Ospreypaw sat at the river's edge, peering down at the rushing water. Darkshadow sat nearby, his attention on the apprentice rather than the river. On the opposite side of Ospreypaw, Sticklefur and Poolpaw sat together. South of the current, they could see the fallen tree that stretched across the current. On the opposite shore was the thick line of forest that marked NightClan territory, its presence suffocating, even from afar.
"We try to fish elsewhere because of NightClan's aggression," Darkshadow said and turned his gaze to the river. "But the elders still use the treebridge to cross, and it's easier to find fish swimming in its shadow."
"Couldn't NightClan attack using the treebridge?" Poolpaw asked.
"I'm sure they could," Darkshadow mewed plainly. "They wouldn't, though. They're too scared of the current."
"Bunch of fish-hearts," Ospreypaw grumbled and searched for signs of a fish.
Over their first few sunrises as apprentices, Darkshadow insisted many times that they start training for battle. Eveningshell rejected the idea every time and insisted that they learn the 'more important things' first. Thanks to the deputy, Ospreypaw hadn't gotten any battle training yet, but they did learn how to fish almost immediately.
Some groups of smelts and herrings darted about in the shallow end, their shiny scales reflecting in the sunlight. Just beyond them, they caught sight of what looked like a small trout. Its speckled appearance nearly made it blend in with the sand and stones. As it swam lazily about, Ospreypaw saw their chance. They waded into the water slowly, but just as they were about to dive in they heard a commotion across the river.
They lifted their gaze up and caught sight of a NightClan patrol at the edge of the forest. At the lead was a large, fluffy silver-pointed tabby. Following them was a brown cat with darker seal-point markings and a dark grey cat with black legs. Briefly, they wondered if one of these cats was the one who hurt Mudbreath; ever since getting hurt moons ago, the old warrior visited the medicine den frequently, though he still insisted on participating on every patrol he had time for.
The brown and dark grey cats both laughed loudly to each other as they walked along their border. Ospreypaw narrowed their eyes and angled their ears forward, trying to hear.
"I still see that elder limping on patrols," the dark grey cat bragged and bumped into her Clanmate. "They must be so sore for warriors that they can't even let him retire."
"It's a shame," the brown warrior giggled, swaying her tail. "I almost feel bad for him. Surely he's older than Cindertalon, and he retired a few seasons ago."
The silver cat rounded on them quickly, towering over both of them. "Finchcall, you've been a warrior for how long? And Ashenpeak, you and your brother both have the honor of being named shades as young as you are—at least Rainberry acts properly."
There was a pause as the whole patrol stopped. A fourth cat, light grey with dark speckles, kept moving until he stood next to the patrol leader. Ospreypaw hadn't even noticed him before—it was as if he blended into the forest behind them without even trying.
"Silence yourselves," the silver cat continued before spinning back around, "or else I'll tell Falconstar and Rookshade to reconsider your position."
The NightClan patrol lingered in that spot for some time, and Ospreypaw kept watching them closely. They'd entirely forgotten about the fish that swam just out of reach, and about their own patrol.
"Are you going to make a move, Osprey?" Darkshadow's voice startled them and drew their awareness back to their surroundings.
Ospreypaw glanced at their mentor before returning their attention back to the trout. They flicked their tail and dove into the water, ignoring Poolpaw's mews of surprise and protest. Submerged by the water, they reached for the fish and hooked onto it quickly before resurfacing with it clamped firmly between their teeth. Quickly, they returned to the group in the sand and tossed the fish onto a pile of leaves they'd gathered.
"I was just waiting for the right moment," they said and puffed their chest out.
Darkshadow sent them a knowing glance that made their ears burn, but he only said, "Good catch."
"You should be more careful," Poolpaw remarked with a disapproving tut. "Sticklefur would have my hide if I dove in like that!"
"Clearly I can handle myself," Ospreypaw huffed and shot Poolpaw a dirty look. He's trying to baby me, just like everyone else! And he tried dragging my uncle into it. "Worry about yourself, Pool."
Sticklefur leaned forward from where he sat next to Poolpaw. "Still, you should be careful, Osprey—"
"Nonsense," Darkshadow interrupted him quickly. "They dove in and caught that trout like a well-trained warrior. Os, your swimming is getting much better already—it looks like it comes more naturally to you than I expected."
Ospreypaw puffed their chest out again at his words. His praise sent a wave of warmth through their fur, and they quickly sent Poolpaw a smug look before turning to look for more fish. Darkshadow can see that I've got potential, they thought, scanning the water.
"Back at the border—upstream."
The voice rang clearly in Ospreypaw's ears, startling them. It sounded vaguely familiar, but it didn't come from any of the other cats with them. Judging by their lack of reaction, they didn't hear it, either. Deciding to put a pin in the strange voice, they glanced upstream toward the NightClan patrol again.
All four cats were on the move again. The silver tabby kept barking orders to the others; the brown cat stuck close by the lead now, and looked thoroughly embarrassed. The light grey cat could barely be seen against the forest, while the darker grey one splashed noisily in the shallow end of the river.
Immediately, Ospreypaw opened their mouth and turned to Darkshadow, prepared to bring the patrol to his attention this time. They stopped when they saw their mentor staring at the patrol already. Without even glancing at Ospreypaw, Darkshadow gave a noncommittal grunt.
"I know," he muttered. "I see them."
"Won't they scare off the fish?" Ospreypaw asked, watching their mentor closely.
"They might," Darkshadow said tersely. "Ripplestar said not to antagonize them."
