Two Lives:
"Harder! I said harder! Don't be afraid to fight- victory will always be yours against those puny clan cats!"
Blacktail's yowl sliced through the air, stopping every cat in their tracks. Froststar nodded in agreement next to him, blue eyes shining like ice reflecting moonlight. Her white pelt was sleek and muscular, and she stood with her head and tail high. The leader of the Dark Forest beckoned for a scrawny light brown tabby tom to come up. The cat obeyed at once, tripping over his paws in his haste to follow her orders. "Let me show you how it's done," Froststar growled. "Birchcloud will be my example." The tabby's eyes widened in worry as the other cats murmured quietly in acknowledgement.
Froststar waited a moment, then lunged for Birchcloud, her forepaws reaching for the sky and the warrior's head as she sailed through the air. Birchcloud glanced up, his gaze following her two paws. Immediately, Froststar flicked her tail and pulled her hindquarters forwards, using her hind claws to slash the tom's chest and knock him to the ground, his eyes full or surprise and terror. The white she-cat pounced, gripping his throat in her jaws for a few heartbeats before letting go and stepping back.
Birchcloud scrambled to his paws and backed away, joining the crowd of eager warriors. "Did everyone understand the move?" Froststar yowled, her gaze scorching the warriors. Calls of agreement rang out, and Froststar purred, satisfied. She turned to Blacktail. "Let our warriors train. Have them practice that move till predawn; then let them train freely." As her second in command nodded, she called to her apprentices. "Thorncloud! Echopaw! Stormtail!" At once, the three cats bounded to her, stopping shortly before her and bowing their heads.
Thorncloud barely had time to register what was happening when Froststar looked at him and leaped. She knocked him to the ground, and hissed, "You. Start off attacking Stormtail. I'll find Echopaw a... a playmate." Nodding, he struggled back to his paws. The ShadowClan tom glanced at his RiverClan opponent, hissing, moving in a circle around him slowly, crouched low.
Remembering his past experiences with Stormtail, Thorncloud reminded himself to keep light on his feet. Weight would not help him here; Stormtail had quick reflexes from fishing, and he was bulkier then him. His opponent should be able to look past his move easily, unless if...
Dodging a quick attack from Stormtail, Thorncloud rolled over and leapt to his paws. Unless if... Unless if he changed it first! Darting towards the gray tom, Thorncloud shot his right paw into the air; the RiverClan tom remained unfazed, staring at him evenly, fur bristling. Then he shot out his other paw. Surprised, Stormtail's gaze followed it for a moment; then he looked right back at Thorncloud.
Slamming his two paws down on either side of Stormtail's head, Thorncloud pulled in his hind legs and raked them down the startled warrior's chest. Stormtail fell to the ground, bleeding, and immediately rolled, hind legs pressed to his belly for defense, keeping his chin to his chest to protect it from blows. Thorncloud darted after Stormtail, rearing, before striking the ground as hard as he could, and he felt it shake, just barely.
He barely leaped out of the way before the fast-moving RiverClan warrior charged at him. Flashing out a paw, he managed to rake Stormtail down his flank, making him let out an undignified squeak. Then Stormtail lunged and attacked, catching him unawares.
...
Thorncloud shivered, waking in his nest. Last night's training had been brutal; After the first training session, Blacktail had set them up on teams, trying to fight to defeat the leader of the opponent's team. His team had one, pinning down Owlflight as the gray-brown WindClan she-cat screeched angrily. Acornbreeze was curled up next to him, and he purred, breathing in her sweet scent. "Oh, Acornbreeze," he murmured. "I will never let them harm you."
Getting to his paws, he gave himself a quick grooming before trotting outside. Mistyleaf was organizing patrols busily, and he rushed to join the crowd of warriors. "Hazelwing, you'll take Thorncloud, Echopaw, and Squirrelwhisker hunting by the lake." The deputy ordered swiftly, finishing her list. She flicked her ears, dismissing the warriors, and Thorncloud followed his patrol out of camp.
His apprentice and Dark Forest Clanmate, Echopaw, bounced eagerly at his side. "Hey, Thorncloud?" she asked enthusiastically. "Do you think I can catch a pheasant today?" Thorncloud purred in amusement. "As long as it doesn't carry you away!" he responded. Echopaw tilted her head. "If it dare tries," she began, eyes twinkling. "I'll use the move Froststar taught us last night!"
Thorncloud shivered, nodding, remembering the vicious fight he and Stormtail had fought. Next time, he would destroy the gray tom... He knew it. He crouched, eyeing a bird crouched on a branch not too far above his head, and flicked his tail tip for silence. Echopaw followed his gaze towards the bird, her eyes lighting up with excitement. She crouched, glancing at him, waiting for the signal to leap.
"Now!" he whispered, leaping into the air. Echopaw pounced next to him, and as he swiped at the startled bird from one side, knocking it off, she snagged a claw in it's wing before it could figure out what was happening and fly away. Plopping onto the ground, Echopaw struggled to hold on to her catch, and Thorncloud lunged, finishing it off. The robin fell limp, fresh-kill now, and his apprentice let it go, getting to her paws. "Thank you, StarClan. Thank you, Froststar."
It had been the snowy white she-cat who had taught them that move, understanding that they could not be strong and trusted if they did not provide a lot of prey for the clan, which also meant they got to eat more. In the end, it would make taking over the clans easier. Thorncloud shivered; he would cross that bridge when he came to it.
Nodding, he buried the robin at the foot of the tree before hurrying after where Hazelwing and Squirrelwhisker had walked. But before they could leave the clearing, a rabbit, terrified, bounded out of the bushed towards him. He slammed his paws down on it, killing it instantly, and Thorncloud stared, amazed, at his good luck. Hazelwing and Squirrelwhisker followed the rabbit, panting, triumph in their eyes. "We knew you'd kill it!" Hazelwing mewed in satisfaction. Squirrelwhisker purred, and the tom rubbed against her, purring happily.
Soon they would be mates, and then the clan would have more kits. Thorncloud's heart swelled at the thought of his and Acornbreeze's three kits, Oakpaw, Flightpaw, and Featherpaw. They were only seven moons old, and he loved them dearly. Echopaw prodded him, mewing, "C'mon! Let's keep going!" He followed his apprentice into the forest, ears pricked for the sound of prey. After a moment, he heard it- the little squeaks that would lead them to a mice nest, with ten to twelve little mice inside of it, and maybe even a mother, which would make eleven to thirteen.
Echopaw was the first to find the hole. Darting over to it, she stuck her paw inside, raking it around and killing the mice before they could escape. Thorncloud squeezed in his paw as well, and began to take out the little bodies as Echopaw continued to catch their prey. By the time they were done, they had a formidable pile of baby mice next to them. Grabbing six in his jaws, he left his apprentice the other six before leading his way back to where they buried the robin; he grabbed it as well, feeling as though his jaws had been stretched way too wide.
They stumbled back to camp, to find Squirrelwhisker and Hazelwing had already returned with the rabbit, two thrushes, and a vole. Their clanmates complimented them on their catches, and they returned the warm words, purring and talking happily. Every cat would have a full belly tonight. Thorncloud sighed, trotting to the warriors den and curling up in his nest, waiting for Acornbreeze to join him. When she did, they would go and eat, then head back to the den to sleep, as always. And in that sleep, Thorncloud would continue training in the Dark Forest; in the Place of No Stars.