“Keep up, Shadowpaw!” A muscular tom called back as he bounded ahead.
Shadowpaw groaned as branches whipped her muzzle and her paws thudded at the earth. It was cold and wet, Leafbare but no serious snowfall yet. This didn’t change the fact that the mountain air still chilled her to her bones.
Her paws threatened to slip through the icy mud as she slid past a stump, avoiding it best she could as she whipped past. She could see the other apprentices ahead, having little to no trouble keeping up with their mentors. She winced as another branch scraped her side; she whimpered put pushed on. When she looked forward once more, the rest of the party had disappeared. She could see the bushes swaying where they’d gone. As she rushed forward, crashing through the bushes, afraid of losing them, she ended up tripping on a root and tumbling forward into the clearing.
“MrOWW!” A dust brown tom cried as she stumbled and stepped on his tail. She crashed forward, rolling until she landed on her back. Huffing, she blinked open her eyes to see her clanmates standing around her. Mixed looks of surprise, confusion and disgust, mainly from the brown tom, apparent on their faces. One large, muscular tom strode forward and looked down at her, unimpressed and with a slightly annoyed tone.
“Are you alright?” The muscular golden tom meowed, his annoyance and embarrassment seeming to subside if only for a moment.
“Yes, Cheetahfang…” She mewed, clearly embarrassed. She jumped to her paws best she could, stumbling from standing too quick but, she hurried to right herself, standing as tall as she could muster in front of her mentor.
“You nearly crushed my tail!” The brown tom yowled.
“Easy, Viperpaw, she meant nothing by it. It was a mere accident.” Their deputy, and Viperpaw’s mentor, Frostgaze meowed. “It’s no matter. If everyone is alright, we can begin.”
Shadowpaw sat next to the other apprentices as their mentors gathered, quickly mewing to each other in hushed tones. While their mentors discussed, she caught the eye of Viperpaw who shot her a snarling look. She pouted and looked forward once more. As they waited, a handsome spotted tom chatted with a quiet, timid tom with a brown pelt. She glanced at the she-cat apprentice next to her hoping to chat. That most likely wasn’t an option... Obsidianpaw wasn’t much of a talker. The sleek black patterned she-cat licked her paw and kept quiet as she waited patiently. Shadowpaw’s attention was snapped back once their mentors started talking to them.
“I’m sorry… I’d hate to interrupt Tigerpaw and Drippaw.” A muscular, brown she-cat teased as she settled next to Frostgaze, folding her tail over her paws.
“S-sorry, Hawkbeak!” Drippaw, the timid apprentice, and Shadowpaw’s brother, stuttered out.
Frostgaze waved her paw, silencing them. All the apprentices, even Obsidianpaw and Viperpaw, stood straight and completely at attention to listen.
“You all are probably wondering why all the apprentices are gathered here in the training hollow today.” Frostgaze began. “Today we will be doing a battle assessment. I know most of you haven’t been apprentices for more than a couple moons, but, it doesn’t mean we can’t assess where our training has taken you.”
The apprentices’ eyes glimmered with excitement, and they murmured amongst one another. Even the ever-stoic Obsidianpaw seemed excited, with a small glimmer in her sage eyes.
They were silenced once more by their deputy.
“Let’s not waste anymore time. We’ll start with the oldest apprentices and work back from there..”
They all lined up on the edge of the clearing, Viperpaw was up first, being the oldest. They each were going to be facing their own mentors! Shadowpaw looked over to her brother, Drippaw, who was practically trembling in his pelt.
“Don’t tell me you’re scared, Drippaw!” She purred, teasing her older brother.
“Don’t tell me you’re not!” He hissed quietly. “You are the most far behind in our training!”
“So?!” She protested. “We’ve only been training for two and a half moons!”
“You still haven’t caught any prey.” Drippaw pointed out. “I’m nervous but even I’ve caught voles!”
