Skyfall (Warrior Cats)

Chapter 29

Skypaw hissed when she felt a hard blow to her ear as she tried to free herself from Hazelflower's grip. Hazelflower had a smug expression on her face, and Skypaw admired her acting. This is exactly how a ShadowClan cat would react to a pinned apprentice.

Skypaw had successfully saw the two ShadowClan medicine cats to the border. Nightflare and Hawkspirit had touched noses with Skypaw in goodbye, and Hawkspirit reminded her once more of the Gathering that was to occur that night. She couldn't help but notice the excitement in his eyes.

After meeting the three mentors in the training hollow, Hazelflower sat in the clearing. Petalheart and Flarecloud had already hidden themselves StarClan knows where, waiting for a time to strike as if they were ShadowClan warriors.

Hazelflower had leaped at Skypaw as soon as she entered the clearing, snarling loudly. It had caught Skypaw completely off guard, and that's how she found herself under the 'ShadowClan' warrior's strong grip.

Mousebrain! Skypaw scolded herself. I walked right into that! Imagine if I had been facing a cat like Dapplestar or Ratscar? I would be crowfood!

Claws sheathed, Skypaw raked her hind paws roughly down the black she-cat's flank. Landing a few blows quickly at her mentor's stomach so Hazelflower couldn't pin her back paws, she was finally able to make Hazelflower's grip loosen. Quickly using her stored up energy VS. Hazelflower's partially used up energy, she was able to free her front paws.

Pleased with herself for being able to escape with sheathed claws, she landed a hard, blind blow to the black she-cat's face. Judging by Hazelflower's quiet shriek, she could tell her paw hit just the right place to throw her off.

While her opponent blinked, Skypaw took the opportunity that was given to her. Leaping at her with a battle cry, she barreled the warrior right over. Hazelflower threw a few blind blows at her apprentice, but unlike Skypaw's, they didn't hit good spots. Skypaw was quickly able to claim the upper paw over her mentor and pinned her, placing a paw lightly on Hazelflower's throat.

Hazelflower broke character of the evil ShadowClan cat she was pretending to be and let an impressed emotion cloud her eyes. Skypaw panted, a smug expression showing up on her own face, stealing it from the one Hazelflower had plastered on her own face at the beginning of the training session. She knew this would be the typical expression she would have if she had defeated a ShadowClan warrior.

The ThunderClan apprentice completely forgot about the two other 'ShadowClan' cats hidden in the forest around her. When an ear splitting shriek echoed throughout the sandy clearing, Skypaw's eyes widened. She knew she was in trouble once the grip on Hazelflower's paws slipped from her reach.

Looking around, she was waiting for either the snow-white or fiery-orange pelt to come into view. Meowing slightly with confusion, she let out a cry of pain when a hard blow threw her off of her mentor and flying across the clearing. Landing with more force than she would like, she quickly climbed to her paws.

The image that was set before her made Skypaw's skin crawl. The bright fiery pelt and green eyes of Flarecloud stood triumphantly over her, but it took all she had to remind herself that it was Flarecloud.

Sunstar. Skypaw thought to herself. The three siblings, including Firesoul, looked identical. If she had not been told she was fighting Flarecloud, she would have thought it was either Firesoul or Sunstar, most likely Sunstar.

"A little ThunderClan apprentice, thinking she can win against me?" Flarecloud taunted as if she were a real ShadowClan cat. Skypaw's mind flung to Ratscar, how he had looked excited to take on Skypaw and Shadepaw both. She shivered. Flarecloud was good at acting.