EDITED

The sunny sky held a bright and welcoming aura in its possession, as it rained down its warm amber rays on the scenery below. Creatures - small and large - bathed in the newly risen sun as a chorus of bird songs filled the peaceful sunrise.

A stream of shadows moved through the narrow gullies of CanyonClan territory, their ears pricked and bellies low. A ginger tom with black tabby stripes stayed behind as the majority of the group continued downwind. He parted his jaws to taste the air for any intruders. He could smell the familiar scents of what lay around him. Anything but the enemy patrol.

His concentration was shattered like lightning spliting the sky when something shifted at the corner of his eye. Before he could say anything, his pale tabby clanmate swiftly ran past him and wove skillfully along the ravine with inaudible pawsteps.

He watched as the toms pelt became one with the shadows after disappearing around the corner. The sound of sharp scuffling and hisses filled the still air until it was abruptly cut off.

Clearnight's figure emerged and his fur was stained with dust. He quickly made his way back to the patrol and nodded.

"Wow!" Whitepaw breathed with a thrilled glow to her green eyes.

"See, Whitepaw? You have to be quick on your paws," lectured Clearnight. "Once they reach your territory, it becomes harder to stop them."

Whitepaw nodded. "Oh! Will I ever be that fast?"

"Of course," Clearnight purred.

Tigerwind could tell the young apprentice was paying close attention. She had just been apprenticed a few sunrises ago and he remembered being upset after hearing Clearnight would be her mentor and not him. She was a bright she-cat. He could tell. He just hoped when earning his first came, it wouldn't be someone like Scorpiontail.

"Can we get going?" Scorpiontail groaned with bore. His tail tip was swaying impatiently from side to side.

Tigerwind felt his fur begin to bristle but because he was on his team, he forced his fur to lie flat. The warrior had just had his ceremony less than a moon ago and already he felt the need to act so superior towards those older than him. He wished someone would put him in his place one day, preferably by Goldenstar.

Clearnight seemed just as annoyed as he but he managed to reply calmy. "Win or lose, it  doesn't matter. We're here to teach Whitepaw with this experience and as long as she learns, I believe we win."

Tigerwind nodded in agreement, admiring the words and wisdom of the senior warrior. 

"After we reach their side," began Clearnight as he ignored the grumbling of Scorpiontail. "There will be a large stick in a small clearing that is protected by the 'guards' and our job is to find a way to capture it and bring it back to our side. Whichever team does that first,  wins."

Whitepaw squealed with excitement and quickened her pace, seeming eager to get it done.

Tigerwind caught Scorpiontail rolling his eyes and the immature tom briskly said, "And this teaches us how to prepare for battles and future invasions. Blah, blah, lets go!" He whipped around and began marching forward.

Tigerwind exchanged amused looks with Clearnight.

"Yes, Scorpiontail is right," Clearnight acknowledged.

"For once," Tigerwind muttered beside Whitepaw, causing her to giggle quietly.

"This isn't just a game. It's a traing session and it teaches us how to work together. Most of us at least," he added as he watched Scorpiontail walk away.

Tigerwind sighed as he fell behind the patrol, bringing in the rear.

**

"Snowfeather should be down there already. "

Tigerwind had completely forgotten she was in his team and just hearing her name made him groan but he suppressed it and simply nodded.

The senior warrior returned the nod and flicked his tail. "We're moving in," he informed him and began to pick his way carefully through the canyons.

"Don't let us down," Scorpiontail growled as he passed by him.

Tigerwind narrowed his eyes and returned the growl. "I won't. If someone is going to mess it's more likely to be you than me."

Scorpiontail did not say anything more and followed his clanmates further into the canyons.

The ginger and black tabby looked around, wondering if he should move forward to get a closer look or back up to find higher ground to keep watch on. As he contemplated his choices, something soft brushed against his side, causing him to nearly jump.

He looked wildly around and was left face to face with a familiar white she cat. Her blue eyes were the color of the shimmering sea, gazing innocently up at him. He seemed to get lost in her blue abyss for a brief heartbeat but ho forced himself to snap back to reality. She was a pretty she cat and Tigerwind hated to admit that.

How did he expect to be with another one of his clanmates when he still had feelings for his apprenticeship crush?

"Snowfeather, what are you doing here?" He asked her, managing to keep his voice steady.

The white she cat blinked with confusion at his reaction. "Oh, come on, Tigerwind. I doubt any of them will make it our patrol." She rolled her eyes with annoyance before sitting beside him so their pelts brushed.

Tigerwind nearly flinched away. "Snowfeather . . . Just go back to your position. Please," he half begged. He didn't want to be the cause of his team's defeat. He had to stay focused and keep watch for any intruders but he wasn't able to do that while the she was there.

Snowfeather licked her paw and drew it over her ear as if she hadn't heard him. "You don't want me here?"

"Well. . . no," he replied slowly.

She seemed greatly offended by his response.

"A-at least not right now," he added quickly.

The she cat lashed her tail and her eyes filled with anger. "This is all because of Honeydawn, isn't it?!"

"No-"

Snowfeather rolled her eyes once again. "She doesn't want me around you, is that it? She knows I'm a threat to whatever you two have so she doesn't want us to be friends anymore!"

Tigerwind flattened his ears to his head, half annoyed that she sounded like a kit right now. It was like she didn't know her own sister! Honeydawn would never say something like that.

Frustrated, he turned sharply to face her closely as his gazed burned through hers."Can we please just discuss this at camp? When this - "

Snowfeather took the chance to touch his nose with hers and cut him off.

Tigerwind shook himself and tried to recover from the unexpected movement. He stood up and moved away from her with an exasperated sigh.

Suddenly, his eye caught a small, dark shadow moving cautiously among the canyons above. The cat turned it's head in his direction and its gaze locked with his.

"Are you listening to me?!" Snowfeather's voice broke through the cloud of tension and when Tigerwind looked back up, he saw the cat break into a run.

"They've reached our territory!" He yowled and pushed past Snowfeather, running in pursuit of the cat.

He would not allow his team to lose. Especially under his own paws.

When Tigerwind turned around, he was surprised to see Snowfeather right behind him. He nodded to her and she nodded back. She swerved around, heading a different route to cut the cat off. He watched as she reached the safety place of the stick they were supposed to guard and stood in front of it, keeping the dark pelted tom from reaching it.

Catching up to him was not hard for Tigerwind. The cat had short legs of an apprentice. It must be Batpaw.

The ginger and black tabby came bounding from the opposite direction and Batpaw stumbled to a halt, obviously taken by surprise.

"Well you caught me," the apprentice meowed. "I would've won it for our team if you two lovebirds had stayed talking to for just a little bit longer."

Tigerwind felt his face flush and glanced at Snowfeather. She seemed to beam at what she took as a compliment. "We're not-"

"Yet," he heard the she cat reply.

Batpaw rolled his eyes and began to walk the other side of the canyon. Tigerwind followed him with Snowfeather behind when a chorus of yowls were heard from a far.

Tigerwind exchanged glances with the two.

"Something's wrong," he told them as his eyes darkened. "If it was part of the training game, they wouldn't sound so...real."

The apprentice nodded in agreement.

"Go back and get help, Batpaw. Notify Goldenstar and tell him to bring a patrol to the South Canyons," he ordered.

He nodded and sprinted back in the direction of camp.

"Come on, Snowfeather."

Without hesitation, she followed at his side and ran with him.

"I hope we're not too late," Tigerwind murmured with concern darkening his tone.

There is Chapter 1 edited! (I might come back to make a few minor changes but nothing too big) Let me know what you think! And don't forget to vote, comment and/or follow!

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