silvercrest roamers| level up tasks | rise

[dimi.]

"I'm taking the black kit, Whistle." The gray tom hissed, his green eyes glinting in annoyance as he gazed down at a feline. Before him lay a black she-cat with stunning yellow eyes, and at her stomach were two wriggling bodies, feasting from her stomach. Once kit was fully black with a short tail, and the other was a gray and white tom. Whistle's gaze was one of exhaustion as she gazed up at the tom, her eyes narrowing in equal annoyance as she shook her head, hissing back at the tom that towered above her. She was frustrated with the tom, and made it known. Her annoyance wasn't without reason, however. First, he had gotten her pregnant, then ended his relationship with her halfway through the pregnancy, and now he was wanting one of the kits. She wasn't putting up with it.

"No, you're not taking either kit. You didn't want to be a father, and you're not gonna be one now." The she-cat growled, her tail coiling around the kits protectively. "Besides, the only reason you want her is because you want the special kit. You want to be the badass as normal. Well, guess what? I'm not letting you pull that trickery on me this time. I may not be as strong as you, but I'm certainly smarter." The tom's jaws unhinged, and he suddenly lunged forward for the kits out of anger. She clenched her teeth and rose to her paws, striking the tom's temple with her paw to daze him. She then quickly grabbed the two kits by their scruffs and ran, ran as far as she could!

Whistle bolted for several miles, her entire body begging for rest as her muscles throbbed and her lungs begged for more oxygen than the earth could ever provide. She bolted through the entrance of a nearby two-leg city, making her way down a narrow alleyway. She peered over her shoulder, and noticed that the tom was no longer on her tail. She had her ears flattened to her head, and tears in her eyes, having to endure the pitiful mews of her kits the entirety of the run. She leaped into an open crate in the alleyway and curled up, placing the kits at her stomach so they could continue feasting.

"Bat.. Stream.. I promise I won't let anything happen to you." She whispered, leaning down as she pressed her nose to the spot between both their heads. She knew they couldn't hear her or understand her; the words were more so a form of reassurance for herself.

[dimi.]

Five moons had past since Whistle's horrific mate had dared to try to take her kits from her, and since then, Bat and Stream had grown considerably in size, with Bat almost as big as her own mother. The family of three was sitting within a dark alley, feasting on the remains of a breast of chicken that a two-leg had attempted to toss out their window into a nearby dumpster. It had instead landed on the ground, serving as a free meal for the weak family. The three cats were weary, a war had broken out between the two rogue packs present in the city, and they were living day to day, and off of accidental drops from the two-legs.

Whistle hadn't left her kits' sides for a second. If they wanted to go somewhere, she okay'd it, but she would stalk them the entire time, lurking within the shadows and eyeing her kits to make sure their father wasn't going to come back and try to get revenge on her kits, rather than Whistle herself. Even as they grew and got more annoyed with her protectiveness, she didn't step down. Stream and Bat settled on the fact that she was just going to be a paranoid and batty mama until they were able to get away from her, perhaps when they were warrior age and could join the local fighting ring. The silence between them as they shared their meal was broken by Bat.

"I'm gonna try out for the fighting ring," Bat began. Stream continued to chew his bite of food quietly as Whistle's head swung in Bat's direction aggressively, her pupils slits. Her expression screamed that she was against the idea, and soon her tongue confirmed this.

"Are you serious?!" Whistle growled, leaning down slightly hunched over as she gazed into Bat's eyes. "You're going to get yourself killed in that place! What if your father comes and kills you there?! Huh?! Then what do I do?!" Bat's ears flattened to her head, and she glanced away momentarily before her gaze returned to her mother, her lips curling into a snarl.

"I'll be fine! He's so many moons gone! Can we please get over it?!" Bat howled. Stream gazed between the two fearfully, his ears pinning to his head.

"G-guys, please stop!" The tom wailed, the entire family silenced when they heard a soft thump from the entrance to the alley. Whistle was the first to look, her eyes widening.

"No.." She whispered in dread, taking several steps back. Before them stood a black tom; the black tom that was father to Stream and Bat. His eyes were filled with bloodlust, his claws unsheathed and his tail lashing.

"So, after all these moons, I found you." He grinned idly, his cold gaze shifting over each of the cats. Bat and Stream leaned against one another, their eyes wide in fear as they felt their muscles twitching against one another's. Their father's gaze turned to them softly, a creepy giggle rippling from out between his lips, sending chills down their spines.

