CHAPTER 3

"You have to act faster," Talonclaw meowed as he observed Echopaw's attack on Stormpaw.

"Stormpaw, try to jump higher next time. You could've tripped over Echopaw while he was charging at you," Loudfire commented.

Both apprentices nodded their heads and took their mentors' advices to heart. Stormpaw faced Echopaw once again and narrowed his eyes. Echopaw breathed in deeply, eager to get the move right this time. He charged at his brother, who leaped into the air. Once he passed Stormpaw, he quickly spun around on one paw and used the momentum to leap at where Stormpaw might be. His guess proved to be right when he felt warm fur crash into his face. He managed to pin his brother down with a triumphant mrrow.

"That is very good, both of you," Talonclaw praised them.

The bushes rustled at the edge of the training hollow and Honeypaw burst out, followed instantly by Hazelpaw and Sleekpaw. Echopaw watched as Sleekpaw managed to unbalance the apprentice by hooking out her paw. Honeypaw stumbled and rolled a few times. The two older apprentices hovered over her, anticipating her move so when she managed to get up again they would be ready.

But Honeypaw lashed out a forepaw and cuffed Sleekpaw's paw. The older apprentice hissed in surprise and jumped back, the sudden attack also surprised Hazelpaw who looked at her sister, distracted for a moment. Honeypaw snatched the moment to get up and leap up a tree, clinging onto it as if dogs were waiting for her underneath.

Brightfur, who has watching the whole ordeal in the shadows, stepped into the clearing and praised the young apprentice. Treestone and Dapplecloud, both of Sleekpaw's and Hazelpaw's mentors appeared soon after.

"Sleekpaw, your speed is definitely astounding," Dapplecloud praised her apprentice."I don't think there is anymore I can teach you." The apprentice purred and beamed.

"Hazelpaw, you should try to focus more on your prey," Treestone meowed. "But I admire your strategy."

"Are Sleekpaw and Hazelpaw ready for their assessment?" Loudfire asked.

Dapplecloud nodded. "I think they are more than ready. They can have their assessment first thing tomorrow morning."

The older apprentices squealed in excitement. Echopaw felt a stab of envy. It had only been a full moon since he was made an apprentice and already he couldn't wait until he could be a warrior.

"That's great news for the both of you," Honeypaw, who had made her way down the tree, mewed to them. Admiration sparkled in her eyes.

"Thanks, Honeypaw," Hazelpaw meowed. "I'm sure you'll get your warrior names soon."

The day dragged out for Echopaw as Talonclaw taught him hunting techniques. He had a squirel in his sight, his mentor was a safe distance behind him and he was eager to prove to him that he could do it. When he was confident he was close enough, he wiggled his haunches and pounced. He miscalculated his leap and landed a little over the target. After a panicking struggle he managed to kill the squirrel.

"You like to strike fear in your prey before death," Talonclaw commented, coming out of hiding. "Next time, it is more merciful if you give it a quick death."

Echopaw lashed his tail in annoyance. "It was a mistake, I'll make sure it will never happen again," he promised.

They hunted a few more times before returning back to camp. Echopaw hauled his catch, the squirrel and two mice, to the fresh-kill pile. Ravenwing observed with a satisfied nod.

"That's a great catch, Echopaw," he meowed. "You are learning well."

Longing welled up inside him, he wanted to show his father how much more he could do.

"Get something to eat and then retire for the night," Talonclaw told him. "You'll be helping with the assessment tomorrow."

Echopaw pricked his ears in surprise. "You want me to help? How?"

"I'll tell you tomorrow sunrise. For now, get some sleep." Talonclaw dismissed him with a flick of his tail and went to join his family at the nursery. Echopaw watched as his kits clambered onto their father, Maple-eye looking on with love and pride. A sudden realization hit him, he didn't remember playing with Ravenwing when he was a kit. He only remembered playing with his littermates while his father looked on, reluctant to join them, even in his earliest memories there was no Ravenwing interacting with them - nor of he and Foxtail sharing the fondness towards each other as mates normally did. Echopaw suddenly wondered if there was something going on between his mother and father that was unspoken of in front of him and his littermates.

Curled up in the nursery, he was joined later by Honeypaw who was too exhausted to eat.

"Can I talk to you for a moment?" he asked.

"What is it?" She yawned. She curled into her nest and tucked her tail over her nose.

"Do you think something is going on between Foxtail and Ravenwing?"

"Hmm?" She pricked her ears. The subject had gotten her attention despite her exhaustion. "What do you mean?"

"Ravenwing has never played with us, nor shared tongues with Foxtail," he meowed softly, afraid some cat might overhear. "Don't you think that that is strange?"

Honeypaw thought for a moment. "I suppose it is, but I never gave it much thought," she replied. "It is not our place to bother about them. You should mind your own business."

"But aren't you curious?"

"I prefer not to talk about it, Echopaw. I wouldn't want to mess with some other cat's life."

"But this is our parents we're talking about! We can't just shrug it off as if it's nothing."

"Shut it, Echopaw!" Honeypaw snapped. "You should mind your own business."

Echopaw was huffing with anger. Can't his sister see? Their parents were torn apart! How can she act like nothing's the problem?

The entrance of the apprentices' den rustled and Stormpaw entered. "I sense tension," he observed. "What's wrong? Echopaw, you looked like a badger disturbed you in the middle of a good dream."

Ironically, Echopaw didn't feel like talking about their parents anymore. "Nothing, I'm going out for breather."

