Hello, it's been a little while, but I'm posting again, so yeah! Enjoy the chapter!
Chapter 4
"Slow slug!" Flowerpaw yowled back at Talonpaw as they raced through the trees. A cool greenleaf breeze blew through the forest, ruffling Talonpaw's fur. The sun shown down on the soft, grassy ground, casting an orange glow over the undergrowth.
"That's what you think!" Talonpaw called, putting on a burst of speed. He started pulling ahead, relishing the feeling of the warm sun on his pelt. Talonpaw, Flowerpaw, and their mentors were on their way to the mossy clearing where they often trained. They had been told they were battle training against each other, and Talonpaw was excited. He had never fought Flowerpaw before, and he was wondering how tough it would be.
"Hey!" Flowerpaw protested when Talonpaw passed her. She ducked under a low hanging branch and darted onto a log to gain higher ground.
Ow! A twig hit Talonpaw's face, temporarily blocking his vision. He felt something catch his leg, causing him to stumble and fall over in a heap of dust and fur. Flowerpaw skidded to a halt and bounded over to him.
"You okay?" She asked it sincerely, but there was a hint of amusement and smugness in her voice.
"Yeah, I'm fine." Talonpaw replied, climbing to his feet. He dusted himself off with his tail and began to lick his chest fur in embarrassment.
"There you are!" Berrynose exclaimed, pushing through a clump of bracken. "Don't run off like that!"
"If I remember correctly," Mewed Brambleclaw, emerging behind the cream-colored tom, "You were quite the rebellious apprentice yourself."
"I was not!" Berrynose mewed indignantly.
Right, Berrynose was Brambleclaw's apprentice. Talonpaw remembered.
"Sorry, Berrynose." Flowerpaw apologized innocently.
Berrynose sighed, "Let's get to training. The clearing is just up ahead."
"Right!" Talonpaw agreed. He sprinted past the familiar undergrowth and trees. He soon emerged in the clearing, where he stopped to wait for the other cats. Flowerpaw soon erupted from the bushed and almost toppled Talonpaw over.
"What did I tell you?" Berrynose asked them when he and Brambleclaw followed, "Don't go running off!"
"It's okay," Brambleclaw reassured Berrynose, "It's just something young cats do, especially in greenleaf.
Berrynose just let out a small snort and turned to the apprentices, "So, as you've been told, you'll be having a sparring match with one-another."
"Each of you will start three fox-lengths away from each other, and when we say go, you'll both attack." Brambleclaw added, "But remember, claws sheathed, we don't need any injuries here."
"Alright Flowerpaw, are you ready to get destroyed?" Talonpaw challenged, turning to her.
"As if! You'll never beat me!" The light colored apprentice replied, sheathing and unsheathing her claws.
"Ahem." Brambleclaw snorted, "Are you two ready to start?"
"Er, yeah!" Talonpaw mewed. He stood erect and turned to face his mentor.
"Now, both of you take your positions." Berrynose commanded.
I'm so going to win this! Talonpaw thought confidently. He padded away from the two warriors until he was the correct distance from Flowerpaw. He dropped into a crouch, his belly fur brushing the bright green grass.
"You two ready?" Brambleclaw questioned. A cool breeze blew through the clearing, ruffling Talonpaw's fur. "Begin!"
Talonpaw gathered his strength in his haunches and pounced, sailing towards Flowerpaw. She slid back to avoid his initial attack, then darted forward again to sweep out his legs.
She's good! Talonpaw thought, jumping to dodge Flowerpaw's attack. He landed neatly on the ground and batted at her head, landing multiple clean hits. She stumbled backwards, but quickly regained her balance and leaped at him again, hissing.
"Flowerpaw!" Berrynose called to Flowerpaw. The warrior nodded, and it was as if there was a secret exchange between them. Unable to interpret what Berrynose had meant, Talonpaw just braced himself to block the apprentice's next move. Instead of just a normal attack, however, Flowerpaw whipped around and landed right in front of him, then delivered a strong attack to Talonpaw's shoulder, sending him sliding backwards.
