"Harder! Higher!" Flameclaw's suggestions rang through the frosty air as Dawnpaw darted out of the way of a paw flashing towards her after trying a front paw blow to no avail. She ducked and rolled, barely missing Flypaw's paw as the ginger and white she-cat leapt at her.

"Quicker Flypaw!" Nightwing called out, her mew holding a barbed edge. "Are you going to let a kittypet defeat you?"

Dawnpaw stifled a small snarl as she dodged yet another blow before darting forward and flashing her paw out towards Flypaw's flank. Before the blow landed, Flypaw whipped out of the way and bonked her on the head. Dawnpaw staggered back, shaking her head slightly to dispel the dizziness.

"Quicker Dawnpaw! Don't stand there and wait for the next attack! Move with the blows and keep your eyes open!" Flameclaw advised from the side of the clearing. The ginger tom was sitting beside Nightwing, his tail tip flicking as he watched the spar.

Dawnpaw managed to leap out of the way as Flypaw darted towards her. Dawnpaw whirled around, letting out a small breath and ducking as Flypaw moved with her. She flashed out a paw and managed to trip Flypaw, making the ginger she-cat crash to the ground. Dawnpaw leapt forward but before she could pin her fellow apprentice, Flypaw kicked out with her hind legs and threw her off, green eyes gleaming.

Dawnpaw landed on the ground, letting out a gasp as the breath was knocked out of her. Soon she felt paws on her shoulders as Flypaw pinned her triumphantly to the ground. "I won!" Flypaw crowed, shooting a glance at their mentors.

"Very good," Nightwing responded, dipping her head slightly. "You have fought well, Flypaw."

Flypaw grinned and took a step back, letting Dawnpaw up as she curled her tail over her back. Dawnpaw sat up and stared in the distance, panting. She didn't notice that her fur was dusty were dirty as Flameclaw padded over her.

"Dawnpaw," Flameclaw meowed, his tail flicking. "You did well, but your blows still weren't hard enough to hurt." He shook his head slightly. "You do well in practice but when it comes time to sparring with the other apprentices, you just fall apart. What's going on?"

Dawnpaw winced at the criticism and gazed at her paws. "It…it just feels wrong to injure another cat." She lifted a now brown paw and shook it slightly, dislodging some of the dirt and dust to show the white fur underneath. "When I look at another cat, all I see is some cat with a soul, a home, a family. I don't want to rob them of that."

Flameclaw let out a sigh and sat down, curling his tail around his paws. He nodded to Nightwing and Flypaw. "Head back to camp without us," he meowed. "Dawnpaw needs more training time."

"That's understandable," Nightwing meowed, dipping her head in understanding. "Every apprentice learns at their own pace." She glanced at her apprentice and flicked her tail before setting off. "Come on Flypaw, let's see if we can do a little bit of hunting on the way back."

"Yes!" Flypaw meowed happily as she trotted out after her mentor. "I hope I can catch a squirrel this time!"

"What's see if we can find one first," Nightwing responded cryptically.

Flameclaw cleared his throat, causing Dawnpaw to look back at him. "You know the Warrior Code, right?"

Dawnpaw met his gaze and looked away. "Well…yes, the elders told me about it but it still doesn't make that much sense."

Flameclaw twitched his whiskers slightly in amusement. "There's your problem then," he meowed. "The Warrior Code isn't just a set of rules, it's our way of living and believe or not you have been following those rules."

Dawnpaw pricked her ears in surprise. "Really? What do you mean?"

Flameclaw tilted his head in the direction of the camp. "Each time you go on a hunting patrol, you bring prey back to the Clan and don't take any for yourself during the hunting trip. You also make sure the queens and elders are fed before taking prey for yourself. Is that correct?"

"Yes…" Dawnpaw meowed hesitantly, listening politely.

"Those are rules stated in our Code," Flameclaw responded. "The same goes for border patrols and you just haven't figured out that warriors are required to show mercy in battle when their opponent surrenders."

"I'll never surrender!" Dawnpaw burst out with a low growl. She lifted her head and got to shakily to her paws, turning away slightly. "I'll be the best warrior ever!"

"Not the way I see it."

"What!" Dawnpaw looked back at her mentor, ears flattening at the look in Flameclaw's eyes. "Why not?"

"You still can't bring yourself to fight your best," Flameclaw meowed. "You need to forget about the cat's past and life and think of your Clan. Think about how much you have to protect ShadowClan and how scarce prey can be." The ginger tom got to his paws and took a few steps in the direction of the camp. "Instead of training more, we are heading back to camp. I want you to think about what it means to be a Clan cat and how important it is to be able to defend yourself in battle. It leads to how much you value your life." The tom glanced over his shoulder, expression unreadable. "I don't know what your past is, but those scars on your pelt suggest that you are no stranger to fighting. Unless I'm wrong and those scars came from something else, which I find hard to believe." Without another word, Flameclaw padded away, disappearing into the pine forest as he headed back towards the camp.

