Warriors: A New Life ~Series 2 Book 1~

Chapter 8

Silverpaw's POV:

"You're warrior assessments will be in a day or two so we must train double time." Dawnheart explained to the apprentices from inside the training clearing.

Only Dawnheart was with the apprentices this time, not the mentors. Silverpaw understood why her mentor, Stormstar, wasn't able to train her because he was busy. But the other mentors can't all be busy too, right?

"Are we doing battle training?" Nightpaw's meow jerked Silverpaw out of her thoughts.

"Yes." Dawnheart nodded, a cautious look on her face. Silverpaw knew why; she was worried that with the new clans around them, Lightclan might be attacked.

Silverpaw was excited to have bordering clans, it would make border patrols way more interesting!

"Right, let's get started!" Dawnheart meowed with a smile. "First, I'd like to see how well you all are at the moment. Get into pairs and start fighting."

Silverpaw immediately turned her gaze to Eaglepaw and it seemed the brown tom had the same idea. They exchanged glances and padded toward each other to begin the mock fighting.

They circled for a bit before Eaglepaw made the first move, lunging for Silverpaw's side. She twisted away and her sheathed paw grazed his shoulder as she went. Eaglepaw grinned and leapt up, clinging onto her back with his paws and his teeth. She felt his fangs graze her shoulder and gently grip her scruff.

Silverpaw shook herself and fought to shake Eaglepaw off her but the brown tom wouldn't budge. She tried to roll on her back and squash him beneath her weight. Luckily, the move worked and Eaglepaw was winded. Silverpaw giggled softly and brought her paw across his neck. "If my claws were unsheathed, you'd be dead!"

"It's a good thing I wasn't against you in a real battle then." Eaglepaw panted as he rose to his paws. He gave Silverpaw a friendly nudge on her forehead with his muzzle. "You're getting really good. I'd say your better than me now."

Silverpaw rolled her eyes with a wide smile, "Are you sure I wasn't always better than you?"

"Nope!" Eaglepaw grinned and trotted behind her, his tail brushing her spine. "Come on, the others are finishing as well."

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Flamefur's POV:

Sunhigh had just passed as Flamefur rose to her paws after having a quick nibble on a mouse. She buried the remains of the mouse and headed in the direction of the warriors den. She intended to have a nap while there was nothing in camp for her to do. She needed to catch up on some sleep, especially since every night she trained in the Dark Forest.

Just as the flame coloured she cat stepped into the den, Shinewing's voice called her out. "Hey Flamefur?"

"Yes?" Flamefur sighed softly but put on a fake cheerful smile as she turned to face the medicine cat apprentice.

"Could you come with me to search for some herbs by the woods?" Shinewing asked kindly, her friendly eyes shining. Just as Flamefur parted her jaws to politely decline, Shinewing added. "I need a skilled warrior to come with me incase there is a battle. You're the best fighter in the clan.. So.." The golden furred she cat trailed off, eyeing Flamefur.

A twinge of pride sparked in Flamefur. She thinks I'm the best fighter in the clan. Does everyone else think that too? She eventually nodded with a smile, "Okay!"

Shinewing smiled back, "Thanks." She began padding towards the camp entrance with Flamefur following closely behind. They padded through the entrance tunnel, their pelts brushing against the thorns. One twig got snagged in Flamefur's pelt and she shook it off with a grumble.

"Stormstar really needs to make this thing bigger."

Shinewing chuckled, "You read my mind."

The soft sand underpaw gradually became soil as they headed deeper into the small woods. Shinewing trotted quite far away from camp, so far that the Lightclan scents began to fade as they went. "Where are we headed?" Flamefur asked curiously as she hopped over a fallen branch.

"Honestly, I don't know." Shinewing replied, her tail waving as she sniffed the air. "I'm looking for a particular herb that I haven't seen in our territory yet."

Flamefur narrowed her eyes slightly but shrugged before questioning, "What is the herb?"

"Horsetail."

"What does it look like?" Flamefur queried, wondering if she could help look for it.

"A horse's tail."

Flamefur snorted, "What does a horse's tail even look like?"

"I don't know, but that's what the herb looks like." Shinewing chuckled from in front of Flamefur.

Flamefur rolled her eyes and her gaze caught sight of a bright purple clump of flowers ahead. "What are these?" She asked, heading towards them.

"Huh?" Shinewing meowed distractedly.

"These flowers, are they anything important?" Flamefur neared the plant and sniffed at it. The strong herb smell reached her nose and she bent down to see a few seeds on the ground directly below them. "Hey, these look like poppy seeds. You need these right?"

Flamefur opened her mouth to pick up some of the little seeds but suddenly, a thick tail was whisked in front of her muzzle, choking her. Flamefur gagged and reeled backwards to see Shinewing glaring at her. "What was that for?!"

"These aren't poppy seeds! These are foxglove seeds! They are poisonous!" Shinewing whisked Flamefur away from the dangerous herb with a shove of her muzzle.

"What's so bad about them?" Flamefur asked hotly, her fur ruffled angrily to conceal the shiver of embarrassment.

The medicine cat hissed, "Those seeds can easily cause paralysis and heart failure if they are consumed!"

"How would I know that?" Flamefur grumbled under her breath and followed Shinewing as the medicine cat continued on her way in search of the horsetail.

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