Satire47- Sleetstar is... Old. And delusional. Hailbreeze is different. You'll find out the reason in later chapters!
Silverpaw padded out of the den. Stormpaw, Aspenpaw, Talonpaw and their mentors were waiting by the tunnel. Silverpaw raced toward them. He was late!
Suddenly, Silverpaw stopped in his tracks.
Hailbreeze stood by them, staring at him disapprovingly. Silverpaw groaned inwardly. His scratches from the previous day still stung, but were hardly deep. Silverpaw's thick fur covered all of them but the one on his shoulder.
Putting two and two together, Silverpaw guessed that they were doing one on one battle training. Loping up to his mentor, Silverpaw flicked his ears.
"Today, you will be sparring," Darkblaze mewed solemnly.
Silverpaw trailed at the back of the group. Aspenpaw slowed down to his pace.
"Hi," Aspenpaw meowed. Silverpaw nodded, grateful for her company.
Unfortunately for him, Stormpaw noticed Aspenpaw's absence.
"Hey, Aspenpaw," Stormpaw mewed silkily. Head up, chest out, he strutted toward them like a proud plover. Silverpaw retched at his expression.
"Get lost Stormkit," Aspenpaw rolled her eyes. Stormpaw wreathed around her once seductively before stopping by Silverpaw.
"Listen, Oddpaw. You better stay away from her, or I'll-"
"Come back here Stormpaw. I don't appreciate you wasting our time," Duskpelt's call came from up ahead.
"Coming!"
As they reached the clearing, Swiftfeather turned to the apprentices.
"First up, Aspenpaw and Talonpaw," The black and white she-cat gestured to the Sandy Hollow. Aspenpaw strode to the opposite side and moved into a crouch. Talonpaw smirked and bunched his hindquarters.
"Begin!"
Aspenpaw gazed at the pure black tom impassively. With a snort, Talonpaw charged at Aspenpaw.
Quick as an adder, Aspenpaw dodged to the side, shooting out one paw to trip him. Talonpaw stepped over it and sprang toward the grey and white she-cat.
Aspenpaw reared up, batting the tom out of the air. Talonpaw landed on his paws, and, without a moment of hesitation, darted at Aspenpaw, aiming for her left shoulder.
Aspenpaw ducked under Talonpaw's belly, slamming her paws into the soft flesh. With a soft oof, Talonpaw fell on his side. Aspenpaw streaked to him, placing one paw on Talonpaw's throat and another on his chest. Talonpaw struggled under her, but could not escape out of her grasp.
"Aspenpaw wins," Darkblaze crowed proudly. Aspenpaw reached out to help Talonpaw up; he smacked her paw away.
"Your fault is your pride, Talonpaw. That, and your cockiness," Aspenpaw mrrowed.
"Silverpaw and Stormpaw," Hailbreeze's eyes bore into the back of Silverpaw's head. Silverpaw's ears twitched as they caught a quiet murmur from his mentor.
"Do not disappoint me."
Heart ablaze, Silverpaw crouched down. Stormpaw wrinkled his nose mockingly on the other side of the hollow.
"Begin!"
Silverpaw was eager to prove himself-desperate to prove himself. So, without a second thought, the light grey apprentice darted forth at his foe.
And that was his fatal flaw.
Stormpaw tripped Silverpaw, paw gathering his into a tight hold. Falling to the ground, Silverpaw saw stars in his eyes.
Stormpaw was gazing down at him coolly.
The dark grey tom moved ever closer to his neck.
"I don't even like Aspenpaw," Silverpaw mused thoughtfully. Stormpaw sneered and placed a paw on his throat
Sighing in defeat, Silverpaw let himself go limp. The tabby apprentice twisted his head to look at his mentor.
Hailbreeze turned away, tail drooping.
He had failed his mentor.
With a sudden fire in his chest, Silverpaw grabbed Stormpaw's shoulders, pushing them away from him. Pushing his hind legs on the ground, he propelled himself along the dirt. Stormpaw, with front paws dangling in the air, was unable to prevent Silverpaw from slipping out of his grasp.
