“I want to try that!” Snookpaw mewed eagerly as he and Billystorm reached the edge of the training area. “Can I?”
“Sure,” Billystorm replied. “Let’s watch Sagepaw and Mintpaw do it a couple more times first.”
“Yes.” Sagepaw sat up, spitting out sand. “I’m gonna get you next time, Mintpaw!”
“Yeah, and hedgehogs will fly!” his sister retorted.
Leafstar settled down beside the mentors, her tail wrapped over her paws, and watched the training session. Very soon all three young cats had mastered the new move. They still had a lot of training to do before they would be ready for their warrior names, but they seemed to grow stronger and faster every day.
“I want to practice what you showed us yesterday,” Snookpaw meowed, scratching furiously to get sand out of his ear. “Where we leaped up on the rocks. That’s such a great move!”
Leafstar pricked her ears with interest; she hadn’t seen that move yet. “Show me,” she invited.
Snookpaw and Sagepaw faced each other, each one maneuvering to get closer to the rock wall. Suddenly Sagepaw leaped up the cliff, twisting his body, clung there for a heartbeat, and launched himself down on top of Snookpaw, who failed to back off quickly enough. Snookpaw let out an indignant yowl as he battered at his opponent with all four paws, trying to thrust him off.
“Again!” he insisted, struggling to his paws.
“Okay, if you want more sand in your pelt,” Sagepaw agreed.
The two young cats squared off again. This time Snookpaw was first to leap up the cliff, but when he hurled himself down again he was a heartbeat too slow, and landed hard on the ground.
“Missed!” Sagepaw squealed.
Undaunted, Snookpaw spun around and scratched hard at the sand with his hind paws, sending a shower of it over Sagepaw. “Now who has sand in their pelt?” he taunted.
“Hey!” the gray apprentice protested.
“Snookpaw, that’s enough,” Billystorm warned.
“But it’s part of the move,” Snookpaw explained, trotting over to his mentor. “If I could get sand in my enemies’ eyes, they couldn’t see to claw me.”
“He has a point,” Leafstar purred. “It’s a good move for fighting here in the gorge.”
“True,” Billystorm admitted. “But don’t overdo it when you’re training, okay, Snookpaw? We don’t want Echosong spending all day getting sand out of apprentices’ eyes.”
“Okay.” Snookpaw gave his mentor a cheerful nod.
Leafstar was impressed by the young cats’ enthusiasm. Here in the gorge, there wouldn’t be the kind of battles with other cats that Firestar and his Clan had to face from their rivals. But there could still be clashes with rogues and loners, or overly curious kittypets from the Twolegplace.
Not to mention that the rats might come back. And there are foxes and badgers in the woods. Leafstar was determined that all her cats would be able to defend themselves and their Clan.
“I want to try it now,” Mintpaw meowed, bounding up to stand by Snookpaw. “I—”
She broke off with a startled squeal as a snowflake landed right on top of her head. Looking up, Leafstar saw that the black clouds had covered the sky, and more flakes of snow were drifting down onto the sand.
“Snow!” Patchfoot exclaimed, wrinkling his nose in disgust. “It’s supposed to be newleaf!”
“I think that’s enough training,” Leafstar decided as the snow began to settle on her fur and whiskers. “Let’s get back to the camp before we’re all soaked.”
Even though the camp was only a few fox-lengths down the gorge, the snow grew thicker, a white screen that hid even the cliff on the opposite side of the river. The track beneath their paws was churned into mud. Before the dens came into view, every cat’s pelt was plastered to their body by the melting flakes.
Reaching the camp, Leafstar peered through the snow and managed to make out Shrewtooth and Rockshade racing back up the gorge with a couple of scraps of sodden prey in their jaws. Sparrowpelt’s border patrol was only a few fox-lengths behind.
“Back to your dens!” Leafstar gasped. “Billystorm, Ebonyclaw, go with them. You’ll have to stay until this is over.”
“Come on,” Mintpaw meowed to Snookpaw. “You can shelter in our den.”
Rockshade veered toward the cliff with the other warriors behind him, clawing their way up a trail that was suddenly treacherous and slick with melting ice. Leafstar spotted Echosong and Tinycloud hurrying into the medicine cat’s den, and Fallowfern carrying a wriggling kit back into the nursery by its scruff. More cats appeared from the top of the gorge: Sharpclaw and his patrol were returning to camp.
Leaping rapidly down the trail, the Clan deputy reached Leafstar and the other cats on the ledge outside the warriors’ den.
“Snow!” the deputy exclaimed, shaking white flakes from his head with a disgusted snort before padding inside the den. “As if we didn’t get enough of it in leaf-bare.”
“So let’s not stand around complaining,” Leafstar meowed, following him inside. “Come on, all of you—into shelter.”
“It’ll be a good chance to do some cleaning out,” Sharpclaw meowed as the other warriors crowded into the den after their leader. “It’s starting to stink as if a fox died in here.”
“Yuck!” Cherrytail exclaimed, slapping her tail over her nose.
“Good idea,” Leafstar agreed, though all she could pick up was the overwhelming scent of wet fur from the cats milling around. “We can pull out the old moss and rub snow on the walls to clean them.”
“And I’d like to investigate those caves farther up the gorge,” Sharpclaw suggested. “We’ve been meaning to do it for nearly a moon. They could be useful for storing food, or extra sleeping dens.”
“You mean, go out there again?” Shrewtooth asked, his eyes wide and nervous. “In this snow? What if we fall off the cliff? What if we freeze to death? What—?”
“What if a giant hedgehog spears you on his prickles?” Cherrytail asked, giving the black tom a shove that was only half impatient. “I never knew a cat could worry so much!”
“Well, I think cleaning up is a good idea.” Petalnose spoke up. “I’ll go over and help in the nursery, if it’s okay with you, Leafstar.”
“Good idea. Thanks, Petalnose.”
The gray she-cat slipped out into the snow, which was already starting to ease off. Leafstar stuck her head out to watch her go, then turned back to speak to her warriors. “Sharpclaw, if you can supervise the clean-up here, I’ll take some cats and check out the unused caves. And I’d be grateful if some cat could clean my den out while I’m gone.”
“I’ll do that!” Sparrowpelt offered. “It’ll be so clean you won’t recognize it.”
Leafstar gave the warrior a nod of gratitude. “Okay, Rockshade and Bouncefire can come with me. And you, Billystorm. We’ll pick up the apprentices from their den on the way.”
“Er… Leafstar.” Billystorm gave his chest fur a couple of embarrassed licks. “I really think I should be going. I’m worried about getting snowed in. My housefolk won’t know what’s happened to me, and—”
“I don’t think you’re bothered about your housefolk at all,” Sparrowpelt interrupted indignantly. “You just don’t want to do the cleaning up.”
“That’s not true!” Billystorm sounded equally outraged; his neck fur started to bristle.
“So stay.” Rockshade took a pace forward to stand beside Sparrowpelt. “The snow is easing off already.”
“It might start again,” Billystorm argued. “I don’t want to get stuck here. Remember when there was that really strong wind last leaf-bare, and all the kittypets stayed overnight until it was over? My housefolk were really scared. I’m sure they thought I was never coming back at all.”
Sparrowpelt slid his claws out and opened his jaws to reply, but Leafstar silenced him by lifting her tail. “Okay,” she meowed to Billystorm. “If you need to go, then go. We’ll see you again tomorrow.”