"My quarrel isn't with you, my dear children. But.." The tom suddenly leaped forward, towering over Bat and Stream as they crouched down. "But I will take what is mine!" The tom snapped his jaws downward in the direction of Bat's scruff. Stream leaped in front of her, and Bat watched in horror as her brother was lifted off the ground, and thrown several meters to the side.

The tom then turned in the direction Whistle, who was crouched down, preparing to attack. "Bat, run!" Whistle howled as the tom leaped for her, his fangs meeting the front of Whistle's neck. Bat was frozen in place, and stared at the conflict as Whistle suddenly exhaled harshly, and went limp. Seeing the weakness in her mother's body, Bat quivered, taking several steps back. The tom then moved towards Stream, grasping the kit by the scruff as he turned in Bat's direction.

"I'll be back for you.. Don't move or I'll kill you when I get back." The tom then turned and walked away, and Bat was forced to endure the squeals of her brother, begging for help, but Bat was paralyzed by fear, and watched as Stream and the tom faded out of sight..

[dimi.]

Bat had played her cards; she had decided that she was going to run, she knew that if she got far enough away, the tom wouldn't be able to catch her ever. She had the upper paw; she had gotten about a ten minute head start, and had made her way down about a quarter mile of the city. She glanced over her shoulder fearfully, taking in a sharp breath as her body quivered. She was unsure if the tom was behind her, but if he was, she at least wanted to be able to find a hiding place swiftly, even if it was crappy, she knew her black pelt would hide her in any shade environment, and so she took the leap into the two-leg drainage system, running down the path desperately.

Bat stopped beneath a pillar, her chest heaving heavily as she had been running for a couple of minutes as fast as she could. Even if she had long legs, her upper body was still much larger than one would imagine as a kit, and soon she collapsed to the ground, her chest continuing to heave. She looked around, and froze when she realized what she was near; she had faintly heard cheering, with names of two cats bouncing off various cats tongues. She knew they could help her! If she was surrounded by cats, her father wouldn't dare to come after her. And so she ran, and she ran fast!

Bat only stopped when she was near the fighting ring, gazing around for who appeared to be the head. She slowly approached one cat, a large long-furred white tom with various scarring on his pelt. Bat was unsure who he was, but knew she had to be around someone intimidating so her father was deterred from coming near to obtain her. The white tom gazed down and saw Bat approaching, raising to his paws and snarling.

"And who are you?!" He growled at the kit. Bat only slightly flinched, her toes curling into the ground slightly.

"I'm Bat. I want to join the fighting ring." She whispered, her multi-colored eyes locking with the white tom's. She appeared unshaken, and straightened her back to appear larger, her eyes glinting with challenge. She was scared, but she refused to let that shine through. The tom, taken slightly aback by her confidence, leaned back as he smirked slightly.

"Are you sure?" His brows furrowed curiously, and Bat nodded. "Hmm.. perhaps we can.. make use of a cat as young as you. It'll be fun to watch you be tossed around.. Alright. Welcome to the ring, Bat. I'm Ryder, one of Twistedstar's guards. Come with me, I'll show you around." The tom then turned, flicking his tail to gesture for Bat to follow him. Bat followed, but continued to glance around, making sure her father wasn't anywhere near.

[dimi.]

The white tom had stepped forward with the black kit walking alongside him, his tail lashing anxiously as his odd eyes surveyed the terrain. The black kit had managed to intimidate him with her confidence, with managed to shine brightly at merely 5 moons of age. He then turned to look at Bat, speaking softly. "What would you like to see first?" He asked Bat. Bat glanced around, then shrugged.

"Maybe where we sleep?" She had noticed when she walked in that no dens were in sight. Ryder nodded and guided her down the drainage series until the two of them came upon a narrow tunnel, which lead underground, beneath the twoleg roads. Bat cocked her head to the side in confusion at first, watching as Ryder leaped in and glanced over his shoulder, flicking his tail to indicate that the kit should follow. She leaped into the tunnel behind him, the two large felines crouched down slightly to fit through the cramped entrance. The two made their way through the darkness, and soon emerged underground before a small canal, which had potent water within it.

