Chapter Four
Asterpaw rolled onto her back, stretching. She half woke up, but didn't bother to open her eyes. She felt minutely bad about lazing around when she could be helping the Clan, but not enough to move. Redpaw growled quietly in protest as she moved, pressing against her again. She batted her sister's ear half-heartedly.
"Redpaw?" A deep voice said. Asterpaw peeled her eyes open. A dark blurry shape peered through the den's entrance. She blinked a few times and her eyes focused, recognizing the shape of a stocky brown tabby tom. Redpaw rolled onto her side, yawning. The tom's whiskers twitched slightly.
"Asterpaw, since Thunderstar isn't here, you can join us. Valestorm wants me to help with battle training this afternoon." he replied.
"Sure, I'd love to, Hollowfoot." Redpaw sat up and began grooming her fur and Asterpaw simply nodded.
"Have you seen Duskpaw? I'm sure she could use some help-er, not that she's a bad fighter." Hollowfoot added quickly. He looked down, embarrassed.
"She's confined to camp for two days. I don't know where she is, either." Redpaw stated, glancing around the den in case the pointed she-cat was disguised in the shadows. "Ready, Asterpaw?" Her sister flicked her with her tail.
"As ready as you." she growled competitively. The young warrior backed out of the den and the two apprentices followed. Asterpaw glanced around camp. "I'm guessing Thunderstar isn't back yet?" she asked doubtfully.
"No, and he won't be until late tomorrow. Unfortunately, it's a far journey to the Star cave. That's why I'm joining you, otherwise I'd be out training with Flamepaw." Hollowfoot explained.
"Well, this way I can really prove I'm a better fighter than Asterpaw." Redpaw snickered. Valestorm came into earshot and scoffed out loud at her apprentice.
"Don't boast too soon, 'paw. You're quite the slacker during our sessions." Redpaw's eyes dropped and she gave her chest fur a few licks, not saying anything. "Right. Let's get to the practice clearing, then."
As one, the four of them turned towards the camp entrance and left. Taking up a steady pace, the warriors fell into leading the patrol, the apprentices just behind. Asterpaw met Redpaw step for step as they streamed towards their destination.
"Do you think Duskpaw snuck out of camp?" Redpaw whispered. She kept her eyes well-trained on the cats ahead, making sure they couldn't hear her.
"I can't imagine why she would. She usually does what she's supposed to." Asterpaw meowed quietly. Redpaw nodded.
"I guess she could be taking care of the elders, or playing with the kits." she offered, and dropped the subject. The warriors slowed to a stop and turned, standing in front of the large log in the center of the clearing.
"Asterpaw, you can train with Hollowfoot for the beginning of the session. After we've reviewed some moves, the pair of you can compare your skills. And after that, we can learn some new things and all of that." Valestorm stated, and immediately turned to her apprentice.
"Lucky." Redpaw murmured under her breath, shortly before stepping up to her mentor. Asterpaw flicked her ear, dismissing her comment, before following Hollowfoot to the other side of the fallen tree. He walked along the length of the trunk and to the other side, but the ginger-patched she-cat just scrambled over the top and dropped down on the other side. The tabby tom sat on the other side of the clearing and faced her.
"Alright; show me what you know. Come at me." he said, blinking once.
Asterpaw planted all four paws on the ground and distributed her weight evenly, instinctively drawing her tail close and lowering her head. Hollowfoot watched her every movement, seeming to scrutinize it without a word. The fur along her spine rose a bit, unnerved, but she forced it down and kept her claws sheathed. Studying his own posture, she saw his front paws had little weight placed on them. He was ready to leap back, to then fall on top of her. Making up her mind, she acted.
She prepared to leap, letting her hindquarters sway before tensing her legs and throwing herself forward. As she suspected, the brown tom reared back on his hind legs, his front legs outstretched to faux-claw her. As he rose, she crashed into his chest, head-first. The air was knocked out of them both, and Asterpaw struggled to regain strength enough to react. Hollowfoot took advantage of her slower recovery, and drew his rear legs under her, flinging her off. She leaped to her feet and was ready to charge him again, when he waved his tail to call her off.
"Asterpaw, you can't think only one step ahead and then expect to win a fight on sheer luck afterwards. Thunderstar must have taught you better than that." Hollowfoot scolded. Asterpaw flattened her ears and didn't speak. The warrior's eyes widened and he realized that in fact he hadn't taught her better. "Erm-maybe you shouldn't practice with Redpaw just yet."
Asterpaw leaped to her feet. "No! I can do it, just teach me a few things! I'm just as good as any apprentice!" she begged. Then she realized Redpaw and her mentor might be able to hear her, and she bit her tongue. The older cat met her soft green eyes and was silent for a long moment.
"What all have you learned?" he asked calmly. Asterpaw thought back to her training sessions with the leader.
"I've learned not to rush into a fight, and to always interpret my enemy's moves." she paused.
"And..?" Hollowfoot asked, seeming a bit worried. Psh, of course she'd learned more than that by now.
"I've learned basic dodging and counterattacks, and some striking techniques-Oh! And a few things about applying hunting techniques to battle, but I mostly taught myself that." Asterpaw purred, somewhat defensive but mostly proud. The tom didn't move for a moment, only staring at her. Finally he did speak, snapping back to life.
"I don't think you're too far behind, then. Come at me again, but this time really think about what I'm going to do." Asterpaw nodded vigorously, watching the tom sit down again. This time, his full weight was on his paws. If she jumped at him like last time, he'd likely duck, and if she jumped at his belly, he would probably still be able to hop back in time. She glanced at his tail, sticking straight out behind him. Sure of his next move, she leaped again.
