Warriors: Uprising (Book 1)

Chapter 22

The sun was high and bright in the sky as the sunlight that came from it shot into the Apprentices' den. Blizzardpaw was snoring softly until she felt the warm light on her muzzle. She woke up and groaned, "I don't want to get up..." She meowed. Blizzardpaw then realized that she would have her warrior assessment today, so she hopped up excitedly. Damppaw felt her move. He looked up at her and yawned. "Blizzardpaw? Why did you get up like that?" He asked.

"My warrior assessment is today!" She exclaimed. "Oh no, my warrior assessment is today!" Blizzardpaw repeated, then sat back down with her ears lowered.

Damppaw licked her cheek. "There's nothing to worry about, Blizzardpaw. You will be fine! Just know that your clan believes in you." He encouraged her.

"Aw, Damppaw, you're so nice!" She purred and licked his cheek back. Damppaw almost froze up again, but he just blushed.

Blizzardpaw got back up and stretched. "Well, I will go get a piece of prey from the fresh-kill pile. See you around, Damppaw!" She licked his nose and left the apprentices' den.

"You two like each other, huh?" Thistlepaw nudged her brother.

"N-No!" He looked away, his fur getting hot now.

Thistlepaw giggled, "Sure!"

*

After Blizzardpaw ate a nice gull from the fresh-kill pile, she looked around for Sandcoat. He wasn't anywhere to be found, but there was a different cat who came up to her. It was Gullstalk.

"Hi, Blizzardpaw!" He meowed happily to her.

She hopped up excitedly. "Gullstalk!" She nuzzled up against him.

"I heard your assessment is today. Just wanted to wish you good luck!" Gullstalk said, putting a tail on her shoulder.

"Thanks! But I am a little worried that it'll be hard..." She looked down at her paws.

"Don't worry about it, just do your best to remember everything your mentor taught you and do it well!" Gullstalk said and purred.

Blizzardpaw looked at him with a glimmer of hope in her eyes. "You think I can do it?"

"I know you can do it, Blizzardpaw." He replied and nuzzled her.

Just then, there was another cat that came up to the two. It was Sandcoat. He padded up with a smile on his face. "Blizzardpaw, are you ready to do your warrior assessment?" He asked.

The fluffy apprentice took a deep breath in and out. "I am!" she replied, her tail lashing.

"Alright, good. Come with me and I'll tell Shellstar, then we'll go start." Sandcoat meowed.

"Good luck, Blizzardpaw!" Gullstalk called as the two cats headed to Shellstar's den.

"Thanks!" she called back.

*

Sandcoat and Blizzardpaw were behind the camp again, the first place where her first lesson was. "I want you to catch a piece of prey and bring it back to me," Sandcoat ordered.

"Alright!" she replied, then padded off in a different direction.

Blizzardpaw stopped. She heard something rustle in the bushes; she sniffed the air. That is the scent of prey, for sure! She thought as she closed her eyes and calmly got herself into a hunters' crouch. Blizzardpaw was looking towards the bush when she did so.

She was still silent for a few heartbeats, sniffing the air to make sure the prey was still there and it was. Blizzardpaw lept into the bush as quickly as she could and felt something warm under her paws. She used her claws on one paw to cut into its throat and the other to hold the prey down while doing so.

"Yes! I did it!" She exclaimed and picked the piece of prey to, then headed back to Sandcoat.

Sandcoat saw his apprentice run back with the prey in her jaws. When she came up to him, she dropped it in front of him. "Outstanding job!" He meowed with excitement. Blizzardpaw gave a wide smile.

"Next, you will track my scent. I won't go far this time. Close your eyes for me, please." her mentor said.

"Okay!" She did as she was told and closed her eyes. Blizzardpaw heard pawsteps go away from her for a moment. A few heartbeats later she opened her eyes to see Sandcoat gone, but she caught his scent pretty quickly. She padded in the direction he was in, which was straightforward.

She came to a point where his scent was strong on her left side, but it continued to go straight forward. Blizzardpaw closed her eyes and sniffed the air again. He said he wouldn't go far, so he has to be trying to trick me! She thought and pounced into the shrub next to her, then she opened her eyes to see Sandcoat under her. "Hello, Blizzardpaw. Pleasant job!" He meowed.

"How am I doing so far?" She meowed back and got up off of him, and he got up.

"You're doing amazing!" He exclaimed, "But there's one more thing you have to do."

"What is it?" She asked.

"Well, swimming!" Sandcoat replied, "Let's get that piece of prey you caught and take it back to the camp. Then we can finish this all up with swimming," He added.

"Okay!" Blizzardpaw meowed back.

*

After they dropped off the piece of prey, the two cats went to the Ocean Side to have Blizzardpaw swim.

"Blizzardpaw, all I want you to do is swim in a circle three times." Sandcoat ordered.

"Alright!" she replied and padded into the water, shivering a bit as she felt the chilly water on her fur. She got more into the water and couldn't feel the cold sand under her anymore and then swam.

It was a little while before she swam her second circle. She was panting now. I can do this! Blizzardpaw thought as she pushed herself to swim in a third circle. Once she finished, she swam out of the water onto shore. She was panting, but she saw the look on Sandcoat's face. He had a very wide smile.

"Did I do good, Sandcoat?" Blizzardpaw asked.

His smile faded. "No, you didn't do great, Blizzardpaw..."

"Huh...?"

"You did amazing!" He purred as his smile came back.

Blizzardpaw gasped and also gained an enormous smile. She bounced around happily. "I will be a warrior! I will be a warrior!" She repeated.

"You will! Now let's head back to camp. I'll tell Shellstar and I'm sure you'll become a warrior tomorrow!" Sandcoat meowed happily.

Blizzardpaw did her best to hold back her tears, but they started coming down, anyway.

I'm making you proud, Icejaw! She thought as she followed Sandcoat back.