(WILL REWRITE IN THE FUTURE) The Darkness Begins: Whispering Secrets

|| Chapter 10 ||

Lostpaw padded out of the apprentice den, seeing his mentor waiting for him.

"Are you ready for training," Scorchedfur asked, purring.

"Yep," Lostpaw mewed. His mentor was a lot of fun, and he enjoyed training with her.

"Where to? Want to go by the river?" The silver-furred she-cat questioned.

Lostpaw nodded, before his mentor said, "I bet that I'll get there first!"

No way! Lostpaw darted out of camp entrance, keeping his eyes on Scorchedfur who was racing through the pine trees; though it was difficult due to the heavy mist. He had already been an apprentice for two quarter-moons, and was now used to he and his mentor's new schedule of racing before breakfast.

He pumped his muscles, making sure to land his front left paw on the ground each time. I'm almost in front of her! Just a little faster! In his distractions of getting first place, he didn't realize that he nearly ran into the river; Scorchedfur having to grab his scruff to stop him.

"Be careful now! You're a cat, not a fish." His mentor let out a mrrow of laughter. "You're lucky I caught you. The river is moving quite fast today."

Lostpaw panted, "I'll be more careful next time." He looked into the river with his icy-blue eyes. "Can I get a drink?"

The silver she-cat nodded, "Be careful. I wouldn't want to get my pelt wet on a cold day like this."

He leaned down, lapping at the water's clear surface. Now that he wasn't a kit, he didn't have to drink from mossballs anymore. The water tastes much better like this.

"Let's walk back to camp now, I'm sure you're hungry."

As they were walking back to camp, Lostpaw tasted the air, smelling a mouse nearby. Scorchedfur, too, noticed the prey. "If you want, you can catch it," the burned she-cat whispered.

Lostpaw crouched down, eyes searching the undergrowth. There it is... He creeped forward, trying his best to keep quiet. However, when he tried to lift his front paw up to move forward, he fell on the ground. He quickly stood up, but the mouse was already gone.

I'll never be a warrior if I can't hunt! He sighed in disappointment, tail drooping on the ground. "I couldn't catch it, I fell."

"Don't worry about it, Lostpaw. This is all new to you, and for a cat with only three legs, you already are doing a great job. Sometimes things don't work out perfectly, and that's okay. At least you tried," his mentor soothed.

"And there are plenty of other opportunities. If it makes you feel any better, after I got all these burns, it took me longer than a whole season to learn how to hunt again - and I had been a warrior for a while before that!"

"I guess you're right... But what if I never learn how to hunt or fight properly? I really want to be a warrior." I'm already named Lostpaw...but my mentor also had her name changed, and she is a good warrior.

Scorchedfur thought for a heartbeat. "How about you think, 'I will learn how to hunt and fight, and I will be a warrior, because I won't give up', instead of 'I can't hunt or fight, I'll never be a warrior'? Because it's true, and I can tell that you will be a great warrior someday."

The three-legged dark brown tabby tom smiled, "Thanks, Scorchedfur."

The rest of their walk back to camp was mostly silent, as they were listening to the birds' songs of morning.

Entering camp, his mentor requested, "You should find some prey for Beechtuft and Stonefeather before you eat. I think they'll appreciate it. I'll be on the dawn patrol. After you eat, get the nursery some fresh bedding."