Another tough day of training. Another slow return to camp, paws dragging against the cold ground. Another visit to the healer's den, shoulder throbbing.

    Lightpaw hated training with Smoketalon.

    The heady scent of lavender made her dizzy as she stepped through the den entrance, suddenly enveloped in a seemingly alternate world. The outside world was cold and fast and dangerous; here, there was nothing but peace and quiet.

    "Just a moment!" Reedpaw must have smelled her. Lightpaw settled into a half crouch, shoulder aching too much to allow her a comfortable position. It felt strained, as if the muscles underneath her speckled fur were threatening to pull apart. The smallest of gashes peered out from beneath a patch of cream, strikingly dark.

    The new healer took one look at her and shook his head. He could no doubt smell Smoketalon's scent on her and, besides that, it was not the first time Lightpaw had visited him after a particularly trying training session.

    "Looks like it'll need something to bring down the swelling," Reedpaw muttered to himself as he examined the scratch. "Maybe something to prevent infection."

    He spoke in questions instead of statements, as if asking her for confirmation. Lightpaw shook her head, unable to give him answers.

    "Is it dock for infections? And marigold for swelling? Or maybe horsetail?" She watched the tabby disappear into the medicine storage, talking to himself. He rustled about before returning with a couple of herbs. He looked very nervous.

    Lightpaw watched as he chewed up a marigold flower, spitting the pulp onto her scratch. A dock leaf followed, covered in cobwebs shortly after to keep the herbs in place. She purred as he finished, hoping to boost his confidence.

    Reedpaw still seemed torn.

    "I'm sure it'll be fine," the she-cat assured him. "If anything, I wrenched it a bit. A bit of rest and I'll be as good as new!"

    The healer shot her a grateful look. "I really don't know what I'm doing."

    "You're without a mentor. I'm sure the rest of the Clan understands that. You're doing the best you can."

    Reedpaw glanced down at his paws. "What if my best isn't good enough for Dawnstar?"

    Lightpaw wrapped a speckled tail around the tom's shoulders. "I'd like to see her try healing her wounded warriors."

    A brief flash of amusement lit up the tom's copper eyes. They darkened quickly. "I wouldn't say that within her hearing if I were you."

    All playfulness gone from between them, Lightpaw nodded. She knew Dawnstar could be dangerous; she'd seen her punish Thistleshade with her own eyes when the warrior she-cat returned to camp without prey for a third day in a row.

    "I'd better get back to sorting," Reedpaw said quietly. "I'm running low on some of the herbs, but I haven't figured out which ones yet."

    He seemed so resigned that Lightpaw nearly offered to help him. Yet, she knew that the tom preferred solitude when he was to get work done so she merely waved her tail at him before limping her way out.

    Heavy clouds had rolled in and the camp looked bleak and dreary despite the fact it was only sunhigh. Lightpaw hoped she wouldn't be asked to join a patrol; the weather and her injured shoulder made her want to sleep until dawn.

    "What's this?" The she-cat groaned as her sister's voice reached her. "Did you trip over your paws again, Lightpaw?"

    The tortoiseshell gritted her teeth. "No, Smoketalon decided to play tough."

    Beetlepaw rolled her eyes. "I never get scratched up when I train with him."

    That's because he takes it easier on you. Lightpaw held her tongue.

    "Your sisters fight a lot," Rainpaw commented to Stormpaw as they passed by, casting a wary glance at the two she-cats. Beetlepaw glared at the grey tabby and Rainpaw quickly averted her eyes.

    Lightpaw sighed. "She's got a point."

    The black she-cat bristled. "She doesn't need to point anything out. Staying quiet might serve her best if she doesn't want thorns in her nest."

    "Clearly, someone put thorns in your nest," Lightpaw muttered.

    She was not ready for the weight on her chest, nor the momentum that sent her crashing back. Her head and shoulders hit the ground hard and she yowled in protest.

    "Get off me Beetlepaw!"

    "Why should I?"

    "Because I'm injured. And, besides that, you don't rule this camp."

    "Oh? Is that because you rule it?"

    "I never said that!"

    "It was implied!"

    Lightpaw struggled, angered by her littermate's words. How could Beetlepaw think such things?

    The weight disappeared suddenly and the pale tortoiseshell looked up to see a black tom standing over her. Behind him, Smoketalon appeared to be hauling Beetlepaw off.

