The forest was alive and full of life as always. A bird chirped out its morning tune, a mouse scurried near the roots of a tree, leaves rustled and shook in the gentle breeze. A short furred white tom padded through the forest with his apprentice lagging carelessly behind him. 

Her mind felt stuffy, dazed. She stared before her as if numb, a heavy weight on her mind. Sagepaw didn't know why she felt so lethargic, but she believed it might have to do with the possession from the night before. That, or her dreams with Viperfang were just ruining her sleep. Regardless, it was clearly taking its toll now. 

"Hey Sagepaw, are you paying attention?" Cloudyfoot asked. She almost ran into him, backpedaling at the last second. 

"Yes... of course I am," she mumbled. She shook her head, closing her eyes for a brief moment to stabilize herself. "I just had a bad nights sleep, thats all." 

"We're going to do some more battle training, if that's alright with you," Cloudyfoot said. Sagepaw flicked her brown ears, tail swishing side to side. Her mentor sighed, leading her to the training hollow.

As they approached the hollow, Cloudyfoot stilled, gesturing with his tail for her to stop. He dropped into a hunting crouch, and darted away. Sagepaw only had a second to spot a bushy tail before Cloudyfoot stood, jaws wrapped around an unmoving squirrel.

It was as if her heart had stopped. The world around her had frozen. All she could think about was how pitiful it had felt, the fright and constant wariness that clung to her bones as she darted around as a squirrel the night before. The sense of imminent danger, the small feeling of being prey. And now it was, stilled in front of her, never to move again.

"Sagepaw are you alright?" She could hear Cloudyfoot, see him standing right in front of her. And yet she still couldn't move, couldn't breathe. "Sagepaw!" He jabbed a paw roughly into her side.

She gasped, taking a huge breath. Her mind cleared and her eyes sharpened.

"I just felt dizzy all of a sudden I don't know why," she lied through her teeth, knowing that he expected an explanation. "Maybe go easy on the battle training today?"

The white tom peered at her with concerned yellow eyes. "Well we can have a battle training of a different sort." She tilted her head curiously. He gestured for her to sit, and he began to pace back and forth.

"You may not have known this, but  a battle requires just as much thought and preparation as hunting prey. A battle is not limited to simply knowing a battle move and performing it on your opponent. It requires thought, a strategy," he began. She settled down, taking an interest in his speech. This seemed useful.

"First you must think of where and who you are fighting. Lets use another Clan as an example. Suppose we are attacking RiverClan. The last place we want to have battle with them is near a source of water. They swim like fish, but are much more awkward on land so we would want to fight them on land, preferably on our own territory to give ourselves the advantage of knowing the terrain. 

Second, you need to think about the specific cat that you are facing. RiverClan cats are known to be fatter than most because of their rich prey supply. But even so, there are smaller and bigger RiverClan cats. You need to learn how to analyze your opponent in the first few seconds of the beginning of the battle. Take note of how big they are, and try to find weaknesses that you can exploit."

Cloudyfoot padded up to her, standing completely upright. With her small stature and the way she was sitting, he towered over her.

"What do you notice about me?" he asked. She took a moment to observe him.

"Well you are much bigger than me, as to be expected. You're healthy, so no obvious weaknesses," she stated. Cloudyfoot took a few play swipes at her, his paws brushing the air in front of her face with ease. But she couldn't find anything that would be considered a weakness. He sighed.

"If you were watching closely, you would have seen that I favor my right side when I attack. That means that if you go for my left, I would have a much more difficult time attacking you." 

"But how would I have noticed that?" she questioned.

"Get up and I'll show you. Pretend this is the start of the battle," he instructed. Both cats stood in front of each other. She dropped nervously into a battle stance. Cloudyfoot regarded her carefully, and opened his jaws to speak. As he did, she noticed a change in his eyes. His jaws snapped shut and he dropped into a stance of his own. As he did, he gave her a look. Then, he lunged.

Sagepaw was barely able to dodge as he flung his entire weight at her. She rolled to the side, his body just missing her. But he turned, claws unsheathed, and let out a snarl. Cloudyfoot stood on his hind legs and swiped viciously towards her chest. She cried out as two connected, and she felt blood beginning to well up.

"Fight back!" he shouted at her, but not with his own voice. It was a different one, one that haunted her dreams. It was Viperfang. "If you aren't going to attack me, then at least dodge!" he hissed, swiping again. The pain in her chest was enough to get her rolling out of the way once more.

"Better. But still not good enough!" He swiped at her left flank and she flinched away, only to discover too late that he had been feinting. His paws landed heavily on her right side and she collapsed, falling into the dirt.

Viperfang followed her, using his weight to pin her down. Sagepaw could barely catch her breath. "What you did earlier was foolish. You need to be more careful to not reveal what we do at night. Your excuses are weak, as is your mind and body. This is why you need me to teach you. I expect you to be ready tonight for another lesson."

He dug his claws into her for just a moment, pressing a paw down painfully on her chest. Then he pulled back, padding away from her. All she could do was gasp in a lungful of air.

"Sagepaw, are you feeling dizzy again?" Cloudyfoot's voice was back to normal, and his yellow eyes shone with concern once more. He seemed to have no recollection of what had just happened. "Maybe you should take the rest of today off. Clean the elder's den, then sleep. It should do you some good." He herded her forward, and it was all she could do to not flinch at the contact.

She padded through the forest, feeling weak. I do need Viperfang's training, she realized. It's the only way I can grow strong enough to defend myself and my Clan. And if that means I must also learn possession, then so be it.