Warriors: Divided Loyalty

Chapter Seven

"Again,"

"Yes, Halfthroat."

"Again!"

"Yes, Halfthroat."

Nightpaw ran at her mentor, leaping into the air and crashing down on his shoulders. Her paws dug into his back as he shook his body, trying to get her off. With a hiss, Nightpaw began to swat at his back.

Teeth sank into her tail and with a yelp of pain, Nightpaw was thrown to the ground and a massive paw held her to the ground by her chest. Halfthroat stood towering over her, eyes glinting with disappointment.

"You can do better than that, Nightpaw." He grunted, letting her up after a moment. A few days passed since Halfthroat lashed out at Dawnpaw and Songpaw and they didn't bother Nightpaw since. Only a few glares from Songpaw that made her pelt prickle seemed to be it.

Dawnpaw had been unusually quiet after Halfthroat pinned Songpaw to the ground. She always had a sense of unease orbiting her pelt whenever she caught sight of Halfthroat and Nightpaw padding into the camp after a day of training.

Nightpaw got to her paws, shaking the dirt from her black fur and looking at her mentor. "Can I try the front paw blow?" She asked, seeing Halfthroat look at her. "I think I got it this time."

Halfthroat groaned and begrudgingly nodded. "Fine, but do it-" He cut off when Nightpaw landed her forepaw on his head. Her mentor crumpled to the ground, much to her dismay.

"Halfthroat!" Cried Nightpaw, crouching down beside her mentor's head. Surely she didn't strike him that hard! She shook her mentor by the shoulders, panicking that she may have hit him too hard.

"Nightpaw?" Ivyheart bounded over to her, Honeypaw at her heels. "What's wrong?"

Nightpaw looked at the she-cat, her eyes wide. "I-I didn't mean to!" She squeaked, looking at Halfthroat's unmoving shape. "D-did I kill him?" The apprentice asked in a small voice.

The silver tabby warrior bent over and shoved Halfthroat's shoulder with a paw. The tom groaned and swatted her away, making her purr with amusement. "Not quite," she meowed to Nightpaw. "Next time, don't whack him too hard."

Nightpaw breathed a sigh of relief, looking at Halfthroat. "Should I get Mottlesong?" She asked, feeling better.

Ivyheart looked at Honeypaw, who was batting at a butterfly. "May as well," she meowed. "I'll get this big oof to camp and you two get Mottlesong."

Nightpaw nodded and padded away with Honeypaw at her side. After a while of walking in silence, Nightpaw glanced at the other apprentice. "So," she meowed awkwardly. "How's being Ivyheart's apprentice been?"

Honeypaw shrugged, making Nightpaw frown. "She goes easy on me and she's very patient." She meowed simply. "She's nothing like how Rosespring is with Littlepaw, that's for sure."

Nightpaw tilted her head, confused. "How is Rosespring with Littlepaw?" She questioned, tail flicking. Is Rosespring like Halfthroat? Brutal and malicious?

The golden-brown tabby she-cat looked at Nightpaw. "From what Littlepaw told me, she's a bit snappy and slightly scary." She answered warily.

"Scary?" Nightpaw couldn't believe her ears. "Rosespring?" Could Rosespring also have been Halfthroat's apprentice before her?

Honeypaw shrugged, seeming more annoyed than when silence hung between them. "Toms can be liars," she meowed and flicked her left ear.

Nightpaw flinched slightly. "Not all toms," she pointed out. Reedpaw wouldn't lie to me, would he? She quickly brushed the thought away.

The tabby apprentice glared at her sharply, making Nightpaw's pelt prickle. "Any cat can be a liar," she hissed. "From the oldest elder to the smallest kit. And if a cat within OakClan is a traitor, we will claw their fur off." Honeypaw studied Nightpaw with her teeth bared. "Do you understand that, Nightpaw?"