Warriors- Dawn of An Era: The Journey Begins {Book 1} (COMPLETED)

Chapter Twenty-One

"Keep your weight off your haunches and even it out throughout your body," Scarredbelly instructed, padding around Sorrelpaw as he picked out the flaws in her hunting crouch. "Your tail is too high. Lower it so it just barely grazes the grass."

Sorrelpaw nodded, her tail slowly lowering as she looked up at her mentor, eyes hopeful. "How about that?"

Scarredbelly nodded approvingly, pride making his chest swell. Hours after her ceremony and she's doing great. He thought as he looked at her front paws, which were too close together for comfort. "How do you feel?" He asked.

"A bit stiff," Sorrelpaw meowed, giving herself a once over. "Is it supposed to feel stiff?"

Scarredbelly nodded, purring with amusement. "At the start, yes. You'll get used to it when you get more experienced." His tail twitched. "Widen your stance so you feel less like a stick."

His apprentice complied and she let out a content sigh. "That feels much better," she purred and looked up at him, eyes shining. "You're the best mentor ever!"

The tom's ears flattened to his head, embarrassed by her remark. "I beg to differ," he denied, tail waving. After regaining his composure, he beamed down at Sorrelpaw. "Are you ready to go back to camp?"

The dilute calico apprentice's ears drooped in disappointment as she got out of her stance. "I suppose." She let out a sigh.

Scarredbelly winced at her tone and struggled to speak. An idea popped in his head and he smiled, nudging her shoulder with his nose. "Hey, why don't we race back to camp?" He suggested.

Sorrelpaw brightened immediately, making him breathe a sigh of relief that he hadn't been a disappointing mentor for more than a few heartbeats. "Okay!" She agreed eagerly.

Scarredbelly crouched down beside her, claws sinking into the earth as he readied himself to take off. "Three, two," he meowed, looking sideways at Sorrelpaw. "One, go!"

He launched himself forward, using his claws to propel him forward ahead of Sorrelpaw. His paws barely touched the ground as he flew through the trees, laughing. It felt good to feel carefree, like his days in the nursery with Rushspring and Sweetpool with the only sinister topic on his mind being if he'd win the next game or not.

"Come back here!" Sorrelpaw yowled from behind him, still a ways back from where Scarredbelly was. "I'm going to catch you!"

Scarredbelly purred. "You'll have to be faster than that!" He called back and ran harder than he thought he could. The wind blew through his thick fur, making him feel like he was flying as he cleared a fallen log in a swift leap.

Just as he thought he'd make it back to the camp before Sorrelpaw, a tree root that was sticking out of the camouflaged ground and caught his right front paw. He let out a surprised yelp as he lurched forward and fell face-first onto the forest floor.

Pain shot through his muzzle as he rolled over and over three times before sliding to a halt, dizzy. He shook his head just as Sorrelpaw leaped over his head, giggling as she took the lead and ran in front of him.

"Can't catch me!" She taunted as she sprinted ahead, leaving her mentor to scramble painfully to his paws and hobble after her.

***

As Scarredbelly, at last, pushed his way into the camp, Sorrelpaw had already joined Shadowpaw, Cursedpaw, and Dawnpaw outside the apprentice's den, the three of them happily sharing a rabbit.

He purred as Cursedpaw jabbed Shadowpaw with a forepaw, seeming to be embarrassed at something the younger apprentice had said. This is how ThunderClan should always be. Scarredbelly thought proudly, gazing around at the camp.