NIghtmist lay curled up as if asleep, the only evidence of her alertness being her still frame and controlled breathing as she waited for Ripplepaw to strike. Finally, the moment came. True to form, the young she-cat barely made a sound as she leaped at Nightmist, but the faintest scrape of paw against rock gave her away. The warrior allowed herself to be pounced upon before she wriggled out of Ripplepaw’s grasp, attempting to pin the smaller cat down with a well-placed paw.

“Very good, my young apprentice,” Nightmist purred. “You might have really caught me off guard if I hadn’t known you were there as part of the exercise.” She padded a few tail-lengths away, turning to face Ripplepaw once again across the clearing. “If you can master the element of surprise, you can sneak up on larger cats and get in a few quick blows before they are even aware of your presence.”

She lowered into a crouch, tail upright and waving back and forth. “Now come at me with some frontal paw swipes. Claws sheathed for training,” she reminded Ripplepaw. “And watch how I defend myself, should you ever be on the receiving end of such an attack.”

[@Phaesaris]

[hr]

Amberleaf’s ears twitched in irritation at Harepaw’s comments, but he remained calm as the group padded west through the sparse forest that made up part of their territory. “We’ll stop coddling you like a kit when you stop acting like one,” he retorted sharply without a backwards glance at the apprentice. “If you constantly feel the need to belittle others in order to prove how great you are, you are not ready to be a warrior yet.” While they walked, he continued to be on the lookout even as he talked to Harepaw.

Amberleaf couldn’t help a sigh himself as he thought about the time before the Clans. It already seemed so long ago, but he knew that one wrong move from either of the Clans would plunge the valley into chaos once more. It was such a fragile peace they held in their paws, something that could so easily be shattered if they were not careful. Amberleaf had no wish to return to that life, and Harepaw seemed to share the sentiment. The deputy felt the first small glimmer of respect for the younger tom with his last comment, despite the snark with which it was delivered.

“Yes… Neither would I. Which is why we must all work together to ensure the success of the Clans. Every cat’s effort will be needed and valued,” he added mildly, briefly looking over his shoulder at the three cats behind him, a warrior and two apprentices. His Clanmates, he thought proudly. Maybe they didn’t all get along just yet, but it was a start.

[@OtterTerror][@CLIW]