Chapter 7

Wildpaw couldn’t believe it! An apprentice of ThunderClan at last! She bounded up to her mentor, eager to see the territories. After the cheering died down and the afternoon was over, Wildkit—no, Wildpaw bounded up to her mentor, eager for their first lesson. She hoped fervently that she wouldn't have to collect moss or clean out the elder's den, which was Fawnpaw's and Cherrypaw's first job as apprentices. She hoped Mapleleaf would teach her some hunting moves, or maybe battle moves.
"Can you please show me the territories?" asked Wildpaw as she approached her new mentor, eyes sparkling. Wildpaw saw she was thinking, her amber eyes thoughtful. She waited for an answer from Mapleleaf, her tail twitching impatiently.
“I’ll show you the territory today. Go get Cloudpaw and Creampaw," decided the she-cat, and flicked her tail to order her to follow her. Wildpaw raced over to the two toms and told them Mapleleaf wanted them and dashed away again.
“Yes, Mapleleaf?” meowed Creampaw as he skidded to a stop in front of the warrior. Cloudpaw padded slowly up to them and sat down, licking a paw and drawing it over his gray ear.
“I want you to help me explain the territory to Wildpaw,” explained Mapleleaf. She bounded out of camp, the three apprentices close behind. Wildpaw was right behind her as they pounded through the bramble tunnel, the entrance to the stone hollow, and out to the forest beyond. She recognized some bushes she saw from her first expedition in the forest with Fawnpaw and Creampaw. Now that she thought about it, Creampaw was looking kind of, almost handsome, with his thick cream shiny fur, always groomed and those glowing amber eyes. Then they made a left turn and Wildpaw knew the territory no more and forgot about Creampaw. She struggled to keep pace with her mentor, her short legs slowing her down. She hoped she would get legs as long as her leader when she grew up to be a warrior. A warrior.That's what I'm going to be, thought Wildpaw proudly. Not a medicine cat. Medicine cats are lonely. But even as she thought that, she felt like her decision to be a warrior's apprentice was somewhat...wrong. Wildpaw shook her head. I am a warrior's apprentice, not a medicine cat's apprentice, she told herself firmly. I am a warrior’s apprentice, not Sagewhisker apprenti—
"Ah!" screeched Wildpaw as she suddenly collided with Mapleleaf’s back. As Mapleleaf tumbled forward a few paces, trying to regain her balance, Wildpaw picked herself up from the ground where she had fallen face-first, embarrassment burning in her pelt. Cloudpaw and Creampaw purred in amusement, but were silenced by a glare from Mapleleaf.
"Sorry," mumbled Wildpaw, keeping her gaze fixed on paws, which she shuffled in the ground. Then Wildpaw heard a deep purr and she looked up. Mapleleaf had an amused expression on her face.
"It's alright," she meowed. "I guess you were excited about seeing the fores—wait, have you been here before?"Wildpaw looked around. They were in a sandy hollow, rimmed with bushes and trees. She didn't recognize it, but she figured out it must be the training hollow. Fawnpaw and Cherrypaw told her this was where they did most of their battle training.
"It's the training hollow, right?" Wildpaw mewed. Creampaw nodded and looked at Mapleleaf. The ginger-and-tortoiseshell nodded, too.
"Can you guess what we're going to do here?""Umm...battle training?""Yes, but not today," Mapleleaf meowed. "I suppose Creampaw or Leafp---” and stopped in mid-sentence. Wildpaw gulped. She had almost said Leafpaw! Creampaw and Cloudpaw looked up at the she-cat, wondering why she had stopped in mid-sentence.
“Okay, Mapleleaf, who was Leafpaw?” she demanded, looking at her mentor’s reaction closely. Sorrow flashed in the she-cat’s amber eyes as Wildpaw said the name.
“Leafpaw w-was H-Hazelstar’s k-kit!” she stammered, fixing her eyes on her paws. “Hazelstar is my littermate.” She paused and looked up at Wildpaw, who was astonished. Littermates?!? But they were so different! “Flowerpelt w-was her mentor and they were inseparable. Her mate, Coalfang, was killed in a WindClan raid many moons before you were born. He died before knowing Hazelstar bared his kits. Leafpaw-paw was beautiful, and two toms loved her. She looked like you but her fur shone in the sun, her eyes sparkled when she was happy.” Wildpaw was intrigued. This was fascinating! But it was sad to see her noble leader in so much pain. My fur shines in the sun, she thought defiantly, her green eyes flashing. Cloudpaw and Creampaw leaned forward keenly, ears pricked with interest.
Suddenly, Mapleleaf looked up and meowed, “Battle moves! Ah….yes battle moves! Copy me, Wildpaw!”
“Hey! What about Leafpaw?” Wildpaw protested. Her mentor ignored her question and started the day’s battle move. Wildpaw let it go and nodded, excitement bubbling up inside her. Mapleleaf was going to teach her some battle moves! Most mentors didn't teach their apprentices battle moves until the third or fourth lesson. She couldn't wait to brag about this to Fawnpaw and Cherrypaw!"Sit down and watch me," ordered her mentor.Wildpaw obeyed and sat with her tail neatly laid on her paws as Mapleleaf dropped into a crouch. She was well aware of Cloudpaw’s pelt brushing hers. Then her mentor propelled herself forward and slashed at the invisible enemy with her claws. She landed on the ground perfectly, whipped around as fast as light, and kicked out with her hind legs.Wildpaw's eyes were wide. I hope I'll be able to do that! she thought, her paws itching to try out the battle move.
