HazelStalk's Constellation

Chapter 10

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HazelPaw eventually returned to training once her paw was better the next day.
"Try again," SunLeap instructed.
HazelPaw leapt towards her mentor, who rose up onto her haunches.
HazelPaw switched her target without breaking eye contact and giving anything away by slamming her weight into her mentor's underbelly, knocking her onto her back.
HazelPaw leapt and pinned SunLeap by her shoulders.
"Much better!" SunLeap purred.
HazelPaw lifted her tail with pride, getting off of her mentor.
"Now you should try it on an opponent on your level," SunLeap meowed, "I'll be back." SunLeap turned and dashed off.
HazelPaw sat in the clearing, waiting.
She sat for a while, before hearing pawsteps and voices approach.
Suddenly, she felt her heart skip a beat once RampagePaw entered the clearing, alongside his mentor and SunLeap.
"HatchPaw needed to take LilyPaw to help her pick herbs, so RampagePaw can practice with us today." SunLeap meowed.
HazelPaw failed to meet RampagePaw's eyes. She refused to even look at him. Every time she did, she felt her pelt burn with shame and her paws prickle as she got flustered.
"You guys ready?" FernLeap asked.
"Er..." HazelPaw failed to raise her voice.
"Yeah," RampagePaw's semi-deep voice made HazelPaw's fur prickle.
"Okay, begin," FernLeap meowed.
HazelPaw scrambled to position, looking up and facing RampagePaw.
She forced herself to meet his eyes, just as he leapt.
HazelPaw quickly anticipated his move and leapt to the left.
She swerved quickly, before hesitating.
Gosh, if I pounce on him it'll be embarrassing!
Suddenly, RampagePaw swerved and leapt again, bowling her over and pinning her down by her shoulders.
HazelPaw looked up, and saw his playful smile. Her heart ached painfully.
I miss seeing that face every day...
HazelPaw bunched up her back legs and thrusted them out against RampagePaw's stomach, knocking him off so she could scramble to her paws. The longer he had her pinned like that, the more her mind would wander.
Shivering, HazelPaw forced herself to hyper focus as if she was in battle, leaping again and slamming her shoulder against RampagePaw's.
Once he was off balance, she swiped her paw under his back leg, tripping him. She swiftly pinned him against his side, a paw on his flank and one against his neck.
"Well done," SunLeap meowed.
HazelPaw let RampagePaw get to his paws.
"RampagePaw, if you kept eye contact you could've easily predicted HazelPaw's moves." FernLeap explained.
FernLeap is quite harsh.. HazelPaw felt some anger build up inside of her.
"HazelPaw, why did you hesitate your first dodge?" SunLeap asked softly.
"Er..I'm not sure," HazelPaw lowered her head.
SunLeap blinked sympathetically, "it's okay. Next time you'll be more focused."
"Nice job, HazelPaw," RampagePaw smiled.
HazelPaw blinked in surprise, his kindness towards her catching her off guard.
"I'm back!" LilyPaw suddenly barged through the undergrowth.
HazelPaw turned and saw her, shaking leaves off her pelt.
She narrowed her eyes, holding back a growl. Of course she has to show up right when RampagePaw is being nice to me.
"Feel free to ask RoseThorn if you can join our training session," SunLeap meowed.
LilyPaw quickly nodded and dashed off again.
HazelPaw forced herself to not say anything snarky.
"Shall we try again?" FernLeap commented.
HazelPaw got to her paws and returned to the place where she'd start.
"Let's wait for LilyPaw so she can see what we are practicing," SunLeap said.
FernLeap nodded.
RampagePaw sat down, beginning to groom his shiny bluish-gray pelt.
HazelPaw couldn't help but gaze at him and the way the sun made his fur seem almost metallic.
Eventually, LilyPaw approached alongside RoseThorn.
"LilyPaw, watch RampagePaw and HazelPaw to see what we're working on," SunLeap explained.
"Okay," LilyPaw sat down, watching them.
HazelPaw glared at LilyPaw, before turning towards RampagePaw.
She flexed her muscles, stretching out. She had to prove that she was a talented fighter, and she had to prove it while LilyPaw was watching.
Leaping forward, HazelPaw raced towards RampagePaw.
He quickly braced, locking his icy blue eyes with hers.
HazelPaw than came to a skidding halt, before kicking off her haunches and flinging herself to the left.
HazelPaw made a tight turn, dirt flaying out behind her as her claws churned the earth.
She leapt, slamming into RampagePaw's side and knocking him down.
He rolled, before scrambling to his paws to try to meet her next attack.
He stood up on his haunches, his paws reading to rain down and batter her.
HazelPaw was quicker, however, and leapt towards RampagePaw once more.
She slammed into his underbelly, knocking him on his back and pinning him by his shoulders.
RampagePaw battered her underbelly, before giving a heavy enough kick to throw her off.
She tumbled, and as she tried scrambling to her paws, she felt weight on her back and shoulders, pinning her down.
HazelPaw panicked for a moment, before kicking out her back leg and tripping RampagePaw slightly in order to loosen his grip.
She rolled onto her back and battered his face, before kicking his stomach and knocking him away.
