Looming Darkness

Chapter 10

Echoheart shivered as the wind clawed at her fur. Why had she agreed to go training with Cherrypaw? It was so cold...

Cherrypaw raced past her, leaping through the tall grass. She paused. "Come on!" she yowled, standing tall on a frosted log, apparently having already forgotten her fear of seeing the Thunderpath and that monster.

"I'm coming." Echoheart shivered again.

The clouds flew by overhead with the icy wind, brushing the treetops and covering them in a frosty mist. The grass waved violently around them, and the trees creaked overhead.

"Great StarClan, it's cold!" Cherrypaw exclaimed, shaking her thick red pelt and flattening her ears against her head.

"Yeah. The snow's coming in."

"Well, we'd better get to training then!" Cherrypaw purred.

Echoheart laughed. "Alright."

She looked around. They were nearing a clearing, surrounded by tall spruces and pines. Their tall evergreen branches would block some of the wind, which would help keep Echoheart and Cherrypaw warm. Well, as warm as we can get in this weather, Echoheart thought.

She paused underneath the pines. "Let's stop here."

Cherrypaw stopped and turned around. "This is a good place."

Echoheart nodded. "Today, since it's cold and there isn't much prey to hunt, and since we don't want to disturb the limited prey there is, we are going to do battle training."

"Okay!" Cherrypaw exclaimed, crouching down and swishing her tail eagerly.

"I know you picked up some basic fighting moves when you play-fought as a kit, but that will hardly get you anywhere when you come in contact with warriors that are way bigger, stronger, faster, and smarter than you are," Echoheart meowed. She blinked; it felt weird to be teaching another cat. She felt as though she should be the one learning, even though she'd been a warrior longer than she had been an apprentice!

"What if," Echoheart continued, "you found yourself face-to-face with Rainstar, who is twice as big as you and nearly four times as powerful? She's had experience with fighting for moons upon moons, longer than you've been alive!"

Cherrypaw looked frightened, and for a moment Echoheart thought she'd gone too far, and she recalled the torture that Cherrypaw had been through while held hostage in DayClan's camp.

But then Cherrypaw's eyes narrowed in determination, and she meowed, "I'd tear her to pieces! I'd do everything she did to all us kits she tortured!"

"It's not as easy as it sounds. By the time you'd even start thinking about what to do, she'd be on top of you, clawing. I've fought DayClan cats," Echoheart sighed. "Here. Pretend like I'm Rainstar. Just don't claw and tear me apart like you'd do to the real Rainstar!"

Cherrypaw smirked. "Okay." She straightened her back legs, rocking her haunches side to side. Then she pounced and ran at Echoheart. Echoheart dodged aside easily, watching her apprentice fly past her. Cherrypaw slipped and fell over, but then got back up again. She leapt, just brushing Echoheart's flank.

Cherrypaw tried again, panting. But Echoheart was ready again. She batted at Cherrypaw, who fell over on her side, looking ready to give up. Echoheart resisted the urge to laugh. Had I been like this when I started training? Echoheart wondered in amusement and surprise. Was Bronzepelt also resisting the urge to laugh?

"You had nice techniques," Echoheart meowed. "Leaping at me like that. But you were very predictable. Try and surprise your opponent."

Cherrypaw stood up, shook her pelt, and sighed, "It always worked on Lilacpaw."