Are you sure?"

He nodded and gave her a quick headbump. "Positive. Sides, I'm not quite done hunting for the clan yet. I just brought the crow back first since it was so big."

"Okay…" Rosetail still didn't look like she believed him but she didn't seem like she'd keep pressing him over it. "Just promise me not to push yourself too hard. You're not the only cat in the clan who can hunt you know."

"I know. And I promise, a few more pieces of fresh kill and I'll be done for the day."

"Alright. Just be careful."

"I will."

Satisfied that Rosetail was content with his answer and the crow, Ravenpaw darted back towards the entrance of the camp.

One bird, no matter how big, wasn't enough to feed the whole clan. Especially with Shadowclan possibly lurking about. The more prey in their warriors' bellies, the stronger the clan would be if those fox-hearts ever decided to attack.

And while he may not be the best fighter yet, he could at least do his part and make sure Thunderclan was well-fed.