Dark River

Lionpaw and swiped at him with a forepaw. Lionpaw only just managed to duck in time. What now? His mind was sluggish with sleep. Working on instinct, he dived beneath Berrypaw’s belly and tried to leap up and unbalance him. But he hadn’t bargained for Berrypaw’s greater weight. Berrypaw merely dropped on top of him and squashed him to the ground.

Lionpaw, defeated, went limp. Every move he had made had been badly thought out. Berrypaw stepped off Lionpaw and sat down beside Brambleclaw, curling his tail over his paws.

Ashfur stared down at his apprentice. “Was that the best you could do?”

Lionpaw shot to his paws, his ears burning. He was wide awake now, his body tingling with anger. “It’s not my fault you taught me all the wrong moves!”

Shock flashed in Brambleclaw’s eyes, but Ashfur’s gaze remained calm. “Do you think anyone would believe I taught you that clumsy display?”

“Well, if you had it would be the first thing you’ve taught me today!”

That managed to ruffle Ashfur’s pelt. The gray warrior’s eyes blazed.

Brambleclaw stepped forward. “A warrior never blames his Clanmates for his own mistakes, Lionpaw.” He turned to Ashfur. “I think you need to speak with your apprentice.

Come on, Berrypaw. Let’s carry on training over there.”

The fur along Ashfur’s spine quivered as he watched Brambleclaw pad to the other side of the clearing. Lionpaw

suddenly felt cold as his anger slid away. He had gone too far.

“I’m sorry,” he mewed.

Ashfur swung his head around and glared at Lionpaw. “I have tried to make you the best apprentice in your den,” he growled, “but lately it’s been like training a slug. You only seem to hear half of what I tell you and the things you do hear, you forget. You used to have an instinct for hunting and fighting, but it’s gone and I don’t know where.”

Lionpaw’s whiskers trembled. He couldn’t deny that he had been distracted lately, but he thought no one had noticed.

“I promise I’ll try harder.”

“You’ll have to if you don’t want to get left behind in the apprentice den and watch Foxkit and Icekit become warriors before you!”

“I will!” Fear squirmed in Lionpaw’s belly, not of Ashfur, but of failure. Everything had come so easily before. The idea that he might struggle to keep up filled him with dread.

“Good.” Ashfur nodded curtly. “Let’s start again.”

Lionpaw squared his shoulders. “Okay.”

“We’ll try the badger defense.”

Lionpaw blinked. “B-but that’s one of the hardest.”

“I know.” Ashfur crouched. “Watch carefully.” He reared up and leaped forward, high enough to clear a badger’s back.

He landed without dropping onto his forepaws and spun around so fast that Lionpaw marveled at how he kept his balance. Then he ducked down, back onto four paws, and twisted to the side, snapping his jaws as though clamping them into a badger’s hind leg.

“Now you do it,” he ordered. “And don’t forget, a badger is twice as big as a cat, so make the leap as high as you can. You don’t want to end up on its back. If it rolled over, it could crush you.”

Heart pounding, Lionpaw reared up. He tried to leap forward, but lost his balance and fell to one side, slamming his forepaws onto the ground.

“Again!” Ashfur demanded.

Lionpaw pushed himself up and tried to leap forward once more. This time he managed to spring a little way, but he top-pled over and fell down onto four paws again.

“Put more power into your jump,” Ashfur meowed. “Most of your strength is in your hind legs—use it!”

“But I can’t get my balance,” Lionpaw protested.

“Then keep trying until you can!”

“Ashfur!” Brambleclaw called from the other side of the clearing. “I want to try out a double attack on Berrypaw. Can you come and help?”

Berrypaw was ready to take on two warriors? Lionpaw’s pads tingled with jealousy. They’ll never let me try that!

Ashfur narrowed his eyes. “Keep practicing,” he commanded and bounded away to join the ThunderClan deputy.

Lionpaw felt despair drag at his paws. Why had Ashfur given him something so impossible to practice? Was he trying to make him look even more useless? Halfheartedly, he reared onto his hind legs. He staggered even before he tried to jump, the forest swaying in front of him. Frustrated, he dropped onto four paws. I’ll never get this!

“Of course you will!” A pelt brushed his, nudging him so roughly that it sent him sprawling across the wet moss.

Lionpaw scrambled crossly to his paws. “What are you—?”

He broke off.

Brambleclaw, Ashfur, and Berrypaw were still on the farside of the clearing.

Who pushed me?

“Keep your eyes fixed on something in front of you,” a voice growled. “It’s the only way to keep your balance.”

Lionpaw stared in alarm. Two eyes burned against the background of the forest. A hazy outline moved like mist against the ferns.

“Tigerstar!” Lionpaw glanced nervously toward his Clanmates. Could they see him?

“Only you can see me.” Tigerstar seemed to read his mind.

“I’m not here as far as they’re concerned.”

“Why are you here?” Lionpaw shivered.

“To help you.” Tigerstar narrowed his eyes. “It looks like you need it.”

Lionpaw felt hot with shame.

“I’ll be the badger.” Tigerstar crouched in front of him.

Lionpaw frowned. How would he be able to tackle this ghostly warrior? He could hardly see him.

“Try it!” Tigerstar commanded. “And don’t forget to keep your eyes on something solid.”

Lionpaw took a deep breath and stared at a birch at the edge of the clearing. Concentrating hard, he reared onto his hind legs. He was balancing! He tensed the muscles in his

hind legs and sprang up and over Tigerstar, landing behind him. He turned and began to feel himself falling to one side.

Tigerstar shifted fast as a snake and pushed him back up so that he could complete the turn. Lionpaw regained his balance, ducked, and twisted to nip Tigerstar’s hind leg.

“Not bad.” Tigerstar dodged away. “But you won’t always have me to prop you up.”

At least I was better than before! Lionpaw padded back to his starting place while Tigerstar crouched in front of him again.

This time he tensed every muscle in his body before pushing up with his back legs and leaping forward. He landed perfectly and ducked, baring his teeth to nip Tigerstar’s hind leg.

But Tigerstar was already up and pacing. “That’s more like it,” he growled. “But you should slash out with your forepaw as you spin. That way, you could scratch the badger as well as bite it.”

Lionpaw’s heart was pounding with excitement. He hadn’t felt this awake in days. “Let’s try it!”

He managed it perfectly the first time.

Tigerstar dodged to avoid being raked by Lionpaw’s fast forepaw slash.

“Much better!”

“How are you getting on?” Ashfur’s call made Lionpaw jump. He spun around guiltily, and saw his mentor padding toward him. He glanced nervously over his shoulder.