Sootpaw woke up later, as the moon shone light through a hole in the roof. The surrounding nests were filled with sleeping cats and Sootpaw tried no to wake them as he stepped over to the hole in the wall that led to outside. He followed the sound of rushing water to the river where he had woken up earlier and layer down in the damp sand. Memories flashed in his head of the darkness and he had to open his eyes to chase away the drowning feeling. He let cold water flow over his paws and soak his belly fur as he waded deeper into the calm water. His belly rumbled, reminding him of his hunger and he backed out of the water. He couldn't see any fish in the river, so he headed near the trees. Hopefully a mouse was searching for nuts around the roots.

He was at the tree before he scented a tom close behind him. He whipped around to see a black tom with brown ears and amber-nearly red eyes. He towered over the small apprentice, thanks to his long legs. His heart pounded in his chest at the sudden fright and he faced the large tom head on.

"I was just looking for something to eat."

The black tom blinked his dark eyes and the were much lighter now. He turned around and motioned for him to follow. Sootpaw padded behind the tom and ended up at the large stretch of water. He screwed his nose at the smell of salt and had to take shallow breaths to make sure he didn't choke.

"If you look in the sand, you might find a crab."

A crab? Sootpaw twisted his face in confusion, but the tom was digging in the mushy sand with his claws. He had a decent hole and he pulled out a create with his teeth. It was huge and red and had large claws. The black and brown tom set it on the sand and placed his paw on it. He put all of his weight onto the shell and Sootpaw heard a faint crack. Thentom lifted his paw when the animal stopped squirming. He pulled the shell off and nudged the pink slimy thing toward Sootpaw.

"Eww!"

The tom narrowed his eyes.

"My name's Thorn. You get used to the taste eventually. When you catch a crab, make sure you look out for the claws. They'll poke you in the eyes if they think they're in danger."

Sootpaw gulped down the pink flesh quickly and didn't really mind the taste, but a nice mouse would be better. He wanted to thank Thorn for catching the crab and started hunting for something for the generous tom. Moonlight bathed the salty water, making it turn white. Waves gently lapped at the sand.

"The salty water is called an ocean. The elders say it stretches forever."

Thorn had followed Sootpaw near the trees. He was trying to get to one of the round brown things hanging from the branches. Thorn said they were coconuts and very hard to come by. Once they dropped, they were no good. Some cats had even died climbing the tree. Now it was Sootpaw's turn.

He fastened his claws into the tough bark and edged his way up. Halfway to the top and he nearly lost his footing. His heart nearly leaped from his chest but he held on to the tree. He looked down and saw Thorn looking up at him nervously. His tail tip was twitching uncontrollably and his eyes reflected the moon. Sootpaw took a deep breath and carried on, going inch by inch up the trunk of the coconut tree. He reached the leaves of the tree and reached his claws to the coconut the dangled from it. It was just out of his reach. He edged closer and tried again, keeping three pairs of claws latched into the bark. He sliced the stem, making the fruit come crashing down. Thorn caught it between his paws before it fell to the ground.

Sootpaw was too early to celebrate. He misjudged the distance between where he was and the next notch and came crashing from the tree. He screeched loudly and landed with an 'oof' on the packed sand. Thorn was next to him in an instant. Beetle had also come running into the night, with King just behind him. A throbbing pain inflicted his hind leg, and he couldn't move it.

StarClan don't let it be broken!

Beetle prodded his leg with his paw and Sootpaw had to stifle his cries. The black tom sighed with a mixture of fear and relief.

"It's not broken. But it is out of place. I'll have to reset it, and it will hurt."

Thorn bounded away and returned a heartbeat later with a stick. He placed it in the apprentices mouth to bite on when the pain came. Beetle placed his paws on opposite sides of his leg and took a deep breath. Then, with one swift moment pushed his leg back into it's socket. The stick snapped between Sootpaw's teeth, but his leg felt better.

"You will need to rest. Thorn, take him to my den will you."

Thorn grabbed Sootpaw's scruff between his teeth and trotted back inside, careful to keep his hurt leg away from the ground. King padded over to the coconut Sootpaw had managed to knock down and rolled it behind them. Beetle helped open the window wider for entrance. King pushed the furry fruit through a home in another wall, for every cat to share. Sootpaw was taken to Beetle's den, which was similar to Greeneyes' den. It smelled of herbs and fowl plants.