Chapter Three:

"You've got to be nicer to her, Lionblaze," said Jayfeather nastily, "She's so eager to properly pleasantly please you and you always destroy her spirit! Do something nice to her for a change!"

Dovepaw nodded.

"Easy for you to say!" Lionblaze snapped, "I hate her!"

"For looking like your dead sister?" snarled Dovepaw, "Hardly a reason!"

"Jayfeather, I've got it!" Rainpaw meowed brightly, "I told you I could find it!"

"I knew you could!" Jayfeather purred, "Thanks; we've been needing that. Ferncloud's kit really needed some tansy or we'd all suffer if we can't fix that kit!"

They stared at each other and purred happily for a moment.

"Rainpaw, we have fight practice today," snarled Lionblaze, "Make sure to be there on time. Sun high." He stalked away.

Rainpaw looked after him. "I do everything wrong!"

"Yeah, well, ignore him. He's been terrible to you."

"It's almost sun high. You'd better rush or you'll feel the pain," Jayfeather warned.

"I always feel the pain when I'm around him!" she snapped, but sprinted towards the practice field nonetheless.

She skidded to a stop and scented the air. Lionblaze walked quietly in the clearing.

"We're the only ones planning on training here today. So we'll be training all day. First you need to learn defense. I'm going to charge you and you need to dodge, jump over me, jump on my back, or stop me."

Rainpaw nodded and prepared herself. Lionblaze sprinted at her and she tried to hold her ground.

"No!" he shouted at her, "I'm much larger than you are! You wouldn't be able to hold your ground against me! Dodge or something!"

She ducked underneath him and ran quickly around to face him.

"That's better. I'm going to charge again. You dodge or whatever." He ran at her again, and she leapt out of the way. "Good. I'm going to do another attack, but this time I'm going to do something more difficult. Whatever the circumstance, I want you to leap on my back and then jump off behind me."

He came forward slowly with hisses but when he got close enough, Rainpaw jumped on his back. She landed funny, and Lionblaze whirled around, squishing her beneath him. "Too slow. You need to move faster and land more near the center so I can't roll as easy." he got off, and, trying to catch her breath, she dragged herself back to her position. The heat of the midday day sun beat upon them, and she tried to look past its unbearable hotness.

"Try that again." he came at her again with hissed and carefully positioned pawsteps, and when he got close, she jumped. Again, she landed on his back, more toward the center, and made to leap off, but he caught her and pushed her down. She landed so hard against the ground that her head hurt. "Jumped too late. Try again."

He let her go and came at her again. And again. And again. And she continued to mess up.

"How are you messing up?" he snapped, "This isn't even very hard!"

Embarrassed and tired and miserable, Rainpaw heaved herself to her paws and prepared for him to come again. This time, she moved so fast her paws barely had time to follow. She was on and over his back so quickly that she found herself facing him again.

"At last. We will come to that maneuver tomorrow. Now, I'm coming at you in a different way. When I get about a mouse-length away, try to scare me and get around me."

He came at her, hissing and glaring. Her eyes widened with fear when he got close and pawed at her face. She pushed his face away with her paws and tried to run away. A rush of momentum and gravity knocked her down and pinned her, and suddenly Lionblaze was ontop of her again.

"Too slow. Try again."

So she tried again. And again. And again. And, needless to say, again. When she finally had enough and Lionblaze let her up, she sat down and glared at him.

"Can I please go get a drink of water or a rest?" she pleaded.

He hissed savagely, "Your opponent wouldn't let you take a rest in a real fight."

"In a real fight I would be gladly dead already!" she snapped, stalking away. To her rage, he followed. She stopped at the nearest creek and sipped a nice cool drink of water and walked back silently to the clearing.

All too soon, Lionblaze snapped at her to get up. "Try again, Rainpaw," he growled harshly.

But she messed up. Again. And again.

"Why is this so hard for you?" he snapped, coming at her again. She slapped the side of his face as hard as she could and tried to get around him.

Lionblaze turned so quickly and leapt that she nearly was caught-but surprisingly she made it away.

"At last," he hissed, "Now lets try something else."

He unsheathed his claws. In fear, Rainpaw unsheathed her claws too.

"What are-" she began.

When he spoke, his voice was strangled, "Rainpaw, come over here." He was looking at a point above her shoulder, his eyes were wide with horror.

Rainpaw turned around and caught sight of what he was talking about. A cat. A mangled, old cat that seemed to radiate with darkness.

"Who are you?" she meowed.

"My name is Brokentail. I used to be Brokenstar...anyhow. I am your great-great grandfather."

"He's from the dark forest, Rainpaw," meowed Lionblaze, "Don't get near him. Come over here."

She stared in awe at the Dark Forest cat. "But-You were defeated by Firestar. You were evil."

"No, Rainpaw. Come with me. You can get back at Lionblaze for being so evil to you. You can rule over StarClan itself. You don't need Lionblaze-you can become great without him. Besides, what has he given you except for the rudeness he's always displayed when you're around? You can get him for that!" He smiled encouragingly.

Lionblaze had his claws unsheathed still, but he looked to be in too much horror to say anything. Until he mewed stiffly, "No, Rainpaw."

"L-Lionblaze?" she choked, "I-I...what do I do?"

Brokentail laughed, "You won't need to ask him what to do when you rule over StarClan! Come on, it isn't like he has done anything for you anyway. You know how tired and defeated you are after being attacked by him again and again."

"N-No."

"Come on Rainpaw," Brokentail meowed.

"Y-You're wrong," Rainpaw was surprised to find that she had spoken, "You're wrong. He saved me. From being in the tree. When the other cats stayed on the ground, he came and got me. Nobody else would."

Brokentail glared-for the first time. "No worries," he meowed brightly, "The option will always be open, though, Rainpaw. Just call out for me, and we'll show up."

And he disappeared.

"Thank you, Rainpaw," meowed Lionblaze quietly.

She turned back around and walked over to him. "Lionblaze, I am-"

"Don't be sorry. Nothing was ever your fault. Come on. Lets go back to camp."

She forgot to eat-the encounter with Brokentail left her somewhat distracted and too tired to think. So she went directly to sleep.