CHAPTER THIRTY

                                    

                                          
"When will we practice hunting?" Foxpaw's annoying voice rang in Beefrost's head, he was obligated to take her out every day, but he wasn't obligated to deal with her constant yapping.
It's been a moon since she was apprenticed, and Beefrost had her gathering moss for the elders every day, only training her when they were in group sessions.
Beefrost was sure Foxpaw hated him. He hated her too. He often heard her bad-mouthing him to Shadepaw. Foxpaw was seen in camp as a highly disrespectful cat. That was exactly what Beefrost wanted. Foxpaw knew exactly how to hunt and fight, she was exceptionally good at it for how little Beefrost had trained her. Her begging and complaining made the Clan weary of her.
Beefrost ignored her as she pressed on, begging for hunting practice. His claws threatened to act on their own, he had to dig them into the dirt to stop himself from shredding the disgusting queen.
"You want practice?" He hissed, rounding on her, stopping only a whisker away from her face. Foxpaw staggered back, her eyes wide with fear, and then determination. "Oh yes! O'perfect mentor!" She snapped back, her tail lashing low to the ground. 
"Come with me then." He told her, then raced through the moor, remembering his path to the place of shallow water. Foxpaw had no trouble keeping up, her paws grazed carefully against the unfamiliar land. Beefrost leaped over the steep hill where he had fallen the first time, feeling proud when he heard his apprentice hit the water with a curse under her breath.
"You could've warned me!" Foxpaw hissed, but Beefrost paid no mind. "How does battle training sound?" He growled, annoyed to see Foxpaw perk up. "It's about time!" She dropped into a crouch, but her tail flailed like a spire tree in the wind. 
"Get your tail out of the sky, flea-brain!" He hissed, slapping his paw over Foxpaw's tail, claws out. He didn't even notice until she let out a yelp of pain and surprise. "Beefrost!" She gasped, staggering as the water sucked at her legs. 
Foxpaw leaped up, spraying droplets of water and sprang at Beefrost, she was good for her training, but not good enough! Beefrost saw that her claws were out, anger pulsed through him.
He grabbed her with his toes mid-air by her shoulders and hauled her into the water, making her wheeze as the fall winded her. "Is that the best you could do?" Beefrost touted her, pleased to see the defiant glimmer in her eyes die away.
"Honestly, Foxpaw, Galekit can launch better than that." Foxpaw gave a disgruntled snort. "Maybe if you'd train me properly I'd do better!" She hissed under her breath. Beefrost didn't need to react, instead, he sprang at the young tortie cat again, his claws outstretched, and before he could sheathe them, barreled down on Foxpaw, who let out a wail of pain.
"Sheathe your claws!" She demanded. "You wouldn't be saying that if you could dodge!" Beefrost spat back at her. Foxpaw staggered, her pelt was plastered to her sides by the water. Beefrost opened his jaws to bite another stinging comment, but a splash sounded and tortie fur flashed in the corner of his eye.
Claws spiked his shoulders as Foxpaw crashed into him, wrapping her paws around his neck. With a yowl of surprise, Beefrost shook her off, but not before seeing red in the water. Blood! Beefrost gasped, he pulled himself away from Foxpaw and stared at her pelt.
There was a spot of blood on her cheek where he accidently scratched her. The wound was hardly noticeable. Then what caused the red in the water?
"Oh StarClan! Beefrost! I'm so sorry!" He heard Foxpaw gasp. Looking down at his own pelt, Beefrost saw his shoulders welled blood at the spots where Foxpaw had pricked him.
Only, they weren't pricks! Beefrost had long gashes across his shoulders, small streams of blood trickled down his leg. "I didn't mean to! I wasn't thinking!" Foxpaw cried, but Beefrost hardly heard her.
He wasn't mad, quite the opposite really. He couldn't help but be impressed, she has such little battle training. Then, a feeling more powerful than admiration surged over him. No! This is a loner's kit! There is no reason I should ever feel anything but disgust with her!
With a huff, Beefrost stalked away from the shallow water, aware of the blood that trailed behind him. "I swear I didn't mean it!" Foxpaw whined. "I heard you the first time!" Beefrost snapped, his teeth bared.
Startled, Foxpaw staggered back and slipped back over the edge, cutting her paw on a sharp stone, she let out a wail and  limped back to him. The rest of the way back to the camp was silent.
"Foxpaw! What happened to you?" Beefrost stifled a growl as Haypetal's voice sounded from inside the warriors den. Foxpaw had hurried ahead of him, and when Beefrost emerged from the camp barrier, he was aware of eyes on him. Not on me, he realized quickly, on my wounds.
"What happened?" Bumblestar demanded, Beefrost sighed. No hello, welcome back? "You're both drenched and bleeding!"
"I took her for some battle training near some water by the twoleg place." With a painful lick to his shoulder, he continued. "Foxpaw got a little carried away, and she cut her pad on a stone." When he had finished, he saw Maelstrom glaring, his claws were outstretched, tearing at the ground in an unvoiced threat. Don't ever take my daughter there again, or else. Beefrost returned Maelstrom's gaze defiantly. I'll do what I'd like.