    "I trust there is a good explanation for why the two of you are being so disruptive?" Spiderthorn asked coolly. Lightpaw got to her paws, smoothing her chest fur with a swift lick before shooting a pointed look at her sister. The black she-cat looked murderous.

    "Rainpaw said that the two of us argue a lot and I told Beetlepaw off for getting angry with her for it," Lightpaw said before Beetlepaw could comment. "And she attacked me for doing so."

    "We weren't arguing, we were discussing Lightpaw's training," Beetlepaw shot back. "Smoketalon got her again and I just pointed out that he's never got me before."

    Spiderthorn looked between the two apprentices, eyes flicking to Smoketalon once in the process. He seemed to be calculating the best course of action.

    Finally, "Smoketalon, I'll be having words with you about your training style. I don't want any of these apprentices hurt before they get a chance at their assessments."

    The deputy turned to Beetlepaw. "You and your sister do argue a lot, it's no crime for Rainpaw to say it. And as for Lightpaw's training injury, she's been practicing a more advanced move than you have."

    Beetlepaw's amber eyes turned to slits. "You always take her side."

    Before anyone could say another word, she stalked off. Lightpaw fought the urge to run after her and pummel her into the ground.

    "I'll step up Beetlepaw's training?" Smoketalon asked quietly, watching the apprentice go.

    Spiderthorn nodded. "I think that would be best."

    Lightpaw scrunched up her nose. Beetlepaw wouldn't be able to handle the moves Lightpaw was learning; she could hardly pull off a twist mid-air and land on her feet, let alone twist, swipe, dodge, and land all at the same time.

    "Lightpaw, walk with me." The deputy's command surprised the apprentice and she followed him as best as she could out of the camp.

    To her relief, Spiderthorn led her no further than the river that separated High Rocks from the forest. It cut straight through the soil, travelling to a pond the others called Deathwaters. Lightpaw had never been there, or heard of its significance.

    "Lightpaw."

    The she-cat settled before the deputy, mimicking his posture. Spiderthorn sat straight-backed, paws tucked close to him and tail wrapped neatly over them. She noticed that his head leaned slightly to the left.

    "Yes?"

    The tom paused for a moment, eyes on the clouds far above.

    "You are a bright, talented individual. You work hard, but things come more naturally to you than they do to others. Like battle training, for example."

    Lightpaw kept her eyes trained on Spiderthorn's chest, taking in his words. She felt her muscles tense as he continued.

    "Beetlepaw, on the other hand, needs to put every bit of herself into her training in order to pull off the moves you learn in less than three tries. You think she doesn't notice how easily these skills come to you?"

    The tortoiseshell felt her jaw tightening, the telltale clench of her fangs as agitation filled her. Of course she noticed, but that didn't give Beetlepaw an excuse to be so rude.

    "While Beetlepaw could certainly handle her jealousy in a better way, there are ways you might be able to salvage your relationship."

    "How exactly?" Lightpaw burst out crossly. "Every time I try to be remotely nice to her she makes some snarky comment or attacks me."

    Spiderthorn's whiskers twitched and the tortoiseshell was almost certain it was with amusement. "I knew two toms once who were very much like you and your sister. One would pick on the other until the one being picked on stepped up and impressed his brother. He even ended up asking for his help in training."

    "Why would I ask Beetlepaw for her help in training?" Lightpaw growled through her clenched fangs. "I'm better than she is, you said so yourself."

    The deputy shook his head. "Suggest training together. Maybe critique her to help her build her skills."

    "She'll think I'm purposely trying to make her look bad," the she-cat replied bitterly.

    Spiderthorn sighed. "I know she's difficult. Take that from me not as your deputy but as your father. I can't fight your battle with her for you but I can give you every bit of wisdom I have."

    Lightpaw nodded mutely, wishing very much that the tom could fight Beetlepaw off for her.

    "I'll try," the tortoiseshell said finally. "But no promises."

    The black tom dipped his head. "That is all I ask."

    //

    To her utter dismay, Lightpaw found herself on the dusk hunting patrol later that day. Spiderthorn took the lead, with Thistleshade and Oakshade close behind, Rainpaw by Lightpaw's side. The grey she-cat seemed quieter than usual, very different from her usual bubbly self, and kept casting wary glances in the direction of the tortoiseshell. Lightpaw ignored her, too preoccupied with the throbbing in her shoulder and the knowledge that Rainpaw's side glances were a result of Beetlepaw's insolence.

