Scarlet River p20

        “Alright, show me what you know.” Ashheart said, turning to Riverpaw.

        The new apprentice stopped, digging her claws into the sand. They had just completed the ceremony, and Echopaw and Stonepaw had gone off with their mentors to explore the territory. Although Riverpaw had wanted to join them, Ashheart clearly had something else in mind. The she-cat shifted on her paws, uncertain what the tom expected. Ashheart observed her expression and meowed,

        “Let’s start with hunting. You’ve spent moons on your own, so I’m sure you’ve caught a mouse or two.” He gave her an encouraging smile, and the she-cat nodded. Closing her eyes, Riverpaw sniffed the air, catching the scent of mouse. Sliding into the hunter’s crouch, she crept forward, following the trail. Finally, she saw the little creature scuffling amongst some dead leaves. In a flash, she shot forward and pinned it to the ground. A nip to the neck finished the job.

        “Well done!” Ashheart praised. “That was quite well executed, although there is always room for improvement.”

        Riverpaw’s ears twitched, watching as the grey warrior pressed himself to the ground in a perfect hunter’s crouch. Upon observing a master, the brown cat recognized the mistakes she had made.

        “My tail was too high, and my balance was off…” the she-cat murmured.

        “Very good.” Ashheart meowed. “Try again.”

        Riverpaw pressed herself down again, picturing her mentor’s form as she did so.

        “Good, good. Now try creeping forward.”

        Riverpaw slid forward.

        “Much improved already! Oh, watch your paws!”

        Riverpaw’s paw pressed down on a twig, sending a shrill crack into the air. Clumsy, she scolded herself. She glanced at the tom nervously, expecting an immediate punishment, but he simply waved his tail.

        “That’s fine, Riverpaw. Everyone makes mistakes. We’ll work more on that later. I’d like to see how well you can fight.”

        Heart thudding slightly, Riverpaw nodded and padded to the other side of the clearing, facing her mentor. Ashheart tensed.

        “Now, come at me with all you have. I want to see how you’d go about attacking an enemy.”

        For a moment, Riverpaw hesitated, surveying her opponent carefully. He had broad shoulders, paws firmly placed. His thick-furred tail was completely still, a sign of utter confidence in his ability. There were no openings in the front. If I want to get to his neck or belly I need to take out his balance, a back leg perhaps…

        The she-cat’s eyes narrowed, and she shook her head. Without realizing, she had already begun to visualize how best to...no, she was a clan cat now. She couldn’t kill. But how else does one win a battle?

        Bracing herself, Riverpaw darted forward. Thinking fast, she began zigzagging, attempting to confuse Ashheart. As she neared him, she jumped, sailing over his head. As Riverpaw landed, she spun to sink her teeth into his hindleg, only to find empty air. Before she could recover, a paw hit her in the side, and she stumbled.

        “Good. You thought the attack through before you began, and you may have succeeded if you had been a bit more tactful about executing the moves.” Ashheart commented.

        Riverpaw regained her balance and faced her mentor.

        “Alright, I’d like you to come at me again, but this time, try to surprise me.”

        He padded to the other side of the clearing, and Riverpaw was, again, facing him. The she-cat’s heart thudded, her blood pumping. He’s strong and fast. To get past his defenses, I need to be faster, in and out…

        Riverpaw raced forward yet again, abandoning her attempt to zigzag and focusing solely on speed, accuracy. Just as she was about to collide with her mentor, the she-cat darted to the left, then slipped underneath the tom in one fluid motion, tripping him. Confused, he stumbled over her and fell. Before he could recover, Riverpaw bit down on his neck.

        The tom let out a growl of surprise and his hind leg shot out, striking her in the chest and knocking her away. The brown cat coughed, surprised by the force of the attack after his relatively light blow from before.

        Getting to his paws, the grey tom licked a paw, eyeing her.

        “That was very well done. I did not expect you to go under instead of over, however…” He fixed her with a serious gaze, “we do not kill in the clans...to defeat an opponent, we render them defenseless and allow them to return to their territory. Chase off, never finish.”

        “I-I know, I was just…” Riverpaw began to defend herself, but her voice died as a hot wave of shame rippled through her.

        “You come from a different environment.” Ashheart meowed, but his tone was still serious, “Let’s go again. This time, seek to immobilize, not kill.”

        Riverpaw crouched again, trying to shake her frustration and embarrassment. She rushed forward, clumsily trying to dart underneath her opponent, only to have him slip away, catching her in the side with a paw.

        “You have to be creative. I won’t let you try the same thing twice.” The tom meowed. Riverpaw twisted and charged again, making a feint to the right, and as he spun to meet her, slipping around his left. His own paw tripped him, and the she-cat head-butted his side, knocking him to the ground. Gritting her teeth, she pressed both paws down on his neck and shoulder.

        She stood panting in silence for a moment before Ashheart smiled.        

        “That was very good!” Pushing her off, he straightened, shaking sand from his long, dappled fur.

        “I know now that you have a talent for fighting, your hunting could use a bit of work, and you pick things up quickly.” Ashheart meowed. Riverpaw dipped her head awkwardly, and the tom chuckled. “Not too good at taking praise, noted.”

        “I just...you aren’t angry?”

        “Why would I be?”

