Warrior Cats: The Winding Path (Book 1)

Chapter 10 (Sagepaw)

A churning wave of blood lapped around Sagepaw's paws. It tugged at his fur, slowly rising until the current was too much for him to stand against. Sagepaw let out a wail as he was swept away into the turrent of crimson waters. Flashes of red blinded him as he was pulled under the surface.

"Help me!" he cried out in desperation as his head bobbed to the surface. His paws worked through the blood, trying to wade through the dark depths.

He was pulled back under the river of blood until his paws touched the ground. His eyes widened underneath the waves and he looked down at the ground, slowly losing consciousness. Below him the river's depths were scattered with old cat bones that were laced with swaying insides. Sagepaw stiffed a gag as he tried to swim back up to the surface.

Something as sharp as nettles tore at his leg, pulling him into the bone scattered ground. Blackness dotted the corners of his vision. He turned to it, ready to claw away from whatever kept him in the river.

Blazing amber eyes stared into his own. He gasped and a mouthful of blood oozed its way into his throat. He coughed, making his lungs fill with the reeking blood. The cat prowled up to him from the bone ground, his claws raked against Sagepaw's sides. As the cat finally pulled him deeper to the ground and a looming blackness engulfed him.

"No!" Sagepaw blinked open his eyes and jumped onto his paws. He looked around wildly, his heart pounding and his legs shaking.

"Sagepaw? Sagepaw, your trembling!" Nightpaw had risen to her paws. Her eyes were crusted with sleep and a scrap of moss clung to her shoulder.

"I-I'm fine," his voice shook and he took a step away from his sister. "It was just a nightmare," he tried to convince her. Nightpaw looked at him skeptically but didn't push the topic any further.

"Sagepaw! It's time for training!" Cinderdapple peered her head through the apprentice den entrance. Sagepaw's paws tingled happily and all thoughts of his terrifying dream vanished. "Oh, and Nightpaw, Blacknose is waiting for you to take you on a hunting patrol," Cinderdapple meowed to her. Nightpaw's eyes brightened and she darted out of the den.

"Thanks, Cinderdapple!" Nightpaw voice carried through to the apprentice den. Sagepaw purred with amusement, his sister was always so full of energy.

"What will we be learning today?" Sagepaw asked as he followed his mentor out of the den.

"We're going to do some battle training," the gray warrior said. Sagepaw's whiskers twitched with excitement, he couldn't wait!

Sagepaw followed Cinderdapple as she brushed through the thorn tunnel and padded into the forest. She led him to a hollow with sand blanketing the earth below. She dove down into the hollow and turned to face him.

"We'll start with some basic moves since this is technically your first day of training," Cinderdapple meowed. "An important move to learn is how to swipe your claws across a cat's side as you charge them. Experienced warriors and apprentices are good at picking up a cat's next move, so they'll try and side-step you. Its best to always have this move handy. Watch me." Cinderdapple faced the far wall of the training hollow and began sprinting. Just before she reached the other side she held out a paw and lashed her unsheathed claws at the side. She halted easily and turned to face him, "Now you try. Try it on me but keep you claws sheathed."

Sagepaw nodded and bounded toward his mentor. The gray warrior side-stepped and Sagepaw lashed out a paw at her side. He toppled to the ground from losing balance and faceplanted into the sand. He spat out the tiny grains of sand and shook his head.

"Try again," his mentor meowed patiently. "Try and stay on your toes, you'll be able to keep more balance," she advised.

Sagepaw nodded and backed up to his original spot. He darted back toward her and swiped a paw at her side. He fumbled and crashed to the ground again. He sat up, dazed by the impact the ground had against his head.

"Don't worry, it's only your first day," Cinderdapple mewed when she saw the frustration flaring in his amber eyes. Sagepaw shook the sand from his ears and padded back to his spot.

With a heart of determination, he darted toward her. He made sure to run on his toes and keep his tail still as he swiped his forepaw. It made contact with Cinderdapple's side and he dragged it along her gray fur.

"Well done!" Cinderdapple praised. Sagepaw let out a sigh of relief, he had actually done it! "Do you want to keep practicing it?" she asked. Sagepaw nodded, he didn't want that time to have just been luck.

He charged at her again, adrenaline coursing through his muscles. As he neared his mentor, he readied himself to swipe out his paw. Cinderdapple sidestepped and leaped over his paw as Sagepaw smacked the air with his paw. Confused, he skidded in the sand to face his mentor. With this open opportunity, Cinderdapple bucked him in the side with her hind legs. Sagepaw staggered and rolled along the sandy hollow. He regained his footing and faced his mentor.

"Know that any cat can counterattack you," she told him.

He nodded, "Yes, Cinderdapple." 

"Now lets move onto another battle move," his mentor huffed. "This next one is a leap-and-hold move. It's more effectively used by apprentices since they're smaller than most warriors," she went on. "You have to spring onto the enemy warrior's back and grip onto them with unsheathed claws. Now that your on them, your opponent cannot reach you with tooth or claw. But be careful if the cat decides to drop and roll over, you can be easily squashed beneath their weight!" Cinderdapple demonstrated by leaping onto a pretend cat and raking her paws along the sand. Clouds of dust billowed as her paws worked through the sand. After a few heartbeats she leapt away and gracefully landed on her paws. "Your turn," she nodded for him to begin.

Sagepaw darted toward her and leapt at her back. The gray warrior easily side-stepped him and he landed awkwardly in the sand.

"You best be quicker than that, no enemy warrior is going to wait for you to hurt them before they attack you," Cinderdapple meowed.

He tried again, this time making a swift leap onto the warrior's back. He gripped his paws into her fur as if to rake at her back. Before he had time to leap off Cinderdapple had him squished between her back and the sandy ground.

"Oof!" Sagepaw grunted as her weight knocked the air out of him. Cinderdapple let him up and he shook the sand from his pelt once more. She flicked her tail in signal for him to try again.

The rest of the day, Cinderdapple taught him battle moves. It was exhausting, but satisfaction always heightened his spirits whenever he got a move correct. At the end of the day, Cinderdapple waved her tail for him to stop.

"I think that's enough for today," she meowed, still panting from the pretend fight they just had. Dusk was already falling over the forest, sending long shadows across the leaf strewn ground. "You did well, I'm proud," the gray warrior praised. Sagepaw's ear perked up and a soft purr rumbled in the back of his throat. "Let head back to camp."