Heartstar's rise : Book one

Ch. 36

Heartpaw pricked his ears as he heard some commotion outside. Yawning, he trotted out. The sun had not full risen yet and the first few rays of sun shone above the tree tops. Roselight was talking excitedly to Spottedwishker, Duskblaze and Darkspeck. Heartpaw wondered what the commotion was but didn't feel the need to eavesdrop, he was just happy to be awake on time. Pinestar was nowhere to be seen. Roselight spotted him and called him over, her voice shaking with excitement. 

           "I'm having kits," she cried happily. Heartpaw smiled. 

            "That's great," he said. "Who's the father?"

           "Why Foxwhisker of course," piped in Duskblaze. The four cats then returned to chatting joyously among themselves. With a sigh, Heartpaw trotted to the fresh-kill pile. A small sparrow, two mice and a frog lay in the pile. He sniffed the frog. He had never tasted one. 

            "You should try it," came a voice. He turned around to see Riverclaw. 

            "Is it good?" asked Heartpaw. 

            "That's up to you to decide," replied Riverclaw. Heartpaw took the frog and padded to the corner near a bush. He picked at it curiously then took a bite. The skin was chewy but not bad. 

            "What do you think?" asked Riverclaw. 

           "It's..., pretty good actually," grinned Heartpaw. He finished the chewy skin then ate the meat. The meat was succulent and tasty and soft. Much softer than he had expected. His eyes went wide. He decided he loved frogs. 

           "Mmmm," said Heartpaw. 

           "It's my favourite food too," Riverclaw nodded. 

           "Oh sorry," exclaimed Heartpaw. "Did you want it?" 

           "Oh no, it's alright. Frogs are a rare treat in Shadowclan and you've never had one," Riverclaw said. 

           "How was it, being deputy?" Heartpaw inquired. 

           "Hmm," thought Riverclaw aloud. "Busy. But..., I loved it. It was a good way of knowing I was taking care of the Clan." 

           "How was Stormpelt..., as a deputy I mean. I only saw him a few times bossing everyone about," frowned Heartpaw. "I know how he was as a father..." Heartpaw pushed back the sad thoughts. He was the best father.

          "Stormpelt was... he would have been a great leader. The best. You know, the thing is, and don't ever mention this to anybody, Pinestar needed him. Needs him. Stormpelt was the reason Pinestar was a great leader. He helped Pinestar elaborate his ideas, grounded him, made him a better leader. Without Stormpelt..., I think Pinestar feels a bit lost," sighed Riverclaw, he settled next to Heartpaw. 

           "But he has Cinderpelt. And you," pointed out Heartpaw. "And Lionbreeze and Eagleflight." 

           "Yes, but he doesn't have Stormpelt," Riverclaw said. "Cinderpelt..., she's young. And she's a great warrior, don't get me wrong, she knows a lot. She's a great mentor, I've seen her with Featherflame, she was an awesome mentor but she's not Stormpelt and she doesn't get Pinestar." Heartpaw frowned, thinking over what Riverclaw had said. Just then, Pinestar called out his name. Heartpaw sprung to his feet. 

           "Sorry, gotta go," he said. 

           "Nothing to be sorry about," Riverclaw said. Heartpaw ran up to Pinestar. His fur was ruffled and looked whiter. 

           "Come on, we're going to have more battle training today," Pinestar said. They ducked out of the camp and padded down towards the middle of the forest. "We're going to start with the back kick." Heartpaw nodded, feeling ready for a hard day of training. 

           "You must judge your distance from your opponents carefully," explained Pinestar. "Then you must put all your weight on your front paws and let your back legs out explosively." Heartpaw nodded and positioned himself in front of Pinestar. 

           "You're balancing too much to your left, lean more to the right," corrected Pinestar. Heartpaw nodded and centered himself. Pinestar nodded and Heartpaw got ready. In a quick but clumsy move, he twisted and lashed out his hind legs. They grazed Pinestar's chest. 

           "Judge the distance," Pinestar repeated. Heartpaw nodded. He tried again. He lashed out his hind legs and caught Pinestar. Pinestar faltered backwards. 

           "Good job. You really need to push hard with all your strength. Try again," Pinestar ordered. Heartpaw tried again. He repeated the move thirty more times until Pinestar told him to stop. Heartpaw stood panting. 

            "Now, the enemy won't be standing there, unmoving, waiting for you to move. Or if she or he is, they'll be watching your every move. You can't wait for too long. And it must not be predictable," Pinestar said. 

           "Right," mumbled Heartpaw.

         "Good, first, we are going to try it slowly at first. I will go to that end and we will slowly advance on each other. Then, you chose when, you will launch your back kick," Pinestar said. Heartpaw nodded, his heart beating with anticipation. Pinestar backed away and then they advanced, their bellies and tails low. Heartpaw played the move in his mind and crept forward slowly. He was about to throw the move but faltered, unsure whether Pinestar would anticipate it or if he would miss. He thought about doing it again, as they circled but he didn't, too nervous. Come on. He had to do it. They couldn't wait for hours. He twisted and shot his legs out. He caught Pinestar on the chest and he rolled to the ground with a thud. Heartpaw grinned happily. Pinestar bit his tongue and slowly got up. Heartpaw was too happy to notice. 

            "Good job," nodded Pinestar. "Let's.. do it again." Heartpaw nodded enthusiastically and they begun the exercise once more.