The Best Uncle In The World

Firestone reached the exit of the camp without even eating a piece of prey. He wasn't hungry at all since he was too excited for his first apprentice coming. This was going to be the first day of her training and the warrior wanted to be sure that it would be perfect. He didn't sit and just moved from one side to another, thinking about what he should teach Sparkpaw first. Probably a tour of the territory would be a good starting point. After all, it was important that a warrior knew where was his or her home.

The newly appointed apprentice left her den early and trotted to the place where the large tom was waiting. She jumped toward him, pushing him playfully with her body and then nudged him with her head before turning her head toward him to talk. ”Hello, Firestone! What are we going to do today? Hunting? Battle moves? Patrolling?” Even if she wasn’t the most excited she-cat about being a warrior, Sparkpaw didn’t want to dissapoint her family so she was going to do her best no matter what.

The flame dapple cat smiled happily to see that his niece was pretty cooperative with her training. Messing the fur of her head with one big paw, Firestone turned his body to the exit of the camp and moved his fluffy tail slightly so the she-cat could understand that she must follow him. "Before we can do anything of that a Shadowclan cat must know the territory of the clan, right?" He purred, guiding her inside the unknown territories (for her) of his home.

The two cats soon entered into the deepest part of the territory, being surrounded by dead trees and the muddy marshes full of prey. He remembered his own days as an apprentice with Flamestrike guiding him like that when he was still a warrior. Even if he didn't talk too much, he still admired him as a warrior and the tom couldn't ask for a better mentor than him. "As you might see, Shadowclan territory has a lot of marshes and mud. However, you can find a lot of prey and is a nice place to live! There is no better place than Shadowclan!" He said proudly, turning his head to the orange colored she-cat. "The marshes are the best train to endure yourself. The greatest warriors in all clan history born and grow out here! You only have to see Thrustpelt and Flamestrike! They were amazing warriors; able to defeat any enemies with the only purpose of defending the clans! But don't believe that they are the were gifted by Starclan. Oh no, They were apprentice just like you that work on their skills on this same floor that you're stepping in!" The young warrior wanted to inspire his apprentice and show her how amazing she could be if she only tried. Shadowclan offered all the possibilities to all the warrior to turn out into the best fighters and he would show that to Sparkpaw during her training.

Even if Sparkpaw wasn’t the most excited apprentice to become a warrior she couldn’t help to look the territory with new eyes. A happy smile appeared on her face as Firestone talked to her about such amazing warriors. ”I don’t think I can be as great as them but I’ll do anything I can to be a good Shadowclan warrior. I wanna be just like Gingerstripe!” She purred gladly bouncing from one puddle to another playfully. She didn’t dislike mud... for her it was actually funny to play with, feeling how her paws got covered with wet and soft earth. Her green eyes then gazed back at Firestone and she crouched with eyes full of determination, like she was a warrior ready to leap and attack. ”I’m gonna learn everything about fighting moves so I can protect my family and clan so please teach everything you can.”

With a proud smile, the tom nodded to her answer. "That's the key! Remember, everything to do is for your clan, your home. So, we should continue with our lesson. Since you seem quite excited about learning how to fight, the best spots to do that is in our borders with other clans but you must be careful. Please follow me." Saying that, the warrior started to walk again to their next objective: the Thunderpath.

Following the scent of the hard path and those squirrel munchers, Firestone led Sparkpaw to the border between Thunderclan and Shadowclan. Seeing the gray ground in front of him reminded him the day that his father showed him this place and how he warned him about this place. "This is the Thunderpath, Sparkpaw, our border with Thunderclan, which the forest that you see on the other side. This hard and gray-colored path is way more different than our soft marshes... and more dangerous. Here a lot of Shadowclan cats, even the strongest ones, had lost their lives because of the monsters that crush them without stopping and without mercy. If you ever have to cross this path, do it fast without looking back in the moment you're sure that no monster is coming, all right?" His expression turned serious, just like his father did that day. Even if he was a cheerful cat almost all the time, he knew when he had to talk without jokes or a childish attitude. Death wasn't something to joke about and the warrior wanted to be sure that his apprentice understood that too.

The ginger tabby she-cat left her crouching pose and trotted behind the tall warrior, wondering about what they were going to see next. Her answer soon appeared when she scented a strange smell... from another clan. Her happiness soon dissapeared when she glanced at the hard and gray path in front of her. Gulping nervously, the she-cat watched the Thunderpath fearfully as her mentor talked. This was a place where a lot of cats had lost their lives... it wasn’t an honorable death at all. It was... sad to finish crushed like that without the opportunity to do anything about it. Sparkpaw nodded quietly to his words, understanding perfectly how dangerous the path was. ”I hope I never have to fight here... Is there any other border we share with other clan different from Thunderclan?” She said gazing away from the Thunderclan territory, wishing to enter back in her own territory.

The warrior nodded to her question and led her again, starting to walk just next to the Thunderpath. "The Thunderpath is also our border with Windclan, Sparkpaw. They live in the moors so you will notice when we will be arriving at their territory." Firestone said as he stepped forward with confidence and proudly. After all, he chose well when he decided they were going to visit the Shadowclan territories. Now Sparkpaw would know where she was standing and what places she should stay away. She was Gingerstripe's daughter so he had the responsibility to look after her as his uncle.

The roaring of a monster when they were arriving the border between Shadowclan and Windclan interrupted his thoughts. Even if they weren't walking on the hard ground of the Thunderpath, he turned back and yowled to the she-cat. "Sparkpaw, ran to those bushes and stay away from the Thunderpath!" He said running to his territory when the fearful monster crossed the path with a great speed. He could feel the adrenaline running through his veins as he glanced back at the gingery apprentice, making sure she was okay. "That thing... is one of those monsters I was talking you about. No cat can beat them and not even the predators can. That's why we must be careful when we walk here."

Sparkpaw walked behind her mentor with her tail down and concerned eyes. She didn’t like the Thunderpath... it was a graveyard of dead warriors. Her fear her grew even more when we green gazed the bright lights of the monster crossing the gray path. She paralyzed for a second until she heard the calling of Firestone. Leaping o the bushes, Sparkpaw hid in there shaking and seeing how the monster passed without stopping at all. ”It’s... horrible and scary.” She muttered stepping out to see the territory that was on the other side. The fear she felt a moments ago dissapeared and now it was replaced by the excitement. ”Is that Windclan?! I heard that they were the fastest runners!”

The young warrior chuckled by the sudden change of attitude of his excitable apprentice. Even if she was scared to death a few moments ago, she was excited about seeing the moors. "Yeah, that's Windclan. And like you said, they're fast as hares and even more. They're not the best fighter, though but that's why their long legs help them to escape from difficult situations." His green eyes gazed the lonely moors and the turned back to the marshes. Yeah... Shadowclan territory would always be better for him than any other clan, even if the others also had some benefits. His loyalty remained forever with the clan that took them as one of them despite his origins.

"Well, that's all you must know about the limits of our territory and where you must be careful. I think we should go back before it gets too dark. I would show one more place on our way back and then you'll be free to rest in the camp, all right?" He purred, licking her head fraternally. She looked so similar to his brother, so he couldn't help feeling the need of protecting her from all dangers. They were kin... it was his responsibility to defend her from all dangers.