Hi! I'm back! Thank you everyone for sticking by me for the third chapter! These chapters are still really rushed, I wish I spent more time on them but I always have homework to do, I have an overdue essay I haven't finished yet *sigh*
Onto the next!
"Try again," Birdflight instructed, her amber eyes glowing as she positioned herself back into a crouch.
Sootpaw flicked her tail, grunting as she rolled across the ground, her tail getting tangled around her paws.
Her mentor had taken her to Battle Cave to help her practise her fighting moves. Beestripe asked to tag along and brought his apprentice with him.
Battle Cave was the large cave SkyClan's ancestors discovered countless moons ago. It was close to Flower Cave and was an amazing place to practise new fighting skills because of the soft dirt ground and how large the cave was.
Sootpaw shook her head and cleared her mind, her eyes narrowed with concentration.
She sprinted at her mentor and leapt onto her soft back. Sootpaw held her breath as Birdflight dropped the left side of her body to the ground, preparing to roll onto her small apprentice.
Sootpaw hesitated then attempted to jump. Her paw got stuck beneath her mentor, causing her to get squished underneath her mentors body.
"Argh! I can't get it right!" she growled as Birdflight jumped off her, allowing her to breathe normally once again.
"You have to be quick, no time for hesitation, as soon as you get squished they will turn around and rip your belly to pieces, understand?"
Sootpaw gulped.
"Let me try again."
She narrowed her eyes and shook out her back legs. She noticed Birdflight was better at rolling over on her left than her right.
I can do this.
With a yowl she sprinted towards her mentor again, this time jumping on her back slightly to the right. Birdflight rolled to the left, leaving Sootpaw enough space to jump.
She leapt off Birdflight's back as the warrior rolled over, leaving her stomach exposed. Without a second to think, Sootpaw ran to her mentors side and raked her paws over Birdflight's belly.
Panting, she sat down.
"That was awesome!" Pinepaw meowed, running forward to press her white nose to her friends.
"Well done!" Birdflight praised, shaking the brown earth from her fur. "Now, you've been doing well with the moves I've taught you so far. I want you to verse Pinepaw. Whoever wins gets to have first pick of the fresh kill pile."
Sootpaw nodded as Pinepaw stood in front of her.
The apprentice growled and arched her back.
Sootpaw made the first move, running towards her and slipping between her paws, underneath her belly. With all the strength she could muster, she pushed up and threw Pinepaw across the cave.
The she-cat retaliated, jumping onto Sootpaw's back and holding on tight.
Sootpaw rolled over and squashed Pinepaw beneath her. Whipping around, she grabbed for Pinepaw's throat. The apprentice kicked her away with her strong hind legs, sending Sootpaw skidding across the cave on her back.
Quick as lightning, Pinepaw jumped onto Sootpaw and furiously ran her paws against her belly. Sootpaw flopped her head back, panting hard. Pinepaw slumped against the ground, catching her breath.
"Well done, Pinepaw!" Birdflight and Beestripe meowed. Sootpaw sat up.
"Good job, you won fair and square."
Pinepaw smiled.
"Barely! You can fight well!"
Sootpaw purred.
Turning towards her mentor, she asked, "Birdflight, can I ask, who is going to the gathering tonight?"
The large brown she-cat thought for a second.
"The apprentices are going and a couple other warriors, I'm not entirely sure."
"Will Swanstar come?" she asked.
"I would think not, it depends on how grown her kits are."
Sootpaw nodded.
"Does that mean Softfeather would sit with the leaders if Swanstar didn't come?" Pinepaw asked.
"I guess so," Sootpaws mentor meowed. "Now, Pinepaw, let me verse you."
Sootpaw stumbled into camp, her paws aching.
She loved training until she could barely walk, it meant she was getting closer to her warrior ceremony.
Her paws led her to Duskpelt who was grooming his fluffy brown and orange fur, his eyes half closed with concentration. His eyes opened fully as the apprentice flopped down beside him.
