Half a moon passed since Aspenpaw and his littermates started their training, and all three brothers barely had any time for each other now, as their mentors worked them hard, and all three of them had grueling schedules. Aspenpaw was turning into a fine hunter, and Pinepaw was an amazing tracker. Brackenpaw, as it just so happened, had a knack for both.
Today, however, was different. The three brothers were woken by Shadecreek well after the sun rose. Well, Aspenpaw was woken by Shadecreek; his littermates were still fast asleep in the large nest the three brothers shared.
"Aspenpaw, wake the other two, and meet me outside." Shadecreek said. "I have their mentors as well."
Aspenpaw nodded and went to Brackenpaw, figuring he'd be the easiest one to wake up, seeing as he was often an endless ball of energy. "Brackenpaw, wake up, Shadecreek and your mentors want us outside." He hissed, growling softly when Brackenpaw murmured sleepily, swiping a paw at his brother. "I mean it, lazybones!" He hissed again, not being as gentle this time when he shook the sleeping tom with his paws. "I am not getting in trouble because you won't wake up! I swear I'll put burrs in your nest if you swipe at me again."
Brackenpaw opened his blue eyes, blinking away the sleep that fogged their pale depths, and drew a paw over his muzzle, looking at his littermate. "Sheesh, fine." He mewed groggily. "No need to be so aggressive." Sitting up partially, the dark ginger tom began to wash his fur, his thick pelt becoming messy from sleep.
As Brackenpaw slowly woke himself up, Aspenpaw moved to Pinepaw. "Pinepaw, wake up." Aspenpaw said, not bothering to keep his voice low as he roughly shook the light brown tabby, his bad temper growing as Pinepaw didn't even respond. Grumbling softly to himself, the pale ginger tom padded to the mouth of the den, where the soiled moss and the thorns that got tracked in were piled up, and he grabbed a large thorn, stalking back over to his still-sleeping brother. Taking a deep breath, he poked the tabby with the thorn at the base of his tail, and jumped back, knowing what was coming next.
The reaction was almost instantaneous. Pinepaw shot to his paws, hissing in pain, fur spiked, looking wildly around the den. His deep green gaze fell on Aspenpaw and the thorn that was still in his mouth. The light brown tom strode over to his brother, shoving his muzzle into Aspenpaw's face. "What was that for, mouse-brain?!" He spat, eyes blazing with anger.
Aspenpaw dropped the thorn, keeping his gaze steady. "Shadecreek told me to wake you and Brackenpaw, seeing as he and your mentors are waiting outside for us, and you weren't responding to anything I did, so I poked you with a thorn." His voice was smooth and even, not showing any emotion other than his calm, soft-spoken nature.
"To be fair, Pinepaw, he wasn't very nice to me, either." Brackenpaw cut in, just as Pinepaw opened his mouth for a stinging retort. "He threatened to put burrs in my part of the nest if I swiped at him."
"Threatening isn't the same thing as doing." Pinepaw growled. "Poke me with anything to try and wake me up again, and I swear to StarClan you'll be nursing some tender spots for a moon."
Aspenpaw didn't respond, he only padded out of the den and into the clearing, where Shadecreek, Meadowbreeze, and Blizzardfall were waiting, each with a mouse in front of them.
Shadecreek nudged the mouse forward to Aspenpaw, who crouched down and began to eat. As he was eating, Brackenpaw and Pinepaw padded up to their mentors, and began to eat their mice as well, Pinepaw shooting looks at Aspenpaw that were like flint, sharp and dangerous.
As the three apprentices ate, Meadowbreeze spoke, her pale amber eyes trained on the toms. "We're doing battle training today, hence why we let you sleep in a little, as you need your energy for today. We'll be going over some basic defensive moves and a few offensive tactics as well."
Next to speak was Blizzardfall, his clipped tones almost exactly like Pinepaw. "Now, I'm sure you three know this already, but I'm going to go over a few rules." He said. "First, pay close attention when you're being instructed on how to do a move. Missing a part of the demonstration could lead to injury. Second, don't begin practicing the move with your partner until you know for sure that they are ready for you. Again, we're trying to avoid anyone getting hurt. Third, and finally, keep your claws sheathed. You're only learning how to fight, and you're against Clanmates, not enemy warriors. Now, when you finish your meal, we'll head out, so hurry up."
