Waterstar's Heart

Chapter 10

"Claws out! These are your enemies!" Cricketscream's yowl startled Waterpaw awake.

The apprentice got to his paws albeit a bit drowsy, and grumbled. His nest from the den had disappeared. It was by the smell of the damp soil, and rotting wood, he was once again in his dreams. As his eyes adjusted to the darkness of the forest, he saw two cats in front of Cricketscream who were tangled in a vicious fight.

There was a brown, patchy furred she-cat. She seemed to be ancient, as she was more faded than Cricketscream was. She had dark amber eyes, and missing fur all around her pelt.

Waterpaw strained to look at the other cat that was fighting her.

Ginger fur flashed in front of him, and glinting claws cut through the brown pelt of the feline. The cat slashed the faded warrior's muzzle, blood splattering on the ground. They then shoved the brown molly away, hissing. Waterpaw stiffened, his eyes widening.

Maplepaw!

Maplepaw's chest heaved as she stared at her opponent. She let out a snarl, lunging herself forwards. The faded she-cat sidestepped out of the way, hooking her claws into her flank. She raked her claws across her thick pelt, snapping her teeth into air as Maplepaw squirmed out of her grasp with a pained hiss. Reeling back, the faded cat landed blow after blow onto the calico.

"Good. Good!" Cricketscream called out. He didn't make an effort to stop the two. Waterpaw watched in horror. They're going to kill each other!

Maplepaw stumbled back with another snarl, and rammed herself into her side. It was in one swift motion that the brown she-cat twisted around, and pinned down the calico apprentice. Maplepaw seemed to grow more and more exhausted as the fight continued.

Lowering her head, the molly opened her jaws to fasten them around Maplepaw's neck. Her amber eyes gleamed in a way that sent a shiver down Waterpaw's spine. Cricketscream had explained this move to him a while ago. The Killing Bite.

Racing forwards, Waterpaw grabbed Maplepaw's scruff, and pulled her away with a heave. Cricketscream bristled, and shoved Waterpaw roughly to the ground when the two got their footing. He was blazing with anger as he hissed, "What do you think you're doing?"

"What do you mean?" Waterpaw gasped, returning the warrior's gaze. He could tell that Maplepaw was trembling, as he could see her from the corner of his eye.

The brown molly behind Cricketscream licked the blood that was flowing down her muzzle. She piped up, "...Training with claws teaches you to defend yourself. It gives you a risk." Cricketscream nodded to the patched molly, who slinked away into the shadows of the forest. He turned his attention back to Waterpaw, and twitched the tip of his tail.

"She almost killed her!" Waterpaw protested.

Maplepaw's fur was welling up with blood. Her green eyes raked over Waterpaw, and she let out a low, pained moan, "Makes us think more about who we're fighting," she paused to lick her flank, "...and knowing what the outcome could be." She grimaced in pain, in which Cricketscream smirked in approval.

"Pain is temporary, but victory over your opponent? No cat can take that away." He meowed. He eyed both of the apprentices. "I told you both you're not the only ones in pain. You can channel this to become the best warriors in your clans."

Maplepaw rolled her shoulders and gave her flank a couple of licks.

Waterpaw thought back to a night that Cricketscream had visited him. He had been visiting him every night, so it all seemed to melt together. He had lost a patch of fur in his pelt, but it had been regrowing. Waterpaw gave another nod, gazing past the tom towards the forest that the faded she-cat had walked into.