Smokestar's Clan

nineteen

BEGINNING OF PART THREE

'Did you really mean it, Smokestar?'

'Of course I did.'

'Good. Because so do I. I love you, Smokestar. I love you far too much for my own good.'

'I love you, too.'

They rubbed heads, purring like motors.

'Good day, Rockfall.' Smokey said warily, 'I'm sorry to disturb you, but I thought I would inform you that me and Icicle are now mates.' He smiled awkwardly, waiting for a lash on the ear for some reason.

Instead, Rockfall purred. 'I'm very pleased that you're settling in. My daughter is a splendid choice. Come, why don't you train with me?'

Rockfall's training was vigorous, and he struggled to keep up with her at first. She seemed to become more and more agitated each time she knocked him down or got her jaws around his neck, and the more agitated she got, the harder she was to defeat. Even almost a moon after the Gathering, when they had started their training, he still couldn't beat her or even come close to it. Eventually she sighed, and sat down with him.

'Look, Smokey. You're not getting it. Your attacks are weak, they're not going to do any harm to an enemy. Show me how you'd attack a cat in the Clans-' (even when she was being civil, she spat that word) '-and we'll work from there.'

Smokey hesitated attacking the Chief-Howler, but she assured him she wouldn't get mad. For once, he thought. He showed her a basic BerryClan attacking technique, swiping twice under each eye, in a battle, enough to shock them but not hurt their eyes.

She looked down on him scornfully. 'Under the eyes?' She asked. 'Not the actual eyes?'

'I-'

'Is BerryClan really that weak?'

'I- well, no. BerryClan normally attack from the trees, but-'

Rockfall interrupted him. 'Smokey. You are a Howler now. You shall never climb a tree again. To go where the Wolf can't go and the Wolf can't follow is highly disrespectful, do you understand me? As a Howler, you will never climb a tree again.'

'Happily!' And for once, he wasn't just saying it to please her.

'Right. Let's get back to your training.' Rockfall said. She paused. 'I can smell a mouse. Hunt it for me.'

I can hunt, thanks! Smokey did as he was told, finding the mouse and swiftly killing it. One bite to the neck and it was gone.

'I thank... the Great Wolf for this prey.' Smokey said.

'Don't thank Ansel, Smokey. Thank yourself. You caught it.'

But StarClan-

StarClan is dead to me.

'Good, Smokey.' Rockfall continued. 'When you hunted that mouse, you killed it quickly. You didn't waste time giving it the chance to run.' She kicked it aside. Waste of a good mouse. 'One bite and it was over. No time was wasted dithering about what you were going to do with it.

'When you fight, I want you to be the same. I don't want you to waste your energy giving your enemy a chance to strike back. How did you kill the mouse?'

'One bite to the neck.' Smokey said slowly.

'One bite to the neck. Before it could run.'

'I see what you're saying. You're not teaching me how to fight, are you? You're teaching me how to murder.'

'Murder, defend, same thing, really.'

'I-'

'Let's fight, Smokey. Try it out.'

My opponent is not my prey. It felt wrong to stoop so low as to use hunting techniques on cats. But even more importantly, it felt wrong to be discussing ways to kill cats.

Smokey and Rockfall faced each other.

'Claws unsheathed, Smokey.'

What? Even Rockfall fought with claws sheathed! She wasn't stupid- she knew that there was no Herb-Howler who could help them if they did get hurt.

Something like a challenge flashed in her eyes, and her mouth twitched into a small smile. This was just a game to her. She had no murderous intent, at least, not today. It was a game, and a game that could cost Smokey his life.

Unless I hurt her first.

Smokey usually hesitated, giving Rockfall the time to attack, but he wouldn't let her this time. He actually howled something (he didn't know what, he could've been talking about rainbows for all his knowledge) but it worked, it gave him the edge he hoped for as he rammed Rockfall's jaw with his paw, pushing her to the side.

She snarled, but she wasn't mad- she was impressed, proud of her apprentice. She snapped at him but Smokey, improvising, shoved a stick in her mouth. Barking all sorts of Wolfvish nonsense, he ran a claw down her eye like she told him to. Part of him hoped he'd blinded that eye, part of him prayed she wouldn't be mad.

'What... what have you done to me?' She muttered. She wasn't angry. She wasn't livid. She wasn't howling for a wolf to come and kill Smokey.

She was scared.

She had never been overpowered in a battle before, and wasn't used to it.

She sat down, touching her injured eye with a paw.

Smokey, on the other hand, was thrilled by this sudden shift in dynamics. He was angry and he couldn't explain why. He'd been angry since the gathering, almost a moon ago. That's a long time to be angry. Every strike at Rockfall was a strike he'd been longing to take for ages now. That one's for pushing Icicle off the rock. That one's for killing all those cats. This one's for Tigerpaw and Birdpaw. This is for pushing Amberleaf away from him, and this one's for sentencing him to the Dark Forest! He didn't let the half-blind she-cat get a single swipe in.

It felt so good.

It felt so good.

It felt like everything he'd ever been longing to do.

He howled again, and even if the words weren't right, the message was there. Didn't see this one coming, huh?

He bowled the weakened Chief-Howler onto her side. He pushed her front paws together, pinning them down with a claw. He placed his mouth around her neck. He could've killed her, right then and there.

So why didn't he?

Something stopped him, and he didn't know what. Satisfaction? Fear? A part of him who was proud he'd mastered his unofficial-mentor's techniques? He grinned a little. 'I won, Rockfall.' So she'd be less upset, he added: 'Using your techniques.'

Rockfall nodded. 'Well played, Smokey. Well played.' She looked at him, devil-eyes wide, and returned to camp with her tail trailing between her paws.