Chapter 8

                “Crazypaw!” a distant voice called, pulling her out of her dreams.

                What could any cat possibly want at this time of the morning?

                “What do you-” Crazypaw stopped, remembering the events of the previous night.

                “Liontail?” she called uncertainly, immediately scrambling out of her nest. Morningpaw kicked in her sleep, but did not stir. “Is that you?”

                Liontail stuck his massive golden head into the apprentices den. “Yes,” he replied. “Come on! We’re supposed to meet Streampaw and Cloudheart in the training hollow, and they’ve already left!”

                The training hollow…that means we must be doing battle training!

                Crazypaw dashed out of the den and skidded to a halt in front of Liontail, sending dust flying up into his face. Liontail quickly stepped backwards. “Calm down,” he meowed. “You should save some of your energy for the training hollow!”

                Liontail turned and trotted off at a steady pace towards the camp entrance. Crazypaw followed him through the unfamiliar forest. One day, I’ll know where everything in the forest is too!

                Finally, Liontail and Crazypaw arrived at the training hollow, where Streampaw and Cloudheart were waiting. “There you are,” Cloudheart meowed, rising to her feet. “I was starting to get worried that you two had gotten lost.”

                “Me? Lost?” Liontail purred teasingly. “It’s only mouse-brains like you who get lost!”

                Cloudtail lifted a forepaw and swatted the golden tom playfully on the ear.  Liontail was about to strike back in return when he suddenly seemed to realize that the apprentices were still there, watching with amusement. He cleared his throat, and Cloudheart followed his gaze to the apprentices. “Ok, then,” Cloudheart meowed, seeming unsure of what to say. “Which move should we teach them first?”

                “We should start with basics,” Liontail replied, sounding confident.

                “Alright,” Cloudheart meowed. “You can explain and demonstrate.”

                Liontail nodded quickly. “The first move an apprentice should learn,” he began. “Is how to rake his or her claws down the side of an opponent. Now I’ll demonstrate.”

                Liontail charged towards Crazypaw. He quickly turned to the right, raising a forepaw, claws sheathed, and brought his paw down her side. He turned around to face the apprentices again. “Of course, in a real battle, claws would be unsheathed,” he meowed. “Be prepared for your opponent to spin around and retaliate. Do not try to roll out of the way of a blow, because it’ll leave your belly exposed for a moment. If a cat is able pin you on your back, you’re in trouble, unless you can throw them off, which neither of you are strong enough to do yet. The only times you’d want to risk rolling out of the way is if a cat is on your back or is trying to land on your back, and I’ll explain why later. Also, when you try that move, sometimes your opponent will dodge out of the way.”

                Crazypaw was hardly listening. What if you don’t have to move out of the way, or spin around and deliver a blow to an enemy’s face after they attack? What if you can attack them while they’re attacking…

                “Liontail!” she called.

                Her mentor looked up, looking surprised and slightly angry. Crazypaw realized she’d interrupted the golden tom, and braced herself for a scolding. But it never came. “What is it, Crazypaw?” he asked.

                “Can you try the move on me again?” she asked.

                Liontail studied her intensely for a moment before nodding. The tom charged towards her. Which way will he go?

                Crazypaw noticed that he was leaning slightly to the right, and his forepaws were also pointed in that direction as well. She silently celebrated as Liontail turned to right. Just as fast as Liontail, Crazypaw turned towards the left and kicked out with her hind legs, catching her mentor hard on his side. Crazypaw heard the tom gasp for breath and watched as he tumbled onto the ground. She was at his side instantly. “Liontail! Are you alright?” Crazypaw asked.

                Liontail rose slowly to his feet, his eyes filled with shock. “Where did you learn this move, how did you learn it, and who did you learn it from? I’ve never seen it before!” he exclaimed.

                Crazypaw lifted her chin proudly. “No one taught it to me!” she declared. “I was thinking that if I attacked you while you were trying to attack me, you wouldn’t be prepared and you wouldn’t be able to retaliate fast enough!”

                Liontail met her gaze. Happiness rose in Crazypaw’s chest when she saw the pride in his glowing amber eyes. “You’re a good thinker, Crazypaw,” he purred. “That’ll make you a very good fighter in battle, a fearsome opponent.”

                “Let me try and attack you again,” Liontail meowed finally, taking a few steps back before charging towards her once more.

                Crazypaw straightened and saw that Liontail was once again leaning towards the right and his paws were pointing in that direction again too. He turned sharply to the right, and in a moment that was less than a heartbeat, Crazypaw noticed that Liontail’s hind legs were tense, so that he would be prepared to pull back when she kicked out with her hind legs. I can’t do the same move again!

                Relying on her instincts, Crazypaw turned around, barely avoiding Liontail’s sheathed claws, facing at an angle such that she could reach straight out with her forepaws and claw Liontail if she wanted to. If I can reach his head, I’ll be able to wrap a paw around his neck and easily pull him down. But how do I get him to turn around?

                Crazypaw poked her mentor with her left forepaw on his hind leg. He spun around, twisting his head and he nearly caught Crazypaw’s paw in his jaws. Crazypaw pulled back just in time and reached out with her right forepaw, placing it on top of his neck. Crazypaw leaned towards the ground, and Liontail, who was unbalanced already due to the fact that he’d had to move to strike back against Crazypaw’s first blow, tumbled awkwardly onto the ground. The golden tom quickly scrambled back onto his paws, blinking warmly at Crazypaw. “Well done!” Liontail exclaimed with pride.

                Crazypaw dipped her head, not knowing what to say for once. “I’ll take Streampaw and we’ll practice on the other side of the hollow,” Cloudheart meowed suddenly, breaking the silence.

                “Alright,” Liontail replied as Cloudheart padded away, Streampaw following.

                Crazypaw lifted her chin. “Attack me with your best moves!” she meowed.

                Liontail looked up. “Are you sure?” he asked uncertainly. “A warrior isn’t going to use simple moves such as that in a real battle. You know that.”

                I want to show him what I’m capable of! If I can defend myself from a move I’ve never seen before, even if it’s simple, I can defend myself from a real attack, right?

                Liontail turned around and relaxed his muscles, looking as if he were just taking a moment to catch his breath. Crazypaw was about to leap onto his back when he suddenly tensed, taking a massive leap into the air, twisting around almost faster than Crazypaw’s eyes could follow and lashing out with his left forepaw. She barely dodged the well-aimed blow, and she felt his paw graze her whiskers. But then, before he had even withdrawn his other paw, Liontail’s right forepaw was dropping down towards her head. Crazypaw had no time to dodge, and she staggered from the force of the blow, before collapsing onto her side, dazed and panting. Liontail appeared, standing over her. “You may be clever and you may have good instincts,” Liontail meowed. “But every cat needs practice if he or she wants to be able to defeat the strongest warriors in the Clans when they’re using their most advanced moves.”

                “I understand,” Crazypaw meowed, rising, with difficulty, to her paws.

                Liontail stared at the sky for a moment before looking at Crazypaw again. “We should return to camp now,” her mentor meowed, momentarily glancing at the horizon, where the sun was setting. “You’ve trained well today. When we arrive, you can have the pick of the fresh-kill pile.”

                Crazypaw, who had finally regained her balance, raced ahead with the wind ruffling her fur and the birds’ noisy chattering in her ears. One day, I’ll be the best fighter in the Clans! I’ll be able to take Liontail down without even trying! I’ll know every move, and some that I came up with too! And then, maybe, I’ll be chosen to be the next leader…