Hullo all!

I'm afraid I was out of town all yesterday and got back fairly late, so was unable to post this on time. Oh well, I'm sure you won't mind. ^^ ...right?

I've just now realized that I really should've divided this book up into a series, possibly a 6-book series (side note: that should give you some idea of how long this book is going to be). But, lacking the organization to figure this out beforehand and fully develop the first part into something resembling a book, I've been forced to just let it drag on as a sort of continuous, somewhat dragging peacefulness. This has very badly made me want to edit this, despite having just started, but unfortunately it's all already been posted and all that, so I'm just going to keep going.

Fortunately, this is the last "peaceful" chapter before some major changes go down. I'm super excited to start on the next few chapters, and even though the plot has definitely winded down a little over the past few chapters, I hope you'll all stick with me another week until I post the next chapter. ^^

I realize I haven't done this yet, but here's my disclaimer: I do not own Warriors (unfortunately) and a couple of the characters, including Marmalade and Pixie along with several we have not yet met. Those belong rightfully to the Erins. Though, of course, this being posted on a Fanfiction website, I'm sure I won't be in trouble for not posting this until now.

Interesting Fact: Ravenkit's design originally had two black splotches on her back, but I removed those for simplicity's sake.

ANYway, on to review replies!

QLK: Haha, that's okay! :) I love Cordelia, she sounds really cool! I do love giving readers the opportunity to create OCs, it gives them a little part of the story as thanks for reading. ^^

Shadow: Phantom sounds super cool, I love him already! :D I'm glad you like the Facts, thanks for reminding me to put one in this chapter. ^^;

Eradrin: I absolutely adore Rowankit, he's such a cute little bby -huggles Rowankit- And I'm glad I'm not the only one who loves Wasco, I wish he was a more prominent character... If the kits had wounds why would that mean they were poisoned? I'm a little confused at that. Ha, you know me with plot twists... XD AP TESTS THO I'm terribly sorry I couldn't make your funeral, mine happened to be on Wednesday. Gravestone: "Ruthlessly murdered by an AP test with a sword and riding on a dragon." The date of my release from prison is the 7th, a little after you to make up for all the snow days we had this year. :P Shaq is being Shaq-ey, he's still a good character but has some, ah, character development still to undergo. ^^

Willow: I'm glad I'm not the only one! ^^

Leopardstar: That's all fine! :) Emil sounds adorable! I only see one slight problem-if Emil has been a loner for four moons, his scarf would probably have fallen off by then or unraveled. Perhaps if it could be changed to a collar or something else more durable?

Nightbird: I'm basically auto-accepting OCs, so I think you'd have to try really hard to not get one accepted! If you wanted to submit one still I'd accept it this chapter. If there's anything I don't think will work I'll let you know and we can work it out. :)

Lilystripe608: Thank you so much for reading! -hugs- It means a great deal! Thank you for the OCs, I think I can just find a place for them. :) I hope you enjoyed the story enough to keep reading this chapter!

Moons passed. Rowankit and I didn't visit the Enclave again; we had no chance to sneak out and visit Shaq or Royce or Asteria under Thalia's watchful eye. But as chilly winds began blowing through the city alleys, Rowankit and I were given a surprise.

"It's time you start learning the rules of defensive combat," Thalia rasped. Her cough had dissolved into what she assured us was the sore throat she got every Leaffall.

I glanced up from my position at the base of the rubbish can; I'd been trying to work out a way to climb it. So far I'd been unsuccessful. "But you've already taught us fighting moves and things," I meowed, confused.

"Up till now you've been learning just the basics. You haven't been old enough to understand the proper rules and strategies." Thalia raised her eyebrows. "In the Clans… no, listen," she gave me one of her looks as I rolled my eyes and turned away, "in the Clans kits don't start training until they're six moons old. You, being the lucky ducks you are, get to start your formal training two moons early."

"What's a duck?" Rowankit poked his head around the can.