"Try it." Mapleleaf settled down to watch her as Wildpaw scrambled to her paws.She took a deep breath, and flattened herself to a crouch. Then, pushing with her hind legs, she leaped forward and lashed with sheathed claws at the air. Triumph was spreading through her when she landed and suddenly lost her balance.
"Oof!" Wildpaw fell on her side on the ground. She leapt to her paws, furious at herself for concentrating properly on the battle move. Creampaw looked on and blinked at her encouragingly. She would do it to impress Creampaw. Wait! What was she thinking? They were just friends!"Hmm..." Wildpaw looked up at her mentor. Mapleleaf eyes were narrowed. “You two,” she meowed, flicking her tail at the two toms.
“Show her how it’s done.” Wildpaw’s ears burned. She didn’t need help!"We'll work on your balance," she meowed. "Try the move again."Wildpaw did the move, and she landed on the ground on all four paws, wobbling a bit. But she lost her balance again when she tried to spin around as fast as Mapleleaf, and fell to the ground again. Gritting her teeth, she tried the battle move again. Pretty soon, Mapleleaf sighed with impatience and dismissed Creampaw and Cloudpaw, who was curled up in the shade of a hazel bush. Wildpaw attempted the move again.And again.For the rest of the afternoon, Wildpaw practiced the move over and over again, but she just couldn't get it right. There was always some sort of mistake. Finally, as the bottom of the sun touched the moorlands of WindClan's territory, Mapleleaf, who had been watching her repeat the battle move again and again, got to her paws.
"Let's go back to camp," she meowed, and padded to the edge of the training hollow. Wildpaw tried to protest—she wanted to do the move over and over until she got it right—but stopped herself in time. Do not argue with your mentor, she told herself, and followed the ThunderClan warrior to the stone hollow.
"Eat." She ordered, flicking his tail to the fresh-kill pile, which had been stocked up by the hunting patrols. Wildpaw obeyed, and picked a mouse from the top of the pile. She padded to the side of the apprentices' den where Creampaw and Cherrypaw were eating, the mouse dangling from the tail in her jaws. She suddenly felt self-conscious around Creampaw, wishing she had groomed her fur thoroughly. It was sticking up all over the place with moss and leaves caught in her long tortoiseshell fur.
"How was the rest of your first lesson?" asked Creampaw through a mouthful of sparrow-meat.
"What was your first lesson?" Cherrypaw looked up from her squirrel. Wildkit couldn’t help herself from looking into those pools of melted honey…….Wake up, Wildpaw!
"Too tired to explain," mewed Wildpaw. It was true. Now that she wasn't feeling the desire to master the move, she wanted to curl up right now, right there and have dreams of hunting mice or birds or squirrels. She took a bite out of her mouse drowsily.Creampaw nodded understandingly.
"It's always tiring when it's your first day as an apprentice," he meowed sympathetically. "I've prepared you a nest next to mine." Was she imagining it or was there a double meaning to his words? You’re too young to be falling in love! She scowled herselfWildpaw finished up her mouse, blinking gratefully at Creampaw, and went into the apprentices' den. She sniffed out Creampaw's scent, and found her nest next to her denmate's nest. It was spongy green moss and feathers from a sparrow. She’d have to thank Creampaw. She circled it for a while, and then curled up to sleep, her screaming muscles relaxing. Darkness washed over her as she closed her eyes.Suddenly scents drifted up her nose; scents that smelled like grass and fresh air and something else she couldn't identify, and Wildpaw could hear sounds; leaves being rustled by breezes, and voices.Voices.Wildpaw's eyes snapped open. She was behind a bush. She peered out from behind it as silently as she could, and saw a clearing with a small, dark pool in the middle of it. A strange, faint glow rimmed the dark water and there were two cats talking beside it. A golden tabby she-cat and a golden tom.
Wildpaw pricked her ears, straining to hear what they were saying."...Strange voices? What are you talking about, Lightedpath?" asked the golden tom, confused.
"I've been hearing voices, Goldenheart," explained the golden tabby she-cat, Lightedpath. "Voices that appear whenever..." A breeze picked up, blowing away the rest of the words. Voices that appear whenever...what? Whenever what? Wildpaw struggled to hear more, but the breeze didn't die down. She slid her claws out and clawed the ground furiously, cursing the stupid breeze. She wanted to hear more!Wildpaw sighed, and sheathed her claws, looking around. It was right then that she realized she didn't know where she was. This wasn't ThunderClan territory that was for sure. It didn't have scents of ThunderClan cats and she was sure there wasn't a golden she-cat in her Clan. Where was she?Wildpaw decided to explore. She took a step forward—and stepped on a twig as the breeze died down. CRACK! The sound was loud in the still air. Wildpaw froze. The two cats stopped talking immediately.
"Who's there?" demanded one of them.Run! Wildpaw thought urgently. Run, mousebrain, run!But her paws wouldn't move. It was like as if they were frozen to the ground.
"I think it's coming from there," meowed the she-cat. Pawsteps grew louder as the cats approached Wildpaw. Wildpaw's heart was beating wildly; fear rising up inside her, threatening to spill over. What would they do to her when they found her? Were they going to...kill her?Run, you fox-dung paws! She screeched silently.It was too late. The leaves of the bush she was hiding behind rustled and the two golden cats stepped through it. The golden she-cat narrowed amber eyes at her.
"Who are you?" she demanded