Rising from his nest and a well-deserved slumber, Adderheart's muzzle tipped toward the sky, legs poised out in front of him in a stretch.

He resumed a normal position and carefully picked his way around a few cats that were sprawled out comfortably. A few of their muzzles were cracked open, a snore or two escaping every few moments, though it wasn't loud enough to break out from the dull background noise of the morning.

The warrior exited the den swiftly, glancing at the sky as he did so. Peachy tones were beginning to fade away, being replaced by a pale bluish shade. A few puffy white clouds drifted pleasantly above his head, smiling warmly down upon the somewhat-chilly camp.

Along with the pretty, pale leaf-fall sky, he was surprised to see several apprentices already up.

One of which was an optimistic apprentice named Finchpaw. The white she-cat was Bearpatch's apprentice, which wasn't very common. The heir didn't get many apprentices throughout their lifetime simply due to the fact that most of the leaders believed they were too busy with heir-ly duties to bother with a measly apprentice.

Although, the rumor said that Cougarstar was furious with his son's absence in the normal Clanly duties, which caused him to be given Finchpaw.

Nobody was really too surprised that having an apprentice did nothing for Bearpatch. It appeared that way, anyway. He didn't participate much in Clan training and usually handed off his apprentice to one of the senior warriors who happened to be taking their apprentice out to train, too.

So really, Finchpaw was stuck with a mentor that didn't do anything for her.

Adderheart felt bad about it, though of course he couldn't really speak up or say how he felt on the situation. The she-cat would just have to get through training the best she could. The other warriors that were training her weren't too bad, as she was still getting the experience of a normal apprentice. It was just that her assigned mentor wasn't really her mentor.

She had several, and while Adderheart wasn't one of them, it was frequent that he'd be asked to train.

Well, not as of late, likely due to his cleaning out of the warrior's den.

Shaking his head, the tom curved toward the fresh-kill pile. Surveying it for a few moments, his dark gray eyes narrowed as he caught a few snippets of conversation.

"...early leaf-bare!"

He froze, body stilling. He didn't recognize the cat who was speaking but he did catch more of the conversation.

That's none of the apprentices I saw earlier and it's definitely not Finchpaw.

The next words were a hushed, almost nervous whisper: "Because of...? Rogues...!"

An irritated huff came next. Adderheart wished to turn around and stare at the cats who were speaking but the tom knew he couldn't. His tail swished as he carefully backed away from the pile. He didn't need to eat.

Not yet.

"Adderheart?"

He glanced to the voice that called his name. It belonged to a thin, small, black-and-white pelt. That was Fernfall, another one of SageClan's senior warriors. His tail flickered absently as he tipped his head.

"Yes?" The pale-furred warrior approached Fernfall, who stood nearby a muscled, freckled she-cat and a fluffy, white-furred tom.

"We'd like to ask you to assist in today's training, as Bearpatch is not present," stated Fernfall, light blue eyes simple and guarded.

Adderheart considered the question, though he was surprised. There were other warriors who could be chosen over the one who had to clean the entire warrior's den. Although, it would be good to get out of camp for something that wasn't patrolling or hunting, however, he didn't know if he'd suffice for their training. If it was hunting training, he'd be okay. Tracking was something he could do fine, too.

"It's fighting training," added Freckletuft, a gentle smile stretching across her muzzle. She seemed to be edging around a sharp version of the pale-furred warrior as if she expected him to lash out at any possible moment.

As much as Adderheart disliked fighting, he nodded.

"Excellent," mewed Fluffyflame, "then we will leave immediately."

Bumblepaw, Swallowpaw, and Birchpaw were siblings and rather close ones at that. For most of their apprenticeship, they'd begged to train together - in hunting, in fighting, in tracking, in everything. Their mentors were slowly attempting to crack down on it, but it was difficult when they insisted so persistently on it.

The three cats rose up excitedly, padding swiftly toward the entrance with Finchpaw bouncing along behind them.

"Let's go!" chirped Bumblepaw.

Swallowpaw rolled her eyes. "Just be patient. They're coming."

Birchpaw's tail lashed. "I'm gonna beat all of you!"