"Don't drink that water," Ryder began as he leaped down onto the concrete beside it, Bat repeating the motion as she looked at the river. She parted her maw to ask why, but Ryder seemed to beat her to it. "It's poisonous to us. There's some gross stuff in it, we don't know what it is. We get water from the stream just outside of this city." Bat's maw closed, her question having been answered as the two moved throughout the sewers. The two eventually stoped before a barred off portion, the bars just far enough apart for cats to slink in and out between. "We just go in through here," Ryder began, leaping up into the barred off portion. Bat hesitated at first, her ears pinned to her head before she leaped up, following him as she glanced around, remaining alert.

The two then emerged in another room, where several well made moss beds lay. The room was massive, extending several meters backwards, with beds lined up side by side against the walls. Ryder turned to face Bat, allowing her to glance around as he began to speak to her. "Unlike clan cats, we don't segregate cat beds by rank. We all sleep in the same room, which is why there is so many beds. The next room, just behind you, is where we store all our prey. When prey gets too old, we throw it back to the surface for other homeless cats to eat, since they don't seem to mind crow food." Bat gazed around in amazement before looking back at him.

"This is great, but I do.. notice something. There's not a place where wounds are tended to. Like.. a medicine den." Bat glanced around, making a quick look around.

"Ah, Bat, that's back on the surface, just outside the fighting ring. It's also barred off like this place, but it's actually within the fighting ring territory. We do that so if a cat suffers major wounds, they can be treated almost instantly to prevent any death, since this fighting ring already isn't too well liked. Speaking of which, I think before we go any further, I should introduce you to Twistedstar."

"Twistedstar?" Bat tilted her head to the side, and Ryder sighed, shaking his head.

"Dear, you ask too many questions. C'mon." He leaped towards the exit, turning over his shoulder to wait for Bat.

[dimi.]

After Bat and Ryder had reached the surface, Ryder guided Bat towards Twistedstar, who sat on his own podium on the opposite side of the arena, observing the on going fight between two malnourished rogues who were fighting for a piece of prey. When Ryder approached, he dipped his head, his gruff voice speaking to address Twistedstar. "Twistedstar, I have a new trainee to present to you." He began. Twistedstar glanced over out of the corner of his eye before leaping down, landing before Bat with a soft snarl, silently testing her strength. Bat's eyes locked with Twistedstar's as her claws silently flexed between her toes to ease her nerves. He leaned his head back, cocking his head to the side.

Twistedstar was a tall tom, but he was also slender, managing to look small and tall at the same time. He was a gray tabby tom with golden eyes, and the first thing Bat had noticed about him was his front right paw, which was twisted backwards, a symbol for his name. "What might your name be?" Twistedstar began, ignoring the presence of Ryder in hopes that Bat would speak for herself and quickly catch onto the nature he desired from his trainees. Bat, in a similar fashion to Ryder, bowed her head respectfully.

"I'm Bat. I'm a loner in this city." She explained to Twistedstar, his brows furrowing slightly.

"A loner when you're so young?" Twistedstar leaned forward, speaking softly. "Surely there is more to your tale than that, Bat. Tell me, where is your family? You can't be older than what.. six moons? Maybe seven?" Twistedstar said as he looked over the kit. Bat took a moment to count out her age before speaking again.

"Five moons, Twistedstar." She said respectfully, knowing that correcting the leader was a risky move, but he remained silent as he listened to the she-cat. "I'm apparently a half-clan daughter. My mother is, well, was a loner named Whistle. She had me and my brother with a clan cat who threatened to kill her in order to obtain me. She... actually lost her life today to him." She huffed softly. Twistedstar's gaze remained stoic as he took a seat on his haunches.

"And yet, here you are wanting to join the fighting ring. You are certainly strong mentally, Bat. Others your age would run and most likely wind up dead." Twistedstar said casually, sighing softly as he gazed at Bat. "Did you ever receive any sort of fighting training from your mother?"

"Yeah. She wanted me and my brother to be prepared for whenever he returned. She never left our sides, never let us have our own voices. It was like we were her toys, really." She stated, looking at Twistedstar's comfortable nature before she also took a seat slowly, eyeing the leader for approval. Twistedstar didn't say anything as she took a seat.

"Then you have a place to start." Twistedstar glanced at the fighting ring for a moment before turning his gaze back to Bat. "Tell you what. I'll allow you to join these ranks as a kit. It's taboo in other clans or packs, but you've already been fighting for a couple moons, so it shouldn't be too bad. Welcome to the Ring, Batpaw."

[dimi.]

