"Me?!" Pineclaw snarled. "That's outrageous! I refuse to mentor a kittypet- a murderer!"
Fernpaw flattened her ears. Her tail bushed. The fur on her spine rose.

"I chose you, and you accept it without complaint." Stonestar growled.
"Fine!"
Fernpaw crept up to the ginger tom to touch noses, though it didn't seem right.

He stepped on her paw, claws unsheathed.
She flinched and felt blood trickle between her toes, warm and sticky.
"First, we do battle training." Pineclaw snarled.
Fernpaw gulped.
This sounded like it was going to hurt.

"Let us see how well you fight." Pineclaw unsheathed his claws and sprang at the new apprentice.
"This is training! You're not supposed to use claws!" Fernpaw squeaked and jumped out of the way.

"Oh, this isn't training, kittypaw." He launched himself at her again.
She ducked just in time to hear him thump on the ground behind her. He had landed on his paws and jumped again.
She felt wind this time and the fourth time his claws grazed her pelt.

He launched himself at her for the fifth time, and Fernpaw was so out of breath that she couldn't get out of the way fast enough.
His claws hooked her paws out from under her, then her lashed out across her chest, sending her flying into the bushes.

The grey she- cat struggled to get her breath back.
She felt the warm sticky blood spread from her chest to belly. Panic swarmed through her as the ginger tom approached slowly.
"No one wants you here, kittypet." He snarled.
Fernpaw knew it was over for her.

And yet Waterheart said that I have a long life ahead of me. There is no hope...
Waterheart's scent washed over her.
There is always hope...
Something pulled her back, and she saw Ashpaw.

"A- Ashpaw? But you hate me."
"I know that I wasn't very nice to you," The older apprentice mewed quickly. "but I know I was wrong." She shoved Fernpaw to her feet. "Now get up."
"Why?"

"Pineclaw is coming, and he won't stop till you're dead, so run!"
The bushes rustled.
"Where?" Fernpaw looked around wildly.
Pineclaw jumped out. "There you are!"
"Fernpaw, run!"

She did.
She could her the warrior's pawsteps drumming behind her.
A bramble bush loomed ahead, and Fernpaw ran straight through, hoping to get ahead.
It didn't work.

Pineclaw jumped the bush and landed right behind her, causing her to run faster, fur bushing out.
He chased her out of the forest, and Fernpaw's heart almost stopped.
She stopped right before she was launched over the edge of a cliff.

She stood there, teetering on the edge as water tumbled below, and sharp rocks pointed up.
"Stop!" She shouted as Pineclaw ran full speed at her.
He didn't seem to hear her.

He crashed into her, sending them both over the edge.
Pineclaw, who was much heavier than her, fell faster, and Fernpaw flinched as she watched him hit a rock.

Blood pooled around his head as he sunk.
She waited, expecting that it was all over, but she didn't feel a rock.
Icy cold water splashed around her, and, before her head went under, she saw a white and orange streak as something climbed down the stony ledge and launched into the water after her, then she fell unconscious.