Yay, thanks to guest and Rain for reviewing. Moonspirit- Probably not. We live on the edge of the planet!
Silverpaw was awakened by a cat stepping on his tail.
"Hey!" He yowled, shooting up. Owlpaw was looking at him apologetically. Silverpaw yawned.
"Whatever, I wasn't going to sleep longer anyway" He shrugged. "Why's you up so early?"
"Predawn patrol." Owlpaw's voice was exasperated. The black and white tom rolled his eyes. "Splitfoot insisted on it."
Silverpaw grunted in pity.
The new apprentice rolled out of his nest, stretching luxuriously before padding out of the den. Seeing that the sun had yet to rise, he purred in accomplishment. He had beaten his mentor!
"Ahem."
Silverpaw yelped in surprise. There he was, an imposing figure that melted into the darkness.
"If you thought you had beat me, congratulations. You have proven yourself to have exceeded my expectations,"
Silverpaw's heart leapt. Had Hailbreeze complimented him?
"You are far more foolish than I thought,"
That's more like it.
"So, Hailbreeze, what will we be doing today?" Silverpaw asked cautiously. Let me guess, run from the log to Owl Tree again?
"The same as yesterday," Hailbreeze glanced at the dark sky. "By sunhigh, we will switch to battle training,"
As they reached the dead tree, Hailbreeze turned away from him.
"You will be back before the sun rises above the trees."
And there they were again, Silverpaw frantically racing through the trees while his mentor sat like a boulder.
It was an impossible feat. Silverpaw struggled through the undergrowth. Judging by the time it had taken his previous attempts, it would take him at least until sunhigh to get back.
But then the idea struck him.
SkyClan cats jumped from tree to tree to get through their forest.
He was half SkyClan.
It couldn't be that hard, right?
Silverpaw bunched his hindquarters and leapt onto the branch of a beech tree, claws sinking into the soft wood. It struck him how natural it felt for him to be in the trees. As if it flowed in his blood.
And he hated it.
Silverpaw gathered all his strength for the next jump. The upper branches of Owl Tree were just in view, breaking the treeline.
As he continued to bound, momentum made each leap easier. Silverpaw need not fight his way through the thick shrub, need not get soaked like a downed duck in the stream.
On the contrary, how could he be a ThunderClan warrior who felt SkyClan?
Silverpaw would rather lose Hailbreeze's challenge and use ThunderClan tactics then win and seem Skyclan.
As he saw the top of Owl Tree nearing, Silverpaw sprang to the ground. He doubled back and raced for the stream. Not a trace of hesitation was evident in his gaze as he cleared the branch of water.
Silverpaw's eyes blinked open.
He had made it over.
Silverpaw barely had time to congratulate himself before he reached a thick knot of vines. Clawing through them, Silverpaw continued to gallop.
There was the quickest flicker of surprise in his mentor's eyes as they scanned over him.
Silverpaw was relatively unscathed, and barely out of breath.
"You may have completed my task, but don't be arrogant yet, apprentice. I am hardly pleased with you. Battle training. Now."
Hailbreeze crossed the Sandy Hollow in two strides. Silverpaw drew in a shuddering breath as he moved into a hunting crouch.
Hailbreeze laughed, a cold, harsh sound without the slightest flicker of happiness or amusement.
"You can't even figure out an attack crouch, kit. Chin tucked, put more weight on your front paws. We are fighting, not hunting."
"Isn't it all the same?" Silverpaw meowed quietly.
"What?"
"Fighting and hunting. When you are hunting, you are fighting your prey. When you are fighting, you are hunting the enemy," Silverpaw felt a sudden rush of courage. He blinked up at his mentor.
"Wise words, for a kit," Hailbreeze smiled.
Silverpaw shifted his stance.
"Attack me," Hailbreeze commanded.
Silverpaw didn't move.
"Very well. I will make the first move."
Hailbreeze moved blindingly fast, a grey blur streaking toward him at the speed of light. Silverpaw bunched his muscles and leapt over his mentor.
Hailbreeze wasn't fazed. Whipping around, he charged back at Silverpaw. Silverpaw's eyes widened.
Hailbreeze barreled into Silverpaw's shoulder. He yipped in shock.
Silverpaw skidded across the sand, wincing as he got up.
"You was far exceeded my expectations, apprentice," Hailbreeze scoffed.
Quietly, he added.
"Contain your anger, caress it. Channel your pain into hatred to the enemy."
Silverpaw stared at Hailbreeze in surprise. Had his mentor actually given him advice?
Taking in a deep breath, Silverpaw gathered himself back into a crouch.
He focused his eyes at the point of his target: Hailbreeze's left shoulder.
Silverpaw feigned left, doubled right. His mentor stepped easily to the left. But Silverpaw turned and slid under Hailbreeze's belly, twisting and slashing with claws sheathed. Hailbreeze stuck his hind legs together, blocking Silverpaw's exit. Hopping over his apprentice, Hailbreeze brought his paws down heavily, like a fox breaking ice. Silverpaw made a squelching noise as the air was knocked out of him.
The dark grey tom's eyes held the tiniest hint of respect as he muttered to himself.
"Half turn belly-rake."
Silverpaw jumped to his feet.
Panting, he stood head bowed. Silverpaw's blue eyes looked up with fierce determination.
"Again."
INSERTEPICLINEBREAKHERE
Flamekit was sitting at the mouth of the nursery.
Silverpaw padded up to his sister, purring as they touched noses. Silverpaw winced at the raw scars on his sister's pelt.
Flamekit caught him looking at them. "It's fine. Look, I'm not even an apprentice and I have my first battle wounds already!" She joked.
"Is Amberclaw-" Silverpaw looked at his sister pleadingly, hoping that she would understand.
"He's still alive," Flamekit looked away, pausing. "Oh Silverpaw! If only I could go back in time and stop myself from leaving camp. Then none of this fox-dung would've happened."
"I would be an apprentice like you,"
Silverpaw felt a sudden rush of pity.
"What were you trying to do?" Silverpaw asked gently.
"I wanted to prove to father that I could be as strong as he is," Flamekit murmured sheepishly. Silverpaw stiffened.
"That backfired, didn't it?" He growled. Flamekit moved away from him.
"And Featherpaw is without an mentor, and Amberclaw is dangling in StarClan's paws? It isn't my fault that Rainpaw decided to take on the badger by herself and Amberclaw was willing to save her foolish rump!"
"Don't you understand? You've always been Redtalon's favourite, and you know it. He hates me. He loves you. And you complain?" Silverpaw was furious, snarling in Flamekit's face. Flamekit looked shocked.
"What is wrong with you?" She spat.
Silverpaw stormed away. Grabbing a squirrel from the fresh-kill pile, he almost crashed into Owlpaw.
"Willing to share?" Owlpaw smiled. Nodding, Silverpaw walked over to the apprentice's den. The black and white tom settled down beside him.
"How was Splitfoot?" The ginger and white tom was notorious for his aggressiveness.
"Not too bad, actually. Hailbreeze?" Owlpaw asked politely.
Leaning toward his acquaintance, Silverpaw whispered quietly.
"That tom has gone mental," Owlpaw purred.
Focusing in devouring his prey, Silverpaw chewed thoughtfully.
Why was Hailbreeze training him to the point of exhaustion?
QOTD: What are your conspiracy theories?