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Description

I'm not running, running, running
No, I'm not afraid of the fall
I'm not scared, not at all
Why would a star, a star ever be afraid of the dark?

Snow flew from behind white and red paws. Those same paws pounded on the ground as he raced after his mentor. Reedpaw’s face was determined as he ran, watching his mentor carefully. By now he knew her fighting style, she’d wait for him to run out of energy.

He had to be smart.

The sun set behind him, illuminating everything within a red light as the duo moved swiftly across the snowy ground, ice and other hazards along the way. Nettlestar, though much skinnier and frailer than normal still moved like a viper in the grass, fast and precise. Behind her, the tom moved just as lethally, remembering how the red of Nettlestar’s blood had stained the snow.

Never again in his life would he allow a clanmate to bleed out into the snow. He had a life to live and a future to look forward to, he’d make it through this. Reedpaw wouldn’t fail.

A clearing with rocks soon approached and soon enough, he saw trees too. She was leading him towards the forest, he’d be an easier target there. Slamming his paws on the ground, he threw more snow up behind him, a fierce snarl on his face. Ahead of him, he knew that Nettlestar would have a calculating sneer on her face, figuring out how she would get him off her tail.

For once, he was glad that Nettlestar’s age was showing. Sure, she was still plenty powerful and moved swiftly, but there was some clunkiness to it. He’d focus on the sadder parts of that later, but for now he had to focus on succeeding.

Finally, the distance between them was closing as the sun continued to sink, staining everything orange and red. With the distance closed, Reedpaw bunched himself up and sent himself into the air. Snow flew up behind him as Nettlestar stopped to look at him. While airborne he angled himself so he’d land directly on her.

Unluckily for him, his mentor was smart, she could read him well enough by now. She wouldn’t stand still and let him just tackle her. He knew that.

As quickly as he’d left the ground, he was back on it with a thud and no mentor underneath his paws. Whipping around, he watched for her, staying alert. Nettlestar was somewhere and she couldn’t have gone far.

The crunch of the snow alerted him and he managed to dodge out of the way of a leaping attack from behind. Turning on his heel, he rammed himself into the molly, hopefully knocking the wind out of her. Nettlestar began to fight back, slashing at his ears and whacking him as hard as she could. Reedpaw, determined continued to beat down on her.

Bouncing back, a snarl formed on his face before he lunged again. Nettlestar panted, the running had worn down the old she-cat and as much as she tried to hide it, she couldn’t keep up as well as she once had. Reedpaw landed firmly on the molly this time, pushing her down into the snow and pinning her.

The two remained, panting before Reedpaw smirked.
Nettlestar gave him a straight faced nod, and Reedpaw finally felt proud of himself.

He’d succeeded.

Reedpaw's assessment

Nettlestar (c) headpott
Reedpaw, art (c) ScreamingYearly

Description

I'm not running, running, running
No, I'm not afraid of the fall
I'm not scared, not at all
Why would a star, a star ever be afraid of the dark?

Snow flew from behind white and red paws. Those same paws pounded on the ground as he raced after his mentor. Reedpaw’s face was determined as he ran, watching his mentor carefully. By now he knew her fighting style, she’d wait for him to run out of energy.

He had to be smart.

The sun set behind him, illuminating everything within a red light as the duo moved swiftly across the snowy ground, ice and other hazards along the way. Nettlestar, though much skinnier and frailer than normal still moved like a viper in the grass, fast and precise. Behind her, the tom moved just as lethally, remembering how the red of Nettlestar’s blood had stained the snow.

Never again in his life would he allow a clanmate to bleed out into the snow. He had a life to live and a future to look forward to, he’d make it through this. Reedpaw wouldn’t fail.

A clearing with rocks soon approached and soon enough, he saw trees too. She was leading him towards the forest, he’d be an easier target there. Slamming his paws on the ground, he threw more snow up behind him, a fierce snarl on his face. Ahead of him, he knew that Nettlestar would have a calculating sneer on her face, figuring out how she would get him off her tail.

For once, he was glad that Nettlestar’s age was showing. Sure, she was still plenty powerful and moved swiftly, but there was some clunkiness to it. He’d focus on the sadder parts of that later, but for now he had to focus on succeeding.

Finally, the distance between them was closing as the sun continued to sink, staining everything orange and red. With the distance closed, Reedpaw bunched himself up and sent himself into the air. Snow flew up behind him as Nettlestar stopped to look at him. While airborne he angled himself so he’d land directly on her.

Unluckily for him, his mentor was smart, she could read him well enough by now. She wouldn’t stand still and let him just tackle her. He knew that.

As quickly as he’d left the ground, he was back on it with a thud and no mentor underneath his paws. Whipping around, he watched for her, staying alert. Nettlestar was somewhere and she couldn’t have gone far.

The crunch of the snow alerted him and he managed to dodge out of the way of a leaping attack from behind. Turning on his heel, he rammed himself into the molly, hopefully knocking the wind out of her. Nettlestar began to fight back, slashing at his ears and whacking him as hard as she could. Reedpaw, determined continued to beat down on her.

Bouncing back, a snarl formed on his face before he lunged again. Nettlestar panted, the running had worn down the old she-cat and as much as she tried to hide it, she couldn’t keep up as well as she once had. Reedpaw landed firmly on the molly this time, pushing her down into the snow and pinning her.

The two remained, panting before Reedpaw smirked.
Nettlestar gave him a straight faced nod, and Reedpaw finally felt proud of himself.

He’d succeeded.

Reedpaw's assessment

Nettlestar (c) headpott
Reedpaw, art (c) ScreamingYearly