        “...warriors don’t kill. I should have known that from all the time I spent with Stoneki-Stonepaw and Echopaw and still I used those tactics-”

        “Woah, slow down.” Ashheart meowed, laying his tail on the young cat’s shoulder. “Let’s not dwell on the past. You adapted very quickly, and I’m sure you’ll catch yourself from now on.”

        Riverpaw didn’t say anything, simply inclining her head. Ashheart sat back, expression calm with a hint of amusement as he meowed,

        “Now, we should proceed to the most meaningful part of being a warrior.”

        The brown cat looked up at him seriously, waiting in anticipation for the task.

        “Collecting moss.”

        Mouth opening slightly, the apprentice cocked her head in confusion while the grey warrior stood and waved his tail. “Come. The elders become cranky very easily as the day wears on.”

        He lead the way between the trees, dry leaves crackling underpaw, and Riverpaw only a few steps behind him. The silver-striped cat couldn’t help but gaze at the tall birches and sturdy oaks, allowing the realization that this was her territory sink in. A warm breeze ruffled her fur, and the rich smells of the forest surrounded her. Slowly, she allowed the shame from her first clan combat training to ease from her mind, soaking in the smells of the afternoon.

        “Stay with me, Riverpaw” Ashheart called, and Riverpaw realized she had walked right past the tom, heading in the wrong direction. Head down, she trotted back to his side, mind swimming with embarrassment and frustration once again. She pushed this away and kept her eyes on the path, attempting to focus completely on the goal. Ashheart glanced at her and let out a brief chuckle,

        “It’s fine to enjoy yourself, just don’t wander.”

        After a moment’s hesitation, the she-cat nodded uncertainly, earning another chuckle from her mentor. Riverpaw watched the tom from the corner of her eye as they continued between the trees. She couldn’t quite get a grasp on his personality. Perhaps she was projecting, but he seemed to be hiding something. He was calm, patient...a little too patient. He seemed amused by her extra effort instead of admiring, and only grew serious when she misinterpreted his instruction. Looking away, the brown cat flattened her ears. Does he want me to try harder or relax? Am I misunderstanding something about apprenticeship?

        “We’re here.”

        They had reached a grove of ancient, gnarled oak trees, their branches and trunks decorated with thick green moss. It hung in sheaths above, and Riverpaw found herself marveling at the way the sun shone through the moss, bright green light lining its edges.

        Ashheart unsheathed his claws and began to carefully claw the stuff from the trunk, laying it in a pile beside him. “The key is to be gentle. If you rip too fast, you’ll end up with bark and hard scraps attached. Trust me, you do not want the elders lecturing you about this later.”

        Riverpaw said nothing, sitting before her own tree and attempting to claw the moss from its trunk. It didn’t seem too hard. The stuff came right off, although she could see what the tom meant about bits of bark getting tangled in.

        “You need to be more careful than that. Make sure none of the moss has bits in it.” The tom reminded her, and Riverpaw swallowed a spark of frustration, turning to her pile and removing the bits slowly.

        The sun had begun to set by the time Ashheart told her they were done. Riverpaw’s forelegs ached from clawing moss, and her paws shook from delicately going through the clumps looking for debris. Bundling their piles together, the two gathered as much as they could in their mouths and headed back to camp. It took them two trips to transport their load, and by the time they were finally done, Riverpaw felt like she might just collapse. Who knew moss could be so tiring?

        “Excellent.” Her mentor commented, “now, why don’t you take about a third of this to the medicine den, a third to the elders, and the last to the queens in the nursery. After that, best bring the queens some prey as well. They’ll be hungry for dinner. Make sure there’s enough for Rainkit and Pinekit. Those two have really grown.”

        “Anything else?” Riverpaw grumbled, heart sinking as the list only seemed to grow longer. Ashheart cast a glance at her.

        “Yes, there is one more thing. Once you’ve finished, help yourself to any piece of prey on the pile, then get some rest. We’ll have an early start in the morning, and I’d like you ready to go.”

        The brown cat nodded, watching as her mentor padded away. Holding back a sigh, she separated the moss and began the trek around camp. A few clan cats were lounging in the fading sunlight, and their eyes watched her as she made her way from place to place. She could feel her fur rising under their curious gazes, but she kept herself on task, picturing the juicy mouse that awaited her in the end.

        Pushing past the lichen curtain, she found Deeplake near the back of the den, organizing herbs as always.

        “Aha! If it isn’t the newest apprentice! You look worn out.” The medicine cat laughed good-naturedly, but Riverpaw only nodded, looking at her expectantly. “You can put that over there.” Deeplake meowed, jerking her head toward the corner. “It’s hard being an apprentice, but I promise you’ll sleep well tonight.”

        Again, the young cat said nothing, dipping her head and heading toward the entrance. Before she could leave, however, the tortoiseshell cat stopped her.

        “I’m glad you decided to come back, River...paw.” The medicine cat gave a soft smile, “It’s strange for you here, but I really think the clans will be a good fit.”

        Riverpaw shifted, tail tip twitching.

        “I’m...sorry for being so quiet.” the brown cat mewed, and Deeplake’s smile widened.

        “No need to be sorry at all. I wish you well.” Riverpaw turned to go again, but Deeplake meowed suddenly, “Oh, err...if you don’t mind, could you clean out the old moss? There’s a dump near the dirtplace. That would be very much appreciated.”

        Her heart sank slightly, but Riverpaw decided the request was more amusing than annoying. With a brief laugh, the she-cat nodded and gathered the old moss, carrying it with her as she made her way out into the camp.