𝑺𝒊𝒏𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝑭𝒆𝒆𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒔: 𝑨 𝒘𝒂𝒓𝒓𝒊𝒐𝒓 𝒄𝒂𝒕 𝑭𝒂𝒏𝒇𝒊𝒄

Chapter 4

The truth hurts because it's real. It hurts because it mattered. And that's an important thing to acknowledge to yourself.

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"Watch it, stupid!" Moonkit spat when Maplepaw nudged past the she-cat. The white-and-cream she-cat had been in the medicine cat's den for the past couple of days when she had fallen mildly ill to green-cough.

"Maybe you should be careful, huh? Or have your days of green-cough blunted your senses of direction so badly you can't tell the difference between me and the wall of the Nursery?" Maplepaw snapped. Today, she didn't have time for the she-cat. Tinycloud was waiting for her and she was going to be battle-training today. She was only here to say hello to Heatherstalk, who was going to become a full-time warrior in a few days.

Maplepaw rushed out of the Nursery before picking up a sparrow and wolfing it down before hurrying to the edge of the camp where her mentor was waiting for her.

"Hello, Maplepaw. Today we will be battle training. Come on. Let's get there. Shadepaw and Waspsting will be joining us," Tinycloud said in his quiet voice.

Maplepaw's ear flicked with ire. If she lost a battle with her former brother, her father would continue to reprimand her. However, if she won a battle, her father would accuse her of cheating and then Shadepaw would tell the entire clan.

When Maplepaw reached the training arena, she could see Waspsting and Shadepaw already practising and rolled her eyes. Of course they were going to be there.

"Great start to your training, Maplepaw! Can't even make it here on time! Father and I have been training here in the arena for who knows how long already!" Shadepaw smirked.

Maplepaw glared at Shadepaw and was about to stretch her paw out and rake her claws across his muzzle but she felt Tinycloud's tail gently brush across her shoulders as he meowed,

"Don't let him anger you. You will need to learn to hold in your anger. If you keep on venting it out on others, it won't be good for you."

Maplepaw took a deep breath before exhaling slowly. Tinycloud, although she hated to admit it, was right.

"Come on Maplepaw. Let's start training. I will demonstrate how to do the front paw swipe. And we will work on that today," Maplepaw's mentor continued once she had calmed herself down.

"Only the front paw swipe, Tinycloud? Why aren't we learning more things?" Maplepaw whined, unenthusiastic about today. She didn't like being stuck on things for too long and with Shadepaw watching, she knew that he would be taunting her nonstop.

"Practice makes perfect. After a long time of practicing, our work will become natural, skilful, swift and steady," Tinycloud answered simply.

Tinycloud led her into the centre of the training arena and said,

"This is how you do it. Watch closely Maplepaw."

Maplepaw looked at Tinycloud, who weakly raised his paw and brang it down on Maplepaw's head. He used so much force the Maplepaw tottered back a few steps before regaining her equilibrium.

Maplepaw heard her brother sneer,

"Can't even stand straight, can you? My, I hope you pass your warrior assessment in at least three tries!"

Maplepaw flashed her teeth at him before Tinycloud quietly meowed,

"Now you try it."

Maplepaw tried to imitate Tinycloud's front paw swipe but when she attacked her mentor, he had leaped away gracefully. Maplepaw growled under her breath. If her mentor was to tease her the entire day, she swore that she would storm out as fast as she could.