Pebblepaw's POV

Almost the entire Clan was out. It was a busy day filled with training and hunting. Lionpaw was bouncing around his new mentor, Snowfern, who seemed to be nothing other than nervous. Hollowpaw walked proudly beside an exhausted looking Silverstar with his chin raised and his tail straight up. Meanwhile, Foxtuft and I were padding beside each other, silent.

Silverstar lead the way, her shoulders hunched and fur matted. She didn't seem to be a fit leader, but I looked up to her nonetheless. Silverstar is probably just stressed with her new duties! I thought kindly.

I could barely consider it morning because the sun had yet to break the surface of the horizon. The sky was lightening up, but when you looked directly up to the sky it was still dark blue. A cool breeze blew through the patrol, sending shivers down my spine. At the sound of struggling growls easing closer with every step, my instincts told me to bolt though I knew I would be safe no matter what. 

My ears flattened to my skull and my fur stood on end once my eyes caught the horrifying scene of an infected cat tied to a tree. I guessed that the clearing with the infected cat was the battle training area. I swallowed nervously as I stood beside my mentor. 

"This cat here is our dummy. It is safely tied to this tree, meaning you will be safe from it's jaws unless you don't know what you're doing when you get close to it," Silverstar explained calmly. I glanced over at my thick furred brother, his claws scratching into the mud eagerly. Hollowpaw sat completely still except for his tail that flinched every so often.

The infected cat reached for Silverstar with open jaws but when the extra silver wire came to an end, the cat jolted back harshly. Amazingly, the cat didn't yelp with pain, it wasn't even trying to get loose. "Hollowpaw, since you are my apprentice, you will be their example." It was obvious to me that my brother was nervous, but he hid it well by not hesitating when our leader spoke to him.

"First, we will do basic training with your mentors, then we will use the dummy. The noises of the infected cat could cause you anxiety, but with time, you will grow use to it," Silverstar lowered herself to the ground, one side to the infected cat and her opposite side to us apprentices and our mentors. "Do what I do, Hollowpaw," She instructed. Silverstar lowered herself so far that her chest was just barely above the ground. 

Hollowpaw lowered himself with his eyes narrowed from deep concentration. Silverstar's tail was just above the ground, low and curled, while Hollowpaw's was straight out and trembling. 

Snowfern glanced both ways and then hurried over to assist Hollowpaw. "Relax your tail so it doesn't cramp up or stick out like a sore toe," She murmured in his ear. Then she pushed softly down on his rump, "And keep your lower back down or you'll be spotted." 

Silverstar seemed to be annoyed, but she watched the she-cat sit back down reluctantly and nodded in approval. "That's a good tip, Snowfern. Thank you," She meowed. Snowfern nodded and gazed up shyly as if she wasn't sure what she should say. 

The silver leader stood up and advised that the apprentice stayed still. "We will test you to see how long you can stay in that position as quietly as possible. Anything infected senses you by our smell and the noise we make. If it hasn't noticed you, being silent and still is the best thing to do." I watched Hollowpaw gulp.

I scratched my claws into the ground impatiently. "I want all of the apprentices to try this for as long as you can." Silverstar demanded, and we all obeyed, following Hollowpaw's posture and then being corrected by our mentors. After being situated, the only thing that you could hear was the infected cats loud moans. 

"Close your eyes, let the desperate growls sink into your weak, innocent brains." I did as I was told. My heart sped up, my ears twisted and turned in alarm, and I fought to keep my tail still. I swallowed. The infected cats growls were deathly intense and I got a strange sensation that I was just out of it's reach. I slowly began to picture it's bloody jaws wrapping around my small neck as I screamed for help. Tightening my grip on the ground, I began to grind my teeth. 

Panic set in as an instinct. My brain screamed for me to run, even though I knew I was safe. Several heartbeats went by and then Silverstar finally called it off. My eyes instantly opened and I backed away out of fear. I didn't even realize it, but I was holding my breath.

