Flaring Sky

Not everything is as it seems

The dark sides of cats are there, although we may not always see them

''Even me... I have my dark side too.''

''I leap without thinking.. I learned that the day I left the living.''

But, there's always a story behind the story.

I'm here to tell it.

Chapter 1
Up to the time that Nightstar began his reign.

I was just a little apprentice

With a friend in a snowy she-cat

"Wake up!" a voice mewed in a high pitched voice.

The tom muttered something, and rolled so he wasn't facing the she-cat.

"Come on Flarepaw! You know Nightstar put you on the morning patrol!" The she-cat pushed him out of his nest, and he gasped, "Oof!"

Flarepaw looked at Willowpaw, who looked annoyed. "What?" he asked innocently.

"You know what! You're late for morning patrol!" Willowpaw hissed at him, and she stalked out.

Flarepaw rubbed his head with his paw, and he yawned, Great... Morning patrol... he thought angrily, and he stood up.

Flarepaw padded out of the den, the sunlight streaming into the camp lit it up, even though it was usually dark and cold in the Shadowclan camp.

<p style="text-align:left;">"Ah! Flarepaw!" Nightstar looked up from speaking quickly to Clawfur, who's eyes were narrowed in thought, "We're going to do some battle training." he stood up, and walked toward Flarepaw, and he nodded, and flicked his tail for Flarepaw to follow him.

<p style="text-align:left;">Flarepaw followed him, he looked around the pine forest, and they finally stopped in the training hollow.

<p style="text-align:left;">"I understand you're becoming a warrior?" Nightstar asked, turning to him.

<p style="text-align:left;">Flarepaw nodded, "Of course! I don't want to be stuck in the medicine cat den, it's so boring just sorting through herbs!" he mewed.

<p style="text-align:left;">Nightstar's eyes flashed. "Flarepaw.. Being a warrior doesn't always mean that you fight with your muscle. A medicine cat that sorts herbs, is actually a better fighter then the most experienced warriors." he mewed.

<p style="text-align:left;">Flarepaw looked at him, "What!? Medicine cats never fight!" he mewed.

<p style="text-align:left;">"Oh yes they do.. You never fought with Sunpaw yet have you?" Nightstar asked.

<p style="text-align:left;">"Of course not, he's training to be a medcine cat, to colect herbs and heal wounded cats, nothing more." Flarepaw mewed.

<p style="text-align:left;">"That's where your wrong, you've never seen Sunpaw fight, I have, you are ignorant to Sunpaw just because he chose a different path." Nightstar growled.

<p style="text-align:left;">Flarepaw growled, "I probably can pin him down in a couple seconds!"

<p style="text-align:left;">Nightstar sneered, "Do you want to test that theory?"

<p style="text-align:left;">Flarepaw flicked his tail, "Yes.. I do." he mewed.

<p style="text-align:left;">"Good, wait here." Nightstar hissed, padding away.

<p style="text-align:left;">Flarepaw sat down, moving his paw around, practicing battle stances, lashing his claws out at an unknown enemy.

<p style="text-align:left;">"Too bad it won't do you any good." Nightstar mewed, he had arrived with Sunpaw, who's almost blind eyes were flat, and Flarepaw resisted the urge to laugh.

<p style="text-align:left;">Nightstar nodded to Sunpaw, "When you are ready young apprentice." he mewed, flicking his tail.

<p style="text-align:left;">Sunpaw nodded, and padded towards Flarepaw, who sneered, "Now this is sad.. Medicine cat apprentice and half blind?"

<p style="text-align:left;">Sunpaw made no reaction, so Flarepaw jumped, but what happened totally caught him off guard.

<p style="text-align:left;">Sunpaw rolled under him, grabbing his haunch and slamming him onto the ground.

<p style="text-align:left;">Flarepaw got up, and ran to Sunpaw, Sunpaw flicked her ear, and she narrowed her eyes, and she leaped, Flarepaw leaped also, but Sunpaw rolled in mid-air, pinning Flarepaw down with ease. Sunpaw put her paw on his neck sideways, her eyes were narrowed.

