"Applefall taught me this move." Ravenpaw mewed, demonstrating it. He attacked Featherpaw with sheathed claws. She batted them away. "Slip around me amd try to get me from behind." He instructed. Featherpaw obliged, wondering how on earth he could get her from behind. But as she went to attack him, he flung himself onto his front paws and, using his tail for balance, kicked out hard with his hind legs, slamming into Featherpaw who went flying. "Whoa! How do you balance?"
"Use your tail." He replied. "It allows you to take on attackers from all sides. And your hind legs are very strong."
"I noticed." Featherpaw got gingerly to her paws.
"I didn't hurt you did I?"
"Nah, I'm good." Featherpaw purred. She had been meeting with Ravenpaw for secret training for almost a full moon now. She was a ton better that the other apprentices. Even though she was the smallest, she was strongest, fiercest and fastest. OakClan training was too weak. They didn't push young to find their limits. They left them comfortably safe, but that was no use in battle. Therefore Featherpaw had asked Ravenpaw for secret training, where he taught her everything he learned.
"We need to work out what the prophecy means." Ravenpaw mewed, waking Featherpaw from her thoughts.
"We need to find the dew." Featherpaw answered.
"Then lets! We have to get a move on." Ravenpaw mewed urgently.
"Fine. Meet me by the place where the Thunderpath crosses the river tomorrow. We'll go find dew."
"Shouldn't Sparkpaw join us?" Ravenpaw pointed out.
"I can speaking to him." Featherpaw meowed. "We share borders."
"Kay. Meet you there I guess."
"See you soon."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Featherpaw! I want you on dawn patrol." Flamestripe called.
"Ok!" Featherpaw called back. Perfect! Hopefully I can see Sparkpaw.
"You seem very excited." Flamestripe twitched his whiskers with amusement in his mew.
"I guess I'm just happy that I'm not stuck collecting moss."
Featherpaw followed Dustfur and Mousenose out of the camp and towards the SunClan border. Dustfur and Mousenose walked first close to each other, tails twining. Featherpaw trudged after them and Flamestripe brought up the rear. They arrived at the river that marked the boundary to SunClan. Peering across the border, Featherpaw could just about make out a patrol. Hoping desperately that Sparkpaw was there and that she wasn't completely stupid, she doubled back. She followed the SunClan patrol on her side of the river. When she was a decent bit away from her own patrol she took
a deep breath, and launched herself into the river. The currents pulled violently at her, threatening to pull her under. Forcing her paws to move she began to swim through the water. When she was within earshot of the SunClan patrol she let out a long, desperate wail. "Heeelp!" She screeched. "Help! I'm drowning!" She wailed again.
The SunClan patrol all spun around. With a twinge of relief that lasted a split second, Featherpaw saw that Sparkpaw was among them. Then another wave of water forced her head under. She resurfaced spluttering and gasping. "Help!" She cried, more serious this time. Her paws were weakening as she kicked desperately. None of the SunClan cats moved. Featherpaw had forgotten that they hated water even more than OakClan cats. "Please! Sparkpaw!" She howled, panic filling her. Am I going to die? Before I even got a chance at this prophecy? But then she felt teeth grip her scruff and heave her onto the shore. Sparkpaw, soaked and gasping collapsed next to her. Featherpaw coughed up a decent amount of water then lay, shivering on the bank.
"Who are you?" Someone asked.
"Featherpaw." She panted, coughing up some more water.
"Are you ok? What happened?" Sparkpaw demanded.
"I went swimming." Mewed Featherpaw sarcastically. "What does it look like? I fell in."
"Lets get you back to camp." A grey she -cat suggested, nudging Featherpaw up. "Before you freeze." Featherpaw got unsteadily to her paws amd followed her to the fallen tree that served as a bridge to cross the river on. "I'll escort her back." She told the rest of the patrol. Featherpaw had almost forgotten why she had done this in the first place, turned abruptly to Sparkpaw. "Meet me here tonight." She whispered before following the cat. Embarrassment prickled her fur as she thought how her clan would react to the news that she fell in the river. Cold to the bone and soaking wet, Featherpaw staggered into camp, closely followed by the SunClan warrior.  Frostshine dashed up to her in a second. "What happened!"
"I went for a swim." Featherpaw mumbled at the same time as Rainsplash mewed,
"She fell in the river."
"Rainsplash! What are you doing here?" Frostshine asked.
"Simply escorting this apprentice home." Rainsplash flicked her tail at Featherpaw.
"Well you may go." Frostshine meowed with a slight egde to her voice.
"I wish to speak to Stormstar before I go."
Frostshine narrowed her eyes as though to argue, but changed her mind. "Fine." She turned back to Featherpaw, sniffing her soaked fur. "Breathing ok?"
"Yeah." Featherpaw settled on the moss. "Just cold."
"Well, I would like you keep here overnight but I think its best if you go to the apprentice den where its warmer. Come straight back here in the morning."
"Yes Frostshine." Featherpaw mewed patiently. Leaving the den she crossed the den to apprentice den. As she slipped inside she found Ashpaw. He looked up as she entered. "Featherpaw! What happened?"
"Fell in the river." She grumbled.
"Come sleep here! You must be freezing."
Featherpaw curled up next to Ashpaw's warm fur and drifted off to his slow, rhythmic cleaning of her soaked pelt.