Falconpaw ducked away from Mudpaw, dodging his paws with ease. Falconpaw recoiled, his paws hitting Mudpaw directly in the side. The brown apprentice let out a sharp breath and stumbled away, facing Falconpaw with a spark of annoyance in his green eyes. Mudpaw attacked once more, with Falconpaw dodging easily. Falconpaw was about the same size as Mudpaw, but Mudpaw did have a bit of weight on him. Falconpaw was able to use this against Mudpaw, hitting him in the back of his hind legs and causing his legs to buckle under him. Mudpaw hit the ground and Falconpaw jumped on him, pinning Mudpaw down with all his force.
"Very good, Falconpaw." Cherryleaf praised, and Falconpaw released the other apprentice. "I swear, you improve each and every night." Falconpaw held his head high, feeling incredibly confident and powerful. He was improving every night, fighting Falconclaw kept his skills sharp and constantly on point. Fighting Mudpaw wasn't even a challenge compared to his strong mentor. It was a struggle for Falconpaw at some points, training with Falconclaw was a lot more intense.
They fought with claws out, and sometimes Falconpaw felt like he was fighting for his life as Falconclaw would pin him down, claws digging into his skin and even reaching for his throat. Falconpaw had to hold back a lot of his strength on Mudpaw but still would attack too hard at some points, he could tell from how Mudpaw was walking that the blow to his side had been rather painful. Mudpaw sat beside Earthpaw with a slight wince.
"It's my turn to fight him." Earthpaw said while standing up, her green eyes flashing with determination. Falconpaw met her gaze, maybe Earthpaw would actually be a challenging fight.
"Very well," Heatherflight gave a nod. Earthpaw took her brother's place where he had been fighting, she opened her mouth to speak but Falconpaw didn't give her a chance. He tackled her to the ground, where she landed in a flurry of dust. Earthpaw twisted out of Falconpaw's grip and spun around on her paws to face him. She was clearly much faster than Mudpaw, she was slim and quick.
Earthpaw moved in to attack, Falconpaw turned away from her paws; avoiding her hits. Falconpaw moved quickly to trip her up, but Earthpaw was fast. Falconpaw missed her legs, and instead swiped at empty air. Earthpaw pounced forward, her paws hitting Falconpaw directly in the chest and knocking him backwards. Falconpaw lost his balance and fell to the ground with a huff. He stood up quickly, anger sparking inside him, he jumped forward with full force crashing directly into Earthpaw and knocking her to the ground, pinning her.
"Ow!" Earthpaw hissed. "What's your deal?" Her voice tore Falconpaw of out of his strange trance, his eyes focused on Earthpaw. Blood was welling from a long scratch on her shoulder. Falconpaw jumped off of her as the mentors and Mudpaw surrounded Earthpaw.
"I'm so sorry," Falconpaw apologized. "I-I didn't mean to." He looked at Earthpaw who licking her wound and Mudpaw who was glaring at him with enough hatred to kill.
"What's your problem, Falconpaw?" He growled. "We're just training and you attack with claws?"
"It was an accident!" Falconpaw argued, stepping back. "I didn't mean to, I promise." He looked down, ashamed in hurting his own Clanmate.
"It's not a deep wound, just a scratch." Heatherflight confirmed. "She'll be okay, it's not the end of the world."
Earthpaw stood up, looking at the scratch. She didn't seem to be in too much pain, but guilt still clawed at Falconpaw. "Why don't you all head back to camp," Cherryleaf suggested. "I'm going to talk to Falconpaw."
"I hope you talk some sense into the mouse-brain." Mudpaw growled and turned away to stand by his sister.
Falconpaw sat down, keeping his head low. "I didn't mean to scratch her, It was an accident."
"I know it was an accident, Falconpaw." Cherryleaf sat beside him. "I know that you would never intentionally hurt a Clanmate, the issue is that you have no self-control." Falconpaw looked up at her, confusion swelling inside him.
"I have no self-control?" He questioned.
"When it comes to battle you are a fierce warrior and you fight to win, which is a great thing. You fight to defend your Clan, which is what a warrior should be. However, you seem to have forgotten the difference between training and battling. I want you to give training your all, but you need to remember you're in training and in no real danger." Falconpaw flattened his ears. When he trained with Falconclaw, he was in danger. "Part of this also stems from your inability to control your anger, I could see it in your eyes when Earthpaw knocked you down."
"I-I didn't mean to." Falconpaw shuffled his paws, not knowing what else to say at this point.
"I understand that." Cherryleaf let out a soft sigh. "For a while, maybe we should stick to solo training. Just you and I?"
Falconpaw looked up at his mentor. "Forever?" Solo training was enjoyable, but he enjoyed testing his strengths against other cats. Not just Cherryleaf, but other apprentices.