HazelPaw got up, and leapt at the same time as he did. They locked into a tussle, kicking and battering. Eventually, RampagePaw overpowered her and knocked her onto her back, before swiftly pinning her.
"Great job, both of you!" SunLeap praised.
HazelPaw looked up and met RampagePaw's eyes. They had softened after the fight, and his sweet smile invited her to get back to her paws.
"You're really strong, HazelPaw," he commented, shaking dirt off his pelt.
"T-thanks," HazelPaw smiled, her skin burning under her pelt as he complimented her.
"HazelPaw, next time when you're in a tussle like that, dig your dominant leg into the dirt farther back, it'll help you keep your balance and make it harder for you to get knocked over," SunLeap advised.
HazelPaw nodded, taking her mentor's advice into consideration.
"HazelPaw, LilyPaw—you two next." RoseThorn meowed.
HazelPaw nodded, quickly going to her starting position.
This is it, LilyPaw. Once and for all, I'm going to prove I'm strongest right in front of RampagePaw!
Excitement burned at her paws as LilyPaw lined up in front of her.
Adrenaline was coursing through HazelPaw's veins as LilyPaw leapt.
The adrenaline made her hyper aware, so it was easy to quickly dodge LilyPaw's attack, while kicking out her leg to trip her.
Once LilyPaw was staggering, HazelPaw made another tight turn and leapt at her.
She slammed her paws against LilyPaw's shoulders, knocking her down.
LilyPaw swiftly turned and battered HazelPaw's underbelly, knocking her back.
LilyPaw leapt to her paws and slammed into HazelPaw, bowling her over.
HazelPaw lifted her back legs to give herself momentum, doing a full somersault.
At the right moment, HazelPaw kicked out her back legs and slammed them against LilyPaw's underbelly, sending her flying through the air as HazelPaw finished the somersault and looked up as LilyPaw hit the floor.
HazelPaw leapt up, and dashed forward. LilyPaw got up just enough to meet HazelPaw's attack, pulling her to the ground as they tussled.
HazelPaw kicked out her back legs frequently, keeping her paws wrapped around LilyPaw so she couldn't escape the grasp.
LilyPaw kicked out, knocking HazelPaw off.
HazelPaw leapt to her paws. Battering LilyPaw's head a couple of times to try to keep her pinned.
LilyPaw eventually got up, and both she-cats stood up on their hind legs and collided like lions.
HazelPaw growled as LilyPaw used her height to her advantage, beginning to knock HazelPaw down.
HazelPaw looked over and saw RampagePaw watching.
I can't fail!
HazelPaw remembered SunLeap's advice. She quickly stuck her right back leg out and dug it into the earth, keeping her steady.
She then used her remaining leg up front to scrape the ground and push herself forward, knocking LilyPaw back.
Eventually, HazelPaw finally overpowered LilyPaw and knocked her on her back. HazelPaw placed one paw on her throat and the other on her underbelly, pinning her.
"Great job, both of you—!"
Suddenly, LilyPaw craned her neck and bit down on HazelPaw's paw, before yanking it sideways.
Pain jolted up HazelPaw's leg as her previous injury on the same paw returned.
Yowling, HazelPaw scrambled back with a limp, her fur bristled.
"We are training! You can't bite me!" HazelPaw bellowed.
"Great StarClan, why is it always you two?" RoseThorn trotted over quickly alongside SunLeap, FernLeap, and RampagePaw.
"What happened?" SunLeap asked.
"LilyPaw bit and twisted my paw that just started feeling better," HazelPaw lashed her tail.
"She was choking me too much! You saw her paw on my throat," LilyPaw defended.
"Well if I was, I'm sorry. You could've made choking noises or prodded me like we are told to do during battle training. We went over the safety precautions the first day we were apprenticed," HazelPaw explained maturely. She was shocked her temper wasn't exploding.
"That is true. LilyPaw, we went over what to do when battle training goes too fair accidentally. We went over all the signals to give your clanmates," RoseThorn eyed her apprentice.
LilyPaw simply growled.
"If she can't remember basic safety signals, she shouldn't be in the training arena with the advanced apprentice's," FernLeap huffed.
HazelPaw flinched. She hated LilyPaw passionately, but FernLeap was incredibly harsh.
Helps my ego to be called "advanced", but why say it right in front of LilyPaw like that? Especially a mentor!
"FernLeap!" SunLeap snapped, hissing and cuffing his ear.
"Come on, LilyPaw," RoseThorn ushered her up and lead her away.
Once they were gone, HazelPaw noticed RampagePaw walked up.
"Is your paw okay?" He asked. His soft yet deep voice made HazelPaw's heart flutter uncontrollably.
"Erm...yeah it should be fine," HazelPaw put it down to try to appear fine and tough, but splintering pain scurried up her leg and even made her shoulder ache.
"HazelPaw, let's head back to camp to get that looked at," SunLeap meowed, gazing at her injured paw.
HazelPaw tried walking forward, only to inhale sharply and stumble as she was unable to put weight on the paw.
Come on, self! LilyPaw is weak, she didn't injure you that badly!
HazelPaw kept trying to walk on it, failing each time.
She suddenly felt a warm pelt press against her side to help her balance.
She inhaled sharply as RampagePaw helped her limp through the forest.