Finchpaw, always realistic, commented, "We'll see about that."

Adderheart headed forward, hoping to get going, though Fluffyflame swept by, though not in a hurried fashion. The large and fluffy tom glanced to each apprentice, giving them a nod. They nodded back.

"Race you."

The pale-furred tom caught the words of Birchpaw as he spoke to Finchpaw. The she-cat glanced at him, narrowing her green eyes as she studied him, almost as if she was calculating the race to the last detail.

"You're on."

Apparently, Freckletuft and Fluffyflame had caught it too, for the latter took off into the territory.

Adderheart launched himself forward, paws landing with a thump on the ground as he sped up to keep at a matching pace with the other cats. Fernfall, out of the loop, hurriedly sprinted ahead to catch up, lapsing into a comfortable pace beside the pale-furred warrior. Bumblepaw and Swallowpaw were not necessarily the greatest runners as they were desperately trying to keep up behind the two warriors.

Birchpaw streaked ahead, tail a wildly waving flag among the quickly-moving surroundings. The spaced out trees of SageClan's territory blurred together, flashing by with darkened smiles and pleasant waves of their branches in the light breeze. They ran and ran, Finchpaw slipping behind until she seemed to put on a burst of speed, skidding ahead of the white-and-brown apprentice.

"No!" Birchpaw cried breathlessly, trying to bolt ahead. He tripped over a root, though, and slammed into the ground.

The apprentice let out a yowl of pain, tumbling away and landing at the base of a nearby pine tree.

Finchpaw reared on her paws, whipping around and dashing back to Birchpaw. Her green gaze was bright with confusion and worry as she loomed over him.

Adderheart skidded to a stop beside the apprentices a few moments later, the rest of the group catching up shortly. As Bumblepaw began to gently question his brother, the rest of the cats backed off. It appeared as if Birchpaw was okay. Bumblepaw's tone was soft and pleasant as he spoke to Birchpaw.

"You're going to be fine," soothed Bumblepaw.

Crossly, Fluffyflame stared at Finchpaw. His bright amber eyes were sharp and irritated as he spoke.

"I'm sure he expects an apology."

"He knows it wasn't her fault," interjected Adderheart simply, turning to glance at him with a carefully guarded expression.

Fluffyflame's tail lashed as he shot Adderheart an exasperated look. "Doesn't mean he won't get an apology."

"Adderheart, you can pair with Finchpaw, and Bumblepaw and I will individually train," cut in Fernfall, her voice giving nothing away. "As soon as Birchpaw is alright, Swallowpaw and Fluffyflame can work on group training."

At the words she spoke, Birchpaw rose to his paws, padding over. "I'm okay!" he reported with a little nod, a smile surfacing on his face. "My paw hurts, but that's okay. I'm so gonna beat Swallowpaw!"

The she-cat rolled her eyes, muttering, "Mhmm..."

Fluffyflame and Swallowpaw swerved off, slipping behind a few trees in order to have some form of privacy. Perhaps to form a plan, Adderheart supposed, as Birchpaw and Freckletuft padded in an opposing direction. Fernfall glanced at Bumblepaw and the she-cat flicked her tail for him to follow.

Adderheart glanced to Finchpaw, giving her a polite smile. She grinned back at him, apparently excited to begin training. Due to the fact that they had trained before, it wasn't too different for them to be chatting between fighting sessions.

But Adderheart wasn't really up for chatting today, and so he flicked his tail a little too sharply at her.

"I want to start with a basic fight to judge your skill," he stated simply, though it wasn't really a command, more of an open request.

Finchpaw gave a nod, green eyes glittering for a moment in the pale leaf-fall sun. The pale-furred warrior's tail brushed against the ground as he waited for it to begin. The she-cat appeared to be calculating something-

No. Not anymore.

Adderheart sprung backward, for the she-cat had launched herself at him.

He dropped to the ground a few moments after, trying to think of what she'd do next. Jump again, maybe? No, he doubted it. The mentors discouraged reusing moves right away because it could trap them in loops. If she sprung again he could reprimand her, but then again, the other apprentices thought all was fair in fights.

