Lost Hope: Book 3: Flame and Snow

Chapter 19

Lilacpaw followed Griffinwing to the training clearing. She and her mentor were accompanied by Cloudstorm, who would watch for rogues while they trained.

      "Due to current events, I'm going to show you how to take on an enemy much larger than you," Griffinwing told her when they reached their destination.

      Lilacpaw nodded, readying her stance.

      "The first one should be quite simple for you," Griffinwing began to explain. "I'm going to pin you down. And all you have to do is go limp and make me think you are defeated. When I relax my grip on you, you can get away, or counterattack. And of course, claws sheathed. Got it?"

      "I think so." Lilacpaw tried to visualize in her mind how it would go. This wont be difficult at all, I'm ready.

      Griffinwing sprang forward just as she finished the thought, pinning her down tightly with her forepaws. Lilacpaw quickly regained her senses and went limp, her whole body relaxing. If she was playing with Foxpaw, she would've stuck her tongue out to make him laugh. That probably would have been more effective to get him off her than playing dead in the first place.

      Her mentor loosened her grip and Lilacpaw slipped out of her hold and jumped up, landing a few swipes on Griffinwing's ears, claws sheathed as instructed.

      "Very good," Griffinwing purred. "Those cats wont know what hit them."

      Lilacpaw swelled with pride.

      "Lets practice that a few more times, shall we?"

***

Lilacpaw's legs felt wobbly as she made her way back to camp, the moves Griffinwing had shown her replaying in her head over and over, and her body still smarting from some rough falls she'd taken.

     I bet Foxpaw hasn't done battle training yet, she thought triumphantly. Her brother had been prancing around camp, proudly displaying that his catch was the largest on the pile yesterday.

      "Burrowpelt's a little more than excitable and in the moment," Griffinwing had said. "She's probably still planning what moves to teach him."

      Lilacpaw thought Burrowpelt seemed nice, but Griffinwing seemed to have some kind of rivalry with her.

        "Hey, Lilacpaw!" Foxpaw called from the mouth of the apprentices' den. Lilacpaw trotted over to him and plopped down in the nest next to his. Aster was there too, and he smiled when he saw her.

      "How was training?" he asked.

      "I think it went really well," she said, stretching out her sore muscles.

      "What did you learn?" Foxpaw asked.

      With a glint in her eye, Lilacpaw said, "Griffinwing taught me all sorts of battle moves. She thinks I could already take on one of those rogues."

      Foxpaw didn't look jealous. "Ooooh! Show me!" he pleaded.

      "I'm sure Burrowpelt will show you some soon," she said absently. "I'm hungry, how about you?"

      "Uh, yeah, I suppose," Foxpaw mumbled.

      "Get me something too, please," Aster said.

      "Sure." Lilacpaw rose to check out the prey pile. It wasn't very large due to the shortage of prey, but she found a sparrow large enough for Foxpaw and Aster to share, and a mouse for herself.

      On her way back, she saw her and Foxpaw's mentor talking near the warriors' den.

      "I know Foxpaw would love to train with his sister some time—" Burrowpelt was trying to say, but Griffinwing interrupted, flicking long tail irritatedly.

      "They'd get too distracted," Griffinwing told her. "I want Lilacpaw to be trained right."

      "You don't even know what right is," Burrowpelt argued with a growl. "Come on, they would train better together."

      Griffinwing sniffed. "Fine. But not too much, I want them to be able to rely on themselves." And she stalked into the warriors den.

       Before Burrowpelt could realize she was listening, Lilacpaw slinked back into the apprentices den. I wonder why Griffinwing thinks it would be bad for us to train together? Either way, I'll show her that I can be the best apprentice ever, with our without time training with my brother.