"No, not forever. Just for a while, maybe we can learn on calming that anger of yours." Cherryleaf stood up, looking up at the sky with gentle green eyes. "Let's head back to camp, I'm sure the rest of them are already there."
Falconpaw nodded, not adding of his own thoughts to the conversation. He didn't feel like facing the rest of the Clan, he was more than positive that Mudpaw would be making him out to be some savage cat. Which simply wasn't true, he would never hurt a Clanmate on purpose. He just hoped the rest of the Clan knew it.
Cherryleaf and Falconpaw crossed through the forest without speaking, every so often Cherryleaf would say something about prey or the seasons changing but Falconpaw didn't respond. He didn't feel like responding, or talking at all with his mentor. They reached the camp's entrance and sure enough, Mudpaw was with his sister at the medicine cat den, his green eyes glowed with rage as he spoke to Pebblestep and Honeypaw.
Honeypaw looked concerned, with a hint of confusion. Pebblestep just shook her head slightly and Earthpaw looked annoyed. Falconpaw approached them, readying himself for a heartfelt apology towards Earthpaw, but her wound didn't look that deep at all. There wasn't even cobwebs on it.
"Mudpaw, would you calm down?" Earthpaw mewed with anger and annoyance underlying her mew. "It's not that big of a deal, it doesn't even hurt."
"He still hurt you, Earthpaw. He should--" Mudpaw cut himself off when he saw Falconpaw, his eyes burning hotter than the sun at sunhigh. "What are you doing here?"
"I came to apologize to Earthpaw," He turned away from Mudpaw's angry gaze and focused on Earthpaw. "I'm really sorry that I scratched you, I didn't mean to. It was a complete accident." Falconpaw lowered his head, wishing she would accept his apology.
"It's fine, you mousebrain." Earthpaw chuckled. "I know it was an accident, it's not like you bit my ear off. It's just a scratch."
"Earthpaw is right." Pebblestep spoke up. "I've seen worse damage from thorns." She rested her blue eyes playfully on Falconpaw, motioning to his ear. Falconpaw flattened his ears and looked down in embarrassment.
"You were just really into the training." Earthpaw shrugged. "Could've happened to any cat." Falconpaw looked up at his kin with a feeling of thankfulness washing over him. He was lucky that Earthpaw was such a laid-back cat. If he had actually clawed Mudpaw, he would of acted like he was dying. "I will say though," Earthpaw said, standing up. "It was a pretty good fight." Falconpaw chuckled, feeling better about the whole situation. I twas a good fight, Earthpaw was well trained. She was able to knock him down, and she was a tough she-cat. Earthpaw glanced over at the two medicine cats. "Am I free to go?"
Pebblestep nodded. "Yes, your wound will be healed up in a couple days. Like I said, it's not much of a wound at all."
"Thank you!" Earthpaw purred and padded away, her brother following with his head down and low grumbles.
"So what happened to make you scratch her like that?" Honeypaw asked, but with laughter in her voice.
"Training got a little too intense, she's a good fighter." Falconpaw replied, looking back at his sister. Pebblestep had retreated into her den, leaving the two of them alone. There was something in Honeypaw's eyes, something deep in the green depths. Falconpaw couldn't tell what it was, but he knew he didn't like. "I-I gotta go." Falconpaw mewed, turning away from Honeypaw. "I'll talk to you later." He turned away before Honeypaw could reply, he couldn't tell what that look in her eyes was. He just knew that it made him feel uncomfortable and he wanted to be somewhere else.
Falconpaw let out a groan of boredom as he lay in the apprentice den by himself. Outside, the sun was slowly falling into night and he hadn't done anything since training. He was incredibly bored, but Cherryleaf told him that there would be no more training for the day. Falconpaw's claws itched to be doing something, anything! Falconpaw looked out the apprentice den, it was nearly nighttime. Earthpaw and Mudpaw would be showing up soon and turning in for the night.
Falconpaw stood up, getting out of his nest and making his way to the exit. He poked his head out and looked around for his denmates. There was no sign of either of them, or any cat for that matter. The sky was orange and the sun slipping behind the trees, there was still time to be out and about.
Falconpaw quickly walked away from the apprentice den, getting out of sight of the camp's exit. He was an apprentice now, he was allowed to freely roam the territory as long as he wasn't getting into trouble, and he wouldn't get into any trouble. Falconpaw had never explored the territory past Jagged Rocks, and he wanted to. The closest he had ever even been to Jagged Rocks was when he was a kit, but he was smarter now. He wouldn't go near Jagged Rocks, but he would go past them.
