|☾ ☼ ϟ ≈ ☁| Dark Forest V.2 |☾ ☼ ϟ ≈ ☁|

(wait, I thought Dawnclaw was going to train him? ^.^’)

Firescorch stiffened at Blackbird’s voice and he turned to look at her, a scowl forming on his face, “well, it isn’t too difficult to figure out where exactly I am, but who are you?” He said with a low growl, his fur bristling. There was no doubt about it, this was the Dark Forest. The same exact place that Lightningstar and Peachdapple had come to warn his clan about.

Firescorch eyed the two warriors warily but he couldn’t help the sense of uncertainty that he felt as they spoke. Did he really will himself here? Why would he want to come here? It didn’t make any sense to him. “Perhaps they don’t talk about you because of what you did to get here.” He finally said, looking at Dawnclaw as he approached. There was something familiar about the tom, but he couldn’t quite figure it out.

Firescorch blinked in surprise, was Dawnclaw his uncle? “My mother…? But she said she was the only kit in her litter. She doesn’t have any siblings.” He said. What Dawnclaw was saying was starting to make sense though. How many times has he had to endure the looks from his own clanmates because of who his father was?

“Then why didn’t Lichengaze say anything about you?” Firescorch questioned. Why would his grandfather never tell him about Spotteddawn’s older brothers? Did his mother even know about them?

(Bump)

bump

"You're exceptionally talented. You're my grandson, after all." Brinetail was currently speaking with Puddlepaw, who had just finished another bout of training with Lotusbloom. Now, he was looking up at his grandfather with a hint of delight. So far, he had begun training with Nightflame again, even if only a little bit. Combined with Lotusbloom's teachings, he was getting twice the experience as his clanmates. It made him feel special, to be wanted like this. 

"Thank you, so much. Really, you both have made everything better. I'll have to be a Warrior on time, and then after that, the best Riverclan Warrior I can be." Puddlepaw promised, only to stiffly whip his head around as he heard a rustle. The sight of Marshpaw made him freeze, eyes unblinking.

"Marshpaw. My dear friend!" Brinetail mewed, casual and smooth, as he turned his gaze to the younger apprentice. Bright and blue, his eyes gleamed as he purred. "I was hoping to see you again soon."

"I..." Puddlepaw stammered, before his eyes grew guarded. He greeted Marshpaw with a stiff nod. What in Starclan was Marshpaw doing here? Was he learning from Brinetail? Was that why Puddlepaw saw his grandmother far more than he saw his grandfather?

“…He’s my grandfather.” Puddlepaw answered tersely after a long moment, before he forced himself to relax. He wasn’t doing anything wrong. Marshpaw was here now too, so if he tried to tell anyone, Puddlepaw would tell right back on him. He shook the petty thought away, having no reason to have conflict with Marshpaw. If anything, he was kind of relieved to see more cats wanting to train here. “I’m just getting some help from them to make up for the training I had to miss this last moon.”

“Have more faith in me.” Brinetail humored, the large blue tom looking at Marshpaw with a grin. “Puddlepaw is indeed my grandson. My mate, the one primarily training him, is his grandmother. Marshpaw here is motivated just like you, Puddlepaw. So, I wanted to help him like we helped you.”

“Makes sense.” Puddlepaw nodded, eyes flashing to the younger apprentice. “It’s a good place to really master training you can’t get done just during the day, you know?”

”That makes sense,” Marshpaw agreed. Puddlepaw really had been set back by his punishment, after all.

His eyes widened at the word grandson. Marshpaw hadn’t been entirely sure that this place was real, and a little shiver went down his spine as he started to understand that this cat was real… and this wasn’t Starclan. He swallowed. Even if that was the case, Puddlepaw seemed comfortable, and Brinetail was only trying to help him learn.

Marshpaw justified it to himself and said casually, “I can’t wait to see what you’ve learned. Maybe we could train together sometime. But, I imagine if you’ve been training here a while, I might be pretty far behind at this rate. Brinetail’s a good teacher. I bet your grandmother is too.”

“Lotusbloom is very skilled. You’d be very impressed by her.” Puddlepaw puffed his chest proudly, though inwardly he was just relieved that Marshpaw didn’t seem bothered by him choosing to train here. Puddlepaw shrugged. “Ah, sure, I’ll train with you. I can help catch you up to speed. That’s what Clanmates are for, right? You know, I can tell you’re a bit weary, but really! Alot of the cats here aren’t bad cats at all. Not everyone has to put all their faith in Starclan, and others were never given chances to make things better. Brinetail and Lotusbloom really care alot about me.” He looked happily at his grandfather. “Brinetail will show you alot of strong moves.”

”I’m looking forward to learning more,” he replied. It was nice to know Puddlepaw was willing to help too.

Turning to Brinetail, he asked, “Should I come back later or is this a good time?”

"Now is a perfect time! This forest has all the room you could ask for to share. We need not let anything get in the way of your goals, Marshpaw." Brinetail invited, offering his warmest smile before a thick purr escaped him. "In fact, you and Puddlepaw are both more than welcome to learn. Riverclan is its strongest when we have eachother's backs, through and through. You can support eachother's successes. Who knows, either one of you could be eachother's leader or deputy." He teased, though he did have a serious tone to his lofty offer. 

“A good mindset to have. The work never stops for a Warrior.” Brinetail praised, before he flicked his tail towards the inky black river he was always swimming in. “Let’s get started on some moves in the water. What happened should never happen again. But I do not train with punishments. I train with experience.” He mewed knowingly to Puddlepaw, who gave a faintly sour look to the side, before looking hopefully at his grandfather. He’d be stronger than any current, and then Nightflame would never have to act like he wasn’t good enough to keep training.

"Kinda feels like mud, right? It makes you way stronger though, in the water back in Riverclan." Puddlepaw mewed with a hint of humor to Marshpaw, looking down at the younger apprentice. He waded through the water until it lapped over his shoulders. "Watch. Brinetail moves in this water like a fish." He breathed with a hint of praise and awe as he looked at his grandfather.

Brinetail smirked, before he chuckled. "I've been here a long time. I'm used to it. As for what you'll be learning tonight, I'm going to show you a diving ambush. Using the water to hide in wait for an enemy patrol is good for when you want to fight for Sunningrocks, yes?"