"From now on," went on Reedstar, "everybody will be training daily. We must be on form when fighting ShadowClan. We will go to ThunderClan to train with them every so often and they will come here to train with us." It was early morning and Heartstorm had finally excepted the fact that they were going into battle. He knew that if that was going to happen, he needed to prepare himself, his mate and his kits. Brightpaw came trotting towards him. 

          "I can't believe it!" exclaimed Brightpaw, rolling her eyes. 

          "I know..., fighting shouldn't be the answer to everything," sighed Heartstorm, glad that his kits understood. 

          "No.., I meant, I can't believe we have to be fighting with ThunderClan. Like, we're not weak. We should just go straight for ShadowClan," Brightpaw clarified. Heartstorm frowned.

         "Brightpaw, I don't want you going out to battle," he told her. 

         "What do you mean?" she exclaimed. "This is what I'm training for!" 

         "I know, but you're not fully trained," Heartstorm told her firmly. 

         "I will be!" exclaimed Brightpaw. "I'll probably be a warrior by then." 

         "I don't want you to get hurt, ok?" Heartstorm told her gently. 

        "You can't stop me from going," Brightpaw said firmly then softened. "I know you're scared for me but I'm training the best I can. Eelfrost is really pushing me. I know I can do it. This is what I want, to protect and fight for my Clan, even if it means dying. Isn't that what you swear, when you become warrior? That you'll defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?" Heartstorm nodded slowly, thoughtfully. He was proud that Brightpaw would do anything for his Clan but he didn't want her getting hurt. He just wanted to keep her safe forever. 

         "Yeah, that is what I swore. What we all swore," he agreed.

          "Great, I've got to go. See you later," Brightpaw said quickly, spotting Eelfrost at the camp entrance. She rushed away. Heartstorm watched her go. Her eyes were bright and enthusiastic. He knew there was no stopping her. Sparkbelly trotted towards Heartstorm. 

         "Hey, you're looking down," commented Sparkbelly. 

         "Huh?" Heartstorm said, snapping out of his thoughts. "What- oh no, it's nothing." 

        "Well then, do you want to train together?" asked Sparkbelly. Heartstorm liked the idea of training. He wanted to stretch, feel the adrenaline pumping through him. When he fought, his mind didn't dwell on anything but the present. 

          "Sure," nodded Heartstorm. Together, they trotted out of camp. They reached a small place near the river and Heartstorm stretched. He shook his head and dipped half of his face in the river to feel more awake. Sparkbelly trotted around, stretched, ran and rolled around, warming up. Heartstorm suddenly felt much more awake and to attention. His senses went sharp and he felt his muscles stiffen. 

         "Ready?" asked Sparkbelly. "How should we do this?" 

        "Let's just count three two one and see how it goes," suggested Heartstorm. 

        "Alright," agreed Sparkbelly. "Three... two... one...." Sparkbelly lunged forward without warning. His front paws reached out. Heartstorm saw the movement and swiftly stepped aside, turning around quickly. Heartstorm lashed out his front paw. It hit Sparkbelly in the stomach. Without waiting, Heartstorm drove forward and tumbled into Sparkbelly. Sparkbelly twisted and bit Heartstorm on the side. Heartstorm pushed him away and went for a back kick. He thought he would be rusty but as his feet left the ground, he found himself dong everything by heart. He swiftly knocked into Sparkbelly who stumbled back. Then he quickly pushed Sparkbelly down in another swift motion. He gripped onto Sparkbelly's scruff and started scratching at Sparkbelly's stomach, claws sheathed. Sparkbelly struggled. Heartstorm held on as hard as he could. Sparkbelly was extremely strong and if Heartstorm let go for a second, he would be able to pin Heartstorm down. Suddenly, with a burst of strength, Sparkbelly twisted around and bit into Heartstorm's paw. Heartstorm was surprised and stopped for a split second. It was enough, Sparkbelly was on top of him. Now Heartstorm hit the ground with a thud. He felt his breath fly out of his mouth and lay winded for a while. Sparkbelly held him down, biting him on the neck. Heartstorm tried to break free but couldn't. Sparkbelly was strong and wasn't going to let go. Heartstorm's muscles burned and he was breathing hard. But he wasn't going to give up. This was something he needed. Heartstorm let himself go limp. Sparkbelly, thinking Heartstorm was giving up, let go slightly. Heartstorm knew there was no better chance. He leapt up and threw his paws around Sparkbelly's shoulders and neck. Sparkbelly fell to his knees and Heartstorm bit into the back of Sparkbelly's neck. Sparkbelly flailed his paws around wildly, catching Heartstorm in the sides a few times. Heartstorm struggled to keep Sparkbelly down but managed for a while longer until Sparkbelly suddenly stood up, holding Heartstorm's weight and rolled down. Heartstorm saw the world blur and felt the ground beneath him. He was about to be pinned down once more. He curled himself and made sure he kept rolling. Then he felt his feet touch the ground and he got up quickly. Dazed, he looked around for Sparkbelly. Suddenly, Sparkbelly went for an explosive back kick. Heartstorm staggered back as it hit him. He shook his head and reared up, bringing both of his front paws down on Sparkbelly's head. He swiped his front paw towards Sparkbelly's head again but Sparkbelly jolted back. Heartstorm then lashed out his left paw. Sparkbelly wasn't quick enough this time, it caught him near the ear. He crouched and leapt. Heartstorm side stepped away and caught Sparkbelly's tail in his mouth. Sparkbelly swivelled around, his movements restricted as Heartstorm held his tail. Sparkbelly grabbed Heartstorm's front paws and tugged. Heartstorm let go of Sparkbelly's tail and regained balance. They circled each other, panting hard. Heartstorm's eyes locked with Sparkbelly. Sparkbelly jumped high. Heartstorm crouched down quickly and twisted around. He managed to claw Sparkbelly's underbelly with his sheathed claws. But Sparkbelly had been ready for it and before landing, he twisted. Heartstorm was still getting up and turning and Sparkbelly barged into him. Heartstorm was knocked to the ground. The two Clanmates were caught in a frenzy of rolling about in the first. Heartstorm couldn't see anything right. Everything was a blur. He could only see Sparkbelly and his flamey orange pelt. He bit into everything red, clawed at everything and kept rolling to make sure he never ended up pinned. Sparkbelly did they same. They were both two cats rolling on the ground, each one trying to get up and pin the other one down. Finally, Sparkbelly managed to get up. Heartstorm, on his back, pushed Sparkbelly away but Sparkbelly was on his feet and managed to hold Heartstorm down before he managed to get up. Heartstorm struggled wildly. Then he let himself relax. He then threw his back legs underneath Sparkbelly's stomach and rolled to his feet. Sparkbelly and Heartstorm stood facing each other, breathing hard. 

            "Good one," grinned Sparkbelly, shaking himself. 

            "Ahhh," said Heartstorm relieved, stretching himself. "That was great." 

            "I know, haven't felt so alive for a long time," agreed Sparkbelly. 

          "Now I'm starving," Heartstorm said as his stomach grumbled. 

           "I know me too!" exclaimed Sparkbelly. "Let's hunt."