"Hard day?" he asked, pausing from cleaning.
She nodded and rolled onto her side.
"Hard is better than boring," she said, closing her eyes.
Duskpelt nodded.
"True, I had a boring day," he commented, cleaning in between his claws.
Sootpaw looked at him.
"I thought it was impossible for warriors to have boring days, don't you have endless free time since you don't have as many duties as apprentices?"
Duskpelt looked at her, surprised.
"Definitely not. Even though it seems like we don't have any duties, we really do. We have to organise the patrols and hunting groups, make sure the elders are fed before everyone else, look after mischievous apprentices," he said, shooting a teasing glance at her. "We don't just sit around doing nothing."
Sootpaw nodded thoughtfully.
"I kinda like being an apprentice, is that weird?" she asked.
Duskpelt shook his head.
"Not at all, most apprentices hate their jobs and are always so excited to become warriors but then there are apprentices like you, who don't mind it so much."
Sootpaw smiled.
She liked talking to Duskpelt. He, like Cloudfur, was an apprentice with Sootpaw until he became a warrior.
"Are you excited for new siblings?" Sootpaw asked.
Cloudfur and Duskpelt were brothers, kits of Swanstar and Tallscar.
"Of course," he mewed. "Plus, new life is always good for clans to grow stronger."
"I wish I had siblings," she mewed softly, too quiet for Duskpelt to hear.
"Hey, Sootpaw," Sootpaw looked up as her grey friend sat down beside her, his white tail curling around his paws, "Did you see the huge sparrow I caught?"
Sootpaw shook her head.
Beetlepaw flicked his tail towards the fresh kill pile. A large brown sparrow was sitting on top.
"Oh wow!" Sootpaw exclaimed, "Good job, mouse-brain!"
Beetlepaw flicked her.
"Thank you, flea-face."
"Beetlepaw, Sootpaw, stop sitting around, the elders need help with their nests," a voice called across the clearing. Blossomheart, a she-cat almost identical to her sister, Leapfoot, was busy weaving together bark and leaves beside the medicine cat den.
"We're on it!" Beetlepaw called back, racing towards the elders hut. Sootpaw quickly followed. The two stopped outside the den to greet the grey elder who sat basking in the sun.
"Greetings young one," Adderear purred, his amber eyes glowing. Sootpaw dipped her head.
"Greetings, Adderear, how are you today?"
The elder flicked his torn ear.
"It has been okay, I hope it gets better now you two are here to fix our nests!"
"We won't take long, do you know if Blizzardsong's supply of moss is full?" Sootpaw asked, hoping it was.
"I'm afraid not, he mentioned it being empty this morning when he tried to make Swanstar's nest softer."
Mouse-dung.
"We're going to have to go collect some, Beetlepaw," Sootpaw said.
Beetlepaw flicked his tail.
"Okay," he sighed. "We have to go with someone though, otherwise everyone will get worried or something."
Sootpaw nodded, sighing softly.
"We'll be back soon," she promised the elders, smiling as she waved her tail to them.
Turning around, she raced towards the warriors den. She glanced at Duskpelt who was resting his head on his paws, his fur looking sleek and clean.
"Hey, is Birdflight in there?" she called, tapping on side of the hut.
"Coming!" She heard her mentor call. "What is it?" Birdflights head poked out of the entrance, her amber eyes landing on her apprentice.
Sootpaw impatiently dug her claws into the ground.
"Could you please come with us to collect moss for the elders?" she asked, rushing towards the camp exit.
"Umm su- Sootpaw, wait!" her mentor called after the young she-cat as she disappeared through the large shrubs.
She raced after her apprentice, nodding to Bluegaze who was guarding the entrance as she slipped through the entrance.
Feedback would be awesome! Are they too rushed? Should I make them longer and more detailed? Anything else you want to let me know, please tell me in either DM's or reviews!
Thanks once again for being awesome!
Happy Hunting!
~Fernsky