Snowleap's Fortitude

|| Chapter 5 ||

Snowpaw was at a loss for words once he left camp. The surrounding conifers stood tall and proud, while pine needles and grass bristled beneath his paws. The air seemed more chilling and refreshing than the air inside of the colossal hollow titled MistClan's camp. All the new scents and sights were overwhelmingly pleasant. This is-!

"It truly is something, isn't it?" Nightpaw asked, smiling warmly. "Aren't you amazed?"

"Certainly," Snowpaw breathed, closing his eyes to take it all in. "I love this. After being cooped up in the nursery nearly my entire life, I'm glad to get to experience this."

"As expected," Nightpaw purred in response. "Come now, let's go on this tour. We have a lot of territory to cover." The black tomcat began to lead Snowpaw tree-lengths behind MistClan's camp.

Snowpaw's yellow gaze landed on a wrecked, yet still erected, abandoned structure. Curious, he began to step towards it, only to be blocked by Nightpaw.

"We're not allowed to go any closer than three fox-lengths. It's a safety precaution," Nightpaw stated, his green gaze narrowing. "This is the abandoned twoleg den. Coldgaze used to live here before he became a Clan cat."

"Really?" Snowpaw tilted his head, now gazing towards Nightpaw. "I don't recall ever hearing about Coldgaze being a kittypet, and even I've been told his stories."

Nightpaw flashed Snowpaw an innocent smile. "There's a lot you don't know. MistClan likes to keep things hidden." The black tomcat started to slink away, with the smaller cat following his lead.

What does he mean, Snowpaw questioned, by stating that MistClan keeps things hidden? The white tomcat narrowed his eyes. That's quite interesting. I suppose I'll just have to ask him about it later.

The two tomcats halted by the edge of a slope. The trees at its edge were mainly uprooted, with some having completely fallen to create bridges between the slope and the ground below. In the vast distance, many twoleg dens resided.

"This is Pine Slope. Beyond Pine Slope is the twolegplace. We can get there via those fallen trees," Nightpaw explained, sweetly smiling. "I wouldn't recommend it, though. We're not allowed to leave Clan territory, but you'll probably have special perks since you're a medicine cat apprentice for now."

The black tomcat started to walk away, beckoning Snowpaw to walk beside him. "You know you'll be a warrior someday, right? That's why we'll be training each night... except for tonight," Nightpaw reminded, "since this is a territory tour. Once you know how to fight well, we can prove your talents to the king and queen."

Snowpaw dipped his head, "I assumed so. I'm excited to be a warrior someday, and for Stonepaw to replace me." The white tomcat flicked his tail. "We can't really train until you start learning all the fighting moves, right? Aren't there specific moves warriors know?"

"Mmm, yes, but that doesn't mean we have to wait." Nightpaw purred, leading his smaller counterpart to a large, black strip in the distance. "There's the standard moves warriors know, but a lot of moves depend on yourself. You have to come up with your own way to fight. We can learn and grow with each other."

The black tomcat warmly smiled, "That's why mentors for new apprentices are chosen very carefully. They're supposed to compliment each other. An apprentice helps their mentor just as much as a mentor helps their apprentice."

Snowpaw looked up at Nightpaw as he purred. "That makes a lot of sense, actually. Back when we had that early apprenticeship training, I noticed how everyone had a unique fighting pattern."

"You're very observant, Snowpaw," Nightpaw complimented. "That's something I like about you. Now," he digressed, "this is our next landmark." The two cats stood by a large strip separating two halves of the forest.