Falconpaw walked through the forest, not wanting to rush his journey. He wouldn't be missed, considering Earthpaw and Mudpaw normally went straight to bed upon reaching the den. As long as he returned before sun came up, he would be okay. He thought about Falconclaw, he would probably be missing some training but he was sure that Falconclaw wouldn't mind, he was exploring his own territory, something he should've done a long time ago.
Falconpaw walked as the forest began to thin out and eventually evened into a field. He walked forward into the field, Jagged Rocks rising up in the horizon like broken claws. He knew that adders wouldn't be around as much during the night, but he still avoided getting close and watched the ground for any sneaking adders. He walked quietly and with caution as he neared Jagged Rocks. He was on level with Jagged Rocks, but still a safe enough distance away.
He looked at the rock formation, it was certainly large. He remembered the story of when AshClan attacked a group of apprentices, including his parents at Jagged Rocks. He wondered why AshClan would attack, maybe because Jagged Rocks was so close to the border? He shrugged it off and kept walking.
The sky was dark now, the moon taking its place in the sky, but not quite moonhigh yet. Falconpaw walked through the now unfamiliar section of SunClan territory. He knew it was still SunClan territory by the scent that continued to surround him. He continued walking, wondering if this wasn't just a waste of time, but he wanted to see where SunClan's territory ended.
That's when he saw something up rising in the distance, it was tall and foreign. It didn't look like anything from the forest. Curiosity picking at him, Falconpaw continued walking, wanting to learn what this mysterious thing was. He noticed as he grew closer that SunClan's began to slowly fade until he was nothing but a slight trace. He was no longer in SunClan territory, he looked around for any danger.
He couldn't scent any other cats, or anything that seemed dangerous. It just smelled like grass. Falconpaw pushed himself to go farther, he didn't feel any immediate danger to himself. The mysterious rose up even higher until Falconpaw found himself only a few taillengths from the structure. It was high, not as high as a tree but still loomed over him. Falconpaw dared to step closer. The wall was made of a hard, silvery mesh. Almost like cobweb, but thicker and harder. Falconpaw pressed his paw against the mesh, it was cold and hard to the touch. Falconpaw drew his paw back as a horrible scent wafted in around him.
Falconpaw peered through the holes in the mesh to see a smooth, dark black stone surface. Falconpaw's curiosity bit into him, he knew he shouldn't venture to it but he couldn't help himself. Falconpaw looked along the mesh wall, looking for a place to maybe climb but it was entirely too tall. A few taillengths away, Falconpaw noticed a hole in the mesh, just big enough for him to squeeze through.
Falconpaw padded over to the hole and crouched down to force his way through it. He could feel the sharp mesh dig into his pelt like claws, but he didn't feel it break into his skin. When Falconpaw was on the other side, the foul scent grew stronger. He placed a paw on the black surface, it was hard like stone. Falconpaw peered over the path, trying to see what was on the other side. He could see lights in the distance, almost like large stars.
Falconpaw looked over his shoulder, no cats had followed him and it still wasn't moonhigh. He saw no reason why he couldn't venture farther, he would stay out of danger. Falconpaw stepped onto the the path cautiously. Not knowing what it was or why it was here. Falconpaw walked slowly across the path, looking around. As he crossed he could see something coming up from his side.
He saw two bright, glowing orbs coming at him incredibly fast. Fear shot through Falconpaw's body and he sprinted to the other side of the path. He stumbled to a stop at the other side as something he had never seen blazed past him. Falconpaw hid behind a bush, hoping that whatever that creature was wouldn't stalk him. It was bigger than anything he had ever seen before. Falconpaw's heart was racing inside his chest, he had to take heavy breaths.
When he was sure the creature wouldn't follow him, and his heartbeat had slowed down enough, Falconpaw continued walking. So many strange scents wafted in around him, some smelled like cat but most were completely unfamiliar to him. Something was digging inside Falconpaw, something that told him to turn back and go home but he kept on pushing forward. Falconpaw wasn't a coward.
Falconpaw stuck to the shadows, not knowing what was lurking in the distance in this strange new territory. Eventually the grass was cut off by another mess wall, but this one had a large hole, big enough for him to simply walk through. When he stepped through he was met by looming dens and cold stone. Taking a deep breath, Falconpaw stepped into the dark area. He could smell crowfood, wet stone and many other strange things.
Falconpaw looked over his shoulder and found that the mesh wall was no longer in sight, wherever he was he had gone a long way. Falconpaw figured it may be time to turn around and go home, he shouldn't be here any longer and it was getting later. Falconpaw turned and began follow his own scent back to the forest.
"You're a long way from home, kittypet." Falconpaw stopped frozen his tracks, as a chilling voice spoke from the shadows. He turned to see a thin, dirty she-cat lurking out from the shadows. She was a gray tabby with white paws, and her dark, murky green eyes shimmering in the moonlight. "I don't see a lot of kittypets around here, I thought you were all smarter than that."
