Chapter 3 | First Fight
"You won't believe what I did today!" Lightningpaw exclaimed. "Sparrowstar and I explored all over the territory!"
It was twilight, and the two lions and Lightningpaw were sharing tongues and eating fresh-kill that Yellowtail had caught. "Where is Sparrowstar, anyway?" Swiftbreeze asked.
"She went back to MoonClan," Lightningpaw replied. "But she showed me how to get great moss. I bet that your nests are the most comfortable they can be!"
"I'll bet they are," Yellowtail laughed. "Did you start on hunting?"
"Not yet," Lightningpaw admitted. "Sparrowstar says we start tomorrow."
"I can help and teach you some techniques afterwards, if you want," Yellowtail offered.
"Sure!" Lightningpaw said. "I'd love to learn some new techniques. I'm going to be the best warrior that WaterClan has ever seen!"
"I'll bet you will be," Swiftbreeze said. "You look like you've got a loose claw there. What happened?"
"Oh, it was nothing," Lightningpaw said, shrugging it off. "We just met a FrostClan warrior poking around. He jumped over the border, and I fought him off, but I got a loose claw."
"You are a very brave apprentice," Swiftbreeze laughed. "I doubt that I could do that even now! Stay right there, and I'll get some herbs to help with your claw."
"Really, I don't need it," Lightningpaw protested. "Maybe you should save it for when you really need it."
"I don't want to take the risk," Swiftbreeze told him firmly. "It's greenleaf anyway. I've got lots of comfrey. You're the fighter in the Clan and we need you in top shape."
"All right," Lightningpaw consented, sighing gustily. He tucked into a warm rabbit, which he shared with Yellowtail. "Wow, this is the biggest rabbit I've ever seen!" he exclaimed. "Yellowtail, you're a great hunter! Now can you teach me some moves? Please?" He gazed up at her with pleading eyes.
"All right," agreed Yellowtail. She licked her lips, polishing off the last of the meat.
"So, the hunter's crouch is like this." She crouched down with her hind legs tucked neatly under her belly. Her tail was still as stone, sticking straight out. Swiftbreeze could tell that at the slightest indication that prey was nearby, Yellowtail would be able to leap in less than a heartbeat. "Now you try," she encouraged Lightningpaw. Lightningpaw crouched down in a perfect hunter's crouch. He glanced up at Yellowtail.
"Like this?" he asked. Yellowtail nodded.
"Great job!" she purred. "Now try stalking."
Lightningpaw fixed his gaze on a leaf, and quietly stalked forward, stepping his paws down so lightly that even a mouse couldn't hear him.
"Good job!" Yellowtail praised him. "Just remember to always stay downwind of your prey." Lightningpaw nodded, and practiced again, this time downwind.
"You're really good at this," Yellowtail said. "Tomorrow I guess I'll show you more advanced tricks. Today, however, I want you to stalk something living." She glanced around the clearing, then put her mouth close to Lightningpaw's ear and whispered, "Stalk Swiftbreeze."
Lightningpaw's eyes lit up and he dropped silently into a perfect hunter's crouch. He placed one paw in front of another and slowly drew up to Swiftbreeze, who was still putting a massive mound of comfrey back into the store.
"Boo!" Lightningpaw laughed. Swiftbreeze whirled around, her reflexes causing her to turn.
"Lightningpaw!" she yelled playfully. "I'll get you for this!" She grabbed a feather and held him down, tickling his nose. Lightningpaw was too ticklish to resist, and he squirmed around, laughing hard.
"It's getting dark," Yellowtail said when Swiftbreeze stopped. "If you want to be up at dawn tomorrow for your training, Lightningpaw, you should probably go to your den. The apprentice den, now."
"Yeah," Lightningpaw agreed. "Thanks for teaching me those techniques, Yellowtail."
"You're welcome," Yellowtail said. "I can see that you're going to make a fine warrior for the Clan. Defeating a full-grown FrostClan warrior after a tiny bit of battle training…. I doubt if there was ever a wolf that could've done the same thing."
Lightningpaw was fairly glowing with pride and happiness as he sank into sleep, ready for another day of training. He was going to defend the territory and rebuild WaterClan. Sooner or later, when FrostClan decided to invade again, they were going to have a surprise.
The next morning, Lightningpaw was wide awake by dawn. Sparrowstar had said that today she'd teach him advanced battle moves, and if he was really good, she might have a two-on-one mock battle with him, Sparrowstar, and Yellowtail.
Lightningpaw was definitely planning on being really good. He was MoonClan's only hope for rebuilding WaterClan and he wasn't going to let them down.
Lightningpaw bounded out into the clearing, where Yellowtail was gulping down a shrew before hunting, and Swiftbreeze was laying marigold out to dry. The little stream that ran by camp must've overflowed a bit, Lightningpaw thought. He decided against eating something before training; Swiftbreeze must've been awake for a while, from the large pile of marigold. She'd probably be hungry, so Lightningpaw left the vole lying there and instead ran out to the training hollow, where Sparrowstar was waiting.
"I promised you that I'd do battle training today," she began. "However, I notice that you have a big appetite, and despite Yellowtail's hunting skills, I want to teach basic hunting concepts. You need to hunt more than fight. Both are important, but I want you at least as good hunting as Yellowtail by leaf-bare so you can feed the Clan. Everyone in it is important. Show me how you would stalk this leaf." She prodded a large green oak leaf.
Immediately, Lightningpaw dropped into a perfect hunting crouch and stalked the leaf. When he was a tail-length away, he jumped cleanly onto the leaf and made as if to nip it.