Snarling, Stormpaw charged toward Silverpaw. Silverpaw reared up on his hindquarters. Stormpaw scooted to the side and reached for Silverpaw's tail.
It wasn't there.
Mouth agape, the dark grey apprentice stopped for a split second in confusion. Silverpaw took advantage of it.
Flinging his shoulder against Stormpaw's hip, Silverpaw attempted to force the tom on the ground. But Stormpaw was simply too strong to move, like shoving a boulder. Stormpaw turned and swatted Silverpaw's leg. It nearly buckled from the force, and Silverpaw staggered forward. Swiftly, Silverpaw sprinted around Stormpaw and wreathed between his legs, belly as low as a snake. Stormpaw was unbalanced and toppled to the ground.
Silverpaw stood to catch his breath whilst Stormpaw shook the dirt from his pelt. Stormpaw sprang up once more, this time shooting directly over Silverpaw, doing his best to bring his paws down on his back as he passed. Silverpaw ducked down.
He waited for the moment Stormpaw's belly passed into view.
He struck.
Silverpaw leapt up, hitting Stormpaw's soft underbelly with crushing force. Stormpaw bent in half like a twig as the air was knocked out of him.
Silverpaw pinned the tom's paws to his chest.
"Silverpaw wins," Hailbreeze cried triumphantly.
Silverpaw felt a weight lift off his shoulders.
He had made his mentor proud.
Stormpaw spat on the ground, grinding his teeth as he passed Silverpaw on the way to Duskpelt. The long-furred black and orange tom scolded his apprentice quietly, cuffing him over the ears. Stormpaw stooped in shame.
"Aspenpaw and Silverpaw," Swiftfeather meowed, leaping up on a pointed rock.
Silverpaw's heart leapt into his throat.
Well, I'm as good as dirt now.
Aspenpaw padded to the other side of the hollow, while Silverpaw steadied himself by the Fallen Tree. A determined, yet warm smile flitted across Aspenpaw's white patched face.
"Begin!"
Neither Silverpaw nor Aspenpaw moved a muscle. Instead, they locked gazes, dark blue meeting light. Clearly, both were on the defensive, each waiting for the other to make the first move.
Aspenpaw struck as Silverpaw let his guard down.
Landing a blow on Silverpaw's head, Aspenpaw leapt back, bouncing off the side of a rock and flying towards Silverpaw. Silverpaw kicked his hind paws out; they connected sharply with Aspenpaw's muzzle.
Aspenpaw shook the surprise from her body.
She reared up and brought all her weight down on Silverpaw's body. Silverpaw did the same, and they wrestled, Aspenpaw vying to force him under her while Silverpaw tried to get her off him. Finally, Aspenpaw managed to force Silverpaw to the ground.
"Aspenpaw wins!"
Aspenpaw rolled off and offered Silverpaw a paw. Smiling, Silverpaw grabbed it and hauled himself up.
As the mentors and their apprentices headed back to camp, only Hailbreeze and Silverpaw remained.
"I'd have expected more from you during that second match," Hailbreeze narrowed his grey eyes.
"Hunting," Hailbreeze pointed his tail at a nearby berry bush. Silverpaw stalked up to it, and found a curious looking mouse scampering around it with a seed in it's mouth.
Silverpaw lunged. The mouse heard at the last second, and darted forward. Pinning his paw down on the mouse's tail, Silverpaw hastily finished the creature off, embarrassed at his messy kill.
"What was that?" Hailbreeze snarled. Silverpaw ducked his head.
"You will be learning how to hunt properly, starting with a hunting crouch," Hailbreeze nudged a clump of grass to the bare dirt.
"This is your prey,"
Silverpaw settled into a crouch, blinking up at his mentor for further instruction. But Hailbreeze was silent, staring down at him with flint-like eyes.
They stood like that until Sundown.
QOTD: Aspenpaw... Who do you think she is to Silverpaw?
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