Chapter Text
Spottedpaw woke up with jolt when she realized that today was the day when she starts her apprentice training. She padded out of the apprentice's den and gave her shoulder a quick lick before she padded to her mentor Thrushpelt who was already waiting for her beside the gorse tunnel.
"Are you ready?" He meowed with a tranquil look on his face.
"Yes Thrushpelt I'm ready" she tried to sound determined but came off as an enthusiastic squeak.
Thrushpelt chuckled "Ok don't get your tail all bristled up, we'll go now."
(SOME MOONS LATER)
"Let's start off with our hunting abilities again shall we, and go on from there, now let's see your hunting crouch"
Spottedpaw crouched down and began to slowly pad forward and was met with a bitter laughter. "Almost, concentrate more on your balance since you're putting a lot of your weight to the left side."
"Sorry Thrushpelt" she mewed
"No need to be sorry, you just have to focus that's all" he mewed calmly.
"Thrushpelt that's no way to train a new apprentice" a new voice interrupted.
Spottedpaw turned to see Thistleclaw and his apprentice Tigerpaw who was grinning his teeth at her.
"You do not have judgement over how I teach Thistleclaw" Thrushpelt mewed with a firm voice.
"Perhaps, but it doesn't help that you're treating her like some kind of kit or worse a kittypet" Thistleclaw mewed the last word with a snarl in the end.
Spottedpaw knew that Pinestar left his clan to be a kittypet not too long ago and his departure still left the clan fractured and heartbroken. She didn't understand why any cat would want to live in a twoleg nest where they are confined and almost locked in there for their entire life. 'Who knows I'm just glad that I'm training to be warrior in Thunderclan and that is all that matters' Spottedpaw thought.
"The only way an apprentice will learn the right way is if they learn it themselves" Thistleclaw snarled breaking her train of thought.
"That's hardly logical Thistleclaw, no apprentice has ever self taught themselves to become a warrior let alone a leader like Sunstar. That is why we have what is called mentors Thistleclaw." Thrushpelt retorted back.
"I'm training to be a warrior and Thistleclaw barely even taught me." Tigerpaw smirked with his head held high.
"Weeelll good for you Mr goody two paws" Spottedpaw altercated back voice held high.
"Look you see, she's good enough to take care for herself" Thistleclaw smirked uneasily.
Something about it made Spottedpaw uncomfortable and made her pelt twisted in knots like she could pass out anytime now but she held her ground.
"Fine, if you're so sure that she'll come back with enough prey to feed the whole clan then be my guest" Thrushpelt answered almost immediately after.
A look of satisfaction and approval came from the gray-white tabby tom and simply padded away with his apprentice. Flicking his tail for Spottedpaw to join in which she reluctantly padded with. As she did so a soft mew came behind.
"Remember what I taught you Spottedpaw" Thrushpelt mewed with a bit of worry in his voice.
Spottedpaw merely nodded and padded to Thistleclaw and Tigerpaw who were three fox lengths away already and she pelted forward.
The three were padding around until Thistleclaw stopped and turned to Spottedpaw to go the direction near the twolegplace since there's a lot mice there and Thistleclaw and Tigerpaw go near upstream towards Sunningrocks to which Spottedpaw agreed and padded to twolegplace. Once she saw the border she started to sniff and inhaled any mouse scent or prey of any kind till she detected a plump vole that was near its small burrow. She crouched, remembered what Thrushpelt said and stalked forward towards the prey with no indication that it knew her presence before it was too late when she pounced forward and grabbed the vole by the neck and with a single *pop* it was dead. She dug her prey in a small hole and let out a small sigh, taking in all the forest but then held her breath when suddenly she herd a small mew coming from the distance just beyond a big bush. She let her curiosity over come her and she padded to the direction of the noise which was getting louder each time. 'Is that the sound of a tom? Boy he sounds excited' Spottedpaw thought as she heard the cheering and shouting of a tomcat. When she came into view to investigate, she saw a small black tom on the ground rolling around laughing to the point that tears came out of him.
"Ha ha take that you weird looking bird with wings, I could have cut them off for you if I had to." The black tom mewed staring off to the sky.
Spottedpaw couldn't help but giggle at the tom to which he realized the pretty tortoise-shell she cat with amber eyes. Spottedpaw watched as she gazed into his ice blues making her pelt feel warm and angsty she felt relieved when he spoke before she felt hot with embarrassment.
"Oh man did you see that, I chased off an owl thinking I was its next prey. Stupid thing only has one brain cell and still can't even use it properly" the black tom mewed with gleaming eyes.
"No I didn't see, but from what I heard coming from my direction it sounded like a lot commotion coming from here" she chuckled awkwardly.
"I haven't got your name yet, mine's Tiny" Tiny mewed with excitement in his eyes.
"I go by Spottedpaw" she said awkwardly 'Gah why am I acting so weird'
(A/N: Just to clarify I don't know why I should but I should. I think Tiny is like 8 moons and she likes 7 or somethin so dont worry I ain't weird I swear)
Spottedpaw couldn't help but notice a one white sock on his paw and a purple collar around his neck
'Oh no he has a collar of a kittypet.' She knew how Thistleclaw and Tigerpaw felt about kittypets and she also knew that Tiny would be in grave danger if they find him. Before she thought further he interrupted.
"That's a nice name Spottedpaw nice to meet you" Tiny mewed with a hint of boastfulness in his voice.
"It's nice to meet you too Tiny but I think you should leave it's not safe for kittypets to be this deep in the forest" she mewed back glancing behind her to see if any patrols have found the two.
"I keep hearing that word "kittypet" what does it mean?"
"It's what you are. A cat that lives with twolegs and the collar is a dead giveaway and like I said it's not safe for you to be here and I suggest to go back before a patrol finds yo-"
Before she could finish, a small branch cracked and she smell a patrol of three cats coming her way.