"That was perfect!" Sparrowstar praised. "Has Yellowtail been teaching you?"
"Yes," Lightningpaw replied. "Last evening she had me stalk Swiftbreeze."
"And you succeeded?"
Lightningpaw nodded.
"Wow. I don't think I could do that. Swiftbreeze has good hearing and reflexes."
"She tickled me after," admitted Lightningpaw. "I couldn't get out of her grip."
"Well, I think that we can skip hunting practice and go straight to battle training. Swiftbreeze does have good control over an opponent, but if you twist like this…" Sparrowstar twisted onto her side explosively. "You can get out."
Lightningpaw twisted perfectly.
"Good!" praised Sparrowstar. She kept teaching Lightningpaw until he was sure he could defeat any single wolf or lion.
"Okay. Go collect moss and cobweb for Swiftbreeze; she's running low. I'll go fetch Yellowtail for two-on-one battle practice. Be back here when the sun passes that branch." She pointed with her tail to a small branch that the sun was directly behind. Lightningpaw noticed that his stomach was grumbling; it was past sunhigh. He caught a meaty scent and sank his claws into a squirrel. He wouldn't eat it though; all fresh-kill went to the Clan. Anyways, it would be better practice for him if he did battle training while feeling hungry.
Lightningpaw padded through the forest to the tree that had lots of moss, and began to collect moss. However, he soon caught a strange scent in the forest, and decided to go investigate. He stalked through the undergrowth and soon discovered that the stench was coming from two FrostClan apprentices. They were walking around like they owned the territory. Lightningpaw crouched behind a bush to listen.
"Come on, Icepaw, let's just hurry up and get these herbs and take them back to Gorsepelt. It's not like there's anybody in WaterClan to stop us anyways." A large, brown wolf apprentice was coaxing another apprentice to steal catmint and marigold. Lightningpaw stiffened, and the fur rose along his spine. You're wrong, he thought darkly. Because I'm here to stop you.
"All right, Squirrelpaw," agreed Icepaw. "Let's just- wait, I smell something wrong."
"You're always fussing over strange scents," muttered Squirrelpaw. "Now, just help me collect-"
He never got to finish his sentence, for Lightningpaw leaped out of the undergrowth with a vicious snarl. The two FrostClan apprentices whirled around in surprise, but Lightningpaw was already on them. He sank his teeth deep into Icepaw's leg, causing her to howl pitifully, and clawed furiously at Squirrelpaw's ears. "You're wrong," he growled. "I'm here to defend WaterClan's rightful territory."
Icepaw and Squirrelpaw gasped, and began to fight back. However, Lightningpaw leaped onto Squirrelpaw's back, digging his hind claws in and rearing high. Icepaw tried to sweep his legs and Squirrelpaw tried to throw him off but he clawed them, drawing blood and forcing them once again to the ground. They howled in terror, and began to flee into the undergrowth. Lightningpaw pursued them, snarling. When the FrostClan apprentices crossed the border, he howled after them, "This territory is WaterClan's by right, and you have no right to be here! Don't come back!" He remained at the border to make sure they wouldn't come back, then went back to the tree to collect moss and cobwebs.
Sparrowstar burst through the undergrowth and panted, "What's wrong? I heard you howling…" Her voice trailed off when she saw the blood covering her apprentice's fur. "WHAT HAPPENED?!" she gasped in horror. She circled him, sniffing.
Lightningpaw mumbled around his moss, "Two FrostClan apprentices crossed the border and were about to steal catmint and marigold, but I fought them off." He looked down at his paws modestly.
Sparrowstar's eyes shone with pride. "You fought them off all by yourself? Impressive. Good job!" Then she narrowed her eyes. "Are you hurt?" she asked anxiously. "You're covered in blood!"
Lightningpaw licked himself and responded, "No, just a few scratches. I think this is the blood of the two apprentices. It tastes bad." Sparrowstar sighed in relief.
"Come on," she said. "I'll help you carry this stuff, and let's get back to camp."
Together, mentor and apprentice returned to camp, each of them laden with moss and cobwebs. Swiftbreeze emerged from her den, stretching, and padded toward them. Her eyes widened at the sight of so much moss and cobwebs. "You're going to shove me out of the den with all that moss," she joked. Then her gaze rested on Lightningpaw's still bloody pelt. Swiftbreeze bounded over to him and gasped, "What happened to you?!"
Lightningpaw dropped his moss and replied, "I had to fight off two FrostClan apprentices who were trying to steal our herbs. The blood on my pelt is mostly theirs."
Sparrowstar added proudly, "He fought them off all by himself, and he barely got hurt!"
Swiftbreeze looked Lightningpaw over, then ordered, "Go wash in the stream, and then I'll treat your wounds." Lightningpaw swiftly obeyed, leaping into the stream with a huge splash that drenched Swiftbreeze. She growled in annoyance, and Lightningpaw apologized sheepishly, "Oops. Sorry, Swiftbreeze."
Swiftbreeze shook out her fur, and went to her den to get the herbs she needed. Then, she came back to Lightningpaw and broke marigold stalks, dripping the juice that came out onto his scratches. She covered it up with cobwebs. "Come back tomorrow so I can change the dressing," she instructed.
"Thanks," said Lightningpaw.
"You're welcome," said Swiftbreeze. "Now, go get some fresh-kill, and no more strenuous activity for the rest of the day."
"All right," sighed Lightningpaw, and he went to the large fresh-kill pile and ate a vole and a squirrel; he hadn't eaten all day. Then, with a full belly, he went to the apprentices' den and fell fast asleep.