    The deputy led them to the forest, the territory most likely to hold prey this late into leaf-fall. The ground, dappled with leaves the colour of fire, held hiding places for all manner of forest dwellers.

    "Think I can manage to catch a mouse?" Lightpaw asked Rainpaw quietly, suddenly eager to break their silence.

    Rainpaw seemed surprised by the question, but warmed up immediately. "Even with that shoulder, I think you'll manage. I'll be lucky to catch anything at all."

    The pale tortoiseshell frowned. "Don't say that. I'm sure you'll catch anything you find."

    The grey she-cat whisked her tail playfully. "If either of us find anything at all. Come on, we're wasting precious hunting time."

    Lightpaw twitched her whiskers and followed the tabby into the undergrowth, glad to have a friend. They crept forwards, Rainpaw slithering through the low-hanging branches of bushes so gracefully she almost looked like she was made of liquid. Lightpaw followed her path as best as she could, cringing at how loud she was in comparison. Her shoulder throbbed again.

    Finally, the two came to a small clearing, barely two tail-lengths across. Rainpaw lifted her tail to signal a halt. The tortoiseshell stopped, right forepaw still in the air and immediately focussed in on the mouse before them. It was small and grey but every piece of freshkill counted.

    Her grey stripes rippling like water, Rainpaw sank into a hunter's crouch. Lightpaw waited, forepaw trembling as she forced herself to keep still. She noticed how Rainpaw leaned slightly to one side a moment before the she-cat sprang. She landed a hair short of the mouse, startling it and sending it running for cover.

    Lightpaw moved fast, slamming a paw down in front of the mouse before it had time to reach the edge of the clearing. It reeled, terrified, scurrying in the opposite direction and straight into the waiting claws of Rainpaw.

    "Thanks for that," Rainpaw said, the mouse dead at her paws.

    "You lean slightly to the right when you go into your hunter's crouch," Lightpaw replied, inspecting her wound. "Makes the angle of your pounce slightly off from where you aim with your eyes."

    "I do?" The grey she-cat looked thoughtful. "I wonder why Spiderthorn never noticed during training."

    Assured that she had not re-opened the cut on her shoulder, Lightpaw cocked her head. How very unlike Spiderthorn to let something like that slip.

    "Nice catch!" Two cats entered the clearing, one dark grey and one tabby brown. Both pairs of eyes shone with pride as they took in the sight of Rainpaw with her catch.

    "I couldn't have done it without Lightpaw," the grey she-cat responded, wrapping her tail around the tortoiseshell's shoulders. Lightpaw felt herself grow warm at the sudden attention.

    "It was nothing," she replied. "But the next one's mine." She twitched her whiskers at the other apprentice.

    "Run along then," Thistleshade said warmly. "We don't have long before it's completely dark out."

    "Still scared of the dark?" Oakshade teased, flicking his long tail at her.

    The dark she-cat shook her head. "Not when you're here to protect me." Her voice dripped with honey-like sweetness but Lightpaw couldn't have been sure if it was meant to be a compliment or an insult. She supposed it could be either or – the two were life-long mates, after all, and some form of affection might have surfaced. Still, DarkClan made it clear that love would not be tolerated.

    Slightly uncomfortable, Lightpaw urged Rainpaw away, hoping to get the most out of their hunting trip.

    By the time darkness fell, the two had caught only a scrawny magpie, its wing bent at an unnatural angle. Not a hard catch, but freshkill was freshkill.

    "That will feed Minkfur and Antkit nicely," Rainpaw said kindly as they walked back to camp, the mouse swinging from her jaws.

    Lightpaw's thank you was muffled by the assortment of feathers in her mouth, but she found she did feel grateful for the grey she-cat's words. Hunting with Rainpaw, as a team, had given Lightpaw some ideas about how she could take Spiderthorn's advice and repair her relationship with Beetlepaw – if there had ever been a time when they got along.

    All of these hopes were dashed, however, when she stepped into the nursery to see Beetlepaw offering a large crow to Minkfur and her kit. The brown queen looked absolutely ravenous and tore into the freshkill without a second thought.

    Before Lightpaw could retreat, Beetlepaw turned and spotted her. The tortoiseshell braced herself for the jibe that was sure to come.

    And, sure enough: "That scrawny thing? Look what I caught at the cliffs today."

// I'm very happy with the character building in this chapter. Thoughts on any of these apprentices? Stormpaw and Yewpaw haven't had much facetime as of yet, but worry naught! For now, it was just time for the faes to shine :)