He sneaked out of the camp as quickly as he could, hoping no one would question him going out of them camp at sundown. He made his way towards the lake. His head was still boiling with rage and confusion. What was wrong with Foxtail and Ravenwing, and what was wrong with Honeypaw too? He paws took him to the water's edge and he sat down, overlooking the calm lake. The sun reflected off the surface, turning it blood-red. He stared at his paws, the water no more than a mouse length away from them. He remembered the day when he almost drowned. He remembered the elders telling him that all the bravest warriors had weaknesses. Was that his? Was he afraid of the water?

He sat staring at the other side of the lake in where the RiverClan camp might be. He suddenly thought of Moonpaw. What was she doing now? Was she eating with her Clanmates? Training? A picture of her swimming rose into his mind. That wouldn't be weird, she was a RiverClan cat, it's normal for her to love swimming. However, the thought made him shudder.

The lake was shrouded in darkness as the sun disappeared behind the horizon and the first warriors of StarClan twinkled into the night sky.

...

A rustle above the hollow woke up Echopaw. As his eyes adjusted in the dark, he could make out the sleeping bodies of Sleekpaw, Hazelpaw, Honeypaw and Stormpaw. Carefully stepping over them, he made his way in the entrance and peered out. Cypresslegs was on night duty, sitting beside the tunnel entrance on full alert. He obviously hadn't heard the rustle above the hollow.

Echopaw decided that if Cypresslegs didn't find anything suspicious then he shouldn't be worried at all. He was about to return to his nest when a sharp hiss sounded from above. Cypresslegs' attention was immediately caught.

"Who's there?" he demanded.

Echopaw was stunned. What could he do? Go back to his nest or admit to the source of the noise? If he had gone back to sleep what would Cypresslegs think about the noise? And what if it was a cat in trouble?

"It's me," Echopaw stepped out.

Cypresslegs' bristling fur laid back onto his pelt. "What are you doing up?"

"I couldn't sleep," Echopaw lied. He hated lying but he needed to know the source of the hissing. "May I go out for a walk?"

The warrior seemed to weight the possibilities. He was the youngest warrior in the Clan before the next day and Echopaw hoped that he could at least hope that Cypresslegs could relate to an apprentices' innocent mind.

"Promise you wouldn't cause any problems and come back at any sign of trouble?"

"I promise," Echopaw meowed.

"Then off you go," the young warrior meowed. "But please be back before the first cat stirs at dawn. I would be in big trouble."

Echopaw stepped into the forest with apprehension, his fur standing on end. A wind rustled the leaves of the trees and an owl hooted in the distance. The forest - his home - seemed unusually eerie tonight. It was easy to imagine a monster charging out of the darkness right at him. He made his way towards the edge of the hollow, his paws tingling with curiosity but the further he went, the more he thought against his own decision.

This is a bad choice, he decided, ready to turn back.

"Echopaw?"

The ThunderClan apprentice was scared out of his fur. He spun around quickly, desperate to know who had called him.

"It's okay, it's me." A small shadow stepped out of a holly bush and into the light of the moon, highlighting the orange marks of a cat he just met at the Gathering.

"Dawnpaw?" Echopaw meowed in disbelief.

"Shush!" Dawnpaw swiped her tail over his mouth. "Your Clanmates would hear you." There was urgency in her mew.

Echopaw realized that Dawnpaw smelled heavily of herbs, the ShadowClan scent on her heavily masked. "What are you doing here?" he demanded. He was unsure whether he had to chase her off of let her explain why she was in ThunderClan territory. Or he could just yowl out loud and Cypresslegs would be on his way.

"I have something to tell you," she explained.

"Great StarClan, can't it wait until the Gathering?"

"No! It's urgent!" Dawnpaw insisted. "I had a dream."

Echopaw rolled his eyes. "You had a nightmare and you want me to sooth you?"

Dawnpaw's teeth glistened sharply in the dark and her fur bushed up so that she looked twice her size. "No, you frog-brained dung. I had a dream about you!" she meowed in hushed annoyance.

"What is it then?"

Dawnpaw let her fur smooth and took a deep breath. "Tomorrow, you will be helping with the assessment, when - "

'Wait," Echopaw interrupted her. "How do you know I will be helping with the assessment?"

"Be quiet and listen! Your Clanmate will realize you're gone soon," Dawnpaw meowed. "Just trust me. When your mentor calls for you, leap towards the boulder. No hesitations! Just do it, immediately!"

"Why? Is this a trap?"

"Echopaw?" Cypresslegs called, his voice sounding dangerously near.

Echopaw knew that if Dawnpaw had replied him, she would be heard. She was clever enough to run away as quickly as possible, leaving nothing behind but a scent trail of herbs.

"Why are you talking to yourself? What were you doing?" Cypresslegs asked.

Echopaw shifted his weight from one side to the other. "I'm just having cramps..." he said, his voice shaking.

The young warrior tipped his head. "Should you visit Briarnose?"

"I can wait until the morning," Echopaw meowed quickly. "Too much practice, hurts my paws."

Cypresslegs narrowed his eyes. "Let's get back to camp before anyone notice you're missing."

Echopaw followed him back to the hollow, his tail trailing guiltily behind him. He had promised that he wouldn't cause any trouble and come back immediately, but he had disobeyed even the simplest of requests. He didn't feel pleased with himself at all. What's more, Dawnpaw's warning would keep him awake the whole night, and he would be wondering why she had come all the way to the heart of the territory just to tell him to leap, and how did her dream knew that he was helping with the assessment tomorrow?