"Hey! Where have you been?"

Cougarpaw laid down in his nest, looking over at Silverpaw, the one who had asked the question. He shrugged.

"Oh, you know, fighting territorial kittypets," Cougarpaw meowed simply, licking his paw. Lightpaw scooted up next to Silverpaw.

"Wait, you were battle training? I thought you were going out to collect moss today," Lightpaw meowed.

"I wasn't talking to you," Cougarpaw snapped to the annoying tom. "I was talking to Silverpaw." Lightpaw growled and narrowed his eyes, turning and flopping into his nest angrily. Silverpaw let out a sigh and shook her head, then returned her gaze to Cougarpaw.

"I don't want to hear your mouse-brained story if Lightpaw can't hear it," Silverpaw meowed, narrowing her eyes. "Lightpaw isn't bad, you just refuse to talk to him. Maybe you should branch out. Maybe talk to Ashpaw or Darkpaw. Don't you want kits? You can't have kits with anyone else, really, in the Clan. The only younger warriors are Lavenderwing and Stormbrew. And, well, Stormbrew doesn't like anyone, and Lavenderwing already has a mate!"

"Don't tell me how I should live my life," Cougarpaw hissed. He really was growing annoyed by Silverpaw. He stood up, ruffling his fur. "I am not going near Ashpaw. Ashpaw and... Shadowpaw..." He cringed after saying the name. "Are always together. And-"

"Why do you hate Ashpaw and Shadowpaw so much? What did they do to you?" Silverpaw asked.

"Shadowpaw..." He shook his head. "No, not Shadowpaw." Cougarpaw's eyes turned to slits and he clumsily walked out of the apprentices' den without another word. Grief overwhelmed him. That's all he felt.

Shadowpaw really killed her... And what have I been doing all this time?

"I need some fresh air," he muttered to himself, heading toward the camp exit. Or... Entrance. Whatever you wanted to call it.

"Cougarpaw, where do you think you are going?" Clawflank called to him. "Well, we might as well go ahead and do a bit of battle training." Cougarpaw felt no happiness whatsoever. He didn't know why he received this sudden feeling of sadness, but it washed over him like darkness over the forest. The tan tom nodded, and followed his mentor out of camp. Clawflank flicked his tail. He looked up, watching the storm clouds floating closer toward them.

"Here we are, the sandy hollow," Clawflank meowed. He turned to Cougarpaw, sitting down. The tan apprentice did the same. "We're going to start simple. First, we'll start with the swipe and dodge." Cougarpaw nodded and watched his mentor. "Here's what you do. You simply scratch the cat in front of you on his or her face or muzzle, and jump back to avoid a blow from them." Clawflank demonstrated, although it was a little hard for one cat to do. "Now you try on me."

Cougarpaw sighed and sat up, fixing his gaze on Clawflank. He narrowed his eyes. Cougarpaw ran forward and growled, raising his paw in the air. Without control, his claws unsheathed and he brought them down on his mentor's cheek. Cougarpaw jumped back as if he were avoiding a paw swipe, but realized what he had done. Clawflank wiped the blood off of his cheek.

"Cougarpaw! What is wrong with you? You know we don't battle train with unsheathed claws!" Clawflank exclaimed, shaking the blood off of his face. Cougarpaw's ears flattened.

"I'm sorry, Clawflank," Cougarpaw replied. "It won't happen again. I don't know what got into me." Clawflank nodded. "You okay?" His mentor meowed. "You seem... Not committed. Down."

"I'm fine!" Cougarpaw snapped. "Let's just get on with it."

"I thought you wanted to battle train, though," Clawflank pointed out.

"I do, that's why I'm here," Cougarpaw muttered. He stepped back and sheathed his claws. "So, let's move on." Clawflank shook his head. "Alright. So next is leap and hold. A smaller cat, or an apprentice, like you will be able to do this against a larger opponent. Leap onto the back of the larger enemy and grip their back with unsheathed claws. Now, they can't claw you, since you are beyond their range. Try it on me - claws sheathed."

Cougarpaw immediately leaped onto the back of Clawflank. But, before even realizing it or having time to react, the chocolate brown tom dropped and rolled, squishing him under his weight. The wind was knocked out of the young apprentice and he scrambled to his paws.

"However," Clawflank continued, "watch out for the drop-and-roll move. If this happens, which it most likely will if you use this attack, make sure to try and jump free before you get squished. Or that will happen."

"Well, you could've told me before you squished me," Cougarpaw growled, looking up at his mentor.

"You needed to see what it felt like so it wouldn't happen, young one. Lessons are lessons. You sure have learned one today."

"Wait, I thought you weren't going to take me battle training," Cougarpaw inquired.

"I wasn't, but you looked angry in the apprentices' den so I decided it was for the best. Sometimes it's good to take your anger out." Lightning crackled above their heads and thunder boomed. His ears flattened. It sounded like StarClan was angry.