"It's a type of bird," Thalia said briskly. "Now both of you get over here. Your lesson's beginning."

"Why's it lucky, then? It sounds like it might be tasty." Rowankit bounded past me, accidentally treading on my tail. I winced, twisting around to see dusty pawprints decorating the black hairs. As he trotted away, paws sending up little puffs of white-gray dust, I stuck my tongue out at him.

Thalia blinked at Rowankit, but didn't reply. Instead, her gaze rippled outward until her nearly colorless eyes focused once again on me. "Ravenkit, I'm surprised. I would've thought you'd be ecstatic at the prospect of learning advanced battle moves."

"I am!" I protested, scooting forward to join them, my sore tail clinging to my hind leg. "It's just someone jumped on top of me as they lumbered past. What are you," I added to Rowankit, "some kind of cleverly disguised dog?"

He swatted at me and I ducked, easily avoiding his halfhearted blow. "Hey!"

"That's enough. What are you, newborns?" Sufficiently chastened, Rowankit and I lowered our gazes. I shot one last glance in his direction, but desisted as Thalia began speaking again.

"This lesson will be in defense."

I couldn't stop myself from snorting. Every lesson was about defense, it seemed.

But my exasperation had been a mistake; the moment it had flitted between my teeth, Thalia's nose was almost pressed to mine and her yellowish eyes flaring in anger. "Oh, so you think you're above this, do you?" she pressed. "You think you can survive out on the streets by yourself? Think if a rogue attacks you, you can beat them off, easy?"

Hoping to avoid conflict, as I did want to learn how to properly fight (if she'd made such a big deal out of this, maybe it was worth listening to), I shook my head, casting my rounded pupils downward.

"Then you'd do best to remember that." Thalia sat back, keeping her eyes fixed on me as though expecting me to retaliate.

"Well, most of your lessons are about defense." I looked up, startled at Rowankit's words. Why was he standing up for me? He never did that!

Thalia seemed just as taken aback, though she recovered much faster than me. "That's because, growing up in the city as you are, you need to hone your survival instincts until they're sharper than dog teeth. Who knows when a rogue is going to attack you? It's a necessary part of every city cat's training, and even if you aren't going to be staying here long, you need those instincts if you're to survive to your sixth moon."

I crouched, eyes flashing mischievously, tail dancing across the dusty ground. "You'd better watch out," I growled, grinning playfully. "I'm a meal ol' rogue who's gonna claw your eyes out!"

"Oh no!" Rowankit faked a look of melodramatic horror. "Whatever shall I do?" But he could only hold his expression for a couple heartbeats before he burst out laughing.

"Rule one of defense is," Thalia began loudly, narrowing her eyes in disapproval.

"Never get distracted laughing!" I pounced on Rowankit, scuffling for a moment before succeeding in pinning him down. "Ha, I win!" Noticing Thalia's annoyance, I added, "What? It's a good rule. If I'd been a real rogue he'd have been dead by now."

"Stop messing around," Thalia growled. "I already told you, playing is for newborns, not mature kits. Focus." But as her yellowish irises focused on my stubborn expression, she sighed. "Fine. Rule one is to never get distracted laughing. Happy?"

I grinned and let Rowankit up. "Yep!"

"Good. Now sit down." She flicked her tail and we plunked ourselves obediently in front of her. "Now, rule number two is to always look over your shoulder."

I glanced behind me but only saw the deserted, dirty alley we called home. Nothing else moved, not even a rat.

"Yes, exactly like that," Thalia congratulated me. "Only sometimes you don't want the rogues to notice you looking for them. In that case…" She bent her head down, tilting her head slightly and turning her muzzle gently to the side, looking out of the corners of her eyes. "In that case you do something more like this.

"Got it?" she asked. Rowankit and I nodded and she continued. "Rule three is to always prioritize protecting your belly."

"And your head," I added confidently. Then: "Right?"

