⌁ This was written by Rio again! Sorry for the slight delay. ⌁

Sagepaw padded out of the elder's den, unsheathing her claws so that the little bits of moss that had lodged there would fall out. Huh, thought Sagepaw. I'm removing moss by shaking my paws to get it out of my claws. The apprentice smiled to herself at the pun and continued to shake her paws slightly.

"Sagepaw. . ." called a voice. She looked up to see her mentor wallowing in the center of camp. He looked to have just come back from a patrol; his solid white pelt was speckled by tiny pieces of leaves. "What are you going?"

She padded toward him. "I was cleaning the elder's den like you—you told me to, and some moss was stuck in between my claws." Twisting her paw, she showed him the bedding that had been embedded between her pads. "And I was trying to get it out. It tickles, okay?" Her tone was sharp with a bite of defensiveness. 

Cloudyfoot looked skeptical, but he just shook his head in disbelief. "Whatever. Well, we're going to go to battle training with Quailpaw and Pinebark." The white tom puffed out his short fur and mimicked her paw shaking as bits of leaves flew off him. Sagepaw stifled a giggle as the pair headed out of camp. 

After arriving at the training clearing, Cloudyfoot seated himself on a grassy patch. Pinebark and Quailpaw were sitting a few paces away. "Alright," Sagepaw's mentor began. "We'll start by learning a few moves. Pinebark, can you come over here?" The brown-and-white tom gave a stiff nod and followed the other warrior's instructions. 

Cloudyfoot laid himself on the ground. "Pin me down." Pinebark did so. "Now, Quailpaw, Sagepaw, would you say that I am at a disadvantage?" Both of the apprentices nodded, confusion swimming in their eyes. "That would be correct. But, there is one simple move that can turn this fight around."

Cloudyfoot pressed his sheathed paws against Pinebark's belly. "This move is called the belly rake. Basically, you rake your claws against the soft flesh of the belly. It's very easy to make a deep cut here, so the blood loss and pain could easily degrade your opponent's fighting skills." 

Pinebark rolled off Cloudyfoot, getting to his paws and giving his shoulder a few quick licks. "The next move is called the tail yank," the brown-and-white tom began, giving the other cat a gesture to turn around. The white warrior did so, extending his tail. "You sneak up behind the opponent and grab their tail." Pinebark lightly bit down on Cloudyfoot's tail. "And yank it so they stumble and loose their balance." He pulled his head back, causing the other tom to stumble forward. 

"That's the tail yank," finished Cloudyfoot. "Now, you two can practice. Sagepaw, you do the belly rake first." 

"Al—alright," she muttered, trying to remember Cloudyfoot's stance as she laid down, gesturing toward her brother. Quailpaw had a large smirk on his face as he padded toward his littermate, copying his own mentor's position. Sagepaw swallowed before shoving her paws upward, sheathed claws raking her brother's stomach.

Cloudyfoot gave her a nod. "Good, but make sure your claws stay straight as you rake them. If they swerve too much, you might go onto the flanks, which are less vulnerable to your attack." 

Sagepaw nodded, resetting the position of her paws. She started the rake, keeping her path straight down her brother's stomach. "Good!" praised Cloudyfoot. "Now, switch."

After some more training, it was time for a face-off. Sagepaw swallowed, dropping into a battle stance as Pinebark opened his muzzle. "Three," he began. ". . . Two. . . one. . . GO!" 

The white-and-brown she-cat paused, watching her brother as he slinked forward, yellow eyes sharp. Sagepaw prepped herself for an attack, taking a few steps toward her brother. He sprung off the ground, flying through the air and extending his sheathed claws. The apprentice was toppled; her brother pinned her down, pressing her small body against the ground.

It happened again.

As Sagepaw struggled to move her paws, her body snapped out of her control. Like a bystander, she could only watch as her head lifted, muzzle opened and teeth sinking into her brother's chest. He let out a yelp of pain, dancing away from her body as blood streamed down his white fur. Still without control, Sagepaw got to her paws and charged, teeth bared and claws unsheathed, at her brother.

Cloudyfoot let out a yelp from where he was sitting, springing to his paws and bolting in front of her. Sagepaw's claws sunk into his pelt, tearing out a chunk of perfectly groomed white fur. Scarlet stained his pelt as he pinned down his apprentice, pressing all his weight on her chest. Sagepaw felt her body drain of breath, but she couldn't do anything.

Finally, her mind went black and her figure went limp and control returned to her body.

Only a few heartbeats later, Sagepaw opened her eyes. Three pairs of eyes were boring into her: Quailpaw, with a splatter of cobwebs weaved through his fur, Cloudyfoot, with a russet-colored pelt, and Pinebark, who seemed oddly calm. "Why did you do that?" spat her brother. "Why would you do that?"

"I—I don't know," Sagepaw stuttered. She couldn't bring up Viperfang or the time when she was hunting. There wasn't nothing to pin the experience on. "I wasn't controlling myself!" 

Cloudyfoot tilted his head to the side. "Do you even remember what happened, Sagepaw?" Despite his injuries being the worst, he seemed the most apologetic. Quailpaw was brimming with anger, but her mentor seemed to pity her. She shook her head, despite the memory of her own claws tearing out his fur haunting her vision. "I don't know what just happened, but you're going to be talking to Yarrowstar about this."