"Hurry up, Pebblepaw! You don't want to fall behind!"
"I'm trying!" The short legged apprentice called, her voice straining. A moment later, she came crashing through the bushes, nearly running into Firepaw. Twigs were tangled in her fur, streaks of dirt staining her tabby pelt.
"Watch out, you silly furball!" the much larger tom chuckled, narrowly dodging Pebblepaw. Once she had regained her balance he nudged her with his shoulder, almost sending her toppling over once more.
"Hey!" Pebblepaw chirped, shoving him back. Firepaw laughed in response, whiskers twitching and tail flicking back and forth. He trotted ahead of her until he reached his mentor. Pebblepaw soon followed, falling into place beside him.
"I wonder if those two will ever stop behaving like a pair of overgrown kits," Shadepaw muttered to Reedpaw, casting a glance in his direction.
"They're just having fun," Reedpaw replied, hesitating slightly, looking uncertain. "Something you should learn to do." He brushed his tail along the length of Shadepaw's flank.
She jerked away, her fur prickling slightly at Reedpaw's taunt. She did not offer a response.
"You know I'm just teasing you." Reedpaw muttered, a hint of impatience mingled with laughter.
Shadepaw remained quiet, fixing her eyes on Pebblepaw and Firepaw, who were now swiping at each other when their mentors weren't watching. Pebblepaw caught the ginger tabby's ear with one of her white paws, giggling quietly. Firepaw returned the blow, his purring audible even from where Shadepaw stood.
She heard Reedpaw sigh softly and felt a prickle of guilt that instantly evaporated when she turned to him and noticed that he was focused on Pebblepaw. Her ears flattened in annoyance, Shadepaw abandoned her place beside Reedpaw and went to join the other two apprentices.
"I wish Ashpaw was here with us," Firepaw mewed, scanning the forest with a bright green gaze.
"She'll be out of the medicine cat's den soon," Brambleflower replied sympathetically. "For now, it is important for Ashpaw to get some rest." Brambleflower paused as the patrol hopped across a narrow stream. "Mistleaf has been taking good care of her."
"She's quite the accomplished medicine cat," Frostface piped up, making Shadepaw jump. She searched for the fluffy white molly, eventually finding her lingering at the back of the patrol.
Eagleclaw nodded in agreement. "LightClan is lucky to have her."
Frostface fell silent, and then nodded. "Yes, we are quite lucky to have her."
The scar on the brown tabby tom's face contorted as he frowned, glancing over his shoulder, halting for a brief moment. Shadepaw wondered if her mentor had picked up on the hostile tone of Frostface's voice. But just a moment later, Eagleclaw shook his head and continued on.
"It's a shame that she won't be able to take Robinkit as her apprentice." Frostface spoke up again. "I've never seen a cat so interested in healing."
"Considering where you're from, that's not a surprise…" Shadepaw heard Reedpaw murmur under his breath. She hoped that Frostface hadn't heard him.
Luckily, the white molly paid no attention to her apprentice. Shadepaw let out a breath of relief, glaring back at Reedpaw, who responded with an indifferent shrug.
"She'll learn the ways of a warrior in time," Eagleclaw replied, although he too sounded disappointed.
"Surely Mistleaf could handle another apprentice?" Frostface pushed. "Sparrowfur is already fully trained."
He shook his head. "Clan traditions are important. Unless Mistleaf or Sparrowfur can no longer carry out their job, Robinkit cannot be trained as a medicine cat."
Frostface rolled her eyes. "You LightClan cats and your traditions..."
Eagleclaw acted as if he had not heard Frostface's comment.
"Do you remember when Mistleaf herself was apprenticed?" Brambleflower asked, breaking the uncomfortable silence.
Badgerclaw, who had not uttered a word for the entire trip, finally spoke. "Of course we don't. You two were the only cats who were even alive back then."
Eagleclaw chuckled. "Are you calling us old?"
"I'm just saying that maybe it's about time you two settled down in the elder's den."
Brambleflower scowled. "We're still plenty young!" She protested. "You ought to show your elders some respect." She huffed.
"He's right, you know," Eagleclaw purred, coming to lean against Brambleflower's shoulder. "The elder's den does look awfully appealing…"
Despite Eagleclaw's attempt to cheer her off, Brambleflower's demeanor remained the same. There was a faraway look in her eyes, as if she wasn't quite present. "Come on," she mewed suddenly, pulling ahead of her mate. "At this pace, we'll have to head back to camp before we even get to the training clearing."