My siblings seemed to be just as frightened as well, their fur on end and their eyes wide. I felt pity for them, and I could sense our mentors did, too, except for Silverstar. "Now, you're all going to practice some basic fighting techniques..."

***

As I panted softly, Silverstar ordered the basic training to end. I had a small scratch on my cheek now - which made a spark of dignity flash in my heart - from Lionpaw mistakenly unsheathing his claws on me. Ripplecurrent would be furious, but it was all in good favor. 

With our mentors beside us, all except for Hollowpaw, we sat in a line. I just so happened to be the first on the right side. Silverstar met eyes with me. My heart fluttered with fear. 

"Pebblepaw, I want you to go first." Silverstar ordered. First for what? I began to panic as I stood up to follow her instructions. As if she had read my mind, she answered my question, "You will be the first to fight the dummy and show your brothers what to do," 

I nodded nervously and padded up slowly to face the raging infected cat. "You got this, Pebblepaw, he may look scary but the wire holds him back just fine!" Foxtuft called.

It's wide, milky, bloodshot eyes were bulging out of it's skull as it tried with everything it had to reach me. The wire tore at its throat, a deep slit around the front of its neck. I gulped. It's paws no longer had fur on them from tearing at the ground, instead they were raw to the bone. It's growls were deep and tight, it's jaws dripped pink drool, and it's fur was falling off in clumps as it's body continued to decay. It's remaining fur was so stained you could barely tell it was once a cream-colored cat. 

A large, swelled, glistening bite mark on it's left thigh showed it's fate, and a missing ear thickened it's fierceness. 

Shivers ran down my spine. "Pebblepaw," Silverstar growled from behind me, her teeth clearly clenched. I jolted slightly and shook my head, then narrowed my eyes and lowered myself. 

Using the basic training I had just learned, I unsheathed my claws jumped forward. As I leaped in front of it, I slashed it in the face just in time to jump back before it even had the slightest chance to grab me. It snapped it's jaws dangerously close to my face, but nonetheless, my confidence boosted. My heart sped up from adrenaline as I continued to beat at it's face. 

"Try to confuse it." Silverstar recommended. From the infected cat's loud growls, I didn't quite hear her, so I backed away and turned around. "Wh-" I began, but before I could finish my question, my brain clicked that something was wrong. Immense pain pulsed through the left side of my neck and I let out a heart-wrenching screech. 

I heard my siblings and our mentors gasp once they realized what was happening. I tried to shake loose from it's death grip, but it only bit down harder. Without even thinking, I whipped around and started to throw blind strikes. I felt another pair of teeth wrap around my scruff, and out of shock, I tried to fight them, too. 

My vision went blurry from surprise and distress. The second pair of teeth yanked on me, breaking the skin. Another scream pierced the air as I felt every rip and tear in my neck. I could hear my muscle and skin trying to resist the battle between one pair of teeth versus the other. 

Eyes as wide as moons, heart speeding like a rabbit fleeing, and jaws open wide, I didn't even notice when Snowfern and Lionpaw began to attack the dummy nor when I hit the ground. The infected cat gobbled the chunk of my neck in heartbeats, and it only wanted more. "You'll be okay, Pebblepaw, we're immune!" Hollowpaw reassured me. "Silverstar is going to get Shadowflower and Zinnia. Stay calm, you're fine... you're okay..." Foxtuft whispered. I looked out past them, past the bright sky, past SoulClan, and beyond. 

As my thick blood poured out of my wound, I felt my legs go numb and the world spin. A puddle of blood formed around my face and shoulders, it's warmth the only thing I could feel. It smelled metallic. 

I clutched onto the ground and gasped for air. "Hold on, Pebblepaw," Snowfern pressed large amounts of dead grass and frost-bitten leaves onto my wound. I didn't even feel it. I looked deep into her eyes as she did it, until all went black, and all went eerie.