Hostile

9

Sun rasped Frostcloud's fur, and happily she knead the sand she lay upon. After reaching The Willow, she decided to allow Foxpaw a break before she would begin training.

As excited as she clearly was, Frostcloud knew better than to overwork her. I don't think she'd even admit to me when she was tired. Frostcloud considered.

She glanced at the apprentice who had toppled on her side mere moments after Frostcloud told her to rest. Her sides rose and fell deeply, and Frostcloud couldn't decipher whether she was sleeping or on the verge of it.

Three ducks floated idly in the center of the pond, and Frostcloud willed them to stray closer. When was the last time anyone had brought a duck back to camp? Before leafbare, at least.

It was half-past sun high now. It wouldn't be long till dusk, and knowing this, Frostcloud rose. She padded towards Foxpaw, then used her foot to swap her whiskers.

The apprentice shot up. Sand clung to her fur, patching parts of it together. It's white tone stood boldy against Foxpaw's dark pelt, crisp and strong.

"Ready to train?" Frostcloud asked.

The apprentice shook out her fur, specks of sand flying off in every direction. "I've been ready." She scoffed, "I've been waiting for you."

Again, Frostcloud resisted the urge to roll her eyes. The cheery attitude she'd manage to pry out of the apprentice was suddenly snapped between her fox-teeth.

"We'll start simply." Frostcloud said, considering what to teach Foxpaw first about battle.

"I already know simple." Foxpaw said sternly. Then, dropping into a crouch, "Show me what Crowfur or Buckheart would use against some mangy rogue!"

Frostcloud winced. Didn't the apprentice realize that her own mentor fought rogues just the day before? She had wounds to show for it!

With a lash in her tail, Frostcloud circled the apprentice so her back was towards the sun. The two were roughly the same height, so Foxpaw was unable to hide in the warriors shadow.

Immedietly, Foxpaw began squinting her eyes. Frostcloud was acutely aware of what it was like to be caught facing the sun- the light blinding. And her own white coat would only burn Foxpaw's vision further.

With a sheathed paw, Frostcloud lunged forward and batted Foxpaw's cheek, then took a hefty step back while the apprentice scrambled forward.

"You can't see, so make sure you listen to my movements more." Frostcloud instructed gently.

"I know." Foxpaw said, a hiss almost slipping from her teeth.

Frostcloud flicked her tail, then again thrust herself forward to strike the apprentice. With her sheathed paw, she cuffed Foxpaw's ear. Though, she had aimed to bat Foxpaw's cheek again, the apprentice was only barely able to move away.

"A blow to the ear is painful in battle." Frostcloud said, flicking her own torn ear. She doesn't need to know I got this scar from a rabbit.

"Any blow hurts." Foxpaw said. Then suddenly, she lunged forward. Startled, but prepared, Frostcloud leapt to the side. Now, the she-cats faced eachother, the sun at their sides.

"Well done." Frostcloud said. Her apprentice wouldn't be blinded by the sun anymore, and no cat would have the speed to back away from the attack in time- the only escape was a side-step. Or, leaping over Foxpaw, but in that instance Frostcloud herself would be left facing the sun.

Frostcloud didn't fail to miss the prideful twitch in Foxpaw's ears. How did Ferretpaw and Badgerpaw look now? Did their mentors work to check their ego, to make the young cats into more modest PineClan warriors? Or, were they worked into exhaustion?

For some time longer, Frostcloud and Foxpaw worked on strategies to escape the bright sun in battle, and soon, it began to fall further down the horizon. "Let's head back to camp." Frostcloud said. Her muscles felt sore, and she could only imagine how tired Foxpaw must feel. "Are you okay?" She asked, casting her eyes at the tortoiseshell. Her head was lowered, not quite to her shoulders but enough that made it clear she wanted to collapse.

"Yeah." Foxpaw replied tiredly.

"I probably shouldn't have taken you out to practice battle right after touring PineClan." Frostcloud considered, though mostly to herself.

Foxpaw didn't respond. And so, quietly, the two padded slowly back to camp. Foxpaw lagged behind by a tail-length.

The cats pushed through the area the battle from just the day prior took place. Dried specks of blood clung to the undergrowth, and tufts of fur were caught on the trees. "Do you smell anything?" Frostcloud asked, pausing briefly in the heart of the battle spot.

Foxpaw lifted her weary head, sniffing the air, "Not really." She confessed.

"Try sniffing the undergrowth."

Foxpaw dropped her head, tenderly sniffing at the ground. After some moments her head rose, "Blood."

Frostcloud nodded, "You'll be able to decipher scents easier when we start hunting. Blood is a strong odor here, but so is fear-scent, and in time you'll be able to distinguish the cats that were here."

Foxpaw nodded, and again the two trudged forward.

It wasn't until they were just tree-lengths from camp Foxpaw spoke up again. "Do you think the rogues will come back?"

Frostcloud flicked her tail. Was Foxpaw nervous about fighting them, or eager to? It was hard to tell with her tired voice. "Not for a while, if they do. We left them with some scars to remember us by."

"They left us with scars too." Foxpaw murmured, her hazel eyes glancing at a particularly deep wound on Frostcloud's shoulder.

Frostcloud's ear-tips became hot. Was that an insult? "Those rogues fought with a lot of anger."

"Next time they come we'll be ready." Foxpaw murmured. Then, together, the she-cats pushed through the gorse tunnel into camp. The sun was almost setting now, casting the sky ablaze.

The fresh-kill pile was full, and growing fuller as the final hunting patrol of the day returned to camp. Together, Crowfur, Warmheart, Sunfur, and Bramblepaw carried two squirrels, a chipmunk, and a mouse.

Frostcloud watched as they set their catches down. "Get something to eat, and get a lot of rest tonight. Tomorrow we can practice hunting."

Foxpaw nodded her head, though her eyes seemed heavy.

More cats entered camp, and instinctively Frostcloud swiveled her ears towards the entrance. Coming inside was Dustclaw and Leafear. Their eyes scanned the camp quickly, glowing with the beauty of fire when they landed on Fetretpaw and Badgerpaw, who shared a squirrel.

Foxpaw dawdled to the fresh-kill pile, and after picking herself a sparrow, she sauntered to her kin.