"Let's get back to camp. I'm sure you're still sore from today. Tomorrow we will battle train a little more." Cougarpaw nodded slowly and followed his mentor back to camp. Rain drops began to fall from the sky and the two cats hurried, running into camp. Mud splattered Cougarpaw's paws and he departed from his mentor, entering the apprentices' den. He shook his fur out and sprayed Silverpaw with water. The she-cat spat at him.

"I just finished grooming my fur!" She exclaimed angrily.

"Don't talk to me if Fawnfur isn't here," Cougarpaw replied to the she-cat. Silverpaw cocked her head. "What? But Fawnfur is dea- wait a minute!" Cougarpaw ignored her and looked at Ashpaw and Shadowpaw. Shadowpaw turned to him with cold green eyes. Cougarpaw narrowed his eyes at the tom, flopping down into his nest. He decided he felt uncomfortable and scooted away from the other apprentices, flicking his tail. Darkpaw ran in and shook her fur, causing Silverpaw to grow wet again.

"Seriously!" Silverpaw cursed under her breath, but Lightpaw purred next to her and it looked like Silverpaw became happy again. The tan tom shook his head and placed his paw over his muzzle, looking at the side of the cave.

"What do you think our warrior names will be?" Tigerpaw piped up, his green eyes looking around curiously. Cougarpaw perked his ears, wanting to listen.

"I hope I'm Silverlight!" Silverpaw started, puffing out her chest and looking into Lightpaw's eyes dreamily. Cougarpaw rolled his eyes.

"I want to be Tigerleap!" Tigerpaw exclaimed. "What about you, Darkpaw?"

"Hmm... Maybe Darkspeck," she replied. "That sounds like a cool name!"

"Duh, I'd want to be Lightsilver," Lightpaw replied. "What else could I be?" He purred. Cougarpaw felt embarrassed for Lightpaw.

"Shadowclaw could suit me," Shadowpaw boomed in a rusty voice. He flicked his tail and his gaze turned to Ashpaw. Ashpaw shrugged. "Ashnight or something."

"Hey Cougarpaw! What about you?" Tigerpaw called to him. Cougarpaw grunted and turned away, staring at the wall.

"Someone's grumpy," Darkpaw teased.

"Agreed!" Silverpaw purred. "Come on Cougarpaw, lighten up."

"Seriously, don't be such a drama cat," Ashpaw meowed. "We're all getting real tired of it." Tigerpaw laughed, and so did Lightpaw and Shadowpaw. Silverpaw giggled, Darkpaw rolling her eyes. They kept talking about him and he pinned his ears to his head, growling. He finally lost it, turning and whipping his head to the apprentices.

"Have you lost your mother? No." He glared at Shadowpaw and went back to staring at the wall. Silverpaw and Tigerpaw exchanged glances.

"Someone really is grumpy," Silverpaw commented. The apprentices' den burst into laughter and Cougarpaw shook his head. "Shut up..." He murmured to himself. "I hate them... I hate them all."

Tigerpaw was laughing pretty hard, wheezing in laughter. Silverpaw got a chuckle from Shadowpaw. Cougarpaw looked at all of them and the den fell silent. He flicked an ear. "Stop."

"Or what?" Ashpaw cockily replied.

Cougarpaw stood up and the other apprentices watched in silence as he grabbed Ashpaw's scruff and dragged her to the entrance of the den, throwing her out into the mud and rain. The she-cat yowled and ran inside. They all burst into laughter except for Ashpaw and Cougarpaw.

"Watch out for Cougarpaw! He'll throw your tail outside!" Tigerpaw laughed. Ashpaw growled at Cougarpaw but he snorted at her. She got what she deserved, talking to him like that. Cougarpaw slipped back into his nest, closing his eyes. The laughter died down and they just began talking. The sound of rain and thunder actually calmed Cougarpaw. Darkness covered his vision and he fell into a sleep.

"Cougarpaw! Cougarpaw!"

He opened his eyes and found himself to be in StarClan. Once again. He noticed someone in front of him. The calico she-cat with pained, unforgettable, blue eyes.

"You mouse-brain!" She smacked his cheek with unsheathed claws and he hit the ground, groaning.

"You forgot the prophecy. Again. Didn't you?" She snarled. "StarClan depends on you! And what are you doing? Sitting around, grieving about your stupid mother?"

"She is not stupid!" Cougarpaw hissed, jumping to his paws. "Why would you say that?"

"StarClan cats are dying and your mother could be next. Stop being so dramatic and get your life together!" She growled, but stopped short. "No! No! No no no no no!" Cougarpaw inquisitively turned around and the last thing he saw were a pair of amber eyes and unsheathed claws crashing right into him.

This came out faster than I expected! Yay! So what did you think? Sorry if it's a bit short, I'm going to start trying to make my chapters longer. XD

Well, I hope you enjoyed! Please vote and comment what you thought, and may StarClan light your path! ✨