Coalpaw steadied his aim. His 1911 pistol held in his extended paws as he focused on the tree with a bright red mark on the other end of the field. The area he was in was a small break in the tree lines, creating a perfect place cats could come and practice their aim with a firearm. He squeezed down on the trigger with his paw pad, feeling the recoil of the gun as a shot was fired down the barrel. The bullet whizzed down the firing range, hitting a bullseye on the tree bark. Coalpaw carefully set his pistol facing away from him on the grass, smiling as he looked over at his father, Oakstripe, who was standing beside him. His father looked back at him, nodding proudly.

"Your training has come along, son. I'm proud of you," Oakstripe patted his son on the head, seemingly satisfied with the practice his son was putting in.

"Thanks, Pops!" Coalpaw purred, "Brakenbush really pushed me. I wanted to make you proud!"

"And you have," Oakstripe reassured him with a nod, "I want to see you improve even further. You and your brother will best your old man one day, I'm sure of that."

Coalpaw frowned and flicked an ear, "I don't think I could ever be as good as you, dad.."

"Nonsense, son. You have only just started your firearm training a week ago. By the time your old man retires, every shot you take is gonna be a bullseye!" Oakstripe grinned, exaggerating what his son was capable of.

Coalpaw simply shook his head, "I'll do my best.. But all I really want is to make you and mom proud." Coalpaw muttered. His parents mattered most to him, above all else. He only cared to impress his mentor if he knew it would impress his father, as well.

"Your mother and I are always watching you and your siblings," Coalpaw's father reassured, "You make me proud by being willing to train and work. Your brother, Sootpaw, is nearly finished with his own training due to his willingness to train and learn. He has made me extremely proud of the hard work he has put into his training, and so have you by emulating him." Oakstripe's tail reached around, swatting Coalpaw's ear playfully "But you need to realize, son, your little sister, Fluffypaw, is watching you as well. You're her big brother, and she wants to copy everything you do."

"I wish she didn't.." Coalpaw sighed, turning his attention to the grass beneath his paws in a hint of shame, "It gets really annoying when I'm trying to focus on things she isn't even ready for." His young sister was a nuisance, usually there next to him questioning everything he was doing before asking her mentor if she could do the same thing. Yet, he cared for her and was always looking out for his younger sister; He could imagine her sparkling red eyes and wagging tail as she looked up to him, waiting to copy whatever he did. He was a cat to look after her and keep her safe if their parents weren't around. She relied on him, and he knew it

"She does it because she loves you. Your mother has told you this before, she only wants attention from her big brother," Oakstripe's voice grew more serious as he stared down into his son's eyes, "I have explained this to you time and time again."

"I know!" Coalpaw said with a half groan, "I love her, too. It's just hard to.." Coalpaw glanced down, waving his paw in a circular motion as he searched for the right words, "..Be a good example for her, I guess.."

"That's a mature way of thinking, Coalpaw. I can see your frustration with her. But remember, you copied your brother at one point. He needed to set a good example for you as well," Oakstripe chuckled, "Hell, you were copying him when you were still in the nursery! Imagine the frustration Sootpaw had to go through, not wanting to teach you a bad habit. He loved you just as much as you love Fluffypaw."

Coalpaw smiled a little, his heart racing with a new sense of pride. His brother was so gentle with him, even when he was young. He wondered if that affected him being as gentle as he was to his little sister. "Thanks, dad.. That makes me feel better."

Oakstripe wrapped his paws around Coalpaw in a hug as a response. Coalpaw hugged his father tightly, feeling his father's chest fur against his ear. Something else rubbed along Coalpaw's ear as well, a rough material that didn't quite feel like fur. He pulled away to take a better look, realizing it was a sling, which meant his father brought his rifle with him.

"Oh, dad! You brought your gun! Can you teach me about it?" Coalpaw pleaded, putting his paws together

"Mhhh.." Oakstripe hummed in thought, his eyes focused on something on the ground next to Coalpaw. He picked up whatever he was looking at, which was Coalpaw's 1911 he had placed down earlier. "I'm not sure you're ready to learn about another gun, when you carelessly left yours on the grass." He checked the side of it, shaking his head. "And you didn't turn on the safety when you had finished firing it, either."

Coalpaw's ears turned red hot with embarrassment, and they pushed back against his head. From wanting to make his father proud, to embarrassing himself.. What a way to go. "I.. I faced it away from me." Coalpaw argued.

"And what if you forgot about it, and another cat didn't see it and stepped on it? Or YOU stepped on it accidentally? Did Brakenbush not teach you about gun safety before even letting you fire a gun?" Oakstripe's voice flowed with disappointment, which pricked Coalpaw's ears like fire.

"He did!" Coalpaw answered quickly, "I Just wanted to see your reaction when I hit the bullseye. I didn't have anywhere else to place it.."

"You could've held onto it. You KNOW what firearms are capable of. They can shred a cat's skull effortlessly." Oakstripe's voice was more scathing, now.