Finchpaw began to circle him, to his surprise. Not many apprentices used that move.

The senior warrior's tail lashed as he squinted at her, watching as her white-and-ginger form swept by. If he could find a pause in her lapse of running, then he could jump out. The she-cat didn't pause however, and so Adderheart decided it would just be best to leap out anyway.

When he did, he tumbled right into her. Whoops.

Huffing, he sprung to his paws, swiping at her with sheathed paws. With a swift move, Finchpaw snapped at him with her jaws and he backed up, narrowing his eyes. He swerved, leaping to the side, and then with a swift movement, he swiped his paws at her belly. Quickly, before she could fall down onto him, he rolled out of the way, breathing heavily to catch his breath. His belly seemed to writhe with hunger.

Pushing himself to his paws, he whipped around, tail harshly lashing through the air. The she-cat had attempted to drop down on him, but had been a mere moment or two late. Dark gray gaze flashing, Adderheart swiftly backed up and right into a bush, ears flickering and twitching as he waited for her next move.

She advanced slowly at first, and he continued to back up slowly, knowing at the most that if he were to run, she'd spring forward. She had the upper paw now. However, within moments, she was running toward him. Though, at the very last moment, she lifted herself from the ground and soared upward, landing behind the warrior. His mind, dulled by confusion and hunger, whipped around, and realized a moment too late he'd fallen into her trap.

A moment later he was pinned beneath the she-cat.

This is why I don't battle train.

Her green gaze was bright as she stared down at him, and after a moment she stepped off him. Adderheart rose to his paws, shaking out his pale creamy-brown pelt. He wasn't ashamed at his loss. He had expected it, after all, for the tom wasn't the greatest fighter. It was partially his fault, though, because he frequently chose not to be aggressive in battle, and that ended in some problems.

However, it wasn't him chosen to go and battle most of the time anyway.

"Excellent job," he mewed politely, and she dipped her head. "You've improved."

"Thank you," Finchpaw answered in the same tone of politeness. A silence settled between the two.

"Adderheart? Finchpaw? We're going to head back now!"

That was Fernfall, voice simple and easy among the light breeze that skimped around the territory. His ears swiveled as he turned to the source of the noise and soon found that she was likely behind or nearby the few pine trees that rose high beside the two cats.

So soon?

The pale-furred warrior padded around the trees, peeking out on the other side to survey Fernfall gathered with the rest of the apprentices. He glanced upward. A midday sun rose into the sky, glimmering with a pale, sharp light.

Had it really been that long?

Adderheart flicked his tail, mewing a "Let's go" to Finchpaw, who trotted up to pad beside him. The white-and-ginger she-cat padded up beside him and Freckletuft turned around, sharp brown eyes curious.

"How did she do?" She asked, speeding up a little bit to skirt away from the apprentice's ears.

"You four can go hunting." Adderheart caught the drifting tone of Fluffyflame, and shortly after he picked up the sound of pawsteps pounding against the ground. As he cast a glance over his shoulder, he spotted Fernfall and Fluffyflame speeding up to catch up with the other mentors. Well, one official mentor.

"How did Finchpaw perform?" Fluffyflame's amber eyes cut into Adderheart's dark gray gaze.

He blinked, meowing, "She did well. Beat me - I think she's ready for a mid-assessment soon."

"What? Really?" Fluffyflame questioned incredulously. "Really? She's only eight moons!"

"Apprenticeship lasts six, usually," commented Fernfall, ears flicking back and forth.

Adderheart's tail flicked. "They're all eight moons, and they probably deserve some sort of boost to push them through the rest of it."

Freckletuft gave a nod, adding, "Birchpaw seemed excited before training, and after he'd injured himself I expected him to do alright, because obviously I can't expect him to do excellently, but he didn't do very well in our training session today. Well-" she stopped, tail lashing in frustration. "No. It wasn't that he didn't do well, it's just that he's been a little out of it, y'know?"

Fluffyflame shifted. "Yeah, but that doesn't really mean they deserve to get their mid-assessments so soon."

"It's not that soon," remarked Fernfall. "I had mine right around this time."

