It had been a moon since Nightpaw had been apprenticed. He was stalking in the forest, hunting with Stormflight. The forest was chilly. It is going to be leaf-bare soon. Nightpaw sniffed the air again. I smell mouse!

His eyes darted around, looking for the delicious creature. He spotted a plump mouse near a patch of brambles. Nightpaw checked the wind and dropped into a crouch.

He remembered what Lightfire told him moons ago. Silently and without making any twigs crack, he crept on the mouse.

Nightpaw leaped, catching the mouse with his front paws. He did a swift killing bite.

"Good job." Stormflight mewed approvingly. His mentor was very pleased with him. Nightpaw had caught several fresh-kills in the past moon and can defeat all the apprentices in a fight, including annoying Branchpaw.

Nightpaw nodded. It wasn't his first catch, but sinking his teeth into the fresh-kill's flesh reminded him of the nightmare he had when he was a kit. Quickly, he scraped the earth over the mouse. "Let's go catch more fresh-kill." meowed Nightpaw, not wanting to show his fear.

They returned with two plump mice and a thrush. Nightpaw dropped his prey on the fresh-kill pile. He glanced at his sister. They hadn't talk much. Sunpaw had stayed away from Nightpaw since his second day of training, where he caught his first catch. He didn't know why, but when he tried to talk to her she would avoid him by going somewhere else.

I deal with that later, He thought. He picked a vole and headed towards the nursery. Nightpaw had promised Skykit to share prey with her.

"Nightpaw?" Skykit mewed.

"Do you want to share the vole?" Nightpaw nudged the vole towards her.

"Thanks!" Skykit purred as she took a bite.

Nightkit looked around the nursery while eating. Mouseflower was with her just born kits, Hollykit, Hazelkit, and Hawkkit. Sleekfur was eyeing Nightpaw, like how she did when he was still in the nursery.

After they finished their vole, Skykit thanked Nightpaw again and he paddled into the clearing.

"Stormflight, Kestrelstripe, you are going on a border patrol with me." mewed Redpelt. The deputy of ThunderClan added, "and bring your apprentices with you."

Kestrelstripe muttered something under her breath and searched for Sunpaw. Nightpaw collided with Stormflight. They waited as Sunpaw padded over to them. "Let's go." She sighed.

They padded through the forest. No cat talked. The only sound came from Kestrelstripe, who constantly grumbled something insignificant.

Nightpaw looked over at his sister. Wanting to break the silence, he mewed, "Hi."

"Hi." Sunpaw replied, not looking at him. Nightpaw's pelt inched with frustration. Why is there tension between us? He didn't know what to meow. If he meowed, "How is your training going?", Sunpaw would whine about her grumpy mentor and how he is waaaay skilled and talented than her.

"Sunpaw?" Nightpaw meowed.

"Yes?" Sunpaw was still not looking at him.

Nightpaw's mind was blank on what to say. "Are you okay?"

"Yes! I'm fine!" She snapped. Sunpaw padded closer to her mentor, away from Nightpaw. I wonder what's wrong...

They padded in silence. They were near the Windclan border when Redpelt yowled, "I smell WindClan cats!"

The moor cats' scent was definitely in ThunderClan's territory. Nightpaw found prey bones on the leaf-covered earth. "They're stealing ThunderClan's prey!" He gasped.

Kestrelstripe's crystal blue eyes blazed. "Those flea-pelts! How dare they!"

"There's a Windclan patrol coming!" Hissed Stormflight. "We will see what they have to tell us."

The ThunderClan cats halted at the edge of the stream.

Four cats stood at the opposite side of the water. A striped she-cat greeted the forest cats with a meow, "How is everything going in Thunderclan?"

Redpelt showed his teeth and hissed. "Don't you think you can get away with us by saying that, Honeywind. We know that WindClan is stealing our prey!"

"But we are starving!" The beautiful she-cat wailed. Her clanmate, a very thin black and white tom, glared at her.

"That doesn't mean you can steal prey from us!" Snarled Stormflight. He turned at the black and white tom. "You should know better, Patchstar."

Patchstar hissed. "If you do not give us prey, we cannot survive."

Nightpaw's pelt bristled. "You're not getting past this border!" His clanmate a nodded in agreement.

"Then we will fight for it." Patchstar unsheathed his claws.

Kestrelstripe grunted. "You're out numbered. You only have three grown cats and one apprentice."

A heartbeat after she spoke, unfamiliar pelts poured out of the bushes. Nightpaw assumed that they were WindClan cats. The cats looked ready to fight.

"Are we still out numbered?" Patchstar meowed smugly. "I guess not."

The enemy clan's cats made a half circle around the ThunderClan cats. Knowing that they are outnumbered, Kestrelstripe hissed into Sunpaw's ear. "Go get reinforcements!"

Nightpaw could tell that Sunpaw wanted to stay and fight. "Fine." She meowed, her tone edged with disappointment.

Before any cat can meow another word, she dashed off into the trees.

The WindClan leader didn't seem to notice her. He flicked his tail, and the moor cats charged.