Dark River полностью

Lionpaw waited for Ashfur to tell Brambleclaw how useless he had been today. He blinked in surprise when Ashfur meowed, “Lionpaw’s hunting is coming along fine. He just needs to work on his crouch.”

Why didn’t he tell Brambleclaw the truth? Had Ashfur given up on him? Or was he being soft on him because his father was deputy?

Brambleclaw cuffed Lionpaw softly around the ear. “I thought you’d mastered the hunting crouch before you left the nursery.”

Didn’t anybody care? Irritation pricked his paws. He had been floundering for days, but nobody had mentioned it. Why weren’t they taking his training seriously? With all the talk of battle, surely it was more important than ever that he was doing well. He glanced at Brambleclaw, but the ThunderClan deputy was already padding away with a mouse in his jaws.

“You might as well have something to eat too,” Ashfur meowed. “It’s been a long morning.”

“What about training?”

“Rest first.” Ashfur began to head across the clearing.

“We’ll do some battle training later.”

It looked as if Ashfur really had given up on him. Maybe his mentor thought training was a waste of time. Lionpaw felt a flash of indignation, but it died as he stared wearily at the fresh-kill pile. He was too tired to eat. All he wanted was to curl up and sleep. He headed for the apprentice den, ducking beneath the low branch of the bramble bush. With a sigh of relief, he coiled down into his nest and closed his eyes.

“Lionpaw!” Berrypaw’s voice woke him. “Time for battle training!”

Lionpaw struggled awake like a drowning cat fighting its way to the surface. Berrypaw was standing over him, shaking his shoulder with a paw.

“Okay, okay!” Lionpaw mewed. “Put your claws away! I’m awake.” He shook Berrypaw away and heaved himself to his paws. A fog filled his brain, and his body felt as though it was weighted down with boulders. His nap had only made him feel more tired.

“Ashfur and Brambleclaw want us to do some battle training together.”

Lionpaw sighed.

“What’s the matter?” Berrypaw leaned forward. “You normally can’t wait to try and beat me.” His whiskers twitched.

“Are you scared?”

“No!” Of course he wasn’t scared. I just want to sleep!

He stumbled out of the den after Berrypaw and blinked in the afternoon sun. Ashfur and Brambleclaw were already waiting by the camp entrance. They nodded at Lionpaw and headed out of camp.

Slow down! Lionpaw felt hardly awake as he hurried after Berrypaw and the two warriors. He stumbled through the forest in a daze of tiredness, tripping over brambles and stifling yawn after yawn. He half slid down the slope into the mossy training hollow where Berrypaw was waiting with Ashfur and Brambleclaw. Stretching his claws, Lionpaw padded to join them. He shook himself, hoping to jerk himself awake, but a numbing fog still clouded his mind.

“Let’s get started,” Brambleclaw meowed. “Berrypaw, I want you to pretend you’re defending your territory.” He flicked his tail. “Lionpaw, attack him.”

Berrypaw dropped into a crouch, hackles bristling and tail lashing. His eyes were narrowed to slits and his chin glided back and forth over the ground like a snake’s.

“Come on, Lion kit!” he teased.

Anger flashed in Lionpaw’s pelt. Without thinking he rushed at Berrypaw, his sleepy paws stumbling over the ground. He hurled himself at his denmate, forelegs splayed.

Berrypaw reared up and caught him under the chin, flinging him backward. Before Lionpaw could roll out of the way, Berrypaw sprang on top of him. Lionpaw struggled but the other apprentice’s weight pinned him to the ground.

Berrypaw looked up triumphantly at Brambleclaw. “That was easy!”

As his attention slipped, Lionpaw darted out from underneath him. He butted Berrypaw’s creamy flank with his head, but Berrypaw hardly flinched. Instead, he rounded on Lionpaw and swiped at him with a forepaw. Lionpaw only just managed to duck in time. What now? His mind was sluggish with sleep. Working on instinct, he dived beneath Berrypaw’s belly and tried to leap up and unbalance him. But he hadn’t bargained for Berrypaw’s greater weight. Berrypaw merely dropped on top of him and squashed him to the ground.

Lionpaw, defeated, went limp. Every move he had made had been badly thought out. Berrypaw stepped off Lionpaw and sat down beside Brambleclaw, curling his tail over his paws.

Ashfur stared down at his apprentice. “Was that the best you could do?”

Lionpaw shot to his paws, his ears burning. He was wide awake now, his body tingling with anger. “It’s not my fault you taught me all the wrong moves!”

Shock flashed in Brambleclaw’s eyes, but Ashfur’s gaze remained calm. “Do you think anyone would believe I taught you that clumsy display?”

“Well, if you had it would be the first thing you’ve taught me today!”

That managed to ruffle Ashfur’s pelt. The gray warrior’s eyes blazed.