There are moments which mark your life. Moments when you realize nothing will ever be the same and time is divided into two parts, before this, and after this...

Sometimes you can feel such a moment coming. That's the test, or so I tell myself.

I tell myself that at times like that, strong people keep moving forward anyway, no matter what they're going to find.

-John Hobbes, Fallen

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      "Make sure that when you're using any kind of falling water move that you're watching out for your own clanmates." Beechfeather grimaced, her amber eyes dark.

      "Yeah, you keep hitting me with your stupid high pressure spray!" Kalepaw growled from the ground. Smokepaw sighed, looking to the right before looking back, her gold eyes full of annoyance.

      "Maybe you should've moved," she mumbled.

       "Smokepaw, you can't keep relying on others to anticipate your every move. Be more aware, be more accurate. It's on you, not on your 'mates." Beechfeather flicked her long-haired brown tail, and the dark brown tabby Kalepaw stood up. "Now, try it again." Smokepaw sighed, setting her stance, black pawed legs set staggered apart. Her pelt, mostly various grays but smoky black on extremities, billowed in the late green-leaf wind.

      The group of three stood in an open, grassless clearing, the river bending behind them, a break in the reed-line where they trained. Lush grass grew around the clearing, stretching throughout the rest of the territory where the river stretched around. Clouds were thick and lazily making their way across the sky, the sun beating down a humid heat, but a breeze kept the cats cool.

      Water. It does what I want. Go up, go down, float mid-air, sprinkle some rain, water a plant, whatever. Whatever I want. For many in the clan, water is harder to control or for some completely impossible. For me, there is no boundary between water and I. Sometimes it's stressful, all of the elders expect so much from me, but then I realize how mouse-brained I am to complain about having so much power. Even this move now, the High Pressure Spray, it's simple. Set your paws: ground yourself. Summon the water. It comes to my call without hesitation, it follows my command.

      Smokepaw took a breath in, her eyes closed, and then breathed out. She flashed open her eyes, narrowed and focused, water flaring up behind her from the river. Kalepaw watched carefully as the wave rose high up. She unsheathed her claws, brought up her two front paws, and then struck the earth with them. The water sprayed down around her, avoiding her frame but shooting the ground in front of her. Her eyes caught Kalepaw's. He was in the way. The water would relentlessly spray him, like small scraping thorns. She sighed, jumping to the side. The water moved accordingly, and last second it avoided the younger apprentice. It shot down at the earth a mouse-length away from him, kicking up dirt in the harsh impact. Water ricocheted from the force of the hit, and gently misted everything within a tail-length of impact.

The trainer gave a slight nod, her eyes softer now. However, Kalepaw crinkled his nose in annoyance.

"That was much better Smokepaw. Almost perfect, but I think if you focus the blast even more you could really do a lot more damage to your opponents."

      "Yeah, but watch out if you accidentally get in the way...," Kalepaw mumbled. Smokepaw curled her lip. That ungrateful little pigeon-dirt-smelling...!

      "Hey, I just went out of my way to avoid hitting you!" She snapped.

      "Yeah, whatever. If I'm ever in battle with you on my side, I won't be fighting anywhere near you."

      "That's all I can hope for, it'd be idiotic to fight back-to-back with an incompetent--" A wave of water flopped down on both apprentices, drenching them in one swift blow and flattening their pelts to their frames. Kalepaw let out a small yip of surprise, and Smokepaw's muscled tensed.

      "Smokepaw, enough. You too Kalepaw. This training session is over." Beechfeather growled, her paw still raised from the move she had dealt. Her eyes were sharply narrowed, staring both apprentices down.

      "Looks like I'm right on time, then," a mostly white she-cat padded through the grass over to the training trio, ginger tail flicking behind her. Beechfeather took a deep breath to regain her composure as the newcomer arrived, and Smokepaw looked away. It was Rosecall, her mentor.

"Rosecall, we need to talk at some point in the near future. About Smokepaw." Beechfeather sat down, the impatience with the younger cats dissipating with the warm winds. Rosecall paused mid-step. Her ice blue eyes went right to the wet gray cat, and she gave a small nod.

"Of course. Sorry about my apprentice's behavior, it won't happen again." She shot a glare to Smokepaw, who looked away.

"It's alright. It's just... she has such a bright future in RiverClan, I know she'll go far!" The muscled trainer gave a firm nod, her amber eyes shining. "She just has a few issues. I know she can get through them--"

"Issues?" Smokepaw picked her head up. Beechfeather gave a side-glance, keeping her breathing even.

"--She can get through them. She just needs some help." Everyone has issues.

"Yeah. We're.. working on it." Rosecall flicked her tail-rip across Smokepaw's shoulder-blades, leading her away. "Come on." Kalepaw chuffed a laugh.

"Have fun working out your 'issues.' If you ask me, there's no way to fix selfishness."

"Kalepaw." Smokepaw looked back in time to see Kalepaw's shock as his mentor padded in, complete disapproval on their face.

"Serves him right. He's such a pretentious thorn, I hate when I get stuck training with him." The pair padded through the grass, which licked at their legs. Bright purply-pink flowers dotted much of the grasses, and a dark mass of trees spanned over the horizon.