This time, Hollowfoot ducked and the she-cat flew just above his back. She landed just behind him, pricking his tail with her claws. Hollowfoot yowled and whirled on her, his tail drawn nearer his body, now. Smirking, she swiped his face with her paw before he could see her clearly. The strike made him stumble a second, long enough for Asterpaw swipe one leg from under him and make him fall forward. His jaw clamped around her leg as she lifted it to run behind him, and she fell awkwardly to the side before he let her go.
"Much better." the tom spluttered, dirt flying in his face. He untangled his paws and sat up. "You could say you did well with unconventional fighting moves. You're still not thinking of every outcome, but that can come later. With some proper training, you'll be as good a fighter as any cat. Remind me, and I'll talk to Thunderstar about it, alright?" Asterpaw dipped her head. "Right then. Think you're ready to take on Redpaw? I heard she's got quite the talent for quarrels."
Asterpaw scoffed arrogantly. "I can beat Redpaw in anything!"
"Think so? Then you better come over to the bigger side of the clearing and prove it." Valestorm mewed from the top of the log. Asterpaw fluffed up her fur, determined, and scrambled over the log. Hollowfoot hopped up and sat beside the older warrior. Redpaw paced on the other side of the clearing, her tail flicking impatiently. It must not have taken her as long to warm up, but Asterpaw refused to be intimidated. She planted her paws firmly in the soft ground across from her sister, who did the same.
"Ready?" Valestorm yowled.
"Ready!" Redpaw called.
"Ready!" Asterpaw growled.
"Begin!" Immediately, Asterpaw rushed the rusty tabby, hoping to surprise her; but Redpaw stepped just out of the way, and her sister skidded to a hault beside her. She gave Asterpaw a few good swipes over the shoulder before turning to her back and jumping on top of her. Asterpaw writhed underneath her greater weight, desperate. Think ahead! she thought, scolding herself. Thankfully, Redpaw slipped to one side and Asterpaw managed to wriggle free. Before she was liberated, jaws clamped on her tail and she yelped. She spun around-avoiding placing her paws close to her sister's-and batted her muzzle.
Redpaw let go of her tail, sneezing from the tickle of Asterpaw's fur over her nose. Her sister took the opportunity to bowl her over batter her ears with strikes. She failed to pin Redpaw's hind legs and she kicked her, throwing her off of her and over her head. The tabby rolled over, onto her paws and pulled the same move on her stunned sister, this time pinning her legs to one side. She wrapped her jaws carefully over Asterpaw's exposed neck in a faux-choking bite.
"Give up?" she whispered, her breathe stirring the fur beneath her jaws.
"Never!" Asterpaw growled. Surprising Redpaw, she wrenched her front paw from underneath Redpaw's and slashed her side, her claws unwittingly extended. Redpaw leaped back, and as she did Asterpaw caught a glance of red drop springing into the air from her sister's flank to her claws.
"Asterpaw!" both warriors exclaimed. Valestorm leaped down, running to Redpaw. She sat, slightly hunched, her thin chest heaving. Small rivets of wet fur parted her otherwise routinely striped pelt. Her mentor closely inspected the scratchs.
"You'll be fine, but you may need a healing poultice for those. Come on, we ought to be heading back to camp, anyways." Valestorm stated, glancing at the sky. The sun was well behind the clifftops, the sky growing dark and bloodred. The black-and-white she-cat nudged her apprentice, and Redpaw got to her paws. She seemed perfectly fine, walking back along the path to the camp. Asterpaw stood up more slowly, keeping her eyes down.
"Theres no need to be upset, Asterpaw." Hollowfoot stopped beside her, looking her in the eyes even as she refused to.
"I panicked. I hurt Redpaw." she murmured. The tom looked at the sky, beginning to fill with stars.
"We're all only so talented, you know. Some cats are great fighters; some are great hunters; few are great healers, and some are great at things that can't even be taught to other cats. But no cat is great at all things, and no cat is perfect. You are not a perfect fighter, and you shouldn't be. You're just a 'paw, and it's only natural that sometimes you fail at what you try. But you can learn from it, and learn to be a better cat." Asterpaw blinked.
"How do you know things like that?" she asked, awed. Hollowfoot purred.
"StarClan are great teachers to all cats, not just leaders and healers. One of the things they've taught me is that we do not know everything, and that it's fine this way." he explained.
"Why aren't you deputy if you're so smart?" to which he shook his head.
"Trust me, Ravinefall makes a much better one than me. She's older and even wiser than I am. I'm meant to be a warrior. Nothing more and nothing less." Asterpaw was still mistified, but just shook her head as if she understood. "We're getting left behind, and it's almost moonrise. Let's get back to camp."
Asterpaw nodded again and they ran to catch up with Redpaw and Valestorm. They weren't far behind and caught up easily. They fell into step walking with the other two cats, warriors in front and apprentices in back, again.
"I'm so sorry." Asterpaw whispered, still feeling wretched. She flinched as her sister licked her cheek.
"It's nothing. Just some battle scars." Redpaw joked. She walked close enough that their pelts brushed.
"It's not nothing. I hurt you, and you're the last cat I'd ever want to hurt." the other apprentice insisted.
"It's my fault, really. I should've gone easier on you. Afterall, I'm a much better fighter than you!" Redpaw struggled to keep her voice down.
"I'm just as good as you, if not better!" Asterpaw huffed in defense of herself. Redpaw blatently laughed.
"Whatever you say, little sister!"
"I'll give you a real clawing, you call me that again!" Asterpaw teased. Redpaw flicked her side with her tail, accepting her apology, and Asterpaw finally felt better. She took a deep breath and let it out just as they reached the camp.
The remainder of the day they spent playing with Brindleflame's kits and listening to the elders' tales. When they did return to the apprentices' den, Duskpaw was already curled up and asleep. They didn't want to bother her so they curled up together and fell asleep like the did after every day of warrior training.
