Kyoya padded through the Dark Forest, searching for Tigerstar. Tigerstar had told him the night before that they were going on a mission tonight, and Kyoya was itching to know what it was. It must be important.
Kyoya was jerked out of his thoughts when he ran into a cat. It was Ivypool. "Hey! Watch where you're going!" she growled.
Kyoya narrowed his eyes. "Well, sorry, but I just want to know about this important mission."
"Well, you shouldn't. No cat should even be here," Ivypool growled, turning to leave but Kyoya stopped her.
"What do you mean?" he asked.
"Haven't you figured it out yet? They aren't training cats for the good of the Clans. They're training us to destroy the Clans!" Ivypool explained.
Kyoya bared his teeth. "You're starting to sound like Sandra!" he growled. He began to walk off, but Ivypool stepped in his way.
"Don't talk to a warrior like that, Lionpaw!" she warned. "Not here. And I'll prove it to you tonight."
"Fine. Go ahead and try!" Kyoya challenged. Ivypool growled and led him to where the cats were meeting. Every other cat was already there.
"Good. Now we can begin," Tigerstar meowed. "We all know that we are training to help the Clans, but knowing battle moves isn't enough! We need to know the land we're fighting on. So we're going to take you on a patrol to explore the Clan's territories. Tonight will change everything." His eyes gleamed. "This mission will be the first of many. Knowledge is power. Knowledge of your battle territory will give you the greatest advantage imaginable because it will be the last thing your enemies expect. Most of you are unfamiliar with the territories beside the lake, so I will be taking you to visit each Clan-without them realizing, of course-and you can learn the best places to fight."
"Where to lie in wait!" Redwillow chipped in.
Hollowflight clawed the earth. "Where to corner your enemy."
"And where to chase your prey," Thistleclaw added.
"Four Clans will unite as one when it matters most," Blossomfall meowed, quoting Tigerstar. "We'll be able to fight for whichever Clans needs our help."
Ivypool looked at her a moment before turning back to Tigerstar. "Which territory will we start in?"
"ThunderClan," Tigerstar answered, twitching his whiskers.
"I'd like to see that," Mapleshade piped up.
"Me too!" Sparrowfeather agreed.
Tigerstar narrowed his eyes. "Any other volunteers?" Tigerheart and Furzepelt stepped up to the front and Tigerstar nodded. "And from RiverClan?" He looked at Beetlewhisker. "You'll do. And Hollowflight."
"What about my apprentices?" Ivypool challenged. "Birchfall and Redwillow deserve to go." She then tipped her head toward Blossomfall. "And her."
Tigerstar dipped his head. "Very well, Ivypool. They can come too. And Lionpaw as well." Kyoya dipped his head.
"And me?" Ivypool stepped closer to Tigerstar. There was a challenge in her eyes, as if she were willing him to say no.
Tigerstar showed his teeth. "Of course," he murmured. "You can be our guide." The dark warrior nodded to Brokenstar. "I'll report back when we return." He then led the patrol through the trees, heading for ThunderClan territory. Kyoya had no idea how they would reach it but he didn't argue.
After awhile the shadows lifted and Kyoya could see stars in the sky. We must have crossed over, Kyoya guessed.
"How can you live with this stench?" Hollowflight murmured to Ivypool.
"If you put up with our scent, then I'll put up with yours when we visit RiverClan's territory," Ivypool teased, flicking the RiverClan warrior's ears with her tail. Kyoya stopped listening to them after that, thinking of what Ivypool had said. She can't be right.
Tigerstar halted at the top of the slope. "See how thick the tree trunks are," he began, nodding toward the sturdy beech. "Thats why we teach you to climb in the Dark Forest. Here in ThunderClan territory, you have to be prepared to fight in trees. Why don't you explain?" He turned his gaze to Blossomfall.
Blossomfall pushed her way to the front of the patrol. "All ThunderClan cats are taught to climb so we can drop on enemies from above, and we can move through the forest by jumping from branch to branch without touching the ground."
"Like squirrels," Redwillow muttered.
"We move like squirrels, but we fight like foxes!" Blossomfall added, flicking her tail.
"We hardly bother with tree-fighting now," Ivypool meowed quickly.
"But Dovewing and Brambleclaw were practiving earlier!" Blossomfall blurted out.
"I saw them, too," Kyoya added. "Bumblestripe and Toadstep were with them."
"They don't have to know everything, Blossomfall, Lionpaw," Birchfall cautioned.
"Don't worry, Birchfall," Tigerstar meowed. "We're among friends. We're Clanmates now. Secrets aren't necessary."
Mapleshade stepped up beside Tigerstar. "Perhaps Birchfall doesn't feel part of our Clan," she meowed, menace in her mew.
"Of course he does!" Ivypool growled, stepping in front of Birchfall.
"Then why doesn't he tell us something about ThunderClan territory?" Tigerstar invited.
"I-it's all woods," Birchfall stuttered, his tail tip quivering. "Except for the slopes down to the shore and to the WindClan border."
"And is it better to fight in woodland or the open?" Tigerstar pressed.
"ThunderClan fights better in the woods, I guess," Birchfall admitted. "We can use the undergrowth to trap our enemies."
"Why don't you tell us about your territory, Beetlewhisker?" Ivypool suggested.
Kyoya rolled his eyes. "Can't that wait until we get there?" he growled. "We're supposed to be learning about ThunderClan territory right now." Ivypool shot him a glare but didn't respond.
