Bloodflower

Chapter 43

"That was pretty good, but your timing was a little off. I almost dodged it." Rosethorn got back up on her paws as she spoke. It was now just after sunhigh—she and Nightshade finished their border patrol not long ago, with no problems—and she was in the middle of a training session with Acornpaw.

Right now they were practicing an attack that gave smaller, speedier cats like her apprentice an advantage: using your speed to confuse the opponent, and charging at them when they least expect it. I had a lot of fun when Pineclaw was teaching me that move.

Acornpaw shook herself, huffing with frustration. "I can't be much faster with all this frost and snow making me slip!" she complained. "I can't keep any balance or traction."

Rosethorn blinked at her sympathetically. "I know. But practice makes perfect. We'll just keep trying it out, and you'll get better with time."

"Okay. I'm ready." Acornpaw determinedly got back into her starting position. Quieter, and probably to herself, she muttered, "I thought the snow was pretty at first, but I was wrong. It's nothing but a nuisance."

Rosethorn crouched down too, fixing her gaze on her apprentice's paws as she waited for her to move. She stifled a shiver as icy water from the melting snow seeped through her fur, and felt inclined to agree with Acornpaw. The snow was starting to get annoying!

Acornpaw suddenly darted at her with a yowl, feigning viciousness. Rosethorn's quick reflexes let her leap out of the way, but her apprentice managed to catch her tail between her paws.

She felt a sharp pain in her hindquarters as she was halted and tugged backwards. Acornpaw sunk her claws into the very tip—delicately, not trying to really hurt her—and yanked it to one side. Rosethorn stumbled, put off balance, and struggled to regain her steady footing. With another yowl, sounding more triumphant, Acornpaw ducked and charged between her legs, completely sweeping her off of her paws. She hit the ground with a loud thump, the breath driven out of her.

"Wow! Did I do okay?" Acornpaw trotted in a circle, her tail lashing eagerly. "I think I did pretty...Rosethorn, are you all right?"

Rosethorn coughed, waving a paw in the air in a dismissive fashion. Just give me a minute to breathe. That was very good!

"I might've been a bit too rough," Acornpaw mewed worriedly. "I was super excited. Sorry if I hurt you too badly!"

"Don't...apologize," Rosethorn rasped. "You did really well. If you pulled that...on an enemy warrior, chances are they'd be winded for as long as I was."

"Which is a good thing, right?"

"A very good thing."

Acornpaw purred. She crept up to Rosethorn and nudged her flank as she staggered to her paws, trying to help her stand. Am I getting old? Please don't tell me I'm getting old...

"That was a smart idea, to pull my tail to get me off balance," Rosethorn commented. "How did you know to do that?"

"I remembered watching you do it when you were fighting that fox." Acornpaw glanced mischievously at her paws. "The one that tried to get me and my littermates when we snuck out of camp."

Rosethorn's eyes widened. "You remembered that? It happened moons ago; I'd think you wouldn't have remembered anything when you were that young."

"Well, that whole ordeal kind of stuck with me," Acornpaw admitted. "I remember how vicious Hazelfrost was when she was guarding us from the fox. I remember Pineclaw and Juniperfur shouting out orders to help you defeat it." She paused for a moment, her eyes misty with faint memories. "I hadn't realized how hard everyone would have fought to find us and keep us safe. I knew at that moment that, when I grew up, I wanted to be exactly like that."