Paw Prints (Book One in the Trails Series) *BEING EDITED-NEW VERSION WILL BE LONGER*

~Chapter Nine~ Training

A/N: Special shoutout to duchess_von_books! Thank you so much for the votes and comments! And to all of you, it means so much to me!

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"Faster!" Tony ordered as he dodged and slashed at Sparrow. Sparrow gasped, feeling disgusted with herself as her sweat-drenched hair slapped her face.

"I don't like this weapon." Sparrow panted, trying to adjust it. It was heavy in her hand.

Tony stopped. "So, we still haven't found the right weapon for you?" He asked, examining her closely. Self-consciously, Sparrow moved her hands up and down her body.

Tony shook his head. "You...are very careful." He said after a moments hesitation. Sparrow scowled. "Shut up, Tony, it was weird that you were raking me over."
"'Raking me over'? Who says that?"
"Oh, shut up."
"Make me."
"I can't, my weapon is too heavy."

Tony sighed and ran a hand through his messy hair. "Let's go find you a new one, shall we?"

Sparrow followed Tony away from the meadow to a little wooden shack, where she had already been three times before. The wooden door was marked with a swirled paw print.

"We've tried almost all of the swords..." Tony muttered thoughtfully, scanning the wall of gleaming bronze and silver blades. "Maybe we should go for a dagger?" Sparrow suggested, examining the shorter blades.

"I'd rather not have you using a close-range weapon," Tony said. "You use a pocket knife." Sparrow pointed out.
"That's because I'm experienced."
"Well, if I learn to use a dagger I can be experienced too."
"Shut up, smart aleck."
"Right back atcha."

Tony shook his head. "Alright, Stripes, you've convinced me. Pick a dagger."

Sparrow squealed like a child and ran along the wall of daggers, picking one up every once in a while and testing it out in her hand.

Finally she found one that seemed to fit her. It was bronze with a leather hilt. "Ready to continue?" Tony asked quietly. Sparrow grinned, flashing light off of her dagger. "Yes I am."

Tony and Sparrow went back to the hill they had been sparring on. They stood a few feet away from each other.

"Ready?" Tony asked, his voice dangerously low. Sparrow smirked, drawing confidence from her new weapon. "Ready when you are."

Without a second's hesitation, Tony launched himself at Sparrow, going right for her heart. Sparrow dodged and spun on her heel, bringing her dagger down on Tony's sword and ripping it out of his hands. She grabbed him by the shoulder and held her dagger at his throat, giving him a sinister grin.

Tony nodded in approval. "Good job, Stripes."

"Nice, Sparrow!" Marley called, walking over the hill with Vinny. Her hand was on his chest, and she was walking rather close to him.

Sometimes I wish I had Marley's confidence. Sparrow thought, letting go of Tony and smiling at Marley and Vinny. It would probably help with my fighting skills.

Marley was holding a silver sword with a golden hilt. "I see you went dagger." She commented as she finally got to the top of the hill. "I see you went sword." Sparrow replied, poking Marley good-naturedly with her blade.

Tony had walked over to Vinny. They were talking quickly to each other, their voices low. "What're you guys whispering about?" Marley called, walking over to them. Sparrow followed.

Tony smiled. "We want you and Sparrow to spar." He announced. Sparrow and Marley grinned wildly at one another. "I think I could do with stomping this girl to dust." Marley laughed as she spoke.

Sparrow punched her arm. "Yeah right!"

"Well, instead of arguing," Vinny began quietly, "why don't you test your skills?"

Sparrow and Marley walked a few feet away from the boys and then separated. "You call it, Tony." Sparrow said, not taking her eyes off of Marley's lethal form.

Over the past week or so, Sparrow, Marley, Dot, and Miki had all changed. They had certainly lost weight, and they were much stronger. Their skin had darkened because of the constant exposure to sunshine, and their hair has lightened considerably, Dot and Marley had gotten highlights.

Sparrow thought about all of this as she watched Marley. For the first time since she came here, Sparrow wondered what they would be doing at home.

"Ready?" Tony's voice snapped Sparrow out of her thoughts. "Yeah!" She and Marley answered. "Okay. GO!"

Sparrow and Marley circled each other, neither of them wishing to make the first move. Of course though, being the ever-daring one, Marley lunged at Sparrow and attacked her out front.

Sparrow dodged and tried to knock Marley's weapon out of her hands, as she had done with Tony, but apparently Marley was expecting it. She hopped out of the way and smacked Sparrow with the flat of her blade, making her stumble backwards.

Sparrow scowled angrily, ready to run at Marley and give her something to remember, but she noticed that Marley wasn't looking at her. Sparrow turned around to see a man in all black, his eyes concealed behind dark sunglasses, a mask pulled up to his nose, and a hood over his head, standing at the base of the hill. He was holding an odd weapon, a sleek, shiny metal tube with ominous red splatters on it. There was a handle on it, but Sparrow saw no trigger.

"Sparrow!" Tony yelled, his voice terrified. "Back away, get out of there!"

Sparrow took a step back, but the man holding the weapon pressed something, Sparrow assumed it was a concealed button. A dart came whistling toward Sparrow, red with a red, orange, and yellow feather sticking out of it.

Sparrow seemed to loose the ability to move. She stood there staring at the dart flew toward her, long silver needle reflecting the sunlight.

And suddenly Marley was there, standing in front of Sparrow. The dart hit her in the neck and she collapsed, her eyes wide open but empty.

Vinny screamed and ran over to Sparrow. He grabbed her arm and dragged her away, his kind brown eyes now huge and terrified. Marley was left laying there. Sparrow tried to struggle against his grip, but he had sixteen years worth of working out on him, and he wouldn't be letting go.

The man was aiming his weapon at them again, ready to shoot another person. As he situated his finger a black and white shape charged out of the trees and blew him over.

"Tiquail!" Tony breathed, watching the fight with a hungry sort of interest.

Tiquail was slashing furiously at the man. Blood spattered the ground, both from Tiquail and the man. The man had pulled out a knife, and he was stabbing furiously at the snow leopard.

But his movements were getting weaker. Soon he went limp.

Knowing the danger was gone, Sparrow broke away from Tony and Vinny and raced over to Marley, still laying on the ground, her sword in her hand.

Sparrow leaned over her, slapping her face gently. "Marley? Oh come on Marley you have to wake up." She whispered, horrified.

When Marley did not move, Sparrow got to her feet, defeated, and walked away.

Once she was about halfway to Tony and Vinny, the two boys started yelling. Sparrow turned around just in time to be knocked over by Marley.

At first, Sparrow didn't realize what was happening. She thought that Marley was just goofing off, but when he looked into her two different colored eyes, she knew that this was no joke.

Marley raised her sword, aiming it right at Sparrow's heart. Sparrow had no weapon, no way of defending herself, and even if she had wanted to, she couldn't have done anything to help Marley. The only thing you could do to relieve anyone of that horrible poison was to kill them, and Sparrow wasn't about to kill her best friend.

Instead, she closed her eyes and accepted what was coming. She was going to die.