What's she planning? Using her opening, Flowerpaw slithered behind him and swept out both of his back legs. Ow! Talonpaw collapsed on the ground, his front legs giving way as well. Flowerpaw had him on his back with her paw on his neck within moments.
"How do you think you'll get out of this one?" She crowed.
"I guess I won't…" Talonpaw replied slyly. Brambleclaw had taught him a certain move during their previous battle training session, and he was about to try it out.
"Wait, what do you mean by- hey!" Flowerpaw yowled with confusion as Talonpaw erupted from beneath her. He threw her off of him, sending her flying into the grass. She landed with a hard thump, then struggled to her feet and braced herself for another fight.
She hasn't realized yet! Talonpaw thought. While Flowerpaw was recovering, Talonpaw had crept behind her. He reared up on his hind legs and slammed both of his front paws hard down onto her back. He purred with satisfaction as he made contact, feeling Flowerpaw collapse under his attack. When the dust had cleared, Flowerpaw had disappeared. Where'd she go? Talonpaw whipped around in search of his opponent, but saw nothing.
"Don't think I'd go down that easily!" Talonpaw heard Flowerpaw's voice from a bush near him. He turned just soon enough to see Flowerpaw springing towards him, her teeth bared.
Oh, I've really done it now. Talonpaw thought. He crouched down in an attempt to avoid her attack, but he knew that she would be able to land it easily.
"Brambleclaw!" Yowled a voice from outside of the clearing. At this, Flowerpaw stopped her attack, but she still rammed right into Talonpaw, causing them to roll away in a heap of fur.
"Could it have killed you to stop completely?" Talonpaw complained, spitting out some dirt.
"How am I supposed to stop mid air, you stupid furball!" Flowerpaw countered.
"Whatever," Talonpaw mewed. "What's going on here?" He turned to look at the cat who had called for Brambleclaw to see a very startled looking Mousewhisker panting in the middle of the clearing. Flowerpaw padded over to Brambleclaw and Berrynose, followed by Talonpaw.
"W-we found Shadowclan scents at the border!" Mousewhisker announced.
Brambleclaw sighed, "Really? Where were they?"
"By the greenleaf twolegplace," the gray tom replied.
"There again?" Berrynose stepped forward and snorted indignantly. "Why do they care so much about that useless piece of land?"
"ThunderClan were the ones to steal it back in that battle, anyways," Brambleclaw pointed out.
"All because of Ivypool's supposed 'dream'," Berrynose said.
I remember hearing about that battle. Talonpaw thought. As a kit, he recalled a time when the elders spoke of a huge battle between Shadowclan and Thunderclan. Apparently, Lionblaze had accidentally killed Russetfur, the old Shadowclan deputy, and Firestar had lost a life. They said neither clan had won that day.
"If we're lucky, this won't get up to that same scale," Mousewhisker mewed.
"I guess we should go check it out. How many cats are on your patrol?" Brambleclaw questioned Mousewhisker.
"I'm with Bumblestripe, Whitewing, and Spiderleg," the tom answered. "It wouldn't hurt to have some backup if we run into a patrol, though."
Am I going to be in a battle? Talonpaw had never been in a real battle before, so he was pretty excited to get a chance to test out his skills. He turned to Flowerpaw, and saw her nearly jumping out of her fur.
"Are you two alright?" Brambleclaw asked Talonpaw and Flowerpaw.
"I'm good!" Talonpaw replied.
"I was born ready!" Flowerpaw chirped, batting at the air with both front paws.
"That's not very reassuring," Berrynose sighed. "We should bring them though. It could be a good opportunity for them to test out their skills.
Exactly what I was thinking!
"Then this sparring match is postponed until further notice. No cat has won yet," Brambleclaw told them.
"I was totally about to win!" Flowerpaw whispered.
"You were not!" Talonpaw hissed back, although he knew she was right.
"Okay, Mousewhisker, lead the way!" Brambleclaw mewed. Mousewhisker nodded and pelted away into the undergrowth, followed by Talonpaw, Flowerpaw, and their mentors.
I hope you enjoyed that chapter! I sense a storm brewing, and where do storms come from? The sky! Don't forget to leave a review, or an OC!