Thalia shook her head. "Your belly is much more important. Maybe be sure to keep your eyes safe, but other than that you really don't need much protection on your head. Ears will bleed more than you might expect but don't fret, ear wounds aren't serious."

"Protect our eyes and tongues," Rowankit muttered. "Got it." I merged our gazes and we shared a grin, remembering Bug.

"Rule four," Thalia meowed, "is to take any chance you can to flee. Loners and warriors alike never fight more than they must." She gave both Rowankit and me meaningful stares. "Remember, the longer you stay in a fight, the more the chance of becoming too wounded to run, and if you can't run… you die."

Rowankit blinked, his eyes widening. I, alternatively, worked hard to suppress a yawn. It almost seemed like Thalia was purposefully trying to dramatize the lesson. I knew four rules already; I was practically an expert. My mind began to wander.

I thought back to my trips to the Enclave. Someday I'd go back again; I'd met only about half of the cats there before. I remembered in particular a lilac point she-cat I'd seen relaxing on a rooftop. I'd never learned her name.

My mind switched gears as my raven soared across my mind's eye. I hadn't seen it since it led me to the train. Was that why it had followed me there? To show me the train? Somehow I didn't think so. Showing off a train didn't seem like a likely reason for saving the life of a potential predator.

"Ravenkit, are you listening?" Thalia's voice cut suddenly through my thoughts like a dog's bark just after Moonhigh.

"Uh huh," I replied automatically, blinking innocently up at her.

Thalia sighed but, thankfully, didn't pursue her accusation. Rolling her eyes, she meowed, "Now, learning theory isn't really all that helpful. The one surefire way of learning defense is to practice. Practice, practice, practice." She fixed me with a glare once again. "Show me what you've learned, Ravenkit."

"But how—"

Thalia lunged at me, revealing speed I hadn't known she possessed. In a heartbeat I lay flat on my back, pinned by one sheathed paw.

"Slow," Thalia muttered, letting me up. "Too slow. An attack could come at any moment. You've got to be prepared, always." She spun around, pouncing on me again, but this time I was watching. I tried sliding backwards, but only succeeded in letting Thalia knock me onto my belly. I coughed as the wind sprang from my lungs, biting down hard on my tongue as my chin slammed against the hard ground.

Again, Thalia sighed, considering me through her front paws. "No. That was better, but still not good enough. You never want to go backward like that, it's too slow. Go to the sides or even forward. If you're about as big or bigger than your opponent you can rear up and meet them in midair, but you won't be able to do that for a long, long time."

Growling under my breath, I scrambled to my paws, shoving my shoulders forward and emerging beneath Thalia's tail. Then, before she could turn around, I leaped at her from behind, snatching at the sparse fur lining her hindquarters.

Thalia hissed in pain from my small yet effective claws, turning to pluck me off by the scruff of my neck. Dumping me onto the ground at her feet, she lowered her nose to mine. "We are practicing defense, not offense. You're not allowed to attack me until your attacking lessons. Capiche?"

She turned, padding away from me again. Then, in a blink, she spun around, soaring through the air toward me. Quickly, I slipped to the side, and Thalia landed neatly beside me. "Good," she nodded. "Now what do you think you do next?"

"Er… attack you?" I asked hopefully.

Thalia lifted her eyes skyward. "Of all the kits in the world, I get you," she muttered. "What in the sky powers am I supposed to do with you?" Fixing me with a stare powerful enough to stop a car in its tracks, she growled, "No attacking. You run."

"Ohhh, okay." I glanced down the alley, then over my shoulder. "Which way?"

"Which do you think?"

I pondered the question for a moment. After so many wrong answers, I desperately wanted to get this one right, if only to prove to Thalia I could do something right, after all. "Th… this way?" I trotted a few paces toward Thalia's tail. "Because I'm already looking this way and you'd have to turn around, so it'd buy me some time."

Finally, Thalia smiled. "Correct. It seems you might have a good head on your shoulders after all." She turned to Rowankit. "Now, how will you fare?"

