Bloodflower

Chapter 7

Rosepaw charged at Pineclaw, her eyes narrowing as she fixated her gaze on the ground underneath his paws. She lowered her head to slide underneath Pineclaw and unbalance him.

But he had seen the move coming and sidestepped easily, leaving Rosepaw slumped on the ground, her belly pressed against the sandy earth. Quick as lightning, Pineclaw whipped around and leaped on top of her, pinning her in an instant.

"You're so fast!" Rosepaw panted, struggling to speak with the side of her face pressed into the dirt. "How am I supposed to unbalance you if you're always one step ahead of me?"

Pineclaw scrambled off of her, letting her stand. "When you're facing an enemy that's twice your size and much more experienced," he meowed, "they tend to always be one step ahead of you. But you can take them by surprise by tricking them into thinking you're aiming for a totally different spot."

"Okay." Rosepaw leaned closer, excited to learn how to outsmart even the most experienced warriors. "I'll try something!"

Rosepaw stalked toward Pineclaw, her eyes fixed on his shoulder. This is a common place to attack, so he will already be working out how to dodge it. But he won't know that I have a strategy of my own!

Wriggling backwards, she leaped, paws outstretched. Just as she expected, Pineclaw took on a defensive position to try and throw off her aim.

As quickly as Pineclaw had dodged last time, Rosepaw dove under him and twisted to that his belly fur brushed her muzzle. She raked her paw through the soft fur, careful to keep her claws sheathed, and softly nipped his hind leg at the same time.

With a yelp of surprise, Pineclaw tried to pull away from her. But Rosepaw had a firm grip on his leg. With a powerful tug, she pulled Pineclaw's leg out from underneath him. Her mentor lost his footing and collapsed on top of her. She found herself being smothered by his reddish-brown fur.

Yowling with the effort, Rosepaw rolled Pineclaw off of her and sprang on top of him. She pressed her paw to his throat, pinning him once again. Triumph and satisfaction surged through her.

"You're no match for me!" she taunted him playfully.

Pineclaw's eyes gleamed with laughter. "All right, you got me. Now get off!"

Rosepaw used his body to push off of him, landing lightly and spinning around to face him. "How did I do?" she prompted eagerly. Did I impress you?

"Brilliantly," Pineclaw answered. "I never saw your move coming, and I don't think an enemy warrior would either!"

Rosepaw felt like she was glowing under her mentor's praise and his warm amber eyes.

"That's enough battle training for today," Pineclaw went on. "How about that hunt I promised you? If you've got the energy, that is!"

Rosepaw puffed out her chest indignantly. "Of course I've got the energy! Let's go." In truth, the battle training had been exhausting, but Pineclaw's praises had given her a burst of energy.

"Let's start at the Sun Oak," Pineclaw suggested. "It's sunhigh, and I'll bet the ground around it is teeming with squirrels."

"Will you teach me how to climb trees after squirrels?" Rosepaw pleaded. That had been one skill that she had been eager to learn ever since she was a kit.

"I'll teach you how to climb trees, yes, but you mustn't try hunting in trees yet," Pineclaw warned. "You'll lose your balance and fall, and probably get hurt badly."

Rosepaw's pelt bristled. "You don't know that! I'm perfectly capable of keeping my balance. You've seen that!"

The serious look in Pineclaw's eyes softened. "I don't want you getting hurt," he murmured, staring deep into her eyes.