The sun began to rise and the sky lightened, the pine forest was filled with birdsong. A group of sparrows gossiped and a couple of starlings chattered. A jackdaw crowed at a crow and the crow squawked back. It was early spring.

Crouching low behind some ferns, Stardust focused on a mouse. The mouse was busy searching for nuts and was unaware of being hunted. Slowly, she crawled forward. Crack! Looking down, Stardust saw a broken twig under her right forepaw. The mouse darted under a bramble bush and hid out of Stardust's sight.

"Bad luck," a voice hooted behind her. Looking behind, Stardust saw her best friend and guardian, Moonshadow. He was perched on a low briar bush where he had seen Stardust hunt. Flapping his wings, Moonshadow swooped down and landed silently next to Stardust.

"I tried my best," Stardust mewed, "I was just careless and I stepped on a twig."

"Every hunter makes mistakes," Moonshadow told her, "even I do, but we learn from mistakes. Next time, you should check the wind first before you hunt, if you're upwind, your prey will scent you first and run away so you need to be downwind. Secondly, be more aware of where you're treading. When you were hunting, your tail was high in the air, keep your tail down so your prey won't see you. If your prey has spotted you and tries to run away, you can try to pounce on it before it escapes. That wasn't bad for your first hunt, there's always room for improvement."

"Thanks Moonshadow," Stardust purred, "how do you know so much about hunting on the ground?"

"An old friend of mine taught me, she was a burrowing owl."

"Oh cool," Stardust meowed, "that mouse would have been a really good meal for both of us, I should have been able to catch it, I was so close."

"Don't be too hard on yourself," Moonshadow comforted her, "come on, I've stored another mouse in the nest and we can share."

"Okay! I'm starving," Stardust meowed. She padded towards the tall thick-trunked pine tree and began to climb. Unsheathing her claws, she carefully placed one paw around the tree and the other paw grasped a nearby branch, slowly, she heaved herself upwards. She was nearly at the old woodpecker nest when suddenly she slipped. Scrabbling at the tree bark desperately trying not to fall, Stardust felt strong talons gripping her shoulders. Moonshadow had caught hold of her just before she could fall, he lifted her up to the hole and Stardust reached out for the edge and carefully climbed in, Moonshadow followed a moment later.

"Thanks," Stardust mewed, "I could have fallen, I can't believe I'm so clumsy today."

"With more practice, you'll be able to climb up the tree all by yourself," Moonshadow told her, "besides, I would never let you fall." Moonshadow reached into a corner and brought out the mouse which he had stored. After sharing the mouse with Stardust, he began to preen his feathers. Stardust licked her paw to wash her face.

Soon, the sun sunk below the horizon and the blue sky began to darken. Night was falling and the chattering of the birds began to fade as one by one they fell asleep. The moon started to rise.

"It's about time for bed," Moonshadow told Stardust,"come on, off you go."

"But I'm not tired," Stardust protested.

"You're a growing cat, you need to rest."

"But why?"

"Because you're tired."

"No I'm not," Stardust insisted, trying hard not to yawn.

"I know you're tired, staying up late won't do you any good."

"Why do you stay up late?" Stardust complained, "why can't I stay up late too?"

"Because I'm an owl, you're a cat."

"I don't see any difference," Stardust meowed.

"What do you mean?" Moonshadow asked in surprise.

"Well, we both have round heads and we have sharp claws."

"I have feathers, you have fur." Moonshadow hooted. "And I don't have paws, I have talons."

"But please can I stay up late for just one night?" Stardust pleaded.

Moonshadow sighed. "Very well, I guess one night is okay, but tomorrow you have to go to sleep early."

Stardust purred. "Okay."

Moonshadow turned around to gaze at the moon. Stardust padded towards Moonshadow and sat down beside him. Both cat and owl stared at the moon and the stars, both content with what was happening now. Little did they know about what dangers lay before them in the imminent future.