The moment Batpaw had agreed to become a trainee of the ring, she found herself tossed into the ring with an adult cat before her. Twistedstar's name wasn't only derived from his paw, it was derived from his tendencies. He had purposely made this fight unfair, in order to test Batpaw's potential and how she would react to such an event. Twistedstar stood on his podium, gazing down at the audience. "Toms and she-cats alike, I welcome you to the ring. To the right, we have our newest trainee, Batpaw with her first ever match!" The cats in the audience boo'd her, a tradition to further test the endurance one had. Batpaw's gaze remained unshaken as her multicolored eyes stared forward at her opponent.

"And to the left, we have our beloved rogue fighter, Firecracker! She has built quite the reputation in this ring for being a fiery and swift opponent!" Twistedstar yowled before stepping back. "Ready when you are, fighters." Batpaw crouched down, her eyes refusing to leave Firecracker's frame as she smirked smugly. She was a ginger she-cat with stunning green eyes, and several scars across her face, along with her right ear being completely mangled and scarred over. Batpaw could practically feel the blood lust within her opponents eyes, and knew the match was going to be a tough one.

As Batpaw surveyed her opponent, Firecracker suddenly soared forward, her maw parted wide open to dig into Batpaw's skin. Batpaw swiftly leaped to the side and stuck her leg out at a low angle, which Firecracker tumbled over, her body slamming into the wall nearby as Batpaw whirled around, a gasp of surprise emerging from the crowd. Firecracker leaped back up and ran for Batpaw, one of her paws outstretching to strike Batpaw's temple. She staggered to the side, her vision growing foggy as she was left dazed, her posture wobbly as Firecracker's head rammed against her chest, knocking Batpaw to the ground.

Batpaw took in a soft series of breaths, her vision slowly returning as Firecracker leaped into the air, attempting to pin her down. Batpaw's hind paws swung out as Firecracker's chest soared over her body, striking her upper body to send her flying behind her. She twisted her body to raise back to her paws, her eyes locking on Firecracker. No blood had been shed yet, and the crowd had been growing annoyed, yelling things such as "tear each other apart!" Knowing that Batpaw would be made a joke if she couldn't shed any of her opponent's blood; and that was the last thing she wanted.

As Firecracker eyed the crowd, Batpaw took her by surprise and leaped forward, her claws meeting Firecracker's left ear, tearing through as her paw jerked up, a nick of Firecracker's ear flying off as Batpaw landed behind her with a prideful snarl, a hiss of pain leaving Firecracker's maw as sanguine spilled down her face from the new cut. "Oh, you little brat.." Firecracker snarled as the crowd began to howl excitedly. Batpaw looked at Firecracker's angry expression, and knew that she was in danger as Firecracker suddenly shot forward. Her fangs met Batpaw's scruff, thrashing her around wildly before her maw parted open, sending Batpaw flying into a nearby wall, the back of her neck having formed a cut.

Winded by the blow, Batpaw staggered to her paws, gazing up at Firecracker. Her ears perked as she realized one of Firecracker's weaknesses; she was quick, and often couldn't stop herself in time before she would collide with something. "Come at me, you fiery brat!" Batpaw howled, purposely antagonizing the cat. She growled angrily and darted forward, gaining speed rapdily. Batpaw's eyes locked on her as she backed up closer to the wall, and once Firecracker was merely a meter from her, she leaped to the side, listening as Firecracker's body struck the wall, the ginger she-cat dropping to the ground from the harsh blow.

Twistedstar watched in amusement before leaping down, stepping between Firecracker and Batpaw. "Alright, that's enough. Batpaw reigns victorious." The cats in the audience glanced between one another, Batpaw's chest heaving as a small puddle of crimson formed beneath her from the cut on her neck. Soon, Firecracker and Batpaw were guided off to the medicine den to have their wounds tended to.

[dimi.]

"So, how did you come to be such a young fighter?" Firecracker asked. She sat across from Batpaw in a separate moss bed, her torn ear being tended to by one of the medicine cats, Cypresswhisper. Batpaw was surprised by Firecracker's attempt to make casual conversation with her. Just minutes prior, Firecracker had been eyeing her in the ring, looking as if she wanted to rip Batpaw to shreds; which she probably did want to, at least in the heat of the moment. Yet now, Firecracker was calm, and inquiring Batpaw, seeming to be genuinely interested. Batpaw took in a shaky breath, and spoke softly.