The young she-cat rolled her eyes but, he wasn’t wrong. She tried not to think about it too much but, she was at the bottom of the apprentice’s when it came to their training… she shook the negative thoughts away, determined to make this her moment to prove herself.
“Shh!” She hissed. “They’re starting!”
“I wasn’t talking…” Drippaw mumbled.
Viperpaw reared up on his hind paws and blocked Frostgaze’s attack. He dropped down and rushed past her, whirling around and springing on top of her. Viperpaw’s attack was quick, but Frostgaze was quicker. She rolled to the side, luckily the ground here in the clearing was dryer… She rolled clearly out of his way but as soon as he landed, he lept over her pinning her down.
“Very good!” She praised Viperpaw, who stood tall when Frostgaze touched her nose to his shoulder with pride. “Alright. Up next, Tigerpaw and Stumptail!”
The ever-confident Tigerpaw strode into the clearing, head held high as ever. Shadowpaw watched him, he wasn’t much older than her and her brother but compared to them, he was huge! Muscles rippled under his coat as he practiced a few swipes, his mentor, Stumptail joined him nodding to the apprentice.
Before she knew it, they were already training. Tigerpaw was fast and agile darting around his mentor’s attacks. Stumptail was an older tom but, he was no elder. Still yet, Tigerpaw was quite limber compared to the senior warrior. Shadowpaw watched as Cheetahfang swelled with pride as his son, Tigerpaw quickly overpowered the warrior.
“Clearly you’ve taught him well, Stumptail!” Cheetahfang’s deep voice booming with pride from across the clearing.
“A little too well it seems.” Stumptail mused, flicking his shortened tail, and playfully shoving the gloating apprentice.
“Lovely.” Purred Frostgaze. “Alright, next, Obsidianpaw and Wetstone!”
The sleek, stoic apprentice calmly padded to the middle of the clearing, followed by her equally serious mentor, Wetstone.
✦✦✦
Shadowpaw congratulated her brother for his amazing display.
“You may not have pinned me, but, overcoming by your nerves, you showed me just how much you’ve grown!” Drippaw shyly looked down at his paws, embarrassed by his mentor’s praise. “You may be shy, but you’re a quick learner!”
Shadowpaw felt herself stir with determination at the sight of her fellow apprentices all excelling at their assessments! Soon enough, her name was being called and she bounded to the middle of the clearing, followed by her mentor, Cheetahfang. Cheetahfang was a large, muscular tom who was a senior warrior, he was loved and respected by the entire clan. She just wanted to make him proud but... she truly wasn’t sure how she’d be able to pin him. She was quite small for her age but, now more than ever, she was filled with complete determination!
“Begin!” Frostgaze called out.
Cheetahfang dropped down and moved to the side slightly in a threatening crawl. Shadowpaw didn’t waver, she instead bounded forward and lept. He moved to the side, and she tumbled to the ground, kicking up dust where she landed.
“Perhaps her name should be ‘Tumblepaw’…” she heard Viperpaw mumble.
She growled and pushed herself up. She spun around and went in for another attack. Cheetahfang instead of dodging this time, stood fast, leaving the apprentice to crash into his side using his strong paw to pin her down. She managed to wiggle away, striking out at his legs blindly.
“Remember your form.” The golden warrior warned her.
She scrambled away from his attack, feeling proud for dodging him. Her victory didn’t last long before, she was knocked to the side. She was bleary eyed; she shook her head clear and raced forward striking at… wait why were there three of him? Which one should she attack? She blinked hard and her vision cleared just in time before she jumped straight up and grabbed onto his back.
“What are you doing? Why aren’t you using any of the moves I taught you?!” He growled, slightly confused.
She gripped hard, she just wanted to take him down. She couldn’t remember anything he’d taught her. Not now, with her clanmates watching!
She bit down on his scruff dangerously close to his throat, making him cry out. Suddenly she was flying through the cold air, hurled from the large tom’s back. She crashed into a rock before her crumpled body crashed to the ground in an airless heap.
“Shadowpaw!”
