A stiff breeze rustled the reeds. Clouds loomed overhead. A small snowflake fell to the ground at Rosepaw's paws. The cold leaf-bare day promised flurries of snow. Sandheart had ordered every cat out to hunt, for the fresh-kill pile was running low. Crookedwing had decided she would take Rosepaw down to the lake shore to hunt for mice.
The orange she cat was positioned in the hunter's crouch, moving forward on light paws. Rosepaw watched her mentor as she demonstrated. After stalking a few tail-lengths, Crookedwing rose to her paws with a sniff.
"Show me what you got," the ginger she-cat challenged.
Rosepaw crouched down low against the pebbles. She placed a paw forward, but to her dismay, the pebbles clanked beneath her loudly.
       Crookedwing grunted, unsatisfied. "Keep your paws light," she ordered. "And you don't have to crouch so low."
         Rosepaw did as she was told, placing her paws carefully and softly on the pebbles.
      "That's fine," Crookedwing muttered. "Now, catch a mouse."
        Rosepaw wanted to glare at her mentor for her lack of instructions, but she lifted her jaws to taste the air. A sweet, musty scent filled her nose. Mouse? She heard scuffling among the reeds. She pinpointed it, angling her ears, and crouched, not too low.
       She crept forward, keeping her paws light. Clank. Rosepaw had shifted a pebble. The brown mouse lifted its muzzle, then started to dart away. Rosepaw sprang after it, landing a claw on its tail. She quickly reached down to give it the final bite to the neck.
        Crookedwing rose from her crouch. "That'll do," she raised her tail. "I suppose."
       Rosepaw for once didn't care what her mentor said. She had caught her first piece of prey! Rosepaw followed Crookedwing back to camp, mouse dangling in her jaws, with a smile on her face.
                              •*•*•*•*•*•*•
       Flurries of snow fluttered down from the overcast sky. The moorland was barren. Rosepaw couldn't wait for her first new-leaf. She shuddered as a cold breeze rustled the yellow grass. She wanted the cold weather to be over.
       "Rosepaw, over here!"
       Rosepaw turned around to see a group of cats on the other side of camp. She bounded over to them.
       A brown tabby tom with a white chest and tail-tip beckoned her over with a jerk of his head. His green eyes glistened with excitement. His name was Brackenpaw, and he sat with the rest of the apprentices; a brown tom with white paws and deep amber eyes named Amberpaw, and her white brother Puddlepaw.
Rosepaw sat beside her brother shyly.
"We're going to go explore near the RiverClan border," Amberpaw explained. "You can come, if your brave enough."
Rosepaw was taken aback. Of course she was brave enough, she just wasn't used to the company of so many cats. She nodded, glaring at her paws.
When she glanced up, to her relief, Amberpaw wasn't paying attention to her. But she caught Brackenpaw glance at her, green eyes full of interest. Rosepaw gave her chest fur a couple of licks sub-consciously.
Puddlepaw rose to his paws. "Lets go."

Rosepaw padded after the toms. She stopped behind her brother. They had reached the RiverClan border.
Amberpaw gazed mischievously at the scent markers. Brackenpaw glanced worriedly at his litter-mate.
Without warning, Amberpaw leaped over the border, triumph blazing his amber eyes. Brackenpaw's eyes widened in surprise. Rosepaw shifted her paws uneasily. Puddlepaw glanced from the border to Amberpaw and back again.
"What are you doing?" Brackenpaw meowed, disbelief edging his voice.
Amberpaw blinked innocently at his brother. "What harm will I do if I just want to explore?"
"A lot of harm, Amberpaw," Brackenpaw protested. "You could get us in trouble. This is against the warrior code!"
Rosepaw nodded her agreement, though no cat had noticed anyways.
"C'mon," Amberpaw waved his tail invitingly. "It'll fun."
Puddlepaw's copper eyes glistened with excitement. Rosepaw couldn't believe her eyes when the white tom jumped over the border to join Amberpaw.
Brackenpaw shook his head. "I'm not having any part of this."
He turned away, padding toward WindClan camp. He paused in front of Rosepaw. Brackenpaw met her gaze, then glanced back at his fellow apprentices.
"Are you coming with me, or staying with them?" Brackenpaw's green gaze searched Rosepaw for an answer.
Rosepaw flicked her tail, giving a small glance at paws. "I'm going with you."
Brackenpaw gave an approving nod, before leading the way back to camp. Rosepaw followed.
"I think we'll make good friends, you and I," Brackenpaw stated, keeping his gaze forwards.
Rosepaw glanced back. Puddlepaw stood beside Amberpaw on RiverClan territory. Something burned in the depths of the brown tom's amber gaze, something Rosepaw couldn't trust.