ωåтєɾfåℓℓ ➳ warriors fanfic

| chapter 6 |

"Push up, Cinderpaw! Hit me with your spine!" Bluemist growled, her paws spread out widely. Cinderpaw quickly darted forwards, grunting quietly. She slid under her mentor's belly, twisting in a tight circle swiftly so that she looked out on Bluemist's head-side of her body. Cinderpaw crouched low to the ground before she thumped her spine to Bluemist's stomach, making the older cat stumble off to the left. Careful not to get trampled, Cinderpaw went to the right to dodge Bluemist's stumble.

Cinderpaw watched with amusement sparkling in her eyes as Bluemist fell in a heap onto her side, groaning as she pushed herself up. Cinderpaw sat and licked her paw, smoothing it over her ear. Bluemist trotted over to her apprentice and looked down at her.

"Very good, Cinderpaw," Bluemist phrased. "Almost three full moons into your apprenticeship, now. Tomorrow night's the Gathering, I'm going to see if Brackenstar will let you come along."

"Thanks for keeping my mind off finding out the truth," Cinderpaw suddenly spoke up. "It's been about one and a quarter moons since Brackenstar told you whatever he told you."

"No problem. Besides, I'm supposed to be keeping you busy, anyway. It's good how quickly you can pick up battle skills, it's still so early, only just past dawn. Now, before we go back to camp and wait for the sunhigh patrol, let's see if you can remember all I've taught you."

The blue-grey cat turned tail on her apprentice and stood in the hollow, staring Cinderpaw down as they both prepared. Cinderpaw rolled back her shoulders, shifting on her paws. Bluemist gave a small signal with her tail and Cinderpaw bounded forwards, meeting her mentor on her hind paws. Both were on their back legs, front paws trying to find a hold around each other. They grappled for a second before Bluemist flipped the apprentice under her belly. Winded, Cinderpaw gasped for breath, her eyes widening. Bluemist hissed and struck a blow across her apprentice's face, claws sheathed.

Hissing, Cinderpaw placed her front paws on Bluemist's chest and raked her claws down her belly, forcing Bluemist to jump back, yowling softly. Cinderpaw didn't stop there. She bounded towards Bluemist lightly before head-butting her in the side, continuing to do this before Bluemist was forced to the ground. Cinderpaw swatted a paw at her mentor and when she tried to stand, Cinderpaw hit her paws down on Bluemist's spine. Cinderpaw knew that her mentor was going easy on her, but she still knew that she was doing quite well. 

 Catching her off guard, Bluemist tail-tripped Cinderpaw, making her fall to the ground. Bluemist pinned her down while her breath came out in great puffs. Cinderpaw knew it was the end of the practice battle. Bluemist let her up and sat on her haunches, smiling.

"You did well, Cinderpaw," Bluemist nodded. "By the way, how did you do that? That move where you continued to head-but me until I couldn't get up. You'll need to teach me that one."

"Really? How about I teach you now? It shouldn't take too long," Cinderpaw offered.

"Alright, besides, we should kill some time."

For a little while, Cinderpaw attempted her best lesson in teaching Bluemist her move, a bit nervous to be teaching a cat older than herself. It took a few tries for her mentor to get the hang of it, but she got it soon enough. Afterwards, the pair went back to camp as Dawnpaw and her mentor Lionsun took their place in the Fallen Hollow. Dawnpaw was close friends with Hawkpaw and both regarded Cinderpaw and Amberpaw with hatred, although they took great fun in teasing Cinderpaw, most of all. When Bluemist led Cinderpaw into camp, they both grabbed a piece of prey each. Cinderpaw sat alone near the entrance of camp, since Amberpaw was either out on a patrol or hunting.

The back of her neck suddenly felt hot. The apprentice looked up from picking lazily at her fish and noticed Ripplepaw sitting at the entrance of the apprentice den, his gaze slightly hard as he looked at her. The white-chestnut-black she-cat flinched, her nose twitching, why was Ripplepaw looking at her like that? Ripplepaw suddenly noticed that they were staring at each other and the tom glanced away. Cinderpaw sighed, it must be because of the truth, whatever that was, anyway.

"He can stare at me all he wants," she growled under her breath, tucking into her fish angrily. "I thought we friends." A shadow was suddenly cast over her and she glanced up but put her head back down, disgusted.

"Hey, Cinderpaw, I'm sorry." Ripplepaw kneaded the ground with his paws, nervous. 

"Does it look like I care anymore?" Cinderpaw spat carelessly. "I'm used to the looks from Dawnpaw, Hawkpaw, Branchshadow and his group, but not from you. Especially not you."

"I just wish he would tell you."

"They'll tell me soon. They've got to."

Feeling kind of ruthless, Cinderpaw hardened her gaze and continued stripping the flesh from the fish, eating it quickly. Ripplepaw sighed and asked to join her, so Cinderpaw let him, although she didn't say a word. The tom looked crestfallen when she turned away, but he guess he understood it, given what had happened.

"Cinderpaw, time to go on patrol." Bluemist's voice reached her ears as she watched her mentor gather a patrol, since Lionsun had ordered her to do so at sunhigh. Relieved to finally get away from Ripplepaw, Cinderpaw bounded to her paws and swiftly made her way over to her mentors side. Three other warriors were coming with them; Skyblaze, Pinewater and Shatteredflame. Skyblaze was close friends with Ferngaze while Pinewater and Shatteredflame were litter-mates.

"Where are we patrolling?" Skyblaze questioned, smoothing down the pale grey fur on her shoulder. She shifted on her white paws as her sky-blue eyes blazed with confidence. Skyblaze could be a silly and fun cat, although whenever she was around Ferngaze, she usually kept serious.

"Lionsun told me to take the route around the beach and along the border of LeafClan and stop at the Four Trees," Bluemist replied.

Flicking her tail, the blue-grey cat led her patrol away through the bracken and vine tunnel, Brackenstar watching her, although his eyes were mostly on Cinderpaw. Cinderpaw glanced away and kept her head low, concentrating on not flicking sand up into Shatteredflame's eyes behind her. Cinderpaw could hear the calming sound of waves and when the patrol came close to the shoreline, the apprentice stopped, stepping into the wet sand so the water just washed over her paws. Her eyes suddenly flashed and a memory came to her head of when she had been a kit.

"I bet I can swim further than you!" Cinderkit huffed, flicking her tail at Amberpaw's cheek.

"Bet you can't!" Amberpaw shot back playfully. 

"Oh yeah? Well let's just see who's right!" Cinderkit dove forwards into the water and began swimming towards the rock where the older cats said it was best to hunt fish. 

"Be careful out there!" a fluffy white she-cat yowled, who was laying on the shoreline, her green-blue eyes sparkling with worry.

"We'll be careful, Dovefeather!" Amberpaw gasped.

"Especially you, Amberpaw! I can't imagine what your mother would do if she found out I'd let you drown," Dovefeather sighed. The kits continued swimming out, splashing each other and playing together, laughing together while they paddled out to the rock.

"Cinderpaw!"

Cinderpaw was pulled back into reality and glanced over her left shoulder, seeing Pinewater looking at her curiously. Shatteredflame, Skyblaze and Bluemist all watched her, too. Pinewater smiled at her, shaking sand from his prickly red-brown pelt. He waved her onwards, letting out a mrrow of laughter. Cinderpaw grinned, slightly embarrassed and bounded over to the patrol. Those days of games were over, she was in the real world now. She had to concentrate and make sure she made it to become a warrior. She couldn't think about the past.

At least, that was before the moon began to rise two days later.