"Attack me."
Gingerpaw looked hesitant, but leaped at Sparrowflight. Sparrowflight easily jumped out of the way and used her momentum against her, throwing her onto the ground. When she didn't get up immediately, Sparrowflight tilted his head. Had he hurt her? But then, she sprang back to her feet. "That was cool! Can you teach me that move?" Sparrowflight chuckled and shook his head. "For now we will just work on your leaping. I could easily tell where you were going to leap, and an enemy could too." Gingerpaw nodded "Okay. How do I do that? Can you show me?" Sparrowflight chuckled again. This apprentice was certainly lively. "Of course I'll show you. Get into a crouch like you were before." Gingerpaw nodded and crouched down. "The first thing you need to fix is your eyes. I can tell you're going for my shoulder because you're staring right at it." Gingerpaw nodded and looked around before focusing her amber eyes on Sparrowflight's paws. Sparrowflight nodded "Good. Stormheart used to tell me that in a battle, your eyes can be your worst enemy. Now try to look like your going for my paws, but at the last moment, rear up and strike my shoulder." Gingerpaw nodded and took a breath before leaping towards Sparrowflight's paws before rearing up on her hind legs before slamming her paws down on his shoulder, knocking him to the ground. Gingerpaw frowned "I didn't hurt you did I?" Sparrowflight stood up, shaking dust from his pelt "No, you didn't. Not at all. That was great." Gingerpaw smiled at his praise "I just did what you told me." Sparrowflight opened his mouth to say something back but was interrupted by a yowl.
       His apprentice's eyes widened. "That was Tigerpaw!" She gasped, dashing off and following the noise. Sparrowflight pelted after her, catching up and taking the lead. He burst through a clump of heather, followed by Gingerpaw. Sparrowflight looked around and saw Tigerpaw with a bleeding scratch on her side, and Blazefire arguing with Batfeather.             "We were just training!" Blazefire protested. "You shouldn't be training like that!" Batfeather hissed, pointing to Tigerpaw's scratch. "Even kits know to keep their claws sheathed!" "What's going on?" Sparrowflight asked loudly. Batfeather turned to him, her fur flattening a little. "Blazefire just injured Tigerpaw! I could hear her yowling from where I was hunting!" Blazefire spoke up "I didn't mean to hurt her! We were just practicing a move." Sparrowflight looked at the both of them. "We can worry about whose fault it was later, but right now we need to get her to the medicine den. Can you walk?" He asked Tigerpaw. "We don't have time for her to walk! It would make the wound worse!" Batfeather insisted. Sparrowflight nodded. "You're right." Tigerpaw lifted her head "I can walk just fine." She protested. "She can lean on one of us." Sparrowflight suggested. Blazefire nodded and walked over to Tigerpaw to have her lean on him, but the apprentice didn't seem to notice and walked to Sparrowflight and leaned on him. "Batfeather, you can continue hunting." Sparrowflight told her. Batfeather opened her mouth to protest, but Sparrowflight interrupted "We need prey for the sick cats." Batfeather then nodded and dashed off. The cold weather of leaf bare had brought sickness to the Clan. There had been a recent outbreak of white cough and Mistcloud and Sunpelt had fallen ill. Sparrowflight didn't mind Tigerpaw leaning on him at all. She was smaller and much lighter than Sparrowflight, so it wasn't that difficult of a task. While he helped Tigerpaw walk back to camp, Gingerpaw walked next to her sister. Sparrowflight glanced over and saw Blazefire walking back all by himself. Sparrowflight suddenly felt sympathy for the dark ginger tom. Despite the fact, being an accident or not, that he caused Tigerpaw's injury. "I could've walked back without help." Tigerpaw muttered as they approached the camp. "You walking on your own could've made the injury worse." Sparrowflight told her softly. He couldn't help but admire the courage of the young apprentice.
       Once Tigerpaw was sent off to the medicine den, Sparrowflight glanced over to see Blazefire glaring at him. The tom walked over to Sparrowflight "Tigerpaw is my apprentice, not yours." He hissed. Sparrowflight flattened his ears "I didn't mean to offend you-" "I can take care of my own apprentice and you take care of yours!" Sparrowflight bristled defensively "Does her leaning on me really matter that much to you?" Blazefire's eyes blazed "I'm her mentor! We could've gotten a lot more done training if you and Batfeather had kept your nose in your own business!" Sparrowflight narrowed his eyes "You should be glad that she's here and getting treated. Don't go blaming me for trying to help." He hissed, walking past Blazefire and towards Gingerpaw. "Do you want to go and practice hunting?" He asked, desperately wanting to get away from Blazefire. Gingerpaw nodded, but she was not as excited as normal, as her eyes drifted off towards the medicine den. Sparrowflight followed her gaze. "Tigerpaw will be fine. Heathersong And Sparkstorm are great medicine cats." Sparrowflight told her "Maybe you can catch her something while we're out hunting?" He suggested. At that, Gingerpaw's eyes brightened and they both walked out of camp.
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When they returned from camp, it was nearly nightfall. Sparrowflight sighed, knowing that he wouldn't be able to see Blissnose tonight. Gingerpaw carried a shrew that Sparrowflight caught to the medicine den while Sparrowflight placed a blackbird that she caught on the prey pile. Gingerpaw had insisted that Tigerpaw liked shrew better than birds. Since it was leaf bare, most of the rabbits were in their burrows. When Sparrowflight walked into the medicine den, he was surprised to see Tigerpaw standing up and looking well. "Heathersong said I could go back to training tomorrow!" Tigerpaw said excitedly to her sister. "Thanks for the shrew!" Gingerpaw glanced over at Sparrowflight. "Actually, Sparrowflight caught it." Tigerpaw turned and smiled at Sparrowflight "Thank you!" Sparrowflight smiled and dipped his head "Anything to help." Heathersong walked over to them. "Tigerpaw can sleep in the apprentices den ton-" Heathersong broke off into a fit of coughing. Sparkstorm gasped and dashed over to Heathersong, shaking her head. "She's spent too much time around sick cats." She muttered. Sparrowflight sighed. Sickness was spreading rapidly throughout the Clan. What would they do without their medicine cat?