Warriors: Wounded Pride (Book 4)

Chapter 24

     As the sun rose over Driftclan camp, the sunlight peeked into the Driftclan Apprentices' den. The bright sunlight hit one apprentice, causing them to shake their head as they slowly opened their eyes from feeling the heat of the light. The apprentice then opened their purple eyes as their white fur shined in the sunlight. The white-furred apprentice was Seapaw. She stood up in her nest and shook herself awake. Seapaw looked to her left to see a black-furred tom and a tortoiseshell she-cat. They were her siblings, Oceanpaw and Tidepaw. She gave a smile as she saw them sprawled out next to each other, snoring as loud as the ocean itself. Seapaw padded over to her siblings and prodded her paw on their muzzles. "Wake up." she meowed.

"But Addersky..." Oceanpaw started. "I don't want to get up yet..."

"You can't stop me from eating this fish..." Tidepaw mumbled.

Seapaw sighed and prodded their muzzles again.

"Wake up."

"Huh?!" The two apprentices mewed in unison as they woke up together.

"Let's not waste anymore time sleeping." Seapaw meowed as she headed out of the apprentices' den.

Both Tidepaw and Oceanpaw groaned as they got up onto their paws and stretched. They then padded out the den after their sister. Soon seeing her at the fresh-kill pile with Shadowblossom. The two apprentices padded over to their sister and father. Shadowblossom looked at his kits. "Are you three ready for battle training?"

Tidepaw and Oceanpaw's eyes lit up as they looked at their father. "Battle training?!" they mewed in unison.

"Yep!" Shadowblossom and his kin turned to see Ripplewave and Kingletsong padding next to each other and heading over to the group.

"And we'll be swimming, too!" Kingletsong added on.

Tidepaw and Oceanpaw hopped around Shadowblossom like kits. Shadowblossom sighed and shook his head.

Seapaw did the same.

"Can we start now?" Oceanpaw mewed excitedly.

Ripplewave chuckled and smiled. "Mhm! But eat up a fish or two first."

"Gotcha!" The black-furred apprentice dug in the fresh-kill pile and pulled out a fish, then ate it. His sisters soon shared the fish with him.

A few heartbeats later, the three apprentices had finished their fish. "We're ready to go!" Tidepaw hopped up and meowed.

"Excellent! Let's get going!" Kingletsong replied and padded to the entrance of the camp, Tidepaw following behind.

Waiting at the entrance of camp was Shadowblossom, Seapaw, Ripplewave, and Oceanpaw. Shadowblossom looked at his kits, then looked at their mentors. "Stay alert and keep watch for anything. You never know when Shredflash could appear."

Every cat nodded in response to Shadowblossom.

"Then let's go." The black-furred tom padded out of camp. The group of Driftclan cats followed him.

*

The Driftclan cats padded past the trees and towards the Ocean Side. If I see Shredflash, I'll take him down once and for all. Shadowblossom thought. Morningwaters shouldn't have died... She still had a long life to live, but that rotten Shredflash took that away from her.

Shredflash made the mistake of messing with my kin.

So once I see that dirty pelt of his.

I'm ending his life.

*

"Come on, Oceanpaw! You got this!" Ripplewave meowed to her apprentice.

Oceanpaw got pinned onto the sand by his sister, Seapaw. Shadowblossom watched nearby with Ripplewave next to him. Oceanpaw tried his best to push his sister off, but it was no use. "That's enough, Seapaw," Shadowblossom meowed.

The white-furred she-cat sighed and got off her brother. Oceanpaw hopped up and shook his fur out. "I'll get you this time, Seapaw!" he exclaimed.

Closer to the ocean, Kingletsong sat on the sand, watching his apprentice swim in the water. "Pull your front paws towards you, Tidepaw!" he mewed.

Tidepaw did as she was told and pulled her paws towards her as she swam. She then reached them out and pulled them back in, staying with the same movements until she got back onto the sand. Tidepaw panted and smiled at Kingletsong. "I did it! I swam!" she meowed.

Kingletsong nodded. "Yep! Excellent job, Tidepaw!"

Tidepaw purred and smiled at her mentor's praise.

Kingletsong turned to the other two mentors and their apprentices. "You'll be going against Oceanpaw or Seapaw for battle training. And the other will come over here to swim!"

"Sounds wonderful!" Tidepaw replied.

The tortoiseshell she-cat stretched herself out as she waited for her littermates to finish. Once we become warriors... We'll be able to take on Shredflash if he attacks us! She thought and gave a wide smile.