"Well, my mother trained me a bit to protect myself from my father. He was always a little possessive of her and didn't want to be a father until I was born with this abnormality." She gestured to her bobtail. "His clan thought things like that were blessings, and he thought I was destined to be a part of his clan, to be the next leader. My mother didn't approve of that though." Batpaw explained, her tail wiggling anxiously as she sighed. "So my mother never left my side, ever. Feared I would be taken by him one day. She taught me how to fight, and how to get a rise out of opponents. That's how I got you to strike that wall." Batpaw said with a small smile, which Firecracker rolled her eyes at.

"You made me look like a damn fool. I'm not saying that I'm annoyed by it, though." Firecracker shrugged, leaning back against the wall once her ear had been bandaged. "I'm guessing something happened to your mother if you're here. I won't ask about it, though. I know some are uncomfortable with discussing such affairs." Firecracker said sympathetically before her emerald eyes returned to the she-cat.

"It doesn't bother me too much." Batpaw said with a shrug, lifting her paw up to lap at it softly. Her ears perked when she saw a shadow appear in the den, the silhouette of Twistedstar standing at the entrance. Cypresswhisper turned her head in the direction of the leader and dipped her head, taking a step back.

"Hello, you two," Twistedstar began, moving forward to sit in between the nests. "You two still wanting to fight?" Twistedstar asked with a mocking laugh as he gazed at Firecracker. Firecracker rolled her eyes as Batpaw sighed, leaping out of her nest to move towards Firecracker, eyeing Twistedstar.

"Hey. Firecracker and I are fine. " Batpaw intervened, much to the leader's surprise as he took a step back, pridefully smiling towards the apprentice.

"You know, your attitude is turning out to be quite the intriguing trait. I've never had an apprentice quite as confident as you, especially after a traumatic event like losing your mother. You'll be good to me and the ring." Twistedstar bowed his head as Firecracker watched, her eyes glinting with sympathy upon hearing about Batpaw's mother.

"I'll try, sir." She bowed her head before looking back at Firecracker, moving towards her. Twistedstar stepped forward, looking at Firecracker as he asked softly.

"How would you feel about training Batpaw, Firecracker?" Twistedstar inquired. Firecracker's tail flicked curiously before she smirked, bowing her head.

"It'd be fun. I'm guessing this isn't a question, rather a demand. I'll train her." Firecracker answered as Twistedstar made his way out of the den with a soft 'good' muttered beneath his breath.

[dimi.]

"So, where are we headed?" Batpaw asked, her mentor Firecracker beside her. It was midday the day after Batpaw had joined the fighting ring, the sun in the direct center of the sky, glowing brightly. The two were walking together, making their way towards a location that Batpaw was unaware of. Firecracker remained silent for a moment, her eyes surveying the terrain before she began to speak.

"Well, we're heading to the stream outside of the city. Today, I'm gonna teach you how to swim. We get a lot of our food from this river, such as fish, so naturally you gotta learn how to swim before we get to training with hunting or fighting. You don't have a problem with water, right?" Firecracker asked, her emerald eyes meeting Batpaw's frame as the two walked beside each other. Batpaw pondered the question for a moment before shrugging, beginning to speak.

"I've uh... I've actually never been in the water. I mean, my mother took me across rivers through stones or bridges, but we never actually ended up in the water." Batpaw explained, closing her eyes to imagine the rushing water beneath her paws, her heart pounding in anticipation at the thought of leaping into the cooling body of water. Firecracker then smiled, turning her head forward.

"We're heading to a shallow part of the river. You should be able to walk in it with how tall you are, but we're just gonna ease you into it so I don't accidentally cause you to drown." Firecracker said jokingly, nudging Batpaw's shoulder as they reached the stream. The stream had several large rocks sticking out from beneath the surface, the current gentle, not enough to sweep any adult cat away. Batpaw took in a deep breath of the fresh scent of water, the scent calming to her. Firecracker watched Batpaw get lost in the nature before nudging her forward. "C'mon. We don't have all day."

Firecracker then leaped into the river, a soft splash heard from beneath her paws. She was able to stand in the river, the water reaching just up to her knees. Batpaw slowly pressed her paw against the water, jittering at the cold sensation before she bit the bullet and leaped forward, landing in the water with a much more aggressive splash. She stood in the water before Firecracker after she resurfaced, shaking her head to fling the water out of her eyes before opening them, eyeing Firecracker, who had began to laugh at Firecracker's antics.

