Rise

Chapter 15

Today Bluemist was taking Novapaw out for a training session, but Novapaw had something else she couldn't get out of her head.
Healer's weren't allowed to have kits, neither were apprentices.
There was a chance that Doepaw wasn't actually pregnant, and Novapaw was just imagining things, but it seemed highly likely with the way Stormstripe has been sneaking around.
"Ready?" Bluemist meowed, waking Novapaw from her daze.
She sat up straight, "ready."
Her mother flicked her tail and beckoned her to follow her into her training hollow.
Squirrelpaw and Iceleap were wrestling out. It was hard for the ginger she cat to train because her father, the only other telky in the clan, had died before she was apprenticed.
Most cats got their powers from their father, but strangely her and Thunderpaw had gotten different abilities.
Novapaw positioned herself in front of her mother and placed her paws firmly on the ground. "What's first?" She asked.
Bluemist didn't respond. She stood still for so long it frightened Novapaw.
"Are you ok?" She asked, stepping forward slightly to check on the blue cat.
Pain seared in her head, and her stomach felt like it was in knots. She fell on her side. "GAHHHH!" Bile rose in her throat and she felt like throwing up.
Bluemist wasn't even touching her, she was standing the the side.
Horrifying memories played it her head, the fox attack, staring at Silverstar's limp body, being a prisoner in the filthy enemy tribe.
'Can you hear me Novapaw?'
A voice echoed in her head. She was writhing on the ground in pain. 'Am I dying?' She wondered.
'No. You will be fine.'
Novapaw recognized the voice of her mother inside her head. The pain went away like lightning. She stood up and shook her head, her eyes were dizzy and she felt nauseous.
Her mother was standing in front of her now. "How did that feel?" She meowed, all traces of motherly love were gone. Training sessions had to be intense and there was no room for softness.
The fluffy apprentice was still shaken. "Awful." The worst part wasn't even the pain, it was the memories and the screeching in her head.
"You are very lucky to be born with this power. There is only one ability that can resist a whisper." Bluemist meowed cooly, circling around her daughter.
"A strong arm?" She had seen the way Stormstripe fought in the battle, and was in awe at what he could do.
"No." She snapped. "A silence. Like Grayflight."
Novapaw lowered her head in sorrow for the fallen deputy. Now her father was the heir to the tribe.
"Now you try. The best way to learn is to stare directly into my eyes and fight your way into my head. Of course in a real battle you don't have time to stand there and search for eye contact, soon you will be able to hold a cat while they're as far as two fox lengths away."
Novapaw's paws tingled with excitement. She placed her paws firmly into the ground and stared straight into her mother's eyes. Once she had a grip, she thrust her own head to side and watched in amazement as Bluemist was hurled from where her paws were just a half a second ago.
"Very good!" Bluemist stood up, shaking her pelt. "You still have a lot to learn but I think we can call it a day." She gave her an encouraging lick on her forehead. "Go eat and get some rest."
Novapaw basked in the praise. Her mother was the most powerful cat she knew, and to even have half of her powers and experience, would be amazing.
She was passing the warriors den and peeked inside to see Wolfheart lying calmly as he groomed his pelt.
He saw Novapaw and smiled before padding out into the clearing.
"Hey!" He meowed, making Novapaw feel butterflies in her stomach.
She meowed a greeting and they walked to the fresh kill pile.
As he picked out a plump shrew for them to share, Novapaw pricked her ears at the sound of a horrified gasp. She turned around and saw Limestar on top of Maple, the queen who had just gave birth to her kit Snow.
Maple's horrified look in her eyes told Novapaw something was wrong.
She looked at her kit, standing awkwardly off to the side. A cut went down his flank, from a thorn bush most likely, and silver blood trekked out of it.
'He has silver blood!'