Shadepaw didn't miss the confused tilt of her mentor's head, but he followed after Brambleflower nonetheless, trailing just slightly behind the lighter tabby.
They arrived at the clearing shortly after Brambleflower's little outburst. The group of warriors and apprentices had fallen silent, and Shadepaw was thankful for the break. Unfortunately, the conversation started back up as soon as they arrived.
Sitting at the edge of the training clearing was Dawnstar, LightClan's leader. She raised her head as the patrol of cats entered, shaking moss off of her pelt and getting to her paws.
"Dawnstar!" Brambleflower exclaimed, a hint of her typical enthusiasm returning to her voice. "I didn't know that you were going to be here."
"Neither did I," Dawnstar admitted, sitting down and curling her tail neatly around her paws. "I realized that I had a bit of free time, and I figured that I'd come see how our apprentices are progressing."
Pebblepaw went stiff. "But we've only been training for a half moon!" She squeaked, her little white paws trembling. Firepaw rested his muzzle against her shoulder in an attempt to soothe her.
Dawnstar purred in amusement. "I'm aware, Pebblepaw. I'm not expecting to see fully trained apprentices." She glanced individually at the four of them. "I just want to be sure that your mentors have been training you well." At this, she looked at Brambleflower, a mischievous glint in her eyes.
"Oh, please!" Brambleflower laughed, having caught Dawnstar's glance. "You nearly let your first apprentice run off in the middle of the night. If it hadn't been for Eagleclaw, the poor thing would have been lost for days."
"If I remember correctly, you let your first apprentice assess himself when it came time for him to become a warrior."
"You hardly supervised yours!" Brambleflower mewed indignantly. "You were always off with –" Suddenly, the LightClan deputy paused, cutting her sentence short. "You were always off wandering the forests, determined to catch the largest piece of prey so that Willowstar would notice you and appoint you deputy."
Dawnstar laughed in response, but there was now a slight uneasiness about her. "It worked, didn't it? But enough of our babbling. I'm sure that the apprentices are eager to begin their training session."
Firepaw nodded eagerly, shoving his way to the front of the group. "Can I go first? Badgerclaw says that I'm an excellent fighter!"
"I think you might have misheard me," the black and white tom murmured, narrowing his eyes at Firepaw.
Firepaw ignored his mentors comment, looking up at Dawnstar with wide green eyes. "Please?" He begged, drawing out the word.
"Why don't you and Reedpaw spar?" Eagleclaw suggested, glancing at Frostface for approval. The white molly nodded, blue eyes shining.
"Fine by me," Reedpaw said, joining Firepaw in the center of the clearing. He regarded the ginger pelted tom with a curious gaze, amber eyes flicking up and down.
Shadepaw sat down at the edge of the clearing, Pebblepaw soon following and taking a spot beside her. Shadepaw glanced over at her, wondering if they would be fighting next. She had a feeling that Pebblepaw would be paired with Reedpaw instead. He would be gentle with her.
"Claws sheathed or unsheathed?" Reedpaw questioned.
"Sheathed, of course." Dawnstar directed. "Firepaw isn't an enemy."
"Alright," Reedpaw responded, sounding almost disappointed. He then turned to face Firepaw, crouching low and preparing to attack.
"Ready, set…" Brambleflower spoke, glancing between the two apprentices. "Go!"
As soon as the words had left the molly's mouth, Reedpaw had sprung forward, delivering a blow to Firepaw's head that sent him reeling backward. The ginger apprentice stumbled, allowing Reedpaw to attack him once more, using his superior size to knock Firepaw to the ground.
Pebblepaw sucked in a sharp breath, watching anxiously as the two toms fought. Shadepaw resisted the urge to roll her eyes. She'll never become a warrior if she remains so opposed to battling.
Firepaw struggled to his paws, Reedpaw allowing him a chance to get back up. Once he was standing, he bolted forward and lashed out at Reedpaw, dodging blows and attacking with surprising speed and grace.
A growl rumbled deep in Reedpaw's chest as he missed Firepaw by a mouselength. Before he had a chance to retaliate once more, Firepaw knocked him over, pinning Reedpaw underneath him. The larger tom kicked up at Firepaw's stomach with his back legs, earning a hiss of pain in response, but was ultimately unable to get Firepaw to budge.
