Brambleberry's Fury

Chapter 4:

"Pathetic!" Brambleberry snarled as Sorrypaw slammed into the ground on his side and rolled onto his stomach, shaking his head to clear the stars from his vision. He got to his paws unsteadily and wobbled, trying to blink his eyes to focus his vision as everything blurred. The massive tabby growled and lashed his tail before charging at the small tom again, easily hooking the apprentice's paws from under him and sending him back to the ground again. He pinned the ginger tom and bared his fangs at him, fury blazing in his amber eyes. "You'd be dead if this were a real battle!"

"I-I'm sorry Brambleberry!" Sorrypaw whimpered, finally getting his vision back to normal as the large warrior got off of him and stalked away. "I-I couldn't see-"

"Don't make pitiful excuses!" Brambleberry spat at him, turning back around and crouching in an offensive state. "In battle, you need to be quicker and stronger than your enemies. If you can't get up fast enough, you're as good as crow-food. You won't survive long in battle like that."

"S-sorry..." Sorrypaw whispered, trying to keep the tears back in his eyes. He didn't want to cry in front of Brambleberry. He didn't want his mentor to think he was weaker than he already believed.

"Again," Brambleberry's gruff mew commanded, and Sorrypaw crouched defensively, gritting his teeth in concentration as he awaited his mentor's attack. The massive tabby paused before barreling straight for the small apprentice, and right before he could slam into Sorrypaw, the tom ducked and rolled out of the way, shooting to his paws and moving to swipe Brambleberry's paws from underneath him. He wasn't strong enough, and when Brambleberry whipped around to slash at Sorrypaw, he leapt into the air and onto the massive warrior's back, digging his teeth into his mentor's scruff as he tried to maintain a secure pawhold on the tom's back without unsheathing his claws.

Brambleberry snarled and dropped to the ground, rolling over onto his back and crushing Sorrypaw underneath him. He rolled off the apprentice and got to his paws, glaring down at the small ginger tom as he gasped for breath, winded from the impact of the ground and the weight that had been crushing him previously.

"Sloppy!" Brambleberry snapped, lashing his tail and pacing impatiently beside his downed apprentice. "Your moves were horribly executed! An inexperienced kit could do better!" Sorrypaw wheezed and looked up at Brambleberry with disheartened hazel eyes, and the massive tom narrowed his eyes at the apprentice. "Get up and try again," he growled lowly, returning to his starting place. 'At this rate, we'll be training all day!' he thought bitterly.

'I have to do better!' Sorrypaw thought with determination and panic as he got to his paws shakily, disregarding the dust that coated his soft pelt. 'I have to prove to Brambleberry that I can do better! I have to show him that I can be strong!' He crouched defensively and took a deep breath, waiting for the massive tom to charge.

Brambleberry shot through the air at Sorrypaw, and the small tom let his instincts take control immediately. He ducked and rolled out of the way before headbutting his mentor in the rib cage, knocking him off balance. He swiped the massive tom's paws from under him and stood triumphantly when the warrior crashed to the ground. His pride was only short-lived, for as soon as Brambleberry hit the ground, he rolled over and got back to his paws and launching himself at the apprentice again. Sorrypaw leapt out of the way before he jumped onto the massive tabby's back blindly, sinking his teeth into the warrior's scruff and his claws imbedded into his mentor's shoulderblades, scraping against his bones. Brambleberry let out a loud yowl of pain before he snarled and moved to slam his back into the ground.