Outcast

Cinderpaw was her best friend, and she didn’t want to quarrel with her. “Sorry, Cinderpaw,” she went on. “I just think this will be a way that will work for me. You don’t have to join in if you don’t want to.”

Cinderpaw reached up to touch Hollypaw’s nose with her ear. “It’s okay. And you know I’ll help if I can.”

By the time Hollypaw and Cinderpaw had finished refreshing the elders’ bedding, Thornclaw and Brackenfur were gathering the apprentices together in the middle of the clearing.

“Are we hunting?” Hollypaw asked eagerly.

It was Thornclaw who replied. “No, Cloudtail and I are taking our apprentices to the mossy clearing for some advanced battle training. You and Lionpaw can come along and watch.”

“And join in if you want to,” Brackenfur added.

Cinderpaw gave an excited little bounce. “Let’s go!”

Her mentor, Cloudtail, padded up behind her and flicked her on the shoulder with his tail. “You be careful of that leg.

If I’m asking too much of you, I want to know.”

Cinderpaw’s excitement faded. “My leg’s fine, Cloudtail. It won’t hold me back from being a warrior, will it?”

“I hope not. We’ll have to see,” was Cloudtail’s discouraging response.

Hollypaw pressed her muzzle against Cinderpaw’s. “Don’t worry. You will be a warrior. I just know it.”

Ashfur came padding over with Lionpaw from the apprentices’ den. “Are we all ready?” the gray warrior asked.

“Where’s Honeypaw?”

“Sandstorm took her on a hunting patrol,” Brackenfur replied. “She’ll join us later.”

The clouds had cleared away and the sun was burning up the mist. In the shadow of the trees the grass was still laden with dew. Hollypaw brushed past a clump of fern and flicked her ears as droplets fell on her head. The undergrowth was full of exciting scents and sounds; she longed to put her plan into practice on a hunting patrol, instead of going to a training session when she would have to spend most of her time watching.

With four apprentices and their mentors, the clearing was crowded. Hollypaw sat in a sunny spot at one side with Brackenfur. Lionpaw and Ashfur were a couple of tail-lengths away. Hollypaw tried to hide a yawn as Cloudtail and Thornclaw demonstrated a move to the two older apprentices: Cloudtail leaped into the air with a twist so that he came down on Thornclaw’s shoulders.

“Now you try,” he invited Cinderpaw.

Cinderpaw crouched to face her mentor and launched herself into the air. She got the twist right, but she hadn’t leaped high enough, so that instead of landing on Cloudtail’s shoulders she blundered clumsily into his side, and he pinned her down with one paw on her chest.

“Not bad for a first try,” he commented, letting her get up, “but you need more strength in that leap. Is your leg bothering you?”

Cinderpaw blinked. “No, it’s fine. I’ll get it right next time.”

“And don’t forget,” Thornclaw added, “in a real fight your enemy won’t stand still and wait for you to land on him.

You’ve got to anticipate his next move.”

“Let me have a try,” Poppypaw meowed.

As the training session went on, Hollypaw noticed that Lionpaw was fidgeting. “I can do that,” he told Ashfur. “Can I try it?”

Ashfur hesitated. “It’s advanced stuff,” he pointed out.

“There’s no point in trying before you’re ready.”

“I am ready,” Lionpaw insisted, his fur starting to fluff up.

Ashfur shrugged. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

Hollypaw watched nervously as Lionpaw and his mentor moved out into the clearing, well away from the other practice session.

“Go on, then, show me,” Ashfur mewed.

Lionpaw leaped into the air, sunlight turning his golden pelt to flame. With all four paws off the ground he twisted and came down perfectly balanced on Ashfur’s shoulders.

Ashfur let out a grunt of surprise, while Hollypaw stared in astonishment. How had Lionpaw learned how to do that move so perfectly?

“See?” Lionpaw challenged his mentor as he leaped to the ground. “Now will you be a bit tougher on me?”

“You want tough?” There was the hint of a growl in Ashfur’s voice, and his blue eyes gleamed. “Be careful what you wish for, Lionpaw.”

Hollypaw felt the fur on her shoulder begin to rise. Was Ashfur joking?

“I can cope with anything,” Lionpaw insisted.

Ashfur leaped on Lionpaw, landing a hard blow on his ear.

Lionpaw rolled to one side, raking his hind paws down Ashfur’s flank. A heartbeat later he was back on his paws, leaping into the air and landing on his mentor’s shoulders in the move Cloudtail had just demonstrated. Ashfur reared up on his hind paws, shaking off Lionpaw; Hollypaw winced at the thud as her brother hit the ground. Instantly his mentor jumped on top of him and the two cats wrestled together in a screeching tangle of fur, rolling closer to the other apprentices.

Poppypaw had to dodge to one side to avoid them.

Thornclaw curled his tail around her shoulders and drew her to the side of the clearing. Cloudtail and Cinderpaw joined them, their training session forgotten as they stared at the furious battle.