Thunder shifted his paws uneasily. He would go easy on Star Flower. She must still be weary after her ordeal, and she wasn’t used to fighting. He approached her slowly.
Her gaze flashed with impatience, but she said nothing.
Nearing her, Thunder lifted a forepaw, preparing to swipe lightly at her muzzle.
She lunged at him. A forepaw struck him hard on the top of his shoulder. Another slammed the same shoulder from the side. Thunder stumbled, shocked as his leg buckled beneath him. He thumped onto his chest, his shoulder numb where Star Flower had hit him. His leg was as limp as fresh-kill.
He could hardly feel his paw.
He stared up at Star Flower as she backed away, lifting her gaze to the others. “Rogues like to lame their enemies first, then attack. It’s a sneaky trick, but it’s effective. If I attacked Thunder now, he’d only be able to defend himself with three paws. And he’d be pretty confused about what had happened. It gives a rogue all the time they need to deliver a far more damaging blow.” She glanced down at Thunder. “Are you okay?”
Sensation was flooding back into his leg. He pushed himself to his paws, staggering slightly. His shoulder felt weak. He blinked at Star Flower, impressed. Even play fighting with Lightning Tail he had never been overpowered so quickly.
“Don’t worry,” Star Flower reassured him. “It’ll be fine in a moment.”
He shook out his paw, relieved to feel strength flooding back into it. Dipping his head respectfully, he backed away.
A loud purr rumbled in Clear Sky’s throat. “I’m sorry, Star Flower. I underestimated you.”
Wind Runner padded closer to the golden she-cat, her eyes sparking with interest. “Can you show me exactly where you hit Thunder?” she asked. “That is a great move.”
Jagged Peak, Lightning Tail, and River Ripple moved closer as Star Flower laid one paw on top of Wind Runner’s shoulder and another on the side.
“Hit the top first,” Star Flower instructed. “A short, sharp blow. Then follow it up with a hefty swipe to the side. You need to hit the right spot. It numbs the leg instantly.”
Thunder padded toward Lightning Tail. “Can I try it on you?”
Lightning Tail nodded, bracing as Thunder lifted a paw. Focusing hard, Thunder slapped one forepaw down on Lightning Tail’s shoulder and swung his other into his side.
Lightning Tail buckled, and Thunder felt satisfaction flood through his pelt, swiftly followed by guilt. “Did I hurt you?”
“You crippled me.” Lightning Tail glanced up at him reproachfully. Then his eyes flashed with amusement. “But it is a good move.”
Star Flower blinked at him. “You don’t have to use it if you don’t want to, but you’ll know what to look out for.” She circled Thunder. “Try it on me,” she ordered.
Thunder stared at her. “I can’t.”
Star Flower rolled her eyes. “Just try it!”
Thunder lifted a forepaw. I guess it won’t really injure her. As he aimed a blow at her shoulder, she spun and butted him away with her flank. Thunder wobbled. With one forepaw raised and the other preparing a second blow, he was unbalanced. As he struggled to stay on his paws, Star Flower grazed his muzzle with a swipe.
He steadied himself, blinking. “That’s smart.”
Star Flower whisked her tail. “If a rogue tries to start an attack by aiming for your shoulder, that’s how you counter it.”
River Ripple padded forward. “I know a fishing move that might work too.”
Tall Shadow pricked her ears. “Try it on me.”
River Ripple faced the black she-cat. “Use Star Flower’s move,” he told her.
Tall Shadow lifted a forepaw. Before she could touch the river cat, he’d dived beneath her belly.
Arching his back, he thumped his spine against her chest. She reeled away, her eyes widening with surprise.
“You moved so fast!” she puffed. “You winded me!”
“It’s a good way to stun a fish. It makes them easier to grab,” River Ripple explained.
Jagged Peak’s eyes shone with excitement. “I have an idea.” He padded between the others, limping on his weak hind leg.
Thunder narrowed his eyes. Jagged Peak was a good fighter considering his lameness. But what could he teach cats with four good paws?
Jagged Peak caught his eye. “I know what you’re thinking.”
Thunder shifted self-consciously. “I was only—”
Jagged Peak cut him off. “What you don’t realize is that I can use my lameness to my advantage.
When a cat faces me in battle, the first thing they see is my limp. I can see their expression change as they realize I am fighting with three paws, not four. They suddenly look as though they’ve already won the fight. They don’t realize that I’ve been fighting on three paws for as long as I can remember, and I’m good at it.”
Clear Sky frowned. “How does that help us?” he asked. “We’re not lame.”
“No,” Jagged Peak agreed. “Not now. But what if you’re injured in battle?”
Shattered Ice chipped in. “Never let another cat see you’re injured. They’ll know you’re vulnerable.”
Jagged Peak shook his head. “Make sure they see you’re injured. They’ll underestimate you.” His gaze flashed to Star Flower. “We’ve already seen how easy it is to beat a cat when they underestimate you.”
Thunder felt his pelt grow hot. Was Jagged Peak referring to how easily Star Flower had unbalanced him?
Jagged Peak went on. “You must all practice fighting on three paws so that you are as strong on three as you are on four. If you’re wounded in battle, your enemy won’t expect strength. You can take them by surprise.”
Thunder lifted a hind paw, trying to imagine what it was like fighting without the steadiness of all four legs. He was looking forward to practicing. Jagged Peak was right. It would be a useful skill.
Clear Sky stepped into the middle. “We’ve taught one another a lot today.” His thick pelt was smooth. He looked less worried than he had at the beginning of the meeting. “Let’s go home and share what we’ve learned with our campmates. Trainers should share all these moves with the younger cats. The rogues may think they’re winning, but they haven’t seen us fight yet.” He lifted his chin.
“When they do, they will realize that we’re not the easy prey they think we are.”
“Come on!” Thunder veered onto the track that headed for Clear Sky’s forest.
“Where are we going?” Lightning Tail raced behind him.
“To find the rogue camp.”
“Why?” Lightning Tail sounded surprised. “I thought we were heading home to teach the others our new moves.”
“We can do that later.” Thunder leaped a fallen branch, his paws skimming the mossy bark. “I want to see this rogue camp for myself. I have to know what we’re up against.”
“But we don’t know where the camp is,” Lightning Tail cleared the branch and thumped onto the track behind him.
“Gray Wing said it was in the marshland beyond Tall Shadow’s pines,” Thunder told him. “Near some willows. It can’t be hard to find.”
“What if we run into the rogues?”
Thunder slowed and stopped. His friend had a point. The marsh might be swarming with rogues.
His ears twitched self-consciously. He should have thought of it first. “Let’s find prey and take it with us,” he suggested hastily. “If we’re caught, we can say we came to give it to Slash.”
Lightning Tail frowned. “What if they don’t believe us? We’ve never offered them prey before.