Dawnpaw watched him go, her tail dropping slightly. She shook her pelt and began to follow her mentor back to camp, keeping her head low. She hardly noticed as she entered the camp and refused to meet the gaze of any cat as she made her way to the apprentice's den. She didn't feel like talking to anyone, but she let out a small hiss of pain as she bumped into something. Sitting back and shaking her head slightly to dispel the pain, she blinked and looked up, eyes widening when she spotted Shadepelt glaring at her.

"Sorry," Dawnpaw meowed, dropping into a submissive crouch. "It won't happen again, I promise!"

"What do you mean?" Shadepelt asked, tilting his head slightly. "It was an accident. Neither of us was watching where we were going." The tom's whiskers twitched slightly. "Now get up out of that stupid position and face me properly."

Dawnpaw remained where she was, afraid to sit up. She flattened her ears, trying to appear smaller, unaware that she was revealing another few scars that she had gained during her time as a kittypet. There was a jagged scar across her forehead that was caused by a glass hitting and exploding against her head. She had to spend a few nights at the cutter's before she could return home. Another one was a nasty scar across her shoulders, that was normally hidden by her neck fur but in the position she was in, it was showed clearly. She couldn't remember how it happened, but she remembered another long period of time at the cutter.

"Where did you get those?" Shadepelt asked, his mew sounded usual. Probably because it was full of sympathy.

Dawnpaw let out a squeak of surprise and darted past him into the apprentices' den, not wanting to speak to him. She found her nest and crouched down, trying to hide as she shivered slightly in fear. She was glad that the den was empty and eventually relaxed, letting herself lay down. She rested her head on her paws and stared at the walls of the den, whimpering slightly. She placed a paw over her muzzle and closed her eyes, trying to push away the memories of her time in the twoleg's care. She hated reliving those memories since it reminded her of how helpless she was against his rage. She still felt helpless whenever she faced an opponent in battle.

Each blow that was landed, reminded her of the blows that her twoleg landed on her. It just brought back painful memories. She wanted to help out and be the best warrior she could be…but these memories kept holding her back, always threatening to overwhelm her.

The truth was that she was scared.

Scared of getting hurt again.

Scared of feeling helpless, like there was no one who could help her.

Scared of being alone.

Scared of-

"Dawnpaw?" A familiar meow broke into Dawnpaw's thoughts. The she-cat opened her eyes and let the paw covering her muzzle fall back onto her nest. She curled up tightly in her nest when she spotted who it was.

"Go away Flameclaw," she meowed quietly. "You too Shadepelt. I just want to be left alone."

"Not after I saw what I saw," Shadepelt meowed. Dawnpaw heard pawsteps as the two warriors padded in deeper into the den. "You're a Clanmate now, whether we like it or not."

"Tell us what is going on," Flameclaw meowed softly. Her mentor touched his muzzle gently to her forehead, directly ontop of her scar. Dawnpaw winced and curled up tighter into a ball, refusing to look at them as she shivered slightly in fear.

"No," Dawnpaw squeaked out.

"I see," Flameclaw meowed quietly. He glanced at Shadepelt and gave him a small nod. "Thank you. You can go now."

"Not until I find out what's wrong as well," Shadepelt retorted with a small growl.

"Very well," Flameclaw meowed. He glanced at his apprentice. "Dawnpaw, can you please tell us how you got those scars?"

"No," Dawnpaw repeated. She curled up tighter and hid her tail across her muzzle, trying to hide.

She felt a muzzle gently nuzzle her. "Come on, the story can't be that bad," Shadepelt meowed. His normally gruff voice was surprisingly gentle and sympathetic. "If you tell me what happened, I can tell you…about my father."

Dawnpaw pricked her ears and lifted her head slightly. "Really?"

Shadepelt nodded, glancing at his paws. "Yes," he promised.

Dawnpaw let out a shaky breath and sat up, eyes staring at the den wall, her fur beginning to bristle. "It was one of the times when the twoleg had this weird scent. I was just lazing in front of the fire when something exploded beside me. I leapt to my paws and raced for the bed, my only hiding place in the whole den. Though he happened to corner me against two of the sides and raised a clear glass above his head. It was full of a strange purple liquid as he hit it against me. I blacked out and the next thing I knew, I had this scar." She placed a paw on her forehead and glanced at the scar across her shoulders. "And I don't know how that scar happened, but I can only imagine it happened at the same time."

Silence greeted her words and Dawnpaw blinked, looking around. Flameclaw's pelt was bristling and his lips were curled back in a snarl. Shadepelt was pacing the den, his tail lashing and ears flattening. His paws left long score marks as his claws dug into the ground. Dawnpaw crouched submissively, wondering why they were so angry.

"Did I say something wrong?" Dawnpaw managed to squeak out.

Flameclaw shook his head and glanced at her, a glint appearing in his eyes. "No," he reassured her, leaping to his paws. "Though, now I know how to train you!" He nodded to Shadepelt, flicking his tail at the tom before leaving the den. Shadepelt followed him close behind, leaving Dawnpaw blinking after them in confusion.

What does he mean by that? Is my training going to change? Is that a good or bad thing?

Hey! I updated! :D

Anyway, Happy New Years!