      "Smokepaw. This is getting old. That's the third training session with Beechfeather that has ended like that. I don't even know how you do it-- she's one of the easiest cats to please in the clan."

      "Well, like I said, it's Kalepaw. He's a pretentious thorn."

      "For StarClan sake, you're nearly a warrior. Do better, Smokepaw." Smokepaw glanced up wearily, the icy gaze of her mentor bearing into her. "Or else." Smokepaw gave a small nod.

      "..yes." The thing is, I always say I'll do better. It's the one thing I can't do. I actually tried today with Kalepaw. That wasn't good enough though. Nothing is good enough. Be better Smokepaw they say. What do I even need to do to be better? Everyone's quick to tell me how to correct a stance, how to perfect a move, even how to control how hard I hit. Nobody tells me how to fix my 'issues.'

      "I scheduled a training session tomorrow night with Laurelstep. He'll probably have you spar, but who knows." Rosecall glanced down, white fur sleek and sunlight gleaming off it. A patch of ginger splotched between her ears like a patch of clovers, and her tail which waved back and forth was the same sunset colored orange.

      RiverClan camp was situated along the river, the land around it sloping down into a valley filled with lush trees, tall grasses, and flowers. The pair arrived in the valley, the older leading the way up the hill into camp. Overgrown sedges walled it in, and it was reinforced with weaved reeds. The camp was long in width and curved like a claw and filled with dens tucked away in sedges and reeds. A willow also shaded much of the camp, it's roots housing the medicine cats and the "v" where the branches branched from was where the leader made her nest.

Smokepaw padded through the hidden break in the camp's wall, the guard giving them a purr of greeting. The clan was alive with sunhigh chatter, cats stretched out in the cool shadows and sleeping lazily in the sun with their mates and friends.

"Be sure you're ready for sunrise patrol tomorrow, too, Smokepaw." She sighed, and nodded, making her way to the apprentice den. Kiwipaw was sleeping, probably on one of her only breaks from medicine cat duty throughout the day.

"Smokepaw, Smokepaw!" She turned, eyes narrowed slightly. Kits. Honeybreeze's kits streaked across camp, eyes alight. Their mother watched them from a group of lounging queens, eyes moving from her offspring to friends.

      Smokepaw sighed before giving a purr.

"Yes, hello, what have you two been up to today--"

"Show us some water moves again, please, please!" The smaller of the two, Spinekit, pleaded. Her pelt was compromised of patched orange and dark brown, and tabby stripes twisted across the mosaic. Her fur was light and unkempt, not nearly close to losing her kit-fluff. Her ginger brother, Kestrelkit, nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, please?! I think I might be able to summon water too if I just watch you do it again!" Smokepaw rolled her eyes and sat down. If he's even able to summon water, most cats that don't have pure water-element lineage can't until around five moons.

"Alright, fine. Watch closely...," she picked up a paw, focusing, and up from the river a drinks-worth of water rose. It came to her paw, slithering around like a snake but keeping a mouse-length of space of her charcoal-colored foreleg.

"Woah! Can I have some?" Spinekit tested with a devilish smirk, sticking out her tongue.

"Get some yourself if you're thirsty." Smokepaw released her hold and it splashed to the ground, breathing out a small laugh. Both kits paused a moment before letting out wails and cries. Her eyes widened and she half-stood, looking them over. "Hey, hey, what's wrong? Why are you crying? What?" Immediately Honeybreeze was lumbering over, a dark look in her eyes. The circle of mollys she had been lounging with watched with interest, waiting for something to gossip about.

"Who do you think you are?!" She hissed, scooping her kits close to herself. Her pale gingery-yellow tabby fur was on end. Oh boy. Oh boy. She's going to maul me.

"It's not what-- I didn't think--" Smokepaw tucked her tail, backing to the ground.

"Of course you didn't think, you entitled fleck of dust. Moving onto picking on kits, I see? I'll be sure to tell Rosecall, I know she's been delaying your warrior ceremo--"

"SANDLEAF, SANDLEAF HELP! SOMEONE GET A MEDICINE CAT!" All eyes turned to the entrance to camp. A black and gray tom, Finchwing, stumbled in, followed by Collieheart and Nightfreeze, who dragged a body. They were all caked in mud, their fur thick with it, blood covering much of the rest of their pelts. Thick, glossy red drops striped Finchwing's leg, collecting around his staggering paws. His brother, Nightfreeze was a mass of smoky dirt-clad fur, and Collieheart was barely on his paws.

      Smokepaw came closer, her eyes widened as she realized the unconscious body, loose dirt covering his pelt and blood dripping from a head wound, was Thymeclaw. His usual stark white pelt was unrecognizable, much of it was covered in thick nearly black muck. His ginger tail was limp, the usual long and billowy fur slick and patched with earth. Blood covered one side of his face, but his chest rose slightly with breath.

     "What happened...?" She whispered. Collieheart's forest green eyes slowly raised from the ground to her, his pupils still dilated and ears back.

      "ThunderClan."