Warriors: Black Rain

Chapter 7

        Eventually Owltail, Leopardpaw's mentor, had come along to take her off to training. Scarpaw was left alone by the apprentice den, laying on the soft ground and staring at her paws. The wind that blew around her was warm, but she felt so cold. So much was on the young cats mind, that she almost didnt notice Sparkpaw calling her name. She looked up to see her friend walking towards her. His eyes were tired but he smiled at her, flicking his ears. 

      "Scarpaw." She smiled back, greeting him with a twitch of her whiskers. 

      "Sparkpaw, hey! How are you?" The yellow tom sat next to her, letting out a low sigh. 

      "Im fine, thanks. Just tired; It's been hard to sleep." 

      She nodded, relaxing. "Im having the same problem." 

      "Really? What for?" Scarpaw looked up at the sky, watching the birds fly high above. "I cant help but wonder if SnowStar's prophecy has to do with me being born in MapleClan. What if StarClan is testing me? But on the other side, what if the prophocy isn't about me? Is our clan in danger?"

      Sparkpaw leaned down and licked Scarpaw's ear. "Scarpaw, I wouldn't worry too much about it. Im sure were all fine. Maybe its not as big as we think. Plus, you're a member of RainClan; I know you're loyal to us. Don't let what Maskpaw said get to you." Scarpaw shut her eyes, letting out a deep breath. Maybe he was right; maybe it wasnt as big as she was making it out to be.

        The two apprentices sat together in silence until Stormspirit padded up to them, flicking his tail.

      "Great, you're already here! Ready for training, you two?" The two apprentices looked at eachother, confused. Sparkpaw looked back at Stormspirit.

      "We'll be training together today?" Stormspirit's eyes softened. "Yes. SnowStar asked me to take on both of your training until you recieve a new mentor." Sparkpaw twitched his ears, and nodded silently. Scarpaw winced.

      There was an awkward silence between the cats. Stormspirit shifted on his paws.
"Right. Well, we should get going. The Mud-Hollow is a bit far from camp." Scarpaw groaned, still annoyed at having to train in that horrid place, but got to her feet and followed Stormspirit out of camp, along-side Sparkpaw. At least they got to train together. 

      As they were leaving, she caught the cold eyes of Maskpaw staring at her from the fresh-kill pile. He was watching her intently, holding a mouse tight in his jaws. Something in his expression made her blood run cold. She stared back at him until he grunted, turned around and took his mouse to the apprentice den. Scarpaw gulped, gathering her speed, and bolted out of the ferns after the two cats.

   Stormspirit led the two apprentices through the thick undergrowth and soggy grounds of the RainClan territory. The mud hollow was located a bit past the Great Lake; a monumental place for the RainClan cats. The mud hollow, however, was quite the opposite. It was the farthest away from MapleClan, while quite close to ThornClan. All apprentices of RainClan dreaded the mud hollow- it was damp, hot, sticky, and difficult to wade through unlike the clear stream that she was used to. While RainClan cats were accustomed to mud and water, the mud there sits in a large ditch, thick and untouched, making it a major pain to get out of fur.

Scarpaw twitched her ears. The group was still sprinting through thick territory, the ground underneath their paws getting soggier as they ran. At some spots, she felt her paws sink slightly when they touched the ground. Sparkpaw shot her a glance, sharing her discomfort. They would be grooming their pelts for weeks.

"Here we are!", Stormspirit announced. They bounded into the hollowed ground, breathing heavily. In the center of the hollow was a small ditch, filled to the rim with thick, hot mud. Stones jutted out from inside like the claws of a drowning cat, looking slippery and dangerous. Scarpaw gulped, but when she looked towards Stormspirit, his eyes were sparkling. He loved training lessons.

"So. Today, we will be practicing on these stones. RainClan cats are known for our abilities to move quickly in wet terrain. I want you two to leap from stone to stone, without falling in the mud below. You need to learn how to easily move around in difficult circumstances." The apprentices gaped at him. He sat, grinning.

"Sparkpaw, you will be going first." Scarpaw looked to her friend. His eyes were locked onto Stormspirit's, showing determination. He seemed so confident.

"Alright." He padded over to a stone low to the edge of the ditch, and leapt onto it. His paw pads slipped, but he made sure not to lose his balance. He looked up at the next stone, which was a bit higher then the one he was standing on. He then crouched low, raised his haunches, and leapt.

Scarpaw shifted on her paws uncomfortably, worried for Sparkpaw. She could tell he was focused, but with each leap his back legs slipped slightly, and it took him a while for him to regain himself again. Stormspirit was watching him closely, but it was hard for her to tell what he was thinking. The scar over his eye made her wince; It made Stormspirit seem so different. Ever since Pepperpelt's death, she noticed a change in Stormspirit; in everyone. Especially Sparkpaw. She turned her attention back to his training.

Sparkpaw was almost finished. He flicked his ears, lept up to the next stone, and tried to find a place for his paws. But Sparkpaw took his eyes off the rock at the last moment, missing it with his back paws and then slipped completely off into the mud. He scrabled to the edge, shaking his fur and hissing. Stormspirit sighed.

"So close... But not close enough. You'll need to keep your eyes on where your landing until the very end. We'll practice more, but now, it's Scarpaw's turn." Scarpaw gulped, looking at Sparkpaw. He was still shaking his fur, ears flat. He nodded, sitting down to clean himself, as Scarpaw slowly made her way to the first stone. She watched it intently, raising her haunches in preparation.

"Whenever you're ready," Stormspirit mewed. She flicked her ears in response.

Taking one last deep breath, she leaped upward onto the rock. She instantly felt herself slipping, but regained her balance before sliding off into the mud pit below. Gulping, she met eyes with Sparkpaw, who was watching her with fierce eyes. He seemed to be silently cheering her on. Twitching her tail, she surveyed the next rock.

"Come on, Scarpaw, too slow! You must learn to adjust quickly in difficult situations. Go! Leap!"

Surprised, she jumped forward, landing with a thud on the next rock. Standing, she jumped again, making sure to focus. With every leap her paw pads slipped slightly off the edge, but she continued jumping from rock to rock as quick as possible while still remaining swift and steady.

She took one more leap, anticipating the smaller stone a bit too much- sliding a bit to the left. She un-sheathed her claws in surprise, wincing as they scratched the wet surface, and jumped off the stone landing on the grass, right as her body slipped to the side. Although her landing was sloppy, Scarpaw grinned, relieved she wasn't cleaning mud out of her pelt right now.

"Nice job, Scarpaw. A bit sloppy, but we'll work on it. Come on, Sparkpaw, get ready. You're up."

He groaned, still covered in thick mud as he slowly made his way over to the starting position. Scarpaw thought she heard the tom cursing Stormspirit's name under his breath.