Nightmist nodded encouragingly as Ripplepaw pounced at her, dancing back a few steps to stay out of range of her pawswipes. “That’s right; don’t hold back. In a real battle there will be no time for hesitation. Decide upon a course of action and follow through,” she instructed. “Notice how I’m dodging your attacks. If you can stay nimble enough to do so, you can wait until you find an opening to strike.” She proceeded to do so, lashing out with both her front paws while taking her weight on her hind legs. Her claws were sheathed and the blow was light; it was meant to be a demonstration of fighting techniques, not to hurt Ripplepaw or make her feel inadequate.

[hr]

Sagekit awoke alone in BoulderClan’s nursery, roused by the sudden emptiness beside him. He blinked sleepily and padded out of the den on tiny kit paws, first noticing Willowkit with Riversong and Nettlefang and approaching them. It was then that he saw Ravenfeather, clearly agitated, and became aware of the tension in the camp.

“Owlkit’s missing,” Willowkit said with wide eyes before Sagekit could ask. The worry of the adult cats was infectious.

Sagekit, on the other hand, took it more lightly. “Relax. He’s probably just having a little adventure,” he said, mostly to Willowkit.

“Well, do [i]you[/i] want to tell Ravenfeather that?” his sister retorted. Sagekit took a look at the anxious queen and thought better of it.

Nettlefang’s gaze clouded over with concern and he nodded at Riversong. “Don’t worry; we’ll find him,” he tried to reassure his mate, nuzzling her briefly before walking over to Ravenfeather and Boulderstar. “I’m sure he’s safe,” he mewed, hoping to calm them down so they could search more effectively. “I’d like to help you look. We’ll head outside the camp and see if we can pick up his scent trail from there,” he added with a grateful nod to Leopardkit for her advice.

[hr]

“They can try, but we’ll fight them off,” Amberleaf said confidently after listening to Screefoot and Harepaw speak. “We have as much right to be here as they do, and if they can’t see that, we’ll make them. However,” he was quick to add, “fighting is our last resort. If we go picking battles with every rogue we see, they’ll only cause more trouble.” The deputy flicked his tail as he navigated some loose gravel scattered across the ground underfoot. “Fear is what keeps us alive,” he pointed out to Harepaw, unruffled by the apprentice’s constant insults.

The orange tom lifted his nose to sniff the air as he walked, and he suddenly stopped and scented more carefully as he picked up something unexpected. There was a strange cat nearby, along with the smell of freshly killed prey. “Do you smell that? Loner or rogue. Remember what I said, we are [i]not[/i] chasing this cat away unless he turns out to be hostile. Understood?” He looked at each of them in turn, his gaze lingering on Harepaw to drive the point home. Of all of them, Harepaw was the most likely to start a fight by far. Amberleaf somewhat wished that Boulderstar were here to give them direction, but he was confident that they could handle it. Tensed and alert for trouble, Amberleaf led the way in the direction of the scent.



[@OtterTerror][@Phaesaris][@ViolentViolet][@CLIW][@KahleenCuthald]