THE STOLEN || OLD - being rewritten

Chapter 21 - { Preparing }

Stand by me when all is fallen.
In the ashes and in the cinders, for we will still remain.

It was set. Darkpaw had agreed to Oakpaw, Amberpaw and Stonepaw coming to the meeting at the half moon on the one condition that they ask no questions and do everything she told them to. Fernpaw had nodded eagerly and told her that 'of course they would do what she asked'. Until tomorrow night however, they would continue about their days as normal.

Blossompaw and Fernpaw had already worked out a way to sneak out of camp by discovering a secret tunnel behind the nursery; it was hidden by lichen and shrubbery. It was narrow and dark but it led up to the top of the ridge on the opposite side, meaning they could get out and not be noticed. The tortoiseshell was pleased with how confident she felt in slipping out to make their way to the border, but reminded herself to stay cautionary and not get arrogant. They'd have to go one at a time, at different intervals so that the group of them didn't make a bustle of noise as they crept out.

"Darkpaw." Whisperstar's cool voice rang in Darkpaw's ears as the scrawny tortoiseshell looked over her shoulder at the elegant black feline.

The tortoiseshell dipped her head respectfully to Whisperstar. It had become a routine of sorts for her now. "Yes, Whisperstar?" The apprentice replied.

Whisperstar sat down beside her. "I know that the clans plan to fight back against what we are doing here in The Legion. Their resistance may be short lived but I know the battles to come will be bloody." The ebony feline mewed in a smooth tone, the words rolling off her tongue in what always felt like a rehearsed pattern of syllables. "And I want to make sure that in those battles, you know how to properly care for yourself. I won't always be around to protect you and our warriors will lose faith if their leaders don't fight alongside them. Therefor, today, I have a training course prepared for you."

Darkpaw's ears pricked. Battle training. She wants me to learn how to properly fight off an enemy that's trying to kill me. The apprentice thought, her heart skipping a beat slightly. Darkpaw had always shown skill in her training, but the only really remarkable thing about her was her mind and the way she thought. And even then it was mostly just common sense. But now that she thought about it... common sense didn't seem to be that common.

"I understand." Darkpaw replied, dipping her head. "When does it begin?" She asked.

Whisperstar blinked, her emerald stare still and unreadable as always. "I've to fetch you now."

Darkpaw nodded, rising to her paws as she began to follow Whisperstar away from the ridge she was sitting at and back through the central part of the territory. The day was bright, but cold leaf-fall air chilled Darkpaw to her bones. Almost all the leaves on most of the trees she could see had fallen off in preparation for the oncoming leaf-bare. And from the weakness of the sun and the icy chill of the breeze, she knew this leaf-bare would be harder than the last.

They walked in silence for a time. Whisperstar often didn't talk much when they were walking as the both of them seemed to drift off into their own heads and think. Sometimes Whisperstar would engage a short, closed ended convocation but that was that.

Upon approaching a small clearing, the clearing where Darkpaw had been forced to kill Runningstar to be exact, Whisperstar paused and turned to her apprentice.

"Now, I have some cats that you haven't exactly met before that will be helping you with your training today." Whisperstar's voice echoed in a cool tone. "They have brought along some of their apprentices to help you train. I expect you to learn from their moves and listen closely to everything they tell and teach you."