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The three brothers and their mentors padded into the training area, the sandy hollow bathed in dappled sunshine, and the sounds of birds filling the peaceful newleaf air.
When everyone got settled, Shadecreek spoke first, stepping forward.
"The first thing you're going to be taught today is how to unbalance your enemy, particularly if they are bigger than you." He said. He motioned for Blizzardfall to join him, as the dappled white tom was broader and a bit bulkier than Shadecreek himself. "When you're facing an enemy bigger than you, and you need to get an advantage over them, you need to start by throwing off their balance." He and Blizzardfall got into a crouch, facing one another. "Watch closely." Aspenpaw watched with barely disguised awe and interest as Blizzardfall hissed at Shadecreek, and lifted a paw slightly to strike, but, in that same span of time, Shadecreek darted out a paw, hooking Blizzardfall by the front paws, and yanked forward, pulling Blizzardfall's paws out from under him, swiping a paw at the side of his head and, when the other warrior was unbalanced and dazed, pinning him down by the shoulders.
"The main components of that move are your reflexes, speed, accuracy, and reaction time." Shadecreek said, getting off of Blizzardfall and helping the warrior to his paws. "If any of those falter, then the move won't be executed nearly as well, and it heightens the chance that you'll be overpowered, and then get the worst of the fight." Aspenpaw and his littermates nodded in agreement and understanding. "Because there's an odd number of you, I'll pair you up this way first: Brackenpaw and Pinepaw, you'll practice together, and Aspenpaw will work with Blizzardfall."
Aspenpaw gulped nervously, padding over to the large warrior, swallowing back the anxiety that bubbled in his throat, causing a foul taste to pervade his mouth. He was almost sure that, because his father was also his mentor, Blizzardfall would have higher expectations of him than he did of his brother Pinepaw.
His anxiety must've been showing on his face, because Blizzardfall nudged the apprentice gently. "Don't worry." He murmured. "Just try your best, and I'll give you pointers if you need it."
Aspenpaw cringed inwardly. More like when I'll need it. He thought to himself. The apprentice took a deep breath, bushed out his pelt, and got into an attack crouch, narrowing his eyes.
When Blizzardfall mirrored the crouch and lifted a paw to strike, Aspenpaw reacted quickly, his reflexes and instinct making him respond without second thought. He remembered exactly what Shadecreek had done, and Aspenpaw went through the movements.
He flashed out his paw, hooking the legs of the warrior and pulled them out from under him. When the older tom stumbled, Aspenpaw swiped a powerful paw at the mottled tabby's head, dazing him, using the opportunity to pin the warrior to the ground, one paw on the back of his neck, and the other paw right between the tom's shoulder blades.
Pride shot through him as Aspenpaw heard an approving purr from Shadecreek. He leaped off of Blizzardfall, watching as the warrior stood, a dazed look still in his eyes. "Well done." His father purred, nudging his son proudly. Aspenpaw noticed Pinepaw's disdainful look, and his heart sank a little bit, knowing his brother's cold glare too well. Pinepaw was planning something, and Aspenpaw knew he'd need to keep his guard up.
~~~~~~~~~~~
The three brothers trained until sunset. Shadecreek, Meadowbreeze, and Blizzardfall demonstrated numerous defensive moves, and made them run through each one again and again until the three mentors deemed each apprentice's performance passable.
When the three apprentices and their mentors entered camp, the moon was rising, and other than Timberclaw and Cypresswing settling outside the entrance to guard the camp for the night, the rest of the Clan was slowly getting their nests ready for the night.
After making a quick meal of a mouse - which was more than his aching muscles and tired body could manage - Aspenpaw sank into his nest, barely registering Brackenpaw settling in beside him, and just barely feeling Pinepaw do the same before the young tom sank deep into the warm clutches of sleep.