Rowankit puffed up his chest. "Better than—"

Thalia leaped. Rowankit, distracted by his confident boasting, didn't react in time and ended up knocked onto his back just like me.

"What was that you were saying?" I laughed. "Better than me?"

"Ungh," he grunted, pushing himself into a more comfortable position.

Thalia backed off, allowing Rowankit to stagger to his paws. "Just as you learned earlier to never let laughter distract you, the same applies to conversation. Never let an opponent distract you in any way, shape, or form. Always, always be alert for a possible attack."

Nodding, Rowankit crouched in a ready stance, mold-green eyes narrowed in concentration. He watched as Thalia circled slowly around him, turning with her. Then, as she paused on the other side of the alley, she caught my eyes over Rowankit's head and nodded almost imperceptibly.

She wants me to do something, I thought, confused. But what? Attack him? It certainly seemed like the most likely request. We were, after all, practicing our fighting tactics. So, grinning widely at the prospect of practicing my Shadow Stalker tactics, I pounced on his pushed-up tail.

"Mrrow!" Rowankit surged upward instinctively, twisting in midair and glancing one sheathed blow off my ear. Twitching it reflexively, I laughed at Rowankit's reaction. Thalia surveyed the pair of us, pride flashing in her eyes.

"Good job, Ravenkit, for figuring out my message." I puffed out my chest, though my pride was immediately punctured as she added, "Though I suppose it wasn't difficult for you, what with your battle-centered mind.

"And good response, Rowankit."

"It was instinct," he mumbled, though grinned all the same.

"Instinct's what saves you in an ambush," Thalia meowed seriously. "That kick was amazing. Next time try to add more power behind it, and make sure you remember to unsheathe your claws." Rowankit glowed and I stared grumpily at him. How come he got all praise and I got an insult?

My jealousy was sated a heartbeat later, though, as Thalia apparently wasn't finished yet. "However, it wasn't too skillful letting me set you up for an ambush like that."

"But—" Rowankit looked up, confused. "But I couldn't take my eyes off you, could I? You'd have taken that chance to attack me."

"Very good, Rowankit. I was wondering if you'd be able to catch that." Thalia smiled. "It's one of the reasons I always insist you go on your adventures in pairs; that way you can watch each other's backs. However," she continued, "if one of you is otherwise detained, you will have to learn to defend yourselves on your own." She nodded at me. "I had to alert Ravenkit somehow. If you were watching my eyes, Rowankit, you would have seen me glance up at Ravenkit and seen my nod. The signal could also be a yowl or a tail movement. Watch for something decisive, something your enemy tries to hide."

Rowankit nodded solemnly. "I will."

I snorted. He sounded so serious, like he was as mature as Thalia. Yeah, while being all grown-up would be cool because I could bust out some incredible fighting moves like flips and back kicks anytime I wanted, being a kit was still pretty fun, what with adventures and training sessions with Thalia. I wondered if, had I grown up in a Clan, being this young would still be this cool. Probably not.

"All right, you two," Thalia meowed, breaking into my train of thought. "Your defenses are looking pretty good. But you can't properly defend yourselves without knowing some basic moves."

"Yes!" I reared onto my hind paws, joyfully battering the air. "Attacking!"

"Not attacking." Thalia sent me back onto all fours with a glare. "A kit your size couldn't attack a rat that rolled over and played dead. Fighting is not the same as attacking."

I stuck out my tongue as she turned away, making sure she wouldn't see. If Thalia caught me being this rude, she'd stop my lesson for sure. I couldn't risk giving up fighting lessons!

"Now, first off, if a cat leaps at you, what do you do?"

Rowankit was halfway through his answer before I'd even opened my mouth. "You dart sideways."

"Yeah," I echoed lamely.

"That's right," Thalia meowed. "But that initial rush toward you brings your enemy quite usefully within reach of your claws." Her eyes glinted.

"So you slash them along their side?" I asked eagerly.