"Hey! At least I'm in the water!" Batpaw snarled back playfully, batting her paw up to splash at Firecracker. Firecracker laughed, gently placing her paw on Batpaw's leg.

"Okay, let's get down to business. So, I'm gonna say something that's a little odd." Firecracker's legs suddenly went limp, and she soon dropped to her stomach, floating idly as she gazed forward at Batpaw. "I need you to force your legs to go numb, let the current hold your body."

Batpaw looked forward at her orange mentor in confusion, tilting her head to the side. "Uh... how do I do that?" She asked in confusion, glancing at her legs. Firecracker sighed and moved forward slightly, one of her legs striking Batpaw's front legs, and she watched as they dropped from beneath her. Batpaw soon floated in the river, but only her chin and shoulder poked up above the surface.

"Okay, that's a start. Now put your back legs out behind you, and just relax, pretend you're about to sleep." Firecracker explained. Batpaw kept her eyes on Firecracker, slowly releasing her legs from beneath her. Her body took a moment to go limp, and soon she was floating. Firecracker looked at Batpaw and grinned, gently splashing her.

"See, I told you you could do it!" FIrecracker said with a smile before leaning back slightly. "Now, we need to work on moving. Paddle your legs as if you're running, just not touching the floor of the river." Firecracker demonstrated, swimming forward towards Batpaw slowly. Batpaw kept her eyes locked on the water, watching as Firecracker moved her legs before repeating the motion, but she was doing it too delicately, staying in place. "You need to be harsher than that, Batpaw." Firecracker said, repeating her motion before Batpaw nodded, rowing her paws quicker until she bumped into Firecracker.

"Was that right?" Batpaw asked, tilting her head to the side. Firecracker nodded in approval, her paws touching the floor of the river so she could stand upright. "There we go. Now, do it without my help." Batpaw looked at Firecracker, her eyes wide before she nodded, soon beginning to paddle once more. Batpaw suddenly lost her rhythm, however, and scrambled, her paws touching the floor.

"S-sorry." She stuttered as Firecracker leaned down, grabbing Batpaw by the scruff to bring her to the shore with a soft sigh.

"You're alright. You're learning pretty quick, I'm not going to lie and say I'm not impressed." She explained with a small smile. "Come on, let's dry off." Firecracker said, placing Batpaw on the ground before she began to lap at her own orange pelt. Batpaw shook her body back and forth, flinging water off of her body before she sat down, slowly lapping out the tangles that had formed in her long-haired pelt from the water, occasionally gently grabbing a chunk with her fangs to squeeze the water out before detangling it.

Once Batpaw was dried off, she looked forward at Firecracker, tilting her head to the side. "So, what else are we going to do?" Firecracker looked at Batpaw and giggled, teasingly speaking. "Are you really that eager? Well, I suppose we could perhaps.. work on your speed. You're a little.. big and slow, you could say." Firecracker explained, gesturing to the black she-cat's muscular frame.

Firecracker then flung herself to her paws and whirled around before yipping. "Last one back to camp is roadkill!" Firecracker then bolted off, and Batpaw, before she had time to react, was soon running after her, several meters behind.

[dimi.]

Batpaw began to slow down after running for several minutes, her heart pounding as she gasped in heavily for air. Her heavy frame was dragging her back as she ran, and her vision had began to grow black dots, obstructing her view as she glanced around for her mentor, who had bolted several meters ahead, merely an orange blob in the distance. With another sharp breath inward, Batpaw's speed increased, her paws throbbing as her pads begged for rest. She hadn't run this vigorously before, even when she had been running from her murderous father merely days prior.

"Shoot.." She whispered beneath her breath, her eyes locked on the path ahead. She wasn't focused on her surroundings, nor what was on the ground in front of her, and soon a sudden pang of pain struck both of her front paws, and she was sent spiraling through the air, flipping over so she landed on her back with a yowl of agony. She lay on her back weakly for a moment, looking behind her to see what she had tripped over. She had struck a log at a great momentum, and been sent flying. She eyed a small hole in the log, narrowing her eyes as she saw a small orange blob emerge with her blurred vision. "Firecracker?" She called out, forcing herself to her paws.