Falconpaw faced the she-cat, stepping backwards and trying not to show fear. "I-I'm not a kittypet." He couldn't control the trembling in his voice. Something about this she-cat sent chills deep into his bloodstream.
"Oh? What are you then?" The she-cat began circling around him, he couldn't help but notice that she had her claws fully extended as they clicked against the cold stone beneath their paws. She stepped closer, giving Falconpaw a sniff. "You smell like the forest, are you a little warrior kit?"
"I'm an apprentice!" Falconpaw couldn't help but snap at the she-cat, her eyes sparked and she stepped closer.
"An apprentice? You're rather far from your Clan. Something tells me..." The she-cat was so close he could feel her hot breath on his pelt. "That you're from SunClan." Falconpaw tensed, trying to avoid her gaze completely. "What's your name, little apprentice?"
Falconpaw took a deep breath, not wanting to cause any trouble with this strange she-cat. "Falconpaw, my name is Falconpaw."
The she-cat stopped, she was not longer looking at Falconpaw. "Falconpaw, huh?" She turned back around, her green eyes glowing dangerously in the moonlight. "You must be Dawnstar's little kit." Her tone of voice made the fur on Falconpaw's spin rise, he stood firmly where he was.
"How do you know who my mother is? Who are you?" Falconpaw questioned, forcing himself to meet her dangerous gaze.
"My name is Echoheart, and your mother took everything from me." Echoheart snarled, she formed herself into a battle stance. Falconpaw took a step back, feeling an immediate danger pressing on his chest. "She took my Clan, my kits, and the love of my life." Falconpaw continued to step back, Echoheart was looking at him like he was a piece of fresh-kill. "It would only be fair," Echoheart crouched. "If I took something from her."
Falconpaw didn't have any time to react as Echoheart jumped on him, pushing him to the ground. Echoheart was thin but she had the training of a fully grown warrior. Falconpaw struggled underneath her grip, claws digging into his pelt. Falconpaw couldn't get away from her, for a moment it felt as if he was fighting Falconclaw, but she wasn't his mentor. If Echoheart lived out here, then she must be outside the warrior code. Echoheart was fighting to kill, and Falconpaw needed to get away from her.
Falconpaw dug his own claws into Echoheart's side and raked them down her pelt, she hissed with fury and slightly lessened her grip on Falconpaw. He used this moment to shove his hind paws deep into her stomach. Echoheart let out a pained gasp and fell off of Falconpaw. He scrambled to his paws. He didn't waste any time looking at Echoheart, and took off in a dead sprint.
Falconpaw followed his scent in a panic, looking for the silver mesh in the distance. He slipped through the hole in the mesh and darted through the short grass to the the strange stone path. He could feel Echoheart's paws thrumming behind him, but he didn't look over his shoulder.
Falconpaw neared the stone path, and took a deep breath. Not slowing down for even a second as his paws pounded across the hard, stone path. None of the strange monsters showed up as he crossed. He skidded to a stop so he could squeeze through the hole in the other mesh, he moved to fast and he felt the mesh cut into his fur. He bit back the pain and broke through to the other side.
"Run all you want, little apprentice. I will find you, again!" Falconpaw could hear Echoheart shout in the distance, and he broke into a sprint again not stopping until he was safely back into SunClan territory. When Falconpaw finally stopped, he nearly collapsed. His lungs were burning and his entire body ached from the run, he had never run so much in his life before.
Falconpaw sat down in the field, panting heavily and struggling to catch his breath. He looked around, there was no sign of Echoheart. Sounds to me that she's trying way too hard to be Echoheart.
Lionclaw's words echoed in Falconpaw's mind, he didn't know who Echoheart was other than that she was a former AshClan cat and Riverstar had some connection to her. Falconpaw stood up, his body aching. He had to take a moment to clean the wounds that Echoheart left so that his Clanmates wouldn't questioned why he was covered in scratches.
Falconpaw walked slowly back to the apprentice den, the night was almost over and he could only hope that Cherryleaf would let him sleep in, but Falconpaw couldn't tell anyone about what had happened with Echoheart. He dropped his head as he neared the apprentice den, Earthpaw and Mudpaw were both already asleep and Falconpaw fell into his nest. He couldn't fall asleep, his mind kept wandering to Echoheart. Your mother took everything from me. Her words pounded away in Falconpaw's mind, bringing him a headache along with it. She took my Clan, my kits, and the love of my life. Who were Echoheart's kits? Who was her mate?
Questions swarmed his mind, and Falconpaw couldn't help but feel that something much worse would come of Echoheart.