"We have pine trees, not oaks," Beetlewhisker began. He looked as if he were about to go on when brambles swished at the bottom of the slope. Ivypool stiffened.
"Someone's coming!" she whispered. Kyoya looked to see Spiderleg leading Brambleclaw through the undergrowth below.
"Are you sure you heard voices?" Brambleclaw asked.
"I was guarding the entrance and I heard paw steps," Spiderleg explained. "I wasn't sure at first if they were paw steps, to be honest. I thought I'd imagined them. But then I heard voices coming from this direction."
"It'd better not be another WindClan invasion. We should check the tunnel entrances," Brambleclaw growled.
"But the voices came from here," Spiderleg meowed as he disappeared under some ferns as he headed up to slope.
"We've got to get out of here!" Ivypool hissed at Tigerstar.
"And miss a chance to practice our battle skills?" Tigerstar spat back.
"You can't!" Ivypool pressed. "Take us back now!" Kyoya narrowed his eyes. Was that fear in Ivypool's eyes? Kyoya had to prick his ears to hear the rest of it. "If they find us here they'll start sending out night patrols. And when the final battle comes, we'll have lost the advantage of surprise." Battle? What battle?
Tigerstar narrowed his eyes. "Very well." Tigerstar then led them back to the Dark Forest.
Mapleshade paced around Tigerstar. "Why didn't we stay and fight?"
"We went there to learn, not fight," Blossomfall reminded her.
"If we fought, though, we could've practiced our battle skills," Kyoya pointed out.
"True," Redwillow agreed. "But I've never been so deep into ThunderClan territory. Wait till you see ShadowClan's forests. They're totally different."
"So is RiverClan territory," Hollowflight chimed in. "The reed beds make great places for ambushes."
"I'm looking forward to learning all your territories," Sparrowfeather growled, flexing his claws.
Before anyone could say anymore, Tigerstar tackled Ivypool to the ground, eyes blazing. "Don't ever challenge me like that again," he warned, his claws piercing Ivypool's shoulder.
Ivypool glared up at Tigerstar. "I was only trying to protect the patrol!" She cast a glance at Kyoya. Kyoya blinked at the message there. Believe me now? A Clanmate wouldn't attack me like this!
Birchfall padded toward Tigerstar. "What exactly was the point of visiting the lake?" he asked.
Tigerstar sunk his claws deeper into Ivypool's shoulder. "Why don't you explain it to your Clanmate, Ivypool?" he snarled.
"The more we know, the better warriors we can be," Ivypool gasped, and Tigerstar loosened his grip. She moved away from Tigerstar and stood beside Birchfall. "Knowing all the territories like they are our own will help us to help one another."
"How did it go?" Brokenstar stepped out into the clearing. Behind him, Dark Forest warriors swarmed like rats, their eyes bright with curiousity.
"What was it like?" Shredtail growled.
"Did you see the stars?" Darkstripe snarled, mockingly.
Stars? What Sandra had told Gingka echoed in Kyoya's mind. 'The end of the stars draws near...' Did this have some sort of connection to that?
Tigerstar turned to the Clan cats. "Go now. We will continue your training tomorrow." All the cats turned to leave but Tigerstar stopped Kyoya. "I would like to speak to you, my apprentice."
Kyoya nodded and turned back to face Tigerstar. "What is it?"
"First, I'd like to know what you thought of Ivypool's action during the mission," Tigerstar meowed.
Kyoya thought before speaking. "It's true that she was protecting the patrol, but at the same time we could've practiced our fighting moves since we didn't get to tonight. Just talking about fighting in places we learn about isn't always enough. We need experience. We need to learn from our mistakes and learn what works really well in a fight."
Tigerstar smiled, looking menacing, but pleased. "I was right. You're ready."
"Ready for what?" Kyoya asked.
"You're ready to become a warrior of the Dark Forest," Tigerstar answered. "You've worked hard on your fighting skills and can even beat Brokenstar and Hawkfrost in a fight."
Brokenstar growled at the mention of his loss. Kyoya just ignored him and smiled with pleasure, hiding the fact that he felt a little uneasy.
"Lionpaw, from this moment on, you shall be known as Lionfang, warrior of the Dark Forest," Tigerstar declared.
Kyoya smiled. "I will do my very best to serve the Dark Forest," he promised.
"I know you will. Now go and get some rest. You'll be helping Thistleclaw train Strikepaw from now on until Strikepaw has earned his warrior name," Tigerstar ordered. Kyoya nodded and headed off. Now that he was away from them he had a chance to think about everything that had happened. Ivypool told me that we're really training to destroy the Clans, and Sandra said that she couldn't believe what I was doing. Then Ivypool mentions something about a final battle to Tigerstar. Then Tigerstar attacked Ivypool when she was trying to protect the patrol and make sure we can still head out and explore the territories. Kyoya gasped in realization. Sandra and Ivypool were right! They really were being trained to destroy the Clans!
Just as the thought entered Kyoya's head he awoke. He lifted his head, feeling a chilling breeze on his side. He then remembered that Sandra slept there because she was mad at him. Kyoya looked at the ground. She was right the whole time...and I acted like a complete jerk! He sat up and clawed the ground in frustration, trying to think of a way to make it up to her, but he couldn't. I'll just keep my eye on Tigerstar for now, and hopefully find a way to make this whole thing up to Sandra in the process.