"I win!" Firepaw declared, poking Reedpaw's chest with a white paw.
"Let me up," Reedpaw murmured, his voice low and tense. Firepaw obliged, looking over at the group of warriors for approval.
"You did very well, Firepaw," Dawnstar nodded. Firepaw's eyes widened, his tail waving happily.
"Thank you!" He practically shouted, bouncing on his paws. Reedpaw slunk off to the opposite side of the clearing, sitting in a patch of shade and watching with narrowed eyes.
"Who do I get to fight next?" Firepaw mewed.
"Perhaps Shadepaw would like to test her skills against yours," Eagleclaw replied, meeting Shadepaw's gaze. "Shadepaw?" He prompted.
"Sure," she responded, getting to her paws and stretching out her limbs. Eagleclaw purred in approval.
"You better win," he said. "I don't think I could bear it if my apprentice lost a fight. Oh, the shame…it would simply ruin me." He nudged the top of her head with his muzzle as she passed by him. Shadepaw laughed, pausing for a moment to bump her nose against her mentor's.
"Don't worry." She said reassuringly. "I'll win. Firepaw doesn't stand a chance against me!"
"That's the spirit," he smiled, guiding her forward with a paw. "Be sure that you don't push yourself too much," he added in a quieter voice. "I'll still be proud of you, even if you don't come out victorious."
Shadepaw nodded, eager to begin her fight against Firepaw. She was sure that she could beat him, even if Reedpaw hadn't been able to.
"Good luck!" Eagleclaw mewed as she faced off against Firepaw, their green eyes locked in an intense stare. The tip of her tail twitched impatiently as she waited for the match to begin.
Brambleflower began speaking as she had before, but Shadepaw was far too focused on Firepaw to understand what she was saying. As soon as she saw him move, she knew that the fight had begun.
There was a flash of tabby fur as Firepaw hurled himself at her, attempting to knock her over the same way that he had done with Reedpaw. Shadepaw stood her ground, shoving him back and striking out at him with an outstretched paw.
Firepaw lunged away, smirking in satisfaction when he managed to avoid Shadepaw's blow. He didn't have much time to enjoy his success, because Shadepaw leaped at him a moment later, crashing into him and sending them both rolling across the mossy clearing.
Shadepaw thrashed out at Firepaw with her front paws, a surprising amount of adrenaline coursing through her as the fight went on. The tabby tom attempted to protect himself from Shadepaw's attacks, but only managed to escape a few.
She could hear Pebblepaw cheering Firepaw on from the sidelines, which only fueled her desire to win. Shadepaw continued to strike at Firepaw with her paws, battering him ruthlessly.
Just as she felt Firepaw go limp beneath her and thought that she had won, he surged upward and sent her skidding across the clearing, unprepared for the next harsh blow that Firepaw landed. Growling, Shadepaw swiped at him, forcing him away from her. He began to back up, green eyes flicking about as he tried to predict her next move.
Shadepaw took a moment to examine him, as well. He was crouched low to the ground, muscles tense as if he was prepared to pounce. Shadepaw knew that she couldn't allow him another advantage if she was to win this battle. Before Firepaw could make his next move, the dark gray molly gathered her strength in her back legs and leaped, landing squarely on Firepaw's back. He yowled in surprise, legs buckling beneath him.
Once she knew that he was defeated, Shadepaw scrambled away from Firepaw, a satisfied grin on her face.
Firepaw grunted and got to his paws, though it was clear that he was aware of his defeat. Surprisingly, he dipped his head in respect to Shadepaw.
"You're pretty good," he admitted, laughing shakily as he drew a paw across his face, washing away dirt.
"Thanks." Shadepaw replied, just as she felt Eagleclaw prod her in the side.
"Congratulations!" Her mentor purred, amber eyes glowing with pride. "I knew you could do it."
Shadepaw smiled but did not reply. She turned toward the other warriors, searching for Dawnstar. She was curious about what the LightClan leader had to say about her victory.
But Dawnstar had already moved on. "Pebblepaw, why don't you go next?" She mewed gently, coaxing the little tabby molly. "You and Reedpaw can fight."
