Splashflight's Mistake (book one)

Chapter 11

Morningpaw dug glittering claws into Splashpaw's shoulders. Her eyes were glimmering with hatred, boring into his mind like a saw. "You tipped them off!" She growled angrily. Splashpaw flinched. He cowered away from her face and cringed in pain.

"N-No! Morningpaw, you've got it all wrong! How could this be my fault?" He stammered, his ears flattening cleanly against his skull. He shook his head, closing his eyes and shrinking away.

Morningpaw spat in his face, slapping him across the cheek. Fury blazed in her eyes as she continued her threats. "I'm going to rip you to shreds, Splashpaw! if you ever cross me again-" She looked up as Aquastar called for Morningpaw from the leader's den. Morningpaw let out a growl of disappointment and sheathed her claws, releasing her grip slowly. She cast one more raging glare at Splashpaw, who gulped down his fear. "We'll finish this later, " she hissed quietly. "You'd better keep looking behind you if you want to keep your toes!" Her casual parting threat blew lazily over her shoulders as she slipped behind the hanging lichen in his mother's den with a grunt, ready to receive her punishment.

Splashpaw shook his head and rubbed his bleeding cheek, getting up painfully and hobbling to his nest. Not wanting to interact with anyone anymore after the ordeal, he curled up,  facing his back to everyone, and fell asleep.

*****

Redstrike popped his head into Splashpaw's den just as the sun shone gently through the den entrance. "Up up up!" He said cheerfully. "Training!"

It had been a moon since the clash with Morningpaw, two moons since his apprenticeship. He was finally having his first battle session. This was the first day of training since his paw injury, and Splashpaw was so excited to finally begin to learn about combat. His head shot up from under his tail, and he bounded out, skidding in the grass. The sun was just peeking out from the top of the forest, greeting his face with it's gentle dawn rays.

"Let's go!" He cried, making a beeline for the camp entrance. He raced ahead and Redstrike gave a little laugh, trotting after him.

Splashpaw skidded to a halt to wait for his mentor, arousing a cloud of dust that tickled his nose. He let out a sneeze, and heard a small purr of amusement from his mentor as he came up behind him. Redstrike strolled beside him as Splashpaw turned around and puffed up his chest. As they made their way to the training clearing, Splashpaw was just as excited as the first day he had been out. Though he was a little more tentative and stayed closer to his mentor this time, he was still curious about everything. By the time they had arrived, he still hadn't run out of questions for bombardment.

"Can we learn how to fight a badger? What about a fox? Ooh! I heard Aquastar talking about water combat!" He babbled on and on. "What first?!"

Redstrike set a paw on Splashpaw's shoulder gently, a smile light on his lips. "Calm down. We're going to practice basic withdrawal from an opponent first," he said. Splashpaw squealed with glee.

"Ok! What do I do?" He asked, enthusiastic to learn even something as simple as withdrawal. Crouching in the dirt of the clearing, he looked at him, eyes shining.

Redstrike smiled, placing his paws in front of him in a strong battle stance before lifting his chin proudly. "Attack me," he commanded, and Splashpaw didn't pause a heartbeat.

*****

They trained for the rest of the day, until the sun was well under the horizon. Splashpaw proved an excellent hunter, but he struggled in battle.

"Try spacing your legs farther apart so you're more stable," Redstrike said. Splashpaw was holding his front paw up, simulating a basic swipe. He kept toppling over with every swipe. He did as he was told, only to fall flat once more. Wiping the dirt from his face and shaking his pelt, he got once again to his paws, his expression obviously irritated.

"Fox dung!" Splashpaw cursed under his breath. While he shook himself off, preparing to try again, he paused, perking his ears. He had heard a tiny giggle coming from the bushes behind him. Curling his lip, he bared his teeth and spun around, trying to hide the flush of embarrassment that rose to his cheeks. "Morningpaw!" He growled.

Morningpaw's glittering blue eyes narrowed and blinked once, shimmering with amusement. She stepped out of the bush, followed closely by Dawnpaw, who was staring at the ground quietly. Splashpaw gulped down his fear and stared his sister in the eye, his heart racing.