"And you're a skilled warrior," reflected the fluffy white warrior. "These are apprentices, likely at a lesser skill level than you were at."

The she-cat looked away, flattening her ears.

Oh, please. Adderheart glanced irritably to Freckletuft, whose expression was cleansed from any emotion. He quickly wiped his face, dark gray eyes now sporting a simple, guarded expression.

Freckletuft let a wisp of something cross her features, and the she-cat mewed, "We'll decide later. Besides, we'll need Cougarstar's opinion as well."

Oh. Fox-dung. I forgot about that part.

For an apprentice to have a mid-assessment, which was, in essence, the middle point of their apprenticeship, Cougarstar had to approve it. A simple concept, perhaps, but it was rather difficult to get him to do so, because he hardly ever gave solid answers for it.

The mid-assessment was just a scaled down version of the final assessment, which proved to be incredibly difficult for the majority of cats. Many had to retake it several times before they could officially be accepted as a warrior.

Adderheart only took it once.

It did not only test physical skills. It tested mental and emotional abilities as well as decision-making skills. Different scenarios were presented for each apprentice, but generally, not many passed the mental abilities section, nor the decision-making skills. It wasn't that they were dumb, it was simply that the test was extremely difficult.

Adderheart passed both sections.

Expectedly, it had been astounding to the rest of the Clan that he, a quiet apprentice, had passed both sections. Of course, everyone pinned it on Juniperflight, and at the time she had been very proud of him. Though, she believed it was simply all due to what she had done to train him. His input and effort did nothing for him; it was all her work that made him the great warrior he was.

Debatable, he knew. Would he dare bring it up? Of course not.

However, after Juniperflight had passed and Adderheart continued to show excelling qualities, it was clear that it wasn't influence from his mentor, nor from any cat around him. It was just how he was and that was how he managed to get a decent position within the Clan. It was a path any apprentice could take, though not many actually followed it.

Assumedly, that was how the majority of the intelligent senior warriors had risen, though Fernfall and Freckletuft had climbed the ranks simply due to their pristine personalities. Fluffyflame, although not a senior warrior, was fairly well-known, as was Marigoldcry, and of course Pantherleap fit in that category, though he had a boost, due to his relation to the leader.

Some of the younger warriors were clearly attempting to take that path, with kind smiles and masked expressions, however some of them went a little... overboard. Being too kind showed that one was trying too hard. Being too quiet showed that one was opinionless, and for that reason many chose a louder route.

And, swallowing a laugh, Adderheart realized that was likely what Cougarstar preferred about his son.

"Are you done yet?!"

The giggle, though far away, broke the tom from his thoughts. He jolted a bit, blinking once or twice.

"We should go," commented Fluffyflame sharply, turning away from the rest of the group with a swift movement of his form. Fernfall speedily shuffled after him, Freckletuft a tad slower, though still rather quick, leaving Adderheart to lunge to catch up.

A little bit away lay the apprentices - not lay, rather stood, actually, for their ears were pricked.

Despite the giggle he'd heard earlier, Adderheart couldn't help but feel as though this was a show they'd put on in order to show they had been working, when they'd clearly not been. And he wasn't really that angry about it, instead found it amusing.

Approaching the clearing, Fluffyflame swerved ahead, ears twitching as he surveyed the cats.

"Did you catch anything?" he demanded.

"No, we got distracted," Birchpaw blurted, glancing from Finchpaw to the two other apprentices. They were all standing in the middle of the clearing, posture rigidly straight. "And we couldn't find anything, so," added Birchpaw with a convincing nod.

"I have a feeling that's not what happened," murmured Freckletuft, but the she-cat still flicked her tail and turned off to head back to camp. The apprentices jumped up, all sharing a similar look, one that was shiny and bright with amusement, tinged by satisfaction.

They leaped through the bushes, swerving around a few pine trees. Adderheart sprung after them, slamming his paws down on the ground, though a bit weakly. Hunger gnawed ferociously at him. It was confusing as to why they wanted to head back so soon.

Perhaps they were worried about missing something. He dismissed it. They hadn't likely hunted at all and wanted to get away from the scene of the crime, so getting back to camp was crucial.

Adderheart snickered.