the sky stretched overhead, a canvas of shifting greys and muted blues as clouds gathered and cast mottled shadows over the field below. the air was warm, but carried the fainting hint of coming rain.

standing in the centre of the field were two figures, the two locked in silence, their fur fluttering slightly in the gentle breeze.

stonechatpaw crouched low to the ground. his green eyes narrowed on his mentor, tallskunk, who faced him with a confident smirk. the older tom's black—and—white pelt seemed to almost shimmer in the diffused light beaming down on them.

tallskunk's tail flicked left and right.

❝ always be ready, stonechatpaw, ❞ advised the older tom, his voice a low purr. ❝ your enemies won't wait for you to be prepared, ❞

before stonechatpaw could process what tallskunk had meowed, his mentor sprung forward with a speed that belied his size. the apprentice's eyes widened with shock as his mentor's larger form collided with his and knocked him off his paws, and into the grass. the fall left the young tom breathless for a moment, the world spinning slightly as he gathered his senses.

❝ too slow, ❞ tallskunk murmured, his tone dribbling with amusement as he disentangled himself from his apprentice. he stepped back, giving stonechatpaw room to scramble to his feet.

humiliation warred within stonechatpaw as he flicked dust from his pelt. he couldn't let his mentor see him as weak. he had to prove his worth: he had to be the greatest warrior nettleclan had ever seen. he just had to, for his own sake.

stonechatpaw squared his shoulders.

tallskunk's smirk widened and he dipped his head at his 'paw. ❝ c'mon then. show me what you've got, ❞

stonechatpaw leaped forward, his fur a quick blur of orange and brown. he swiped his right paw towards tallskunk's muzzle. the blow connected with a thwack, the impact jarring stonechatpaw for a second.

staggering back, tallskunk looked toward the tom with widened eyes and a gaped jaw.

for a heartbeat, nothing happened. then, tallskunk laughed a rich cackle that echoed across the open field encompassing the pair. ❝ now that's the spirit, ❞ he exclaimed, a glint of pride in his stare.

a rush of satisfaction washed over the apprentice as he relished in the praise. his breath came out fast and he stood taller. he met tallskunk's eyes, and for the first time, saw a flicker of genuine respect.

tallskunk bowed slightly to end their session. ❝ we will continue tomorrow, ❞ he uttered. ❝ you're improving, but you still have a lot to learn, ❞ he turned and flicked his tail for stonechatpaw to follow.

stonechatpaw stood by himself for a short while and watched as his mentor stalked off towards the edge of the field. he knew his mentor was right: the path to becoming a warrior was tough, and he couldn't afford to be complacent.

the sky darkened and stonechatpaw took this as a sign to hurry up and catch up with tallskunk, before he was left out in a storm. stonechatpaw wasn't a fan of the rain and getting drenched wasn't on the days agenda.

stonechatpaw took a deep breath. he glanced around the field as he sided by tallskunk, watching as a pair of birds fluttered in the sky, twirling and whirling in the air after one another.

stonechatpaw giggled and rolled his eyes.

the tom's face widened with a smile. he was on his way to becoming a warrior, and nothing could stop him.

tallskunk's eyes hazily peered over toward his grinning apprentice and he chortled at the boy's joy. ❝ you did well, ❞ he purred with an approving nod. ❝ tomorrow we'll focus on some hunting techniques, ❞

the scent of rain grew thicker and the sky darkened the further they padded, and before long a soft trickle of rain pattered down onto them. it was rather cool and refreshing.

glancing up at the sky, tallskunk frowned. he turned to stonechatpaw and a glint of mischief sparkled within his eyes. ❝ how about we make a race of it, then? ❞

a challenge? stonechatpaw could never turn down any type of challenge. ❝ you're on! ❞ he declared.

❝ on three, ❞ tallskunk spoke, positioning himself for the race. ❝ one... two... three! ❞

both felines leaped forward, the field blurring around them as they bolder towards the safety of camp. the rain began to fall more steadily, each drop a burst of coolness against their burning pelts.

tallskunk was fast, his longer strides giving him the upper—paw in the race. but, stonechatpaw was full of determination, and eager to impress his mentor, kept pace.

stonechatpaw hurtled himself over a large rock, paws sliding once they slapped back onto the wetting grass below his body.  the familiar territory passed by in a rush.

soon enough, the entrance to camp came into view: a welcoming haven amidst the increasing downpour of rain.

with a final kick of speed, stonechatpaw surged ahead of tallskunk. he crossed the border into camp just a whisker ahead of his mentor and skidded to a halt just inside.

the coloured tom whooped and jumped upwards at his victory, while tallskunk playfully shook his head and flicked the gathering droplets of rain from his fur.

❝ you're something else, 'paw, ❞ mused tallskunk. he stepped closer into camp. ❝ good job again today. you are going to be a fine warrior one day, i can feel it in my whiskers, ❞ he beamed nobly before dipping his head and parting across camp.

stonechatpaw huffed heavily, watching as his mentor trotted across camp.

a crack thundered across the sky, followed by a bright flash of light which caused stonechatpaw to skittishly scatter further into camp.

𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘵𝘱𝘢𝘸 𝘥𝘰:

━━ 𝗖𝗛𝗢𝗜𝗖𝗘 𝗢𝗡𝗘 ... go and find his parents, and tell them about his day.

━━ 𝗖𝗛𝗢𝗜𝗖𝗘 𝗧𝗪𝗢 ... follow after tallskunk.

━━ 𝗖𝗛𝗢𝗜𝗖𝗘 𝗧𝗛𝗥𝗘𝗘 ... go and find gravelpaw, and see what she's doing.