"Yes, sir.." Coalpaw didn't argue past that. Brakenbush had spent an entire week of training focused on firearm safety, but he was far too excited to shoot them rather than knowing how he should handle them. "What if I did get a cat hurt? Or even killed? Then I'd be held responsible.." He argued with himself. He understood why his father was angry.

Oakstripe continued, "Your brother was even worse about ignoring firearm safety. It wasn't until he almost shot Riverchaser and had his firearm privilege revoked for a year did he learn how important it was to safely handle his weapons."

"He almost SHOT Riverchaser!?" Coalpaw gasped, his eyes going wide. He had never heard this before!

Oakstripe sighed, "Yes, he nearly did. He was scolded by Riverchaser, then by Birchstar, then by your mother and I. And he was layered with punishments by both Birchstar and the deputy, to top it all off. Thankfully, Riverchaser wasn't hurt. The bullet didn't hit her, but she was standing a few ways off when Sootpaw took his shot." Oakstripe gave a very serious glare to his son, "But imagine if he DID hit her, Coalpaw. The guilt he would've felt would be far beyond any punishment he endured."

Coalpaw flinched, nodding his head. "I didn't even know Sootpaw did this.. I thought he was perfect in his training!"

"Now, I never told you your brother was perfect, Coalpaw!" Oakstripe pointed out, "He is prone to mistakes, just like you. Any cat can make mistakes, we aren't perfect, son. No cat is."

"I understand.. I'm sorry, dad. I didn't mean to do that. That was really stupid of me.." Coalpaw apologized sincerely, looking his father in his blue eyes.

"Be glad I caught this when I did, son. I don't want you to repeat what your brother had done," Oakstripe's eyes softened a little, though they were still serious, "You have much to learn, just like your brother did, Coulpaw. Never take what your mentor says for granted, mentors don't usually speak because they like to hear themselves talk. Next time, apply what he teaches you, OK?"

"Yes, sir. I will, I swear." Coalpaw paused for a moment, his fur still pricking from what just happened, "May I still learn about your gun..?"

"I suppose.. So long as you don't make another dumb mistake for a little while." Oakstripe handed the 1911 to Coalpaw to hold. Coalpaw took the gun, holding it at a safe angle, keeping his paw pad off the trigger. Oakstripe pulled his sling off of his chest and over his head, a long rifle being carried with it. Oakstripe held the rifle in his paws, letting Coalpaw admire its fine wood. "This is called the M1 Garand. It's a newer gun that we, Freedomclan, have designed. Its leagues ahead of many other rifles the enemy Clans use."

"It looks cool! But how is it better?" Coalpaw pondered. How could any gun be better? They all did the same thing, which was fire a bullet.

"It's better in the case of being the first self-loading rifle we have made! Think of other rifles, Coalpaw. Once you fire a shot, you'd have to pull the bolt back and load the next round into the chamber. This does that for you!" Oakstripe announced excitedly. Coalpaw's wide-eyed expression at this genius of engineering spoke volumes of his investment in this.

Oakstripe held his rifle in his mouth for a moment, putting all four paws on the grass to put himself in position of the painted target on the tree bark ahead of him. He pushed his rifle into his paws once he was in position, aiming down the sights as he focused on the target. After a moment, a loud burst broke the silence as a bullet charged out of the gun, whizzing down the range before hitting the target. This was the moment a cat would pull the bolt back on the rifle to load the next shot but Oakstripe kept his position, still aiming down the sights. Another shot broke the silence, the bullet flying down the range before hitting the target. Oakstripe glanced towards Coalpaw, lowering the gun to the forest floor.

"That was awesome!" Coalpaw squeaked in excitement, his eyes glowing, "When can I get one!?"

"Unfortunately, there's a limited supply. This is quite a new rifle, so I can't guarantee you'll get one." Oakstripe noted, waving his tail.

Coalpaw's excited expression turned into a disappointed one, "Awhh.. After seeing what this can do, it's going to be hard to want to even use any other rifle."

Oakstripe smiled warmly and gave a flick of his tail, "You'll get one eventually. It'll just be awhile until we make more of them. I'm glad you like it, son!"

"I do! I wonder what other inventions we'll make in the future!" Coulpaw pondered, his tail wagging with curiosity.

"I sometimes ponder that myself. In the meantime, we need to get back to the bunker. Your mentor had a few chores to give you before you call it a day. We best be getting back before the sun sets." Oakstripe glanced up at the sky, noting that the sun was already on its way down. He pushed his rifle's sling back over his chest, securing it as he turned in the direction of the Clan's bunker.

Coulpaw groaned at having to do chores but nodded, holding the 1911's handle in his mouth as he walked beside his father, "I enjoyed my time with you, dad. When you get another break, can we do this again?" Coulpaw asked, speaking around the 1911 in his muzzle.

"Of course! I love spending my time with my son, after all." Oakstripe and Coulpaw smiled warmly at each other, their parent and child relationship as close and loving as ever. Both of their tails were held high with happiness as they marched along their forest territory.


Hey! Hope you liked this father and son bonding as a first chapter. As always, if you wish to see more, consider leaving a review as it motivates me! Thanks! And have an pawsome day! :D