Warriors: Crow's Carrion

Chapter Twelve

     With that, Darkshadow stood and left Ospreypaw alone. He approached the crowd at the Daystone and greeted the other warriors casually, acting as though they hadn't had such a conversation. Before long, Splashpaw and Crabpaw approached Ospreypaw, who perked up at their arrival.

     "Are you okay, Osprey?" Crabpaw asked, the question immediately deflating Ospreypaw once again. They'd seen the entire interaction. "That was pretty harsh . . . ."

     "He shouldn't have done that," Splashpaw agreed quietly. "He was obviously trying to pressure you into training sooner. That's not okay."

     "It's fine," Ospreypaw shook their head quickly. Near the edge of the camp, Currentpaw, Runningblaze, and Daceclaw were watching Crabpaw expectantly, while Eveningshell was trying to catch Splashpaw's attention at the Daystones. "Your mentors are waiting for you both, so you should go before I get you into trouble."

     "Os—" Splashpaw frowned and stepped forward.

     "Go, seriously," Ospreypaw forced themself to look more cheerful. "And don't mention that to anyone, please? If Riverflower or mom hear about it, they'd probably give him an earful, and I don't want that. His concerns are valid. I'm gonna go rest for a while, and see if that helps me recover any faster."

     They hardly waited for their brothers to leave before they sheepishly retreated into the medicine den. Once inside, they noticed Riverflower's ears perk curiously toward them while she sorted through her herbs. The blue-furred molly said nothing, though, as Ospreypaw sank back into their temporary nest. Ospreypaw watched her for a few moments. They wondered if she'd heard the conversations, but if she had, she didn't hint at it.

---

     It didn't take long for Ospreypaw to drift off; it felt as if their mentor's words had drained the energy right out of them. When they opened their eyes again, they saw that they'd dreamed themself into the training grounds. At first, they were confused, but then they gave a sarcastic laugh.

     "I'm so frustrated that I sent myself here," they chuckled and shook their head. "How stupid."

     They stood there for a few moments, their gaze drifting around the sandy clearing. A mossy tree trunk caught their eye and they stared at it, contemplating whether or not they should bother training in a dream. They padded up to it and inspected it—it was fresh, as if it hadn't been used as target practice for countless seasons. I'm not falling that far behind, they thought and took a swipe at it, scoring the moss and sending chunks of it flying through the air.

     When satisfaction followed the action, Ospreypaw took a few more swipes. Each one scored the moss deeper until their claws scraped at the bark underneath. When they'd done enough damage to their pretend target, they lowered their paw and nodded in self-affirmation.

     "Those were good," an unfamiliar voice nearly scared the fur off of Ospreypaw, "but you're lacking power." They turned and gasped when they caught sight of the same cat as before—half of her fur was rusty-ginger, while the other half was dark grey. Stripes wrapped around her body, looping in some spots that almost reminded Ospreypaw of eyes. The molly stretched and lazily drew a paw over one ear.

     "Um . . . what are you doing in my dreams?" they asked, swallowing thickly. "Who are you?" They slowly met her gaze, startled by its intensity. Deep blue eyes—dark like the midnight sky—were accompanied by yellowish sclera and, strangely enough, pale blue pupils.

     "You summoned me here," she said plainly, letting one ear droop as if to say, 'really?'. "You're so dissatisfied with your situation that your emotions called for me to help—and believe me, I can help."

     "So," Ospreypaw frowned, glancing over her pelt again. "You're from StarClan or something?"

     "I'm an ancestor of the Clans, yes," the molly responded, her mouth quirking in the form of a restrained smile. "You want to train, no?"

     "Obviously," Ospreypaw said and turned away, their frustration quickly returning. "But Riverflower watches me like a hawk. Besides . . . maybe she's right to be so worried, especially as the medicine cat. I want to train, but I shouldn't push my body, right?"

     "Of course, you should listen to your healer," the cat said, lifting her head thoughtfully. "At the same time, it's bad to let your shortcomings prevent you from making progress. You can still train while working through whatever is holding you back."

     "How?" Ospreypaw asked. "It's not like I can sneak out at night. Riverflower would find out."

     "Perhaps not," the cat said, "but you can train here. With me. It may be a dream, but what you experience in your dreams can still follow you into the waking world. What do you say?"

     "You're an ancestor," turning back toward the stranger, Ospreypaw grew skeptical, "and you're offering to train me. The RushClan apprentice that's falling behind because I can't stop getting sick."

     "Don't be so cautious," the cat teased and stepped toward Ospreypaw. "I chose you myself, so just trust me as your ancestor. Plus, just between you and me, you don't look all that sick to me."

     ". . . okay, sure," Ospreypaw decided after some thought. "I'll train with you, but you better be right about this following me when I wake up."

     "Oh, don't worry. It'll follow," she continued, offering a smile. "We can start by showing you how to put more power into your blows. Come, try hitting me."

     At first, Ospreypaw wanted to turn down the suggestion. Then, they realized that if this cat was an ancestor, they surely couldn't hurt her. They quickly positioned themself and, without hesitation, threw their best blows at her—only for her to dodge all of them effortlessly. Each time it took Ospreypaw by surprise, and they desperately followed up with more attacks that ended with their paws swiping through air.

     Throughout the flurry of paws, the ancestor offered small praises and criticisms every so often. Even when Ospreypaw ran out of stamina, she hardly looked bothered by the exercise, her eyes glittering thoughtfully. Ospreypaw flopped over in the sand, expecting suggestions or more criticisms on their fighting.

     "Your mentor has given you a good base training, Osprey," she commented after a few moments and gave a satisfied nod. "By training with me, you'll catch up to your denmates in no time. You may even surpass them, if you're lucky."

     Ospreypaw blinked—they hadn't told her their name, but if she'd chosen them before this meeting, it made sense that she would know. "What can I call you? Were you from RushClan?"

     The strange cat looked surprised before she flicked her tail in amusement. "If you train diligently enough, I might consider telling you about myself, though I doubt you or your Clanmates would know of me."

     "Is that a promise?" Ospreypaw pressed, rising to their paws.

     "Of course," she purred. "Let's call it a deal. If you're still training with me by the time you're a warrior, I'll tell you a bit about myself. Until then, just call me Teacher."

     The promise gave Ospreypaw a surge of confidence, and they quickly returned to a fighting stance. They were determined to show the ancestor everything they knew so that she could help them catch up—Darkshadow and their siblings would no doubt be impressed, then.