How can I help?

"Valleyfrost, you have remarkable bravery and patience. I hope you can pass on these skills to Tornpaw." Hillstar told me of my new apprentice. He ran up to me in excitement when he heard about me being his mentor.

"I promise I will help you in every way I can!" Tornpaw meowed to me. I smiled. He'll be such a good apprentice, I know it. I thought to myself. When Tornpaw and his sibling's ceremonies were done, I took my apprentice to a tour around the territory. I showed him the Training Pit, Scout Hill, the pond behind our camp and the borders we share with the other clans. After our tour, I sent him to sleep. But little did I know, the days following were perhaps my most scarring ones.

"How can I help?" Tornpaw asked as I was fixing my nest with my one good paw.

"Perhaps get me some moss will you?" I ordered. It seemed like a long time since I sent my apprentice away. It was when I heard a shriek I knew trouble was brewing.

"Tornpaw! How dare you!" Larkeye snarled at the young cat. I ran over to her and her fur was ragged and, were her pads bleeding?

"Larkeye, what happened?" I asked the grey she-cat.

"This one grabbed my fur and yanked me! I tried to get away but he threw me on the Caveclan border and scraped my paws!" Larkeye hissed. "Of course Patchedfoot's kit is just as blind as him!" I turned to Tornpaw.

"I asked for moss, not a cat." I said to my apprentice. "Why would you scratch a clanmate's paws anyways!"

"Oh, I heard get me some tossed well. I thought you meant to train with a warrior. I'm sorry!" Tornpaw apologized.

"It was just an accident, but promise me it won't happen again, alright?" I meowed.

"Okay!" Tornpaw returned to his smile. He nuzzled my shoulder and walked back to his den.

"You're too easy on him." Larkeye meowed as she wrapped her tail around my body. "One day, he'll get into real trouble that words can't fix."

Tornpaw got back from a border patrol with his sides heaving and his face in scars. His left eye was torn out, a hole with crimson blood flowing out of it replaced the spot where Tornpaw's eye was supposed to be.

"Tornpaw, let me get you to the medicine den." I led my apprentice into Steamtip's den as I asked him what happened on the patrol.

"I helped out on the border patrol like you said, but a Forestclan apprentice teased me and after I attacked that apprentice, they attacked us and one of their cats had attacked me and ripped out my eye. Then more cats came and chased us out." Steamtip carried a few poppy seeds in a bundle and fed them to my apprentice.

"Tornpaw," I meowed in a gentle voice. "Cats will need to think about their actions before proceeding with them. Some more than others. But please, be more careful next time."

"Thank you." He weakly grinned as he fell asleep for the operation.

The next few days were much easier. Sure, there were some bumps here and there, but all else was good. I still punished him when he didn't do what he was supposed to do, despite me comforting him outside the medicine cat's den when Swallowsun had been ill for most of her time in the nursery. Today was the day that changed everything I thought about him. It was just time for me to go to sleep when I was prodded awake.

"Petalpaw?" I looked at Pansyshade's daughter when she was in the warriors' den, scared.

"Tornpaw, uh," She continued whispering and stuttering before I got the news. "He killed Shardpelt!"

"What? How?" I whispered.

"Come see!" I followed Petalpaw onto the Caveclan border where a terrified Tornpaw was there. Shardpelt's body had a large gash down her flank. Her blood stained the pebbles under her.

"Valleyfrost! I can explain!" Tornpaw turned to Shardpelt's corpse. "A badger was on their territory and I wanted to help, but I mistook her for the badger and killed her! I'm sorry!" I looked at the apprentice with disappointment.

"Petalpaw, head home. I do not want to hear anyone talking about Shardpelt's death or who killed her, got it?" I hissed. Petalpaw nodded and ran back to the Prairieclan camp. I stalked towards Tornpaw. "You know what's going to happen here?" I growled in his ear.

"What?" Tornpaw whimpered.

"Nothing. You obviously know that sorry fills no bellies. You'll live with the memory of how you killed your foster mother's best non-Prairieclan friend. It may have been an accident, but the wounds were deep. No one will know about this unless you tell them." I relaxed, licked Tornpaw's head for the last time, and I headed back to camp, my apprentice following my heels, knowing that what happens next, nothing will ever be the same. I watched the next moons, him recieving his warrior name, Torneye, but I gazed over at him. He looked back at me with his one good green eye, guilt in his eye from what happened all those moons ago.

My first TorrentClan challenge! A chapter with Valleyfrost's first apprentice and his struggle with Tornpaw. Hope you enjoy!