"That depends on your size," Thalia said. "Smaller kits like you should aim for the underbelly. Should you happen to grow into larger cats, though, you should aim for their spine. Side wounds are good, but relatively easy to recover from—the underbelly and spine would be more painful, allowing you to get away faster."

I nodded, though honestly I'd prefer to show off some sick moves to an enemy rather than running like a pigeon-hearted coward.

"So the enemy rushes past," Thalia continued, "and you slash their underbelly. They howl in pain and skid around for a new attack. What now?"

"Watch their eyes!" Rowankit cried excitedly. It seemed he'd remembered his earlier lesson on defense.

"Yes, but you can also keep an eye on their body," Thalia said. "Make sure never to watch their paws, though. Paws are the easiest tools to use for a feint or distraction. Bodies are heavier and harder to shift quickly."

Rowankit nodded, probably committing Thalia's words to memory. I, on the other hand, eagerly waited for the next step in this scenario, which would hopefully bring more information about using claws and teeth. I was not disappointed.

"There are multiple paths the fight could go down at this point," Thalia meowed. "It is always best to remember your ulterior motive of disabling an enemy long enough to get away. There are tender spots on a cat's body, spots that induce more pain or blood than others. You'll need to make sure you guard yours as you strive to attack your opponent's.

"Forehead cuts bleed excessively, letting blood drop into your enemy's eyes. If you don't wish to slash their eyes and blind them, it is a good alternative. Another pressure point is the hind legs. The tendon running down the back of a leg can be sliced through for permanent disability or merely stabbed for temporary loss of back legs."

I grinned. That was more like it. If any rogues or dogs tried to take me on, they'd find my underbelly slashes, forehead scratches, and tendon jabs too much for them. And when they turned to look for me after the fight, I'd be gone like a raven. Ravenkit, gone like a raven. It was a perfect motto.

"If they try feinting to the side, back up to give yourself time to think, then dodge. If they rear up to crush you, either roll or dart to the side. If somehow they get you pinned, pummel their belly with everything you've got." She paused, as if considering what to tell us next or just waiting to dramatize her words. "Never let them pin you on your side. Every time you hit the ground, roll onto your back. You may not thing it's such a good plan if you're trying to protect your belly, but it also allows you the use of all four sets of claws."

I rolled onto my back, unsheathing and sheathing my claws. It would be cool, I decided, to fight with all four sets. It would also be cool if my tail had claws, so I could fight with five. Epic.

Thalia had us practice our defensive moves all the rest of that day, and then on for about a quarter moon. After deeming our defense sufficiently capable, we expanded to actual attacking moves, incorporating them into our current practice routine. After a few sunrises of working with us on each new area, Thalia declared herself "much too old for this kind of activity" and deigned to watch and make comments while Rowankit and I sparred.

Hunting practice turned out to be low-key in comparison with fighting. As soon as we'd learned the basics, Thalia turned our attention back to claws and teeth. Though I got excited about this, Thalia insisted it wasn't because she wanted us to fight, but rather because it was much more necessary in the city.

After all, here there were only rats to hunt and many, many enemies to fight.

I actually had one more announcement to make, but I figured I'd save it for the end, so you'd be less likely to forget about it if you wanted to include it in your review.

I realized after I posted last chapter that I might have opened the OCs a little too early. This chapter skips about two moons, so currently they're four moons old. Next chapter skips again, making them six moons and giving them their apprentice names. Many of the submitted OCs were younger, closer to Rowankit's and Ravenkit's ages last chapter and this chapter. I figure that might have been because you wanted your OCs to become friends with Rowan and Raven (R&R, as I refer to them in my outlines). They'll meet the OCs when they're about six moons old.

Additionally, these cats don't actually live in the city, but somewhere nearby. I didn't want to mention this in fear of a plot spoiler, but I guess it's not too spoiling so I'll add it in now. If that or the age ends up changing your OC in any way, let me know in a review!

QOTD: If you were a part of this training session, do you think you would prefer to practice attacking, defending, or something else? Why?