"Alright…" She replied reluctantly, meeting Reedpaw in the center of the clearing. Shadepaw saw him rest his tail against her side comfortingly, muttering something that she wasn't able to make out.
"Didn't Dawnstar see my fight?" She mewed to Eagleclaw, her good mood dissipating.
"She did," He nodded. "She was very impressed."
Shadepaw doubted that. If she had been impressed, then why had Dawnstar ignored her in favor of Pebblepaw?
Shadepaw watched as Reedpaw and Pebblepaw drew apart, padding to opposite sides of the clearing. The gray tabby molly looked tiny when compared to Reedpaw, with his broad shoulders and long limbs. He was nearly a head taller than Pebblepaw, and his paws were twice the size of hers.
"Ready?" Brambleflower asked. Both Reedpaw and Pebblepaw nodded. A moment later, she shouted, "Go!"
Reedpaw moved much slower than he had when he'd faced Firepaw. Pebblepaw shrank to the ground, which Shadepaw initially mistook as fearful reaction, but eventually realized that she was slowly creeping toward Reedpaw, her blue eyes focused on the golden brown tom.
Pebblepaw launched herself forward a few moments later, just barely closing the gap between herself and Reedpaw. She brought one of her front paws down hard on his head, trying to stun him. Reedpaw hardly reacted, as if he hadn't even felt the blow.
"Poor thing," Shadepaw heard Frostface murmur under her breath, the white molly watching Pebblepaw sympathetically. "She doesn't stand a chance."
Shadepaw couldn't help but agree. It was almost laughable, seeing Pebblepaw go up against Reedpaw.
Seeing that her first attempt at attacking Reedpaw hadn't done much, Pebblepaw skittered backward, calculating her next move. Shadepaw waited for him to pounce, to finish her off so they could all go home and get some rest, but Reedpaw didn't budge. He watched silently as Pebblepaw stared up at him with wide eyes, waiting patiently for her to attack once again.
With a glance back at her mentor, Brambleflower, Pebblepaw shot forward, running underneath Reedpaw. A moment later, she swept his legs out from underneath him, narrowly escaping before he came crashing to the ground. She then backed away, waiting for him to stand up and make a move of his own. Annoyance rose up within Shadepaw, and she was half tempted to push Reedpaw out of the way and take his place.
Reedpaw stood, facing off against Pebblepaw once more. This time, he actually made an effort, running toward her as if he was preparing to leap. But Pebblepaw simply sidestepped, avoiding him completely. She blinked, and waited for Reedpaw to turn around and face her again.
"Pebblepaw –" Brambleflower began, but Shadepaw jumped in before she had the chance to get her words out.
"What was that?" She asked incredulously, getting to her paws and stalking over to Reedpaw. Both he and Pebblepaw watched her with wide eyes. "You barely tried to beat her!" She scowled, tail lashing angrily. Once she was finished with Reedpaw, she whipped around to look at Pebblepaw. "And you – you aren't even making an effort! A mouse could do a better job of fighting than you."
Pebblepaw's ears flattened against her head, and she shrunk away from the green eyed molly, looking nervously up at her. Shadepaw's lip curled in disgust. She prepared to continue her rant, but before she could do so, Reedpaw pushed his way between herself and Pebblepaw, creating a barrier.
"Stop that!" He growled. "She doesn't need you shouting at her."
"You're right," Shadepaw snapped. "What she needs is to be taught a lesson – maybe if you weren't constantly protecting her –"
Reedpaw's pupils narrowed into slits. "Listen here, you foxheart –"
Shadepaw recoiled, feeling as if he had reached out and struck her. She hissed through clenched teeth, claws sinking into the moss beneath her paws.
"Enough!" Brambleflower yowled, interrupting the bickering pair of apprentices. She stomped over to them, sinking her teeth into Reedpaw's scruff and dragging him away, despite his protests. Pebblepaw scurried after them, taking shelter behind her mentor.
Brambleflower let go of Reedpaw, glaring at him and then at Shadepaw. "We're going home," she declared, nudging Reedpaw forward. "Now."
Firepaw anxiously looked to Badgerclaw for guidance. The warrior simply gestured vaguely back to the forest before padding off, leaving Firepaw behind.
Shadepaw stood frozen in the middle of the clearing, her ears ringing. She watched as Brambleflower guided Pebblepaw out of the clearing, her tail rested gently on the tabby's shoulder. Reedpaw followed behind them, with Frostface at his side.
