Chapter Four
"That's great Skypaw, keep it up!" Ferntail purred as Skypaw perfected the move she was showing her. Skypaw had spent the latter of her day developing a sense of the territory.
CaveClan territory was much bigger than Skypaw could have ever imagined. The trees were just a small part of their territory. It expanded into a wide meadow where the Clan gathered every full moon to share tongues or talk about the past with their ancestors. Beyond the meadow was a large river that was created by the many streams spreading throughout the forest. Beyond that…. Skypaw wasn't sure. Ferntail didn't take her that far.
"Can I try something else?" Skypaw asked. Ferntail nodded and watched as Skypaw dropped to a crouch. She judged the distance of a branch from herself before glancing in Ferntail's direction. The light brown tabby was watching, waiting for her to strike.
Skypaw resisted the urge to smirk as she leaped towards the branch, catching Ferntail by surprise. She kicked her back legs against the branch, giving her more strength as she pushed herself into Ferntail. Ferntail let out a hiss of surprise when she found herself pinned to the ground.
"Not a bad move," Ferntail meowed when she recovered. "Where did you learn something like that?" Skypaw flushed under her fur in embarrassment at Ferntail's praise.
"I sort of just taught it to myself," she admitted sheepishly.
"Well, I think a move like that should be taught to all of the apprentices," Ferntail told her.
Maybe I don't want the other apprentices to know, she thought. It's my move, and my move alone!
Ferntail only rolled her eyes and led the way into the forest.
"Next we're going to learn some hunting moves that you can use," she explained. "Your white pelt is going to make this a bit more difficult." Skypaw flicked her tail indignantly. She wasn't worried about standing out!
Instead she trotted over to some mud, ignoring Ferntail's strange look as she rolled around until her pelt was covered. Ferntail looked at Skypaw in surprise when she returned. Now her pelt was completely covered, staining it a dark brown.
"How's this for blending in?" Skypaw retorted, smirking at Ferntail.
"Okay, I get your point," Ferntail purred once again. "Let's try and see how you can hunt a mouse."
Skypaw nodded and looked around in the undergrowth. She knew what mice looked like. And she could tell the difference in their scent. Thanks to the fresh-kill pile she had learned all of the different scents that made up the forest.
When she spotted the mouse she dropped to a crouch. It was scurrying in amongst the ferns that surrounded the training area. Skypaw narrowed her eyes as she tried to figure out the best way to hunt this mouse.
In heartbeats Skypaw suddenly lunged into the ferns in front of her. A squeak followed as Skypaw made her first kill. She tried to hide the pride that filled her when she returned from the ferns. Ferntail actually looked impressed.
"Not bad for your first kill," she meowed. "Though you managed to scare away all the prey in the area."
Skypaw dropped her mouse, feeling guilty all of a sudden. "I'm sorry," she apologized.
"You'll learn in time how to hunt silently like a CaveClan cat," her mentor reassured her. Skypaw nodded eagerly, and she was more than ready to learn other skills Ferntail might have to teach her. But instead Ferntail looked at the sky, realizing that it was starting to get dark. "We should head back," she suddenly murmured.
I don't want to go back though…. Skypaw decided to keep the thought to herself. She was on good terms with Ferntail, but she wasn't sure how long that would last. For now she washed her pelt in a nearby stream.
"This mud doesn't come off easily," she grumbled. Ferntail purred in amusement as Skypaw tried shaking off the water. The air was still cold, making things a bit more difficult for Skypaw. Ferntail stepped forward and rasped her tongue over Skypaw's fur the wrong way, and Skypaw welcomed the warmth. "Thank you," she sighed in relief.
"Now let's go back," Ferntail told her. Again Skypaw nodded in agreement and picked up the mouse she caught earlier. She was eager to show the other apprentices what she had learned. Maybe she would even gain their respect in the end.
They padded on in silence. Skypaw was thinking of how she would move on in the Clan. With Ferntail as her mentor she would excel in training. But part of her was afraid for Ferntail. Shadestar's warning still lingered in the back of her mind.
Ferntail took the mouse from Skypaw and dropped it on the fresh-kill pile once they reached the camp. Skypaw flicked her tail in goodbye before returning to the apprentice's den. She saw all four apprentices sitting in a semi-circle as they discussed the day's training.
"Burstripe taught me how to fish in the river," Leafpaw was boasting. "You'd be amazed at what we could find."
"Yeah, that sounds disgusting," complained Brackenpaw with his nose wrinkling. "Dustnose was great, he taught me several fighting moves and thinks I'll be a warrior in no time."
"Ferntail taught me a cool move," Skypaw meowed in a proud tone. Again Brackenpaw wrinkled his nose in disgust at Skypaw.
"No one cares what you've learned," he retorted.
Skypaw stared at Brackenpaw in disbelief. How could he have changed so much in such a short amount of time? Just a moon ago they were best friends. And now, it was like spending time alone with Redflower had made him even worse.
"Well I care," Whistlepaw snapped with a roll of his eyes. "What did she teach you?"
"Well… it's kind of hard to explain," she admitted sheepishly. "Basically what you have to do is drop to a crouch and wait until your opponent reaches you. Then you suddenly jump up and claw at them when they've gotten close enough."
She looked at Whistlepaw as his expression changed from confusion to surprise. "That's actually not a bad move," he told her. "Mind if I try it?" She nodded once more and watched as Whistlepaw dropped to a crouch.
Maybe we could be friends, she thought happily. Then everything changed when Whistlepaw's attention was suddenly drawn back to her. Skypaw's eyes narrowed in confusion until he lunged at her. She was taken completely by surprise by his attack.
Her legs buckled underneath her as Whistlepaw landed on her shoulders. He wasted no time in digging his claws into her shoulders, inflicting more pain than she could have imagined. When he was finally finished her mouth was gaping open in shock.
"I was right, she is just another weak fool," Brackenpaw boasted as Whistlepaw jumped off her.
By the time she recovered she realized that all of the apprentices were purring with laughter. Her fur bristled with outrage as she glared at them all. All of them were like Brackenpaw. She knew that they would never fully accept her, because she was just another rogue.
"Lets just leave the useless kit, she's not of importance anyways," Windpaw growled, whipping his tail across her muzzle as he returned to the apprentice's den.
Skypaw was left shaking from her horrible experience as the other apprentices padded back to their den. She wasn't sure what was worse. Being attacked just after she had shown the move, or being laughed at because she was too shocked to fight back. Either way, she wasn't going to be sharing a den with them tonight.
AN: Ah poor Skypaw... she doesn't know what's coming yet. I do love to torture my characters, don't I? Anywho, hope that you guys liked this. These few chapters are going to be short, but they will get longer, don't worry.
Lightclaw's Shadow - I see you changed your username ;) And yeah, Skypaw definitely needs friends who stand up for her.
Cloudleap - Thank you, I'm glad you're enjoying this so far! And yeah, there are a few who obviously don't like her, but other than that she does have more friends than she realizes. Some stories do overplay it if you ask me...
Foreststar of WindClan - Well, maybe not now but... I'm not giving away spoilers :P And it's okay, that's a good question. I think it's because it makes the story that much more easier for most authors to write about. Maybe they're talking about past experience or something /: