Strength Of A Leopard (BOOK THREE) [ON HOLD]

Chapter Two

"Frostpaw! Oh, Frostpaw!" Leopardpaw called happily as he bounded down the sandy shore towards the training circle.

"What is it?" Frostpaw and Cloudpool were both panting heavily, a sign that they had been training hard.

"We met a rogue farther down the beach. Coldwind and Flamefur brought him back to camp! Come on!" Leopardpaw said. Frostpaw didn't need to be told twice. The two siblings bounded through the trees until they arrived at the cave in the mountain where LightClan had built their camp.
Thorn and Stripedstar were talking outside her den, while the clan looked on warily. Owlflight was the only cat within earshot, but his expression gave nothing away.

Frostpaw padded over to stand beside Coldwind and Cloudpool, leaving Leopardpaw alone. "What is a filthy rogue doing in our camp?" Foxpaw, one of the other apprentices, appeared beside Leopardpaw.

"Coldwind brought him here. He wanted to meet Stripedstar." Leopardpaw explained. Foxpaw gave him an annoyed look, as if he hadn't actually wanted Leopardpaw to answer his question.

"Thorn will stay in our camp." Stripedstar announced. "He knows the territory better than we do, and he will teach our apprentices new hunting and fighting techniques."

The clan looked hesitant, but no cat dared to speak up. So Stripedstar, assuming they agreed, turned to Coldwind. "Gather three apprentices and their mentors and go down to the spot you found to train. Today, they should practice their fighting moves."

Coldwind dipped his head. "Come on, Leopardpaw." He didn't even glance at his apprentice as he walked past, going right to Flamefur and Sandtail. "Come on, we need to battle train the apprentices. Cloudpool and Frostpaw found a training circle earlier."

"Okay. I'll fetch Dustpaw." Flamefur said.

"And I'll get Foxpaw. Should Spidereye and Squirrelpaw come, too?" Sandtail asked. Coldwind nodded, telling her to fetch them too before he made his way over to Cloudpool.

Soon, all four of the mentors and their apprentices had gathered at the entrance to the cave. Coldwind led them out, bringing them to the circle of bushes on the beach that Frostpaw had found.

They trained all day. By the time they were finished, with every cat too exhausted to go on, the sun was setting over the water, making it seem more like fire. As Coldwind led the returning patrol back to camp, Leopardpaw felt a sudden urge to get into safety, fast.

In the growing darkness, Leopardpaw thought for a moment that he saw a pair of eyes, staring unblinking at him as if he were prey. When he blinked, they were gone, so he brushed it off as only his imagination.
But something about the eyes felt real. Like he was being hunted in his own territory, one they had just found. Perhaps this new territory wasn't as perfect as they'd thought.