She heard a high pitched squeal, and realized it wasn't Firecracker; it was a fox! Batpaw yowled loudly, staggering backwards fearfully as she looked over her shoulder, yowling loudly. "Firecracker! Help! Help!" She yipped pitifully, turning back over her shoulder as the fox before her darted forward. Batpaw attempted to leap to the side, but the fox's maw parted open, and soon it was latched onto her shoulder, digging its fangs in brutally. "Ow ow ow!" She slammed her paw against the fox's jaw bone repeatedly until it's grip loosened and she could jerk her leg out. She hobbled backwards, looking at the fox desperately.

Batpaw staggered to the side and weakly leaped up, her front claws digging into a nearby tree. She slowly climbed up, her hind legs dangling a couple meters off the ground. The fox moved towards the tree she hung from, clawing at the surface as it continued to yip. Batpaw let out one final cry of desperation for Firecracker, her voice echoing throughout the plain. "Firecracker! Help!!!" She begged again, closing her eyes desperately as her shoulder began to burn from pain, an infection bound to form. The leg that had been bitten was beginning to grow weak, her body dragging down the tree. "No no no... Please, don't..." She whimpered, her hind paws scrambling against the trees to push herself further up.

She suddenly heard a loud battle cry, and a loud yip as the fox was rammed and sent tumbling several meters to the side. Batpaw looked over her shoulder and saw Firecracker, breathing heavily at the bottom of the tree as her head swung up to eye Batpaw. "Come on! We need to go!" Batpaw nodded, and dropped from the tree, cringing as her shoulder continued to burn. Firecracker eyed the wound, her eyes widening as she leaned to Batpaw's side, grasping her by the scruff as she began to run, their pace slow as they neared the city.

The fox had backed off almost immediately, the species not known to be a violent one, only when they were first attacked. Once Firecracker knew the fox wasn't hot on their tail, she slowed for Batpaw's comfort, hobbling into the city. "You're gonna be okay." Firecracker reassured Batpaw as she ushered her into the drainage system, guiding her towards the medicine den as swiftly as possible.

[dimi.]

In the process of being ushered into the medicine den by Firecracker, Batpaw had gone unconscious, dropping to the ground beside Firecracker. Her legs had given out beneath her, and her eyes had shut, forcing her into a deep slumber. The first thing she saw when she awakened was the medicine cat, Cypresswhisper, hovering over her. Her breath reeked of a poultice, which was spat onto Batpaw's shoulder, extracting the bacteria from the wound before a cold sensation washed over her shoulder, water being squeezed onto the wound to clean the poultice off.

Batpaw's vision finally focused, and she looked up at Cypresswhisper, bowing her head respectively. "Thank you..." She winced as Cypresswhisper gently shoved her shoulder upward, binding a series of vines around it to hold her leg in place.

"Quit moving your damn head. This wound is right on your shoulder, and you keep blocking it." Cypresswhisper muttered, binding the wound until the circulation was almost cut off to Batpaw's leg. Cypresswhisper gnawed at the vine until it split, tugging it beneath the layers on Batpaw's leg. "Your shoulder will need to remain still for some time. You'll be back to training in a couple of days. Now, I'm assuming Firecracker is going to want to have a word with you. She looked pretty angry coming in here..." Upon hearing this, Batpaw scoffed, narrowing her eyes.

"She was angry? She's the one who bolted off ahead of me!" Batpaw snarled as Cypresswhisper sighed, stepping to the side to allow the ginger she-cat to move forward.

"I'll let you two sort your bickering out." Cypresswhisper said before moving outside of the den, moving towards the entrance of the camp to be away from the den.

After the two were left alone, Firecracker gazed down at Batpaw, sighing quietly. After a moment, she spoke. "I'm... sorry, Batpaw." She said, almost relunctantly.

"And why are you sorry?" Batpaw pressed on, her eyes locking on Firecracker's gaze.

"For ditching you. I shouldn't have left an apprentice behind, especially when I knew they were slower than me." Firecracker explained, her eyes flattening to her head as she looked at Batpaw. "Are you mad at me?"

"I'm fuming. My shoulder's screwed for a while, Firecracker. This is gonna stunt my progress." Batpaw growled, her gaze suddenly softening. "But, as I learned early on, that's just a part of life. I will need to get some rest." Batpaw laid on her side, a sharp exhale of pain leaving her maw.

"Of course. I'll be back in here to bring you some prey around dinner." Firecracker said before turning to exit. "I'm sorry again, Batpaw."

"You'll be forgiven once my shoulder heals." Batpaw retorted, watching as Firecracker's gaze shifted to being disappointed as she gazed over her shoulder. Firecracker then shook her head, and moved out of the den.