"Shadepaw." She barely registered the sound of her mentor's voice. "Come, Shadepaw."
She finally broke out of her trance, looking up at Eagleclaw. She expected to see disappointment in his amber eyes, but was surprised to find none.
"We don't want to be left behind," he mewed, pushing her forward a bit.
"Okay," she whispered, her voice sounding foreign and strange. "Okay," she repeated, more loudly this time. She followed Eagleclaw out of the clearing, taking note of the way he kept his distance from the rest of the patrol.
Shadepaw wondered if she was going to be punished for yelling at Reedpaw and Pebblepaw. Surely if she was to be punished, Reedpaw would be punished as well? She frowned as she recalled his words, her tail dragging against the ground. Why was he so quick to side with Pebblepaw? Couldn't he see that she wasn't trying? Did he even care?
Shadepaw trailed behind Eagleclaw silently, keeping her eyes focused on the forest floor as she trudged back to LightClan's camp, a heavy feeling in her heart.
It turned out that she was going to be punished – three consecutive nights of cleaning the elder's den and bringing them new bedding all by herself. Reedpaw would pick up where she had left off when the three days had passed.
Shadepaw sighed as she rolled a final ball of moss out of the den, wrinkling her nose at the stench of it. She felt as if she had been rolling around moss balls for moons.
The ball was gone with a few more pushes, rolled outside of camp. Shadepaw collapsed in the shade provided by the large oak tree that grew on the edge of LightClan's camp, sighing at the relief of the feeling of cool, soft grass against her pelt. Her eyes fell shut, and she had nearly dozed off when she heard the sound of paw steps coming in her direction. Groggily raising her head and blinking her eyes open, Shadepaw was surprised to see Eagleclaw approaching with a large blackbird dangling from his jaws.
Eagleclaw dropped the bird at her paws, a few stray feathers fluttering about. One landed on her nose. She brushed it away with a paw, and then looked up at her mentor in confusion.
"It's for you," he confirmed, nodding as he settled down in the grass beside her.
"But why?" She angled her head toward him. "I thought I was being punished."
"You are," the tabby tom mewed, "But after your victory against Firepaw, I thought that you deserved a reward."
Unsure of what to say, Shadepaw simply settled for, "Thank you."
Eagleclaw nodded again, and then waited for her to eat. Shadepaw hungrily gulped down the bird, drawing her tongue across her muzzle once she had finished. She sat in silence beside Eagleclaw, who stared out across the clearing, his amber eyes reflecting the crimson sky swirled with streaks of orange and gold.
"Eagleclaw?" she muttered, shuffling her paws.
"Yes?" He turned to face her.
"Are you…" she trailed off briefly. "Are you angry with me? Because of what I did today?"
He fell silent again, and Shadepaw feared that he wasn't going to answer her question. Finally, just when she had been about to give up hope and return to the apprentice's den for some rest, he spoke. "I can't say that I'm proud."
Shadepaw's ears lowered in shame. She had never wanted to disappoint her mentor.
"But," he continued, "What Reedpaw said to you was out of line. And Pebblepaw…" He paused. "I can understand why you got angry. To work so hard to win your fight, and then to see her put so little effort into her training – if I was an apprentice, I don't doubt that I would have done the same thing."
"Really?" Shadepaw didn't believe it. Surely someone as collected as Eagleclaw would never have such an embarrassing outburst.
He chuckled quietly. "If you only knew what an awful apprentice I was…I can't believe my mentor didn't try to drown me."
Shadepaw laughed too, feeling a lot better than she had a few moments ago. "Is that what you'll do if I misbehave again? Toss me in the river and wish me good luck?"
"Step out of line again, and perhaps you'll find out," he deepened his voice in an attempt to sound mysterious, but Shadepaw knew he was teasing her.
"I'll just have to learn how to swim, then!" She said decisively. "I can start tomorrow."
Eagleclaw laughed once more before standing up. "Get some rest, and maybe I'll consider swimming lessons."
"Okay, Eagleclaw," she nodded, standing up as well. She said goodnight to her mentor, and then made her way to the apprentice's den. She was glad to see that Firepaw was the only current occupant.
Shadepaw settled down into her nest, curling up into a ball and shutting her eyes. She was asleep in minutes, dreaming of churning rivers and ice cold water.