Warriors: The Beginning

Chapter 4

The sun rose softly, alighting the treetops with an amber glow. The wind was warm and dry, spiced with desiccated leaves which were turning in the breeze with a crackling sound.

The previous sunrise, just after Yinpaw had shown Shadowpaw her old badger scar, Woodstar had called a Clan meeting and made Nightkit and Owlkit into apprentices, with Shimmerleaf and Hookclaw as their mentors.

Yinpaw woke up with a jolt — she had felt that same, arousing feeling that told her something bad was going to happen to her. Silkpaw stood over her, an unsheathed paw over her good eye.

Yinpaw leapt up and battered away the paw. Silkpaw let out a cry of fury and glared at Yinpaw with burning eyes.

"You're lucky I didn't scratch you," she muttered, trodding back to her nest.

Yinpaw ignored the indignant she-cat and looked over to Shadowpaw, whose nest was right beside her's. He had insisted that she should put her nest beside his, because it was better than any of the other cats'.

She pawed him lightly. "Shadowpaw, wake up," she whispered into his ear. He stirred a little, then blinked awake.

"Yinpaw, I was just about to pounce on a water vole," he complained softly, sitting up to groom his unkempt fur.

"Do you want to re-live that?" She asked him, her eyes glimmering. He knew what this was — an invitation to hunt with her. He nodded happily.

"I'll go tell Mousefur," she mumbled, padding out of the apprentices den. The Clan was awake, with Crestfoot setting hunting and border patrols.

Mousefur and Bronzeflight padded up to the small apprentice.

"Yinpaw!" Mousefur greeted cheerfully. "Go and fetch Shadowpaw. Bronzeflight and I would like to see you two practice fighting moves." This was even easier than she had expected! "Alright!" Yinpaw mewed back, running towards her den.

"Shadowpaw!" The black and white apprentice meowed. "Our mentors want to watch us practice our fighting moves. Come on!" Yinpaw motioned for him with a flick of her tail, and the two apprentices padded out of the den. They met their mentors not far away.

"Let's go," Bronzeflight announced, getting up from the soft bracken underneath. "We'll be heading for the Rockpile, over there." She gestured with a twitch of her tail.

The patches of tall grass brushed against the cats' pelts, leaving them heavy with morning dewdrops.The Rockpile looked like glimmering rocks when the cats got there — the fresh morning dew that sat on the surface of the rocks were dappled by morning sunshine.

The two mentors took their place on the top of a rock. "We'll watch you from here," Mousefur said to the two apprentices, whose pelts were bristling with excitement. The warrior looked at Bronzeflight.

"Yinpaw, you are a fox wandering into SharpClan territory. Shadowpaw, you are a warrior trying to protect the camp from the fox. Past this rock"—Bronzeflight gestured to the rock which she was sitting on—"is the nursery. There are four mewling kits inside, their mother sleeping. The fox is very hungry, and no other cat is here besides Shadowpaw, the mother, and her kits. Are you two ready?" Bronzeflight looked at the two apprentices, ready to launch into mock battle.

"Yes!" They replied enthusiastically, their muscles beginning to bunch together.

"Claws sheathed," Mousefur reminded. "Go!"

Yinpaw snarled at Shadowpaw, walking slowly up to him. Shadowpaw kept his position, staying as still as a leaf on a windless day. Yinpaw made the first move, pouncing onto Shadowpaw, her hind legs giving her the push that she needed, for the leap on Shadowpaw's back.

He snarled at her, turning around to get her. Instead, she leapt swiftly to a rock and in a heartbeat, she was past the rock that Bronzefight and Mousefur were sitting on.

"Good work!" Mousefur praised, her eyes lighting up with delight. She looked at Shadowpaw. "You too. That move was unexpected, don't feel bad," Bronzeflight comforted her apprentice. "Foxes are cunning, remember."

"Let's change it up, alright?" Mousefur meowed, sensing the black tom's disappointment with himself. He didn't look up, but his ears were pricked to hear what Mouseufr was going to say. "Shadowpaw and Yinpaw will stand a fox-length away from each other, then when I say so, you two will fight. Only catch — you won't be facing each other."

Will this be fair? Yinpaw thought silently to herself. She had the ability to sense when danger was coming for her, but Shadowpaw didn't. That would be unfair, but if this was a real battle, fairness wouldn't matter. But how would Shadowpaw feel? He already didn't take the first defeat lightly, so how would he feel if she beat him again?

Yinpaw shuddered at the thought of not having Shadowpaw as a friend anymore. She would be so lonely, especially since her denmates and littermates already despised her. She had to adjust to fighting with him aptly. She settled with just waiting to see what happens.

She got into her position, shuddering at the sudden breeze that ruffled her white and black fur. Then Mousefur meowed, "Go!" It was only a heartbeat after the command left Mousefur's mouth that Yinpaw could already sense Shadowpaw behind her. She sprang forward, away from Shadowpaw, then turned behind to face the black tom.

He leaped at her, and she took this chance to slip under him, then whipped around and pounced on his back. Shadowpaw growled from underneath her, and a pang of guilt struck her heart. It was time to give in, for the sake of her friendship with him. She relaxed her haunches and let her paws loosen their grip on his shoulders. He took control and flipped her around, leaving her back against the grass.

She tried to look like she was giving the fight her best shot, but struggling nonetheless. Yinpaw decided that she needed to at least something, so she swiped Shadowpaw's hind leg and he jumped back in surprise.

She fought with him, doing everything that seemed fair, but let him win in the end.

For our friendship, Yinpaw sighed to herself. This is for our friendship.

[edited] 5/6/16