Cinders to Flames

Chapter 7

"Are you listening, Cinderpaw?" Cinderpaw blinked, staring blankly at her mentor. She was so tired from last night; she could barely lift her eyelids.

"Sorry Mudsplash, I didn't sleep very well last night." Cinderpaw meowed. She wasn't really lying; she didn't have a good sleep. That's because you were out breaking the warrior code, a voice whispered at the back of Cinderpaw's mind.

"Well, you are going to have to get a better sleep tonight because training is only going to get harder. I was saying you and Blackpaw can do battle training by yourselves. Blizzardstar has chosen me to check the DarkClan border."

"Yes Mudsplash. We will try and fit in a hunt after, since it is getting closer to Leaf-bare everyday." Mudsplash dipped his head in agreement, and then trotted off to join the patrol.

As Cinderpaw and Blackpaw found their way to the training clearing, Cinderpaw scented the air. "It's going to rain soon."

"Fox dung! I hate the rain," Blackpaw mumbled, and Cinderpaw chuckled in amusement.

"You are going to have to put up with it, Leaf-bare is coming. Plus, rain is better than snow."

"I personally like the snow, it's fluffy and fun to jump in."

"Just because you like the snow doesn't mean the prey like it." Cinderpaw pointed out as they entered the training clearing.

The two cats faced each other, Cinderpaw bouncing on the tips of her paws. She remembered Pixie's words from the night before, and all the training she had. Cinderpaw was confident, but not too confident. Pixie always said that the worst thing to do was to be overconfident.

Blackpaw darted forward, one paw outstretched to swipe at her head. Cinderpaw jumped aside, slashing at his flank, and turning to face him. Blackpaw snarled, leaping at her, paws outstretched. Cinderpaw ducked beneath him, and he landed roughly in the sand.

"You need to be faster, you're putting too much energy into big moves."

"The Cinderpaw I knew wasn't that fast," he grumbled, turning to face her once again.

"I have a good mentor," she meowed, relishing the fact that Blackpaw didn't know her secret.

The two cats sprang at each other again, but Blackpaw's moves were slow and clumsy. She sprang at Blackpaw and pinned him to the ground.

"I have a feeling you are distracted today." Cinderpaw meowed. She knew Blackpaw from when he was a kit, and she knew that he could move much faster.

"I am not distracted!" Blackpaw meowed defiantly, but his gaze didn't meet her eye.

"Really?" Cinderpaw asked.

He stood up, shaking his fur angrily.

"I'm sorry. I'm going to go hunting to clear my head," he meowed bluntly, turning, and walking out of the clearing.

"Mouse dung." Cinderpaw muttered under her breath, running after Blackpaw.

"Come back, Blackpaw! I'm sorry!" she called, but Blackpaw had disappeared.

"Please come back, I don't know what I would do without you."

The silence of the forest pounded against her ears, and she sat down on the forest floor, curling her tail tight around her paws.

"First Sootslash, then Featherpaw, now Blackpaw. What am I going to do with myself?"

"Oh come on, Cinderpaw. I wouldn't abandon you."

"Blackpaw! You came back!" Cinderpaw dug her muzzle into his fur, his familiar warm scent calming her.

He frowned, his amber eyes serious,"Can I tell you a secret, Cinderpaw?" he asked.

"Of course. You can tell me anything," she meowed, her eyes meeting his gaze.

"I started meeting my father at night sometimes."

"Really? You finally found him?"

"Yes! Darkfeather never told me anything about him, and one day I was doing a solo mission, and I bumped into him at the edge of the Twolegplace."

Cinderpaw felt shame burn her pelt. Now that he had told her his secret, she must tell him hers.

"I have a secret too," she meowed quietly, turning her head away from him. "I am meeting a cat every third sunrise who is teaching me how to fight better. I know that my leg is stopping me from being as good a fighter as most cats, so I need to train hard to catch up."

"I understand. It must be hard to be a warrior with a disability. Sootslash wanted you to be a medicine cat because she didn't think you could be a warrior. Honestly, I would have hated it if you became a medicine cat"

"Me too. I don't want to be stuck in a den sorting herbs all day" Cinderpaw agreed.

"Come on, we need to catch something before we go back to camp." Blackpaw meowed, and the two apprentices walked off in search for prey.

Cinderpaw and Blackpaw walked into the camp, each with a piece of prey in their jaws.

"We can't just let DarkClan invade our territory!" Hawktalon's angry voice rang around the clearing.

"I will not lead my Clan into war on the edge on leaf-bare." Blizzardstar's calm deep meow argued back.

"Our medicine supplies are getting lower everyday," Goldenstripe added.

Blackpaw and Cinderpaw dropped their prey onto the fresh-kill pile.

"What's going on?" Blackpaw asked the other apprentices.

"A DarkClan warrior was spotted on our territory." Featherpaw responded.

"I can't wait to shred DarkClan up!" Wolfpaw yowled, "I'll use their fur to line my nest and sharpen my claws on their bones!"

"I'm going to destroy Squirrelpaw, she was showing off her battle moves at the last Gathering. I'll teach her how a FrostClan warrior fights!" Heronpaw growled.

Cinderpaw turned her attention back to Blizzardstar.

"We will keep a very close eye on DarkClan, but for now we will not attack." Blizzardstar turned and walked into his den, signaling that the discussion was done. Hawktalon shook his head and murmured something to Berryfang.

"I'm going to my nest to catch up on sleep." Cinderpaw meowed, and she snuggled into her nest, yawning with exhaustion. Blackpaw sat down in his nest too, shivering as a breeze flowed through a hole in the nest.

I'll ask Iceleap to patch that up She thought. She couldn't remember the last time she talked to her father. I'll talk to him tomorrow. She thought as she closed her eyes and fell asleep.