Tigerclaw’s Fury

Tigerclaw closed his eyes and basked in the warmth of the cheers. Remember this moment, Mapleshade urged. This is what power feels like.

Chapter 8

Runningnose appeared at his side. “Please organize the battle training as you see fit.” He gave a slightly embarrassed purr. “Not my area of expertise at all!”

“No problem,” Tigerclaw meowed. He flicked his tail. “Blackfoot, Snag, Mowgli? I want each of you to take a warrior and an apprentice. Go through the basic attack and defense moves, then we’ll join up for a mock battle later on. Okay?”

His companions nodded. Stumpytail pricked his ears. “What about me?”

“You, Clawface, and Tangleburr can lead hunting patrols,” Tigerclaw ordered.

There was a faint cough behind him. “We can arrange our own hunting patrols, Tigerclaw,” Deerfoot meowed. His voice was mild but his eyes gleamed with an unspoken challenge.

Tigerclaw bowed his head. “Of course, Deerfoot. I only meant that my cats can help you with restocking the fresh-kill pile.”

Deerfoot blinked. Tigerclaw sensed that the warrior was going to question him at every turn, and he felt his claws slide out to grip the soil. Be patient, whispered Mapleshade. There will be time to deal with him later. Turning away, Tigerclaw nodded to Flintfang and Tallpoppy. “You two come with me.”

Tallpoppy twitched her ears. “We don’t need battle training,” she pointed out. “We have been warriors longer than you, Tigerclaw!” She sounded amused, as if she was speaking to an impudent kit.

Tigerclaw let the fur rise along his spine. “Runningnose said that I was in charge of battle training,” he meowed quietly. “I can’t do that unless I know the abilities of every warrior in the Clan.”

Tallpoppy blinked. “I don’t think Runningnose meant it quite like that.”

Tigerclaw took one step closer to her. “Really? Would you like to discuss it with him—or do you think he has enough to do already?” He flicked his tail toward the center of the clearing, where Runningnose was helping the elders to drag Nightstar’s crumpled body out of the leader’s den.

Tallpoppy looked down at her paws. “I won’t disturb him now,” she meowed. “Flintfang and I will show you how ShadowClan warriors are trained to fight.”

Tigerclaw led them to a sandy space among the pines not far from the lake. The forest echoed with the sound of cats striking, pouncing, and retreating as Blackfoot, Snag, and Mowgli tested the rest of the Clan. Tigerclaw stood back and waited for Flintfang and Tallpoppy to demonstrate the established ShadowClan battle moves. He recognized several of them: the stealthy approach, the leap with raised forepaws, the hind leg slice that unbalanced opponents as well as left their back paws bleeding and lame.

“Wait!” Tigerclaw called as Tallpoppy folded gracefully onto the ground after a swift strike from Flintfang. Tigerclaw went over and narrowed his eyes at the brown she-cat. “Why did you roll over so fast? Even if you get knocked over, you still have a chance to grab your opponent with your teeth or claws. If you do this to a smaller cat, or can catch a bigger one off balance, you’ll bring them down too.”

“I’m sure Tallpoppy would do that in the heat of battle,” Flintfang puffed, licking the ruffled fur on his chest. “But we have our claws sheathed now!”

Tigerclaw glared at him. “And how will that help when it comes to a real fight? Unsheathe your claws, both of you, and start taking this seriously. If there’s a danger you might get hurt, you’ll both sharpen up your moves.”

Tallpoppy’s eyes widened. “That’s how Brokenstar made us train,” she mewed. “This is a practice, Tigerclaw, not the real thing. Why risk getting injured when we are at peace?”

“If you’re as good at fighting as you say you are, you won’t get hurt,” Tigerclaw growled. “Now, try that hind leg slice again, Flintfang, and give Tallpoppy something real to avoid.”

Flintfang launched himself at Tallpoppy again, and this time Tigerclaw could see his claws glinting amid the thick gray fur on his paws. But Flintfang retracted them a heartbeat before he lashed out at Tallpoppy’s hind legs, and once again she dropped to the ground without being touched. Tigerclaw shouldered Flintfang out of the way. “Let me try,” he ordered.

He waited until Tallpoppy was standing, then rushed her, unsheathing his claws and aiming for the soft part of her hind leg just above her paw. Tallpoppy screeched and flung herself away from him. Tigerclaw stopped and looked down at her as she twisted her head around to lick her bleeding leg. “You’ll react quicker next time, won’t you?” he challenged. Tallpoppy didn’t look at him; she just nodded and kept swiping at her torn fur.

“I don’t think that was necessary,” Flintfang began, but Tigerclaw silenced him with a flick of his tail.

“Let’s get back to the camp,” he meowed. “The hunting patrols should have returned by now.”