Angels Like You[C]

Obediently Hedgepaw sat where her mentor indicated, ears swiveled forward to show her full attention. She had been a little bit uncertain of Quillsplash when he'd first been named as her mentor; his big scary form and unsmiling face had caused her wariness, coupled with her instinctive shyness and fear of the unknown. But he wasn't an unknown anymore. He was a patient teacher, and his knowledge was unique and deep. Every time he spoke, she couldn't help but listen. And when he gave her praise, it was almost as good as getting it from Mamma or her brothers. So even though it wasn't her favorite part of being an apprentice, not quite--not when it had to compete with hide-and-seek with Hawkmist, and with snowball fights with Silverhawk--she enjoyed learning from him.

Learning how to fight. That was what they'd be doing today. The part she'd never really been good at--the part she'd always worried about quietly, just a little bit. She was so small... how was she supposed to fight off the big scary things that wanted to eat her? Wolfpaw was always so much better at that. But if there was anyone she trusted to teach her, it was Quillsplash. Hedgepaw ignored the way that her stomach began squirming like a live insect, and instead focused on listening. When he mentioned defensive moves rather than harm, it soothed the vague prickling at the base of her neck. That was good--she didn't really want to hurt other cats. Just learning defense would be all she needed, right? There was no reason to worry about anything else. She'd always have her brothers to protect her. Hedgepaw nodded assent when Quillsplash finished speaking, her green eyes wide. "No," she said, "no questions." Anything she could possibly wonder would be answered when he began teaching. Everything he'd said had made sense so far, surely this would be no different. "I'm ready to learn."

Hedgepaw nodded solemnly, taking in her mentor's every word. Learning to dodge moves was important. She didn't want to be taken off guard by a sudden owl attack ever again. If she'd known how to dodge, maybe she would've been able to get out of the way. Her white paws kneaded the mud beneath her as Quillsplash moved smoothly, leaping to the side in such a graceful movement that it seemed almost effortless. Her jaw dropped unconsciously. Could she learn to move like that? He'd already taught her to hunt--maybe she'd learn to dodge like that, as well. Then nothing could hit her! "Crouch... dodge to the side... turn... scratch," she repeated under her breath, hoping that saying the steps out loud would make them stick. It was more complicated than hunting, but if she could do it well, then she'd never get hit ever again. And maybe then Quillsplash would praise her again.

All right. Just pretend there's a fox, and do what he did. The small brown apprentice nodded, stepping into a clearer area that was far enough away she wouldn't run into Quillsplash. "No, I think I can try." If she did it wrong, he'd just correct her--but she'd rather try it and be wrong than sit around and watch him do it again. Odds are seeing him repeat it wouldn't help her do it better. She got the general idea, she just... needed to get the exact movement into her limbs. Looking up into the evening-dark conifers, Hedgepaw tried to imagine a giant fox coming to get her--except, she didn't know what foxes looked like. So she blinked and tried again. This time, it was the giant monster creatures that came for them at the awful journeyplace--big scary things with mouths full of teeth that even strong cats like Silverrhawk and Pineblossom had run away from. She could hardly remember the fear-repressed memory, but even just thinking of it sent a shudder through her, from the fur along her spine to the tip of her tail. Imagine it's coming right for you and you've gotta get out of the way. Mamma's not here letting you ride on her back. It's just you. She exhaled quietly, going through the movement in her head. Then, imagining a big scary paw swiping down towards her, she crouched--then sprang to the side. The movement was a bit slow and clumsy, and her own paws almost got in her way when she landed. There was no time to send another swipe, not when she had to regulate her own weight. But she had jumped to the side. It was something to work with, if nothing else. Hedgepaw turned towards Quillsplash with luminous green eyes, waiting for praise or correction.

Hedgepaw's eyes sparkled at the praise. When Quillsplash said she'd done well, she knew he meant it. Warmth burst in her heart for a moment. But she shook it off, listening to the instruction he gave later. Room for improvement--she knew that. Dodging was good, but she needed to strike back. Just dodging wouldn't work. Balance, trial, error, practice. Thank the stars she had a patient mentor to help her get things right. At times like these, she didn't feel too terribly jealous of Pineblossom and Fernpaw, or Silverhawk and Wolfpaw. Quietly she exhaled, considering the words he'd said. He wanted... her to figure out the problem? He wasn't going to tell her it himself? She frowned thoughtfully, tilting her head to the side. That was more difficult, but she could manage. It was probably meant to help her learn better. She would just have to do it again, and... feel where she went wrong. "Okay."

She turned again, trying to imagine once more that there was a big scary thing bearing down on her. Something that wanted to eat her. Big mouth, sharp teeth. Her muscles tensed. She jumped quickly to the side--then stumbled, her small paws almost folding beneath her. As Hedgepaw landed, she glanced down at her legs, seeing the way they trembled slightly. "I'm... tensin' too hard. I need to be lighter." If she put all her strength into the jump, there was no energy left to land correctly, much less to lash out and swipe. The small brown tabby shook out her fur and tried again. This time, she did not clench her muscles as fiercely. Imagine you can float like a cloud, away from the predator. She jumped further, landing easier on her paws. Then--quickly, right as her balance returned--she lashed out with a paw. The strike had still been a little bit slow, maybe clumsy, but with repetition she could get it! Her eyes shone, and she looked to Quillsplash again.