Ospreypaw narrowed their eyes and studied him for a few moments. He was clearly angry now, and glared at the NightClan patrol with a quiet hatred that almost frightened Ospreypaw. They turned back to the patrol and mimicked Darkshadow's glare.
"That's stupid," they huffed, "but okay."
Darkshadow turned to Ospreypaw for a moment, saying nothing. Then he turned to Sticklefur and Poolpaw as well, addressing all three cats with a sweep of his tail.
"We should bring what we've caught back to camp," he said, picking up a crab and fish that he'd caught. "Come along."
Sticklefur didn't voice any objections as he and the apprentices carried their prey back to the camp. The journey was quiet and felt longer than it was—Darkshadow's silent anger nearly smothered the group. Still, Ospreypaw carried their trout with their head held high and their chest puffed out. They found that they easily kept pace with the warriors now; before their ceremony, they would have had to walk twice as fast to keep up. They still had to take slightly-longer strides, and could see that the other apprentices had to do the same, but the warriors' pace no longer served as a challenge.
As soon as they reached the camp, Ospreypaw trotted to the fresh-kill pile and dropped their trout onto it. Sticklefur and Poolpaw did the same, but more slowly, before branching away from the patrol. Ospreypaw watched as Poolpaw approached Currentpaw and Crabpaw, while Sticklefur quickly made his way to Daceclaw. Their uncle approached his mate and greeted him affectionately, murmuring something to him in the process.
"Osprey." Darkshadow's mew startled them; they hadn't realized that he was standing at their side the whole time. "We're going back out—just you and I."
"O-Oh, okay!" Ospreypaw chirped, jumping to their paws. "Do we need to catch more for the Clan? I guess the fresh-kill pile looked a little empty . . . ."
"I'm going to teach you some battle moves." Darkshadow beckoned toward himself with his head and started walking toward the edges of the camp. "NightClan is getting bolder—they proved that much today. It's only a matter of time until the next battle."
Ospreypaw perked their ears and followed him quickly. "Didn't Eveningshell say not to start our battle training?"
"That's why this is staying between us, isn't it?" Darkshadow glanced over his shoulder as he led the way out of the camp. "Eve doesn't understand why this is so urgent. It's too dangerous to let you carry on without proper defensive training."
The pair made their way across the island until they got to a sandy patch of land overlooking the south branch of the river. Across the river, Ospreypaw could see a thin patch of forest that gave way to yellow, barren land—BlazeClan territory. So far, they'd only gone to the BlazeClan border once, and they hadn't met any of the BlazeClan cats yet. Darkshadow called them intimidating in size, but claimed they were "friendly enough".
"We'll start with the basics," Darkshadow said, turning to face Ospreypaw. "Mostly just defensive moves. As young apprentices, it's the warriors' duty to make sure you aren't overwhelmed in battle, especially if you haven't learned offensive moves yet. Follow my lead."
Without waiting for Ospreypaw's response, Darkshadow began his demonstration. He dropped into a defensive crouch and swiped up at a make-believe enemy. Then, he paused to make sure Ospreypaw was following along, and he dug his paw into the sand and swiped it up into the air. Ospreypaw copied him, tossing a pawful of sand at an imaginary foe's eyes.
"Simple enough, right?" Darkshadow tilted his head and stood up. "That's called the sand-swipe—it's meant to disorient an enemy long enough for you to gain some ground on them."
"That was pretty easy," Ospreypaw agreed, trying not to show how dejected they felt. They hoped Darkshadow would teach them more than escape maneuvers. When he started toward the river, their hopes rose again and they swiftly followed him.
"As RushClan cats, we'll always have the advantage in the water," Darkshadow said as he waded into the river. "You should always lure your opponents here, if it's possible."
"What if they drown?" Ospreypaw asked, stepping into the water. "The other Clans can't swim. Wouldn't we be responsible for that?"
"They'll beg for mercy, if they're smart," Darkshadow snorted. "And if not, Falconstar can afford to lose a few warriors."
"Oh." Ospreypaw blinked and watched as he started demonstrating another move. They never specified that their enemies would be NightClan, but after dwelling on it for a moment they realized it would be silly to assume otherwise. "Okay, I guess."
"This one is called the splash-down." Their mentor raised his paws up, spreading his claws before smacking the surface of the water. Droplets splashed up toward Ospreypaw's muzzle; if they didn't know better, they'd have easily been blinded by it. "It serves the same purpose as the sand-swipe, but is even more rewarding."
"More rewarding?" Ospreypaw echoed. "It's the same exact thing, except it's in the water."
"That's exactly my point," Darkshadow said as if it were obvious. "With even the slightest chance, you could dunk their heads into the water—something like that gives us an immense advantage."
"Wouldn't they know to stay away from the water, then?" Ospreypaw wondered aloud, tilting their head.
"They do, but in the heat of battle, it's hard to pay attention to your surroundings—which brings us to our next lesson. You must always be aware of your opponent's access to your throat and underbelly. One shady swipe could have you in serious condition, and that's a risk you can never take with NightClan cats."
Darkshadow kept teaching Ospreypaw new battle moves. Even though they were mostly beginner defensive tactics, Ospreypaw was glad to finally be learning how to fight. During their training, they couldn't help thinking back to the strange voice they heard on their fishing patrol earlier. They were so certain it was someone speaking directly to them, but none of their Clanmates even hinted that they heard it. Perhaps the wind was just playing tricks on them—it wouldn't be the first time they'd heard something strange like that, after all.