<p style="text-align:left;">Nightstar mewed, "Now you see Flarepaw? You leap before you think, that is what is wrong with warriors these days, the yrefuse to think... And listen, usually, the medicine cats are the best fighters in the clan, even I couldn't beat Sunpaw."

<p style="text-align:left;">Sunpaw backed off of Flarepaw, she nodded to Nightstar, and walked away.

<p style="text-align:left;">"Now you see? Fighting isn't always about tooth and claws, it's about precision, thinking, and listening to the movement of your attacker, but you, like all other young warriors think that fighting is just tooth and claws." Nightstar mewed.

<p style="text-align:left;">Flarepaw hissed, "Then teach me how! Like you're supposed to!"

<p style="text-align:left;">Nightstar padded up to him, and looked at him. "Okay.. Lesson one, you must be heavy on your paws when your attacker is bigger then you, they will think that you're going to dodge, and you will have the advantage." he mewed.

<p style="text-align:left;">Flarepaw mewed, "But I thought I had to stay light on my toes?"

<p style="text-align:left;">"Oh you do, but staying in stance and keeping your razor sharp reflexes is crucial in any battle, especially when you're using them both," Nightstar mewed, then he mewed, "It's like the moon and sun, they are different, but together.. They are a force well beyond our comprehension."

<p style="text-align:left;">Flarepaw looked up at the sky, the sun was setting, and the moon was slowly starting to rise.

<p style="text-align:left;">He felt someone prod his back, and he lowered, "Getting ready to face an attacker well beyond your training experience leads to an easy battle, with you losing, but with the right stradegy, you can beat even the best of fighters." Nightstar mewed.

<p style="text-align:left;">Flarepaw nodded, and Nighstar mewed, "Sometimes though, standing your ground, when this happens, you must become one with the nature that surrounds us, it will guide you, the shadows will hide you, giving you the element of surprise, not many cats can use this, some cats are born this way, able to use their surroundings to their advantage." Nightstar jumped into the shadows, and Flarepaw looked around.

<p style="text-align:left;">"When you are in the shadows, even if you are a light pelted cat, you will be cloaked, you will be hidden, and even a light pelted cat like you can take an attacker by surprise." Nightstar mewed from where he was hiding.

<p style="text-align:left;">Nightstar mewed, "But.. When your attacker uses it, you've got to listen closely, for the shadows will hide you, but they will not muffle you."

<p style="text-align:left;">Nightstar leaped, and pinned down Flarepaw, who gasped in surprise.

<p style="text-align:left;">Flarepaw wriggled and writhed, trying to get out of Nightstar's grip.

<p style="text-align:left;">Nightstar leaped off him, and he mewed, "I think that's it, you can go back to camp, or you can hunt, we need food." he padded away, flicking his tail.

<p style="text-align:left;">"I'll hunt!" Flarepaw called after him.

<p style="text-align:left;">Nightstar didn't answer as he disappeared through the bush, and Flarepaw jumped up and down, and bounded away.

<p style="text-align:left;">Flarepaw scented a bird, and he sniffed the air, and narrowed his eyes, padding quickly and quietly.

<p style="text-align:left;">When he saw it, he froze, eyes widening. He finally leaped.

<p style="text-align:left;">But he groaned when he smashed his head into a furry thing, and it grunted.

<p style="text-align:left;">The two cats landed on their faces, they looked at the each-other, while the bird was still in shock.

<p style="text-align:left;">The cat was a beautiful snowy white, and her green eyes were blazing with annoyance.

<p style="text-align:left;">They both looked at the bird as it started to fly away, and they started chasing after it, as it headed toward a tree, Flarepaw was ready to leap into the tree.

<p style="text-align:left;">But he felt soft paws jump on his head, he looked up to see the she-cat jumping after the bird.

<p style="text-align:left;">"Hey!" He called, trying to regain his balance, but he could only watch as she leaped toward the bird, and catch it in her mouth and land with perfect balance on the branch.

<p style="text-align:left;">She mewed, "Better luck next time apprentice!" she laughed, and leaped down, jumping on him as an added measure, and running off.