Warriors: Shadows Of The Night

Chapter 13

Ravenpaw stared at him, her eyes round with shock. Her mind instantly flew back to all those stories she had heard about her father trying to kill Shallowstar. She slowly backed away from him.

"What's the matter?" Nightshadow asked softly, "Haven't you always wanted to meet me?"

Ravenpaw's fur stood on end. "You attempted to kill Shallowstar! You're a traitor!"

Nightshadow gazed at her for a moment. His eyes looked sad.

"Ravenpaw," Nightshadow meowed, "You aren't afraid of me, are you?"

"Y-you betrayed WoodClan," Ravenpaw stammered. Her heart pounded as she gazed up at the powerful tom. Her father.

"You've been told many lies," Nightshadow murmured, turning his head away from Ravenpaw. "I wasn't trying to harm the Clan, believe me. I always wanted what's best for WoodClan."

Nightshadow sat down and looked at Ravenpaw again. "And that is why I want to help you."

Ravenpaw blinked. "Help me?"

"Yes," Nightshadow meowed, "I want to help you become a warrior." His amber eyes were soft. "You don't deserve to be disrespected the way you are right now."

Ravenpaw twitched her ear, eyeing her father warily. She sat down and wrapped her tail around her paws. "How will you help me?"

"I will train you to become the strongest cat WoodClan has ever seen," Nightshadow meowed, "I will teach you battle moves that even Thornwhisker has never seen. You'll be a warrior soon, you'll see. The Clan will never doubt you again."

Ravenpaw swept her tail across the ground. "Can you really do that?"

Nightshadow nodded and stood up, flicking his tail. "Try to knock me over."

Ravenpaw stared at him for a few moments. "Huh?"

"Try to knock me over," Nightshadow repeated, standing.

"Alright," Ravenpaw reluctantly said. She launched herself at her father, barreling into his flank. Instead of falling, though, the black tom stumbled, shook himself, then regained his balance. Then he leaped at Ravenpaw and knocked her to the ground. He pinned her down, his heavy paws holding her to the ground.

Ravenpaw squirmed but she couldn't free herself from her father's powerful grip. After a few heartbeats of struggling, she let herself go limp with a sigh.

"Nice try," Nightshadow rumbled, "But those are ammeture moves. You won't defeat a powerful enemy like that." He released his grip on Ravenpaw.

"So what do I do, then?" Ravenpaw asked, scrambling to her feet.

"You don't hurl yourself aimlessly at an enemy," Nightshadow meowed, "First you look for weak spots. If you see an injury, try to throw weight into the injured spot. If there's no injury, attack their legs. Try to unbalance then with either your paws or your weight." He flicked his tail. "Try to knock me down again."

Ravenpaw nodded, lowering herself into a crouch. There were no weak spots on him as far as she could see, so she decided to go for the legs. She lunged at him, throwing herself sideways at his forelegs. She felt him try to dodge, but he only managed to unbalance himself further, collapsing nearly on top of Ravenpaw, who quickly kicked him back and rolled away.

"How did I do?" Ravenpaw asked.

"You were great," Nightshadow meowed, his voice deep and rumbly. "I believe with more training, you will become the strongest cat in WoodClan." He glanced into the trees for a moment, his eyes narrowing at the shadowy darkness. "It's time for you to wake up now, Ravenpaw. Just remember what I taught you."

Ravenpaw's eyes flashed open. She lifted her head up with a gasp. It was still dark but Ravenpaw sensed that it was dawn. She could see a tiny bit of light through the branches of the den, as well as hear the sounds of her Clanmates waking up.

She glanced around the den, her heart pounding. Sandpaw and Graypaw were still asleep, both apprentices curled up in their nests. Ravenpaw stood up, deciding to wake up early as memories of her dream flooded through her brain.

Her father had actually wanted to help her! He had trained her from his place in the dead.

With him by my side I'll definitely become a warrior in no time!